Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive O-CNN

We present an Adaptive Octree-based Convolutional Neural Network (Adaptive O-CNN) for efficient 3D shape encoding and decoding. Different from volumetric-based or octree-based CNN methods that represent a 3D shape with voxels in the same resolution, our method represents a 3D shape adaptively with octants at different levels and models the 3D shape within each octant with a planar patch. Based on this adaptive patch-based representation, we propose an Adaptive O-CNN encoder and decoder for encoding and decoding 3D shapes. The Adaptive O-CNN encoder takes the planar patch normal and displacement as input and performs 3D convolutions only at the octants at each level, while the Adaptive O-CNN decoder infers the shape occupancy and subdivision status of octants at each level and estimates the best plane normal and displacement for each leaf octant. As a general framework for 3D shape analysis and generation, the Adaptive O-CNN not only reduces the memory and computational cost, but also offers better shape generation capability than the existing 3D-CNN approaches. We validate Adaptive O-CNN in terms of efficiency and effectiveness on different shape analysis and generation tasks, including shape classification, 3D autoencoding, shape prediction from a single image, and shape completion for noisy and incomplete point clouds.
Rotavirus infection in foals.

: Fecal samples from 86 foals with diarrhea were examined by electron microscopy during a 2.5 year period. Of these, 26 (30%) were positive for rotavirus. All of the cases were found in epizootic areas. The disease was produced in an experimental foal by inoculation via stomach tube of a bacteria-free fecal filtrate containing rotavirus. Examination of postmortem tissues from the duodenum and jejunum of 2 naturally infected foals and an experimentally infected foal revealed replicating virus in the intestinal epithelial cells. A limited survey of complement-fixing antibody to rotavirus in horses from Kentucky, Virginia, and France indicated that all horses had antibody to the virus. The sole exception was 1 foal from which blood samples were collected prior to suckling. These results were presumptive evidence that rotavirus is a major cause of diarrhea in foals, and the presence of antibody in horses from diverse areas is evidence for the ubiquitousness of this infection.
A fast look-up algorithm for detecting repetitive DNA sequences

We have presented a fast linear time algorithm for recognizing tandem repeats. Our algorithm is a one pass algorithm. No information about the periodicity of tandem repeats is needed. The use of the indices calculated from non-continuous and overlapping {kappa}-tuples allow tandem repeats with insertions and deletions to be recognized.
ARDL Bounds Tests for Neutrality and Superneutrality of Money towards Monetary Integration of West Africa

Money neutrality is about what the long run relationship between money and price imply for the use of monetary aggregates in the conduct of monetary policy. The argument is that if a single monetary policy is prevalent in a monetary union, it is significant that members of such monetary integration should exhibit similarities in behaviour of money. The West African subcontinent (proposing monetary integration) deserves feasibility assessments in aspects of neutrality and superneutrality of money. This study, which is significant for the proposed monetary integration of the West Africa, provided answers to the question on if money matters within the proposed monetary union. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound testing cointegration approach developed by Pesaran et al (2001) was employed to test money neutrality and money superneutrality in this research work. This cointegration method is no common in the investigation of neutrality and superneutrality of money. Relevant annual data (real output, quasi-money, inflation) collected for the six WAMZ countries (The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone) for the purpose of this study span over the period between 1980 and 2014. Finding and results generated in this study produced evidence to suggest that money is not neutral in four of the six (except for Liberia and Guinea) WAMZ countries. The superneutrality tests (and other sensitivity tests) however reveal more uniform non-superneutrality of money across the WAMZ (apart from the inconclusiveness of the tests in the cases Liberia and Guinea when real exchange rate change was applied; as a well as the non-superneutrality of Liberia when real output growth served in the determination of money super neutrality).
The proteolytic activity of yoghurt and probiotic bacteria for the improved viability of probiotic bacteria in fermented milk products

The proteolytic activity of various strains of yoghurt and probiotic bacteria, particularly their amino-, di-, tri- and endo-peptidase activities was studied. Nine strains of Streptococcus thermophilus, 6 strains of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, 14 strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus and 13 strains of Bifidobacterium ssp. were screened for proteolytic activity by using the o-phthaldialdehyde based spectrophotometric assay. Those strains showing the highest and lowest proteolytic activity were further studied for their peptidase activities at the extracellular and intracellular levels. Aminopeptidase activities were measured using chromogenic substrates (p-nitroanilide derivatives of Lanomers of leucine, lysine, alanine, proline, arginine, and methionine). Dipeptidase activities were measured using dipeptides including Ala-Met, Leu-Tyr, Leu-Gly, Ala-His, and Pro-lLe as substrates. Endopeptidase and tripeptidase activities were detected using thin-layer chromatography.
Comparison of three non-linear models when data truncated at different lengths of growth period in Japanese quails.

