Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular markers in studies on fish parasites (Platyhelminthes): Review

Studies with molecular markers are currently more common for all groups of living organisms. Molecular techniques used in Platyhelminthes parasites of fishes do not merely reveal complex life cycles, but are important for species distinction and the elucidation of the phylogenetic hypothesis. Current research verified which molecular markers were mainly used phylogenetic studies on Platyhelminthes parasites of fish so that subsidies for further phylogenetic studies in Icthyoparasitology could be provided. Data base of CAPES Journals platform was employed for bibliometric analysis comprising the keywords “fish” and “phylogeny” associated with “Cestoda”, “Digenea” or “Monogenea”. Information retrieved was quantified and tabulated. Most studies were on Monogenea (43%), followed by Digenea (37%) and Cestoda (18%). Ribosomal molecular markers were the most used in the phylogenetic studies for fish parasites. Due to the advance of molecular biology techniques and of bioinformatics, with more robust phylogenetic analysis, the use of these techniques in other areas such as Ichytioparasitology is on the increase. In fact, molecular phylogenetics and morphological structures analysis have efficiently contributed towards the understanding of phylogenetic relationships among the groups.
oad reallocation based algorithm for state estimation in distribution networks ith distributed generators ndrija

In this paper is proposed a novel branch flow and weighted least square (WLS) based algorithm for state estimation in three phase distribution networks with distributed generation (DG) units. The basic formulation is simplified by the use of radial property of distribution network and later will be extended to meshed networks. Unmonitored (or partially monitored) loads are initially estimated from normalized daily load profiles (NDLPs) with lower weights (treated as the pseudo measurements). Also, the different types of monitored, partially monitored, or unmonitored DG units are included in state estimation. Their initial power outputs are calculated on the basis of external inputs, such as wind, sun and water eywords: istribution networks tate estimation istributed generation oad allocation inflow forecasts etc. (depending on DG unit type) or by normalized daily generation profiles (NDGPs) obtained from historical generation data. The pseudo measurements obtained by Initial Load/Generation Allocation are re-adjusted additionally by Optimal Load/Generation Reallocation procedure to fit realtime measurements inside WLS-based state estimation. The results and practical aspects of the proposed trate eneration allocation eighted least square methodology are demons
Evaluating the Effects of Springtime Dust Storms over Beijing and the Associated Characteristics of Sub-Micron Aerosol

ABSTRACTIn order to understand the characteristics, sources and processes of non-refractory submicron particles (NR-PM1), an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was deployed to acquire observational data during the spring (April 1 to 30) in Beijing, China, in 2012. Based on PM10, PM2.5 and NR-PM1 mass concentrations observation, satellite images and the back trajectory analysis, one haze and dust storm episodes were recorded during the campaign, in addition, one clean episodes was also added to the comparison as a reference. The NR-PM1 mass concentration was 97 µg m–3 during the haze episodes, while it was approximately 12 times and 1.7 times that on the clean and dust episodes, respectively. In addition, the secondary inorganic aerosol (sulfate, nitrate and ammonium) contributed the largest fraction of NR-PM1 (69%) during the haze episodes. The dust storms originated from the northwestern caused the PM10 peaking at 826 µg m–3, with an average of 364 ± 186 µg m–3 and higher than the haze episodes (241 µg m–3). In addition, compared to the clean episodes (the NR-PM1 mass was 8 µg m–3), the dust storms caused the average NR-PM1 mass reaching 56 µg m–3, corresponding to the secondary components significantly increased, including sulfate (9.5 µg m–3), nitrate (8 µg m–3), ammonium (6 µg m–3) and OOA (6 µg m–3). The backward trajectory clustering analysis indicated the air mass from the southeast (at a frequency more than 30%) contained the higher NR-PM1 concentration (more than 80 µg m–3) corresponding to the higher sulfate, nitrate and ammonium contributions.
A narrow window of Rabi frequency for competition between electromagnetically induced transparency and Raman absorption

This investigation clarifies the transition phenomenon between the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Raman absorption in a ladder-type system of Doppler-broadened cesium vapor. A competition window of this transition was found to be as narrow as 2 MHz defined by the probe Rabi frequency. For a weak probe, the spectrum of EIT associated with quantum interference suggests that the effect of the Doppler velocity on the spectrum is negligible. When the Rabi frequency of the probe becomes comparable with the effective decay rate, an electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) dip emerges at the center of the power broadened EIT peak. While the Rabi frequency of the probe exceeds the effective decay rate, decoherence that is generated by the intensified probe field occurs and Raman absorption dominates the interaction process, yielding a pure absorption spectrum; the Doppler velocity plays an important role in the interaction. A theory that is based on density matrix simulation, with or without the Doppler effect, can qualitatively fit the experimental data. In this work, the coherence of atom-photon interactions is created or destroyed using the probe Rabi frequency as a decoherence source.
Chemical Composition and Antifungal Activity of the Essential Oil from Deverra Tortuosa against Phytopathogenic Fungi

