Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Purified metallo-protease from the pathogenic haemoflagellate

The metallo-protease (200 kDa) from Cryptobia salmositica was punfied using ionexchange chromatography and gelfiltration. The purity of the enzyme was confirmed as there was only one homogeneous band using SDS-PAGE. Under in vitro conditions the purified metallo-protease completely degraded the extracellular matrix proteins (collagen types I. [V. V and laminin) and the membrane proteins isolated from rainbow trout erythrocytes. The results confirm that the C. salmositica metallo-protease is a histolytic enzyme and it contributes to salmonid cryptobiosis and to the direct transmission of the parasite between fish.
The Effects of Base Rate, Selection Ratio, Sample Size, and Reliability of Predictors on Predictive Efficiency Indices Associated with Logistic Regression Models.

While it is imperative that attempts be made to assess the predictive accuracy of any prediction model, traditional measures of predictive accuracy have been criticized as suffering from "the base rate problem. " The base rate refers to the relative frequency of occurrence of the event being studied in the population of interest, and the problem stems from the fact that statistical prediction models often are not valid when applied to populations with a different base rate than the population for which the prediction model was constructed. This study tested alternative predictive accuracy models, two of which account for base rate levels, to determine the degree to which they are base rate invariant. The indices were the three indices recommended by S. Menard (1995), the Relative Improvement over Change (RIOC) method, and the percentage correct classification indices. A Monte Carlo simulation study was undertaken to generate two types of logistic regression models, one with a dichotomous predictor and a continuously measured predictor and the other with two dichotomous predictors. Four reliabilities, three base rate conditions, and two sample sizes were used. All three of Menard's indices were found to be sensitive to fluctuations in the base rate. Conditions under which these indices and the RIOC may be used are summarized in a table. It is recommended that researchers compute all three of Menard's indices and then compare the values across the three to get an indication of the underlying base rate of the sample. (Contains 3 tables and 26 references.) (SLD) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** The Effects Of Base Rate, Selection Ratio, Sample Size, And Reliability Of Predictors On Predictive Efficiency Indices Associated With Logistic Regression Models PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY iZLN A e. S 0 Df,ft. -ST 2/-it TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Irina R. Soderstrom Eastern Kentucky University Dennis W. Leitner Southern Illinois University at Carbondale U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL, October 15-18, 1997
The Effects of State Smart Growth Management and Local Contexts on Local Open Space Preservation

This study explores the effects of state smart growth management and local contextual factors—in particular, aspects of hierarchical governance and the political market framework—on local open space preservation. It takes into account state intervention in local affairs, including state requirements for local planning practices in general and for open space preservation in particular. It also tests local contextual factors such as political and informal institutions, interest groups, and community and physical characteristics, using hierarchical linear modeling. The findings suggest that counties are more likely to preserve open space when the state government strongly intervenes in local planning practices. The county manager form of government and high population density are negatively associated with open space preservation, while high demands for growth control and the presence of active environmental interest groups are positively associated with it.
Global Inequality: The Implications of Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century

In the 2000s, global inequality fell for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, driven by a decline in the dispersion of average incomes across countries. Between 1988 and 2008, a period of rapidly increasing global integration, income growth was largest for the global top 1 percent and for country-deciles in Asia, often in the upper halves of the national distributions, while the poorer deciles in rich countries lagged behind. Although within-country inequality increased in population-weighted terms, for the average developing country the rise in inequality slowed down in the second half of the 2000s. However, like any analysis based on household surveys, these results could miss important increases in inequality if they are concentrated at the top. These data constraints remain especially serious in developing countries where only very limited information on the top tail exists, especially regarding capital incomes.
P o S ( C D 1 5 ) 0 3 7 The Lambda ( 1405 ) is a KN molecule

Jonathan M. M. Halla, Waseem Kamleh∗a†, Derek B. Leinwebera, Benjamin J. Menaduea,b, Benjamin J. Owena, Anthony W. Thomasa,c, Ross D. Younga,c a Special Research Centre for the Subatomic Structure of Matter (CSSM), Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia b National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia c ARC Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Terascale (CoEPP), Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
1 Antioxidant activity of macroalgae from the Azores

