Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An integrated approach to taxonomical identification of the novel filamentous fungus strain producing extracellular lipases : morphological , physiological and DNA fingerprinting techniques

A new filamentous fungal strain was isolated into pure culture and initially named as strain L1. The strain was found to secrete a high level of extracellular lipase at high temperatures. The identification of the isolate was performed by the combination of conventional morphologicalphysiological methods, scanning electron microscopy and RAPD. Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of the L-1 strain were compared to reference strains. The morphological characteristics, radial growth rate at different temperatures and surface ornamentation of sporangiospores of the isolate almost completely match the reference strain Rhizopus [= microsporus var. rhizopodiformis VKM F-3693. The strain L-1 was characterized by high growth rate and the spore maturation abilities at 50°C. These characteristics are unique among all other strains of Rhizopus. The results of RAPD-diagnosis indicate the high degree of genetic similarity between strains L-1 and F-3693. We therefore identified strain L-1 as Rhizopus microsporus var. rhizopodiformis. The strain has been submitted and included in the AllRussian Collection of Microorganisms as VKM F-3688.
A Nonparametric Spatio-temporal SDE Model

We propose a nonparametric spatio-temporal stochastic differential equation (SDE) 1 model that can learn the underlying dynamics of arbitrary continuous-time systems 2 without prior knowledge. We augment the input space of the drift function of 3 an SDE with a temporal component to account for spatio-temporal patterns. The 4 experiment on a real world data set demonstrates that the spatio-temporal model 5 is better able to fit the data than the spatial model and also reduce the forecasting 6 error. 7
Sensor developments for electrophysiological monitoring in healthcare

Recent years have seen a renewal of interest in the development of sensor systems which can be used to monitor electrophysiological signals in a number of different settings. These include clinical, outside of the clinical setting with the subject ambulatory and going about their daily lives, and over long periods. The primary impetus for this is the challenge of providing healthcare for the ageing population based on home health monitoring, telehealth and telemedicine. Another stimulus is the demand for life sign monitoring of critical personnel such as fire fighters and military combatants. A related area of interest which, whilst not in the category of healthcare, utilises many of the same approaches, is that of sports physiology for both professional athletes and for recreation. Clinical diagnosis of conditions in, for example, cardiology and neurology remain based on conventional sensors, using established electrodes and well understood electrode placements. However, the demands of long term health monitoring, rehabilitation support and assistive technology for the disabled and elderly are leading research groups such as ours towards novel sensors, wearable and wireless enabled systems and flexible sensor arrays.
Identifying and exploiting tacit processes in design thinking: what can Phineas Gage teach us about making better systems?

This study presents a design thinking technique that facilitates the discovery and exploitation of tacit processes in advanced system users. The design thinking technique targets tacit processes that have accumulated over prolonged periods of technology use, in the absence of conscious reflection. Such tacit processes may be impossible for users to verbalize, as the manner in which they have been learned means that users may be unaware that they exist. This makes them difficult or even impossible to uncover with traditional discursive and participatory approaches. For this reason, the proposed technique offers a means of ‘lesioning’ information sources, i.e. removing aspects of the information system and observing how and when behavior breaks down. This deconstruction allows dependencies to be exposed, resulting in a better understanding of tacit processes, and consequently, improved assimilation of them into design ideation. This technique is tested over multiple experimental iterations in the context of Twitter, a social network and micro-blogging service. These iterations present several insights regarding how users determine which users to follow, as well as how information is consumed on a user’s content feed.
Student satisfaction with Canadian music programmes: the application of the American Customer Satisfaction Model in higher education

The purpose of this project is to empirically investigate several antecedents and consequences of student satisfaction (SS) with Canadian university music programmes as well as to measure students’ level of programme satisfaction. For this, the American Customer Satisfaction Model was tested through a survey of 276 current Canadian music students. The results indicate that customer satisfaction is strongly affected by programme quality, is slightly impacted by its perceived value but is not influenced by prior student expectations. Satisfaction strongly increases programme loyalty and positive word‐of‐mouth, marginally raises tuition change loyalty, and slightly decreases complaining behaviour. Contrary to expectations, tuition‐related constructs play only a minor role in the model. Therefore, money is a marginal factor in the educational environment; this empirically demonstrates the flaws underlying the premises of the students‐as‐customers metaphor. The resulting satisfaction index may facilitate the comparison among institutions. It was also found that the level of SS with Canadian music programmes was somewhat lower than those with services in other industries.
Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies

The Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies book series encompasses the topics of knowledge, intelligence, innovation and sustainability. The aim of the series is to make available a platform for the publication of books on all aspects of single and multidisciplinary research on these themes in order to make the latest results available in a readily-accessible form. Volumes on interdisciplinary research combining two or more of these areas is particularly sought. The series covers systems and paradigms that employ knowledge and intelligence in a broad sense. Its scope is systems having embedded knowledge and intelligence, which may be applied to the solution of world problems in industry, the environment and the community. It also focusses on the knowledge-transfer methodologies and innovation strategies employed to make this happen effectively. The combination of intelligent systems tools and a broad range of applications introduces a need for a synergy of disciplines from science, technology, business andthe humanities. The series will include conference proceedings, edited collections, monographs, handbooks, reference books, and other relevant types of book in areas of science and technology where smart systems and technologies can offer innovative solutions. High quality content is an essential feature for all book proposals accepted for the series. It is expected that editors of all accepted volumes will ensure that contributions are subjected to an appropriate level of reviewing process and adhere to KES quality principles. ** Indexing: The books of this series are submitted to SCOPUS, EI-Compendex and Springerlink.
Characterization of in situ elastic properties of gas hydrate‐bearing sediments on the Blake Ridge

During Ocean Drilling Program Leg 164, shear sonic velocity and other geophysical logs were acquired in gas hydrate-bearing sediments on the Blake Ridge to characterize the very distinct seismic signature of such formations: anomalous low amplitudes overlying a strong bottom-simulating reflector (BSR). A comparison of the bulk moduli derived from the logs to standard elastic consolidation models shows that the sediments are overconsolidated above the BSR at 440 meters below seafloor (mbsf) because of the presence of hydrates. Below the bottom of the thermodynamic hydrate stability zone at ∼520 mbsf, the high compressibility of the formation and the attenuation of the monopole sonic waveforms are typical of sediments partially saturated with free gas. Between these two depths, gas hydrate and free gas seem to coexist. Within the Gas hydrate stability zone, we estimate the amount of gas hydrates using different models based on theories for wave scattering in multiphase media and for grain cementation. In close agreement with measurements made on discrete in situ samples, the latter describes most accurately the interactions between the matrix, the pore fluids, and the hydrates. This model indicates that 5 to 10% of the pore space is occupied by hydrates deposited uniformly on the surface of the grains. The comparison with Gassmann's model also show that the amount of free gas below the BSR never exceeds 5% of the pore space but is high enough to generate the BSR. The coexistence of free gas and gas hydrates below the BSR may be explained by capillary effects in the smaller pores or by remaining crystalline structures after partial hydrate decomposition.
Comparative Functional and Phylogenomic Analyses of Host Association in the Remoras (Echeneidae), a Family of Hitchhiking Fishes

Synopsis The family Echeneidae consists of eight species of marine fishes that hitchhike by adhering to a wide variety of vertebrate hosts via a sucking disc. While several studies have focused on the interrelationships of the echeneids and the adhesion performance of a single species, no clear phylogenetic hypothesis has emerged and the morphological basis of adhesion remains largely unknown. We first set out to resolve the interrelationships of the Echeneidae by taking a phylogenomic approach using ultraconserved elements. Then, within this framework, we characterized disc morphology through µ-CT analysis, evaluated host specificity through an analysis of host phylogenetic distance, and determined which axes of disc morphological variation are associated with host diversity, skin surface properties, mean pairwise phylogenetic distance (MPD obs.), and swimming regime. We recovered an extremely well-supported topology, found that the specificity of host choice is more variable in a pelagic group and less variable in a reef-generalist group than previously proposed, and that axes of disc morphospace are best explained by models that include host skin surface roughness, host MPD obs. , and maximum host Reynolds number. This suggests that ecomorphological diversification was driven by the selection pressures of host skin surface roughness, host specialization, and hydrodynamic regime.
A system for automatic detection and correction of detuned singing

The aim of the paper is to show a system engineered for automatic detection and correction of detuned singing. For this purpose, existing methods of fundamental frequency detection and pitch correction are reviewed. In addition, main characteristics of some existing detuning systems are presented. As algorithms for fundamental frequencies detection and pitch correction, the fast autocorrelation and HPS (Harmonic Product Spectrum), and the modified phase vocoder and PSOLA (Pitch‐Synchronous Overlap‐Add) are chosen and examined. Four possible combinations of the algorithms are reviewed not only in the context of fundamental frequency detection and pitch shifting correctness but also with regard to the quality of the resulting singing signal. Experiments are performed on both male and female singing samples consisting of a variety of tones and various articulations. Basing on the obtained results, it is concluded that the HPS and PSOLA algorithms are the optimum choice as means to correct detuned singing. In.
Decoder Side Image Quality Enhancement exploiting Inter-channel Correlation in a 3-stage CNN: Submission to CLIC 2018

