Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SMALL FARM RESERVOIR AS A SUPPLEMENTAL IRRIGATION SOURCE FOR CROPS PLANTED ON MARGINAL LAND

Rainwater harvesting is a water conservation measures. Water is harvested in addition to reducing runoff, and erosion control can be used as a supplemental source of irrigation for crops on marginal land. A study was conducted to test the effectiveness of a small pool of rainwater harvesting usually termed as a small farm reservoir (SFRs) as a complementary source of irrigation water in improving the productivity of farming on marginal land. The experiment was conducted from December 2005 to August 2007 in Buanasakti, East Lampung, Indonesia. Three SFRs with a volume of 7 x 3 x 2.5 m (50 m 3 were made ​​on upland at sloping area (8-15%) of ​​1.5 ha. Further rain was deposited to be used by farmers for crop watering, especially in the early dry season. Extensive planting of crops that can be irrigated with SFRs, based on consideration of the farmers themselves. Observation result indicated that the SFRs were used by the farmers to water the vegetables and tobacco plants with different extents. However, on average, the presence of SFRs increased the planting area of vegetables such as beans and cucumbers in the dry season to 650%. Increased intensity of cultivation of vegetables and tobacco cultivation also increase farmers' income of 1.5 ha of marginal land as much as 37.49%. Keywords: small farm reservoir, supplemental irrigation, vegetables, marginal land
Impacts of Channelization on Stream Habitats and Associated Fish Assemblages in East Central Indiana

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between fish assemblage and habitat in streams dominated by an agricultural landscape. Fishes from 20 natural and 20 channelized streams were sampled using electrofishing gear in east central Indiana. Streams that had been channelized had a lower quality fish assemblage when compared to natural streams as measured by the Indiana V. Eastern Corn Belt Plain Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI). Stream habitat was evaluated using the Ohio EPA Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI), which indicated that channelized streams had lower quality primarily due to a loss of heterogeneous habitat. Pearson correlation analysis relating IBI and QHEI was positive and significant and demonstrated that a reduction in riffle and pool areas associated with channelization was the most significant factor influencing the fish assemblage. Furthermore, species lost when streams were channelized were predictable and often represented environmentally sensitive species. The results of this study suggested that stream channelization has a negative influence on the fish assemblage which should be recognized before any stream development.
Independent reinforcement learners in cooperative Markov games: a survey regarding coordination problems

Abstract In the framework of fully cooperative multi-agent systems, independent (non-communicative) agents that learn by reinforcement must overcome several difficulties to manage to coordinate. This paper identifies several challenges responsible for the non-coordination of independent agents: Pareto-selection, non-stationarity, stochasticity, alter-exploration and shadowed equilibria. A selection of multi-agent domains is classified according to those challenges: matrix games, Boutilier's coordination game, predators pursuit domains and a special multi-state game. Moreover, the performance of a range of algorithms for independent reinforcement learners is evaluated empirically. Those algorithms are Q-learning variants: decentralized Q-learning, distributed Q-learning, hysteretic Q-learning, recursive frequency maximum Q-value and win-or-learn fast policy hill climbing. An overview of the learning algorithms’ strengths and weaknesses against each challenge concludes the paper and can serve as a basis for choosing the appropriate algorithm for a new domain. Furthermore, the distilled challenges may assist in the design of new learning algorithms that overcome these problems and achieve higher performance in multi-agent applications.
Pycnogonida (Arthropoda) from Mersin Bay (Turkey, eastern Mediterranean)