Mathematical functions have been fitted to growth curve measured as body weight on a longitudinal time frame in poultry (ANTHONY et al., 1986; GROSSMAN and KOOPS, 1988; ANTHONY et al., 1991a, b; MIGNON-GRASTEAU et al., 1999; AKBAS et al., 1999; YAKUPOGLU and ATIL, 2001a, b; HYANKOVA et al., 2001; AGGREY, 2002; CAMDEVIREN and TASDELEN, 2002; SEZER and TARHAN, 2005). Logistic function has been the chosen model (SANG, 1962; KRAUSE et al., 1967; GROSSMAN and BOHREN, 1982; GROSSMAN and BOHREN, 1985; GROSSMAN et al., 1985). Other authors preferred to apply the Gompertz model (GOMPERTZ, 1925) to describe the growth trajectory of chickens (LAIRD et al., 1965; WILSON, 1977; TZENG and BECKER, 1981; PASTERNAK and SHALEV, 1983; RICKLEFS, 1985; BARBATO, 1991; MIGNON-GRASTEAU et al., 1999) due to its overall fit and the biological meaning of the model parameters. The Richards model with variable inflection point has also been applied by some research groups (KNIZETOVA et al., 1991a, b; KNIZETOVA et al., 1994; GEBHARDT-HENRICH and MARKS, 1993). The analyses, however, have usually been carried out using data after the asymptotic weight was reached. For example, GROSSMAN and KOOPS (1988) reported growth curve parameters of 45-wks old chickens. ANTHONY et al. (1991) investigated the effect of selection for increased body weight at 16-wk of age on the growth curve of turkeys. HYANKOVA et al. (2001) examined the growth curve of 69 day old Japanese quails. The possibility of estimating growth parameters by Richards model has been investigated by KNIZETOVA et al. (1991b) using weight data of ducks truncated at the 18th week. When growth curve models are fitted to estimate asymptotic body weight in such a way that the data are truncated before the asymptotic weight is reached, there is no guarantee that the growth models describe the data adequately (BRISBIN et al., 1987). There is still a need for investigation whether the most commonly preferred non-linear models are sensitive to the length of growth period prior to trunca-
Promoter-targeted anti-nociceptive HSV-1 vectors have differential effects on pain based on the neuronal population targeted

Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is a neurotropic virus capable of infecting sensory neurons through their termini at any site on the body. Upon infection, the HSV-1 genome persists in nuclei within sensory ganglia for the life of the host. Replication-defective HSV-1 vectors allow for the efficient transduction of diverse populations of sensory neurons without risk of herpetic disease and therefore represent an ideal gene therapy vehicle for the treatment of peripheral neurological diseases, including chronic pain. To evaluate the potential of HSV-1 vectors to treat pain, a set of replication-defective HSV-1 vectors was generated, driving the expression of an anti-nociceptive product (GlyRIS) from neuronal promoters to target expression to distinct neuronal populations. Specifically, the TRPV1 promoter was used to target heat-sensitive nociceptors, and the NF200 promoter was used to target large diameter Aβ-fibers which may be recruited for pain signaling after injury or inflammation. The ubiquitously expressed CMV promoter was used as a control. As expected, when these vectors were used to transduce cultured DRG cells, the neuronal promoters largely expressed in neuronal cells only, while the CMV promoter expressed in neuronal and support cells. For pain studies, vectors were injected under the skin of the right hind footpad in rats. After nine days, baseline thermal and mechanical withdrawal thresholds were taken before and after the application of the ligand ivermectin, activating vector-delivered GlyRIS. TRPV1-GlyRIS transduced rats and to a lesser extent CMV-GlyRIS transduced rats showed increased thermal withdrawal thresholds on the transduced side after ligand administration. Resiniferatoxin (RTX) was then injected to ablate TRPV1+ neurons and induce mechanical allodynia. After 20 days, all RTX-injected rats showed increased thermal withdrawal thresholds with a loss of dependence on vector injection and ligand administration, consistent with TRPV1+ neuron ablation. All RTX-injected rats developed bilateral mechanical allodynia, except for the NF200-GlyRIS transduced rats (Aβ-targeted) which demonstrated decreased mechanical allodynia on the transduced side relative to the contralateral side after ivermectin administration. These differential effects on nociception represent the functional outcome of differentially targeted anti-nociceptive HSV-1 vectors and support the use of promoter-targeting to express transgenes in specific neuronal subpopulations.
BMR Microbiology-Biofilm formation and effect of disinfectant on the isolates obtained from aquatic ecosystem.

