Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Purification and Characterization of Cell Wall Hydrolase from Alkalophilic Bacillus mutanolyticus

Streptococcus mutans has the capacity of inducing dental caries. Thus, to develop a novel way of preventing dental caries, a cell wall hydrolase-producing strain was isolated and its characteristics were investigated. Among 200 alkalophilic strains isolated from soil, 8 strains exhibited lytic activities against Streptococcus mutans. However, strain YU5215 with the highest cell wall hydrolase activity was selected for further study. Strain YU5215 was identified as a novel strain of Bacillus based on analyzing its 16S rDNA sequence and Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, and thus designated as Bacillus mutanolyticus YU5215. The optimal conditions for the production of the cell wall hydrolase from Bacillus mutanolyticus YU5215 consisted of glucose (0.8%), yeast extract (1.2%), polypeptone (0.5%), K2HPO4 (0.1%), MgSO4·7H2O (0.02%), and Na2CO3 (1.0%) at pH 10.0. Bacillus mutanolyticus YU5215 was cultured at 30C for 72 h to produce the cell wall hydrolase, which was then purified by acetone precipitation and CM-agarose column chromatography. The molecular weight of the lytic enzyme was determined as 22,700 Da by SDS-PAGE. When the cell wall peptidoglycan of Streptococcus mutans was digested with the lytic enzyme, no increase in the reducing sugars was observed, while the free amino acids increased, indicating that the lytic enzyme had an endopeptidase-like property. The amino terminus of the cell wall peptidoglycan digested by the lytic enzyme was determined as a glutamic acid, while the lytic site of the lytic enzyme in the Streptococcus mutans peptidoglycan was identified as the peptide linkage of L-Ala
ACCELERATED FATIGUE RELIABILITY ANALYSIS OF STIFFENED SECTIONS USING DEEP LEARNING By HAIDER ALI Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering National University of Sciences and Technology Islamabad, Pakistan

Fatigue is one of the main failure mechanisms in structures subjected to fluctuating loads such as bridges and ships. If inadequately designed for such loads, fatigue can be detrimental to the safety of the structure. When fatigue cracks reach a certain size, sudden fracture failure or yielding of the reduced section can occur. Accordingly, quantifying the critical crack size is essential for determining the reliability of fatigue critical structures under growing cracks. Failure Assessment Diagrams (FADs) can be used to determine the critical crack size or whether the state of the crack is acceptable or not at a particular instant in time. Due to the presence of uncertainties in loads, material properties and crack growth behavior, probabilistic analysis is essential to understand the fatigue performance of the structure over its service life. A time dependent reliability profile for the structure can be established to help schedule maintenance and repair activities. However, probabilistic analysis of crack growth under complex geometrical and loading conditions can be very expensive computationally. Deep learning is a useful tool that is used in this study to curtail this lengthy process by establishing multi-variate non-linear approximations for complex fatigue crack growth profiles. This study proposes a framework for establishing the fatigue reliability profiles of stiffened panels under uncertainty. Monte Carlo simulation is used to draw samples from relevant probabilistic parameters and establish the time dependent reliability profile of the structure under propagating cracks. Deep learning is adopted to improve the computational efficiency of the probabilistic analysis in establishing the probabilistic crack growth profiles. The proposed framework is illustrated on a bridge with stiffened tub girders subjected to fatigue loading.
Opportunity for Public Comment : Revised Commissioned Paper

The Committee on Assessment of Studies of Health Outcomes Related to the Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule has commissioned a revised paper from a consultant, Martin Kulldorff, Ph.D., titled, Study Designs for the Safety Evaluation of Different Childhood Immunization Schedules. This revised paper was available on the project’s website on July 12, 2012. We will be inviting comments and reactions to the revised paper to inform the committee discussion. The comment period has been extended until July 31, 2012, and can be accessed at: http://www.iom. edu/HealthOutcomesCommissionedPaper.
Closed form Delay / Doppler / Propagation Factor Acquisition for GPS Signals