The cuticular d13C values and stomatal parameters (stomatal density and stomatal index: SD and SI) of two Betulaceae species, Betula mioluminifera Hu et Chaney and Carpinus miofangiana Nathorst, from a suite of superposed horizons in West Yunnan, southwestern China, were measured in order to recover Late Pliocene CO2 levels. Correlations are given for d13C, SD, epidermal cell density (ECD), and SI. d13C reveals a positive trend with the SD and SI in the two species, and such a positive correlation can also be observed between the d13C and ECD in C. miofangiana. However, d13C has a slightly negative correlation with the ECD in B. mioluminifera (R2= 0.06), possibly influenced by their different genotypes. Reflecting the changes through time, the d13C values of B. mioluminifera and C. miofangiana significantly increase with high determination coefficients (R2= 0.67 and R2= 0.65, respectively), as do SD (R2= 0.66 and R2= 0.51, respectively) and SI (R2= 0.50 and R2= 0.79, respectively). Research on extant B. luminifera and C. fangiana shows that the SD and especially SI, exhibit a prominent negative correlation with CO2 concentration. Pliocene CO2 levels are reconstructed as 381.5-439.4 ppmv and 377.8-472.3 ppmv, respectively, based on comparisons of the two fossil species with their nearest living equivalent (NLE) species. The significant positive trends of the d13C, SD and SI with ascending position of the fossils in the section indicate that the atmospheric CO2 levels declined in the Late Pliocene (3.30-2.83 Ma). Furthermore, the calculated CO2 levels are higher than in other studies and probably demonstrate that local CO2 enrichment can be caused by frequent volcanic eruptions over a long time scale
LIFE-HISTORY TRAITS OF Stethorus gilvifrons (MULSANT) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) ON PHYTOPHAGOUS MITES Eutetranychus orientalis KLEIN (Acari : Tetranychidae)

The research aims to know the life cycle, feeding and mating behavior of predatory beetle S. gilvifrons, and was conducted at entomology laboratory of Assessment Institute for agricultural technology Malang East Java. The treatments involved feeding behavior and capacity of the various instars and imago of S. gilvifrons. The number of mites consumed within 24 hours by each stage of beetle was also recorded. The average voracity of five individual predators for each instar was determined. The result showed that average life cycle of S. gilvifrons feed on E. orientalis was 4.11 + 0.78; 8 + 1.10; 3.83 + 0.41, respectively for egg, larva and pupa. The predator caught the preys from the front side, then chewed and sucked the body contents of adult preys or consumed the whole egg. The feeding capacity was greater in egglaying than that in non egg-laying females and males. The smallest size of the cage (1.5 cm diameter x 5 cm long) and clear weather were the most preferred situation for S. gilvifrons mating, which usually occurs on the upper leaf surface. The male positioned itself over the female body and extended its aedeagus to reach the female.
Distribution of Wolbachia among neotropical arthropods

Wolbachia are a group of cytoplasmically inherited bacteria that cause reproduction alterations in arthropods, including parthenogenesis, reproductive incompatibility and feminization of genetic males. Two major subdivisions of Wolbachia (A and B) occur. Wolbachia are found in a number of well-studied insects, but their overall distribution in arthropods has not been well studied. A survey for Wolbachia in 157 Panamanian neotropical arthropod species was done using a polymerase chain reaction assay. Wolbachia were detected in 26 of 154 insect species (16.9%) and zero of three arachnids (0%). Extrapolating to the estimated total number of insect species present globally (10—30 million), an estimated 1.69—5.07 million insect species are infected with these bacteria, making Wolbachia an extremely abundant bacterial group. Wolbachia were found in each of the major insect orders examined, including Coleoptera (6/57 infected), Diptera (5/14), Hemiptera/Homoptera (1/7), Hymenoptera (6/23) Lepidoptera (7/43) and Orthoptera (1/8). Of the 26 positives, eight species were found to be singly infected with A group Wolbachia, nine singly with B group Wolbachia and nine doubly infected with both A and B group Wolbachia. Double infections occur at significantly higher frequencies than expected by chance. The abundance of Wolbachia further supports their potential importance as a mechanism for rapid speciation in insects.
Intégration d'une approche structurelle dans un cadre hybride pour la résolution de CSP

C. Prallet et G. Verfaillie ont propose un cadre generique d'algorithmes permettant de combiner des techniques issues des approches completes et incompletes pour la resolution de problemes de satisfaction de contraintes. Les auteurs ont defini une instanciation de ce cadre DR(minDestroy) dont les premiers resultats sont tres prometteurs. Cette instanciation qui realise une recherche locale dans l'ensemble des affectations partielles coherentes, est capable de prouver l'incoherence de certains problemes malgre une recherche a priori incomplete. Nous nous proposons d'etendre ce cadre et cette instanciation en y integrant l'exploitation de la structure du probleme. L'evaluation experimentale menee a demontre un gain considerable sur des instances de CSP structurees
The distribution of tube-dwelling diatom species in the Severn Estuary

