Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ELISA in the Study of Homologous and Heterologous Reactions of Plant Viruses

Summary Serological relationships between plant viruses within six different taxonomic groups were studied by means of the double antibody sandwich form of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This technique was very sensitive not only for the detection of low concentrations of viruses, but also for the differentiation of closely related antigens. With some viruses, e.g. Andean potato latent virus, the specificity of the test was so great that conjugates prepared to one strain failed to detect other serologically closely related strains. With other viruses and with host proteins the cross-reactivity was broader, but distant and even intermediate serological relationships between viruses were usually not detected. The great specificity of ELISA is mainly caused by the behaviour of the conjugated antibodies. The binding of conjugated antibodies was completely inhibited by simultaneously added native antibodies. Antibodies from very early bleedings were not suitable for ELISA.
Long-term effects of fishing on physiological performance of the Manila clam ( Ruditapes philippinarum ) in the Lagoon of Venice

The Manila clam ( Ruditapes philippinarum ) is an important economic resource for fisheries in the Lagoon of Venice, where this species is fished and farmed. With the aim of evaluating possible fishing-induced long-term effects undergone by clam populations subjected to fishing efforts, physiological biomarkers were measured at organism level (clearance and respiration rates, scope for growth and survival-in-air test). Clams were collected on a seasonal basis from sites characterized by various fishing management practices: a free fishing area at S. Angelo and an area licensed for clam farming at Chioggia, where a non-fishing sub-area was established. R. philippinarum collected at S. Angelo generally showed reduced filtering activity and higher oxygen consumption, revealing general worsening in clam well-being in comparison with individuals from both Chioggia areas. This condition, resulting in lower standardized scope for growth values, may be explained by both environmental and fishing effort differences. Comparing Chioggia samples, better physiological performances were exhibited by clams from the non-fishing area, though no significant differences were observed. In winter, the survival-in-air test revealed the detrimental effects of fishing on clams, whereas in the other seasons this response generally seemed to be mostly related to other exogenous and endogenous factors. Although differences among sites and seasons were always statistically significant, all physiological parameters indicate the great tolerance of R. philippinarum to changing environmental conditions.
GRAPHICAL USER AUTHENTICATION BY SECURED INTRUSION PREVENTION IMPLEMENTATION IN STORAGE

Secure intrusion prevention in a storage using graphical user authentication is an application where a user can make use of the storage system to store any type of files in an common storage and only authenticated users are permitted to view their own files and if someone tries to view others file then he will be treated as intruder and he/she will be blocked and left with a message contact to admin. Graphical user authentication adds an extra level of security which uses an image for user authentication. Plenty of threats & security attacks are being launched against web – applications everyday, which are aimed to gain unauthorized access to the sensitive information from the back-end database. So we develop a system where only authorized client can access their data from the database using intrusion prevention technique and graphical user authentication technique.
A synthetic autonomous rotary nanomotor made from and fuelled by DNA

DNA nanostructures are made using synthetic DNA strands, the sequences of which are designed such that they will self-assemble into the desired form by hybridization of complementary domains. Various structures and devices have been presented, including DNA tweezers, nanorobots and a range of linear motors such as bipedal walkers. Inspiration for the latter is drawn from naturally occurring molecular motors like kinesin. This paper describes a concept for an autonomous rotary nanomotor made from DNA, which utilizes the well-known and widely-studied phenomenon of toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement. The motor is to be driven by a series of strand displacement reactions, the order of which is controlled by steric constraints arising from the secondary structure of the DNA strands comprising the motor mechanism. The capabilities of DNA motors would be extended significantly if autonomous rotary motion could be achieved. The device has a range of potential applications, including molecular computation and single-molecule manipulation.
Sports tourism and the development of sports events

Tourism and travelling is expected to grow by five percent each year up to 2020; the forecast for sports tourism is ten percent per year. Cities and regions across the globe are presently entered into honourable combat for these tourists, their money, and the inherent growth potential that follow in their wake. The winners will be those cities/regions that can fathom the fundamental motive power of sports tourism, and most successfully can utilize the potential of sports as tourist attraction. And they can find much to aid them in the academic research about sports tourism, where Professor Mike Weed of Canterbury Christ Church University takes a central position.
A Strategy to Optimize Recovery in Orthopedic Sports Injuries

