Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative assessment of exopolymer production and chemical characteristics of two environmental biofilm isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Two Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from natural biofilms (marine and freshwater environment) were investigated for exopolymer (EPS) production and chemical characterization. Both the isolates were categorized using molecular tools as P. aeruginosa species, The EPS production was distinct with various carbon and nitrogen sources, the average EPS yield by the two Pseudomonas strains was 55 µg ml-1. Modelling was done to establish the relation between observed and predicted EPS yields. The chemical composition, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy analysis of the two EPS showed that carbohydrate content was more in marine strain, while protein content was relatively high in the freshwater strain. Thermo-gravimetric analysis of the two EPS showed endothermic decomposition. Biochemical study by gel permeation chromatography showed that the marine strain EPS is a highly glycosylated biomolecule, while the freshwater EPS is a weakly glycosylated biomolecule with molecular weights 140,000 and 300,000 Daltons respectively. The EPS produced by the two Pseudomonas isolates has implication in process and chemical industries.
Mediating Effect of Social Commerce Continuance Use Intention on the Relationship Between Perceived Values and Brand Loyalty

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of social commerce continuance use intention on the relationship between perceived values and brand loyalty in the social commerce context. The data was collected from 176 members of the Apple Watch Social Commerce site in Vietnam via an online questionnaire. Applying the structural equation modelling method, we found that social commerce continuance use intention has mediating effects on the relationship between perceived values and brand loyalty. Keywords: Perceived values, continuance use intention, brand loyalty, social commerce, Vietnam DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-11-07 Publication date: April 30 th 2020
Potential mitochondrial diversity role in the productivity of three lines of Japanese quails

Abstract. Hussein TH, Al-Shuhaib MBS, Al-Thuwaini TM. 2020. Potential mitochondrial diversity role in the productivity of three lines of Japanese quails. Biodiversitas 21: 2258-2265. This study was conducted to identify the mitochondrial D-loop genetic diversity in three lines of Japanese quails that differ in productive performance. A total of 223 quails consisting of 54, 84, and 85 of black (control line), white (egg-producing line), and brown (meat-producing line) quails respectively were genotyped by PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). The genetic and phylogenetic differences within and among quails’ populations were analyzed. Three different SSCP banding patterns were observed in black and brown quails, while white quails exhibited six different SSCP-banding patterns. Sequencing reactions confirmed the presence of 12 haplotypes with 48 variations distributed among the studied birds. The white line exhibited the most diverse nucleotide variability, followed by the brown, and black lines respectively. The mean diversity for all populations was mainly due to within-population variation (71.6%), while among-population variation accounted for much less value (28.4%). Tajima’s D test showed significant values for both productive white (2.45680) and brown (3.07723) lines. In conclusion, this study suggested a wide nucleic acid variation in the investigated egg productive line than the meat productive line respectively compared with the black line control, implying a positive correlation between mitochondrial variability and productive performance.
Mammalian Abundances on Forest-Farm Edges versus Forest Interiors in Southern Illinois: Is There an Edge Effect?

Activity of furbearers, assessed by track stations, and abundance of small mammals, assessed by live-trapping, were compared for 10 sites of forest-farm edge and 11 sites of forest interior in southern Illinois. No statistically significant difference between edges and interiors was detected. Instead, high site-to-site variability in the abundance of furbearers and small mammals was the dominant pattern. For many species and for a variety of reasons, edge effects may not be apparent in highly fragmented landscapes. The generality of the edge-effect concept should be considered with caution.
Capsule Feature Pyramid Network for Building Footprint Extraction From High-Resolution Aerial Imagery