Abstract: In this article, a delay/Doppler/propagation factor acquisition method for global positioning system (GPS) signal is proposed. Utilising the Fourier transform (FFT) of the autocorrelation function (ACF) for the received signal, together with some mathematical simplifications, a closed form solution is derived to estimate the delay/Doppler/propagation factor for the received signal. Unlike previous related estimation methods for this case, the proposed method has the advantage of not requiring any searching over the different parameters to perform the estimation. Simulation results for the proposed method are presented in this article to assess its performance.
Behaviors of Converted Wave in an Azimuthally Isotropic Medium - A Physical Model Study

The existence of subsurface fractures provides not only space for the residence of petroleum but also paths of migration. Therefore, subsurface fractures are of great interest to exploration geophysicists. In reflection seismology, a reservoir of vertically aligned fractures is often considered to possess azimuthal anisotropy, or Horizontal Transverse Isotropy (HTI), in terms of seismic anisotropy. The characteristics and information of this specific type of reservoir are widely obtained using seismic attributes, including the azimuthal variation in the P -wave amplitude and velocity, and the fractional difference of split S-waves. Essentially, a converted (C-) wave is initiated by a downward traveling P-wave, which is converted on reflection to upcoming S-waves. Hence, it combines the behaviors of P- and S-waves in theory. Using a forward model study, this study demonstrates the behaviors of a C-waves in a HTI medium, instead of the behaviors of P- or S-waves. Reflections are facilitated on the horizontal symmetry-axis plane of a scaled HTI model along seven different azimuths using end-on shooting arrangement. Using a P-type transducer as a source and an S-type transducer as a receiver, the behaviors of C-waves in a HTI medium are observed. In the acquired profiles, reflections of P-, PS1- (C1 -), and a mixture of PS2- ( C2-) and S1-waves were detected. The phenomenon of C-wave splitting is also observed because of the behavior of an S-wave in a Transversely Isotropic Medium (TIM), and it could be easily identified in the azimuths near the fracture plane. The reflectivity strengths obtained using a Hilbert transform show that the azimuthal variation in the Amplitude Versus Offset (AVO) for both P- and C1-waves are consistent, but the C1-wave amplitude variation depends more significantly on the azimuth than that of the P-wave. Furthermore, the percentage anisotropy of the C-wave computed from acquired data falls right between those of P- and S-waves. By incorporating C-wave splitting and azimuthal AVO variation into traditional signature analyses, our results show that the fracture orientation is more pronounced when the potential reservoir has vertically aligned fractures.
B 52 promotes alternative splicing of Dscam in Chinese mitten crab , Eriocheir sinensis

B52 is a member of the classical serine/arginine (SR)-rich proteins, which are phylogenetically conserved and play significant roles in mRNA maturation, including alternative splicing. In the present study, the docking site, selector sequences and locus control region of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (EsDscam) were identified. Alternative splicing of Dscam is essential to generate different isoforms. We also isolated and characterised the B52 gene from E. sinensis (EsB52). The 876 bp open reading frame of EsB52 encodes a 291 amino acid residue polypeptide, and EsB52 has two RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) at the N-terminus and an arginine/serine-rich domain at the C-terminus. Each RRM contains two degenerate short submotifs, RNP-1 and RNP2. Analysis of tissue distribution revealed that EsB52 mRNA expression was widespread in all tested tissues, and especially high in brain and hemocytes. In hemocytes, EsB52 was upregulated significantly after stimulation with pathogen-associated molecular patterns and bacteria. Furthermore, EsB52 RNAi decreased the number of Ig7 inclusion in mRNA rather than Ig2 or Ig3. Taken together, these findings suggest that EsB52 acts as an alternative splicing activator of EsDscam.
Contextualized Attention Metadata in Learning Environments