Tube-dwelling diatoms are found in a variety of habitats, from marine to fresh water on different types of substrata; rock, wood, plant and animal. I have described species as tube-dwelling (Cox, 1975 b) if they produce mucilage which is consolidated into a tubular structure around the cells, yet within the mucilage tube individual cells move and divide. The tube is usually attached to the substratum at its base and is extended apically by the secretion of more mucilage by the enclosed diatoms. Tube volume thus increases to accommodate the increased endotubular diatom population. The presence of tube-dwelling diatoms on rocky shores has been recorded by some workers (Aleem, 1949, 1950; Castenholz, 1963, 1967; Hopkins, 1964), while Castenholz (1963, 1967) correlated seasonal and distribution patterns of some littoral species with their response to light intensity and day-length. Carter (1932,1933) described the algal flora, including several tube-dwelling species, of two salt marshes but little work has been done on tube-dwelling diatoms occurring in estuaries. During the course of a study on the biology of these diatoms (Cox, 1975 ft) variation in their distribution at two Severn Estuary sites prompted an investigation into their distribution in the estuary as a whole. Diatom distribution was recorded with reference to the geographical location in the estuary and to the position on the shore at two sites lower down the estuary (Clevedon and Weston-Super-Mare).
EFFECT OF COLLECTION FREQUENCY, EXTENDER AND THAWING TEMPERATURE ON THE MOTILITY RECOVERY OF CRYOPRESERVED DROMEDARY CAMEL SPERMATOZOA

The primary objective of this study was to examine ejaculate characteristics and quality of camel bull semen maintained under high (3 /week) and low (2 /week) collection frequencies during the breeding season. Ejaculate characteristics included motility, volume, concentration, detached acrosome, sperm abnormalities, pH, seminal plasma osmolarity and freezing point depression. Significant differences (P<0.01) were observed for ejaculate volume being 13.5 ml versus 7.5 ml for low and high collection frequency, respectively and also pH value (P<0.05) for low frequency of 8.7 versus 8.3 for high frequency semen collection. The second objective was to determine the optimum thawing temperatures (slow thawing vs. rapid thawing) for cryopreserved camel semen extended in tris lactose extender supplemented with different concentrations of α-amylase. Rapid thawing showed higher post-thaw motility for the control samples as well as the samples at different concentrations of the α-amylase treated samples. That leads to an overall significant difference (P<0.01) in post-thaw motility for rapid thawing being 56.33 % compared to 47.66 % for slow thawed cryopreserved samples. No significant effect was detected for neither the detached acrosome percentage nor the sperm abnormalities. According to the present results scheduling a collection program of two semen collection times per week, using alpha-amylase supplemented tris-lactose extender with rapid thawing protocol is recommended for a desired high yield of acceptable insemination doses during the breeding season of male camels.
Effects of salinity on tadpoles of the green and golden bell frog ( Litoria aurea )

We investigated the effects of various salinities on larval growth, metamorphosis and survival in the green and golden bell frog ( Litoria aurea ). This large hylid was formerly common on the east coast of Australia, but now occurs in only a few scattered localities where rising salt is one of a number of potential threats. Tadpoles tolerated salinity up to 4% seawater (sw; 1.58‰) without apparent effect, but salinity of 5.5% sw (1.87‰) and above significantly decreased growth rates and increased mortality. Salinity of 10% sw (4.41‰) caused mortality of all individuals within 72 days, 20% sw within four days, and 25% sw within five hours. Salinities from 10-15% sw (4.41-6.73‰) were tolerated for short periods (up to 3 weeks) before significant weight loss and mortality resulted, indicating a detrimental cumulative effect with high salinity. Metamorphosis occurred frequently below 5.5% sw but did not occur above 5.5% sw. Although L. aurea tadpoles can tolerate moderate salinities, increased salinisation caused by substantial land clearing, urban run-off and accumulation of salt in some waterbodies may contribute to the reduction of populations.
A Framework of Network Connectivity Management in Multi-Clouds Infrastructure

