Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid Identification of Vibrio cholerae Bacteria using LAMP and PCR methods in Water and Wastewater

Vibrio cholerae serogroup 01 is known as the cause of epidemic cholera. Cholera is a pandemic or epidemic infectious disease that only occurs in humans and if it is not paid attention, it will lead to death in 6 hours or less a week. Recent epidemics of cholera around the world make the rapid and reliable detection of Vibrio cholerae necessary more than ever. Therefore, its early, accurate and on-time detection seems essential to prevent its epidemic and the devastating effects. There are several methods for detecting Vibrio cholerae, such as culturing, immunoassay, PCR and Real-time PCR. All these methods are time consuming and require large numbers of bacteria in the initial sample, expensive laboratory equipment and professionals in this field. In this study, PCR method was studied and compared with LAMP method to detect Vibrio cholerae. Bacterial DNA was extracted according to standard methods and detected using specific primers in PCR machine based on thermal cycle program. In contrast, the specific primer sets were amplified by LAMP method, at a single temperature in a thermal block and created products were identified through the turbidity examined visually and using gel electrophoresis. The results of both methods in molecular detection of Vibrio cholerae showed that LAMP method is faster, cheaper and more specific and Vibrio can be detected in a shorter time, using a very simple and inexpensive heat block and at a single temperature of 62 °C, as well as, observing the turbidity resulted from gene amplification process in new ways compared with electrophoresis method in examining PCR products, instead of expensive PCR machine and multi-temperature thermal cycle program. This method can be used for quick, accurate and affordable molecular detection of Vibrio cholerae with wide application in diagnostic laboratories, laboratory in underdeveloped regions and mobile laboratories.
Comparison of greenhouse gas emissions from Mexican intensive dairy farms

J. A. Rendón-Huerta, J. M. Pinos-Rodríguez, E. Kebreab, J. C. García-López & J. G. Vicente 1 Coordinación Académica Región Altiplano Oeste e Instituto de Investigación de Zonas Desérticas Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, 78000, S.L. P. México 2 Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia Universidad Veracruzana, 91710, Veracruz, México 3 Department of Animal Science University of California, Davis, 95616, California, USA
An Efficient Learning Algorithm of the Hopfield Neural Network for the Minimum Set Cover Problem

Summary The minimum set cover problem (MSCP) is an important NPhard problem. In this paper, we propose a learning algorithm of the Hopfield neural network which can escape from local minima, for efficiently solving the problem. Extensive simulations are performed, and the simulation results show that the proposed learning algorithm works much better than the other existing algorithms on random instances of hypergraphs.
E-management for administrative efficiency in higher education through participatory decision-making

Though many organizations have developed their own approaches in ensuring reliable decision making processes, not many have used technology to ensure effective participatory based decision making. This paper presents a model that incorporates reliable participatory based decision making practices and quality management indicators through strategic use of technology - an initiative of a faculty in a higher institution of learning. The model, called QuESt (Quality E-management System), integrates web-based technologies into an interconnected system to enable decision making by all stakeholders at multi levels of responsibility. Discussion in this paper is first focused on the bureaucracy and participatory models of decision making, then moves on to the research context, description of QuESt and discussion of the features and functions of the system. The paper concludes with an assessment of the potentialities of the system in taking an organisation's internal and external processes to the next level - using technology to ensure evidence based decision making, to interconnect staff roles and responsibilities and to use feedback to take appropriate action. Implications are drawn for knowledge advancement, policy making and practice.
Structural Design and Sensitivity Analysis of Semi-Rigid Pavement of a Motorway

