Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust distributed k-mediods clustering algorithm

Parallel is very important in data mining.This paper proposes a distributed k-mediods clustering algorithm by analyzing how to get satisfactory clustering information from local information.Its quality is equivalent to serial PAM algorithm but its calculation performance is higher.The paper gives still the way that improves the efficiency of parallel PAM algorithm by reducing the cost of communication,analyzes the performance of the algorithm and gives the result of experiment.This explains that the algorithm is effective and reliable.
Characterization of antifungal activity of endophytic Penicillium oxalicum T 3.3 for anthracnose biocontrol in dragon fruit (Hylocereus sp)

A group of 126 endophytic fungi was isolated from dragon fruit plants in Malaysia. Dual culture and disc diffusion test revealed that seven strains could suppress the growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Of all the potential strains, strain T3.3 exhibited the best antagonistic activity by producing an inhibition zone of 12±1.0 mm in dual culture test. Disc diffusion test using crude extract produced by this fungus could inhibit the growth of C.gloeosporioides by 33.33±2.89%. The diffused non volatile metabolite produced by this strain suppressed the growth of the pathogen by 97% after 7 days of incubation. Based on morphological characteristics and ITS region sequence, strain T3.3 was identified as Penicillium oxalicum. The carbon utilization profile in Biolog FF Microplate analysis revealed that P.oxalicum T3.3 is a versatile microorganism. P.oxalicum T3.3 was found to produce β-glucanase and chitinase with activity of 3.38 U/mL and 1.19 U/mL respectively. In addition, the ethylacetate extract of P.oxalicum T3.3 could suppress the growth of C.gloeosporioides. Scanning electron microscopy study showed that the release of extracellular antifungal metabolites from the endophytic P.oxalicum T3.3 had caused abnormal hyphal growth of C.gloeosporioides. Treatment with the crude extract from this fungus on dragon fruit could control anthracnose disease in this fruit in vivo. Thus, endophytic Penicillium oxalicum T3.3 is considered as a potential biological control agent of anthracnose disease in dragon fruit.
A Probabilistic Grammar for Procedural Content Generation

In game development, procedural content generation (PCG) is an important area of research that aims at generating content algorithmically rather than manually. This paper shows the successful application of a probabilistic grammar in order to procedurally generate a game environment at run-time. The proposed approach helps saving memory, reduces development effort and increases longevity.
WHY THE WEIRD WINGS? Investigating the morphology, function, and evolution of unusual feathers in pigeons and doves (Columbidae)

Primary feather morphology is constrained by the physical demands of flight, yet is strikingly diverse within a subfamily of New World ground doves (Peristerinae). Members of the genus Columbina specifically possess modified P7 feathers which have been hypothesized to serve a signaling function via sonations produced during flight. We test the sound-producing capabilities of P7 feathers from three species (C. inca, C. passerina, and C. talpacoti) in an aeroacoustic wind tunnel and find that they readily produce buzzing sounds that are similar to those observed in wild birds. Buzzes are produced as a modified region of barbs on P7 flutters and collides with the adjacent P6 at rates between 200 and 400Hz, producing broadband sounds in a rapid buzz. In C. inca, juvenile birds often lack the morphologies present in adults, producing significantly quieter buzzes. While we can only speculate as to the communicative
Growth characteristics of one-year-old seedlings of three autochthonous oak species in suboptimal growing conditions

The paper presents the growth characteristics of one-year-old seedlings of three autochthonous oak species (Fagaceae family): Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.), Hungarian oak (Quercus frainetto Ten.) and downy oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.) in suboptimal growing conditions. The analyzed oak species are widely distributed in Serbia. One of the most important benefits of oak species is wood production (Hungarian and Turkey oak), and they have a promising role for the use in the future regarding the climate change as all species can be encountered on dry sites. Acorns were collected in the autumn of 2017 in natural stands and a sample of 400 acorns per each oak species was immediately sown in a nursery seedbed in the form of a random block system with four replicates. At the end of 2018, the available sample of seedlings was analyzed morphometrically. The seedlings were classified according to the number of shoot growth flushes into one-flush-growth and multi-flush growth seedlings. Turkey Oak had the highest number of seedlings which also recorded higher values in total height, root collar diameter and number of leaves. These results were obtained on alkaline soil with the presence of weeds and rodents and the absence of irrigating. The presence of multi-flush growth was recorded in all three oak species. Differences between analyzed three oak species exist in these suboptimal conditions. However, in full light conditions, a similar growth pattern was recorded, indicating to the similar adaptability of the species.
3D imaging of undissected optically cleared Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium parasites

