Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlegumes, Legumes, and Root Nodules Harbor Different Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities

ABSTRACT Legumes are an important plant functional group since they can form a tripartite symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria and phosphorus-acquiring arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, not much is known about AMF community composition in legumes and their root nodules. In this study, we analyzed the AMF community composition in the roots of three nonlegumes and in the roots and root nodules of three legumes growing in a natural dune grassland. We amplified a portion of the small-subunit ribosomal DNA and analyzed it by using restriction fragment length polymorphism and direct sequencing. We found differences in AMF communities between legumes and nonlegumes and between legume roots and root nodules. Different plant species also contained different AMF communities, with different AMF diversity. One AMF sequence type was much more abundant in legumes than in nonlegumes (39 and 13%, respectively). Root nodules contained characteristic AMF communities that were different from those in legume roots, even though the communities were similar in nodules from different legume species. One AMF sequence type was found almost exclusively in root nodules. Legumes and root nodules have relatively high nitrogen concentrations and high phosphorus demands. Accordingly, the presence of legume- and nodule-related AMF can be explained by the specific nutritional requirements of legumes or by host-specific interactions among legumes, root nodules, and AMF. In summary, we found that AMF communities vary between plant functional groups (legumes and nonlegumes), between plant species, and between parts of a root system (roots and root nodules).
Detectability of air targets using bistatic radar based on GPS L5 signals

In this paper we analyze the power budget and calculate the maximum target detection range of a bistatic (BS) radar system, which consists of a transmitter mounted on a satellite of GPS and a receiver located on the Earth's surface. Theoretical and numerical calculations are presented for air target detection using the GPS L5 signal. Two variants of a BS radar system are considered in this paper. The first of them is concerned with the case when the bistatic angle β is smaller than 140°. This is the classical variant of BS radar. The second variant of a BS system is forward scattering radar (FSR). It is the case when the bistatic angle is near 180°, and the target is located near the transmitter-receiver baseline.
Control of intra-ocular inflammation associated with cataract surgery

Postoperative ocular inflammation following cataract surgery is related to the risk of complications like corneal edema, intraocular pressure spikes, cystoid macular edema, and posterior capsule opacification. The degree of postoperative inflammation following cataract surgery is linked to several surgery-dependent factors such as surgical technique, intraocular lens type, and also patient-dependent factors such as history of inflammatory disease and degree of iris pigmentation. During the past decade, major advances have occurred in cataract surgery techniques, equipment, and pharmacologic strategies that decrease the degree of postoperative inflammation following cataract surgery and reduce patients' risk for inflammation-related complications. This article reviews the most recent literature regarding the control of cataract surgery-induced intra-ocular inflammation.
Consumer’s Quality Preference in Purchasing Shalwar-Kameez: A Study in Bangladesh

The aim of this paper is to understand the qualities preferred by Bangladeshi female consumers while buying Shalwar-Kameez . A total 750 female consumers of various ages from diverse economic and social backgrounds were studied using convenient sampling method. Primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed to identify buying behavior of Bangladeshi female consumers using a well structured questionnaire, interviews, personal observations and review of previous research works. After critical analysis of the collected data, a lot of observations about female consumers buying activities during buying Shalwar-Kameez have been found out including demand from consumers of different ages, factors influencing the consumers to switch one brand to other and so on.
Radiometric calibration of the vacuum-ultraviolet spectrograph SUMER on the SOHO spacecraft with the B detector.

The Solar Ultraviolet Measurement of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) vacuum-ultraviolet spectrograph was calibrated in the laboratory before the integration of the instrument on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft in 1995. During the scientific operation of the SOHO it has been possible to track the radiometric calibration of the SUMER spectrograph since March 1996 by a strategy that employs various methods to update the calibration status and improve the coverage of the spectral calibration curve. The results for the A Detector were published previously [Appl. Opt. 36, 6416 (1997)]. During three years of operation in space, the B detector was used for two and one-half years. We describe the characteristics of the B detector and present results of the tracking and refinement of the spectral calibration curves with it. Observations of the spectra of the stars alpha and rho Leonis permit an extrapolation of the calibration curves in the range from 125 to 149.0 nm. Using a solar coronal spectrum observed above the solar disk, we can extrapolate the calibration curves by measuring emission line pairs with well-known intensity ratios. The sensitivity ratio of the two photocathode areas can be obtained by registration of many emission lines in the entire spectral range on both KBr-coated and bare parts of the detector's active surface. The results are found to be consistent with the published calibration performed in the laboratory in the wavelength range from 53 to 124 nm. We can extrapolate the calibration outside this range to 147 nm with a relative uncertainty of ? 30% (1varsigma) for wavelengths longer than 125 nm and to 46.5 nm with 50% uncertainty for the short-wavelength range below 53 nm.
Resistance to Infection: Prospects for Therapeutic Manipulation