This paper presents application of mechanistic-empirical methods in design of semi-rigid pavement for a section of a motorway in Poland. The stage construction was assumed. Three fatigue criteria were applied in the design. For asphalt fatigue cracking and subgrade soil the criteria from the Asphalt Institute (USA) were applied. For fatigue cracking of cement stabilized bases the Dempsey (USA) and De Beer (South Africa) criteria were applied. Software BISAR was used. Additional study was carried out to find the sensitivity of design thickness of asphalt layer related to several design factors. The most significant factors were (a) load transfer through shrinkage and reflective cracks, (b) high summer temperature which causes decrease of asphalt layers stiffness and increase of tensile stresses in cement stabilized bases, and (c) the effect of overloaded vehicles.
Artistic creativity and dementia. A study of assessment by experts

The goal of this study was to determine whether experts attribute a series of images created by people with dementia who were participating in a program of contemporary art education to artists or to people without prior artistic experience. In this way, we sought to obtain an indicator of the artistic quality of the images produced by people with dementia. Participants were 122 specialists in art to whom were presented 30 images, 15 works by professional artists and 15 created by people with dementia. For each of the 15 images created by the people with dementia, we calculated the proportion of experts who attributed the image to a professional artist. The results indicated that, in a significant number of cases, which varied according to the images, the experts attributed the images to professional artists. The judgment of the experts reinforcing the idea of the creative potential of people with dementia.
Kinetic Model of CCA Fixation in Wood. Part II. The Main Reaction Zone

Fixation of chromated copper arsenate type C (CCA-C) solution on wood, measured by hexavalent chromium reduction, follows different rates in different reaction zones. We identify two main zones: an initial reaction and a second main reaction. The main reaction zone in red pine ( Pinus resinosa Ait.) starts once approximately 47% of the total Cr vI in the impregnated CCA-C solution is fixed on wood matrix. The second main fixation reaction follows first-order reaction kinetics, and an Arrhenius type of correlation can be used in modeling the fixation kinetics. We obtained similar values of Arrhenius parameters for CCA-C concentrations of 1% and 3%. The activation energies for fixation reactions in the second zone were 87.6 and 88.1 kJ/mol for 1% and 3% CCA-C concentrations, respectively. The pre-exponential factors of the reaction rate constant were 2.7 X 10 13 and 2.2 X 10 13 h- 1 for 1 and 3% solutions, respectively. By combining the reaction rate equations and the temperature-dependence (Arrhenius) relationship, a mathematical model for the main reaction of 1% CCA-C fixation in red pine was produced. This model estimates the percentage of CCA-C solution fixation on red pine for a given time (in hours)/temperature (K) history of the wood following treatment.
A Gate Layout Technique for Area Reduction in Nano-Wire Circuit Design

This paper presents an homogeneous (array-based) approach for designing and manufacturing digital circuits using nano-tubes/nano-wires. As ”a strategy for developing integrated devices with many individual elements has yet to be formulated” [1], it is evident that such an environment is a necessity for designing circuits using nano-wires. At logic level a novel formulation for area reduction is proposed and solved in polynomial time using a heuristic technique. The objective is to provide a further insight on the applicability of Moore’s law to nanotechnology by evaluating the effects of area on logic design.
Time-dependent travel times : the case with ferries

In the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP), not considering ferries when ferries are in fact present could cause the solution to be very inaccurate and very di cult to implement. As the travel time between two locations, when ferries are present, is dependent on the departure time, not considering ferries is in fact solving the wrong problem. This thesis focuses on the advantages of considering ferries in a VRP, as well as documenting the extra computational e ort needed. We present an approach towards ferries using a set of travel times for each origin destination pair containing one or more ferries. The travel times are calculated for departure times of chosen intervals using intermediate times to and from the ferry connections. Results show that considering ferries yield substantial improvements when implementing the route plans, in comparison to a standard VRP solver using static travel times.
Social Misfits or Victims of Exclusion? Contradictory Representations of Irish Travellers in the Irish Press

