Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gravitrap deployment for adult Aedes aegypti surveillance and its impact on dengue cases

House Index, Container Index, and Breteau Index are the most commonly used indices for dengue vector surveillance. However, these larval indices are a poor proxy for measuring the adult population—which is responsible for disease transmission. Information on the adult distribution and density are important for assessing transmission risk as well as for developing effective control strategies. This study introduces a new entomological index, Gravitrap aegypti index (GAI), which estimates the adult female Aedes aegypti population in the community and presents its association with dengue cases. Gravitraps were deployed across 34 treatment sites in Singapore from September 2013 to September 2016. The GAI, derived from the Gravitrap surveillance data, was analysed to investigate the spatio-temporal patterns of the Ae. aegypti population in Singapore. The index was further categorised into low, moderate, and high-risk groups and its association with dengue cases were examined. A Before-After Control Impact analysis was performed to evaluate the epidemiology impact of Gravitrap system on dengue transmission. The Ae. aegypti population exhibits a seasonal pattern, and spatial heterogeneity in Ae. aegypti abundance was observed among treatment sites. The Ae. aegypti population was also found to be unevenly distributed among floors of an apartment block, with low floors (floors 1–4) having a higher abundance of mosquitoes trapped than mid (floors 5–8) and high (floors ≥9) floors. Areas with high GAI were shown to have higher dengue case count. Gravitrap has also demonstrated to be a good dengue control tool. The contribution of cases by treatment sites to the national numbers was lower after Gravitraps deployment. The GAI, which is of better relevance to dengue transmission risk, could be recommended as an indicator for decision making in vector control efforts, and to monitor the spatio-temporal variability of the adult Aedes population in the country. In addition, findings from this study indicate that Gravitraps can be used as a dengue control tool to reduce dengue transmission.
A Study of Indian Financial Stability and Debt Market

This study presents an empirical evidence of the primary debt market in India. Bond markets rarely fulfill the alternate role to bank financing in India. The benefits of bond markets include diversifying credit risks across the economy by providing an alternative to conventional bank lending. Bond markets supply longterm funds for the growth of the infrastructure or other sectors to fulfill long-term investment needs. It can also lower funding costs of the firm by liquidity premium on secondary market. They provide diversity in financial products with flexibility to meet the specific needs of investors and borrowers. Timing of an issue and the conditions of the economy including the triggers in other markets could impact the activity in the whole sale debt market. Issues that satisfy the needs of investor segments could improve participation. We attempt to test few hypotheses; whether bond issuance and factors in other markets could be positively correlated, whether the presence of good issuers (good papers) improve participation, etc using data from the whole sale debt market, whether the limits on government borrowings could improve the trades in the wholesale debt market, etc.
The Use of Layer‐by‐Layer Self‐Assembly and Nanocellulose to Prepare Advanced Functional Materials

The current knowledge about the formation of layer‐by‐layer (LbL) self‐assemblies using combinations of nanocelluloses (NCs) and polyelectrolytes is reviewed. Herein, the fundamentals behind the LbL formation, with a major focus on NCs, are considered. Following this, a special description of the limiting factors for the formation of LbLs of only NCs, both anionic and cationic, and the combination of NCs and polyelectrolytes/nanoparticles is provided. The ability of the NCs and polyelectrolytes to form dense films with excellent mechanical properties and with tailored optical properties is then reviewed. How low‐density, wet stable networks of cellulose nanofibrils can be used as substrates for the preparation of antibacterial, electrically interactive, and fire‐retardant materials by forming well‐defined LbLs inside these networks is then considered. A short outlook of the possible uses of LbLs containing NCs is given to conclude.
ADAPTATION OF JOHNSON SEQUENCING ALGORITHM FOR JOB SCHEDULING TO MINIMISE THE AVERAGE WAITING TIME IN CLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

Cloud computing is an emerging paradigm of Internet-centric business computing where Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) are providing services to the customer according to their needs. The key perception behind cloud computing is on-demand sharing of resources available in the resource pool provided by CSP, which implies new emerging business model. The resources are provisioned when jobs arrive. The job scheduling and minimization of waiting time are the challenging issue in cloud computing. When a large number of jobs are requested, they have to wait for getting allocated to the servers which in turn may increase the queue length and also waiting time. This paper includes system design for implementation which is concerned with Johnson Scheduling Algorithm that provides the optimal sequence. With that sequence, service times can be obtained. The waiting time and queue length can be reduced using queuing model with multi-server and finite capacity which improves the job scheduling model.
Optical Imaging Modalities: Principles and Applications in Preclinical Research and Clinical Settings

