Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pyrosequencing Technology for Short DNA Sequencing and Whole Genome Sequencing

Recent impressive advances in DNA sequencing technologies have accelerated the detailed analysis of genomes from many organisms. We have been observing reports of complete or draft versions of the genome sequence of several well-studied, multicellular organisms. Human biology and medicine are in the midst of a revolution by Human Genome Project1) as the main catalyst. The chain termination sequencing method, also known as Sanger sequencing, developed by Frederick Sanger and colleagues2), has been the most widely used sequencing method since its advent in 1977 and still is in use after more than 29 years since its advent. The remarkable advances in chemistry and automation to the Sanger sequencing method has made it to a simple and elegant technique, central to almost all past and current genome-sequencing projects of any significant scale. Despite all these grand advantages, there are limitations in this method, which could be complemented with other techniques. Among the current state-of-art DNA sequencing techniques, Pyrosequencing3) has emerged, which is being used for a wide variety of applications. In the beginning, the method was only restricted to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotyping4), 5) and short reads6), 7) when it was introduced in 1997 but it is now being used for broader applications. 2.Pyrosequencing chemistry
Relationships between patterns of Fecal corticoid excretion and behavior, reproduction, and environmental factors in captive black (Diceros bicornis) and white (Ceratotherium simum) rhinoceros

Mortality is high in zoo-housed black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), and the reproductive rates of captive white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) are unsustainably low. To determine the possible role of stress in the causation of these problems, we analyzed weekly fecal samples collected for 1 year from black (10 males and 16 females) and white (six males and 13 females) rhinoceroses at 16 zoos for corticoid metabolite concentrations. Fecal corticoid profiles were examined in relation to behavior as rated by keepers in a questionnaire, luteal phase ovarian cycles of females (Brown et al., 2001), and socioenvironmental factors. We compared individual fecal corticoid profiles by examining hormone means and variability (i.e., standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV)). For the black rhinos, higher mean corticoid concentrations were found at zoos where rhinos were maintained in enclosures that were exposed to the public around a greater portion of the perimeter. Higher variability in corticoid excretion was correlated with higher rates of fighting between breeding partners and higher institutional mortality rates. Black rhino pairs that were kept separated exhibited lower corticoid variability and less fighting activity when they were introduced during female estrous periods compared to pairs
Web Sites of Science-Engineering Libraries: An Analysis of Content and Design

The purpose of this project is to identify trends in the design and content of home pages for web sites of Science-Engineering Libraries. Forty-five web sites from universities in the USA and Canada are chosen and their design characteristics and hypertext links analyzed. In addition, full-text journals, Internet resources and access to e-journals through the online catalog are examined. Using the program Excel, data collected from each home page are tabulated. The most common elements are then incorporated into a model home page that visually shows the predominant design characteristics and hypertext links on this type of web site. The results show that in general the current design of home pages for Science- Engineering Libraries contain many of the elements found in home pages of academic libraries. Among the characteristics found are images, screen lengths, colors, number and types of links, and link headings. The content of these web sites is also analyzed and summarized.
Developing an efficient method for generating facial reconstructions using photogrammetry and open source 3D/CAD software.

The identification of deceased individuals is important in society as it not only facilitates the progression of criminal investigations into suspicious deaths, but also enables the resolution of legal matters and brings closure to the families affected by the death. When a corpse is skeletonized, heavily burned, or the soft tissue has degraded to a point that other professionals cannot obtain information about the deceased, a forensic anthropologist or odontologist is often tasked with identification. A variety of methods exist that enable forensic anthropologists to achieve identification. These include: non-imaged records comparisons; craniofacial superimposition and comparative radiography. Facial reconstructions can also be utilized when no ante mortem information about the deceased individual is available or when law enforcement have no suspicions on who the deceased person is. Facial reconstructions are traditionally a manual method however with the recent advancement of photogrammetry and three-dimensional and computer-aided design modeling software, the process can be performed within a virtual space. The purpose of this literature review is to identify an efficient and low-cost method of generating facial reconstructions using photogrammetry and open-source three-dimensional and computer-aided design software.
Party Membership and State Jobs in Urban China

The “dual-track approach” for transition would have to be facilitated by an endogenous movement of workers away from the state into private jobs. Yet, using the Chinese Household Income Project Series (CHIPs) data for the year 2002, we document preferences and premiums for state jobs in urban China over private jobs. The state sector attracted the best workers in more favorable industries and regions and offered higher earning premiums. In addition, family party membership is found to be instrumental in allocating workers into state jobs which explains a good deal of the earnings differentials in terms of an endogenous state premium.
Investigation of Carbon Allotropes for Simultaneous Determination of Ascorbic Acid, Epinephrine, Uric Acid, Nitrite and Xanthine

