Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Species Richness of Leaf Roller and Stem Borers (Lepidoptera) Associated with Different Paddy Growth and First Documentation of Its DNA Barcode

Leaf folder and stem borer are pest moths (Lepidoptera) of paddy crop and caused serious damage and significant rice yield loss. The richness, abundance, and diversity of the pest moths were calculated in one paddy planting season and sampled from a model conventional paddy field, located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia (Sabak Bernam, Selangor). The adult and immature stages of moths associated with paddy plants have been sampled using active sampling namely sweep net and stem cross-cutting. A total of 189 individuals belonging to five species under two families (Crambidae and Noctuidae) were recorded. Overall, the richness (R’), diversity (H’), and evenness (E’) index of lepidopteran species were 0.76, 1.51, and 0.90, respectively. The richness and species abundance throughout the paddy stages were discussed. The DNA barcode of five collected species using cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) viz. Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée) (leaf folder), Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker), Chilo auricilius Dudgeon, Sesamia inferens (Walker), and Parapoynx stagnalis (Zeller) (stem borers) were presented. This study’s outcomes are very important as the initial Salmah Yaakop, Angeline David-Dass, Ummi Shuhaida Shaharuddin, Suliza Sabri, Aqilah Sakinah Badrulisham and Che Mohd Zain Che-Radziah 524 Pertanika J. Trop. Agric. Sci. 43 (4): 523 535 (2020) stage for conservation purposes, especially in managing the strategy in handling the pest species populations in the paddy field.
A low-cost device for the estimation of fluoride in drinking water

Fluorosis is endemic in many regions of the world due to high (>1.5 mg I-1) levels of fluoride in groundwater. This problem is aggravated by the lack of a simple and inexpensive test for fluoride in drinking water. We discuss the design and testing of a low-cost LED-based colorimeter for estimating the fluoride concentration in water. The device was calibrated with the use of the cerium-alizarin complexone (Ce-AC) and the sodium 2-(parasulfophenylazo)-1,8-dihydroxy-3,6-naphthalene disulfonate (SPADNS) methods, which show color changes in the visible region on addition of water containing fluoride. Raw water samples collected from different parts of India were analyzed for fluoride. The fluoride concentration, as estimated by using a fluoride electrode, was in the range 0.7-1.20 mg I-1. The results obtained by the colorimeter showed good agreement with the electrode method for most of the samples. The cost of chemicals per test was $0.14 for the Ce-AC method and $0.018 for the SPADNS method. The cost of the colorimeter was about $14.
Integrated longitudinal and lateral control for autonomous vehicles with active load transfer strategy at the handling limits

In order to avoid collisions in emergency conditions, the autonomous vehicle may be necessitated to maneuvers up to their handling limits. In these scenarios, the vehicle must be able to react quickly although the longitudinal and lateral coupled and nonlinear dynamics are significantly enhanced. To improve the accuracy of trajectory tracking and vehicle stability at the handling limits, this paper presents a hierarchical motion control framework that prioritizing lateral response. For lateral motion control, a nested architecture that consists of lateral deviation control and yaw rate control is designed considering parameter uncertainties. In longitudinal motion controller, the constraints of longitudinal tire forces are calculated on the premise of meeting steering demand. On this basis, an active load transfer strategy is proposed to optimize the steering response, which increasing the lateral stiffness of the front wheels through load transfer generated by active braking. Meanwhile, a longitudinal speed control algorithm considering the longitudinal acceleration demand is developed based on conditional integral method, to cope with the contradiction between fast tracking and small overshoot. Finally, experimental results in different scenarios demonstrate that the autonomous vehicle with the proposed control scheme can track the desired trajectory stably and accurately at the handling limits.
Prevalence of multidrug resistance in the Egyptian methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus aureus isolates