Aeromonas spp. are common aquatic micro-organisms that occur in seawater, irrigation water, river water, brackish water, fresh water, ground water, spring water, industrial and domestic waste water. Aeromonas spp. is associated gastrointestinal diseases, mainly diarrhea, septicemia, wound infections and diseases of amphibians, reptiles, frog, fish etc. Every month water samples were collected from well (village pal), river (Tapti river), tap (Surat Municipal Cooperation), mineral (Aquafina), sea (brackish) and swimming pool (chlorinated) of Surat city during year 2009 to 2010 and analyzed microbiologically. Isolates like Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas salmonicida, Aeromonas salmonicida sub spp. smithia, Aeromonas salmonicida sub spp. masoucida, Aeromonas schubertii, Aeromonas veronii, Aeromonas media and Aeromonas caviae were obtained from the water samples and were further tested for their Biofilm formation and effect of disinfectant was checked on the produced Biofilm. As Aeromonas species are one of the Biofilm producing organism, the Biofilm production test was carried out by using polycarbonated plastic/PVC and Glass coupons deeped in three different containers like copper, steel and clay. Weight of the polycarbonated plastic coupons and glass coupons were noted and at the interval of 15 days and 30 days, increase in weight of the plates and coupons showed Biofilm formation. In water distribution system these organisms produce the Biofilm and so to remove it disinfectant treatment is used. Disinfectant treatment using (chlorine tablets) containing sodium dichloro isocyanurate, having 10 ppm of chlorine commercially available to disinfect drinking water. Serial plate count was done using M-Aeromonas selective media to get specific number of Aeromonas species. The hanging glass coupons were removed at time interval of 30min, 60min, 90min (with treatment of disinfection) and 0 min (without disinfection). The coupons were stain by using fluorescent dye Acridine orange to get number of viable and non viable cells forming Biofilm. We can also conclude that the Biofilm produced by them in a water distribution system i.e. pipe lines or domestic vessels can be controlled easily by disinfectants within an hour.
Gut fermentation products of insulin-derived prebiotics beneficially modulate markers of tumour progression in human colon tumour cells

Insulin is a prebiotic food ingredient, which suppresses colon tumour growth and development in rats. In the gut lumen, it is fermented to lactic acid and short chain fatty acids (SCFA). Of these, butyrate has suppressing agent activities, but little is known concerning cellular responses to complex fermentation samples. To investigate the effects of fermentation products of insulin on cellular responses related to colon carcinogenesis. Fermentations were performed in anaerobic batch cultures or in a three-stage fermentation model that simulates conditions in colon-segments (proximal, transverse, distal). Substrate was insulin enriched with oligofructose (Raftilose® Synergy1), fermented with probiotics (Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG), and/or faecal inocula. HT29 or CaCo-2 cells were incubated with supernatants of the fermented samples (2.5%-25% v/v, 24-72 hours). Cellular parameters of survival, differentiation, tumour progression, and invasive growth were determined. Fermentation supernatants derived from probiotics and Synergy1 were more effective than with glucose. The additional fermentation with faecal slurries produced supernatants with lower toxicity, higher SCFA contents, and distinct cellular functions. The supernatant derived from the gut model vessel representing the distal colon, was most effective for all parameters, probably on account of higher butyrate-concentrations. Biological effects of insulin upon colon cells may be mediated not only by growth stimulation of the lactic acid-producing bacteria and/or production of butyrate, but also by other bacteria and products of the gut lumen. These newly reported properties of the supernatants to inhibit growth and metastases in colon tumour cells are important mechanisms of tumour suppression.
The Comparative Approach in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology

Comparison is fundamental to evolutionary anthropology. When scientists study chimpanzee cognition, for example, they compare chimp performance on cognitive tasks to the performance of human children on the same tasks. And when new fossils are found, such as those of the tiny humans of Flores, scientists compare these remains to other fossils and contemporary humans. Comparison provides a way to draw general inferences about the evolution of traits and has long been the cornerstone of efforts to understand biological and cultural diversity. Individual studies of fossilized remains, living species, or human populations are the essential units of analysis in a comparative study; bringing these elements into a broader comparative framework creates a means of testing adaptive hypotheses and generating new ones. With this book, Charles L. Nunn intends to ensure that evolutionary anthropologists and organismal biologists have the tools to realize the potential of comparative research. Nunn provides a wide-ranging investigation of the comparative foundations of evolutionary anthropology in past and present research, including studies of animal behavior, biodiversity, linguistic evolution, allometry, and cross-cultural variation. He also points the way to the future, exploring the new phylogeny-based comparative approaches and offering a how-to manual for scientists who wish to incorporate these new methods into their research.
Early Instar Growth and Survivorship in the Common Baskettail Dragonfly Epitheca cynosura (Anisoptera: Corduliidae).

EARLY INSTAR GROWTH AND SURVIVORSHIP IN THE COMMON BASKETTAIL DRAGONFLY EPITHECA CYNOSURA (ANISOPTERA: CORDULIIDAE). by Bryan Arthur Reece Egg masses of Epitheca cynosura were collected from Bays Mountain Park, Tennessee, USA, in June, 1999. Newly hatched individuals were placed into enclosures and sampled at scheduled time intervals throughout the summer. Enclosures were exposed to combinations of high and low densities and presence/absence of a second-year class E. cynosura predator. Survivorship, mean head widths, and mean dry masses were compared across treatments. Due to poor recovery of early-instar larvae, survivorship showed no significant differences in mortality among treatments. The predator present treatment caused significantly smaller head widths and dry masses only on days 42 and 55. The density treatment had a significant effect on larval growth from day 28 through day 86 (end of the experiment). Larvae from low density treatments had larger head widths and dry masses. The effects observed within the density treatments were likely to have resulted in a cohort split. Those individuals in the low density treatment followed a univoltine life history, and high density individuals followed a semivoltine life history. Density is probably a very important factor influencing the voltinism of E. cynosura at Bays Mounain Lake.
Organ‐Dependent Expression of Differentiated States in Fibroblasts Cultured in Vitro

Mouse fibroblasts were obtained from three different organs (skin, lung and heart), cultured and investigated to know whether the fibroblasts express differentiated characters in an organ‐dependent manner. Fibroblasts showed organ‐dependent morphology at the confluent state. Fibroblasts were labeled with [35S]‐methionine, and the pattern of protein synthesized was electrophoretically analyzed for both cellular proteins and extracellular proteins. Though most proteins were common to three types of fibroblasts, some proteins were produced in an organ‐dependent manner. Experiments on DNA synthesis and colony forming ability under a low density culture revealed that skin fibroblasts were the most proliferative among the three, while heart fibroblasts were the least. When fibroblasts were three‐dimensionally cultured in collagen gels, heart fibroblasts induced the gel contraction most intensely and skin fibroblasts did the least. In accordance with the ability of contraction heart fibroblasts secreted more collagen and fibronectin than skin and lung fibroblasts. Results in the present study indicate that the fibroblasts of three organs are in the organ‐dependent states of differentiation; heart fibroblasts are well differentiated while skin and lung fibroblasts are less differentiated, i.e., more proliferative and less active in the synthesis of extracellular matrices.
Description of the female of Dendryphantes melanomerus (Araneae: Salticidae) and new records of jumping spiders from Mexico