With the ability to noninvasively image and monitor molecular processes within tumors, molecular imaging represents a fundamental tool for cancer scientists. In the current review, we describe emergent optical technologies for molecular imaging. We aim to provide the reader with an overview of the fundamental principles on which each imaging strategy is based, to introduce established and future applications, and to provide a rationale for selecting optical technologies for molecular imaging depending on disease location, biology, and anatomy. To accelerate clinical translation of imaging techniques, we also describe examples of practical applications in patients. Elevating these techniques into standard-of-care tools will transform patient stratification, disease monitoring, and response evaluation.
Internal and external political function of sport

Work is based on two pairs of case studies; the first pair is focused on an analysis of the internal political function of sport and the second pair is focused on the external political function of sport. All of the case studies will be applied to national teams as well as club sports. In the first two cases, we will analyze the internal role of sport in two different situations; in former Yugoslavia in the early nineties and also in Spain. We will analyze their separatist crises and the various possibilities of solving these crises through sport. In the other two cases we will present two situations, which will demonstrate the political effect of sport from an international point of view. In the first case we will examine the fate of the Czechoslovakian athletes in the late sixties and their attitudes toward competition with the former Soviet Union. The second case will be devote to the former Soviet states that through sport either gradually gained prestige in the international sphere or vice versa incurred losses, as was the case for Russia. The aim of this work is to show how sport can shape the political situation both outside of the borders as well as within a country. The primary method used was historical analysis of sports as well as analysis of the internal political situation in countries described and their international position in the given geopolitical situation. In the first example of the former Yugoslavia it is clearly visible how clubs sports as well as national-level sports started the whole process of disintegration of the country and helped establish the newly formed country. The second case takes us into a completely different situation in Spain where sport is supposed to be instrumental in keeping together this multinational kingdom. The second part outlines the issue of the political function of sport internationally. The first case is Czechoslovakia, where hockey fights with the Soviet Union became a powerful ventilation of resistance to the usurper, despite the ruling communist elite. In the second example analyzes the example of Russia and its retreat from the sporting glory after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the need for rebirth of sporting achievements as a political promotion of the country. The results are mainly a description of the structure of sporting events and their subsequent impacts on the happenings both inside and outside of a country and its appearance in front of other states.
FROM FIXED TO ADAPTIVE BUDGET ROBUST KERNEL ADAPTIVE FILTERING By SONGLIN ZHAO

of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy FROM FIXED TO ADAPTIVE BUDGET ROBUST KERNEL ADAPTIVE FILTERING By Songlin Zhao December 2012 Chair: Jose C. Principe Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering Recently, owning to universal modeling capacity, convexity in performance surface and modest computational complexity, kernel adaptive filters have attracted more and more attention. Even though these methods achieve powerful classification and regression performance in complicated nonlinear problems, they have drawbacks. This work focuses on how to improve kernel adaptive filters performance both on accuracy and computational complexity. After reviewing some existing adaptive filters cost functions, we introduce an information theoretic objective function, Maximal Correntropy Criterion (MCC), that contains high order statistical information. Here we propose to adopt this objective function for kernel adaptive filters to improve system accuracy performance in nonlinear and non-Gaussian scenario. To determine the free parameter, kernel width in correntropy, an adaptive method based on the statistical property of the prediction error is proposed. After that we propose a growing and pruning method to realize a fixed-budget kernel least mean square (KLMS) algorithm based on improvements of the quantized kernel least mean square algorithm and a new significance measure. The end result is to control the computational complexity and memory requirement of kernel adaptive filters while preserving the accuracy as much as possible. This balance between accuracy and filter model order is explored from the perspective of information learning. Indeed the issue is how to deal with the trade-off between system complexity and
Factors influencing vaccination coverage among children age 12–23 months in Afghanistan: Analysis of the 2015 Demographic and Health Survey

Background Childhood vaccination plays a key role in reducing morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases. Numerous studies have assessed the influence of demographic and socioeconomic factors on child immunization around the world. There are few such studies in Afghanistan, however. Therefore, this study aimed to identify factors influencing vaccination status among children age 12–23 months in Afghanistan. Materials and methods Nationally representative data from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey were used for this study. A sample of 5,708 children age 12–23 months with a vaccine card and immunization history was analyzed. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify significant relationships between cofactors and vaccination status. Results In the study, 51% the subjects were boys, 48% were born at home, and 76% were residents of rural areas. Background characteristics positively associated with vaccination status included delivery in a health facility (RRR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.9–3.3), maternal age of 30–39 years (RRR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.2–4.1), attending at least four visits for antenatal care (RRR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.7–4.5), health facility visit in the past 12 months (RRR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.4–2.5), paternal professional occupation (RRR = 4.9, 95% CI = 2.0–12.3), family with richer wealth index (RRR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.4–4.1), and living in the northeast region (RRR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.2–3.9)were positively associated with vaccination status. Living in the southern region (RRR = 0.3, 95% CI = 0.2–0.5) was negatively associated with vaccination status. Conclusion This study identified maternal age, ANC visits, place of delivery, health facility visits in past 12 months, paternal occupation, wealth quintile, and geographic region as the factors influencing child’s vaccination status in Afghanistan.
Spherical curves that bound immersed discs

