Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of in-situ and ex-situ biofloc on immune response of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia

The present study is aimed to investigate the effect of biofloc intake on Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT), developed within the system and its influence as feed supplementation on water quality, growth performance, immunological parameters, antioxidant status, immune gene expression, and its resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila infection. GIFT Tilapia juveniles of 5.1 g (± 0.05) were stocked at a density of 15/m3 in lined ponds of 300m2 in triplicates for 180 days. The experimental groups consisted of T1-biofloc developed within the culture systems (insitu), T2-biofloc supplementation in fish feed (exsitu) and CControl without biofloc. Distillery Spent wash was used as a carbon source to maintain the C/N ratio of 10:1 for floc development in T1. Free CO2, pH, BOD, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, Calcium and Magnesium ions, Nitrate, Nitrite and ammonia were found to be significantly different between the treatments and control throughout the experiment. The immunological (Serum protein, Respiratory burst test (RBT) and Myeloperoxidase) and antioxidant indicators (Glucose, Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase) were found to be significantly higher in T1 at the end of the trial. Increased weight gain, specific growth rate, survival and decreased feed conversion ratio was found in T1 when compared with the other experimental groups. Real time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that there was no folded expression of the immunological genes such as Metallothionein gene, cathepsin L, Toll like receptor 7, Interleukin 1 β and Tumour necrosis factor α in liver and intestine for both control and treatment. However, the upregulated expression of targeted genes except tumour necrosis factor α was found in head kidney of T1. At the end of the study, GIFT Tilapia when infected with Aeromonas hydrophila showed an improved immune response in T1 and T2 with lesser signs of infection than Control. The findings of the present study affirmed the importance of biofloc technology in triggering the immunomodulatory response of GIFT Tilapia with its upregulated immune gene expression and its role as an antimicrobial agent against Aeromonas hydrophila. This study suggests the adoption of in-situ (T1) based biofloc method to obtain better performance of GIFT Tilapia culture.
A WAY TO EXPANSION PLANNING OF DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS COMPONENTS

In this paper the new developed Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA) is used for the optimal expansion planning of radial distribution network. By optimal sizing, siting, and timing of medium voltage network main components such as HV substation and MV feeder’s route, the topology of Medium Voltage (MV) distribution network as backbone of electric power distribution systems is designed. A multistage expansion planning procedure is presented to consider load growth uncertainty, asset management, and geographical constraints. The Greedy algorithm used to solve the radial configuration of the mesh network. The capability of the algorithm has been tested on an under developed relatively large-scale distribution network.
Ultrasonic Velocity Evaluation of Three Grades of Heat Treated Steel

Ultrasonic testing (UT) is typically used for crack and/or flaw detection in many materials. In addition, the velocity (and/or attenuation) of the ultrasonic waves can be used to assess the microstructure of the material. The work presented in this paper explores the effect of steel type/microstructure on ultrasonic wave velocity. A series of heat treatments – ranging from water quenching to furnace cooling to obtain a variety of microstructures (i.e. martensite, bainite and ferrite + pearlite) was applied to three grades of steel: L80, 4130 and 5160. For each heat treatment, the longitudinal (L80) and shear velocity were measured. Optical microscopy and hardness were used to determine the phase(s) present in the steels. In addition, wave velocities through the thickness of the as-received L80 steel strip were also measured. X-ray diffraction analysis of the as-received L80 samples was conducted to assess the magnitude of preferred orientation (texture) in the steel strip. For both the heat treated and as-received steels, the measured velocities were compared with predicted velocities calculated using either an isotropic or anisotropic methodology. For the heat treated steels, the shear velocity decreased appreciably with both a change in microstructure (ferrite to martensite) and increasing steel hardness. The predicted values of both longitudinal and shear velocity for martensite compared favourably with the measured values.
Firm size and export performance : Evidence from Uruguayan manufacturing SMEs Preliminary draft

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are recognized as an important driving force in economic development, both in industrialized and developing countries. Despite their increasingly active role in foreign markets, evidence drawn mainly from developed economies indicates that several obstacles still constrain SMEs’ international activities, affecting these firms’ ability to seize opportunities and confront threats emanating from the globalization process. This paper provides a developing country perspective on this issue, empirically evaluating the relationship between size and firms’ involvement in export markets in the case of the Uruguayan manufacturing industry. Using detailed firm-level panel data covering the period 1997-2005, this study investigates how enterprise size relates to five dimensions of firms’ export performance: export propensity, export intensity, product scope, geographic scope, and export survival. Controlling for other firm characteristics that may be associated with export activities, as well as for unobserved firm heterogeneity, the results obtained suggest that the inherent resource constraints that characterize SMEs might be hampering these firms’ participation in export markets. These findings provide support for the argument that policymakers should develop specific initiatives regarding internationalization of SMEs. Given the important role played by SMEs in the Uruguayan economy, the improvement of their international insertion is crucial for strengthening the country’s export performance, as well as for enhancing the impact of exports on the rest of the economy.
HTar: Hidden Markov Model Based MicroRNA Binding Site Prediction

MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression. MicroRNA may binds to mRNAs and control the intended function of mRNAs. There are a handful of computational algorithms for target prediction, but the degree of false positives and false negatives are high. In this paper, we propose a Hidden Markov Model for seed prediction and a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier for target prediction. Positive data set for training has been collected from experimentally validated targets, while negative data set has been identified systematically from predicted false positives. Each mRNA target candidate sequence is aligned with microRNA sequence and tested for a seed region using the trained HMM model. If the test succeeds, 22 features were extracted from the aligned duplex and fed into an SVM classifier. HMM based seed identification module works with an accuracy of 95.6% and SVM classifier provides 97.49% accuracy. We have compared binding sites of 9 microRNA in 148 m RNAs with the results of validated target sites and our results are more accurate than other approaches.
REPLAY OF THE 2011 MW 9 . 0 GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE IN SIMULATED REAL-TIME MODE WITH INTEGRATED 1 HZ GPS AND 100 HZ ACCELEROMETER DATA FOR RAPID SOURCE CHARACTERIZATION , EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE SPECTRA AND TSUNAMI PREDICTION

We replay real-time data from 190 1 Hz GEONET GPS and 100 Hz NIED accelerometer stations that are within 1-2 km of each other in the region of ground deformation during the 2011 Mw 9.0 Great East Japan earthquake. Using an on-the-fly Kalman filter/smoother, we estimate three-dimensional 100 Hz broadband (static and dynamic) displacements with mm precision. Using the displacements, we derive a finite fault slip model and earthquake response spectra, which are achievable within 3-4 minutes of earthquake initiation. We discuss implications for rapid tsunami warning.
Where to go next ? Mapping Multi Destination Trips Using Geotagged Photographs

Spotting multi-destination trips can be used for destination marketing to create potential marketing synergies. The purpose of this study is to identify multi destination trips in Austria based on the geotagged photos retrieved from the Flickr website. Based on this data, trip patterns were classified as follows: (1) Single destination trips (57%); (2) Base camp trips (30%) and (3) Regional Tour trips (13%). In addition, cluster analysis was conducted to categorize the cities. The first cluster encompasses the eastern part of the country, which includes larger cities such as Vienna and Salzburg and the second cluster refers to the western part of Austria. This can be used for practical purposes, for instance, the destinations which are in the same clusters can have joint marketing campaigns or create shared hiking trails.
A Simple Approach to Classify Fictional and Non-Fictional Genres

In this work, we deploy a logistic regression classifier to ascertain whether a given document belongs to the fiction or non-fiction genre. For genre identification, previous work had proposed three classes of features, viz., low-level (character-level and token counts), high-level (lexical and syntactic information) and derived features (type-token ratio, average word length or average sentence length). Using the Recursive feature elimination with cross-validation (RFECV) algorithm, we perform feature selection experiments on an exhaustive set of nineteen features (belonging to all the classes mentioned above) extracted from Brown corpus text. As a result, two simple features viz., the ratio of the number of adverbs to adjectives and the number of adjectives to pronouns turn out to be the most significant. Subsequently, our classification experiments aimed towards genre identification of documents from the Brown and Baby BNC corpora demonstrate that the performance of a classifier containing just the two aforementioned features is at par with that of a classifier containing the exhaustive feature set.
A commercial micropropagation protocol for virupakshi (AAB) banana via apical meristem

In vitro micropropagation of banana (Musa spp.) cv.virupakshi (Hillbanana) was studied. Suckers were collected from the germ plasm block of Jain R&D (originally established from the suckers from Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu) during summer. The sucker surface sterilized with 1% NaOCl for 30 min gave 100% survival without any contamination. Apical meristems that were isolated and cultured on MS based media supplemented with benzylaminopurine (BAP) 10.0 mg/l and IAA1.0 mg/l gave higher number of shoots (134.3 shoots/explant) within168 days (24 weeks). Kinetin 2.0 mg/l and NAA0.5 mg/l gave early rooting in just five days with 6.6 roots per plant. Observations were recorded after every four weeks up to six sub-culturing. Acclimatization was done in poly house, followed by shade house under 50% light conditions. The hardened plants when shifted to the field showed luxurious growth. The regenerated micro propagated banana plants were tested for genetic uniformity through 13 inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers recommended by NCS-TCP, DBT. Profiles obtained by all the three ISSR primers namely, 834, 840 and 850, respectively exhibited similar banding patterns, which revealed the existence of genetic uniformity in micropropagated plants.
Natural selection and repeated patterns of molecular 1 evolution following allopatric divergence 2