In this study, modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with different carbon allotropes such as multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), graphene, bucky ball and graphite have been used for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (AA), epinephrine (EP), uric acid (UA), Nitrite (NO 2- ), and xanthine (XN). Different electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods were employed to study the behavior of AA, EP, UA, NO 2- and XN on these proposed modified electrodes. The modified GCE with MWCNTs was successfully used for simultaneous determination of AA, EP, UA, NO 2- and XN. The electron transfer coefficients, diffusion coefficients and standard heterogeneous rate constant were determined for the electrochemical oxidation of AA, EP, UA, NO 2- and XN. Under the optimum conditions, detection limits of 16.3, 3.92, 0.37, 29.9 and 0.13 µM were obtained for AA, EP, UA, NO 2- , and XN, respectively. Moreover, the best modified GCE was applied for simultaneous determination of AA, EP, UA, NO 2- , and XN in Human urine, serum and AA Tables samples.
MIRCA2000—Global monthly irrigated and rainfed crop areas around the year 2000: A new high‐resolution data set for agricultural and hydrological modeling

To support global‐scale assessments that are sensitive to agricultural land use, we developed the global data set of monthly irrigated and rainfed crop areas around the year 2000 (MIRCA2000). With a spatial resolution of 5 arc min (about 9.2 km at the equator), MIRCA2000 provides both irrigated and rainfed crop areas of 26 crop classes for each month of the year. The data set covers all major food crops as well as cotton. Other crops are grouped into categories (perennial, annual, and fodder grasses). It represents multicropping systems and maximizes consistency with census‐based national and subnational statistics. According to MIRCA2000, 25% of the global harvested areas are irrigated, with a cropping intensity (including fallow land) of 1.12, as compared to 0.84 for the sum of rainfed and irrigated harvested crops. For the dominant crops (rice (1.7 million km2 harvested area), wheat (2.1 million km2), and maize (1.5 million km2)), roughly 60%, 30%, and 20% of the harvested areas are irrigated, respectively, and half of the citrus, sugar cane, and cotton areas. While wheat and maize are the crops with the largest rainfed harvested areas (1.5 million km2 and 1.2 million km2, respectively), rice is clearly the crop with the largest irrigated harvested area (1.0 million km2), followed by wheat (0.7 million km2) and maize (0.3 million km2). Using MIRCA2000, 33% of global crop production and 44% of total cereal production were determined to come from irrigated agriculture.
Directors’ and Officers’ Liability Insurance and Loan Spreads

We analyze the effect of directors' and officers' liability insurance (D&O insurance) on the spreads charged on bank loans. We find that higher levels of D&O insurance coverage are associated with higher loan spreads and that this relation depends on loan characteristics in economically sensible ways and is attenuated by monitoring mechanisms. This association between loan spreads and D&O insurance coverage is robust to controlling for endogeneity (because both could be related to firm risk). Our evidence suggests that lenders view D&O insurance coverage as increasing credit risk (potentially via moral hazard or information asymmetry). Further analyses show that higher levels of D&O insurance coverage are associated with greater risk taking and higher probabilities of financial restatement due to aggressive financial reporting. While greater use of D&O insurance increases the cost of debt, we find some evidence that D&O insurance coverage appears to improve the value of large increases in capital expenditure for firms with better internal and external governance.
Collaborative Opportunistic Scheduling in Heterogeneous Networks: A Distributed Approach

We consider a collaborative opportunistic scheduling problem in a decentralized network with heterogeneous users. While most related researches focus on solutions for optimizing decentralized systems’ total performance, we proceed in another direction. Two problems are specifically investigated. (1) With heterogenous users having personal demands, is it possible to have it met by designing distributed opportunistic policies? (2) With a decentralized mechanism, how can we prevent selfish behaviors and enforce collaboration? In our research, we first introduce a multiuser network model along with a scheduling problem constrained by individual throughput requirement at each user’s side. An iterative algorithm is then proposed to characterize a solution for the scheduling problem, based on which collaborative opportunistic scheduling scheme is enabled. Properties of the algorithm, including convergence, will be discussed. Furthermore in order to keep the users staying with the collaboration state, an additional punishment strategy is designed. Therefore selfish deviation can be detected and disciplined so that collaboration is enforced. We demonstrate our main findings with both analysis and simulations.
Stability of Participation in Collective Pension Schemes: An Option Pricing Approach