Let f be an immersion of the oriented circle in the oriented sphere. Let the image lie in general position and have tangent winding number -r with respect to some point oo in its complement. The extensions off to an orientation preserving immersion of the disc are classified up to topological equivalence by the (0, j(1 --r))-assemblages induced by a star of rays from oo to the complementary components of the curve. Applications to the classification problem of stable maps between closed surfaces are also discussed. Introduction. Let M and W be smooth, connected, oriented surfaces, M compact with boundary AM, and W without boundary. Schoenflies' theorem leads to the natural question of when an immersion f of AM in W determines one or more extensions to an immersion of M in W. The Stoilow-Whyburn theory of light open maps [18] suggests that a more interesting candidate for extending f would be the following. To be admissible, the extension F shall be an orientation preserving immersion at all but a finite set BF of singularities. At these branch points the map has the topological type of the complex wrapping function w=zm, m> 1; The multiplicity of the branch point is /uF(z)=m-I. Moreover, the singular values shall not lie on the image of the boundary of M. Unless the image curves [f] lie in general position, that is,f is a normal immersion of AM [14], [16], bounding properties may be discontinuous under small deformations. For example, the curves w,=cos 0+ i(cos2 0+t)sin 0 bound plane embedded discs for small positive t, but not for t negative. On the other hand, normally immersed circles are combinatorially classifiable by the Titus intersection sequence [15, p. 49]. The Picard-Loewner problem [15, p. 47] asks for a complete combinatorial classification of admissible extension Fto Mof a normal immersion f of aM in terms of the topological invariants of [f], M and W. The problem is greatly simplified iff has a spherical target. Let M have genus y and AM be the union of 6+ 1 circles. Set pu=, /IF(Z), z E BF. Choose a point-at-infinity in the complement of [f] and identify the punctured sphere with the oriented plane. Set ,B= 2 (,UF(Z)+ 1), z E F-(co). Let be Received by the editors October 26, 1972 and, in revised form, January 30, 1973. AMS (MOS) subject classifications (1970). Primary 30A48, 57D40; Secondary 55A10, 55G35, 57A70. (i) American Mathematical Society 1973
Covariates and Spatial Interpolation of HIV Screening in Mozambique: Insight from the 2015 AIDS Indicator Survey

We examined the factors associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening and developed a HIV screening prevalence surface map using spatial interpolation techniques to identify the geographical areas with the highest and lowest rates of HIV screening in Mozambique. We analyzed the cross-sectional 2015 Mozambique AIDS Indicator Surveys with an analytic sample of 12,995 participants. Analyses were conducted on SPSS-21, STATA-14, and R freeware 3.5. 3. We adjusted for the sample design and population weights. Results indicated that 52.5% of Mozambicans had undergone HIV screening. Mozambicans with these characteristics have a higher probability of undergoing HIV screening: females, those with a primary education or higher, urban dwellers, residents of wealthy households, having at least one lifetime sexual partner, and dwelling in these provinces—Niassa, Tete, Manica, Sofala, Inhambane, Gaza, Maputo Provincia, and Maputo Cidade. The spatial map revealed that the national and regional estimates mask sub-regional level estimates. Generally, zones with the highest HIV screening prevalence are found in southern provinces while the lowest prevalence was found in the northern provinces. The map further revealed intraregional differences in HIV screening estimates. We recommend that HIV screening be expanded, with equitable screening resource allocations that target more nuanced areas within provinces which have a low HIV screening prevalence.
CYP2D6 genotype may moderate measures of brain structure in methamphetamine users

Chronic methamphetamine use is linked to abnormalities in brain structure, which may reflect neurotoxicity related to metabolism of the drug. As the cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) enzyme is central to the metabolism of methamphetamine, genotypic variation in its activity may moderate effects of methamphetamine on brain structure and function. This study explored the relationship between CYP2D6 genotype and measures of brain structure and cognition in methamphetamine users. Based on the function of genetic variants, a CYP2D6 activity score was determined in 82 methamphetamine‐dependent (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition [DSM‐IV] criteria) and 79 healthy‐control participants who completed tests of cognitive function (i.e., attention, memory, and executive function); most were also evaluated with structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (66 methamphetamine‐dependent and 52 controls). The relationship between CYP2D6 activity score and whole brain cortical thickness differed by group (interaction p = 0.024), as increasing CYP2D6 activity was associated with thinner cortical thickness in the methamphetamine users (β = −0.254; p = 0.035), but not in control subjects (β = 0.095; p = 0.52). Interactions between CYP2D6 activity and group were nonsignificant for hippocampal volume (ps > 0.05), but both hippocampi showed trends similar to those observed for cortical thickness (negative relationships in methamphetamine users [ps < 0.05], and no relationships in controls [ps > 0.50]). Methamphetamine users had lower cognitive scores than control subjects (p = 0.007), but there was no interaction between CYP2D6 activity score and group on cognition (p > 0.05). Results suggest that CYP2D6 genotypes linked to higher enzymatic activity may confer risk for methamphetamine‐induced deficits in brain structure. The behavioral consequences of these effects are unclear and warrant additional investigation.
Global Analysis of Cereal microProteins Suggests Diverse Roles in Crop Development and Environmental Adaptation

