Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment

This article provides an update on the wastewater treatment technologies, which utilize natural processes or passive components to remove various pollutants. The focus is on the wetland systems and their applications in wastewater treatment (as an advanced treatment unit or a decentralized system), and nutrient and pollutant removal (heavy and hazardous metals, industrial and emerging pollutants including pharmaceutical and personal care products and endocrine disrupting chemicals). A summary of studies involving the effects of vegetation, wetland design and operation, modeling, hybrid and innovative systems, storm water treatment, sludge treatment, landfill leachate treatment, and pathogen removal is also included.
Mobile stories: the evolution of a mobile, collaborative story reading and creation tool for children

This paper discusses design iterations of mobile stories - a mobile technology that empowers children to collaboratively read and create stories. We present the design and discuss the impact of different collocated collaborative configurations for mobile devices including content splitting and space sharing. We share design experiences that illustrate how mobile stories support collaboration and mobility, and identify how the collocated collaborative configurations are best suited for reading and sharing tasks. We also identify how creative tasks foster more mobility and dynamic interactions between collaborators.
Building Trust: The Costs and Benefits of Gradualism

To study the development of trust, we examine a setting with an infinite horizon, uncertainty regarding the trustworthiness of receivers, and various levels of trust. In equilibrium, senders gradually increase trust levels with reciprocating receivers. We find strong experimental evidence of such gradualist strategies. However, comparing this setting to one in which trust is an all-or-nothing decision, we find --- in stark contrast to theory --- that the latter leads to more efficient outcomes. We identify the role of (empirically justified) prosociality and homemade beliefs as the driving force of this result and develop a behavioral framework explaining under which conditions gradualism is likely to lead to higher trust and efficiency levels in comparison to an all-or-nothing trust decision. Results of the baseline and a series of follow-up experiments corroborate the predictions of our framework and clearly identify circumstances in which it is behaviorally optimal to start small.
Sales Force Development in China

Sales management never received much attention in Chinese enterprises under central planning. Firms purchased inputs from suppliers and sold to customers assigned by the plan. For transactions outside the plan, personal connections were more important than selling skills or sales management, because there was no free market where firms could buy or sell output. Reforms and increasing competition have disrupted this old system. Customers have choice, and some of them are choosing better quality, better after sales service, better delivery. Relying completely on connections has become more difficult.Foreign and joint venture companies have introduced modern sales management into China, and many are developing effective sales forces. This article contrasts sales management in wholly owned foreign firms, joint ventures, and SOEs. Foreign companies lead in adopting modern sales management, while SOEs have not progressed very far in modernizing sales. However, profitable SOEs have begun to change how they sell. JVs show a mixture of foreign and SOE management technique. They may achieve the best sales forces in the long run, because they are adapting modern methods to the Chinese context.
Stopping drinking and risk of oesophageal cancer

Abstract Objective: To examine the effect of stopping drinking on the risk of oesophageal cancer. Design: Hospital based case-control study. Setting: Surgical departments of four district general hospitals and general practices in Hong Kong. Subjects: Cases were 400 consecutive admissions of patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of oesophageal cancer during a 21 month period in 1989-90 (87% response rate). Controls were 1598 patients selected from the same surgical departments as the cases and from the general practices from which the cases were originally referred (95% response rate). Main outcome measure: Relative risk of developing oesophageal cancer after stopping drinking (adjusted for age, education, place of birth, smoking, and diet). Results: Current light drinking (<200 g ethanol/week) was not associated with significant increase in risk. Among former drinkers risk fell more quickly in moderate (200-599 g/week) than heavy (>/=600 g/week) drinkers. Even among heavy drinkers, however, risk had dropped substantially after five to nine years of not drinking. The results suggest that the time taken for risk to return to that in subjects who never drink was 10-14 years for moderate drinkers and 15 years or more, if ever, for heavy drinkers. Conclusion: Risk of oesophageal cancer decreases fairly rapidly with time after abstaining from drinking. This new finding could be used in health promotion to encourage behavioural changes, especially in heavy drinkers, who have a very high risk of developing oesophageal cancer. It also suggests that alcoholic beverages have a strong effect on the late stage of carcinogenesis. Key messages Key messages Current light drinking (<200 g ethanol a week) was not associated with significant increase in risk Among former drinkers, risk had dropped substantially after five to nine years of cessation. The time taken for risk to return to that of people who never drink was 10-14 years for moderate drinkers (200-599 g a week) and 15 years or more, if ever, for heavy drinkers (>/=600 g a week) This new finding could be used in health promotion to encourage behavioural changes. It suggests that alcoholic beverages have a strong effect on the late stage of carcinogenesis
Microbial ecology of arsenic-mobilizing Cambodian sediments: lithological controls uncovered by stable-isotope probing.

