Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour among Adolescents in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia

Physical inactivity is strongly associated with obesity and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents. A cross-sectional study using multistage random sampling was conducted to determine associations between demographic characteristics, sedentary behaviours and physical activity among adolescents. Data were collected from 785 (414 males and 371 females) Form four students attending 15 schools in Petaling District, Selangor using an adapted self-administered questionnaire. Results showed that more females (50.1%) were physically inactive compared to males (39.6%) (Adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-2.15). Physically inactive adolescents were less likely to participate in intramural/house league sports (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.19-2.44), school team sports (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.03-2.04) and individual physical activities outside school (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.11-2.12) compared to their physically active counterparts. Physically inactive adolescents were also less engaged in sedentary activities, such as television watching (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50-0.94), playing computer/video game (OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.28-0.72), talking on the telephone/mobile phone text messaging (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.32-0.69) and reading (OR:0.45, 95% CI: 0.24-0.86) compared to those who were physically active. In this study, physical activity coexists with sedentary behaviour in adolescents. Sedentary activities may not necessarily displace physical activity among youth. In addition, these data suggest that promoting organised sports in school and outside the school among youths may be a potential strategy for increasing physical activity in this population.
Labour in fisheries: Task analysis of fishing operations on a Norwegian trawler

This study investigates the labour on a Norwegian trawler through the study of tasks that are performed under the trawling operation. Study of tasks is one of the fundamental approaches to studying labour, and in this thesis, it is carried out using the technique of Hierarchical Task Analysis. This task analysis technique has been broadly and universally used in different industries for over 60 years. Hierarchical Task Analysis represents the system of labour tasks and goals that are achieved by performing the tasks, creating an objective picture of labour on a fishing vessel, and visually represents them as a hierarchical system of plans of tasks. After identifying and describing the tasks, each of these tasks is investigated further in terms of talk allocation, character of performance, and number of performers required to complete a task. Hierarchal task analysis contributes significantly to the system description, system investigation and system design. It discovers the tasks and human-machinery interventions, risks for operators’ mistakes. This approach is seen as translational and fundamental for disciplines that concern labour in direct or indirect way, therefore the findings of the study are discussed from the perspective of complementing present labour research and further utilization in safety studies, autonomation and other topics.
Comparing Named-Entity Recognizers in a Targeted Domain: Handcrafted Rules vs Machine Learning

Comparing Named-Entity Recognizers in a Targeted Domain : Handcrafted Rules vs. Machine Learning Named-Entity Recognition concerns the classification of textual objects in a predefined set of categories such as persons, organizations, and localizations. While Named-Entity Recognition is well studied since 20 years, the application to specialized domains still poses challenges for current systems. We developed a rule-based system and two machine learning approaches to tackle the same task : recognition of product names, brand names, etc., in the domain of Cosmetics, for French. Our systems can thus be compared under ideal conditions. In this paper, we introduce both systems and we compare them.
Joint Modelling of Longitudinal-Time-To-Event with Categorical Variable Indicators of Latent Classes: Application to Tuberculosis Data

In many clinical and reliability research reports, the outcomes of basic interest is the time to a particular event happens in order to indicate the personâ€™s â€œtrueâ€ state of health or survival status. Different models have been used to analyze such data separately, but may be unsuitable if the longitudinal and health status measures are correlated. In this study, mixed effect and Cox model of latent class are jointly modelled for the correlation between the covariates, observed and unobserved health status variable with binary latent class indicators. A Bayesian approach for Maximum likelihood estimates is implemented using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques. The repeated and survival measures are independently assumed to be a Gaussian process for latent bivariate. The joint model is applied to TB cohort study for the HIV comorbidity effect on event time for Tuberculosis patients. R package is used for curvilinear repeated measures of latent class model and joint latent class models for both repeated measures and survival time event.
The Blue Velvet Angelfish Centropyge deborae sp. nov., a New Pomacanthid from the Fiji Islands, Based on Genetic and Morphological Analyses

Pomacanthid from the Fiji Islands, Based on Genetic and Morphological Analyses Kang-Ning Shen1, Hsuan-Ching Ho2,3, and Chih-Wei Chang2,3,* 1Institute of Fisheries Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan 2National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Pingtung 944, Taiwan 3Institute of Marine Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Checheng, Pingtung 944, Taiwan
Diversity of Methylobacterium species associated with New Zealand native plants