An important goal for treatment of sports injuries is to have as short a recovery time as possible. The critical problem with current orthopedic implants is that they are designed to be permanent and have a high complication rate (15%) that often requires removal and replacement with a second surgery; and subsequently a second rehabilitation cycle. This study was designed to test the feasibility of having a device that could provide the needed mechanical properties, while promoting healing, for a specified amount of time and then degrade away, to shorten the recovery time. The specific strategy was to create a surface layer on a degradable metal alloy with a controllable degradation rate. Previous studies have shown the feasibility of using surface treatments to alter the surface integrity (i.e., topography, microhardness, and residual stress) leading to increased fatigue strength and a decreased degradation rate. This study was an extension of these previous studies to look at the changes in surface integrity and mechanical properties initially as well as the degradation over time for two surface treatments (shot peening and burnishing). Although the treatments improved initial properties and the burnishing treatment slowed degradation rate, the faster degradation of the base material in vitro (compared to previous studies) probably reduced the overall impact. Therefore although the study helped support the feasibility of this approach by showing the ability of the surface treatment to modify surface integrity, initial mechanical properties, and degradation rate; the degradation rate of the base material used needs to be slower and/or the surface treatment needs to create a bigger change in the degradation rate. Further it ultimately needs to be shown that the surface treatment can produce a material that will allow orthopedic devices to meet the required clinical design constraints in vivo.
Equal employment opportunity act, having passed the quarter-century milestone

A quarter-century has passed since the enactment of the Act on Securing, Etc. of Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment. When this Act was initially established, its scope of regulations and legal effect were not sufficient, and it had the nature of a law to provide protection from discrimination only for women workers. However, through the revision in 1997 and 2006, the Act has transformed into a law against gender discrimination in a precise sense, and it currently contains not only the anti-discrimination provisions but also the provisions regarding positive action and sexual harassment. This paper reviews the history of the Act while explaining the legal issues that were discussed in the enactment and revision process, and identifies the issues with the Act that remain to be addressed, such as the concept of discrimination under the Act, the relationship between freedom of recruitment and prohibition of discrimination, and how to ensure effective positive action.
Population Genetic Analysis and Demographic Inference of Four Spruce Species from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Geological upheaval has altered the topology and climate of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau considerably over the last 10 million years. 12-14 nuclear loci were sampled from four conifers in the genus Picea that occupy regions on and around the plateau. P. likiangensis, P. purpurea & P. wilsonii are found on the eastern edge of the plateau with ranges that overlap to varying degrees, whilst P. schrenkiana is found in isolated mountain ranges northwest of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Nucleotide diversity amongst the three eastern spruce species was higher than in previously studied Picea from North America and Europe, implying that recent glaciations have not had as big an effect on Asian species as has been observed in boreal species. Further analysis of population structure and demographic history using coalescent based methods imply a complex relationship amongst recently diverged species, with evidence for post-divergent gene flow being detected by MIMAR. The Isolation with Migration model implemented in MIMAR gives divergence times which coincide with studies of stable isotopes in marine and land fossils that approximate when the plateau began to dry out. ∗Department of Evolutionary Functional Genomics, Uppsala University
Random Subspace Learning on Outlier Detection and Classification with Minimum Covariance Determinant Estimator

Random Subspace Learning on Outlier Detection and Classification with Minimum Covariance Determinant Estimator Bohan Liu Supervising Professor: Dr. Ernest Fokoue The questions brought by high dimensional data is interesting and challenging. Our study is targeting on the particular type of data in this situation that namely “large p, small n”. Since the dimensionality is massively larger than the number of observations in the data, any measurement of covariance and its inverse will be miserably affected. The definition of high dimension in statistics has been changed throughout decades. Modern datasets with over thousands of dimensions are demanding the ability to gain deeper understanding but hindered by the curse of dimensionality. We decide to review and explore further to negotiate with the curse and extend previous studies to pave a new way for estimating robustness then apply it to outlier detection and classification. We explored the random subspace learning and expand other classification and outlier detection algorithms to adapt its framework. Our proposed methods can handle both high-dimension low-sample size and traditional low-dimensional high-sample size datasets. Essentially, we avoid the computational bottleneck of techniques like Minimum Covariance Determinant (MCD) by computing the needed determinants and associated measures in much lower dimensional subspaces. Both theoretical and computational development of our approach reveal that it is computationally more efficient than the regularized methods in high-dimensional low-sample size, and often competes favorably with existing methods as far as the percentage of correct outlier detection are concerned.
INVERSE SALINITY GRADIENTS IN COASTAL MARSHES AND THE DEATH OF STANDS OF SALIX: THE EFFECTS OF GRUBBING BY GEESE