Building footprint extraction plays an important role in a wide range of applications. However, due to size and shape diversities, occlusions, and complex scenarios, it is still challenging to accurately extract building footprints from aerial images. This letter proposes a capsule feature pyramid network (CapFPN) for building footprint extraction from aerial images. Taking advantage of the properties of capsules and fusing different levels of capsule features, the CapFPN can extract high-resolution, intrinsic, and semantically strong features, which perform effectively in improving the pixel-wise building footprint extraction accuracy. With the use of signed distance maps as ground truths, the CapFPN can extract solid building regions free of tiny holes. Quantitative evaluations on an aerial image data set show that a precision, recall, intersection-over-union (IoU), and F-score of 0.928, 0.914, 0.853, and 0.921, respectively, are obtained. Comparative studies with six existing methods confirm the superior performance of the CapFPN in accurately extracting building footprints.
THE EFFECT OF INTERMITTENT NEGATIVE PRESSURE ON COLLAGEN CONCENTRATION IN MICE SKIN

: Overview: Physical forces are known to affect biological structure and modulate the extracellular matrix. Collagen is the most abundant protein outside the cell, and it is clearly highlighted through Masson trichrome and van Geison ’ s stain. This research aimed to calculate the specific concentration of collagen within histology slides, after being subjected to sessions of intermittent negative pressure (INP), using Adobe® Photoshop® software and mice models. Objectives: To measure the collagen concentration in histology slides through Adobe® Photoshop®, using two types of stains: Masson trichrome, and van Gieson ’ s stain. Methods: Sixteen mice were put into sessions of INP ten minutes daily, for three weeks. Skin tissues were extracted from test and control sides. Stained slides were photographed and inserted in the Adobe® Photoshop® program to measure collagen concentration according to the specified calculated areas within the slides. Results: Masson ’ s trichrome slides gave a mean Collagen concentration of (58.4%) in the test slides, compared to the control which was (39.9%). In van Gieson stained slides, the collagen gave a mean concentration of (54.93%) in test slides and (41.32%) in the control. The difference was statistically insignificant in both staining. Conclusion: Applying INP to mice skin for three weeks did not significantly change the concentration of the collagen in the extracellular matrix. van Gieson stain.
Ground cover recovery patterns and life‐history traits: implications for restoration obstacles and opportunities in a species‐rich savanna

1 We identified species with low re‐colonization potential, which could be used as indicators of recovery of species‐rich pine savannas, by comparing the ground‐cover flora of a 64‐year‐old slash pine plantation (recovery site) with that of a nearby natural longleaf pine savanna (reference site). We also determined life‐history traits that were useful predictors of recolonization potential. 2 The high floristic overlap in species between reference and recovery sites and similar species richness at scales ≥ 10 m2 suggests that substantial vegetation recovery occurred over the 65‐year period. However, for areas < 10 m2 the lower species packing in the recovery sites indicates that coexistence of a high number of species at small scales is dependent on local dispersal and establishment, and may take much longer to achieve. 3 The absence, or near absence, of some species from the recovery site, even after 65 years, suggests that some species may be particularly vulnerable to disturbance and may re‐establish infrequently, if ever. Several dispersal distance‐restricted species were identified that require active reintroduction. While no particular guild of species was a strong indicator of recovery in this study, we identified a group of species that assess the absence of or the degree of recovery from, prior soil disturbance. 4 Local dispersal appears to be an important factor structuring species richness patterns in pine savannas. Limitations of dispersal distance in some species, particularly those with gravity and ant‐dispersal mechanisms, represent an obstacle to passive restoration that can only be overcome either by introduction of propagules in the restoration process or by allowing for longer periods of recruitment. 5 This study demonstrates a method for identifying a suite of species that may be unsuccessful at recolonization. The method would be applicable to numerous degraded ecosystems, particularly similar species‐rich savannas, grasslands and forests.
A continuous relaxation of the constrained $L_2 − L_0$ problem