The hydrodistilled essential oil of Deverra tortuosawas DC. Analyzed by GC–MS. Twenty five compounds were identified, of which terpinene-4-ol (24.21 %), bisabolene (12.61 %), apiol (11.56 %), 2-allyl-p-cresol (6.44 %), bornyl acetate (4.77 %), σ-Elemene (4.04 %),myristicin (3.80 %),iso thymol methyl ether (3.61 %) and methyl eugenol (3.05 %) were the major compounds. Essential oil of Deverra tortuosa was tested for anti-fungal activity, which was determined by disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination methods. The oil displayed great potential of anti-fungal activity as a mycelial growth inhibitor against the tested phytopathogenic fungi such as Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium solani, and Botrytis fabaea. It showed a complete inhibition in radial growth at 4µl/ml PDA.
Development of a scoring function for finding differential expression - application to Lolium Perenne

RNA-sequencing for detecting changes between expression patterns has emerged as a frequent tool in life sciences studies. However, it is an under-development tool which still lacks a standard procedure. This way, many software packages and approaches could be used when designing an experiment. Here we develop and present an approach based on a scoring function. It allows using multiple packages and relies its efficiency on validated data. Thus, the function is adjusted using qPCR verified data. Then it is tested on experimental data obtained from a Lolium Perenne drought stress tolerance study yielding positive results with several potential uses in further studies.
pH-controlled Release System for Curcumin based on FunctionalizedDendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles

Mesoporous silica materials are promising drug delivery systems, especially in case of poorly water-soluble drugs. Curcumin (Cur) has proven effective for several pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicropeal, hepatoprotective, and anticancer activities. In the present work two types of mesoporous silica nanoparticles were evaluated as a Cur carrier for controlled release of this anticancer natural pro-drug: MCM-41 (Two Dimensional) and KCC-1 (Three Dimensional), both functionalized with aminopropyl groups. KCC-NH2 and MCM-NH2 contained a similar amount of Cur (24.5% and 23.9%, respectively). In vitro experiments have shown that both materials effectively release Cur and the cumulative release was enhanced for low acidity (pH=2.5). At low acidic pH (2.5), the KCC-1 sample released higher amount (up to 19%) of curcumin compared to MCM-41 (14%). Thus it is possible to achieve controlled, long-term and effective pH-stimulated release of curcumin from aminefunctionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles. This finding opens the way for their application for controlled curcumin delivery in cancer disease because of the acidic tumor environment, increase its stability and lead to an increase of the Cur bioavailability. Moreover, the KCC-1 three dimensional mesoporous silica seems to be a more promising nanocarrier compared to the commonly used MCM-41 material.
Integrating phylogenetic community structure with species distribution models: an example with plants of rock barrens

Approaches using phylogenetic pattern in ecological communities to deduce processes of community assembly have been criticised as disconnected from foundations in ecological mechanism, especially with respect to lack of data about abiotic and biotic niches. Th ese criticisms can be addressed with analyses of organismal traits that underlie environmental fi ltering, competitive exclusion, and other candidate processes; however, the diffi culty of assembling large trait databases means that such studies remain uncommon. We suggest a synthesis of phylogenetic community structure analysis and species distribution modeling that we believe can allow inference about community processes without prohibitive data requirements. We illustrate this method for angiosperm communities of rock barrens in eastern Canada. First, we analyzed phylogenetic community structure of four rock-barren sites at three nested spatial scales (quadrat to region). For the nine most common species in our barrens, we used regional occurrence records to build species distribution models identifying environmental drivers of the nine species ’ distributions. Coeffi cients of these models represent implicit trait data that summarize each species ’ response to the environmental drivers in the model. We then tested for phylogenetic signal in these traits, to ask whether ecological forces acting on them could be generating phylogenetic community structure. We found strong phylogenetic clustering at the quadrat level, while patterns at larger scales were complex. Our distribution model suggested drought stress as the dominant driver for distributions of all the species, consistent with local correlations with soil depth, and the species ’ responses to drought showed strong phylogenetic signal. Th e convergence of results from phylogenetic community structure and species distribution modeling suggests that barren communities are structured at the quadrat level by environmental fi ltering eff ects of moisture stress, to which species have phylogenetically patterned responses.
Effect of Triploid Grass Carp on the Aquatic Macrophyte Community of Devils Lake, Oregon

