Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The prediction of protein-protein interaction of A-thaliana and X-campestris pv. campestris based on protein domain and interolog approaches

Plant pathogenic bacteria cause many serious disease symptoms by injecting a variety of effector proteins to reprogram the host defense mechanism. Protein-protein interaction is an essential process playing a crucial role in host-pathogen interactions and pathogenicity. However few have been known for how pathogen bacteria interact with their hosts. In this study, the interactions of A. thaliana proteins and Xanthomonas campestris pv.campestris (Xcc) pathogen bacteria proteins are identified by two different approaches: the domain-based approach which infers interspecies protein-protein interactions by known domain-domain interactions recorded by various databases; and the interolog approach that identifies protein-protein interactions based on homologous pairs of protein interactions across different organisms. The results from these two methods are integrated and the dense protein interaction regions are specified by clique percolation analysis. In particular, the plant resistance genes (PRG) information and the bacterial effector proteins are studied to provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of plant immunity systems against bacteria. From our findings, we demonstrate that a pathogen employs five strategies to reprogram the host defense mechanism. First, ome Xcc proteins tend to interact with A. thaliana’s hub proteins or the PRGs. Second, Xcc proteins tend to interact with many A. thaliana proteins indicating that a pathogen mutates its genes to infect the host. Third, some Xcc proteins target a group of A. thaliana proteins that are involved in responding to cadmium ions, a significant plant biological process against pathogen. Fourth, many Xcc proteins target a few A. thaliana proteins which are involved in the plant-pathogen interaction pathways. Finally, the pathogen may make use of a type III effector protein to reprogram the host protein-protein interactions. Host-pathogen interactions remain a largely unexplored area in computational biology. The present work may provide some key information useful for revealing the biological mechanism of a plant’s immune system against bacteria. A web-based interface has been established (http://ppi.bioinfo.asia.edu.tw/AtXccPPI) where investigators can pose queries.
A 100-MHz 100-dB operational amplifier with multipath nested Miller compensation structure

A multipath nested structure which overcomes the bandwidth reduction in the conventional nested structure by appending an independent feedforward path for high frequencies is presented. At low frequencies, the opamp behaves as a three-stage nested Miller-compensated amplifier, while at high frequencies the opamp has the nature and bandwidth of a two-stage amplifier with simple pole splitting. In this fashion, the concept circumvents the classical DC-gain/high-frequency-performance dilemma. No pole-zero doubles occur, because the two regions of operation can be independently and closely matched, unaffected by variations in the parameters of the IC process in which the amplifier is fabricated. >
A new putative plasmodesmata-associated protein, At1g19190, in Arabidopsis

Plasmodesmata are channels that traverse cell walls to establish a symplastic continuum through whole plants. A plasmodesmal-associated protein, AtRGP2, is delivered to the plasmodesmata via the Golgi apparatus. In this paper, GFP:At1g19190 fusion protein was constructed and compared to AtRGP2:YFP. GFP:At1g19190 displays fluorescence patterns along the cell periphery and in a punctate pattern that co-localizes with aniline blue-stained callose. Cytoskeleton disturbance drugs were used to treat transgenic GFP:At1g19190 Arabidopsis seedlings. Colchicine, which disturbs the microtubule network, was found capable of disturbing the localization of At1g19190, but cytochalasin B (CB) and brefeldin A (BFA) did not affect the localization of At1g19190. Micrografting methods revealed that the transfer of GFP:At1g19190 fluorescence from transgenic Arabidopsis to non-fluorescent wild-type was absent during AtRGP2 grafting. At1g19190 appeared to be a potentially important protein in the plasmodesmata (Pd) structure and may play a critical role in substance transport, although its exact mechanism is still unknown. Key words: Plasmodesmata, AtRGP2, At1g19190, cytoskeleton, micrografting.
The Amsterdam–St. Paul Plateau: A complex hot spot/DUPAL‐flavored MORB interaction

The Amsterdam–St Paul (ASP) oceanic plateau results from the interaction between the ASP hot spot and the Southeast Indian ridge. A volcanic chain, named the Chain of the Dead Poets (CDP), lies to its northward tip and is related to the hot spot intraplate activity. The ASP plateau and CDP study reveals that ASP plume composition is inherited from oceanic crust and pelagic sediments recycled in the mantle through a 1.5 Ga subduction process. The ASP plateau lavas have a composition (major and trace elements and Sr‐Nd‐Pb‐Hf isotopes) reflecting the interaction between ASP plume and the Indian MORB mantle, including some clear DUPAL input. The Indian upper mantle below ASP plateau is heterogeneous and made of a depleted mantle with lower continental crust (LCC) fragments probably delaminated during the Gondwana break‐up. The lower continental crust is one of the possible reservoirs for the DUPAL anomaly origin that our data support. The range of magnitude of each end‐member required in ASP plateau samples is (1) 45% to 75% of ASP plume and (2) 25% to 55% of Indian DM within 0% to a maximum of 6% of LCC layers included within. The three end‐members involved (plume, upper mantle and lower continental crust) and their mixing in different proportions enhances the geochemical variability in the plateau lavas. Consequently, the apparent composition homogeneity of Amsterdam Island, an aerial summit of the plateau, may result from the presence of intermediate magmatic chambers into the plateau structure.
Do water cuts affect productivity? Case study of African manufacturing firms