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the major health hazards and became of greater public health concern. This work aimed to shed substantial light on prevalence of MRSA in different clinical isolates and their resistance to different antibiotics. Among 258 Staphylococcus aureus isolates recovered from different clinical sources (urine, pus, throat swab, blood, seminal fluid, prostatic fluid, sputum swab, ascetic fluid, skin swab, nipple discharge and urinary catheter). 70 isolates were identified as MRSA. The highest percentage of MRSA was recorded from pus samples (57.1%) followed by urine (30%). Antimicrobial susceptibility test using 14 antibiotics showed that all MRSA were resistant to amoxicillin and cefuroxime, while only 50% were sensitive to vancomycin. High minimum inhibitory concentration of oxacillin (256 µg/ml) was detected in 12.9% of MRSA isolates.
Análisis de calidad de las observaciones GPS en estaciones de operación continua de libre acceso en México

Se realizo la evaluacion estadistica-comparativa de 65 estaciones de operacion continua de libre acceso en Mexico, de enero de 2010 a enero de 2020. El analisis de calidad de las observaciones GPS se llevo a cabo mediante el software TEQC, desarrollado por UNAVCO, considerando cuatro indicadores de calidad en 6 variables: efecto multitrayectoria en la banda L1 y L2, relacion senal-ruido en L1 y L2, saltos de ciclo por cada mil observaciones y porcentaje de observaciones registradas/esperadas. El resultado de cada estacion se comparo con el estandar de calidad establecido por el IGS para pertenecer a su red, con la finalidad de determinar la calidad de las mismas y el grado de cumplimiento de dicho estandar. Los resultados muestran, en promedio, un grado de cumplimiento de 3.3 de las 6 variables, donde: 6 estaciones cumplen con 5 de las 6 variables; 16 estaciones con 4; 35 con 3; 6 con 2 y 2 con una variable, siendo la estacion INEG la de mejor calidad excepto en los saltos de ciclo por cada mil observaciones. Asi mismo, se muestra que el efecto multitrayectoria se presenta en mayor cantidad en aquellas estaciones en las que no se realizo cambio de antena, receptor o actualizacion de firmware, degradando principalmente la recepcion de la senal en la banda L2. A statistical comparative evaluation of 65 continuously operating, free access stations in Mexico was made. The observations were performed from January 2010 to January 2020. The quality check of the GPS observations was carried out by using TEQC software, developed by UNAVCO. Four quality indexes were considered within the quality check, with six variables: multipath effect on L1 and L2 band, percentage of registered/expected observations, signal-to-noise ratio on L1 and L2, and cycle slip per 1000 observations. The results obtained from each station were compared with the quality standard established by IGS in order to belong to its network, this with the goal of determining their quality and the level of meeting the standard. The results show, on average, a meeting 3.3 of the 6 variables, where: 6 stations meet 5 of 6 variables; 16 stations with 4; 35 stations with 3; 6 stations with 2 and 2 station with one variable, being INEG station the best in the quality check except for the cycle slips per 1000 observations. Likewise, it was shown that the multipath effect is greater in those stations that had not antenna/receiver changing or firmware update, mainly degrading the received signal on the L2 band.
Feasibility of Fluorescence Detection of Tetracycline in Media Mixtures Employing A Fiber Optic Probe

Abstract This work assesses the feasibility of fluorescence detection of tetracycline in very optically dense mixtures of highly fluorescent media ingredients used in tetracycline production by fermentation. The fluorescence measurements are accomplished with a fiber optic probe. Seven different mixtures were examined in this study. Each one contained a nonfluorescent base of nutrients and salts along with one of the following media ingredients at 5 g/100 mL: cottonseed flour, corn gluten meal, soybean flour, distiller 's grains and solubles, corn steep liquor, brewer's yeast, and molasses. The concentration of tetracycline was varied in each mixture and fluorescence measurements were made at every concentration step. Excitation light of 390 nm was used to probe the samples, and emission spectra were obtained over the wavelength range from 400 to 600 nm. In most of the samples studied, the fluorescence intensity in the wavelength range corresponding to background media fluorescence (420–480 nm) decreased .
PENDEKATAN OPSI CASH-OR-NOTHING UP AND IN BARRIER UNTUK PENENTUAN NILAI PREMI ASURANSI PERTANIAN