The NFV transformation is gaining incredible momentum from mobile operators as one of the significant solutions to improve resource allocation and system scalability in 5G networks. However, the ultra-dense deployments in 5G create high volumes of traffic that pushes the physical and virtual resources of cloud-based networks to edge limits. Consider a distributed cloud, replacing the core network with virtual entities in the form of VNFs still requires efficient integration with various underlying hardware technologies. Therefore, orchestrating the distribution of load between cloud geo-data centers starts by instantiating virtual and physical network topologies that connect involved fronthaul with relevant VNFs. In this article, we provide a framework to manage calls within 5G network clusters for efficient utilization of computational resources and also to prevent unnecessary signaling. We also propose a new scheme to instantiate virtual tunnels for call forwarding between network clusters leading to new logic networks that combine geo-data centers and fronthaul. To facilitate service chaining in cloud, we propose a new enhanced network functions virtualization management and orchestration (E-MANO) that extends telemetry services to the radio access network for instant monitoring of available radio resources. We provide analysis and testbed results in support of our proposals.
Effects of in Vitro α-particle Irradiation on Osteogenic Bone Marrow Cultures

Murine bone marrow contains osteogenic precursor cells that undergo differentiation during in vitro cultivation. In vitro these cells are potential target cells for α-irradiation-induced bone tumour formation. Under defined tissue culture conditions these differentiating cells were directly exposed to α-particle irradiation from the radon daughter 210Po. Po deposits in soft tissue and it was shown to be associated with marrow cells and with the extracellular marrow tissue formed in vitro. These differentiating marrow cultures showed high sensitivity to α-irradiation. Cell death was observed at 210Po concentrations in tissue culture medium (TCM) > 7 Bq 210Po/ml. At lower concentrations (between 1 and 5 Bq 210Po per ml TCM) proliferation was enhanced as measured by uptake of 3H-thymidine, also differentation was stimulated as measured by alkaline phosphatase activity and incorporation of 3H-proline in newly synthesized collagen. At several times of culture, the association of 210Po with the extracellular ma.
Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus K8β Is Derived from a Spliced Intermediate of K8 Pre-mRNA and Antagonizes K8α (K-bZIP) To Induce p21 and p53 and Blocks K8α-CDK2 Interaction

ABSTRACT Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a lymphotropic DNA tumor virus that induces Kaposi's sarcoma and AIDS-related primary effusion lymphoma. KSHV open reading frame 50 and K8 genes in early viral lytic infection express, respectively, a tricistronic and a bicistronic pre-mRNA, which undergo alternative splicing to create two major spliced mRNA isoforms, α and β, by inclusion (β) or exclusion (α) of an intron at nucleotides 75563 to 75645. This intron contains some suboptimal features, which cause the intron 5′ splice site (ss) to interact weakly with U1 snRNA and the 3′ ss to bind a U2 auxiliary factor, U2AF, with low affinity. Optimization of this intron in K8 (K8 intron 2) promoted the interaction of the 5′ ss with U1 and the 3′ ss with U2AF, resulting in a substantial increase in intron splicing. Splicing of K8 intron 2 has also been shown to be stimulated by the splicing of a downstream intron. This was confirmed by the insertion of a human β-globin intron into the K8β exon 3-exon 4 splice junction, which promoted splicing of K8β intron 2 and conversion of the K8β mRNA to the K8α mRNA that encodes a K-bZIP protein. Intron 2 contains a premature termination codon, yet the K8β mRNA is insensitive to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, suggesting that the truncated K8β protein may have a biological function. Indeed, although the truncated K8β protein is missing only a C-terminal leucine zipper domain from the K-bZIP, its expression antagonizes the ability of the K-bZIP to induce p53 and p21 and blocks K-bZIP-CDK2 interaction through interfering K8α mRNA production.
Reduction of A by fluvastatin associates with altered levels of APP and of BACE1 and ADAM10 mRNA, independent of brain total cholesterol in rats

