Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization by numerical taxonomy and ribotyping of Vibrio splendidus biovar I and Vibrio scophthalmi strains associated with turbot cultures

Twelve Vibrio strains were examined phenotypically in 91 biochemical characters and genotypically by ribotyping. Ten were isolated from sea water and two from diseased turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). All isolates originated from one experimental system located in Ría de Vigo (Galicia, north‐west Spain). Different type strains were used for comparative purposes. The taxonomic position was analysed with the NTSYST‐pc and similarities among strains were calculated by the Simple Matching coefficient (SSM). rRNA gene restriction patterns were performed with the HindIII enzyme. The SSM coefficient separated the 12 Vibrio strains into two groups which included strains that showed a SSM coefficient quite similar to V. splendidus biovar I (ATCC 33125) and V. scophthalmi (CECT 4638). None of 91 phenotypical characters were specific in distinguishing both species. The ribotyping confirmed the taxonomic classification of strains. The pathogenicity of each strain was evaluated; 10 environmental strains were avirulent and two, isolated from diseased turbot, were virulent. Different biotypes and ribotypes were found among the avirulent isolates. This work showed ribotyping to be a valuable tool for identification and confirmed the necessity of extending the ribotype database within closely related Vibrio species in order to clarify the taxonomic position.
EFFECT OF DIET DILUTION IN THE STARTER PERIOD ON PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF BROILER CHICKS

The effect of energy and protein dilution in the starter period (8 to 14 days) of age, on performance and carcass characteristics of 360 Arian male chicks was studied in a completely randomised design. This experiment consisted of 6 treatments, 4 replicates, with 15 chicks per replicate. In order to dilute the diets six levels (0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20) percent of ground wood charcoal was used. Chicks were fed with starter and grower diet from 15 to 21 and 22 to 42 days of age respectively. During the experiment feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio were measured weekly. Mortality was measured throughout the experiment. At 43 day of age 4 chicks each treatment was selected and carcass characteristics were measured. The results indicated that dilution of diet from 8 to 14 days of age increased feed intake in this period but the differences were not signifi cant. With increasing dilution rate body weight gain of chicks signifi cantly decreased in comparison to control group (P< 0.05). Due to compensatory growth after restricted period, there was not signifi cant difference in body weight among restricted and control groups at 42 days of age. There was not signifi cant difference among the treatments for feed conversion ratio in whole period of the experiment (8 to 42 day). Similarly, there was not signifi cant difference among the treatments for caloric conversion ratio in whole period of the experiment (8 to 42 day). Mortality rate in restricted groups was signifi cantly lower than control group (P<0.05). Diet dilution hadn’t signifi cant effect on carcass, breast meat, drumsticks, thighs, liver, intestine, abdominal fat percentages. The results of the present study indicated that broiler chicks could withstand a 7-day period (from 8 to 14 days) feed restriction with ground wood charcoal in early age without loss in performance.
A Case Study of Automating User Experience-Oriented Performance Testing on Smartphones

We have developed a platform named Advanced Test Environment (ATE) for supporting the design and the automatic execution of UX tests for applications running on Android smartphones. The platform collects objective metrics used to estimate the UX. In this paper, we investigate the extent that the metrics captured by ATE are able to approximate the results that are obtained from UX testing with real human users. Our findings suggest that ATE produces UX estimations that are comparable to those reported by human users. We have also compared ATE with three widespread benchmark tools that are commonly used in the industry, and the results show that ATE outperforms these tools.
Modeling and Analysis of Cascade Multilevel DC-DC Boost Converter Topologies Based on H-bridge Switched Inductor

In this study investigation is done on an H-bridge switched inductor base cascade multilevel DC-DC boost converter. The proposed multilevel DC-DC boost converter topology improves the conversion efficiency of traditional topology. The proposed boost converter topology is differing from the traditional topology by the addition of switched inductor circuit. The switched inductor improved the conversion ratio gain of the boost converter circuit. The switched inductor provides a very large output voltage with different output DC levels which makes it suitable for multilevel application. Then, the mode I and mode II of operation of switched inductor are analyzed. The use of proposed switched inductor base multilevel DC-DC boost converter improved the power quality and reduced the switching frequency. The proposed DC-DC boost converter topology simulated in MATLAB/Simulink working platform and the conversion performance is evaluated. Then, the conversion performance of proposed H-bridge switched inductor based topology is compared with single level and multilevel cascade boost converter topologies.
CANINE DISTEMPER IN TERRESTRIAL CARNIVORES: A REVIEW