One of the most significant current discussions in discourse studies is the media representation of socially disadvantaged groups (KhosraviNik, 2009; Baker et al., 2008; van Dijk, 1991). The aim of this study is to examine the Irish media’s attitude towards Irish Travellers who have been pushed to the fringes of society with allegations that their nomadic lifestyle is incompatible with industrialised Irish society (Moore, 2012; van Hout, 2011; McVeigh, 1997). The dataset for this paper is comprised of newspaper texts from The Irish Times, The Irish Independent and The Irish Daily Mail printed between January 2012 and September 2014. Data were gathered through the Nexis UK database. Because the newspaper corpora vary greatly in size, the analysis was carried out in two stages. First, corpus software AntConc 3.4. 3 (Anthony, 2014) was used to obtain high frequency words in the whole corpus to gain an insight into the discourse topics associated with Travellers. Second, journalistic commentaries from three newspapers on the 2014 Oireachtas report were taken into consideration for the analysis of APPRAISAL resources which show evaluative stance of the writers through ATTITUDE, ENGAGEMENT and GRADUATION categories (Martin and White, 2005). Legitimation strategies which were used to justify evaluative stance were also investigated in this stage. The quantitative analysis shows the dominance of ATTITUDE categories in all corpora. The liberal Irish Times positively appraised Travellers and the Oireachtas Report, and justified their support for ethnic recognition through a moral evaluation of previous discrimination policies. The politically right-centre Independent and Daily Mail had rather negative attitudes, and they legitimized their opposition through moral evaluation and rationalization grounded upon the stereotypical images associated with Travellers.
Diagnosis of male hypogonadism: what is low testosterone

In contrast to primary hypogonadism, whereby the rise of gonadotropin levels helps establishing a diagnosis, the diagnosis of secondary hypogonadism relies for the most part, on the identification of a low testosterone level in the right clinical context. Establishing that a patient indeed has a low testosterone level requires taking into account several physiological as well analytical aspects. The vast majority of testosterone in men circulates in plasma bound to albumin (50%), sex-steroid binding globulin (SHBG) (44%) and other proteins (4%), while only 2% is found free. The biologically active fraction consists of the free and the albumin-bound fractions. Testosterone levels are highest in the early morning and lowest during the summer. Both total and free testosterone decline with age, as SHBG levels increase. Conditions such as obesity and diabetes also result in diminished testosterone concentrations, while they are accompanied by low SHBG levels. Currently, measurement of total testosterone in hospital laboratories is usually performed on fully automated immunoassay analyzers. Although tandem mass spectrometry methods after gas or liquid chromatography are the most accurate means for testosterone measurement, they are still not widely available in most clinical laboratories. In some cases the concentration of total testosterone may not always represent a true reflection of the patient androgen status and therefore an estimate of the non-SHBG or bioavailable fraction may be a more appropriate measure. Methods of assessment of the non-SHBG-bound fraction of testosterone include estimation of the free concentration by methods including the calculation of the free androgen index (FAI), equilibrium dialysis, centrifugal ultrafiltration, direct analog RIA or calculation of the free fraction.
The puzzling temporally variable optical and X-ray afterglow of GRB 101024A

Aims. We present the optical observations of the afterglow of the Swift burst GRB 101024A and try to reconcile these observations with the X-ray afterglow data of GRB 101024A using current afterglow models Methods. We employ early optical observations, using the Zadko Telescope combined with X-ray data, to compare them with the reverse shock/forward shock model. Results. The early optical light curve reveals a very unusual steep decay index of α ∼ 5. This is followed by a flattening and possibly a plateau phase coincident with a similar feature in the X-ray. We discuss these observations in the framework of the standard reverse shock/forward shock model and energy injection. The plateau phase might also be the signature of the formation of a new magnetar.
IDENTIFICATION OF A LOCAL PROBIOTIC BACTERIUM USING 16S rRNA GENE SEQUENCE THAT WAS USED FOR FIELD TRIAL TO ENHANCED WHITELEG SHRIMP (Litopenaeus vannamei) SURVIVAL

