Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the role of RecA protein in the radioresistant bacterium, Deinococcus geothermalis

The moderately thermophilic bacterium Deinococcus geothermalis exhibits extraordinary resistance to ionizing radiation. RecA protein is considered to be one of the most important participants in radioresistance. To assess the role of the RecA protein in D. geothermalis, the recA gene was isolated from D. geothermalisand over expressed in Escherichia coli. After the D. geothermalis RecA protein (GeoRecA) was purified, the recombination activity was investigated in vitro. GeoRecA efficiently promoted the strand exchange reaction between homologous linear double-stranded DNA and circular single-stranded DNA substrates at 50°C. Like Deinococcus radiodurans RecA protein (DraRecA), GeoRecA could promote DNA strand exchange reaction through normal and inverse pathways.Furthermore, GeoRecA complemented the RecA deficiency of D. radiodurans. These results indicate that GeoRecA is a functional homologue of DraRecA and plays an important role in radioresistance. However, unlike DraRecA, GeoRecA could not complement the RecA deficiency of E. coli, suggesting that GeoRecA require more strict intracellular conditions than DraRecA does to fulfill its function. This study provides new insights into the role of deinococcal RecA protein in radioresistance. Key words: Deinococcus geothermalis, DNA repair, DNA strand exchange, radio resistance, RecA.
Systematics, functional morphology and distribution of a bivalve (Apachecorbula muriatica gen. et sp. nov.) from the rim of the ‘Valdivia Deep’ brine pool in the Red Sea

The deep brine pools of the Red Sea comprise extreme, inhospitable habitats yet house microbial communities that potentially may fuel adjacent fauna. We here describe a novel bivalve from a deep-sea (1525 m) brine pool in the Red Sea, where conditions of high salinity, lowered pH, partial anoxia and high temperatures are prevalent. Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) footage showed that the bivalves were present in a narrow (20 cm) band along the rim of the brine pool, suggesting that it is not only tolerant of such extreme conditions but is also limited to them. The bivalve is a member of the Corbulidae and named Apachecorbula muriatica gen. et sp. nov. The shell is atypical of the family in being modioliform and thin. The semi-infaunal habit is seen in ROV images and reflected in the anatomy by the lack of siphons. The ctenidia are large and typical of a suspension feeding bivalve, but the absence of ‘guard cilia’ and the greatly reduced labial palps suggest that it is non-selective as a response to low food availability. It is proposed that the low body mass observed is a consequence of the extreme habitat and low food availability. It is postulated that the observed morphology of Apachecorbula is a result of paedomorphosis driven by the effects of the extreme environment on growth but is in part mitigated by the absence of high predation pressures.
A critical review of the global minimum variance theory

The main purpose of this thesis is to give a basic understanding of the GMV portfolio theory and the problematics that arise when using the sample covariance matrix as the only parameter. The reason for this is the amount of estimation error that tends to increase as the sample covariance matrix goes to a higher dimension. In an attempt to reduce the amount of error, an alternative approach based on sector indices is introduced, which gives new and interesting results. This is a useful approach, since we are explaining the chosen stocks with fewer time series, a smaller dimension of covariance matrix needs to be estimated. This thesis lay the ground for this basic strategy, however, before any more profound conclusions can be drawn, further investigations have to be made. (Less)
Species identification and infectivity rate of malaria vector in two endemic malaria areas in Sudan

Attempts were made to identify, Anopheline species by using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and to determine the sporozoite infection rate in malaria vectors using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Samples were collected from highly endemic areas in central Sudan (Sennar), and eastern Sudan (Koka). Morphological Identification was carried using available keys. Anopheles gambiae complex was then identified using PCR.Out of fifty two was identified as Anopheles arabiensis (92.3 %). The sporozoite infection rate was estimated using ELISA method the infectivity rates were 16% (4/24), 15% (3/21) in Sennar and Koka respectively. This data indicated that the two areas are endemic for malaria and An. arabiensis is the main vector in the study areas. The sporozoite infection rate was found to be 16% (4/24) in Sennar samples, whereas it was found to be 15% (3/21) in Koka samples. Thus, data indicate of these two areas are endemic for malaria and An.arabiensis is the main vector in these areas.
Dynamic generalized linear models for monitoring endemic diseases: moving beyond univariate process monitoring control algorithms