This paper contributes to the discussion about mandatory participation in collective funded pension schemes. It explores under what circumstances individual participants exercise the option to exit such a scheme if participation is voluntary. We begin by showing how the willingness to participate increases if the period over which the option is valid becomes longer. Then, we demonstrate how the pension fund’s set of policy instruments can be deployed to minimize the likelihood that any cohort exits the pension scheme. The instruments consist of contribution and indexation policies. Recovery of the funding ratio, i.e. the ratio of assets over liabilities, to its regulatory target level may be based on uniform contributions or age-dependent contributions. Specifically, while the value of the exit option deters younger workers from exiting the pension fund, a uniform contribution policy encourages older workers to stay in the pension scheme.
MICROBIAL LEACHING OF BLENDE FLOTATION CONCENTRATE USING ACIDITHIOBACILLUS FERROOXIDANS AND ACIDITHIOBACILLUS THIOOXIDANS

Bacterial leaching of blende flotation concentrate from Zakłady Górniczo-Hutnicze „Bolesław" was carried out using single cultures and mixed cultures of acidophilic sulphurand ironoxidizing bacteria Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The accelerating effect of mixed cultures of bacteria on the metal leaching was amplified by correcting pH leaching medium to low values. The overall conversion of zinc exceeded 35-40%. The leaching rates of ZnS depended on redox potential, concentration of Fe(III)/Fe(II) and pH. X-ray analysis and electron scanning microscopy showed that in inoculated solution new solid phases: jarosite, elemental sulphur and anglesite were formed.
Examining Risk-Taking Behavior and Sensation Seeking Requirement in Extreme Athletes.

Extreme sports are sport branches which include actions, adventures, risks and difficulties more rather than other sports. Special materials are used in sport branches such as surfing, kite surfing, sailing, snowboarding, paragliding, diving, mountaineering, motor sports and adrenaline release is more rather than in other sport branches. On the contrary, the situation for being eager to seek excitement and take risks with a view to having new experiences has been observed. It has been considered whether sensation seeking requirement and risk-taking behavior had effects upon each other. The aim of the study was to analyze sensation seeking and risk-taking behavior in extreme athletes. Total 101 extreme athletes including 31 females, 70 males with an age average of 22.03 ± 6.77 participated in the research. In order to determine athletes’ sensation seeking levels, “Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking” developed by Arnett (1994) and in order to determine their risk-taking behavior, “Risk Involvement and Perception Scale” developed by Siegel et al. (1994) were used. In evaluation of research data, frequency analysis, independent t test, in determination of relation between risk-taking and sensation seeking, correlation test were utilized.In conclusion, significant differences were found in risk-taking behavior, sensation seeking requirement and gender variable among the extreme athletes. In the male athletes sensation seeking requirement and risk-taking behavior had higher averages than the female athletes. Among the extreme athletes, significant relations were determined between risk-taking behavior and sensation seeking requirement. When risk-taking behavior values were high, sensation seeking requirement values were regarded to be high.
Classification Using Generalized Partial Least Squares

Advances in computational biology have made simultaneous monitoring of thousands of features possible. The high throughput technologies not only bring about a much richer information context in which to study various aspects of gene function, but they also present the challenge of analyzing data with a large number of covariates and few samples. As an integral part of machine learning, classification of samples into two or more categories is almost always of interest to scientists. We address the question of classification in this setting by extending partial least squares (PLS), a popular dimension reduction tool in chemometrics, in the context of generalized linear regression, based on a previous approach, iteratively reweighted partial least squares, that is, IRWPLS. We compare our results with two-stage PLS and with other classifiers. We show that by phrasing the problem in a generalized linear model setting and by applying Firth's procedure to avoid (quasi)separation, we often get lower classification error rates.
Effect of some rare earth elements on dry matter partitioning, nodule formation and chlorophyll content in Arachis hypogaea L. plants

Rare earth elements (REE) are found to be beneficial to plants in order to improve crop yield. The present study reveals the response of leguminous plant (Arachis hypogaea L.) to monazite soil containing Rare earth elements (Lanthanum and Samarium). This particular study explains the effects of rare earths on factors such as growth, total leaf chlorophyll content, number of root nodules and nitrogenase activity of groundnut plant. A significant increase in plant biomass and total chlorophyll content are observed. The increase in number of root nodules and the nitrogenase activity (Acetylene reduction, 20.72 n moles C2H4 formed / h/ g fresh nodules) were observed in the plants exposed to REEs. A profound effect of Lanthanum and Samarium present in the rare earth soil on the chlorophyll content, amylase activity, SOD and POD level were noticed.
Optical properties of silica MFI doped acrylamide-based photopolymer