Carlos Delgado-Kloos and Fridolin Wild 6 Technology-Enhanced Learning: Supporting Learning in the 21st Century — Pat Manson 8 Integrating Web-Based and 3D Learning Environments: Second Life Meets Moodle — Daniel Livingstone and Jeremy Kemp 15 Game-Based Learning in e-Learning Environments — Pablo Moreno-Ger, José Luis Sierra-Rodríguez, and Baltasar FernándezManjón 21 Use of Folksonomies in the Creation of Learning Experiences for Television — Marta Rey-López, Rebeca P. Díaz-Redondo, Ana Fernández-Vilas, and José J. Pazos-Arias 27 Fostering Open Sensemaking Communities by Combining Knowledge Maps and Videoconferencing — Alexandra Okada, Eleftheria Tomadaki, Simon Buckingham Shum, and Peter J. Scott 37 Mobile Social Software for Professional Communities — Ralf Klamma and Matthias Jarke 44 Applying "Scruffy" Methods to Enable Work-Integrated Learning — Stefanie N. Lindstaedt, Tobias Ley, Peter Scheir, and Armin Ulbrich 51 Distributed Feed Networks for Learning — Fridolin Wild and Steinn E. Sigurdarson 57 Contextualized Attention Metadata in Learning Environments — Martin Wolpers 62 Free / Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) Communities as an Example of Successful Open Participatory Learning Ecosystems — Andreas Meiszner, Rüdiger Glott, and Sulayman K. Sowe 69 New Objects in Formal Professional Learning: Replaying Meetings to Learn — Linda Castañeda, Eleftheria Tomadaki, and Peter J. Scott 76 UPC’s Moodle Platform: A Study on Architecture and Performance — Marcos Montero-Torres 81 IFIP and TC 3 — Jan Wibe
Revision notes of the corrections for the final version

We combine ecohydrological observations of sapflow and soil moisture with thermodynamically constrained estimates of atmospheric evaporative demand to infer the dominant controls of forest transpiration in complex terrain. We hy5 pothesize that daily variations in transpiration are dominated by variations in atmospheric demand, while site-specific controls, including limiting soil moisture, act on longer time scales. We test these hypotheses with data of a measurement 10 setup consisting of 5 sites along a valley cross-section in Luxembourg. Both hillslopes are covered by forest dominated by European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). Two independent measurements are used to estimate stand transpiration: (i) sapflow and (ii) diurnal variations in soil mois15 ture, which were used to estimate the daily root water uptake. Atmospheric evaporative demand is estimated through thermodynamically-constrained evaporation which only requires absorbed solar radiation and temperature as input data without any empirical parameters. 20 Both transpiration estimates are strongly correlated to atmospheric demand at the daily timescale. We find that neither vapor pressure deficit nor wind speed add to the explained variance, supporting the idea that they are dependent variables on land-atmosphere exchange and the surface en5 ergy budget. Estimated stand transpiration was in a similar range at the northand the south-facing hillslopes despite the different aspect and the largely different stand composition. We identified an inverse relationship between sap flux density and the site-average sapwood area per tree as esti10 mated by the site forest inventories. This suggests that tree hydraulic adaptation can compensate for heterogeneous conditions. However, during dry summer periods differences in topographic factors and stand structure can cause spatially variable transpiration rates. 15 We conclude that absorption of solar radiation at the surface forms a dominant control for turbulent heat and mass exchange and that vegetation across the hillslope adjusts to this constraint at the tree and stand level. These findings should help to improve the description of land surface-atmosphere 20 exchange at regional scales.
Looking Into the Mirror of Open Source ( Invited Paper )

The DARPA IDEA program has brought unprecedented resources and attention to development of open-source EDA. As this session convenes, IDEA is well into its second year, with “alpha” releases in the rear-view mirror, and a public v1.0 unveiling just eight months away. This talk will give a perspective on recent open-source development for digital layout generation. First, any technology should have a roadmap of quantifiable metrics, requirements, and potential solutions – projected on the axis of time. What are key aspects of such a roadmap for opensource EDA technology? Second, what does open-source EDA tell us about ourselves? The goal of open-source is a mirror for the ecosystem of academic research, semiconductor design, and commercial EDA. Who is willing to contribute? Who is capable of contributing? What are bars for “moving the needle” and sustainability?
M ar 2 01 9 Generalized Uncertainty Principle and Corpuscular Gravity