In this paper, we describe our submission to the workshop and challenge on learned image compression (CLIC) hosted at CVPR 2018. Lossy compressed images usually suffer from unpleasant artifacts, especially when the bitrate is low. In order to improve the image quality without spending extra bit-rate, decoder side quality enhancement becomes necessary. Most approaches focus on spatial information exploration, in which the quality enhancement is usually only performed on the luminance component or the gray-scale images which makes the inter-channel correlation is neglected. Motivated by the characteristics of compressed images, a 3-stage CNN based approach is proposed in this paper, which can exploit most of the inter-channel correlation to enhance the image quality at the decoder side. Both objective and subjective evaluations show the noticeable quality improvements compared to Better Portable Graphics (BPG), the state-of-the-art image codec.
Heterogeneous Treatment Effects with Mismeasured Endogenous Treatment

This paper studies the identifying power of an instrumental variable in the nonparametric heterogeneous treatment effect framework when a binary treatment is mismeasured and endogenous. Using a binary instrumental variable, I characterize the sharp identified set for the local average treatment effect under the exclusion restriction of an instrument and the deterministic monotonicity of the true treatment in the instrument. Even allowing for general measurement error (e.g., the measurement error is endogenous), it is still possible to obtain finite bounds on the local average treatment effect. Notably, the Wald estimand is an upper bound on the local average treatment effect, but it is not the sharp bound in general. I also provide a confidence interval for the local average treatment effect with uniformly asymptotically valid size control. Furthermore, I demonstrate that the identification strategy of this paper offers a new use of repeated measurements for tightening the identified set.
Llinas' Phase Reset Mechanism Delays the Onset of Chaos in Shark and Dolphin Wall Turbulence

Abstract : Turbulent boundary layers (TBLs) develop in the flow over planetary surfaces, over the bodies of swimming animals (like sharks and dolphins), and over the hulls of ships and submarines. Evidence points to organization in turbulence production, despite the apparent randomness and lack of a unified theory. Here, the dynamical systems of neuroscience are used to develop a self-regulation theory to show for the first time how the skins of sharks and dolphins control the chaos of turbulence. To remove the apparent randomness, the turbulence production cycles are split into pre- and post-breakdown regions, both during the organized laminar-to-turbulent transition and in the TBL, which is chaotic. Stuart-Landau oscillators describe the instabilities of the surface-normal diffusion of vorticity, which is coupled to the instabilities' span-wise diffusion. Similar to Llinas' olivo-cerebellar temporal phase reset mechanism, the shark and dolphin skins impose combinations of vorticity diffusion templates internal to the oscillators and external microvibration or flow oscillations, synchronizing the oscillators laterally and thereby eliminating chaos. The theory proving biological adaptation to environment has potential application to tornado path management. Shark and dolphin skins are major targets of reverse engineering mechanisms of drag and noise reduction.
FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF CLOPIDOGREL TABLET INCORPORATING DRUG NANOPARTICLES

Objective: The present study aims to enhance the dissolution rate of a poorly water-soluble drug, clopidogrel bisulfate by the preparation of the nanoparticles. Methods: Nanoparticles of clopidogrel were produced by antisolvent-precepitation method using different stabilizers at drug :stabilizer ratio 1:2 alone and in combination and characterized for particle size, drug entrapment efficiency (DEE), dissolution testing, scanning electron microscopy imaging (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Lyophilized nanoparticles were compressed into tablets by direct compression method and evaluated by different methods. Compatibility studies (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) ), and powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) were also done. Results: Through this study, the particle size was ranged from 5.29 to 480 nm and %DEE was ranged from 83% to 97%. Amongst all formulations F13,stabilized with PVPK-30 and PVA, showed complete dissolution (100%) at the end of 10 minutes in both media 0.1N HCL (pH 1.2) and PBS (pH 6.8). SEM of clopidogrel nanoparticles confirmed small particle size without aggregation. Particle size of F13 obtained by AFM was 250 nm. F13a tablet characterized by short disintegration time, high hardness, low friability and produced higher dissolution rate in comparison with the marketed tablet. FTIR study revealed that there is no chemical interaction between clopidogrel and the excipients. DSC and XRD illustrated that the crystallinity of clopidogrel was lost in lyophilized powder and tablet and converted to an amorphous form. Conclusion: Antisolvent precipitation method was a promising method to produce clopidogrel nanoparticles with markedly enhanced dissolution rate.
Instability of magnetic equilibria in barotropic stars

ABSTRACT In stably stratiﬁed stars, numerical magneto-hydrodynamics simulations have shownthat arbitrary initial magnetic ﬁelds evolve into stable equilibrium conﬁgurations,usually containing nearly axisymmetric, linked poloidal and toroidal ﬁelds that sta-bilize each other. In this work, we test the hypothesis that stable stratiﬁcation is arequirement for the existence of such stable equilibria. For this purpose, we follownumerically the evolution of magnetic ﬁelds in barotropic (and thus neutrally stable)stars, starting from two diﬀerent types of initial conditions, namely random disorderedmagnetic ﬁelds, as well as linked poloidal-toroidal conﬁgurations resembling the previ-ously found equilibria. With many trials, we always ﬁnd a decay of the magnetic ﬁeldover a few Alfv´en times, never a stable equilibrium. This strongly suggests that thereare no stable equilibria in barotropic stars, thus clearly invalidating the assumptionof barotropic equations of state often imposed on the search of magnetic equilibria. Italso supports the hypothesis that, as dissipative processes erode the stable stratiﬁca-tion, they might destabilize previously stable magnetic ﬁeld conﬁgurations, leading totheir decay.
Doses in Radiation Accidents Investigated by Chromosomal Aberration Analysis XXIV : Review of Cases Investigated , 2003 2005