Malaria is a life-threatening disease, caused by Apicomplexan parasites of the Plasmodium genus. The Anopheles mosquito is necessary for the sexual replication of these parasites and for their transmission to vertebrate hosts, including humans. Imaging of the parasite within the insect vector has been attempted using multiple microscopy methods, most of which are hampered by the presence of the light scattering opaque cuticle of the mosquito. So far, imaging of the Plasmodium mosquito stages depended on either sectioning or surgical dissection of important anatomical sites, such as the midgut and the salivary glands. Optical projection tomography (OPT) and light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) enable imaging fields of view in the centimeter scale whilst providing micrometer resolution. In this paper, we present reconstructions of the whole body of Plasmodium-infected, optically cleared Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes and their midguts. The 3D-reconstructions from OPT imaging show detailed features of the mosquito anatomy and enable overall localization of parasites in midguts. Additionally, LSFM imaging of mosquito midguts shows detailed distribution of oocysts in extracted midguts.
Bioremediation. Applied Microbial Solutions for Real-World Environmental Cleanup

The authors are affiliated with the Napier University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, and with the Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. The list of contributors comprises 18 international experts in the areas of biology, microbiology, ecology and hydrology, environmental and earth sciences – from USA, United Kingdom and Australia. It is stated in the preface that described are environmental applications of microorganisms to remediate contaminated soils and waters. Bioremediation involves techniques using biological processes to treat contaminated soil and groundwater. It is a field that combines basic microbiology, advanced biotechnology, and environmental engineering, and does so within the context of public demands for clean waters and soils. It presents still a developing field, one that will be driven by scientific and technological developments, as well as public policy developments. The volume is composed of 9 chapters. Chapters 1 through 4 provide insights into environmental pollution and restoration, characterizing contaminated land, legal and regulatory frameworks for bioremediation, and modeling bioremediation of contaminated groundwater. Subsequent chapters 5 through 8 analyse bioremediation of contaminated soils and aquifers, monitoring bioremediation, bioremediation of marine oil spills, metals and radionuclides. Final chapter is devoted to applying biotechnology for clean industrial products and processes. In addition to the current text, there are separate textual and figure boxes containing supplemental information. The volume is extensively illustrated by photographs and schematic line drawings featuring ecological aspects, laboratory equipment and procedures, miscellaneous diagrams, etc. Each chapter is concluded by a comprehensive list of references. This new volume covers foundational material, including the importance of bioremediation and present information on legal, scientific, and engineering principles for environmetal cleanup.
Diseño y validación del test de conocimiento táctico ofensivo en fútbol (TCTOF)

El proposito de este estudio fue determinar la validez de un test de evaluacion del conocimiento tactico en futbol. Siete expertos revisaron el instrumento y 465 ninos/as de entre 8-14 anos fueron encuestados. El 100% de acuerdo entre los expertos, la consistencia interna ( α =.87), la correlacion Test-retest (r=. 75) y la correlacion entre el conocimiento tactico y el criterio externo de entrenadores de futbol ( p <.01), sugirieron que el instrumento era fiable. El contexto deportivo se mostro determinante sobre el nivel de conocimiento tactico ( p <.01) apoyando la validez de constructo y concurrente. Estos resultados confirmaron la validez del instrumento para evaluar el conocimiento tactico en futbol de jovenes que se inician a los deportes de equipo. PALABRAS CLAVE : conocimiento tactico, conocimientos declarativo y procedimental, ensenanza comprensiva del deporte, futbol. ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study was to determine the validity of a tactical knowledge assessment test in soccer. Seven experts reviewed the instrument and 465 children aged 8 to 14 years completed the test. The experts’ opinion (100% agreement), internal consistency ( α =.87), Test-retest correlation ( r =.75), and the correlations between the soccer tactical knowledge and the external criterion of soccer coaches ( r =.46, p <.01), showed reasonable evidence for assessing the test reliability. The sport context was determinant on the tactical knowledge ( p <.01), supporting construct and concurrent validity. These results verify the validity of this instrument for assessing soccer tactical knowledge in young beginners who are starting to practice team sports. KEY WORDS : tactical knowledge, declarative and procedural knowledge, teaching games for understanding, soccer.
Uncovering the Natural History of the Bromeligenous Frog Crossodactylodes izecksohni (Leptodactylidae, Paratelmatobiinae)