This study sought to examine the impact of water disruptions on productivity in African manufacturing firms, using cross-sectional data from the World Bank enterprise surveys. We measured water infrastructure quality or water disruptions using the number of hours per day without water and found this indicator to be a negative and significant determinant of productivity. At country level, this variable seems to be a significant determinant in Uganda and Zambia, whilst firms in the food and agriculture, chemical and pharmacy as well as construction and metals sectors are also similarly affected. To improve economic growth through firm productivity and hence encourage employment creation and better standards of living, governments in Africa need to come up with measures to strengthen the effectiveness of both technical and institutional water infrastructure services.
Mitigating information leakage in a crowded spectrum of weakly anharmonic qubits

A challenge for scaling up quantum processors using frequency-crowded, weakly anharmonic qubits is to drive individual qubits without causing leakage into non-computational levels of the others, while also minimizing the number of control lines. To address this, we implement single-qubit Wah-Wah control in a circuit QED processor with a single feedline for all transmon qubits, operating at the maximum gate speed achievable given the frequency crowding. Randomized benchmarking and quantum process tomography confirm alternating qubit control with $\leq$1% average error per computational step and decoherence-limited idling of one qubit while driving another with a Wah-Wah pulse train.
A distributed package for sustainable water management: a case study in the Arno basin.

MOBIDIC (MOdello di Bilancio Idrologico Dlstribuito e Continuo) is a distributed hydrological modelling package for various applications. The main innovations concern: (a) the coupling of the water balance in the soil and vegetation with the surface energy balance, to the benefit of evapotranspiration computation and the use of remotely-sensed maps for calibration and validation; (b) the interaction between groundwater and surface water bodies, (c) the capability of easily managing data on withdrawals of water, reservoir operation and environmental flow. MOBIDIC-WRM can be used as an effective tool for the evaluation of basin scenarios (e.g. effects of changes in land cover/deforestation and irrigation strategies, exploitation policies for groundwater). It provides a reliable hydrological base for the assessment of crisis indicators such as vegetation stress and lack of environmental flow. In this work we present an application in the Arno basin, central Italy. The outcome of applying the package in order to determine the water budget management strategies is discussed.
Taxonomy and geographic distribution of potential toxic cyanobacterial strains in Morocco

In Morocco, poisoning events of fish, aquatic birds and livestock have been observed in some reservoirs and shallow lakes. In all cases, the reasons for animal mortality reasons have not been confirmed and the toxic cyanobacteria strains that were abundant in these water bodies have been suggested as their cause. Since 1994, the authors started taxonomic, ecological and toxicological studies by collecting samples from various lakes reservoirs and ponds. The results show that more than 18 out of 26 lakes reservoirs used for human water supply contained at least one species of planktonic cyanobacteria, where the genus Microcystis was dominant (Microcystis aeruginosa f. aeruginosa, M. aeruginosa f. flos-aquae, M. ichthyoblabe, M. pulverea f. delicatissima) and was associated with Oscillatoria, Planktothrix, Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Phormidium and other genera. Taxonomic studies shows that among more than 150 cyanobacteria taxa identified in Moroccan freshwater ecosystems, 35 are potentially toxic. For several species, the toxicity of both natural blooms and isolated strains lyophilized material was confirmed by mouse bioassay and the microcystins content evaluated by the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A map of geographic distribution of Microcystis strains inventoried in moroccan water bodies is presented.
Examining a proposed job retention model for adult workers with mental retardation in supported employment