SUMMARY The objective was to use a Dynamic Generalized Linear Model (DGLM) based on a binomial distribution with a linear trend, for monitoring the PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome sero-prevalence in Danish swine herds. The DGLM was described and its performance for monitoring control and eradication programmes based on changes in PRRS sero-prevalence was explored. Results showed a declining trend in PRRS sero-prevalence between 2007 and 2014 suggesting that Danish herds are slowly eradicating PRRS. The simulation study demonstrated the flexibility of DGLMs in adapting to changes in trends in sero-prevalence. Based on this, it was possible to detect variations in the growth model component. This study is a proof-of-concept, demonstrating the use of DGLMs for monitoring endemic diseases. In addition, the principles stated might be useful in general research on monitoring and surveillance of endemic and (re-)emerging diseases.
UTILIZATION OF AGGREGATE QUARRY WASTE IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The use of solid wastes as a new ingredient in construction materials is one possible innovative effort to reduce environmental degradation and to facilitate sustainable use of natural resources. The disposal of the huge amount of wastes from aggregate quarry (WAQ) is one adverse environmental effects of quarrying activities. Finding useful application of this solid waste, specifically as a substitute for fine aggregates in concrete mix, alleviates disposal problems and helps the construction industry to come up with concrete products at lesser cost. This study investigates the structural performance of concrete with WAQ as substitute for fine aggregates in a concrete mix following ASTM standards. Concrete with WAQ as fine aggregates achieved almost 78% of its target compressive strength. The reduced compressive strength is due to the finer and less-angular particles of WAQ in comparison to sand. Empirical model was formulated that can be used to predict the compressive strength of concrete with WAQ as substitute for sand. Using the formulated model, the optimum compressive strength can be achieved at 85% substitution for sand. The flexural strength of concrete with WAQ was in the range of 69% to 72% of the flexural strength of concrete without WAQ. The presence of WAQ in the concrete mixture has no significant effect in its unit weight, however, it affects the workability of the mix due to its cohesive property thus requires higher water-cement ratio. Test results proved that concrete with WAQ as substitute for fine aggregates has strength properties adequate for structural application.
Reconstruction of equivalent currents using a near-field data transformation - with radome applications

Knowledge of the current distribution on a radome can be used to improve radome design, detect manufacturing errors, and to verify numerical simulations. In this paper, the transformation from near-field data to its equivalent current distribution on a surface, ie the radome, is analyzed. The transformation is based on the surface integral representation that relates the equivalent currents to the near-field data. The full vector formulation is used in the analyzis but the numerical results are limited to the scalar approximation. It is shown that defects on the radome, not localized in the measured near field, are focused and detectable on the radome surface. (Less)
String Variant Alias Extraction Method using Ensemble Learner

String variant alias names are surnames which are string variant form of the primary name. Extracting string variant aliases are important in tasks such as information retrieval, information extraction, and name resolution etc. String variant alias extraction involves candidate alias name extraction and string variant alias validation. In this paper, string variant aliases are first extracted from the web and then using seven different string similarity metrics as features, candidate aliases are validated using ensemble classifier random forest. Experiments were conducted using string variant namealias dataset containing name-alias data for 15 persons containing 30 name-alias pairs. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms other similar methods in terms of accuracy.
An Optimal EDG Method for Distributed Control of Convection Diffusion PDEs

We propose an embedded discontinuous Galerkin (EDG) method to approximate the solution of a distributed control problem governed by convection diffusion PDEs, and obtain optimal a priori error estimates for the state, dual state, their fluxes, and the control. Moreover, we prove the optimize-then-discretize (OD) and discrtize-then-optimize (DO) approaches coincide. Numerical results confirm our theoretical results.
Trends in NAFTA Countries : a n Econometric Analysis of Patent Applications

This paper analyzes innovation trends in North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries by means of the number of patent applications during the period 1965 to 2008. Making use of patent data released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Network for Science and Technology Indicators (Red Iberoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnología, RICYT), we search for presence of multiple structural changes in the patent applications series in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Such changes may suggest that firms’ innovative activity has been modified in these countries (Mansfield, 1986). Accordingly, it would be expected that the new regulations implemented in these countries in the 1980s and 1990s have influenced their intellectual property regimes through the NAFTA and the TradeRelated Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement. Consequently, the question conducting this research is how the new dispositions affecting intellectual regimes in NAFTA countries have affected innovation activities in these countries. The results achieved in this research confirm the existence of multiple structural changes in the series of patent applications resulting from the new legislation implemented in these countries.
Validating the Measurement of Entrepreneurial Orientation