We focus on the minimization of the least square loss function under a k-sparse constraint with a 0 pseudo-norm. This is a non-convex, non-continuous and NP-hard problem. Recently, for the penalized form (sum of the least square loss function and a 0 penalty term) a relaxation has been introduced which has strong results in terms of minimizers. This relaxation is continuous and does not change the global minimizers, among other favorable properties. The question that has driven this paper is the following: can a continuous relaxation of the k-sparse constraint problem be developed following the same idea and same steps from the penalized 2 − 0 problem? We calculate the convex envelope of the constrained problem when the observation matrix is orthogonal and propose a continuous non-smooth, non-convex relaxation of the k-sparse constraint functional. We give some equivalence of minimizers between the original and the relaxed problems. The subgradient is calculated as well as the proximal operator of the relaxation, and we propose an algorithm that ensures convergence to a critical point of the k-sparse constraint problem. We apply the algorithm to the problem of single-molecule localization microscopy and compare the results with well-known sparse minimization schemes. The results of the proposed algorithm are as good as the state-of-the-art results for the penalized form, while fixing the constraint constant is usually more intuitive than fixing the penalty parameter.
COLLISIONS BETWEEN SHIPS AND WHALES

Although collisions with motorized ships are a recognized source of whale mortality, little has been done to compile information on the frequency of their occurrence or contributing factors. We searched historical records and computerized stranding databases for evidence of ship strikes involving great whales (i.e., baleen whales and the sperm whale). Historical records suggest that ship strikes fatal to whales first occurred late in the 1800s as ships began to reach speeds of 13-15 kn, remained infrequent until about 1950, and then increased during the 1950s-1970s as the number and speed of ships in­ creased. Of 11 species known to be hit by ships, fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are struck most frequently; right whales (Eubalae1la glacialis and E. allStralis), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), sperm whales (Physeter catodon), and gray whales (Eschrichtius robustllS) are hit commonly. In some areas, one-third of all fin whale and right whale strandings appear to involve ship strikes. To assess contributing factors, we compiled descriptions of 58 collisions. They indicate that all sizes and types of vessels can hit whales;
Prevalence and Predictors of Gastrointestinal Dysmotility in Patients with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A Tertiary Care Center Experience

Introduction Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), specifically the hypermobility type (hEDS), is associated with a variety of gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of and factors associated with gut dysmotility in patients with hEDS. Methods This is a retrospective study of hEDS patients conducted at the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare between January 2007 and December 2017. Demographics, GI motility testing, endoscopic, and imaging data were extracted from the patients’ charts. Results A total of 218 patients with hEDS were identified. Among them, 136 (62.3%) patients had at least one GI symptom at the time of EDS diagnosis. Motility testing was performed and reported in 42 (19.2%) patients. Out of them, five (11.9%) had esophageal dysmotility, 18 (42.8%) had gastroparesis, five (11.9%) had small bowel/colon altered transit time, and four (9.5%) had global dysmotility. In univariable analysis, patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) [odds ratio (OR): 8.88, 95% CI: 3.69-24.9, p<0.0001], fibromyalgia (OR: 4.43, 95% CI: 2.04-10.1, p=0.0002), history of irritable bowel syndrome (OR: 5.01, 95% CI: 2.31-11.2, p<0.0001), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (OR: 3.33, 95% CI: 1.55-7.44, p=0.002) were more likely to be diagnosed with GI dysmotility. On multivariable analysis, only POTS (OR: 5.74, 95% CI: 2.25-16.7, p=0.0005) was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of GI dysmotility. Conclusions This study suggests that GI symptoms are relatively common among patients with hEDS. Of the patients tested for dysmotility, 76.2% were found to have some form of dysmotility. POTS was found to be an independent predictive factor for GI dysmotility.
A Mechanistic Model for Lateral Erosion of Bedrock Channel Banks by Bedload Particle Impacts