During the three years 2003-2005, 23 persons suspected of being overexposed to ionising radiation were referred to the Health Protection Agency (formerly NRPB) for investigation by cytogenetic analysis. Of these, 18 were related to industrial uses of radiation, 1 was from a major nuclear organization and 4 were associated with radiation used in institutions of research, education or health. No evidence of radiation exposure, as indicated by dicentric or translocation aberrations in chromosomes from blood lymphocytes, was found in 15 persons. The most serious cases investigated involved a defective industrial x-radiography set and a poorly designed cell housing an electron beam accelerator. In all, six persons suffered localized erythema. Fortunately, the incident radiations were poorly penetrating so that their averaged whole body doses were low.
Did the first farmers of central and eastern Europe produce dairy foods?

Although the origins of domestic animals have been well-documented, it is unclear when livestock were first exploited for secondary products, such as milk. The analysis of remnant fats preserved in ceramic vessels from two agricultural sites in central and eastern Europe dating to the Early Neolithic (5900-5500 cal BC) are best explained by the presence of milk residues. On this basis, the authors suggest that dairying featured in early European farming economies. The evidence is evaluated in the light of analysis of faunal remains from this region to determine the scale of dairying. It is suggested that dairying—perhaps of sheep or goats—was initially practised on a small scale and was part of a broad mixed economy.
Crossed-beam energy transfer in direct-drive implosions

Direct-drive-implosion experiments on the OMEGA laser [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] have showed discrepancies between simulations of the scattered (non-absorbed) light levels and measured ones that indicate the presence of a mechanism that reduces laser coupling efficiency by 10%-20%. This appears to be due to crossed-beam energy transfer (CBET) that involves electromagnetic-seeded, low-gain stimulated Brillouin scattering. CBET scatters energy from the central portion of the incoming light beam to outgoing light, reducing the laser absorption and hydrodynamic efficiency of implosions. One-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations including CBET show good agreement with all observables in implosion experiments on OMEGA. Three strategies to mitigate CBET and improve laser coupling are considered: the use of narrow beams, multicolor lasers, and higher-Z ablators. Experiments on OMEGA using narrow beams have demonstrated improvements in implosion performance.
Determination of Serum Paraoxonase Activity , Total Sialic Acid Concentration , and Oxidative Status in Cattle with Clinical Mastitis

The aim of this study is to determine serum paraoxonase activity (PON1), total sialic acid (TSA) concentration, total oxidant (TOS), antioxidant status (TAS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) in cows with clinical mastitis. Fifty Simmental cows, who were 3 and 5 years old and in early lactation period, were used in the study. Blood samples were taken from the groups (Clinical mastitis group, n=30 Control group, n=20) and serum PON1, TSA concentration, and TOS and TAS levels were determined. PON1 activity, high density lipoprotein (HDL) and TAS levels were found to decrease inversely proportional to inflammation (P<0.001). In addition, TSA, TOS, and OSI levels were detected to increase due to clinical mastitis induced inflammation (P<0.001). In conclusion, it was seen that PON1 activity and TSA concentrations could be used for diagnostic purpose in cows with clinical mastitis. However, we are of the opinion that due to the fact that oxidant status increased but antioxidant status tended to decrease because of inflammation in mastitis, it could be useful to administer antioxidants in addition to treatment for such cases.
The acquisition of verbs by English-learning infants

This paper starts by introducing the debate between the nativist account and the learning account of language acquisition. It participates in the debate by addressing three questions concerning verb productivity. First, do young children have abstract syntactic knowledge of the verb category? Second, is vocabulary size a good predictor for a child’s syntactic productivity? Third, is children’s speech correlated with adults’ speech with regard to verb productivity? It is predicted that, if the limited scope learning account is right, the following should be expected: (1) frequent verbs and infrequent verbs are expected to have different productivity in children’s speech; (2) verb productivity in child speech is significantly lower than that in adult speech; (3) frequent verbs and infrequent verbs behave differently in terms with the correlation between verb productivity and an individual’s vocabulary size; (4) children and adults are correlated with regard to verb productivity. The analyses based on large longitudinal data in this paper confirm all the above predictions, suggesting that a learning approach of language acquisition for verb usage is supported.