Abstract Canine distemper virus is a member of the genus Morbillivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. Canine distemper has been recorded in domestic dogs for centuries. It is now recognized as a worldwide problem of carnivores and has the second highest fatality rate of any infectious disease, after rabies, in domestic dogs. The importance of this disease in nondomestic animals has become evident with vaccine-induced infections in a variety of species and large-scale epidemics in captive and free-ranging felids. To date, canine distemper has been reported in all families of terrestrial carnivores: Canidae, Felidae, Hyaenidae, Mustelidae, Procyonidae, Ursidae, and Viverridae. Veterinarians, including those working with nondomestic carnivores, should be familiar with the clinical signs, diagnosis, and clinical management of this disease.
Mucosal delivery of bacterial antigens and CpG oligonucleotides formulated in biphasic lipid vesicles in pigs

The ineffectiveness of simple delivery of soluble antigens to mucosal membranes for immunization has stimulated extensive studies of strategies for appropriate delivery systems and adjuvants. Biphasic lipid vesicles are formulations suitable for the delivery of proteins, peptides, and oligo/polynucleotides. The purpose of these studies was to investigate the ability of biphasic lipid vesicles (as vaccinetargeting adjuvants) containing a bacterial antigen and unmethylated oligonucleotides containing CGdinucleotides-CpG motifs (CpG ODNs) to induce systemic and mucosal immune responses in pigs. Results showed that while the protein, either alone or with CpG ODNs, did not induce mucosal immune responses, administration of antigen and CpG ODNs in biphasic lipid vesicles resulted in induction of boty systemic and local antibody responses after immunization using a combined mucosal/systemic approach.
Bilateral control of master-slave manipulators for ideal kinesthetic coupling-formulation and experiment

The analysis and design of master-slave teleoperation system are discussed in order to build a superior master-slave system that can provide good maneuverability. The authors first analyze one degree-of-freedom systems considering operator and object dynamics. Secondly, they define some ideal responses of master-slave system, and a quantitative performance index is given based on the concept of the ideal responses in order to evaluate the maneuverability of the system. Thirdly, they propose new control schemes of master-slave manipulators which can provide the ideal object realities so that the operator can feel the object through the system ass though he were manipulating it himself. Lastly, the proposed control scheme is examined by a prototype master-slave system, and its validity is confirmed experimentally. <<ETX>>
Role of externalization and composite interactions in the exploration of complex visualization spaces: a usability study

Complex visualization spaces are not easy to explore. This is especially true of exploring 4D mathematical structures due to occlusion and visual clutter. In this paper, we present preliminary results involving a usability study of two strategies for designing interaction strategies, namely, externalization and composite interactions, to aid in the exploration of 4D mathematical structures. Study results show the potential benefits of these two strategies for exploring complex mathematical structures, in particular, and other complex visualization spaces, in general.
Demand-driven pointer analysis

Known algorithms for pointer analysis are “global” in the sense that they perform an exhaustive analysis of a program or program component. In this paper we introduce a demand-driven approach for pointer analysis. Specifically, we describe a demand-driven flow-insensitive, subset-based, con text-insensitive points-to analysis. Given a list of pointer variables (a query), our analysis performs just enough computation to determine the points-to sets for these query variables. Using deductive reachability formulations of both the exhaustive and the demand-driven analyses, we prove that our algorithm is correct. We also show that our analysis is optimal in the sense that it does not do more work than necessary. We illustrate the feasibility and efficiency of our analysis with an implementation of demand-driven points-to analysis for computing the call-graphs of C programs with function pointers. The performance of our system varies substantially across benchmarks - the main factor is how much of the points-to graph must be computed to determine the call-graph. For some benchmarks, only a small part of the points-to graph is needed (e.g pouray emacs and gcc), and here we see more than a 10x speedup. For other benchmarks (e.g. burlap and gimp), we need to compute most (> 95%) of the points-to graph, and here the demand-driven algorithm is considerably slower, because using the demand-driven algorithm is a slow method of computing the full points-to graph.
Multi-class Video Objects Segmentation Based on Conditional Random Fields

Video object segmentation has been widely used in many fields. A conditional random fields (CRF) model is proposed to achieve accurate multi-class segmentation of video objects in the complex environment. By using CRF, the color, texture, motion characteristics and neighborhood relations of objects are modeled to construct the corresponding energy functions in both the temporal and spatial domains. The model is trained with annotated samples by using LogitBoost classifier. The energy function is amended by adding a constraint factor which is used to indicate the interaction between two adjacent images in the video sequence. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve high performance for multi-class objects segmentation in videos under complex environment. It can also get good recognition results when dealing with multi-viewed objects or serious sheltered objects. Copyright © 2014 IFSA Publishing, S. L.
Studies in Human Atrial Flutter with the Use of Proximity Electrodes