SUMMARY (1) The formation of large 'peat barrens' (> 100 m x 100m) produced as a result of grubbing (removal of roots and rhizomes of ground vegetation) by lesser snow geese in the spring was investigated in a low Salix community inland from the intertidal zone at La Perouse Bay, Manitoba. (2) Within the snow-free season, experimental removal of the insulating mat of plant litter and ground vegetation resulted in increased temperatures of soils close to the surface, increased thermal gradients in soils and a substantial increase in the salinity (- 120 g of dissolved solids litre -1) of expressed water from the shallow organic layer that overlays the marine clays and gravels (salinity of tidal water was < 4gV-1). (3) Although marine sediments beneath the organic layer are the ultimate source of salt, the inverse salinity gradient from land to sea reported for coastal marshes of Hudson Bay appears to be the result of grubbing, at least at La Perouse Bay. (4) Premature leaf fall occurred from side shoots of Salix beneath which the graminoid sward had been artificially grubbed. No premature leaf fall from undisturbed Salix was detected. Early leaf death was correlated with high foliar concentrations of sodium and chloride ions. (5) Salix from artificially grubbed areas failed to develop leaves the following season and 24 months after removal of turf plants were dead. (6) It is concluded that spring grubbing by geese initiates a series of environmental changes which make it unlikely that the original plant communities will reestablish in the foreseeable future (< 15 years).
Investigation of the Impact of Emotional Intelligence Efficacy on Teachers' Multicultural Attitudes.

It is important to have a positive attitude and perceptions towards cultural values, one of the key characteristics students have. It is observed that having a positive attitude towards students with different cultural values contributes to achievement in terms of education. Much of the research has revealed that educators have been found to have a positive attitude towards multicultural education. This study, however, strives to measure and determine the extent and level of the impact of the emotional intelligence efficacy on teachers' multicultural attitudes. The working group is comprised of 315 teachers working in primary schools in two provinces in the Southeast and two in the Marmara Region in 2015 – 2016 academic year. "The Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS) ", developed by Schutte et al. (1998) adapted into Turkish language by Cetinkaya and Alparslan (2011), and "Multicultural Attitude Scale", developed by Ponterotto et al. (1998) adapted into Turkish by Yazici et al. (2009), were used in this research to determine teachers’ emotional intelligence efficacy and multicultural attitudes. The data were analyzed Using SPSS v.17. 0 statistical software and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and Stepwise regression analyzes were performed. The results show that subscales of emotional intelligence have an impact on the teachers’ multicultural attitudes at a significant level. Keywords: Multiculturalism, attitude, emotional intelligence, cultural values, efficacy.
A Framework for ERP Post-Implementation Amendments: A Literature Analysis

Post-implementation amendments to ERP systems (ERP-PIA) are of importance for advancing ERP research, but more importantly essential if ERP systems are to be used as a strategic and competitive business tool. For ease of clarity, we have adopted the term “amendments” to encompass the main forms of post implementation activities: maintenance, enhancements and upgrades. The term ‘amendments’ is used to counteract one of the major findings from this research - the inconsistency of terms used by many authors to explain post implementation activities. This paper presents a review of the ERP post-implementation amendment literature in order to provide answers to two specific questions: first, what is the current state of research in the field of ERP-PIA; and second, what are the future research directions that need to be explored in the field of ERP-PIA. From the review, we develop a framework to identify: (a) major themes concerning ERP post-implementation amendments, (b) inherent gaps in the post-implementation amendments literature, and (c) specific areas that require further research attention influencing the uptake of amendments. Suggestions on empirical evaluation of research directions and their relevance in the extension of existing literature is presented.
A Statistical Study of Accretion Disk Model Spectra for Cataclysmic Variables

We have performed a statistical test of the currently used accretion disk models for cataclysmic variables (CVs) using a set of 33 CVs with steady disks (10 old novae and 23 nova-like systems). The mass transfer rate () for each system was also calculated. Ultraviolet (UV) data were fitted by model spectra using a multiparametric optimization method, aiming to constrain the values. It was verified that these accretion disk models fail to fit both color and flux simultaneously, as previously noted when composite stellar atmosphere models were fitted to the UV spectra of CVs by Wade. By applying such models to a sample of novae and nova-like CVs, we confirm that the limb-darkening effect must be taken into account when estimating mass transfer rates, especially for high-inclination systems. Important fitting degeneracies of the basic disk parameters are analyzed. Our simulations suggest that to reproduce the observations a revision of the temperature profile, at least in the innermost parts of the disk, seems to be required, and possibly the vertical distribution of the viscosity should be revised. In addition, an optically thin layer or an extended disk component should be considered. This component may be physically represented by a disk wind and/or a chromosphere. A physical description of the emission-line profiles may help to break the degeneracies that appear when only the continuum is analyzed. The average value of found for nova-like systems is ∼9.3 × 10-9 M⊙ yr-1, while ∼1.3 × 10-8 M⊙ yr-1 is found for old classical novae. No clear evidence is found for either the presence or absence of a correlation between and the orbital period. Such correlation analysis was performed for high accretion rate systems (15 nova-like systems and 10 old novae), but we were not able to find a well-defined correlation as found by Patterson. By measuring the equivalent width of the emission lines (C IV λ1550 and He II λ1640) we found a lack of systems with low and strong UV emission lines. A correlation between the equivalent width of such lines and the orbital inclination (i) was also confirmed.
Valuation of Forest Carbon Stocks to Estimate the Potential for Result-Based Payment Under REDD+ in Cameroon