The use of local probiotics in the culture of aquatic organisms is increasing with the demand for more environmental-friendly aquaculture practices. The local bacterium isolate considered as a probiotic was added into the water of whiteleg shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei ) culture in a field trial. Four rectangular plastic ponds (ca. 20 m x 30 m per pond) were used for 100 days experimentation for six consecutive crops in two years experiment. Survival, harvest size, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and Vibrio bacterial count was compared with those of shrimp receiving and none of local isolate. Identification based on 16S rRNA gene sequence shown those isolate was Bacillus pumilus strain DURCK14 with 99% homology. Water shrimp pond added a local isolate had significantly higher survival at about 10.0% to 11.7% than shrimp without added the isolate (p<0.05), and better FCR, but no significant different in shrimp harvest size. Vibrio bacterial was undetected by total plate count. Moreover, it shown better projected yields on an annual basis (three crops per year).
The Current Account Dynamics in Pakistan: An Intertemporal Optimisation Perspective

The intertemporal approach has become a basic reference in open economy macroeconomics for the theoretical understanding of the current account. Since the early 1980s there has been substantial growth in the literature using this approach to analyse the behaviour of the current account movements for different countries and time periods. The theoretical refinements in the approach have led most of the empirical studies in the literature today to apply the basic present value model of current account (PVMCA) and its extended version to examine the fluctuations in the current account balances of both developed and developing countries. Using data on Pakistan over the period 1960 to 2009, the present study finds that the basic model fails to predict the dynamics of the actual current account. However, extending the basic model to capture variations in the world real interest rate and the real exchange rate significantly improves the fit of the intertemporal model. The extended model predictions better replicate the volatility of current account data and better explain historical episodes of current account imbalance in Pakistan.
Does the Patients Age have an Influence on the Outcome of CESA (Cervico-Sacropexy) and VASA (Vagino-Sacropexy) for the Treatment of Urinary Incontinence in Women?

About 40% of all women will develop urinary incontinence during their life, usually starting around the age of 50 years. It usually starts with the spontaneous undesired loss of urine during increased intra-abdominal pressure (coughing or sneezing) and will continue in even shorter time intervals to reach the toilet “just in time”. In its ultimate form the patient has no control anymore about her voiding function and is “always wet”. While previously only SUI, the “mild” form of urinary incontinence, could effectively be treated by the replacement of the PUL using suburethral tapes we now have the chance to cure also the moderate and severe forms of urinary incontinence. With the bilateral replacement of the USL by the CESA and VASA operations over 50% of all patients were cured. When the remaining patients received an additional TOT 8/4 the cure rate was increased up to more than 80% of the patients. We observed that the number of cured patients decreased with increasing age. While patients younger than 60 years have a nearly 90% chance of cure this chance decreases down to 65% for those patients older than 70 years. The fact that continence could be reestablished by CESA / VASA and a TOT 8/4 demonstrates that urinary incontinence can be cured by surgery in most patients. We are not certain which ageing effects were responsible for the diminishing cure rate with increasing age. As all our other calculations did not indicate any responsible factor for this observation, we probably did not measure the responsible factor so far.
Allelic polymorphism of Ovar-DRB1 exon2 gene and parasite resistance in two dairy sheep breeds