DOI: 10.14254/2071789X.2017/10-4/5 ABSTRACT. The purpose of this paper is to report on the study carried out in order to develop a valid measure for entrepreneurial orientation, particularly in the context of low-income households in Malaysia. Most previous studies examined the constructs of risktaking and innovativeness as the components of entrepreneurial orientation; however, a scarce number of researchers focused on other significant attributes of entrepreneurial orientation, such as proactiveness or autonomy. Therefore, this study has examined Creativity and Innovativeness, Risk Taking, Proactiveness, and Autonomy, also presenting an instrument to measure Entrepreneurial Orientation. The study adopted a cross-sectional design, while quantitative data was collected from 800 households across four districts in Kelantan, Malaysia, using structured interviews. Based on the reliability and validity testing, the study finalized the instrument to 17 items yielding four factors, i.e., Creativity & Innovativeness (four items), Risk Taking (three items), Proactiveness (five items), and Autonomy (five items). The findings of the reflective hierarchical model reveal that Autonomy is the highest contributor to entrepreneurial orientation among the lowincome households in Kelantan, followed by Proactiveness, Creativity, & Innovativeness, and Risk-Taking. Future researchers could further extend the developed measure by cross-examining the instrument presented in this study across different income-level groups throughout developing and developed nations.
What can Comprehensive Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Achieve in People with Spider Phobia? - A Case Series

Background and Objectives This study evaluated the effectiveness of an optimised and comprehensive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) course for spider phobia using the most up-to-date, evidence-based techniques combined into a treatment programme. Methods Twelve individuals with spider phobia were recruited to receive a sequential CBT package delivered by trained psychiatrists. Questionnaire measures (Fear of Spiders Questionnaire (FSQ), Fear Survey Schedule-III (FSS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)) and brain imaging techniques were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the CBT course. Results Scores on the FSQ and the spider related item (80) on the FSS in phobics were significantly reduced following a course of this CBT treatment and were related to the ability to cope with spiders and touch them. The overall FSS and the BAI were unchanged. Limitations Limitations of the work included a small sample size, two of whom withdrew pre-treatment, and one after 4 sessions. The study was conducted with a wide age range of participants (16-44). Conclusions Our results indicate that the CBT treatment described is effective in addressing spider phobia specifically. CBT treatment did not eradicate all spider related fear, but coping was improved very significantly. This should be discussed with patients who choose CBT treatment for spider phobia to ensure they have reasonable expectations of what therapy can achieve.
Cecropia Catarinensis Cuatrecasas (Urticaceae): Chemical and Biological studies

Este trabalho foi desenvolvido no Laboratorio de Quimica Orgânica e Farmaceutica da Faculdade de Farmacia da Universidade do Porto, no seio do grupo do Centro de Quimica Medicinal da Universidade do Porto (CEQUIMED-UP), sob a orientacao da Prof. Doutora Ana Paula de Almeida (Investigadora no CEQUIMED-UP e Professora na Universidade Severino Sombra) e co-orientacao do Prof. Doutor Marco Antonio Soares de Souza (Professor na Universidade Severino Sombra).
TESTING SPATIAL PVA MODELS OF AUSTRALIAN TREECREEPERS (AVES: CLIMACTERIDAE) IN FRAGMENTED FOREST

Population viability analysis (PVA) and other stochastic population models are frequently built and often used, but rarely tested. Stochastic metapopulation models of the White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaea) and the Red-browed Treecreeper (Climacteris erythrops) were developed in a system of 39 remnant patches of eucalypt forest in southeastern New South Wales, Australia. Parameters of the model were estimated using data obtained outside the fragmented system. Field surveys of the patches were conducted to test the predicted probabilities of patch occupancy, which is one of few instances where stochastic population models have been tested with empirical data. The initial models underestimated the occupancy of the patches, and the models were modified using the results of the tests in conjunction with further information on the biology of the species. A number of different modifications were made to determine changes that produced results that matched the observations. The best of these modifications made reasonable predictions, although this is not equivalent to a test with independent data because the data were known prior to the modifications. The best-fitting modified models were tested by comparing the observed number of extinction and colonization events to the predicted number. The models underestimated the observed number of events, although imperfect survey methods may have contributed to these differences. The tests of the stochastic models contributed to their development by highlighting the nature of the predictive error. The modified models predicted that the White-throated Treecreeper would be likely to persist over the next 100 years in most of the 39 patches. In contrast, the Red-browed Treecreeper was predicted to become extinct in most patches within about 50 years of fragmentation. This study illustrates how spatial patterns can be used to test the predictions of population dynamic models, although we note that the tests are limited by survey error and spatial correlation in occupancy data.
Religious Freedom Implications of Sharia Implementation in Aceh, Indonesia