Crop insurance is a type of insurance that provides protection to farmers who hold an insurance policy for losses due to crop failure. Extreme weather, especially rainfall, has been the main cause of the crop failure. Therefore, the type of crop insurance based on weather or rainfall must be developed and applied. This paper will discuss the cash-or-nothing up and in barrier option approach for determining insurance premiums where the risk of loss in terms of high rainfall, then compare it to the Black-Scholes option approach. In this approach, the claim limit is based on the rainfall index and the value of the barrier is determined according to the size of the extreme rainfall. We use cumulative rainfall data in the first subround in Sleman regency as a case study. The conclusions obtained are barrier value has a negative effect on the value of insurance premiums and claim limit value has a positive effect. Besides the premium value with this barrier option approach is cheaper than the Black-Scholes option approach, this approach method more interesting to apply because of the barrier value addition.
The effect of iodide on the synthesis of gold nanoprisms

It has been known that the iodide (I−) anions are necessary for the production of high-quality Au nanoprisms. Based on a previously reported seed-mediated synthesis of triangular gold nanoprisms, herein, we further optimised the synthesis process by varying the concentration of added NaI and seeds, respectively, to get high-quality (size-monodisperse, tip-sharp and purity-high) Au nanoprisms. The results show that the ratio between the concentration of I− and seeds is a very sensitive parameter to control the quality (size-monodispersity, tip-sharpness and purity) of Au nanoprisms.
Raman studies of the high pressure effects in high Tc superconductors

Abstract The effect of a hydrostatic pressure (up to 6GPa) on the Raman spectra of YBa2Cu3Ox(x = 6.5 and overdoped) single crystals is investigated in the temperature range 77-300 K in connection with all available data in the literature for the other oxygen concentrations. All five strong modes (4Ag+1B1g) are examined for both oxygen doping and compared with previously published results. From the systematic investigation of the phonon spectral characteristics with the application of pressure, the formation or disappearance of the phases is examined. The results provide a spectroscopic support for the changes induced by the hydrostatic pressure on the chain ordering and the corresponding phases.
Preparation of PMMA Nanoparticles Loaded with Benzophenone-3 through Miniemulsion Polymerization

Summary: The present paper analyzes the production of poly(methyl methacrylate) – PMMA – nanoparticles loaded with benzophenone-3 through miniemulsion polymerization. The obtained product is homogeneous and stable, allowing for preparation of photo-protective formulations. It is observed in particular that bezophenone-3 interacts with the reacting system, promoting the growth of the PMMA chains produced in miniemulsion.
An arrayed human genomic library constructed in the PAC shuttle vector pJCPAC-Mam2 for genome-wide association studies