Abstract Methylobacterium species are abundant colonizers of the phyllosphere due to the availability of methanol, a waste product of pectin metabolism during plant cell division. The phyllosphere is an extreme environment, with a landscape that is heterogeneous and continuously changing as the plant grows and is exposed to high levels of ultraviolet irradiation. Geographically, New Zealand (NZ) has been isolated for over a million years, has a biologically diverse flora, and is considered a biodiversity hotspot, with most native plants being endemic. We therefore hypothesize that the phyllosphere of NZ native plants harbor diverse groups of Methylobacterium species. Leaf imprinting using methanol-supplemented agar medium was used to isolate bacteria, and diversity was determined using ARDRA and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Methylobacterium species were successfully isolated from the phyllosphere of 18 of the 20 native NZ plant species in this study, and six different species were identified: M. marchantiae, M. mesophilicum, M. adhaesivum, M. komagatae, M. extorquens, and M. phyllosphaerae. Other α, β, and γ-Proteobacteria, Actinomycetes, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes were also isolated, highlighting the presence of other potentially novel methanol utilizers within this ecosystem. This study identified that Methylobacterium are abundant members of the NZ phyllosphere, with species diversity and composition dependent on plant species.
Mutualisms matter: pollination rate limits the distribution of oil-secreting orchids

Th ere are at least two immediate reasons why it is important to determine the role of biotic interactions, such as pollination, in limiting species distribution ranges. Firstly, if range limits are imposed by biotic factors, current and future distribution ranges might not be constrained by climate. Secondly, if biotic interactions limit the distribution ranges of species, anthropogenic impacts on these interactions are likely to have a major eff ect on biodiversity. Here we test the role of pollination in limiting plant distributions by studying plant community assembly in a guild of 15 oil-secreting orchids (Coryciinae) along a pollination gradient. In all members of the guild, seed production depends on pollination by the oil-collecting bee Rediviva peringueyi (Melittidae). While the mode of aboveground reproduction is uniform across the guild, the orchid species diff er widely in their capacity for belowground clonal reproduction through the formation of bulbils, and hence span a range of predicted dependence on pollination (and subsequent seed set) for population persistence. Pollination rate by R. peringueyi varied across the landscape from 0 to 98% of fl owers pollinated. With decreasing pollination, species richness of the orchid guild declined, and species were lost by the successive deletion of the least clonal species. Th us, pollination is shown to act as a biotic fi lter, excluding non-clonal species from pollinator-poor communities. Th e fi ndings are consistent with the idea that pollination mutualisms matter ecologically by limiting the distribution of non-clonal plants. Conversely, the results suggest that clonality allows some plant species to escape from the range of their pollinators.
Quality Metrics to Guide Visual Analysis of High Dimensional Genomics Data

Studies of genome sequenced data are increasingly common in many domains. Technological advances enable detection of hundreds of thousands of biological entities in samples, resulting in extremely high dimensional data. To enable exploration and understanding of such data, efﬁcient visual analysis approaches are needed that take domain and data speciﬁc requirements into account. Based on a survey with bioscience experts, this paper suggests a categorisation and a set of quality metrics to identify patterns of interest, which can be used as guidance in visual analysis, as demonstrated in the paper.
Polymorphic segregation in Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.) from Vatnshlídarvatn, a shallow Icelandic lake

Abstract We studied the salmonid fish Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus , in a small and shallow landlocked lake in NW Iceland. The lake is productive but the only fish present is Arctic charr. Despite the apparent absence of discrete benthic and limnetic habitats for fish, two forms of Arctic charr are found in the lake. They show subtle differences in morphology related to swimming performance and manoeuvrability, but differences in life history such as growth, and age and size at sexual maturation are more pronounced. Both forms have benthic feeding habits with one form consuming greater number of species than the other. We suggest that the segregation of these forms is based on the evolution of a specialist from a local generalist and that this has been made possible by the absence of a common fish competitor in similar lakes, the threespined stickleback Gasterosteous aculeatus .
Overexpression of BpMADS4 from silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) induces early‐flowering in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.)

To shorten the juvenile stage of apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) the BpMADS4 gene from silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) was constitutively overexpressed in 25 transgenic apple clones. All clones were characterized by PCR, RT-PCR and Real Time PCR. Solitary flowers were produced on in vitro shoots of eight transgenic clones and most of them appeared to be morphologically normal. Twenty shoots of each clone were rooted and transferred to a glasshouse. Glasshouse plants of clones T1165, T1187 and T1190 developed flowers. Several plants of T1165 and T1187 started floral initiation within 3-4 months following transfer to the glasshouse. Primary flowers were solitary and in a terminal position on the main shoot. Lateral flower clusters, consisting of three to five individual flowers, were also found. Pollen vitality and tube germination of glasshouse-grown flowers were investigated, and there were no significant differences compared to pollen of non-transgenic control plants. Preliminary crosses using flowers of glasshouse plants resulted in small apple fruits. It would seem that this is the first report on in vitro flower induction in transgenic apple.
Search for new physics in high mass diphoton events in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV

We report on a search for new physics using high mass diphoton events. The search employs 2.6 fb−1 of pp collision data collected by the CMS experiment in 2015 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and it is aimed at extradimensional models leading to resonant production of two photons. Limits on the production cross section of Randall-Sundrum gravitons decaying to two photons are obtained in the range 5004500 GeV. This document has been updated with respect to the version dated December 15 2015.
A Contextual Bandit Framework for Adaptive Robotic Bite Acquisition

—Successful robot-assisted feeding requires bite acquisition of a wide variety of food items. Different food items may require different manipulation actions for successful bite acquisition. Therefore, a key challenge is to handle previously-unseen food items with very different action distributions. By leveraging contexts from previous bite acquisition attempts, a robot should be able to learn online how to acquire those previously-unseen food items. We construct an online learning framework for this problem setting and use the ǫ -greedy and LinUCB contextual bandit algorithms to minimize cumulative regret within that setting. Finally, we demonstrate empirically on a robot-assisted feeding system that this solution can adapt quickly to a food item with an action success rate distribution that differs greatly from previously-seen food items.
Inhibition of virus replication and symptom expression by reactive oxygen species in tobacco infected with Tobacco mosaic virus

In spite of the enormous information from research on genetics of plant disease resistance, the question still remains unresolved: what is directly inhibiting or killing pathogens and suppressing symptoms in resistant plants? This is particularly true for resistance to viral infections. Here we show that externally applied reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or ROS-producing (O 2·− [superoxide] and H2O2) chemical systems infiltrated into tobacco leaves 2 hours after inoculation suppress replication of Tobacco mosaicvirus (TMV) in the susceptible Samsun (nn) cultivar. This was determined by a biological and a real-time PCR method. Infiltration of leaves of the resistant Xanthi (NN) cultivar with the ROS-producing chemicals and H2O2 significantly suppressed local necrotic lesions (i.e. the hypersensitive response) after inoculation of tobacco leaves with TMV. Accordingly, an early accumulation or external application of ROS, such as O 2·− and H2O2, in tobacco may contribute to the.
The Relationship Between Housing Vouchers and Educational Attainment in Atlanta, GA

This paper studies the impact that possessing a housing voucher versus living in public housing has on the educational attainment of children in the 3rd and 5th grade. To correct for potential endogeneity due to self-selection, I employ an instrumental variable approach. Findings show that children who live in households receiving housing assistance through vouchers have significantly higher standardized test scores than children living in traditional public housing. This result is robust across different model specifications and when controlling for endogeneity. A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Economics Sciences Po Department of Economics 2019
The Apoplastic Pathway of Transport to Salt Glands

The availability of the apoplastic route for ion transport to salt glands was assessed by electron microscope examinations and by the use of lanthanum as an electron-dense tracer to demar cate the apoplast. The results show that this solute can reach the salt glands via the apoplast and this observation is discussed in relation to current ideas concerning salt gland function.
Expression of Flagellin Proteins of Campylobacter jejuni within Microaerobic and Aerobic Exposures

Campylobacter, one of the emerging foodborne pathogens, is highly adaptable to the external environments by changing its morphology. In the present study, a question of whether the whole-cell antibody would still be effective for its detection even though the morphology of C. jejuni was changed was examined. When microaerophilic C. jejuni was exposed to aerobic conditions for 48 h, its morphological change was detected by confocal laser scanning microscope: Its morphology was confirmed as a spiral-bacilli form in microaerobic condition, however, as a coccoid form with a little spiral-bacilli form, when exposed to aerobic conditions. Also, the expressions of the whole-cell proteins of C. jejuni, and the suppression or induction of newly synthesized proteins in both aerobic and microaerobic conditions were analyzed by two dimensional gel electrophoresis. Additionally, immunoblotting assay with the whole cell antibody for the proteins expressed under the two conditions was performed. It was confirmed that the commercial whole-cell antibody of C. jejuni raised in rabbit was reactive. When analyzed with MALDI- TOF MS, the expressed proteins were confirmed as flagellins. Therefore, even though the morphology changed in aerobic condition, these flagellins were expressed and worked as the eitope proteins, thus making it possible to utilize for the development of an immunosensor for real-time detection of any kind of C. jejuni cell.
Acorn-Foraging Preferences of Four Species of Free-Ranging Avian Seed Predators in Eastern Deciduous Forests

Abstract. Oaks (Quercus spp.) rely on vertebrates for seed dispersal. However, the extent to which dispersal is facilitated depends on the vertebrate species involved, its preferences for acorns of different species, and the relative availability of acorns. We examined foraging preferences by free-ranging individuals of four species of birds for acorns of white (Q. alba), black (Q. velutina), and pin (Q. palustris) oak. We photographed selection of acorns at feeding platforms and used discrete-choice models to estimate preferences. Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) had strong and consistent preferences in the order pin oak > black oak > white oak, whereas Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus) exhibited the same but weaker preferences. On the basis of acorn's chemical and physical attributes, these birds appear to focus on maximizing the net value of cached food. Tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) and White-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis) preferred acorns of both pin and white oak over those of black oak. These smaller birds may be limited in their ability to crack harder shells. Our analysis also suggests that competition for limited food resources can lead to instances in which the dominant food item selected is not the most preferred. Ecological studies of oak dispersal and recruitment should consider the role of food preferences by avian assemblages in conjunction with spatial and temporal variation in acorn availability.
Marine and estuarine porewater toxicity testing -- species and end point comparisons