The Ovar-DRB1 gene locus is one of the most polymorphic genes of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (Ovar-MHC) and holds a functional role to antigen presentation. The aim of this study was: a) to describe the Ovar-DRB1 locus variability in two dairy Greek sheep breeds and b) to investigate associations between this variability with resistance to gastrointestinal parasitosis. Blood and faecal samples were collected from 231 and 201 animals of Arta and Kalarrytiko breeds, respectively. The identification of alleles was performed using the sequence–base method. Faecal egg counting (FEC) of the gastrointestinal parasites and measures of blood plasma pepsinogen levels were performed in order to evaluate parasitological parameters. From this study in the overall examined animals, thirty-nine Ovar-DRB1 alleles were identified, among them, ten new alleles, reported for the first time in the literature. In Arta breed a total of twenty-four alleles were found. Among the detected alleles, ten were breed specific and five were new. Regarding the Kalarrytiko breed, twenty-nine alleles were found, fifteen of them were unique and nine were new. The studied breeds differed in their allelic profile, with only 12 common from the total of 134 different recorded genotypes. A higher number of animals with high parasitic load and high plasma pepsinogen values were found in Kalarrytiko. Associations between Ovar-DRB1 alleles with FEC values were found with certain heterozygous genotypes to present significantly reduced FEC values. The large number of detected alleles with low frequencies and the fact that the majority of animals were heterozygous, make hard to find strong associations
ITCM- A SIMPLE DYNAMIC 2-NODE MODEL OF THE HUMAN THERMOREGULATORY SYSTEM AND ITS APPLICATION IN A MULTI-AGENT SYSTEM

To simulate the dynamic effects of varying microclimate environments on the energy balance on the agents, a simple transient two-node model of the human thermoregulatory system (“ Individual Thermal Comfort model " ITCM ) was compiled from different recent studies. This model is then used to provide the agents in the Multi-Agent system BOTworld with an individual thermodynamic response (see also Paper "Assessing urban microclimate from the user's perspective" in these proceedings) 2 METHODS
Mutual Funds’ Holdings and Listed Firms’ Dividend Payouts: Evidence from China

This paper investigates the relationship between listed firms’ dividend policies and mutual funds’ investment decisions in China. We find that all types of mutual funds prefer to invest in companies that distribute earnings by way of dividends. Robustness checks show that mutual funds prefer cash dividends to stock dividends, but they are not particularly attracted to firms that pay high cash or high stock dividends. We further show that all types of mutual funds can positively influence listed firms’ cash dividend pay-out rates, but only transient (short-term) funds influence stock dividend increases of listed firms.
The Impact of Hosting Refugees on the Intra‐Household Allocation of Tasks: A Gender Perspective

This paper examines whether the presence of refugees alters the intra-household allocation of tasks across genders in the hosting population. Using panel data (pre- and post-refugee inflow) from Kagera, a rural region of Tanzania, we find that the refugee shock led to women being less likely to engage in employment outside the household and more likely to engage in household chores relative to men. This is probably the result of the environmental degradation that accompanied the arrival of refugees and the additional competition for natural resources such as wood and water. However, the results differ by (pre-shock) literacy and maths skill. For women who could read and perform simple written mathematical operations the refugee shock resulted in a higher likelihood of engaging in outside employment. On the other hand, higher exposure to the refugee shock resulted in illiterate women being more likely to engage in farming and household chores.
Cockcroft-06-831-Vacuum Systems for the ILC helical undulator

The International Linear Collider (ILC) positron source uses a helical undulator to generate polarised photons of ~10 MeV at the first harmonic. Unlike many undulators used in synchrotron radiation sources, the ILC helical undulator vacuum chamber will be bombarded by photons, generated by undulator , with energies mostly below the 1 harmonic. Achieving the vacuum specification, of ~100 nTorr, in a narrow chamber, of 4 to 6 mm, with a large length, of 100 – 200 m, makes the design of the vacuum system challenging. This paper describes the vacuum specifications , calculations of the flux and energy of photons irradiating the undulator vacuum chamber and considers possible vacuum system design solutions for two cases: cryogenic and room temperature. 1 ASTeC, Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington, WA4 4AD,England 2 Cockcroft Institute, Warrington, WA4 4AD,England 3 Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Oxford St., Liverpool, L69 7ZE, UK 4 DESY-Hamburg, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany 5 CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK 6 Institute of Particle Physics Phenomenology, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE, UK, and CERN, CH1211 Genève 23, Switzerland EUROTeV-Report-2006-086 Cockcroft-06-83