SUMMARY This study base on existing scientific literature makes an economic evaluation of carbon stocks gained under different deforestation and forest degradation scenarios (100, 50 and 25% avoided deforestation) during a 20 years period (2010–2030). It analyzes the associated financial commitments to achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction, and further discusses deforestation avoidance in the context of the 2035 emergence ambition of Cameroon. The Cumulative Stock of carbon potentially avoided during the period 2010–2030 for the 3 scenarios are 151.10 Mt, 75.55 Mt and 37.77 Mt respectively for 100%, 50% and 25% avoided deforestation. This can lead to an anticipated cumulative carbon revenue of 1 670 648 017. 37 US$; 835 324 008. 69 US$; and 417 662 004. 34 US$ respectively for the 3 deforestation scenarios. Other services such as biodiversity are discussed as co-benefits that can be derived from forest management. The current study thus provides basic information which can help to enrich the debate on the feasibility of REDD+ implementation in Cameroon.
Prognosis of Post-Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients with Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

Introduction: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has long been the key parameter used to stratify the risk in patients after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although patients evolving with a preserved LVEF seem to have a better prognosis opposed to those with a reduced LVEF, they may have a significant rate of cardiovascular (CV) events. We aimed to describe the prognosis and its risk factors in this often overlooked subgroup of patients. Methods: We studied patients referred to a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) between January 2010 and December 2012. They had to have a LVEF >=50% at the time of hospital discharge (measured by transthoracic echocardiography) and completed CR program. The laboratorial data was collected from blood analysis measurement during hospitalization. The composite outcome was defined as all-cause death, heart failure hospitalization, de novo diagnosis or worsening HF at the outpatient clinic, and it was assessed by chart review. Results: The 235 studied patients had a mean age of 60±11 years and 80% were male. During a follow-up of 3.2±4.1 years, 31 (13%) had a composite outcome (19 de novo HF diagnosis, 6 HF hospitalizations and 6 deaths). Patients who had an event were older (68 years vs 59 years, P = 0.001), and had a higher prevalence of hypertension (81% vs 62%, P = 0.044) and diabetes (55% vs 28%, P = 0.003). There were fewer STEMIs in the group with an event (32% vs 41%, P = 0.001). They had higher Killip class during hospitalization (class II-IV: 28% vs 4.9%; P < 0.001) and more severe CAD (55% with three-vessel disease vs 30%, P = 0.06). Higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) (26% vs 6%, P < 0.001) and anemia (45% vs 18%, P < 0.001) was also present in this subgroup. No significant difference regarding echocardiographic data was present between groups. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) plasma levels during hospitalization were higher in the subset of patients that eventually had an event (median 408 [207-799] ng/mL vs 342 [124-569] ng/mL; P = 0.018). After adjusting for sex and age, only diabetes (HR-1.93; 95% CI: 1.12-4.24) and Killip class (HR-2.15; 95% CI: 1.15-4.02) remained significantly associated with incident outcome. NT-pro-BNP did not keep its significant prognostic value (HR-1.24; 95%CI: 0.88-1.76). Conclusions: These post-AMI patients did not have the benign prognosis that could be suggested by the preserved LVEF. Further studies are needed to examine the utility of diabetes, NT-pro-BNP plasma levels and new echocardiographic parameters to identify those at higher risk among this specific group of post-AMI patients. Key-words: Preserved left ventricle ejection fraction; post-acute myocardial infarction; natriuretic peptide.
Assessment of the Impact of Avian Influenza–Related Regulatory Policies on Poultry Meat Trade and Welfare

We use two methodological approaches to analyze avian influenza related quarantine measures. First, a Heckman type gravity model is used to estimate the trade impact and second, a spatial partial equilibrium simulation model is developed to simulate welfare changes. The simulation model considers spread and transmission risk according to the disease status of the importing country as well as parameter uncertainty of the calibrated coefficients by using a Monte Carlo approach. The econometric results show that the principle of regionalization is preferred to import trade bans for uncooked meat. The simulation results verify the negative welfare impact of currently implemented regulatory policies and indicate that significant trade diversion effects according to the disease status of countries occur. The welfare results confirm that a trade ban is not the most appropriate measure to address the infection risk resulting from the spread of the avian influenza virus.