Abstract. Genomic libraries constructed in the original Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) and P1 Artificial Chromosome (PAC) cloning systems were very useful for completion of the Human Genome Project. Libraries constructed in these vector systems were used to generate physical maps of all twenty three-chromosome pairs and served as the templates for DNA sequencing. The PAC vector pJCPAC-Mam2 is a 23 kilobase (kb) shuttle vector that is highly versatile and useful for functional studies in human tissue culture cell lines. pJCPAC-Mam2 contains the P1 single-copy replicon for low copy expression and a multi-copy lytic replicon under the control of the lac repressor for high copy expression in Escherichia coli, wild type and mutant loxP sites for generation of bidirectional nested deletions in any clone of interest and the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) latent replication origin oriP, the Epstein Barr Nuclear Antigen 1 (EBNA1) gene, and a puromycin-resistance gene for propagation in mammalian cells. We constructed an arrayed 115,000-member human genomic library in pJCPAC-Mam2 that is housed in twelve hundred 96 well dishes. Subsequent pooling using a column and rows strategy reduced the library to 19 final pools for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) screening. We estimate that the average insert size is approximately 57 kb based on NotI digestion and Field Inversion Gel Electrophoresis (FIGE) analysis of 473 random PAC clones. The library appears to represent a two- to three-fold coverage of the human genome based on screening of the library with PCR primers representing nine genes. This library should serve as a valuable resource to validate potential disease genes identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in human tissue culture cell lines and in animal models. Also, individual library members could potentially be used for gene therapy trials for a variety of recessive disorders.
DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF FRESHWATER SNAILS AROUND AN EARTH DAM IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Following a preliminary investigation a study was carried from April to October, 2019 to establish more information on the abundance and distribution of freshwater snails in relation to physiochemical factors of Warwade dam. Four sampling sites; human activity, vegetation cover, lentic and lotic were selected for the study along the bank of the dam. Freshwater snails were collected in each of the four sampling sites using long handled scoop net with mesh 0.2mm and hand picking methods. Water samples from the sampling sites were analyzed in the laboratory using standard procedures. A total of 2,027 of fresh water snails belonging to ten species were identified with Bulinus globosus 12(0.6%) and Lymnaea natalensis 12(0.6%) having the lowest abundance while Melanoides tuberculata 1553(76.6%) had the highest. Snail abundance was highest in site characterized by human activities (670) followed by vegetation (482), lotic (442) and lentic (433) waters. Most of the physico-chemical factors measured appeared to favour the growth and survival of fresh water snails. pH (p = 0.01), water current (p = <0.01) and magnesium ion concentration (p = < 0.01) varied significantly across the four sites. Only calcium ion concentration was significantly associated with snail abundance (p = 0.04). Snail abundance showed weak positive relationship with water temperature, color, turbidity and concentration of magnesium ion. The dominance of M. tuberculata over all species particularly those of medical and veterinary importance could have positive implication for their control in the dam.
“Metaphilic” Cell-Penetrating Polypeptide-Vancomycin Conjugate Efficiently Eradicates Intracellular Bacteria via a Dual Mechanism

Infections by intracellular pathogens are difficult to treat because of the poor accessibility of antibiotics to the pathogens encased by host cell membranes. As such, a strategy that can improve the membrane permeability of antibiotics would significantly increase their efficiency against the intracellular pathogens. Here, we report the design of an adaptive, metaphilic cell-penetrating polypeptide (CPP)–antibiotic conjugate (VPP-G) that can effectively eradicate the intracellular bacteria both in vitro and in vivo. VPP-G was synthesized by attaching vancomycin to a highly membrane-penetrative guanidinium-functionalized metaphilic CPP. VPP-G effectively kills not only extracellular but also far more challenging intracellular pathogens, such as S. aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. VPP-G enters the host cell via a unique metaphilic membrane penetration mechanism and kills intracellular bacteria through disruption of both cell wall biosynthesis and membrane integrity. This dual antimicrobial mechanism of VPP-G prevents bacteria from developing drug resistance and could also potentially kill dormant intracellular bacteria. VPP-G effectively eradicates MRSA in vivo, significantly outperforming vancomycin, which represents one of the most effective intracellular antibacterial agents reported so far. This strategy can be easily adapted to develop other conjugates against different intracellular pathogens by attaching different antibiotics to these highly membrane-penetrative metaphilic CPPs.
Unscreened: Urgent and Emergent Surgical Outcomes in the Early COVID-19 Pandemic

Background Creating useful recommendations for changes in surgical protocols during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been difficult due to a lack of studies based on representative samples. This study evaluates the clinical outcomes and characteristics of patients undergoing urgent or emergent surgeries. Methods This is a multi-center (eight-hospital), retrospective, observational study of urgent and emergent surgical patients from Colorado and Kansas, the United States, in the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Patient groups were divided based on their coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) status: positive, negative and untested. COVID-19 testing was performed after the surgery if patients were symptomatic. Results The analysis includes 5,547 patients who underwent surgery from March 1, 2020 to May 17, 2020. Seventy-four percent (4,096) were not tested for COVID-19 due to lack of symptoms. Out of the 1,451 tested patients, 1,412 tested negative, and 39 tested positive. Out of all the patients who tested positive, 69.23% were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), whereas 16.72% of untested and 21.25% of the negative patients. The invasive ventilation rate for the patients that tested positive was 46.15%, 4.22% for untested, and 8.85% for patients who tested negative. The mortality rate in the positive group was 7.69%, 1.10% in the untested group, and 1.56% in the positive group. Conclusion Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had worse clinical outcomes than patients who tested negative and untested. We recommend creating criteria for testing based on patient characteristics and surgical procedure rather than testing all patients awaiting surgery; this would allow us to conserve resources moving forward.
Synthesis of a Cellobiosylated Dimer and Trimer and of Cellobiose‐Coated Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) Dendrimers to Study Accessibility of an Enzyme, Cellodextrin Phosphorylase