On Monday, September 14, 2009, the provincial legislature in Aceh, Indonesia passed Sharia regulations imposing stringent criminal punishments for various sexual offenses, such as adultery and fornication. Sharia, literally meaning “way to a watering place,�? is a set of divine principles that regulate a Muslim’s relationship with God and man by providing social, moral, religious, and legal guidance. It is implemented through fiqh, or Islamic jurisprudence, which is the science of interpreting religious texts in order to deduce legal rulings. The Acehnese Sharia regulations are the latest manifestations of a process of formal implementation of Sharia that began in 2002 in Aceh. Given the gravity of the associated punishments, the regulations have caught national and international attention, with human rights activists across the world decrying the severity of the corporal punishments imposed by the regulations. Much less frequently scrutinized are the regulations’ implications for other human rights – such as religious freedom. This paper analyzes these regulations’ religious freedom implications for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Part I begins with an introduction to the religious freedom climate in Indonesia, including an overview of international and domestic religious freedom law and the extent to which Indonesia conforms to that law. Part II focuses on Aceh: its history and special character, including its semi-autonomy from the national government, and the process of Sharia implementation in the region. Finally, Part III analyzes Acehnese Sharia regulations in relation to international and domestic religious freedom law and explores the connection between the national state of religious freedom and the religious freedom problems unique to Aceh. Part III also raises broader questions of whether Sharia can ever be translated into positive law without implicating religious freedom. This paper concludes that Sharia regulations, insofar as they require the implementation of one interpretation of Islam to the exclusion of other interpretations, pose serious intra-Muslim religious freedom problems, particularly in the context of the modern nation-state, which lacks the types of checks on executive power that existed in classical Islam. Sharia implementation in the modern framework leads to the politicization of Islam; instead of the state serving Islam, Islam is manipulated to serve the state.
Gauging Portuguese community pharmacy users’ perceptions

Objective To assess perceptions related to facets of community pharmacy usage within the Portuguese general population. Methods An ONSA (The Governmental Public Health Observatory) instrument was used, the ECOS (EmCasaObservamosSaúde) sample. This consisted of a national representative sample of household units with atelephone. General demographics and pharmacy users’ perceptions related to five facets of community pharmacy usage were collected by telephone interviews. Main Results Almost one-third (31.9%) of the participants were probable chronic drug users, hence in regular contact with the community pharmacy. Thirty-four percent preferred not to talk with the person who dispenses their prescribed drugs. Most users (47.6%) expressed opinions of pharmacists as being health care rather than business oriented, although one quarter of the sample was not sure. A large majority (73.7%) would like pharmacists to participate in their treatment decisions, but 55.1% did not seem able to distinguish between pharmacists and non-pharmacist technical staff working at the pharmacy counter. Most significant predictors of users’ dichotomous perceptions related to the usage facets surveyed were age, education and occupation. Being older, less literate and economically inactive increased the odds of inappropriate users’ perceptions of the pharmacists. Conclusions Results showed that erroneous concepts and behaviours exist within the Portuguese population in relation to the community pharmacists’ role. This is a matter for pharmacy professional and educational bodies to take into account when developing intervention strategies, in particular when communicating with the general public.
Thermoelectric system to generate electricity from waste heat of the flue gases

In any industry, the three top operating expenses are often found to be energy (both electrical and thermal), labour and materials. If one were to relate to the manageability of the cost or potential cost savings in each of the above components, energy would invariably emerge as a top ranker, and thus energy management function constitutes a strategic area for cost reduction. This contribution analyzes approaches that led to discovery of thermoelectricity. Thermoelectric restrictions imposed on the application areas of thermoelectric generators and, accordingly, the ensuing rational lines of their practical applications are considered. The possibilities of thermoelectric systems’ contribution to “green” technologies, in particular, to waste heat recovery from industry exhausting flue gases. Attention is focused on the selection of the thermoelectric system and the experimental model representing the system. Finally there is theoretical model calculation for generation of emfs(voltage) and validation comparing the experimental results of the emfs(voltage).
Language Interaction Among EFL Primary Learners and Their Teacher Through Collaborative Task-Based Learning

This article focuses on research carried out in a private school in Bogotá with a group of English as a foreign language fourth-graders. The study aimed to analyze interaction in the English classroom through action research, based on tasks that promoted collaborative work and involvement of the students and their teacher. The instruments to collect data were video recordings and artefacts from the students’ tasks in the classroom. The analysis of classroom interaction involved the steps of conversational analysis stated by Seedhouse (2004). The study allowed the description of unexpected patterns of interactions among students and their teacher, which revealed changes in the classroom dynamic as a result of the action research plan.
Interpretation of Frenkel's Theory of Sintering Considering Evolution of Activated Pores: II. Model and Reliability

Frenkel's liquid-phase sintering mechanism has essential influence on the sintering of materials, however, by which only the initial 10% during isothermal sintering can be well explained. To overcome this shortage, Nikolic et al. introduced a mathematical model of shrinkage vs. sintering time concerning the activated volume evolution. This article compares the model established by Nikolic et al. with that of the Frenkel's liquid-phase sintering mechanism. The model is verified reliable via training the height and diameter data of cordierite glass by Giess et al. and the first-order partial differential equation. It is verified that the higher the temperature, the more quickly the value of the first-order partial differential equation with time and the relative initial effective activated volume to that in the final equibrium state increases to zero, and the more reliable the model is.