Leptodactylidae consists of more than 200 described species distributed throughout the Neotropics. The five species in the genus Crossodactylodes are the only species in this family that complete their entire life cycle in rainwater accumulated between bromeliad leaves. We surveyed bromeliads for Crossodactylodes izecksohni in its type locality: the municipality of Santa Teresa, Brazil's Atlantic Forest. We found C. izecksohni in 12 species of bromeliads. The sex ratio was approximately 1:1. Males were distinguished from females by hypertrophy of upper and forearms and the presence of nuptial pads formed by well-developed spines on the first finger. Eggs, tadpoles, juveniles, and adults were found in bromeliads throughout the year. Males defended clusters of a few bromeliads. Females were also territorial. “Female choice” was the main mate acquisition tactic of C. izecksohni, but “male-male competition” and “satellite strategy” were displayed as well. Males also called from axils with eggs and tadpoles. The clutch structure was a single egg either aquatic-free or non-pendant, slightly suspended above the water level, and attached to a bromeliad leaf. The mean number of eggs and tadpoles found in occupied bromeliads was 2.5 (range 1–7) and 3.5 (range 1–10), respectively. Males guarded and defended eggs and tadpoles against conspecifics and predators. Adults displayed a wide variety of antipredator mechanisms. Limited resources within bromeliads may drive selective pressure and result in the deposition of few large eggs, parental care behaviors, and territoriality. The complex behavior of C. izecksohni makes it a model taxon for the study of behavioral and evolutionary ecology.
Long-Term Risk of Hip Fracture After Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose: Data are lacking on the long-term risk of hip fracture among patients with ischemic stroke. A better understanding of the contemporary incidence of hip fracture after ischemic stroke could benefit patient care by promoting strategies to prevent this disabling complication in stroke survivors. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using inpatient and outpatient claims between 2008 and 2015 from a nationally representative 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries. We included patients ≥66 years of age who were hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke, defined through a validated diagnostic code algorithm. We excluded patients who had a prior or concurrent hip fracture diagnosis at the time of ischemic stroke. The primary outcome was hip fracture requiring hospitalization. Survival statistics were used to calculate crude incidence rates, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate cumulative rates. Results: Among the 1 772 550 beneficiaries in our sample, 60 099 were diagnosed with an acute ischemic stroke without prior or concomitant hip fracture. During 4.5 (±2.2) years of follow-up, the incidence of hip fracture was 1.6 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-1.6) per 100 person-years in patients with acute ischemic stroke versus 0.6 (95% CI: 0.6-0.6) per 100 person-years in patients without acute ischemic stroke. The cumulative 5-year rate of hip fracture was 7.6% (95% CI: 7.2%-8.0%) among patients with acute ischemic stroke versus 2.8% (95% CI: 2.8%-2.9%) among the remaining Medicare beneficiaries. Conclusion: We found that among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with acute ischemic stroke, nearly 1 in 12 developed a hip fracture over the next 5 years.
A rotor-flux-observer based neural speed controller for high performance induction motor drives

This paper focuses on the control of a highly nonlinear induction motor in which all state variables are not accessible and information required for the generation of the control signal has to be obtained from the observed input/output. An indirect adaptive control system for an induction motor based on a rotor-flux-observer is introduced. The control system consists of two multilayer feedforward neural networks: a tracker identification neural network which captures the nonlinear dynamics of the motor over any arbitrary time interval in its range of operation and estimates the immeasurable components of the rotor flux terms; and a control neural network to provide the necessary control actions to achieve trajectory tracking of the rotor speed. An adaptive learning mechanism is proposed. The two networks are trained in an online mode utilizing the adaptive learning mechanism. This simplifies the learning algorithm in terms of computation time, which is of special importance in real-time implementation.
Best matching processes in distributed systems

Moghaddam, Mohsen. Ph.D., Purdue University, August 2016. Best Matching Processes in Distributed Systems. Major Professor: Shimon Y. Nof. The growing complexity and dynamic behavior of modern manufacturing and service industries along with competitive and globalized markets have gradually transformed traditional centralized systems into distributed networks of e(electronic) Systems. Emerging examples include e-Factories, virtual enterprises, smart farms, automated warehouses, and intelligent transportation systems. These (and similar) distributed systems, regardless of context and application, have a property in common: They all involve certain types of interactions (collaborative, competitive, or both) among their distributed individuals from clusters of passive sensors and machines to complex networks of computers, intelligent robots, humans, and enterprises. Having this common property, such systems may encounter common challenges in terms of suboptimal interactions and thus poor performance, caused by potential mismatch between individuals. For example, mismatched subassembly parts, vehicles--routes, suppliers--retailers, employees-departments, and products--automated guided vehicles--storage locations may lead to lowquality products, congested roads, unstable supply networks, conflicts, and low service level, respectively. This research refers to this problem as best matching, and investigates it as a major design principle of CCT, the Collaborative Control Theory.
Pangenomics reveal diversification of enzyme families and niche specialization in globally abundant SAR202 bacteria