Bedrock incision plays a key role in determining the pace of landscape evolution. Much is known about how bedrock rivers incise vertically, but less is known about lateral erosion. Lateral erosion is widely thought to occur when the bed is alluviated, which prevents vertical erosion and deflects the downstream transport of bedload particles into channel walls. Here we develop a model for lateral erosion by bedload particle impacts. The lateral erosion rate is the product of the volume eroded per particle impact and the impact rate. The volume eroded per particle impact is modeled by tracking the motion of bedload particles from collision with roughness elements to impacts on the wall. The impact rate on the wall is calculated from deflection rates on roughness elements. The numerical model further incorporates the coevolution of wall morphology, shear stress, and erosion rate. The model predicts the undercut wall shape observed in physical experiments. The nondimensional lateral erosion rate is used to explore how lateral erosion varies under different relative sediment supply (ratio of supply to transport capacity) and transport stage conditions. Maximum lateral erosion rates occur at high relative sediment supply rates (~0.7) and moderate transport stages (~10). The competition between lateral and vertical erosion is investigated by coupling the saltation‐abrasion vertical erosion model with our lateral erosion model. The results suggest that vertical erosion dominates under near 75% of supply and transport stage conditions but is outpaced by lateral erosion near the threshold for full bed coverage.
Stochastic Rounding and Its Probabilistic Backward Error Analysis

Stochastic rounding rounds a real number to the next larger or smaller floating-point number with probabilities $1$ minus the relative distances to those numbers. % It has a larger worst-case error than round to nearest % but has useful statistical properties. It is gaining attention in deep learning because it can improve the accuracy of the computations. We compare basic properties of stochastic rounding with those for round to nearest, finding properties in common as well as significant differences. We prove that for stochastic rounding the rounding errors are mean independent random variables with zero mean. We derive a new version of our probabilistic error analysis theorem from [{\em SIAM J. Sci. Comput. }, 41 (2019), pp.\ A2815--A2835], weakening the assumption of independence of the random variables to mean independence. These results imply that for a wide range of linear algebra computations the backward error for stochastic rounding is unconditionally bounded by a multiple of $\sqrt{n}u$ to first order, with a certain probability, where $n$ is the problem size and $u$ is the unit roundoff. This is the first scenario where the rule of thumb that one can replace $nu$ by $\sqrt{n}u$ in a rounding error bound has been shown to hold without any additional assumptions on the rounding errors. We also explain how stochastic rounding avoids the phenomenon of stagnation in sums, whereby small addends are obliterated by round to nearest when they are too small relative to the sum.
Salt and Bread: Latvia’S Experience

Abstract Much research has shown that reduction in salt intake can have a very positive impact on human health, as salt intake plays a critical role in regulating blood pressure. According to the World Health Organization, populations with low salt intake, all other factors being equal, usually have lower blood pressure level, in that way decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. The main source of salt in the diet is ready-made food, and only about 11% of overall salt intake is the salt people add to their food themselves. A common EU framework for salt reduction has been developed, which describes a common vision for a general European approach towards salt reduction. Bread has been identified as an important contributor to the daily salt intake in many countries. On the other hand, salt has important technological functions in bakery products. It improves the qualities of dough, fermentation, and flavour of bread. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the amount of salt in Latvian bread and to assess the need for decreasing the amount of salt in bread. The majority of Latvian bread contains 1.1 to 1.2% salt in flour, but in some other kinds of bread it is even less. Abstrakt Pēc Eiropai Komisijas ieteikumiem. dalībvalstīm ir jāanalizē nacionālie dati par sāli patēriņu un pašreizējo sāls daudzumu pārtika. Maize ir viens no galvenajiem uztura produktiem Eiropā, un ar to tiek uzņemta 20-23% no ikdienai sāls devas. Cilvēka organismam sāk ir nepieciešams, jo tas veic svarīgai bioloģiskas funkcijas, savukārt pārmērīga tā lietošana ir riska faktors dažāda veida slimībām - hipertensijai. niem slimībām. Pētījumā ar dažādām metodēm maizes paraugos noteikts sāk un nātrija saturs un secināti, ka Latvijā ražotā kviešu, rudzu, sēklu un toaermaize pēc sāls satura būtkki neatšķiras un tai ir robežās no l.l Bdz 1.2%. Veikta maizes iepakojuma informācijai analīze un aprēķini par uzņemto sāk saturu, apēdot noteiktu maizes daudzumu, šāds aprēķins ļauj novērtēt uzņemto sāls daudzumu pēc patērētā maizes apjoma, ko noderīgi zināt katram patērētājam Pēc iedzīvotāju domām Latvijā ražotajai maizei nav nepieciešami samazināt sāk daudzumu, ari pēc iepakojumā norādītās informācijai un veiktajiem pētījumiem sāls saturs maizē ir ieteicamās normas (1.0-1.2%) robežās. Tomēr jāaeīmē. ka nepieciešams plašāk organizēt sabiedrības un pārtikas produktu ražotāju informēšanas pasākumus par sāk saticu un tā samazināšanas nepieciešamību pārtikas produktos.
Novel in vivo use of a polyvalent Streptomyces phage to disinfest Streptomyces scabies-infected seed potatoes

