Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence for potential and inductive convection during intense geomagnetic events using normalized superposed epoch analysis

The relative contribution of storm‐time ring current development by convection driven by either potential or inductive electric fields has remained an unresolved question in geospace research. Studies have been published supporting each side of this debate, including views that ring current buildup is entirely one or the other. This study presents new insights into the relative roles of these storm main phase processes. We perform a superposed epoch study of 97 intense (DstMin < –100 nT) and 91 moderate (–50 nT > DstMin > –100 nT) storms using OMNI solar wind and ground‐based data. Instead of using a single reference time for the superpositioning of the events, we choose four reference times and expand or contract each phase of every event to the average length of this phase, creating a normalized timeline for the superposed epoch analysis. Using the bootstrap method, we statistically demonstrate that timeline normalization results in better reproduction of average storm dynamics than conventional methods. Examination of the Dst reveals an inflection point in the intense storm group consistent with two‐step main phase development, which is supported by results for the southward interplanetary magnetic field and various ground‐based magnetic indices. This two‐step main‐phase process is not seen in the moderate storm timeline and data sets. It is determined that the first step of Dst development is due to potential convective drift, during which an initial ring current is formed. The negative feedback of this hot ion population begins to limit further ring current growth. The second step of the main phase, however, is found to be a more even mix of potential and inductive convection. It is hypothesized that this is necessary to achieve intense storm Dst levels because the substorm dipolarizations are effective at breaking through the negative feedback barrier of the existing inner magnetospheric hot ion pressure peak.
Characterization of Ground Water Quality for Irrigation in Tehsil and District Layyah, Punjab Pakistan

Water quality assesment through analysis is pre requisite for its better utilization by crops as it is essential for the maintainance of turgidity, absorption of nutrients and metabolic process of plants. Direct use of unfit irrigation water not only causes severe salinity/sodicity problems in soil but also depress plant growth to alarming level depending upon the extent of dissolved salts. A total of 296 advisory water samples were received/collected from tehsil Layyah during previous three years (2009-10 to 2011-12) , analyzed and categorized according to the suitability criteria of water quality evaluation. Out of 296 water samples, 114(38%) water samples were fit, 79(27%) were marginally fit and 103(35%) were found unfit for irrigation purposes. The analysis data showed that, 95 unfit water samples had electrical conductivity higher than permissible limit (i.e. >1250 µS cm -1 ), 12 samples were found with high SAR (i.e. >10 (m mol L -1 ) 0.5 ), and 47 samples had high RSC (i.e. >2.5 me L -1 ). It can be inferred from data that quality of available ground water in most of the cases is suitable for sustainable crop production and soil health. Guidelines to use these water for irrigation purposes should be based on the soil texture for its best utiliztion and avoid any harmful effects on soil health. The farmers can use marginal and unfit water for salt tolerant crops (wheat, sorghum and barley) and fruit (Guava) trees etc. It is also recommended that on degraded soils, the poor quality irrigation water may be used to grow Eucalyptus and Acacia for timber and fuel, and Atriplex spp. for grazing purposes. Adoption of bio-saline agriculture, addition of farmyard manure/green manure, sheep, goat and fish farming might add to the farmer's income under these condition. (Ashraf M, Khan M.B, Umar F. Characterization of Ground Water Quality for Irrigation in Tehsil and District Layyah, Punjab Pakistan. Nat Sci 2013;11(4):128-132). (ISSN: 1545-0740). http://www.sciencepub. net/nature . 21
A DISTRIBUTION FOR THE SERVICE MODEL