To examine the accessibility of the enzyme cellodextrin phosphorylase (CDP) towards multivalent cluster carbohydrates, the cellobiosylated dimer 10 and trimer 12, as well as the cellobiose-coated PAMAM dendrimers 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22, with four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two and sixty-four cellobiose units at the outer surface of PAMAM dendrimers, respectively, have been synthesized for the first time and used as acceptor substrates for the enzyme CDP. It was found that CDP was able to transfer a glucosyl moiety from glucose-1-phosphate (Glc-1-P) into these synthesized cluster cellobiosylated glycoconjugates and cellobiose-coated PAMAM dendrimers, which were thus acceptor substrates for CDP. It was found that the ability of CDP to interact with smaller cellobiosylated glyconjugates and with PAMAM dendrimers containing up to eight cellobiose units was similar to that seen with cellobiose. However, this capability of CDP was somewhat lessened with the PAMAM dendrimer containing sixteen cellobiose moieties and dramatically decreased towards PAMAM dendrimers with thirty-two and sixty-four cellobiose units. This might be due to their steric bulk, CDP enzyme no longer being able to hold them properly on its active site. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003)
Research on Application of Image Enhancement Technology in Automatic Recognition of Rock Thin Section

Artificial intelligence technology has rapidly emerged in various new industries due to its high efficiency and has been successfully used in many fields. However, it has been slow to start in the field of petroleum exploration, under the background of the need for more efficient exploration and development in the petroleum field. In this paper we used the ResNet-18 convolutional neural network to make an attempt to automatically identify rock thin section, and finds that this method can efficiently identify rock thin section and has a higher accuracy rate. In addition, we adopted appropriate image enhancement technology, which can significantly improve the recognition accuracy of the model. It proves that related machine learning technology has broad application prospects in the fields of petroleum exploration and petroleum geology.
Improved synthesis and crystal structure of the flexible pillared layer porous coordination polymer: Ni(1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene)[Ni(CN)4]

This paper reports our synthesis of flexible coordination polymer, Ni(L)[Ni(CN)4], (L = 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (nicknamed bpene)), and its structural characterization using synchrotron single crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure of the purplish crystals has been determined to be monoclinic, space group P21/m, a = 13.5941(12) A, b = 14.3621(12) A, c = 14.2561(12) A, β = 96.141(2)°, V = 2767.4(4) A3, Z = 4, Dc = 1.46 g cm−1. Ni(bpene)[Ni(CN)4] assumes a pillared layer structure with layers defined by Ni[Ni(CN)4]n nets and bpene ligands acting as pillars. With the present crystallization technique which involves the use of concentrated ammonium hydroxide solution and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), disordered free bpene ligands and solvents of crystallization (DMSO and water molecules) occupy the pores, resulting in a formula of Ni(bpene)[Ni(CN)4]·½bpene·DMSO·2H2O, or Ni2N7C24H25SO3. Without the inclusion of free bpene ligands and solvent molecules, the free volume is approximately 61% of the total volume; this free volume fraction is reduced to 50% with the free ligands present. Pores without the free ligands were found to have a local diameter of 5.7 A and a main aperture of 3.5 A. Based on the successful crystal synthesis, we also devised a new bulk synthetic technique which yielded a polycrystalline material with a significantly improved CO2 uptake as compared to the originally reported powder material. The improved synthetic technique yielded a polycrystalline material with 40% higher CO2 uptake compared to the previously reported powder material. An estimated 14.4 molecules of CO2 per unit cell was obtained.