Palabras clave: Salticidae, Dendryphantes melanomerus, descripcion hembra, nuevos registros, Mexico. Abstract. The fi rst known female of the spider Dendryphantes melanomerus Chamberlin, 1924 is described and the male is redescribed from the wetland vegetation and xeric shrubland of Baja California Sur, Mexico. New records of Habronattus divaricatus (Banks, 1898), Habronattus hallani (Richman, 1973) Metacyrba taeniola (Hentz, 1846), Paramarpissa griswoldi Logunov and Cutler, 1999, Peckhamia picata (Hentz, 1846), Salticus palpalis (Banks, 1904), Sitticus concolor (Banks, 1895), and Thiodina hespera Richman and Vetter, 2004, from Mexico, are provided.
Hubungan Konformitas dan Kecerdasan Emosional Terhadap Agresivitas Pada Remaja Madya di SMAN 7 Denpasar

Pengaruh normatif dan pengaruh informasi berdampak pada tingkah laku seseorang yang disebut dengan konformitas. Konformitas bisa berdampak negatif dan positif, konformitas negatif contohnya adalah tawuran yang dapat merujuk ke tindak agresivitas. Remaja yang memiliki rentang usia 13-18 rentan terhadap tindak agresivitas terkait dengan emosi remaja yang fluktuatif (Rice, 2001). Agresivitas yang tinggi dapat diturunkan dengan kecerdasan emosional yang tinggi, karena dengan memiliki kecerdasan emosional yang tinggi seseorang mampu mengenali emosi diri dan orang lain dan mampu mengelola emosi diri. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui adanya hubungan konformitas dan kecerdasan emosional terhadap agresivitas pada remaja madya di SMAN 7 Denpasar. Subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah 226 orang siswa kelas I dan II SMAN 7 Denpasar berusia antara 15-18. Instrumen penelitian ini adalah skala agresivitas (I± = 0.882) Buss dan Perry (dalam Bryant & Smith, 2001), skala konformitas (I± = 0.902) , dan skala kecerdasan emosional (I± = 0,872) (Simarmata, 2005). Hasil analisis regresi berganda menghasilkan R= 0,452 (p< 0,05) nilai R lebih besar dari signifikansi yaitu 0,05 dapat dikatakan bahwa konformitas dan kecerdasan emosional memiliki hubungan terhadap agresivitas. Hasil korelasi parsial antara konformitas dengan agresivitas dengan mengontrol variabel kecerdasan emosional adalah 0,300 (p
Engineering oxygen reactivity in heme-protein maquettes

Fundamental questions of protein cofactor oxygen reactivity are left unanswered even after years of research due to the limitations imposed by the complexity of natural systems. Natural electron transport proteins are often large with many spectrally overlapping cofactors and fragile to mutation due to multiple roles of each amino acid. The study of the products oxygen reduction is further made difficult by inadequate available methods for kinetic resolution with quantitative yields of different reactive oxygen species (ROS). To first examine how proteins can avoid oxygen reduction for oxygen transport, as in natural globins, an oxygen transporter is designed from first principles of protein folding with each intermediate characterized. This is the first example of a transparently-crafted protein design functioning at natural rates. The ease of this design process, only three steps, and the minimalism of the design, only 8 different amino acids, calls into question many assumptions of what is necessary for a functional protein. This work suggests that functional success is easier reached by modification of gross properties of proteins rather than attempting structural exactness. This work may also aid future designs without necessitating a return to first principles because it not only produces a functional design but a toolbox from which to engineer. Oxygen reactivity was further studied through the development of a system for differentiating the rates and yields of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals. A series of man-made proteins were tested for oxygen binding, each aforementioned ROS production, and ligand exchange rates to uncover differences in ROS species production and mechanisms. It was found that it takes a single repetitive mutation to design from stable oxygen binder to a rapid outer-sphere superoxide generator. Further, another small set of changes confer preferential hydrogen peroxide generation without a superoxide intermediate through an inner-sphere mechanism. The ability to elucidate mechanistic details of highly homologous proteins and resolve each species of ROS allows us to learn about protein oxygen chemistry and apply this knowledge to the interpretation of data from natural systems, as well as use this knowledge to engineer forward towards industriallyand medically-applicable designer proteins. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics First Advisor P. Leslie Dutton