In this paper, we propose a distribution that describes a specific system. The system has a heavy traffic, a fast service and the service rate depends on state of the system. This distribution we call the Maximum-Conway-Maxwell-Poisson-exponential distribution, denoted by MAXCOMPE distribution. The MAXCOMPE distribution is obtained by compound distributions in which we use the zero truncated Conway-Maxwell-Poisson distribution and the exponential distribution. This distribution has adjustment mechanism in order to re-establish the equilibrium of the system when the traffic flow increases and that is described by variations of the pressure parameter. Because of this, the MAXCOMPE distribution contains sub-models, such as, the Maximum-geometric-exponential distribution, the Maximum-Poisson-exponential distribution and the Maximum-Bernoulli-exponential distribution. The properties of the proposed distribution are discussed, including formal proof of its density function and explicit algebraic formulas for their reliability function and moments. The parameter estimation is based on the usual maximum likelihood method. Simulated and real data are shown to illustrate the applicability of the model.
Social work and toddler overweight risk: Identifying modifiable child and parent factors across the socioeconomic gradient

ABSTRACT Objective: Childhood obesity is associated with long-term health consequences, yet little is known about the prevalence of child and parent risk factors of overweight across the socioeconomic gradient in early life. This exploratory study documents the prevalence of risk factors that contribute to overweight among toddlers within and across socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: Obesity risk factors were examined within and across SES quintiles in a nationally representative sample. Data were collected from 5,100 mothers and 2-year-old children. Weighted regression models assessed child and parent characteristics that predict toddler weight status in a national sample and samples stratified by SES quintiles. Results: Higher rates of overweight were observed in Q1 (29.2%) and reduced with each successive SES quintile (16.9%—Q5), suggesting a gradient effect. Results indicated factors unique within quintiles, distinct from the full national sample: Q1—motor development; Q2—motor and mental development, maternal BMI, breastfeeding, bottle feeding, introduction of solid foods; Q3—breastfeeding; and Q4–5—introduction of solid foods. Discussion: Findings further existing knowledge of toddler obesity by uncovering risks relevant for specific SES groups. Results yield implications for social workers to refine strategies for improving toddler health and preventing overweight/obesity.
Observer-Based Adaptive Iterative Learning Control for a Class of Nonlinear Time Delay Systems with Input Saturation

This paper presents an adaptive iterative learning control scheme for the output tracking of a class of nonlinear systems with unknown time-varying delays and input saturation nonlinearity. An observer is presented to estimate the states and linear matrix inequality (LMI) method is employed for observer design. The assumption of identical initial condition for ILC is relaxed by introducing boundary layer function. The possible singularity problem is avoided by introducing hyperbolic tangent function. The uncertainties with time-varying delays are compensated for by the combination of appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and Young’s inequality. Both time-varying and time-invariant radial basis function neural networks are employed to deal with system uncertainties. On the basis of a property of hyperbolic tangent function, the system output is proved to converge to a small neighborhood of the desired trajectory by constructing Lyapunov-like composite energy function in two cases, while keeping all the closed-loop signals bounded. Finally, a simulation example is presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Xeno-Free Propagation of Spermatogonial Stem Cells from Infant Boys

Spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) transplantation therapy is a promising strategy to renew spermatogenesis for prepubertal boys whose fertility is compromised. However, propagation of SSCs is required due to a limited number of SSCs in cryopreserved testicular tissue. This propagation must be done under xeno-free conditions for clinical application. SSCs were propagated from infant testicular tissue (7 mg and 10 mg) from two boys under xeno-free conditions using human platelet lysate and nutrient source. We verified SSC-like cell clusters (SSCLCs) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immune-reaction assay using the SSC markers undifferentiated embryonic cell transcription factor 1 (UTF1), ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase isozyme L1 (UCHL1), GDNF receptor alpha-1 (GFRα-1) Fα and promyelocytic leukaemia zinc finger protein (PLZF). The functionality of the propagated SSCs was investigated by pre-labelling using green fluorescent Cell Linker PKH67 and xeno-transplantation of the SSCLCs into busulfan-treated, therefore sterile, immunodeficient mice. SSC-like cell clusters (SSCLCs) appeared after 2 weeks in primary passage. The SSCLCs were SSC-like as the UTF1, UCHL1, GFRα1 and PLZF were all positive. After 2.5 months’ culture period, a total of 13 million cells from one sample were harvested for xenotransplantation. Labelled human propagated SSCs were identified and verified in mouse seminiferous tubules at 3–6 weeks, confirming that the transplanted cells contain SSCLCs. The present xeno-free clinical culture protocol allows propagation of SSCs from infant boys.
RELIGIO-CENTRIC SELLING STRATEGY IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARKET SENSING CAPABILITIESAND THE SMEs BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