I have been charged to discuss some aspect of contemporary science in the general area of infectious diseases and to bridge that contemporary science to the future. The contemporary element is easy. Projecting into the future is not. Scientists and scholars have been notoriously bad at extrapolating from their present state of knowledge. For example, consider the following comments from established experts, all made around the time of the founding of the American Pediatric Society 100 years ago. Note this clear-cut judgment on vaccination by an authority of the day: "Cowpox does not exercise any specific protective power against human smallpox. " (E. M. Crookshank, Professor of Comparative Pathology, Kings College, London, 1889) (1). Consider this comment by the inventor of the phonograph: "The phonograph is not of any commercial value. " (Thomas A. Edison, 1 880) (1). The New York Times, then as now an expert on everything, had this to say about the art of Degas: "Degas is repulsive. " (The New York Times, April 10, 1886) (1). And finally, consider how dated is this particular comment of 100 years ago: "When a woman becomes a scholar there is usually something wrong with her sexual organs. " (Friedrich W. Nietzsche, 1888) (1). This one would not go over particularly well in my household or at Grand Rounds. So I hope you will forgive me, then, if I am rather cautious as I try to predict the future and if I focus more on present knowledge that should be the basis for future development. The subject of this general section of the symposium is infection. This particular presentation will consider the host's part in that phenomenon, that is, resistance to infection, or what the host does back to the infecting organism. To date, the most effective control of infectious diseases has come through their prevention, especially through immunization. Certainly, further efforts must be made with vaccines to achieve broader protection and easier dissemination to developing countries. But I wish to suggest that, in the unfortunate but common circumstance in which prevention is not possible and antibiotics are ineffective, treatment can be achieved by manipulation of the immune system. I will try to trace for you in summary form the evolution of current knowledge of the therapeutic "up-regulation" of one component of that system, namely, phagocytic cells. The professional phagocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, and tissue macrophages, constitute the best-defined cells that act in the effector limb of the immune response. Cytotoxic lymphocytes and natural killer cells are other constituents of this system but are less well understood. One reason for the better definition of the phagocytic cells is the existence of experiments of nature within these cells lines, for example, chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) (2) and the leukocyte adhesion defect resulting
The relationship between SMS/MMS marketing and consumer based brand equity (CBBE) – A review and conceptualisation

Purpose of the paper: Text marketing expenditure amongst firms grew to £8.94 million in 2012 from £6.09 million in 2011 in the UK (Derived from Ofcom, 2013). This provides a rationale for this paper as it indicates that firms have recently renewed their efforts to access their customers through SMS/MMS based promotion. Extant literature on promotional strategies, however, is deficient in understanding the consequences of these strategies. This paper conceptualises the relationship between SMS /MMS based promotional strategies and its impact in building brand equity. Based on a review of the extant literature, a conceptual model is developed that links the intensity of SMS/MMS to the brand equity of the advertised brand.
Optimal Control of Complex Distributed Systems: A New Generalized Particle Model

The optimal control of complex distributed systems is of great significance and of extreme difficulty. This paper presents a novel generalized particle model (GPM) to optimally control the resource allocation and task assignment in complex distributed systems. The GPM approach transforms the optimal control process of complex distributed systems into the kinematics and dynamics of massive particles in a force-field. The conception, dynamics, algorithm and properties of GPM are discussed. The GPM approach has many advantages in terms of the high-scale parallelism, multi-objective optimization, multi-type coordination, multi-degree autonomy, multi-granularity coalition, and the ability to deal complex phenomena in systems
MEMS: From the classroom to the Wii

This project introduces the students of the course Micro and Nano Physical Systems, belonging to the third year of the Degree in Physics, to the use of professional tools for the design and characterization of a MEMS (Micro-ElectroMechanical System) through a specific commercial realization: the MEMS used by the well-known gaming platform Nintendo Wii. The use of these resources allows an innovative approach in which students carry out a collaborative work in a realistic experience.
Ca 2 1 sensitization of smooth muscle contractility induced by ruthenium red

AKI YAMADA,1 SUSUMU OHYA,2 MASARU HIRANO,2 MINORU WATANABE,2 MICHAEL P. WALSH,3 AND YUJI IMAIZUMI1 1Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and 2Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya 467-8603, Japan; and 3Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
Optimal TDOA Sensor-Pair Placement With Uncertainty in Source Location