It has been hypothesized that abundant heterotrophic ocean bacterioplankton in the SAR202 clade of the phylum Chloroflexi evolved specialized metabolism for the oxidation of organic compounds that are resistant to microbial degradation via common metabolic pathways. Expansions of paralogous enzymes were reported and implicated in hypothetical metabolism involving monooxygenase and dioxygenase enzymes. In the metabolic schemes proposed, the paralogs serve the purpose of diversifying the range of organic molecules that cells can utilize. To further explore this question, we reconstructed SAR202 single amplified genomes and metagenome-assembled genomes from locations around the world, including the deepest ocean trenches. In analyses of 122 SAR202 genomes that included six subclades spanning SAR202 diversity, we observed additional evidence of paralog expansions that correlated with evolutionary history, and further evidence of metabolic specialization. Consistent with previous reports, families of flavin-dependent monooxygenases were observed mainly in the Group III SAR202, in the proposed class Monstramaria and expansions of dioxygenase enzymes were prevalent in Group IV. We found that Group I SAR202 encode expansions of racemases in the enolase superfamily, which we propose evolved for the degradation of compounds that resist biological oxidation because of chiral complexity. Supporting the conclusion that the paralog expansions indicate metabolic specialization, fragment recruitment and fluorescence in situ hybridization with phylogenetic probes showed that SAR202 subclades are indigenous to different ocean depths and geographical regions. Surprisingly, some of the subclades were abundant in surface waters and contained rhodopsin genes, altering our understanding of the ecological role of SAR202 in stratified water columns. Importance The oceans contain an estimated 662 Pg C of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Information about microbial interactions with this vast resource is limited, despite broad recognition that DOM turnover has a major impact on the global carbon cycle. To explain patterns in the genomes of marine bacteria we propose hypothetical metabolic pathways for the oxidation of organic molecules that are resistant to oxidation via common pathways. The hypothetical schemes we propose suggest new metabolism and classes of compounds that could be important for understanding of the distribution of organic carbon throughout the biosphere. These genome-based schemes will remain hypothetical until evidence from experimental cell biology can be gathered to test them, but until then they provide a perspective that directs our attention to the biochemistry of resistant DOM metabolism. Our findings also fundamentally change our understanding of the ecology of SAR202, showing that metabolically diverse variants of these cells occupy niches spanning all depths, and are not relegated to the dark ocean.
Proteomic studies of the Arabidopsis TRAPP complexes reveal conserved organization and a novel plant-specific component with a role in plant development

How the membrane trafficking system spatially organizes intracellular activities and intercellular signaling networks is not well understood in plants. The Transport Protein Particle (TRAPP) complexes are known to play key roles in selective delivery of membrane vesicles to various subcellular compartments in yeast and animals, but remain to be fully characterized in plants. Here we interrogate the TRAPP complexes in Arabidopsis using quantitative proteomic approaches. TRS33 is a component shared by all TRAPP complexes in yeast and animals, and the Arabidopsis AtTRS33 is essential for the subcellular dynamics of other TRAPP components. Affinity purification of AtTRS33 followed by quantitative mass spectrometry identified fourteen interacting proteins; these include not only thirteen homologs of all known TRAPP components in yeast and mammals but also a novel protein we named TRAPP-interacting plant protein (TRIPP), which is conserved in multi-cellular photosynthetic organisms. Proteomic and molecular analyses showed that TRIPP specifically associates with the TRAPPII complex in vivo and directly interacts with the TRAPPII-specific subunits but not the subunits shared with TRAPPIII. TRIPP co-localizes with a subset of TRS33 compartments, and its localization is disrupted in the trs33 mutant. Loss-of-function tripp mutation caused growth and reproductive development defects, including partial photomorphogenesis in the dark. Our study demonstrates that plants possess at least two distinct TRAPP complexes similar to metazoan, and identifies TRIPP as a novel plant-specific component of the TRAPPII complex with important functions in plant growth and development.
Changes in the Soil Microbial Hydrolytic Activity and the Content of Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen by Growing Spring Barley Undersown with Red Clover in Different Farming Systems

The experiments were carried out during 2012–2017. There were 5 crops in rotation: Red clover, winter wheat, pea, potato and barley undersown (us) with red clover. There were 5 cropping systems in the experimental setup: 2 conventional systems with chemical plant protection and mineral fertilizers; 3 organic systems which included winter cover crops and farm manure. The aim of the present research was to study the effect of cultivating barley undersown with red clover and the preceding winter cover crop on the soil microbial hydrolytic activity, the change in the content of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (Ntot) compared to the same parameters from the field that was previously under potato cultivation (forecrop of barley in the rotation). The cultivation of barley with red clover (barley (us)) had a positive impact on the soil micro-organisms activity. In organic systems the soil microbial hydrolytic activity increased on average by 19.0%, compared to the conventional systems. By cultivating barley (us) the soil microbial hydrolytic activity had a significant effect on the SOC content only in organic systems where winter cover crops were used. Organic cultivation systems had positive impact on the soil nitrogen content; Ntot in samples taken before sowing the barley (us) was higher by 17.4% and after the cultivation of barley (us) by 14.4% compared to conventional systems, as an average of experimental years. After cultivation of barley (us) with red clover the soil microbial hydrolytic activity had no effect on the soil Ntot content in either cultivation systems.