This paper aims to investigate and examine the mediating role of religio-centric selling strategy in relation to market sensing capabilities with SMEs business performance in religious-based industries. This paper selected 330 Muslim SMEs in Central Java and tested the regressive relationships of the three constructs. Through confirmatory factor analysis and goodness of fit model testing using SEM, the results of market sensing capabilities obtained have a positive effect on the religio-centric selling strategy and SMEs business performance. In addition, the religio-centric selling strategy also has a positive impact on SMEs business performance. Therefore, the religio-centric selling strategy really acts as a partial mediation in relation to market sensing capabilities with SMEs business performance. By examining the literature on various marketing capabilities, selling strategies, religiosity, and SMEs business performance, this paper offers a unique analysis of the relationship between market sensing capabilities and religio-centric selling strategy and their impact on SMEs business performance. Conceptual discussions and empirical results are expected to extend previous research on the culture of market orientation and selling strategy in specific religious-based small businesses.
A New Synergistic Forecasting Method for Short-Term Traffic Flow with Event-Triggered Strong Fluctuation

Directing against the shortcoming of low accuracy in short-term traffic flow prediction caused by strong traffic flow fluctuation, a novel method for short-term traffic forecasting based on the combination of improved grey Verhulst prediction algorithm and first-order difference exponential smoothing is proposed. Firstly, we constructed an improved grey Verhulst prediction model by introducing the Markov chain to its traditional version. Then, based on an introduced dynamic weighting factor, the improved grey Verhulst prediction method, and the first-order difference exponential smoothing technique, the new method for short-term traffic forecasting is completed in an efficient way. Finally, experiment and analysis are carried out in the light of actual data gathered from strong fluctuation environment to verify the effectiveness and rationality of our proposed scheme.
Slowing down the metabolic engine: impact of early-life corticosterone exposure on adult metabolism in house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

ABSTRACT Whole-organism metabolism is an integrative process that determines not only the energy cost of living but also the energy output that is available for behavioral and physiological processes during the life cycle. Developmental challenge is known to affect growth, development of several organs, and several physiological mechanisms (such as HPA responsiveness, oxidative stress or immunity), which may altogether affect adult metabolism. All of these developmental effects are likely to be mediated by glucocorticoids, but the impact of developmental glucocorticoid exposure on adult metabolism has rarely been studied and the results are equivocal. In this study, we examined the impact of developmental exposure to corticosterone (CORT, the main avian glucocorticoid hormone) on resting metabolic rate (RMR, measured in thermoneutrality, 25°C) and thermoregulatory metabolic rate (TMR, measured in cold challenge conditions, 5°C) in the house sparrow. Following experimental administration of CORT at the nestling stage, house sparrows were kept in captivity until adulthood, when their metabolism was measured. We found that post-natal CORT exposure decreased both RMR and TMR in adult sparrows. This CORT-mediated reduction of metabolism was also associated with a reduced overnight body mass loss. Therefore, our results suggest that developmental CORT exposure can orient the phenotype towards an energy-saving strategy, which may be beneficial in a constraining environmental context. Highlighted Article: Developmental corticosterone exposure can orient the phenotype towards an energy-saving strategy in adult sparrows and there are both benefits and costs that could be associated with this reduced metabolism.
Optimization of a municipal wastewater plant expansion: A real options approach