Source localization based on time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) measurements from spatially separated sensors is an important problem in sensor networks. In this paper, we study the optimal geometries of a team of networked sensors for the TDOA-based localization problem, taking into account the a priori uncertainty of the source location. Two types of TDOA sensor pairing methods, namely, centralized and decentralized , are considered. Analytic solutions to the optimal sensor geometries in the ideal case are derived in both static and movable source cases. In the movable source case, sensor geometry design is investigated under an extended Kalman filter (EKF) framework. Furthermore, under sensor motion and communication constraints, we extend this paper to an optimal sensor path planning problem. Simulations demonstrate its enhancement to the source localization and tracking performance.
Consumer Valuation of Food Safety: The Case of Postharvest Processed Oysters

Consumers’ willingness to pay for postharvest-processed (PHP) raw oysters—oysters without health risks—is studied in experimental auction markets. The experimental design decomposes the effects of taste, objective risk information, and information on four PHP technologies on consumer valuations. Results show that relatively uninformed consumers are willing to pay equivalent amounts for PHP and traditional raw oysters. However, after a blind taste test, consumers are willing to pay a significant premium for traditional raw oysters, and the premium persists after objective information on risk and processing technologies is provided. The results are robust across PHP technologies.
Tyrosine polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐micelle magnetic resonance contrast agent for the detection of lipid rich areas in atherosclerotic plaque

Vulnerable or high‐risk atherosclerotic plaques often exhibit large lipid cores and thin fibrous caps that can lead to deadly vascular events when they rupture. In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐micelles that incorporate a gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd‐DTPA) amphiphile were used as an MR contrast agent. In an approach inspired by lipoproteins, the micelles were functionalized with tyrosine residues, an aromatic, lipophilic amino acid, to reach the lipid‐rich areas of atherosclerotic plaque in a highly efficient manner. These micelles were applied to apolipoprotein E−/− (ApoE−/−) mice as a model of atherosclerosis. The abdominal aortas of the animals were imaged using T1‐weighted (T1W) high‐resolution MRI at 9.4T before and up to 48 h after the administration of the micelles. PEG‐micelles modified with 15% tyrosine residues yielded a significant enhancement of the abdominal aortic wall at 6 and 24 h postinjection (pi) as compared to unmodified micelles. Fluorescence microscopy on histological sections of the abdominal aorta showed a correlation between lipid‐rich areas and the distribution of the functionalized contrast agent in plaque. Using a simple approach, we demonstrated that lipid‐rich areas in atherosclerotic plaque of ApoE−/− mice can be detected by MRI using Gd‐DTPA micelles. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Scaling biodiversity responses to hydrological regimes

Of all ecosystems, freshwaters support the most dynamic and highly concentrated biodiversity on Earth. These attributes of freshwater biodiversity along with increasing demand for water mean that these systems serve as significant models to understand drivers of global biodiversity change. Freshwater biodiversity changes are often attributed to hydrological alteration by water‐resource development and climate change owing to the role of the hydrological regime of rivers, wetlands and floodplains affecting patterns of biodiversity. However, a major gap remains in conceptualising how the hydrological regime determines patterns in biodiversity's multiple spatial components and facets (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic). We synthesised primary evidence of freshwater biodiversity responses to natural hydrological regimes to determine how distinct ecohydrological mechanisms affect freshwater biodiversity at local, landscape and regional spatial scales. Hydrological connectivity influences local and landscape biodiversity, yet responses vary depending on spatial scale. Biodiversity at local scales is generally positively associated with increasing connectivity whereas landscape‐scale biodiversity is greater with increasing fragmentation among locations. The effects of hydrological disturbance on freshwater biodiversity are variable at separate spatial scales and depend on disturbance frequency and history and organism characteristics. The role of hydrology in determining habitat for freshwater biodiversity also depends on spatial scaling. At local scales, persistence, stability and size of habitat each contribute to patterns of freshwater biodiversity yet the responses are variable across the organism groups that constitute overall freshwater biodiversity. We present a conceptual model to unite the effects of different ecohydrological mechanisms on freshwater biodiversity across spatial scales, and develop four principles for applying a multi‐scaled understanding of freshwater biodiversity responses to hydrological regimes. The protection and restoration of freshwater biodiversity is both a fundamental justification and a central goal of environmental water allocation worldwide. Clearer integration of concepts of spatial scaling in the context of understanding impacts of hydrological regimes on biodiversity will increase uptake of evidence into environmental flow implementation, identify suitable biodiversity targets responsive to hydrological change or restoration, and identify and manage risks of environmental flows contributing to biodiversity decline.
Mutations at codon 184 in simian immunodeficiency virus reverse transcriptase confer resistance to the (-) enantiomer of 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine

Variants of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that display greater than 2,000-fold resistance to the (-) enantiomer of 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine (3TC) were generated through in vitro passage and drug selection. The polymerase regions of several of these resistant viruses were sequenced and were found to share either of two codon alterations at site 184 in reverse transcriptase (ATG to ATA [methionine to isoleucine] and ATG to GTA [methionine to valine]). The biological relevance of these substitutions for 3TC was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis with the SIVmac239 infectious recombinant clone of SIV.
Environmental risks and rewards for business