Natural selection and repeated patterns of molecular 1 evolution following allopatric divergence 2 Yibo Dong, Shichao Chen, Shifeng Cheng, Wenbin Zhou, Qing Ma, Zhiduan Chen, Cheng-Xin Fu, 3 Xin Liu, Yun-Peng Zhao, Pamela S. Soltis, Gane Ka-Shu Wong, Douglas E. Soltis , Qiu-Yun(Jenny) 4 Xiang 5 6 Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA 7 Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA 8 Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA 9 School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 210092, China 10 Beijing Genomics Institute, Building No.7, BGI Park, No.21 Hong’an 3rd Street, Yantian District, Shenzhen 11 518083, China 12 Laboratory of Systematic & Evolutionary Botany and Biodiversity, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang 13 University, Hangzhou 310058, China 14 State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of 15 Sciences, Beijing 100093, China 16 Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, 17 Canada 18 Plant Biology Division, Noble Research Institute, 2510 Sam Noble Pkwy, Ardmore, OK 73401, USA 19
Aalborg Universitet Organ Segmentation in Poultry Viscera Using RGB -

We present a pattern recognition framework for semantic segmentation of visual structures, that is, multi-class labelling at pixel level, and apply it to the task of segmenting organs in the eviscerated viscera from slaughtered poultry in RGB-D images. This is a step towards replacing the current strenuous manual inspection at poultry processing plants. Features are extracted from feature maps such as activation maps from a convolutional neural network (CNN). A random forest classifier assigns class probabilities, which are further refined by utilizing context in a conditional random field. The presented method is compatible with both 2D and 3D features, which allows us to explore the value of adding 3D and CNN-derived features. The dataset consists of 604 RGB-D images showing 151 unique sets of eviscerated viscera from four different perspectives. A mean Jaccard index of 78.11% is achieved across the four classes of organs by using features derived from 2D, 3D and a CNN, compared to 74.28% using only basic 2D image features.
DIRECTORS EDUCATED IN WESTERN COUNTRIES AND CORPORATE SOCIAL DISCLOSURE: EVIDENCE FROM VIETNAM

This study investigates the effect of directors educated in Western countries on corporate social disclosure (CSD) of Vietnamese listed firms. CSD is measured based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. The 2014 annual reports of a sample of the firms listed on Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE) and Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) in Vietnam were examined to assess the extent of CSD and the impact of directors educated in Western countries on CSD. This study reports a low extent of CSD in the annual reports of Vietnamese listed firms. The finding shows a significantly positive relationship between the proportion of directors educated in Western countries on the board of directors and CSD. Evidence from this study extends the existing CSD literature on emerging economies and providing valuable insights to Vietnamese policy makers in better understanding Vietnamese listed firms’ CSD practices to develop and improve the reporting framework.
RPC operational stability in the ARGO-YBJ experiment

The peculiar environmental condition that the ARGO-YBJ detector has to face at the YangBaJing experimental site (4300 meters a.s.l.) affects the operation of the ARGO-YBJ Resistive Plate Chambers both on a daily and a seasonal basis. The operational stability of the ARGO-YBJ RPCs is checked by the Detector Control System which monitors the significant parameters related to the detector and to the environment state. In particular, it is crucial to consider both temperature and barometric pressure changes in order to monitor the changes in the density of the gas mixture of the ARGO-YBJ RPCs while the experiment is running. The detailed monitoring of temperature, atmospheric pressure and RPC absorption current was studied over a long time period, in order to determine how these quantities are correlated with one another and to assess the stability of the RPC operation.
INFLUENCE OF SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION AND SUBSOIL CONSOLIDATION IN THE SEISMIC RESPONSE OF A BUILDING

Nowadays, there are a few dozen of seismically-instrumented buildings in Mexico, from which one of the best instrumented was selected for this paper (PC building). The building is a 17-storey reinforced concrete structure located in Mexico City. It is founded on soft soil through an embedded box supported on friction piles. The building is one of the several structures that were damaged during the Michoacán earthquake (September 19th of 1985, Mw =8.1) and it was later retrofitted. Since 1990 an accelerometer network is operating in the building. Twenty-five seismic events have been recorded and analyzed through these 26 years of continuous monitoring. The maximum responses recorded in the building until 2015 in terms of maximum acceleration and displacement have been 0.22 g and 24 cm respectively. The maximum drift, calculated by dividing the relative displacements by the vertical distance between instrumented stories, has been 0.55%. The purpose of this paper is to present the variations of the vibration frequencies of the soil-structure system and the vibration frequencies of the structure excluding the effects of soil-structure interaction (SSI). In addition, the influence of the building damage and of the increase of the site dominant frequency in defining the vibration frequency of the whole soil-structure system is discussed. The analyses of the aforementioned records are studied with a simplified model and by using a system identification technique based on the Modal Minimization Method (MM model). Both models are used to identify the vibration frequencies of fixed-base buildings and to evaluate if the frequency variations of the systems correlate with SSI effects. It was found that the MM model is a useful tool for identifying the frequencies of the fixed base building, the movement of the base, and of the whole system.
Targeting host protein G3BP1 for the discovery of novel antiviral inhibitors against the Chikungunya virus