Job retention is a critical component in the efforts to assist individuals with MR move from dependency to selfsufficiency. Job retention and work plays a central role in adult life, crucially affecting self-concept and wellness. Involvement in the mainstream labor force fulfills both individual and societal expectations (Super, 1990). Employment statistics; whether they address the overall low employment rate of people with MR or their ability to stay employed over time, document the need for more intensive job retention efforts (Roessler, 2002). Several studies identified a lack of empirical data around working adults with MR and their JR, JP, JS. This paper begins with the problem, purpose, hypothesis, theoretical framework, method, and results, and conclusions. Implications for theory and practice and the limitations that lead to future research around adult workers with MR is presented. Problem Statement, Purpose, and Hypothesis The problem examined is low job retention for adult workers with MR and whether various personal and work characteristics are related to employment retention, job performance and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the study examined the interrelationship between JR, JP and JS. The purpose of the study was to test hypothesized job retention (JR) model for adult workers with MR by examining the predictive relationships between such factors as work-related social behaviors (WRSB), self-determination (SD), person-job congruency (PJC), job performance (JP), job satisfaction (JS) and job retention (JR). To explore relationships among the variables three research hypotheses were tested. H1. In working adults with MR, a linear combination of the variables WRSB, PJC, SD, JP, and JS would account for a significant amount of variance in the dependent variable, JR. H2. In working adults with MR, a linear combination of the variables WRSB, PJC, SD, JS, and JR would account for a significant amount of variance of the dependent variable, JP. H3. In working adults with MR, a linear combination of the variables WRSB, PJC, SD, JP, and JR would account for a significant amount of variance in the dependent variable, JS. Theoretical Framework
Mindfulness and mental toughness among provincial adolescent female hockey players : original research

Introduction : Mental toughness is highly valued within competitive sport. However, scant attention has been paid to the psychological processes that underpin mental toughness. Objectives : To explore the relationship between mindfulness and mental toughness among provincial adolescent female hockey players. Methods : Provincial adolescent female hockey players (N=484) completed measures of mindfulness and mental toughness. Correlation coefficients were calculated with respect to mindfulness and mental toughness. A one-way between-groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine whether athletes assigned to four levels of mindfulness (high, moderate, medium and low) differed significantly with regard to mental toughness. Results : Mindfulness exhibited significant positive correlations with confidence, constancy and control, as well as with total mental toughness. The results of the ANOVA and the relevant post hoc analyses indicated that athletes in the high mindfulness group reported significantly higher levels of control and general mental toughness than those in the other three groups. The high mindfulness participants also reported significantly higher levels of constancy than those in the medium and low mindfulness groups. Conclusion : Mindfulness was positively correlated with all aspects of mental toughness investigated in this study. In addition, individuals with high levels of mindfulness reported higher control, constancy and general mental toughness than those with lower levels of mindfulness. Based on the current findings, the role of mindfulness in the development and maintenance of mental toughness among adolescent athletes warrants further investigation.
Phytoremediation capability of Azolla pinnata for the removal of malachite green from aqueous solution

Phytoremediation potential of Azolla pinnata (AP) was investigated for the remediation of malachite green (MG) dye from aqueous solution. This study involved the use of artificial neural network (ANN) as one of the mathematical tools for modelling the experimental data which showed good accuracy (R=0.867). The parameters of this study included the pH, initial dye concentration and plant weight. The optimum pH for phytoremediation of MG was in the range of 4-5, with reasonably high removal efficiencies of 81 - 84%. Reusability studies of spent AP showed good removal efficiency of 75% in the second cycle indicating its usefulness in repeated batch treatment. The growth estimation as indicated by relative frond number (RFN) showed that AP can tolerate a concentration of up to 15 mg/L MG.
Effect of some environmental and biological factors on reproductive characters of Trichogramma spp.

Many studies have demonstrated that many species of parasitoid wasps can control offspring sex ratio in response to environmental variables. This article tests the effects of temperature, relative humidity, photoperiod, foundress number, foundress age, host number, interval time of host supplying, species of food, species of host and symbiotic bacterium ( Wolbachia ) on sex ratio of Trichogramma ostriniae . Results showed that the sex ratio of T. ostriniae was affected significantly by temperature (35°C), number of foundress (>2 number), age of foundress (3-day-old) and Wolbachia . Through transmitted Wolbachia from Trichogramma embryophagum to Trichogramma dendrolimi , even the reproductive mode of T. dendrolimi was changed from gamogenesis to thelytoky. Our work verifies the sex ratio theory and implies that the potential effectiveness of Trichogramma spp. as a biological control agent can be further improved.
The complementary roles of IMS LD and IMS QTI in supporting effective web-based formative assessment

Effective formative assessment can be characterized by integrating assessment and instruction, engaging both teachers and students, using various assessment methods, and providing constructive and personalized feedback. In this paper, we propose a standard-based and service-oriented approach to support web-based formative assessment. We present how to develop online formative assessment by using an integrated IMS Learning Design (LD) and IMS Question and Test Interoperability (QTI) authoring tool. Moreover, we present how a formative assessment can be executed in an integrated LD and QTI run-time environment. In comparison with software development approaches, our approach can facilitate the development and execution of web-based formative assessment with characteristics leading to effectiveness.
Anatomical Effects of Gamma Rays on the Peach Fruit Fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saund.) Female Gonads