As part of their continuing development and evaluation of the porewater toxicity test approach for assessing the quality of marine and estuarine sediments, a variety of studies involving species and endpoint comparisons as well as validation studies have recently been conducted. The results from numerous extensive sediment quality assessment surveys have demonstrated that porewater toxicity tests are considerably more sensitive than the standard solid-phase tests and invariably exhibit a higher degree of concordance with sediment quality assessment guidelines than the standard tests. Species that have been evaluated for use in testing marine and estuarine pore water include a life-cycle test with the polychaete Dinophilus gyrociliatus, survival and hatching success with embryo-larval stages of red drum Sciaaenops ocellatus, survival of nauplii stages of the harpacticoid copepod Longipedia sp. , and three different assays (fertilization, embryological development, and cytogenetic) with the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata. The different species and end points have been compared using sediment pore water from a variety of contaminated sites. Although the results of tests with the different species and end points were often comparable, in general, the sea urchin embryological development assay appears to be the most sensitive porewater test evaluated thus far in their laboratory.
Haploinsufficiency at the α‐synuclein gene underlies phenotypic severity in familial Parkinson’s disease

To date, two point mutations, G209A and G88C, have been reported in the coding region of the alpha-synuclein gene in autosomal dominant familial Parkinson's disease. When translated, these lead to the missense mutations Ala53Thr and Ala30Pro, respectively. Reduced mRNA expression of the G209A allele was reported recently in a Greek-American family. Here, we show that alpha-synuclein mRNA is normally expressed in blood cells and report the results of an analysis of alpha-synuclein mRNA and protein expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines established from kindreds with the G209A and G88C mutations. mRNA expression was characterized using a TaqMan real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. We assessed five affected and three unaffected members of a German family with the G88C mutation and two affected members in different, unrelated Greek families with the G209A mutation. The ratio of wild-type to mutant alpha-synuclein allele expression ranged from 2.2 to 9.2 in the affected individuals with a severe clinical phenotype. The ratios of the expression levels of the wild-type to mutant alleles were only slightly decreased in mild cases and were less than 1.0 in two asymptomatic heterozygotes. Sequence analysis of the RT-PCR products showed only the presence of G in position 88 and G in position 209 in severely affected heterozygotes of the German and Greek families, respectively. High performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry demonstrated that, relative to wild-type alpha-synuclein, there is a reduction of Ala30Pro alpha-synuclein in lymphoblastoid cell lines originating from severely affected, but not mildly affected G88C/+ heterozygotes. Taken together, these data indicate that there is haploinsufficiency at the alpha-synuclein gene and that the ratio of expression of the wild-type to mutant alleles correlates with the severity of the clinical phenotype. Furthermore, these findings suggest that haploinsufficiency of alpha-synuclein mutations may contribute to disease progression in these forms of familial Parkinson's disease.
Rhodopsin Chromophore Formation and Thermal Stabilities in the Opsin Mutant E134Q/M257Y

Rhodopsin, a dim light photoreceptor, has been regarded as one of the model systems for the structural and functional study of G protein? coupled receptors (GPCRs). Constitutively active mutant GPCRs leading to the activation of heterotrimeric GDP/GTP-binding protein signaling in the absence of ligand binding are of interest for the study of the activation mechanism in GPCRs. The present study focused on the opsin mutant E134Q/M257Y, which showed a moderate level of constitutive activity and the formation of two distinct rhodopsin chromophores with absorption maxima of 500 nm and 380 nm, depending on the presence of an inverse agonist, 11-cis-retinal, and an agonist, all-trans-retinal, respectively. Reconstitution of the mutant rhodopsin upon incubation with different ratios of 11-cis-retinal and the all-trans-retinal, as well as upon sequential binding of the two retinals, indicated its preferential binding to 11-cis-retinal. The thermal stability of the 11-cis-retinal-bound form of the E134Q/M257Y mutant was lower than that of the mutants containing a single replacement but higher than that of the all-trans-retinal-bound forms. The mutant also showed a lower stability in its opsin state as compared with that of the wild-type opsin but had little effects on the binding affinity to 11-cis-retinal. Information obtained in this study will be helpful for analyzing the structural changes associated with the activation of rhodopsin and GPCRs.