The optical properties of acrylamide-based photopolymer doped with pure silica MFI-type zeolites are studied by refractometric and spectrophotometric means. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy are used for zeolite characterization, and laser refractometry and white light interferometric profilometry are used for surface characterization of the composites. The refractive indices and absorption coefficients of the composites are determined from their transmittance and reflectance spectra. The calculated dispersion curves are further used for deriving the zeolite's refractive index and porosity, and the porosity is compared to the values of total pore volume obtained from N2-sorption measurements. The impact of the doping level on the composite's optical properties both on the surface and in the volume are discussed.
A New Printed Microstrip UWB Power Divider with Notched Band

In this paper, a new printed ultra-wideband (UWB) power divider with notched band using square ring multiple-mode resonator (SRMMR) is presented. The characteristics of the proposed SRMMR are investigated by using even- and odd-mode analysis. Then, the initial UWB performance is achieved by introducing SRMMR to the basic Wilkinson power divider. Finally, a pair of parallel coupled lines is embedded into the SRMMR to achieve a desired notched band inside the UWB passband. The central frequency and the bandwidth of the notched band can be easily controlled by the electrical length and coupling coefficient of the coupled lines. To validate the design concept, a novel printed UWB power divider with notched band centered at frequencies of 5.8 GHz is designed and measured. The simulated and measured results indicate that it has a low insertion loss and good return loss performance at all the three ports, and a high isolation between the two output ports across the UWB bandwidth from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz with a small size of 0. 46λg × 0. 69λg ,w hereλg is the guided wavelength at 6.85 GHz.
Efficiency Evaluation of Pakistan Railways Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Rails are one of the safe, reliable and profitable transportation system for any country. The Pakistan Railways carried only 47 million passengers and 1.6 million tonne freight in 2013-14, compared to 113 million passengers and 11 million tonnes freight in 1985-86. There is greater need for efficiency evaluation of Pakistan Railways. In this report we are using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method to evaluate and compare the efficiency of Pakistan Railways from the year 1950 to 2014. We have used super efficiency model to rank the efficient years and reference units were introduced for every inefficient year and determine the amount of input decrease and output increase to make them efficient. We found that the minimum and maximum efficiency is 0.518 and 1.151, respectively and only six years were identified as efficient years. The results show that the efficiency of railway in the year after 1980 are inefficient years, except 2006-07 and 2008-09 which represents the declining trend of railways. Taken together, these results suggest that the mismanagement and lack of professional expertise plague the railways as a fast shrinking public sector organization. Keywords : Data Envelopment Analysis, Railways, Efficiency
THE ABDUS SALAM INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR THEORETICAL PHYSICS ON PUU’S INCOMPLETE INFORMATION FORMULATION FOR THE STANDARD AND MULTI-TEAM BERTRAND GAME

Puu’s incomplete information dynamical system is introduced and applied for Bertrand Duopoly. Multi-team Bertrand game is formulated. It is a generalization of Liu’s work to dynamical non-convex multi-team games. MIRAMARE – TRIESTE May 2005 Junior Associate of ICTP. mohfathy@@mans.edu. eg
In Vitro Antibacterial activity of Hygrocybe parvula (Peck) Pegler

The antibacterial activities of petroleum ether, ch loroform and methanol extract of mushroom H. parvula was analyzed in vitro by agar well diffusion method. The yields of extra cts obtained from different solvents were petroleum ether (10.88) gm, chloroform (11.21gm) and methanol (51.16gm). The growth inhibitory effects of crude extracts were tested against three plants and six h uman pathogenic bacteria. The maximum antibacterial activity of petroleum ether extracts of H. parvula was found against A. tumefaciens (16mm) at 100% concentration and minimum against X. campestris (3mm) at lower concentration of chloroform and methanol extract in plant pathogenic bacteria. Whereas petroleum ether extracts were showed more inhibitio n zone against P. aeuroginosa (18mm), at 100% concentration in human pathogenic bacteria, the activity was less than the standard Te tracycline and Ciprofloxacin. The extract shows increasing inh ibitory activity with increase in concentration (12 .5% -100%). The antibacterial activity of all the solvent extra cts were calculated by measuring inhibition zone fo rmed around the well.
Embedded Universal Audio Scrambler using OFDM Technique

A telecommunication system requires anti-tapping procedure for the security puposes. One of the procedure is an embedded universal audio scrambler by using OFDM technique. The technique uses multicarrier and orthogonal frequencies in modulating data signal through IFFT/FFT process and digital mapping, PSK and QAM. OFDM simulation had been done by simulink (MATLAB) using parameters based on experiment in DSP board, TMS320C6713. The result showed that the best performance (smallest data error) was obtained by using 16QAM with 64 IFFT/FFT length.