2 Abstract: Old pupae (2-3 days before adult emergence) of the peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saund.) were irradiated with 20-, 40-, 60- and 90 Gy doses of gamma rays. At intervals of 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 7- weeks after eme rgence, ten f emales were dissected and ovaries were mounted. Measurements of the maximum length a nd wi dth of the ovaries were per formed at these i ntervals as a c riterion of gonads' size. The dose of 2 0 Gy sh owed unstable effects o n the size of t he ovaries till the 4 week and decreased to th about half of their si ze compared to their co ntrols, in 5- a nd 7- weeks o ld females. At 40 Gy, the ovaries' 4 size decreased to about ha lf in 2 -, 3- an d 4- we eks o ld and reached to about / in 5- an d 7- we eks o ld 1 (atrophied ovary); corresponded to their controls. At 60- and 90-Gy treated ovaries reduction in their sizes were largely similar and f ollowed by complete cessation of ovarian growth which clearly indicated from 2- weeks o ld and more p ronounced in 5 - and 7- weeks o ld; and in 9 0 Gy t han in 60 Gy t reated ovaries. According to t he previous results, the dose of 40 Gy seems to be the suitable dose for sterilizing B. zonata females. Also, there is no i ndication of ovarian recovery in 40 Gy and a bove t ested doses till 7- weeks of females' life.
Ensemble reconstruction of spatio-temporal extreme low-flow events in France since 1871

The historical depth of streamflow observations is generally limited to the last 50 years even in data-rich countries like France. It therefore offers too small a sample of extreme low-flow events to properly explore the long-term evolution of their characteristics and associated impacts. In order to overcome this limit, this work first presents a daily 140-year ensemble reconstructed streamflow dataset for a reference network of near-natural catchments in France. This dataset, called SCOPE Hydro 5 (Spatially COherent Probabilistic Extended Hydrological dataset), is based on (1) a probabilistic precipitation, temperature and reference evapotranspiration downscaling of the Twentieth Century Reanalysis over France, called SCOPE Climate, and (2) a continuous hydrological modelling using SCOPE Climate as forcings over the whole period. This work then introduces tools for defining spatio-temporal extreme low-flow events. Extreme low-flow events are first locally defined through the Sequent Peak Algorithm using a novel combination of a fixed threshold and a daily variable threshold. A dedicated spatial match10 ing procedure is then set up to identify spatio-temporal events across France. This procedure is furthermore adapted to the SCOPE Hydro 25-member ensemble in order to characterize in a probabilistic way unrecorded historical events at the national scale. For the first time, extreme low-flow events are described and compared in a spatially and temporally homogeneous way over 140 years on a large set of catchments. Initial results bring forward well-known recent events like 1976 or 1989-1990, but also older and relatively forgotten ones like the 1878 and 1893 events. These results contribute to improve our knowledge 15 on historical events and provide a selection of benchmark events for climate change adaptation purposes. This study moreover allows for further detailed analyses of the effect of climate variability and anthropogenic climate change on low-flow hydrology at the scale of France.
SNP based parentage verification via constraint non-linear optimisation

Since the introduction of parentage verification by molecular markers this technique is based mainly on short tandem repeat markers (STR). With the advent of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), advances in genotyping technologies and decreasing costs, SNPs have become the marker of choice for genotyping projects. This is because the genotypes have a wide range of applications and imputation technologies provide well a developed compatibility layer between different types of SNP genotypes. Thus, the subsequent step is to use SNP genotypes for parentage verification as well. However, algorithms for parentage verification mostly date back to the STR era, and recent developments of SNP based algorithms such as evaluating opposing homozygosity have drawbacks, for example the inability of rejecting all animals of a sample of potential parents. This paper describes an algorithm for parentage verification via non-linear optimisation which overcomes the latter limitations and proofs to be very fast and highly accurate even with number of SNPs as low as 100. The algorithm was tested on a sample of 90 animals with 100, 500 and 40k SNP genotypes. These animals were evaluated against a pool of 12 putative parents containing random animals only, random animals and the true dam, and random animals, the true dam and the true sire. Assignment quality of the algorithm was evaluated by the power of assignment (Pa , probability of picking the true parent when true parent was among the putative parents) and the power of exclusion (Pe, probability of rejecting all parents if the true parent was not among the putative parents). When used with 40k genotypes, the algorithm assigned parentage correctly for all 90 test animals. That is, if one or both parents were among the putative parents they were correctly identified. If both were absent parentage was ruled out for the whole set of putative parents. A similar result was achieved when shrinking the genotypes to 500 randomly selected SNP, with Pe = 0.99 and Pa = 1. When only 100 SNP, randomly selected but the sample space narrowed by the minor allele frequency >0.3, were used, Pe and Pa were still 0.99 and 0.96, respectively. The described method is an easy to implement, fast and accurate algorithm to assign parentage using genomic marker data of size as low as 100 SNP. It overcomes limitation of methods such as evaluation of opposing homozygosity by not relying on the presence of a true parent in the pool of putative parents.