Free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) was studied to determine the antioxidant activity of 8 common macroalgae species found in the Azores. Species under study were Porphyra sp. , Osmundea pinnatifida, Pterocladiella capillacea, Sphaerococcus coronopifolius and Gelidium microdon, from Rhodophyta; Ulva compressa and Chaetomorpha pachynema, from Chlorophyta and Fucus spiralis from Phaeophyta.The antioxidant activity was evaluated in methanolic extract by a decolourisation solution test of 2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), used as a stable radical. The methanolic extracts were obtained from dried biomass by sequential extractions, attaining a final concentration of 2 mg.mL. The FRSA values ranged from 19.54% for S. coronopifolius to 60.05% for F. spiralis with standard deviation (SD) varying between 1.41% and 6.80%. Results indicated that the studied seaweeds are a very promising source of biological active compounds with antioxidant properties. The seaweeds were collected in the Azorean islands where seawater pollution levels are low. Consequently, these seaweeds represent a valuable and good source of antioxidant material with superior beneficial effects on human health.
PERFORMANCE DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT OF COLLABORATIVE SYSTEMS BY THE APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE-BASED QUALITATIVE REASONING

In Collaborative Systems, several unforeseen problems arise when people come together to build a product or when people having different perspectives, share resources and collaborate in building a system that offers service to end-users. Performance evaluation, benchmarking and improvement of such systems are often neglected due to lack of systematic framework and tools. Conventionally, system performance is evaluated and improvement carried out, much after the implementation of the system. This is an extremely difficult, laborious and costly task. Our strategy is to propose performance estimate at the requirement analysis and design phase itself, long before the implementation phase. In this paper, we introduce novel tools for modeling the system, evaluating the performance of the system and for improving and enhancing its performance. The stages of system modeling, evaluation, performance design and performance improvement share a common integrated knowledge base. System modeling is done by using the Multi-Context Map (MCM) technique, system evaluation is done with GPSS simulation, and improvement is accomplished by the Expert System reasoning approach with Qualitative knowledgebased rules. MCM captures the workflow in a collaborative system wherein collaborators interact with each other through the exchange of Token, Material and Information (TMI). This triple-input-triple-output is what distinguishes contexts in MCM from ordinary single-input-single-output servers in queueing networks. These three additional interactions present a formidable challenge to improving the system quantitatively. In order to overcome the computational complexity, we make use of Qualitative Reasoning (QR) in our Expert system (ES). At the system performance evaluation stage, the ES displays to the user the inherent bottlenecks in the system upon analyzing the performance-knowledge acquired from GPSS simulation. At the performance improvement stage, the ES inference engine refers to the structuralknowledge of the system and by applying the heuristics from the expert’s knowledge, draws the parameter-tuning plan to resolve the bottlenecks in the system resulting from underflow, overflow or non-uniformity in TMI flow. The integrated environment of model building, performance evaluation and performance improvement is semiautomatic by design, and as demonstrated by the successful application to the performance design and improvement of the benchmarking system, can be extended to any real life Collaborative System (CS).
ORCHESTRATED CLOUD SERVICES

Cloud computing offers pay-per-use on-demand access to computer resources for hosting program execution environments for software service deployment. Management of cloud resources includes determining, based on current monitored resource availability, which part(s) of a computational infrastructure should host such program execution environments in a process called placement. Our work defines directives that lets consumers of cloud resources influence placement to express relationships between cloud services (orchestration) and deployment constraints to uphold for related service components, without surrendering the ultimate control over placement from the infrastructure owner. The infrastructure owner remains free to define their policies and placement optimization criteria, e.g., to consolidate work that needs to be done to as few physical host machines as possible for power savings reasons. We show how the placement process can be adjusted to take such influence into account and validate through simulations that the adjustments produce the correct result without too large computational impact on the placement process itself. Further, we present a technique for transferring large data files between cloud data centers that operate in (separate) cloud federations that avoids repeated transfers in a delegation chain between members of (different) cloud federations. Finally, we present a non-invasive method of extracting monitoring data from a service deployed in a cloud federation, and a framework for making monitoring information available and understandable in spite of technical differences between monitoring systems used in cloud federations.
Winter-to-winter recurrence and non-winter-to-winter recurrence of SST anomalies in the central North Pacific