The municipal water and wastewater sector is considered to be the most capital intensive industrial sector. Naturally, any methodology that has the potential to improve capital allocation decision making, has the potential to make a positive financial contribution to this sector. Most managers are aware of the power of calculating the Net Present Value (NPV) of an investment decision using Discounted Cash Flows (DCF). The problem with DCF based NPV analysis is that the inherent value of future project options is not modeled. In this study, we consider a small resort-based municipality faced with the question of how big to make their new wastewater treatment facility to meet the expanding demand of 10% growth in the number of new residential connections to the wastewater treatment infrastructure. Since a significant number of new dwellings are second "weekend" homes, the planners felt strongly that growth rates were tied to the strength of the market index. Here we set the model framework for considering optimal plant size based on correlation assumptions of municipal growth to the market index. The model takes on the form of an Asian option. The results show that the greater the (assumed) correlation, the smaller the required plant size. Penalty costs associated with not building a large enough plant are hedged in the market. This paper sets the basis for future analysis of staged plant expansion analysis.
Exploring the Role of Big Data Analytics Capabilities in Creating Business Value in Healthcare Industries : A Synthesis of the Resource-Based Theory and Capability Building View

Although computer scientists indicate that big data technologies have tremendous benefits for healthcare industries, extant research has paid insufficient attention to the exploration of its business value. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, this research proposes a business analytics-enabled business value model in which we use the resource-based theory (RBT) and IT capability building to link big data architectural components, through big data analytics capabilities, to a big data-specific benefits framework. To test the validity of our conceptual model, we employed content analysis as our research approach. The dataset consisted of 109 case descriptions, covering 63 healthcare organisations. Our results of the analysis have identified five big data analytics capabilities and their underlying items as well as three path-tovalue chains. These findings may be a starting point in studying how big data analytics constitutes business value in practice and offers an empirical basis that can stimulate a more detailed investigation of big data implementation.
Second-Generation Antipsychotics and Dysregulation of Glucose Metabolism: Beyond Weight Gain

Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are the cornerstone of treatment for schizophrenia because of their high clinical efficacy. However, SGA treatment is associated with severe metabolic alterations and body weight gain, which can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and greatly accelerate mortality. Several underlying mechanisms have been proposed for antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG), but some studies suggest that metabolic changes in insulin-sensitive tissues can be triggered before the onset of AIWG. In this review, we give an outlook on current research about the metabolic disturbances provoked by SGAs, with a particular focus on whole-body glucose homeostasis disturbances induced independently of AIWG, lipid dysregulation or adipose tissue disturbances. Specifically, we discuss the mechanistic insights gleamed from cellular and preclinical animal studies that have reported on the impact of SGAs on insulin signaling, endogenous glucose production, glucose uptake and insulin secretion in the liver, skeletal muscle and the endocrine pancreas. Finally, we discuss some of the genetic and epigenetic changes that might explain the different susceptibilities of SGA-treated patients to the metabolic side-effects of antipsychotics.
Draft Genome Sequence of Vibrio cyclitrophicus NCT10V, Cultivated from the Microbiome of a Marine Copepod

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Vibrio cyclitrophicus NCT10V, cultivated from the copepod Acartia tonsa, collected from coastal surface waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean. The assembly is 5,638,575 bp long and has 44 contigs, a GC content of 43.2%, and 5,044 protein coding sequences. ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Vibrio cyclitrophicus NCT10V, cultivated from the copepod Acartia tonsa, collected from coastal surface waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean. The assembly is 5,638,575 bp long and has 44 contigs, a GC content of 43.2%, and 5,044 protein coding sequences.
Preprotein signature for full susceptibility to the co‐translational translocation inhibitor cyclotriazadisulfonamide