Abstract Two years after stocking 274-hectare Devils Lake, Oregon, with 27,090 triploid grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella (180 fish/vegetated hectare, 6.1 fish/tonne wet vegetation), the total volume of vegetation declined by 30%, whereas the total vegetation biomass increased, primarily from the expansion of short, compact communities of Brazilian water-weed Egeria densa. Comparison of the open lake with areas protected by net barriers, and the results of grass carp feeding preference experiments, suggested that the increased dominance of E. densa was caused by factors other than selective feeding. Furthermore, as the grass carp grew, they seemed to slow the invasion of E. densa and to help maintain species diversity in the plant community. Feeding experiments suggested that food preference was related to grass carp size, which should be considered when evaluating control of target plant species. Grass carp can provide economical and effective control of plants in cool northern waters, although stocking.
Optimization of Extraction Process of Carob Bean Gum Purified from Carob Seeds by Response Surface Methodology

The carob product most widely used, especially for the food industry, is the carob bean gum (CBG), or locust bean gum (LBG). This gum comes from the endosperm of the seed and chemically is a polysaccharide, a galactomannan. It is used as thickener, stabilizer, emulsifier and gelling agent. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the extraction of CBG from Moroccan carob seeds. A central composite design was used for experimental design and analysis of the results searching for the optimal extraction conditions: Extraction temperature, extraction time and water to endosperm seeds ratio. Based on the RSM analysis, optimum conditions were: temperature 97°C, time 36 min and water to endosperm of seeds ratio of (197:1). Under the optimized conditions, the experimental values were in close agreement with values predicted by the model and for wish. Predicted yield of carob gum extracted is 69% of endosperm seeds. Keywords : Carob bean gum; Extraction; Central composite design; Optimization experiment.
Application of zebrafi disorders sh oculomotor behavior to model human

To ensure high acuity vision, eye movements have to be controlled with astonishing precision by the oculomotor system. Many human diseases can lead to abnormal eye movements, typically of the involuntary oscillatory eye movements type called nystagmus. Such nystagmus can be congenital (infantile) or acquired later in life. Although the resulting eye movements are well characterized, there is only little information about the underlying etiology. This is in part owing to the lack of appropriate animal models. In this review article, we des cribe how the zebrafi sh with its quick maturing visual system can be used to model oculomotor pathologies. We compare the characteristics and assessment of human and zebrafi sh eye movements. We describe the oculomotor properties of the zebrafi sh mutant belladonna , which has non-crossing optical fi bers, and is a particularly informative model for human ocu lomotor defi cits. This mutant displays a reverse optokinetic response, spontaneous oscillations that closely mimic human congenital nystagmus and abnormal motor behavior linked to circular vection.
Hysteresis: Phenomenon and Modeling in Soil- Water Relationship

Hysteresis has been widely recognized in the soil water relationship. In this paper, a detailed review of hysteresis was performed in relation to its models. So far, different models have been suggested to describe hysteresis in the water retention curve (WRC) that could be categorized into two main groups: conceptual and empirical models. The models in the first group are based on the domain theory of capillary hysteresis and those in the second group rely on the analysis of observed WRC shape and properties. Conceptual models include the independent and dependent domain theories and the Parlange's model, while empirical models consist of the interpolation, linear, Slope and Scaling – down models. Different results of studies carried out by several researchers showed that the Parlange model, that uses the concept of rational extrapolation, was the best model to predict hysteresis of the WRC.
Female Education and Employment: A Waste of Talent

We develop a general equilibrium OLG growth model where women are heterogeneous with respect to the child care costs they bear, there is imperfect information along this dimension and education decisions are endogenous. We show that there is a number of women who have invested in education and find it profitable not to enter the labor market after giving birth to a baby. Their non-participation generates a waste of talent, since the effective output is lower than the potential one as determined by human capital investment. We determine the growth rate of human capital and output and analyze how they depend on the institutional and cultural environment. As a characterization of the institutional environment we study a tax-transfer scheme that can support the education and participation decision and analyze its emergence in a political game. We show that this policy has positive repercussions on growth.
An Islanding Detection Method for Micro-Grids With Grid-Connected and Islanded Capability

With the increasing prevalence of renewable energy and distributed generation (DG) in distribution systems, micro-grids are becoming more popular and an attractive option for enhancing system operation and reliability. This can be attributed to the micro-grid's ability to operate in both connected and disconnected modes. Equally important, micro-grids are the best solution to meet the increasing demand of electric power in a cost effective manner due to the close proximity to the load demand and thus minimizing system losses. Islanding detection methods have been proposed for inverter based distributed generation with only grid-connected capability. Micro-grids are composed of DGs that are capable of operating in two modes: grid connected and islanded. This thesis introduces and proposes the concept of micro-grid transition detection where the status of the micro-grid is detected based on adaptively modifying the droop slope. The droop coefficient is chosen such that the micro-grid is stable while grid connected and in the contrary unstable once an islanded micro-grid operation is initiated. The droop coefficient is adaptively modified, once the micro-grid transitions from grid-connected to islanded operation, to stabilize the micro-grid for the islanded mode of operation. The proposed method is capable of detecting micro-grid transition in less than 600 ms under various active and reactive power mismatches. The proposed micro-grid transition detection method is tested on a micro-grid equipped with inverter based DGs controlled using the droop approach. The main objective of this thesis is to develop a novel islanding detection method for micro-grids with grid connected and islanded capability. A micro-grid model was developed using power system computer aided design/ electromagnetic transient and DC (PSCAD/EMTDC) as a platform for testing the proposed method. Simulation results were conducted considering the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard 1547(IEEE Std. 1547) standard islanding detection testing procedure.
DESIGN OF GOVERNMENT CLOUD NETWORK FOR A DEVELOPING ECONOMY: A CASE STUDY ONDO STATE