We show that the implications of the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) in the black hole physics are consistent with the predictions of the corpuscular theory of gravity, in which a black hole is conceived as a Bose–Einstein condensate of weakly interacting gravitons stuck at the critical point of a quantum phase transition. In particular, we prove that the GUP–induced shift of the Hawking temperature can be reinterpreted in terms of non–thermal corrections to the spectrum of the black hole radiation, in accordance with the corpuscular gravity picture. By comparing the two scenarios, we are able to estimate the GUP deformation parameter β, which turns out to be of the order of unity, in agreement with the expectations of some models of string theory. We also comment on the sign of β, exploring the possibility of having a negative deformation parameter when a corpuscular quantum description of the gravitational interaction is assumed to be valid.
Impacts of the Peruvian Conditional Cash Transfer Program on Women Empowerment : A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach Working paper May-2016

This study aims to identify the effects of the conditional cash transfer program of Peru, Juntos, on women’s empowerment. Although the program does not envisage women’s welfare as an objective per se, women play a key role as they are the main recipients of the cash transfer and are responsible for compliance with the program’s conditions and thus their empowerment level can be affected by the intervention. The study complements econometric quantitative and qualitative methods to identify the effects of Juntos on six dimensions of empowerment: economic household decision-making, freedom of movement, gender ideology, agency, self-esteem and perceptions of life. Using two data sources for the quantitative approach (ENDES and Young Lives Study), the study finds positive significant effects on women empowerment, specifically on economic household decision-making (even when considering large purchases and resources earned by the partner), self-esteem and perceptions of life, in this last case, particularly when women have been part of the program for more than three years. These results are strongly reinforced and explained by the findings of qualitative approach. No significant results are found on agency, freedom of movement or gender ideology, but the qualitative fieldwork results show improvements on agency and freedom of movement mainly because of women participation in training sessions and informal socialization, where they are able to exchange ideas that are then incorporated into their daily lives. However, these improvements may be hampered in some cases by local management of the program in which vertical interaction between the government representatives and beneficiaries are reproduced; women appear as the passive subjects, who only receive benefits, conditions and instructions from the program. JEL: I38; J16.
Working Paper Series No . E21 Endogenous Business Cycle under Wage Markup Bargaining

This paper presents a simple model of wage markup bargaining by employees and employers. The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamics of wage and unemployment. Results show that the economy exhibits complicated endogenous business cycles according to productivity, the sensitivity of firm responses, and the size of potential work force. The model is successful for describing the complex dynamics of wages and employment using the simplest framework.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Recent Work Title Wettability effects on supercritical CO 2 – brine immiscible displacement during drainage : Pore-scale observation and 3 D simulation

Wettability is an important factor controlling the displacement of immiscible fluids in porous media and therefore affects the flow and transport of supercritical (sc) CO2 in geologic carbon sequestration. Because few studies have focused on the wettability effect in scCO2-brine flow systems, we experimentally and numerically tested influences of wettability on drainage at the pore network scale. Using a high-pressure micromodel-microscopy system, we performed experiments of scCO2 invasion into brinesaturated water-wet and intermediate-wet micromodels, and recorded the scCO2 invasion morphology under reservoir relevant conditions. We also performed pore-scale numerical simulations to infer 3D details of fluid–fluid displacement processes. During drainage under intermediate-wet conditions, we found higher scCO2 saturation, wider scCO2 fingering, and more compact displacement patterns. The simulation results are qualitatively consistent with the experiments. Through quantitative analyses of the experiments, we found that the reduced wettability decreases the displacement front velocity, promotes non-wetting phase pore-filling events in the longitudinal direction, delays the breakthrough time of invading fluid, and increases the displacement efficiency. Simulated results also show that the fluid–fluid interface area follows a unified power-law relation with scCO2 saturation, and show smaller interface area in intermediate-wet case which suppresses the mass transfer between the phases. These pore-scale results provide insights for the wettability effects on CO2–brine immiscible displacement in geologic carbon sequestration. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Modelling nitrogen dynamics after growing winter oilseed rape in different cropping systems