A highly virulent and polyvalent Streptomyces phage was isolated from a potato field near Albany, Western Australia. The efficacy of the isolated phage to disinfest seed potato tubers artificially inoculated with a common scab-causing streptomycete was evaluated. The phage suspension was prepared in a mini-bioreactor. Diseased potatoes were bathed in a phage suspension (1 × 109 plaque-forming units per mL) for 24 h. The suspension was constantly circulated within a novel 25 L phage bath by means of an air-sparging pipe driven from an air compressor. Phage-treated scab-affected seed potatoes planted into free-draining polystyrene boxes containing steam-pasteurized field soil produced tuber progeny with significantly (P < 0·05) reduced levels of surface lesions of scab (1·2%) compared with tubers harvested from nonphage-treated tubers (23%). The number of scab lesions was also significantly reduced (P < 0·05) by phage treatment of mother tubers. No significant differences were recorded in weight, size or number of harvested tubers from phage-treated or nontreated mother tubers. This is the first in vivo study that has used Streptomyces phage to significantly disinfest seed potatoes of Streptomyces scabies and thereby reduce contamination of soil from seed-tuber-borne inoculum and reduce infection of daughter tubers.
Clinical relevance of lipid panel and aminotransferases in the context of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis as measured by transient elastography (FibroScan®)

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease and is associated with various co-morbidities. Transient elastography (FibroScan®) is a non-invasive method to detect NAFLD using the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP). We aimed to evaluate the association of the lipid panel and aminotransferases concentrations with the presence or absence of steatosis and fibrosis. Methods One hundred and five patients with NAFLD were included. Hepatic steatosis was quantified by CAP (dB/m) and liver stiffness by Kilopascals (kPa), these values were then analyzed against patient lipid panel and serum concentrations of the liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). A correlation and multiple regression were used. Mann-Whitney U test was used as non-parametric analysis. Results We observed an association between hepatic steatosis and total cholesterol (B = 0.021, p = 0.038, Exp (B) = 1.021, I.C = 1.001-1.041) as well as serum triglycerides (B = 0.017, p = 0.006, Exp (B) = 1.018 and I.C = 1.005-1.030). Similarly, we found an association between significant hepatic fibrosis and lower concentrations of total cholesterol (B = -0.019, p = 0.005, Exp (B) = 0.982 I.C = 0.969-0.995) and elevated AST (B = 0.042, p = 3.25 × 10-4, Exp (B) = 1.043 I.C = 1.019-1.068) independent of age, gender and BMI. Conclusions Our results suggest that, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations positively correlate with hepatic steatosis while significant hepatic fibrosis is associated with lower total cholesterol and higher AST concentrations.
Relationship between body mass and body length in capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

As a part of a management program we captured 39 capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) in an agroecosystem at the east central region of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil from March 2001 to May 2002. Average adult male body mass was 54.1 ± 8.05 kg, and average adult female body mass was 62.0 ± 12.03 kg. Average juvenile male body mass was 23.0 ± 8.28 kg, and average juvenile female body mass was 26.7 ± 5.86 kg. Males and females presented a significant variation in the allometric relation between body mass and body length. Body mass and body length had a high correlation for both adult males and adult females. These results from capybaras in agroecosystem might be relevant for further management programs.