MicroProteins are a class of small single-domain proteins that post-translationally regulate larger multidomain proteins from which they evolved or which they relate to. They disrupt the normal function of their targets by forming microProtein-target heterodimers through compatible protein-protein interaction (PPI) domains. Recent studies confirm the significance of microProteins in the fine-tuning of plant developmental processes such as shoot apical meristem maintenance and flowering time regulation. While there are a number of well-characterized microProteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, studies from more complex plant genomes are still missing. We have previously developed miPFinder, a software for identifying microProteins from annotated genomes. Here we present an improved version where we have updated the algorithm to increase its accuracy and speed, and used it to analyze five cereal crop genomes – wheat, rice, barley, maize and sorghum. We found 20,064 potential microProteins from a total of 258,029 proteins in these five organisms, of which approximately 2000 are high-confidence, i.e., likely to function as actual microProteins. Gene ontology analysis of these 2000 microProtein candidates revealed their roles in stress, light and growth responses, hormone signaling and transcriptional regulation. Using a recently developed rice gene co-expression database, we analyzed 347 potential rice microProteins that are also conserved in other cereal crops and found over 50 of these rice microProteins to be co-regulated with their identified interaction partners. Overall, our study reveals a rich source of biotechnologically interesting small proteins that regulate fundamental plant processes such a growth and stress response that could be utilized in crop bioengineering.
Theory and classification of interacting integer topological phases in two dimensions: A Chern-Simons approach

We study topological phases of interacting systems in two spatial dimensions in the absence of topological order (i.e. with a unique ground state on closed manifolds and no fractional excitations). These are the closest interacting analogs of integer Quantum Hall states, topological insulators and superconductors. We adapt the well-known Chern-Simons {K}-matrix description of Quantum Hall states to classify such `integer' topological phases. Our main result is a general formalism that incorporates symmetries into the {{K}}-matrix description. Remarkably, this simple analysis yields the same list of topological phases as a recent group cohomology classification, and in addition provides field theories and explicit edge theories for all these phases. The bosonic topological phases, which only appear in the presence of interactions and which remain well defined in the presence of disorder include (i) bosonic insulators with a Hall conductance quantized to even integers (ii) a bosonic analog of quantum spin Hall insulators and (iii) a bosonic analog of a chiral topological superconductor, whose K matrix is the Cartan matrix of Lie group E$_8$. We also discuss interacting fermion systems where symmetries are realized in a projective fashion, where we find the present formalism can handle a wider range of symmetries than a recent group super-cohomology classification. Lastly we construct microscopic models of these phases from coupled one-dimensional systems.
Development of CRISPR Interference (CRISPRi) Platform for Metabolic Engineering of Leuconostoc citreum and Its Application for Engineering Riboflavin Biosynthesis

Leuconostoccitreum, a hetero-fermentative type of lactic acid bacteria, is a crucial probiotic candidate because of its ability to promote human health. However, inefficient gene manipulation tools limit its utilization in bioindustries. We report, for the first time, the development of a CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) interference (CRISPRi) system for engineering L. citreum. For reliable expression, the expression system of synthetic single guide RNA (sgRNA) and the deactivated Cas9 of Streptococcus pyogenes (SpdCas9) were constructed in a bicistronic design (BCD) platform using a high-copy-number plasmid. The expression of SpdCas9 and sgRNA was optimized by examining the combination of two synthetic promoters and Shine–Dalgarno sequences; the strong expression of sgRNA and the weak expression of SpdCas9 exhibited the most significant downregulation (20-fold decrease) of the target gene (sfGFP), without cell growth retardation caused by SpdCas9 overexpression. The feasibility of the optimized CRISPRi system was demonstrated by modulating the biosynthesis of riboflavin. Using the CRISPRi system, the expression of ribF and folE genes was downregulated (3.3-fold and 5.6-fold decreases, respectively), thereby improving riboflavin production. In addition, the co-expression of the rib operon was introduced and the production of riboflavin was further increased up to 1.7 mg/L, which was 1.53 times higher than that of the wild-type strain.