In Germany the acreage grown with winter oilseed rape (OSR) increased in the last decades because of its profitability, the beneficial value as preceding crop for cereals, and the opportunity to grow OSR for biofuel production on set-aside. OSR demands high levels of nitrogen (N) fertilizer often exceeding 200 kg N ha to achieve maximum yields. However, N offtake by the seeds is comparatively low leading to high positive N balances. There are also significant N losses from the plant before harvest due to leaf abscission. Additionally, the early harvest potentially enhances high mineralization of both crop residues and soil N in the favourable structured soil after harvest. The subsequent winter wheat crop normally takes up 20 25 kg N ha. As a result soil mineral N content (SMN) can increase during autumn and large amounts of nitrate are likely to be leached with percolation water. However, there are several well known agronomic opportunities like minimum tillage and catch crop growing to reduce nitrate leaching after growing OSR. The aim of our study is to quantify the effects of several agronomic strategies on nitrate leaching losses after OSR by combining an experimental and a modelling approach. The experiment is a field trial with different tillage operations (mouldboard ploughing vs. conservation tillage) and different succeeding crops (winter wheat, spring oats, catch crop). The model was constructed from several existing and newly designed modules, all based on an object oriented class library called HUME. Modules for calculating the N dynamics including nitrate leaching, crop residue decomposition, tillage operations, and N uptake by the crops following OSR were thereby coupled to a system simulation model. First results of the leaching period 2005/2006 show that nitrate leaching during winter was only marginally affected by the amount of crop residues of OSR. N mineralization after OSR therefore originates mainly from the soil mineral N pool which was highly influenced by the intensity of tillage in autumn. The results indicate that catch crops have a high potential to reduce the SMN pool in autumn because of N uptake up to 60 kg N ha before winter. The model was used to extrapolate the experimental results to different soil and weather conditions.
Otoacoustic Emissions Testing Policy, Professional-Reimbursement Policy-UnitedHealthcare Community Plan

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THIS REIMBURSEMENT POLICY You are responsible for submission of accurate claims. This reimbursement policy is intended to ensure that you are reimbursed based on the code or codes that correctly describe the health care services provided. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan reimbursement policies uses Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®*), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) or other coding guidelines. References to CPT or other sources are for definitional purposes only and do not imply any right to reimbursement. This reimbursement policy applies to all health care services billed on CMS 1500 forms and, when specified, to those billed on UB04 forms. Coding methodology, industry-standard reimbursement logic, regulatory requirements, benefits design and other factors are considered in developing reimbursement policy. This information is intended to serve only as a general reference resource regarding UnitedHealthcare Community Plan’s reimbursement policy for the services described and is not intended to address every aspect of a reimbursement situation. Accordingly, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan may use reasonable discretion in interpreting and applying this policy to health care services provided in a particular case. Further, the policy does not address all issues related to reimbursement for health care services provided to UnitedHealthcare Community Plan enrollees. Other factors affecting reimbursement supplement, modify or, in some cases, supersede this policy. These factors include, but are not limited to: federal &/or state regulatory requirements, the physician or other provider contracts, the enrollee’s benefit coverage documents, and/or other reimbursement, medical or drug policies. Finally, this policy may not be implemented exactly the same way on the different electronic claims processing systems used by UnitedHealthcare Community Plan due to programming or other constraints; however, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan strives to minimize these variations. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan may modify this reimbursement policy at any time by publishing a new version of the policy on this Website. However, the information presented in this policy is accurate and current as of the date of publication. *CPT Copyright American Medical Association. All rights reserved. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.