All previous studies of the winter-to-winter recurrence (WWR) of sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) have focused on mean climatic characteristics. Here, interannual variability of the SSTA WWR in the central North Pacific (CNP) is studied. The SSTA WWR displays a strong interannual variability in the CNP. The relative roles of atmospheric forcing and the oceanic reemergence mechanism are investigated by comparing SSTA WWR years and non-WWR years. Oceanic reemergence mechanism operates every year, the SSTA in the following winter, however, depends not only on the oceanic entrainment but also the atmospheric forcing, which exhibits substantial interannual variability. During SSTA WWR years, atmospheric circulation anomalies also exhibit the WWR phenomenon. Atmospheric forcing as well as the oceanic reemergence mechanism can act synergistically to create SSTA in the following winter with the same sign. During SSTA non-WWR years, winter atmospheric circulation anomalies do not recur in the following winter, and the following winter has opposing atmospheric forcing on SSTA. Although the reemergence mechanism is likely still operating, the anomalous heating supplied by the oceanic reemergence mechanism is smaller than that coming through the atmospheric forcing. Overall, the WWR in the CNP is an evolutional characteristic of the whole air-sea system with the seasons, and the WWR of atmospheric circulation anomalies and its forcing play an important role in the SSTA WWR.
A PRELIMINARY APPROACH ON THE USE OF SATELLITE HYPERSPECTRAL DATA FOR GEOLOGICAL MAPPING

During the last decades remote sensing imagery has contributed significantly to mineral exploration. Motivated by the increasing importance of hyperspectral re­ mote sensing, this study investigates the potential of the current-generation satellite hyperspectral data for geological mapping. A narrow-band Hyperion image, acquired in summer 2001, was used. The study area is situated at Milos island. Two different approaches were used for the reduction of the Hyperion bands. First, on the basis of histogram statistics the uncalibrated bands were selected and re­ moved. Then the Minimum Noise Fraction was used to classify the bands according to their signal to noise ratio. The noisiest bands were removed and sixty bands were selected for further processing. In order to make meaningful comparisons between image spectra and laboratory re­ flectance spetra, the image radiance values must be corrected (calibrated) to reflec­ tance by removing the atmospheric effects. Atmospheric corrections techniques were applied to the selected Hyperion bands. The comparison of the Hyperion hyperspectral data with the JPL spectral library gave quite encouraging results. Further processing of the data has to be done using the image analysis algorithms that have been developed specifically to exploit the ex­ tensive information contained in hyperspectral imagery.
Precision analysis of visual odometry based on disparity changing

Abstract. This thesis aims to analyze the precision of Position and orientation of cameras on Mobile Mapping System (MMS) determined by disparity based VO (DBVO). Dual forwards taken cameras on MMS are applied to obtain a sequence of stereo pairs. The Interior Orientation Parameters (IOPs) and Relative Orientation Parameters (ROPs) are derived in advance. The pose estimation is achieved by DBVO without additional control data. The procedure of DBVO consists of four steps. First up, keypoint detection and matching is conducted to obtain tie points in consecutive images. Then, image rectification is implemented to transform tie points into epipolar image space. Next, parallax equation is applied to estimate the 3D coordinates of interest points in epipolar image 3D space. Since their image points have different disparity in neighboring stereo pairs, the 3D coordinates of interest points in neighboring pairs are different as well. Finally, 3D conformal transformation is employed to derive the transformation parameters between neighboring pairs according to changing of coordinates of interest points. The posteriori STDs are adopted to assess the quality of transformation. Besides, check data of ground trajectory derived by photo triangulation are applied to evaluate the result. The relative errors of horizontal and vertical translations derived by DBVO are 2 % and 3 % in non-viewing direction. However, the translation in viewing direction and three rotation angles derived by DBVO have significant systematic errors about 1 m, 3°, 3° and 10° respectively. The influence of error propagation is not significant according to the chart of error distance ratio. In open area, the trajectory of INS/GPS is similar to ground truth, while the trajectory derived by DBVO has 44 % relative error. In residential district, the trajectory derived by INS/GPS has drift error about 2 m, while the relative error of the trajectory derived by DBVO decreases to 38 %. It is presumed that the systematic error results from 3D coordinates estimated by parallax equation because of poor intersection geometry. It will be proved by adding sideward photographing cameras in the future.
Interleukin-6 174G3C Polymorphism Is Associated with Improved Outcome in High-Risk Breast Cancer