Molecular interactions of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) non-structural protein 3 (nsP3) with GTPase Activating Protein SH3 Domain Binding Protein 1 (G3BP1) host protein is important for efficient replication of CHIKV. CHIKV nsP3 protein binds to the nuclear transport factor 2 (NTF2) -like domain of G3BP1 via two tandem FGDF motifs and disrupts the stress granules (SGs) formation. Interestingly, this makes the G3BP1 host protein an additional drug target for antiviral research. In this study, seven potential small molecules-targeting FGDF motif binding pocket of G3BP1 have been identified using structure-based virtual screening approach. Binding energies and binding modes of the molecules were further analyzed in detail through molecular docking, dynamics and simulations. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) experiments confirmed the binding of identified molecules to purified G3BP1 with binding affinities in micromolar (μM) range. The antiviral efficacy of molecules targeting G3BP1 was evaluated by in vitro cell culture-based antiviral studies. All seven molecules L-7, WIN, SB2, NAL, DHD, GSK and FLU effectively diminished the CHIKV replication with EC50 values of 1.996, 0.403, 5.387, 1.528, 7.394, 3.664, and 0.618 µM, respectively. Moreover, the CHIKV infected cells treated with these molecules seemed to have fewer virus-induced SGs than virus infected control cells. Interestingly, the inhibitors showed no adverse effect on SG formation in oxidative stress condition. It further substantiated that these inhibitors effectively bind to the NTF2-like domain of G3BP1, obstruct the nsP3-G3BP1 interactions, and halts virus replication. This is the first report of small molecules targeting G3BP1, the host protein playing a crucial role in CHIKV viral replication and in the formation of SGs for host antiviral response.
IMPACT OF TRADE COSTS ON EXPORT PERFORMANCE OF ETHIOPIA – A PPML PANEL GRAVITY EQUATION

Benat Mohammedamin Mussa Email: benataman@gmail.com and Gollagari Ramakrishna E.mail: Profgrk@gmail.com ECSU, Addis Ababa Abstract Purpose– the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of trade costs on exportperformance of Ethiopia for the period of 2010 -2015. Design/Methodology/ApproachWhilst two types of panel data models: pooled model and importers and exporter fixed effects model have been used, the Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML) estimation procedure has been employed in their estimation. FindingsThe results indicate that trade costs such as distance had a significant negative impact on exports of Ethiopia. In contrast, tariff rate and GDP of Ethiopia had no impact on exports. The empirical results also revealed that Ethiopia trades more with landlocked countries than with coastal countries. Research Limitations/ImplicationsIt is suggested that the country would be better off if it exports to its neighbouring countries and participates in regional linkages with its neighbouring countries. The study also recommends that focusing on trade facilitation measures such as making trade information available, harmonization and simplification of documents help reduce trade costs. Originality/ValueThe main contribution of the paper compared to other studies on Ethiopia lies in its approach in addressing the impact of trade costs on exports and using PPML gravity equation estimation.
Dry matter yield of six legume species in response to lime over 3 years at Glenmore Station , Mackenzie Basin

ISSN 2463-2872 (Print) ISSN 2463-2880 (Online) Abstract The production and persistence of legumes which may improve South Island high-country pasture in the Mackenzie Basin were studied. The initial soil test results confirmed toxic levels of aluminium (9 mg/kg, 0-150 mm soil depth) that has prevented the development of large areas of land traditionally grazed by merino sheep and beef cattle. A 3-year field experiment was direct-drilled in December 2012 with five rates (0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 t/ha) of surface applied lime and six legumes (lucerne, ‘Russell’ lupin, Caucasian clover, white clover, balansa, and Lotus pedunculatus) in three replicates. In Year 1, balansa clover and Russell lupin were the highest yielding legumes (7 t DM/ha), regardless of lime application rates. In Year 2 ‘Russell’ lupin was the highest (10.4 t DM/ha). Caucasian clover produced 4.6 t DM/ha and white clover and lucerne around 4.0 t DM/ha. Balansa clover (1.4 t DM/ha) and Lotus pedunculatus (2.5 t DM/ha) were the lowest yielding and they did not recover or persist after the initial grazing by merino sheep. These results confirmed that ‘Russell’ lupin and Caucasian clover thrived without the application of lime in this acidic soil with high Al levels.