In Ondo State, some businesses, telecommunication agencies and government agencies are not utilizing Information Technology (IT) services to its maximum due to challenges faced by IT penetration in the state. This paper presents the design of a Government Cloud (G-Cloud) network for Ondo State Government which will provide Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as Service (SaaS) to major government establishments and citizens within Ondo State. In designing the G-Cloud a mathematical model of cloud computing data center was adapted to design the network; and specifications from cloud management software were used to deploy the (AMD)-Virtualized server. The simulation results from CloudAnalyst and Cloudsim show that utilizing one data center with 50Vitual Machines (VMs) the response time is 201.10ms and on increasing the number of data center to five with 50VMs per data center, the response time reduced to 56.10ms. The paper proposes a G- Cloud with five data centers that can be adopted by the state government to close the digital divide gap, or a start-up G-Cloud with one data center at a lower cost. http://dx.doi. org/10.4314/njt.v35i3. 20
Special Section : Stable Isotope Approaches in Vadose Zone Research

Recent developments in the measurement, modeling, and application of stable isotope tools to provide insights on water flow, transport, biogeochemical, and ecological processes in the vadose zone have motivated a special section in Vadose Zone Journal. We give an overview of recent advances and challenges in stable isotope approaches in the vadose zone and present the key findings from the five manuscripts in this special section. These five manuscripts advance our understanding of (i) analytical developments in water stable isotope analysis, (ii) modeling of water and transport within the soil matrix using water stable isotopes, and (iii) using compound-specific isotope analysis for identifying the fate of nonaqueous-phase liquids in the unsaturated zone.
A simple implementation of the statistical modelling framework Gadget for cod in Icelandic waters

Gadget is a statistical modelling framework that can be used to assess individual fish stocks and to create multispecies, multi-fleet and multi-area models. The development of a complex multispecies model requires understanding of the modelled single-species population. Simple single-species models are essential in evaluating whether more complex models increase understanding of the population dynamics. In this paper, Gadget is illustrated using a single-species case study with two stock components on one area. Features of the implementation include immature and mature stock components, a maturation process, along with commercial and survey fleets. Parameter estimation is done using maximum likelihood based on a variety of datasets. The estimated parameters relate to growth, maturation, fleet selection, recruitment and the initial population. The data types used to calculate the likelihood include survey indices and biological samples from the commercial catch and surveys. Optimisation of the model, along with a protocol to estimate appropriate weighting of the likelihood components, is described. A range of different assumptions and estimation methods are evaluated including the effect of reduced data availability on parameter estimation by excluding age data from the likelihood components.
A Miniature Legged Hexapod Robot Controlled by a FPGA

The preliminary design of a robot for future planetary space applications is presented. This hexapod robot has legs inspired by the spider, which it uses to manoeuvre across horizontal surfaces. Designed as a scientific platform for future research, mechanically, this robot is lightweight, compact and modular. A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is used as a controller, with one soft processor controlling each leg, adding additional modularity. This robot is shown to be capable of walking across horizontal surfaces, and future versions will be capable of climbing vertically, using bio-inspired dry adhesives.
Changes in size at maturity of Fraser River sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) (1952–1993) and associations with temperature

Unlike other Canadian Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), long-term declines in the size at maturity of Fraser River sockeye salmon (O. nerka) have not been reported in past studies. Using data specific for 10 Fraser River sockeye stocks, we demonstrate that size at maturity has generally declined over the past 42 yr for females in all stocks and for males from eight stocks. Independent of this temporal trend, we found that size at maturity of both sexes in all stocks was smaller in years when sea surface temperatures were relatively warm. Slower growth in warmer years may be caused directly by increased metabolic demand, or indirectly by oceanic changes that influence food acquisition. We speculate that fitness of Fraser River sockeye will be reduced in the future if sea surface temperature increases and salmon abundance remains near present levels. Resume : Contrairement ‡ diautres saumons du Pacifique (Oncorhynchus spp.) canadiens, on nia pas signalO dans les Otudes antOrieures de dOclin ‡ long terme de la taille ‡ maturitO du saumon sockeye (O. nerka) du fleuve Fraser. Nous avons