Axillary lymph node involvement in breast cancer is a marker of recurrence risk. Despite aggressive adjuvant therapy, recurrence in patients with four or more involved lymph nodes approaches 50% at 5 years from diagnosis. Markers that can distinguish those likely to relapse from those likely to be cured are needed to tailor therapy and provide accurate prognostic information to patients. Although most work in this area has focused on tumor characteristics, we hypothesized that the host environment might also play a role in determining risk of relapse. We hypothesized that host inflammatory response, mediated in part by production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), might play a role in the elimination of microscopic residual tumor. Polymorphisms in the IL-6 promoter region appear to modulate serum levels of the cytokine via regulation of gene transcription. A single nucleotide polymorphism involving substitution of cytosine for guanine at position 174 has been associated with reduced transcription and improved outcome in a variety of nonmalignant diseases, including coronary artery disease and several autoimmune conditions. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a proinflammatory cytokine that also plays a role in regulating IL-6 transcription. We hypothesized that polymorphisms in IL-6 ( 174 G>C) or TNF(G-238 or G-308) might be associated with prognosis in a subset of patients with high-risk breast cancer. Genotyping was performed on DNA from stored stem cells in 80 breast cancer patients diagnosed with at least four positive axillary lymph nodes at diagnosis who underwent anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy followed by high-dose multiagent chemotherapy with stem cell rescue. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the effect of genotype and other known prognostic factors on disease-free and overall survival (DFS and OS, respectively). The presence of at least one C allele in the IL-6 promoter at position 174 was significantly associated with both DFS and OS compared with G/G homozygotes. After adjustment for estrogen receptor (ER) status, number of involved lymph nodes, and tumor size, those patients carrying the G/G genotype had a 2.1-fold increase in the rate of failure and a 2.6-fold increase in the rate of death compared with carriers of any C allele at a mean follow-up of 55 months. ER status modulated the effect of IL-6 polymorphism: both DFS and OS were most favorable in patients who were carriers of any C-allele (G/C or C/C) and had ER-positive tumors. The presence of either G/G genotype or an ER-negative tumor increased the hazard of failure [hazard ratio (HR), 2.6 and 3.2, respectively] and death (HR, 2.0 and 2.2, respectively). The combination of both G/G genotype and ER-negative tumor resulted in an additional increase in the hazard of failure (HR, 5.4; four-group comparison, P 0.003) and death (HR, 6.2; four-group comparison, P 0.001). TNF308 and 238 polymorphisms were not associated with variation in DFS or OS in
Labor Heterogeneity and the Margins of Exports

This paper investigates how changes in skilled and unskilled labor supply aect dierent margins of exports. Using bilateral trade data in manufacturing sectors of 34 countries from 1995 to 2010, we …nd that most of the impact of skilled labor on exports goes through the intensive margin, whereas most of the eect of unskilled labor works through the extensive margin. These outcomes result from the impact of labor skill composition on the productivity cut-oof exporters. We also …nd that the impact of skilled and unskilled labor on trade margins depends on the country's income level and types of product. The results indicate that the eect of skilled labor is greater for low-income countries and dierentiated products, while that of unskilled labor is greater for high-income countries and homogeneous products.
Emission estimates of selected volatile organic compounds from tropical savanna burning in northern Australia

[i] Here we present measurements of a range of carbon-based compounds: carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH 4 ), nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), methyl halides, and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) emitted by Australian savanna fires studied as part of the Biomass Burning and Lightning Experiment (BIBLE) phase B aircraft campaign, which took place during the local late dry season (28 August to 13 September 1999). Significant enhancements of short-lived NMHCs were observed in the boundary layer (BL) over the region of intensive fires and indicate recent emissions for which the mean transport time was estimated to be about 9 hours. Emission ratios relative to CO were determined for 20 NMHCs, 3 methyl halides, DMS, and CH 4 based on the BL enhancements in the source region. Tight correlations with CO were obtained for most of those compounds, indicating the homogeneity of the local savanna source. The emission ratios were in good agreement with some previous measurements of savanna fires for stable compounds but indicated the decay of emission ratios during transport for several reactive compounds. Based on the observed emission ratios, emission factors were derived and compared to previous studies. While emission factors (g species/kg dry mole) of CO 2 varied little according to the vegetation types, those of CO and NMHCs varied significantly. Higher combustion efficiency and a lower emission factor for methane in this study, compared to forest fires, agreed well with results for savanna fires in other tropical regions. The amount of biomass burned was estimated by modeling methods using available satellite data, and showed that 1999 was an above average year for savanna burning. The gross emissions of the trace gases from Australian savanna fires were estimated.