Sustainable development - a challenge for European business winners and losers - who benefits from high environmental standards environmental regulation and industrial competitiveness the financial sector and environmental liability trends in corporate environmental liability trends in corporate environmental liability: a US/EU comparison crisis communication and planning: managing environmental disasters environmental regulation in Central and Eastern Europe and its effect on industry opportunities for business in the greening of Central & Eastern Europe creating a level playing-field in the enforcement of environmental regulations within the EU the European Environment Agency the cost and benefit of environmental legislation deregulation, subsidiarity, and the future for environmental protection in Europe.
Explorer Application of a High-speed Stereovision Sensor to 3 D Shape Acquisition of Flying Bats

3D shape acquisition of fast-moving objects is an emerging area with many potential applications. This paper presents a novel application of 3D acquisition for studying the dynamic external morphology of live bats in flight. The 3D acquisition technique is based on binocular stereovision. Two high-speed (500 fps) calibrated machine vision cameras are employed to capture intensity images from the bats simultaneously, and 3D shape information of the bats is derived from the stereo video recording. Since the high-speed stereovision system and the bat dynamic morphology study application are both novel, it was unknown to what extent the system could perform 3D acquisition of the bats’ shapes. We carried out experiments to evaluate the performance of the system using artificial objects in various controlled conditions, and the knowledge gained helped us deploy the system in the on-site data acquisition. Our analysis of the real data demonstrates the feasibility of gathering 3D dynamic measurements on bats’ bodies from a few selected feature points and the possibility of recovering dense 3D shapes of bat heads from the stereo video data acquired. Issues are revealed in the 3D shape recovery, most notably related to motion blur and occlusion.
An adjustable speed PFC bridgeless-SEPIC fed brushless DC motor drive

This paper presents a bridgeless-single ended primary inductance converter (BL-SEPIC) fed brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive for low power household applications. The speed of the BLDC motor is controlled by adjusting the DC link voltage of the VSI feeding a BLDC motor. The VSI feeding BLDC motor is used for achieving an electronic commutation of the BLDC motor and operates in a low frequency switching for reduced switching losses in it. A bridgeless configuration of SEPIC is proposed which offers lower conduction losses due to the elimination of diode bridge rectifier (DBR) at the front end. A PFC based BL-SEPIC is designed to operate in a discontinuous inductor current mode (DICM) for achieving an inherent power factor correction at AC mains using a single voltage sensor. The performance of the proposed drive is validated with experimental results obtained on a developed prototype. An improved power quality is achieved at the AC mains for all conditions and the obtained power quality indices are achieved within the limits of international power quality standard IEC 61000-3-2.
Hot carrier reliability characterization in consideration of self-heating in FinFET technology

A severity of hot carrier injection (HCI) in PFET becomes worse than NFET at elevated temperatures. This new observation is further found to be due to the coupled self-heating effects (SHE) during DC HCI stress (also a higher Ea in PFET HCI), rather than the negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) effect during HCI stress. Furthermore, in order to guarantee the precise estimation of HCI under circuit level AC condition, a new empirical HCI lifetime model decoupled from the SHE is proposed, which is further verified by the Si data from nanosecond pulsed waveform HCI stress and Ring Oscillator stress results.
σ-Holes on Transition Metal Nanoclusters and Their Influence on the Local Lewis Acidity

Understanding the molecular interaction behavior of transition metal nanoclusters lies at the heart of their efficient use in, e.g., heterogeneous catalysis, medical therapy and solar energy harvesting. For this purpose, we have evaluated the applicability of the surface electrostatic potential [VS(r)] and the local surface electron attachment energy [ES(r)] properties for characterizing the local Lewis acidity of a series of low-energy TM13 transition metal nanoclusters (TM = Au, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt, Co), including also Pt7Cu6. The clusters have been studied using hybrid Kohn–Sham density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The VS(r) and ES(r), evaluated at 0.001 a.u. isodensity contours, are used to analyze the interactions with H2O. We find that the maxima of VS(r), σ-holes, are either localized or diffuse. This is rationalized in terms of the nanocluster geometry and occupation of the clusters’s, p and d valence orbitals. Our findings motivate a new scheme for characterizing σ-holes as σs (diffuse), σp (localized) or σd (localized) depending on their electronic origin. The positions of the maxima in VS(r) (and minima in ES(r)) are found to coincide with O-down adsorption sites of H2O, whereas minima in VS(r) leads to H-down adsorption. Linear relationships between VS,max (and ES,min) and H2O interaction energies are further discussed.