Ten patients with the electrocardiographic diagnosis of atrial flutter were investigated by exploration with electrodes within the esophagus and the right atrium. The records obtained were studied in regard to the timing of the intrinsic deflection and the contour of the atrial waves, as recorded at various sites.In four patients, atrial activation progressed in sequence cephalad in the left atrial wall and caudad in the right atrium. This process continued through two thirds of the total atrial cycle, favoring “circus movement” as the underlying mechanism. In six other patients, activation was believed to originate low in the left atrium, with simultaneous spread of excitation of both atrial walls in a general cephalad direction and terminating within the first half (usually the first third) of the atrial cycle. This pattern is compatible with, but not conclusive of, an ectopic focal mechanism. Serial records in one patient are presented in which transformation of one type into a second type of atrial flutter is suggested. It is likely that at least two mechanisms are present in human atrial flutter.
Metacognition and reading awareness among samples of nine‐year‐olds in two cities

Summary This short report investigates children's metacognitive awareness and reading. It derives from a larger project which is seeking to understand how literacy and learning are conceptualized by pupils and teachers and, more particularly, to understand how pedagogy supports (and hinders) the acquisition of metacognitive awareness and learning strategies among nine‐year‐olds. It addresses the question: what metacognitive reading awareness have English and Irish pupils? ; and a further question probed is: how does this awareness vary according to reading ability, country and primary classroom? A brief review of some relevant literature con‐textualizes the empirical study which is based on semi‐structured interviews with 60 pupils in schools located in urban areas of disadvantage in Leeds and Dublin.
The stick insect antenna as a biological paragon for an actively moved tactile probe for obstacle detection

We propose the stick insect antenna as a biological model for the study of the tactile sense and its active use in guiding leg movements. During walking, stick insects perform rhythmic antennal movements which are well-coordinated with leg movements. Antennal contact with an obstacle can lead to rapid adaptation of the ongoing leg movement, e.g. by re-targeting of a swing movement. The typical antennal movement pattern is sufficient to reliably detect obstacles of critical height, i.e. where leg reflexes alone will not suffice to overcome the obstacle. The technical application of insect-like actively moved tactile probes on a legged robot may provide a simple, fast and reliable means of object detection within the working range of the front legs.
Precise Spatiotemporal Control of Optogenetic Activation Using an Acousto-Optic Device

Light activation and inactivation of neurons by optogenetic techniques has emerged as an important tool for studying neural circuit function. To achieve a high resolution, new methods are being developed to selectively manipulate the activity of individual neurons. Here, we report that the combination of an acousto-optic device (AOD) and single-photon laser was used to achieve rapid and precise spatiotemporal control of light stimulation at multiple points in a neural circuit with millisecond time resolution. The performance of this system in activating ChIEF expressed on HEK 293 cells as well as cultured neurons was first evaluated, and the laser stimulation patterns were optimized. Next, the spatiotemporally selective manipulation of multiple neurons was achieved in a precise manner. Finally, we demonstrated the versatility of this high-resolution method in dissecting neural circuits both in the mouse cortical slice and the Drosophila brain in vivo. Taken together, our results show that the combination of AOD-assisted laser stimulation and optogenetic tools provides a flexible solution for manipulating neuronal activity at high efficiency and with high temporal precision.
A single input three output model based approach to color texture generation

An innovative unsupervised color texture, model based, synthesis method is presented. It aims to reproduce a color texture perceptually similar to a given prototype. To achieve this task, we reconstruct the texture on a stochastic base, matching the prototype's statistics up to the second order to the synthesized texture ones. The model employed allows to replace the multiple input multiple output filters, which have to be used in the general case, with more simple structures, leading to a dramatical computational complexity reduction without affecting the results quality.
Risk Factors and Molecular Epidemiology of Community-Onset Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Bacteremia

Purpose Inadequate empirical therapy for severe infections caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBLEC) is associated with poor outcomes. This study was designed to investigate risk factors for community-onset ESBLEC bacteremia at admission to a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods A case-control study was performed that included all episodes of ESBLEC bacteremia in the outpatient department or within 48 hours of admission from January 2005 to March 2009. Data on predisposing factors were collected. The molecular epidemiology of ESBLEC clinical isolates was also determined. Results Among 25281 blood cultures, 60 episodes of ESBLEC bacteremia were studied, which accounted for 7% of all E. coli bacteremia at admission. Healthcare-associated infection [odds ratio (OR), 8.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.4-28.7; p=0.001], malignancy (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 1.3-16.3; p=0.018), urinary tract infection (OR, 139.1; 95% CI, 24.6-788.2; p<0.001), hepatobiliary infection (OR, 79.1; 95% CI, 13.5-463.8; p<0.001), third generation cephalosporin usage during preceding 3 months (OR, 16.4; 95% CI, 2.0-131.8; p=0.008), and severe sepsis/septic shock (OR, 73.7; 95% CI, 12.4-438.5; p<0.001) were determined as independent risk factors for community-onset ESBLEC bacteremia. The most common extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) gene identified was blaCTX-M-15 (n=31) followed by blaCTX-M-14 (n=23). Conclusion The most common types of ESBLs in E. coli causing community-onset bacteremia were CTX-M-15 and CTX-M-14 in Korea. By result of decision tree analysis, the empirical use of carbapenems is suggested only for patients with severe sepsis/septic shock, hepatobiliary infection, or healthcare-associated urinary tract infection.
Validasi Modul “SHARING” untuk Fasilitator Program Antiperundungan

Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk menguji modul "SHARING" dalam meningkatkan pengetahuan antiperundungan dan keterampilan presentasi antiperundungan kepada teman sebaya. Desain penelitian yang digunakan adalah one group pretest-posttest design. Analisis kuantitatif dilakukan melalui uji statistik menggunakan paired t-test. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan peningkatan yang signifikan antara pretest dan posttest pada pengetahuan antiperundungan (t=- 6,254, p<0,01), serta keterampilan presentasi antiperundungan (t=- 17,872, p<0,01) pada partisipan penelitian. Kesimpulannya adalah modul "SHARING" dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan antiperundungan dan keterampilan presentasi antiperundungan partisipan penelitian.
Position and time-delay calibration of transducer elements in a sparse array for underwater ultrasound imaging

This paper describes a novel method for the calibration of the position and time delay of transducer elements in a large, sparse array used for underwater, high-resolution ultrasound imaging. This method is based on the principles used in the global positioning system (GPS). However, unlike GPS, in which the wave propagation speed is generally assumed known, the sound propagation speed in the water usually is unknown and it is calibrated simultaneously in this method to achieve high calibration accuracy. In this method, a high-precision positioning system is used to scan a single hydrophone (used for transmission) in the imaging field of the array. The hydrophone transmits pulses at selected positions, and the transducer elements in the sparse array receive the transmitted signals. Time of flight (TOF) values between transducer elements and hydrophone positions then are measured. From a series of measured TOF values, the position and time delay values for each transducer element as well as the propagation speed can be calibrated. The performances of the calibration algorithm are theoretically analyzed and evaluated with numerical calculations and simulation studies. It is found that this method is capable of calibrating the positions and time delays of transducer elements with high accuracy
Strukturen, Strategien und Integrationsformen transnationaler Konzerne

Transnational economic structures in general and transnational corporations in particular are a new phenomenon that has not received enough sociological attention up to the present. This empirical study of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's (UNCTAD) annual list of the 100 largest transnational corporations of the world shows that structure - measured in the three dimensions: material, operational and social transnationalization - as well as strategy - for this part, annual reports of selected transnational corporations have been scrutinized - are increasingly transnationally aligned. In addition, these processes exhibit circular trajectories: the actors perceive their global field as transnationalized, which motivates them to embark on more transnationalized strategies which again feeds transnationalization of structure
Non-invasive laser Doppler perfusion measurements of large tissue volumes and human skeletal muscle blood RMS velocity

This study proposes the implementation of an algorithm allowing one to derive absolute blood root-mean-square (RMS) velocity values from laser Doppler perfusion meter (LDP) data. The algorithm is based on the quasi-elastic light scattering theory and holds for multiple scattering. While standard LDP measurements are normally applicable to a small region of interest (∼1 mm2), the present method allows the analysis of both small and large tissue volumes with small and large interoptode spacings (e.g., 1.5 cm). The applicability and the limits of the method are demonstrated with measurements on human skeletal muscle using a custom-built near-infrared LDP meter. Human brachioradialis muscle RMS velocity values of 9.99 ± 0.01 and 5.58 ± 0.03 mm s−1 at 1.5 cm and of 5.18 ± 0.01 and 2.54 ± 0.09 mm s−1 at 2 cm were found when the arm was (a) at rest and (b) occluded, respectively. At very large optode spacings or very high moving particle densities, the theory developed here would need to be amended to take into account second-order effects.
Learning Anxiety in the Language Classroom

It has generally been acknowledged that anxiety is an affective factor that plays a significant role in any learning. A highly specific type of anxiety, foreign language classroom learning anxiety, has been distinguished and recognised as quite common among foreign language learners (Horwitz et al. 1991). The article provides some theoretical considerations related to the issue and presents findings from research on it conducted among Polish secondary school students of English. Conclusions include some practical suggestions for language teachers.