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of fluvastatin, a relatively hydrophilic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) inhibitor, on endogenous amyloid beta (Aβ) production and if such effects would be associated with changes in brain total cholesterol in rats. Wistar male rats were treated with fluvastatin at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day or vehicle (controls) by oral gavage for 28 days. We examined serum and brain cholesterol levels by CHOD-PAP method, brain Aβ levels by radioimmunoassay, mRNA levels of HMGR and cholesterol 24S-hydroxylase (CYP46) involving in cholesterol balance, β-secretase (BACE1) and α-secretase (ADAM10) involving in amyloid beta precursor protein (AβPP) processing by RT-PCR and protein levels of AβPP by immunohistochemistry. Serum total cholesterol and brain Aβ levels were significantly reduced in fluvastatin-treated rats. There was no change in total cholesterol levels, HMGR and CYP46 mRNA levels in the brain of fluvastatin-treated rats. Fluvastatin reduced AβPP protein levels and up-regulated ADAM10 but down-regulated BACE1 mRNA expression in rat brain under used condition. These results suggest that reduction of brain Aβ levels by fluvastatin is associated with changes in level of AβPP and AβPP cleavage-related enzyme mRNA, and is independent of brain total cholesterol. It may contribute to one of neuroprotective effects of fluvastatin and reveal that administration of fluvastatin could be beneficial in the preventation of AD. Key words: Alzheimer’s disease, cholesterol, amyloid β, amyloid-β protein precursor, fluvastatin, statin.
Tutorial: Proxmark, the Swiss Army Knife for RFID Security Research

This paper gives a hands-on introduction to the Proxmark, a versatile tool for RFID security research. It can be used to analyze and reverse engineer RFID protocols de- ployed in billions of cards, tags, fobs, phones and keys. We give a heads up introduction on how to embed new modulation and encoding schemes into the Proxmark, which helps to get a grip on the low level RF-communication details. As example we point out several (dev- astating) weaknesses which are made at this low levels. Most notably the MIFARE Classic with its weakly encrypted parity bits, which enables an attacker to recover the secret key. Furthermore, we describe the practical cryptanalysis of several proprietary RFID protocols and ciphers. In this part we introduce the Proxmark as an effective attack tool that can perform practical attacks a hundred times faster than regular RFID readers.
Structure-function studies of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors using unnatural amino acids

This dissertation primarily describes structure-function studies of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). These studies use a combination of unnatural amino acid mutagenesis and electrophysiology to determine the specific molecular interactions required for neurotransmitter binding to nAChRs. Chapter 2 examines the mode of agonist activation for the α4β2 nAChR, the receptor responsible for nicotine addiction. This study investigates the molecular interactions that differentiate the α4β2 receptor from other receptor subtypes and endow it with the ability to mediate nicotine addiction. We report that the high affinity for nicotine at the α4β2 receptor is a result of a strong cation-π interaction and a strengthened backbone hydrogen bond to a conserved tryptophan (TrpB) of this receptor. We also establish that a point mutation just four residues away from TrpB appears to influence the shape of the agonist binding site, such that it can differentiate the agonist binding mode of the α4β2 and muscle-type receptors. Chapter 3 extends studies of the point mutation near TrpB, termed the “loop B glycine. ” We examine the muscle-type, α4β2, and α7 subtypes and show that the identity of this residue strongly correlates with agonist potency. Low-potency receptor subtypes have a glycine at the loop B site, while high-potency receptors have a lysine at this site. We establish that mutation of this residue can to convert a low-potency receptor to a high-potency receptor and vice versa. Chapter 4 investigates the agonist binding mechanism of the α4β4 receptor. We show both ACh and nicotine make a strong cation-π interaction to TrpB, and nicotine makes a strong hydrogen bond to the backbone carbonyl of TrpB. Additionally, chimeric β subunits are used to examine the influence of the complementary binding component on receptor pharmacology for the α4β2 and α4β4 receptors. Last, chapter 5 is a methodology-based project focused on optimizing the incorporation of unnatural amino acids into mammalian cells. Using HEK293T cells, we successfully suppressed an amber stop codon using HSAS, an in vivo aminoacylated tRNA. Additional studies will pursue the viability of in vitro aminoacylated tRNAs for nonsense suppression in mammalian cells.