Cyclotriazadisulfonamide (CADA) inhibits the co‐translational translocation of human CD4 (huCD4) into the endoplasmic reticulum lumen in a signal peptide (SP)‐dependent way. We propose that CADA binds the nascent huCD4 SP in a folded conformation within the translocon resembling a normally transitory state during translocation. Here, we used alanine scanning on the huCD4 SP to identify the signature for full susceptibility to CADA. In accordance with our previous work, we demonstrate that residues in the vicinity of the hydrophobic h‐region are critical for sensitivity to CADA. In particular, exchanging Gln‐15, Val‐17 or Pro‐20 in the huCD4 SP for Ala resulted in a resistant phenotype. Together with positively charged residues at the N‐terminal portion of the mature protein, these residues mediate full susceptibility to the co‐translational translocation inhibitory activity of CADA towards huCD4. In addition, sensitivity to CADA is inversely related to hydrophobicity in the huCD4 SP. In vitro translocation experiments confirmed that the general hydrophobicity of the h‐domain and positive charges in the mature protein are key elements that affect both the translocation efficiency of huCD4 and the sensitivity towards CADA. Besides these two general SP parameters that determine the functionality of the signal sequence, unique amino acid pairs (L14/Q15 and L19/P20) in the SP hydrophobic core add specificity to the sensitivity signature for a co‐translational translocation inhibitor.
Nuclear–Cytoplasmic Coevolution Analysis of RuBisCO in Synthesized Cucumis Allopolyploid

Allopolyploids are often faced with the challenge of maintaining well-coordination between nuclear and cytoplasmic genes inherited from different species. The synthetic allotetraploid Cucumis × hytivus is a useful model to explore cytonuclear coevolution. In this study, the sequences and expression of cytonuclear enzyme complex RuBisCO as well as its content and activity in C. × hytivus were compared to its parents to explore plastid–nuclear coevolution. The plastome-coded rbcL gene sequence was confirmed to be stable maternal inheritance, and parental copy of nuclear rbcS genes were both preserved in C. × hytivus. Thus, the maternal plastid may interact with the biparentally inherited rbcS alleles. The expression of the rbcS gene of C-homoeologs (paternal) was significantly higher than that of H-homoeologs (maternal) in C. × hytivus (HHCC). Protein interaction prediction analysis showed that the rbcL protein has stronger binding affinity to the paternal copy of rbcS protein than that of maternal copy in C. × hytivus, which might explain the transcriptional bias of the rbcS homoeologs. Moreover, both the activity and content of RuBisCO in C. × hytivus showed mid-parent heterosis. In summary, our results indicate a paternal transcriptional bias of the rbcS genes in C. × hytivus, and we found new nuclear–cytoplasmic combination may be one of the reasons for allopolyploids heterosis.
Pilot Study: Can a Short-term Complementary and Alternative Medicine Intervention Combat Stress?

A major public health concern is the debilitating effect of chronic stress, leading to lower performance and productivity at work and school, thus affecting quality of life. Addressing this crisis, a stress reduction pilot program was designed based on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) strategies as an effective, quick, and relatively inexpensive health promotion strategy for chronic stress. The intervention, a four-session yoga and meditation regimen, was created to give participants the acquired skills and comprehension for performing seven breathing exercises, two meditation techniques, and 14 simple yoga postures to combat stress in their daily lives. The design was a quasi-experimental, with a pretest and posttest, and non-equivalent control group. Data were analyzed using five repeated measure ANOVAs. The intervention group experienced greater decreases in stress-related variables from pretest to posttest compared to the control group. Preliminary findings indicate promise for introducing yoga and meditation among a variety of schools, workplace settings, and preventive care clinics. as an effective, simple, and relatively inexpensive health promotion strategy to negate the debilitating effects of chronic stress, and to enhance well being and performance. © 2008 Californian Journal of Health Promotion. All rights reserved.
Draft Genome Sequence of Xylaria hypoxylon DSM 108379, a Ubiquitous Fungus on Hardwood

The saprotrophic ascomycete Xylaria hypoxylon is a widespread wood-decaying fungus on deciduous trees. Here, we report its draft genome sequence. The genome assembly has a size of 42.8 Mbp and a G+C content of 47.1% and includes 11,038 predicted genes. ABSTRACT The saprotrophic ascomycete Xylaria hypoxylon is a widespread wood-decaying fungus on deciduous trees. Here, we report its draft genome sequence. The genome assembly has a size of 42.8 Mbp and a G+C content of 47.1% and includes 11,038 predicted genes.