Microbially mediated arsenic release from Holocene and Pleistocene Cambodian aquifer sediments was investigated using microcosm experiments and substrate amendments. In the Holocene sediment, the metabolically active bacteria, including arsenate-respiring bacteria, were determined by DNA stable-isotope probing. After incubation with (13) C-acetate and (13) C-lactate, active bacterial community in the Holocene sediment was dominated by different Geobacter spp. -related 16S rRNA sequences. Substrate addition also resulted in the enrichment of sequences related to the arsenate-respiring Sulfurospirillum spp. (13) C-acetate selected for ArrA related to Geobacter spp. whereas (13) C-lactate selected for ArrA which were not closely related to any cultivated organism. Incubation of the Pleistocene sediment with lactate favoured a 16S rRNA-phylotype related to the sulphate-reducing Desulfovibrio oxamicus DSM1925, whereas the ArrA sequences clustered with environmental sequences distinct from those identified in the Holocene sediment. Whereas limited As(III) release was observed in Pleistocene sediment after lactate addition, no arsenic mobilization occurred from Holocene sediments, probably because of the initial reduced state of As, as determined by X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure. Our findings demonstrate that in the presence of reactive organic carbon, As(III) mobilization can occur in Pleistocene sediments, having implications for future strategies that aim to reduce arsenic contamination in drinking waters by using aquifers containing Pleistocene sediments.
Distributed Spectrum Leasing via Vertical Cooperation in Cognitive Radio Networks

In hierarchical cognitive radio networks, unlicensed secondary users can increase their achievable rates by assisting licensed primary user transmissions via cooperation. In this paper, a novel approach to maximizing the transmission rates in the secondary network by optimizing the relay selection, the secondary transmit powers, and the cooperative relaying power splitting parameters is proposed. The resulting optimization problem is mixed integer and nonconvex, which makes it NP hard to find the optimal solutions. Therefore, centralized and distributed solution methods to find near-to-optimal solutions of this challenging problem are proposed. The methods are based on iteratively solving the secondary relay selection by a greedy approach, and the optimal power allocation problem by a fixed-point approach together with alternating direction method of multipliers. It is established that both centralized and distributed solution methods always converge. The numerical results illustrate how the performance of the proposed solution methods depend on the primary performance margins, and show that they give a near-to-optimal solution in few iterations.
Genetic Diversity of the Ralstonia solanacearum Species Complex in the Southwest Indian Ocean Islands

Epidemiological surveillance of plant pathogens based on genotyping methods is mandatory to improve disease management strategies. In the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) islands, bacterial wilt (BW) caused by the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) is hampering the production of many sustainable and cash crops. To thoroughly analyze the genetic diversity of the RSSC in the SWIO, we performed a wide sampling survey (in Comoros, Mauritius, Reunion, Rodrigues, and Seychelles) that yielded 1,704 isolates from 129 plots, mainly from solanaceous crops. Classification of the isolates to the four major RSSC phylogenetic groups, named phylotypes, showed that 87% were phylotype I, representing the most prevalent strain in each of the SWIO islands. Additionally, 9.7% were phylotype II, and 3.3% were phylotype III; however, these isolates were found only in Reunion. Phylotype IV (2 isolates), known to be restricted to Indonesia-Australia-Japan, was reported in Mauritius, representing the first report of this group in the SWIO. Partial endoglucanase (egl) sequencing, based on the selection of 145 isolates covering the geographic and host diversity in the SWIO (also including strains from Mayotte and Madagascar), revealed 14 sequevars with Reunion and Mauritius displaying the highest sequevar diversity. Through a multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) scheme based on the partial sequencing of 6 housekeeping genes (gdhA, gyrB, rplB, leuS, adk, and mutS) and 1 virulence-associated gene (egl), we inferred the phylogenetic relationships between these 145 SWIO isolates and 90 worldwide RSSC reference strains. Phylotype I was the most recombinogenic, although recombination events were detected among all phylotypes. A multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme identified 29 sequence types (STs) with variable geographic distributions in the SWIO. The outstanding epidemiologic feature was STI-13 (sequevar I-31), which was overrepresented in the SWIO and obviously reflected a lineage strongly adapted to the SWIO environment. A goeBURST analysis identified eight clonal complexes (CCs) including SWIO isolates, four CCs being geographically restricted to the SWIO, and four CCs being widespread beyond the SWIO. This work, which highlights notable genetic links between African and SWIO strains, provides a basis for the epidemiological surveillance of RSSC and will contribute to BW management in the SWIO.
Anti-SARS coronavirus agents: a patent review (2008 – present)

Introduction: A novel coronavirus (CoV), unlike previous typical human coronaviruses (HCoVs), was identified as causative agent for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). SARS first surfaced as a pandemic in late 2002 and originated in southern China. SARS-CoV rapidly spread to > 30 countries by 2003, infecting nearly 8,000 people and causing around 800 fatalities. After 10 years of silence, a 2012 report alarmed researchers about the emergence of a new strain of CoV causing SARS-like disease. Areas covered: To combat SARS, scientists applied for patents on various therapeutic agents, including small-molecule inhibitors targeting the essential proteases, helicase and other proteins of the virus, natural products, approved drugs, molecules binding to the virus, neutralizing antibodies, vaccines, anti-sense RNA, siRNA and ribozyme against SARS-CoV. In this article, the patents published from 2008 to the present for the new therapeutics that could potentially be used in the prophylaxis and treatment of SARS are reviewed. Expert opinion: The therapeutic interventions or prophylaxis discussed in this review seems to offer promising solutions to tackle SARS. Rather than being complacent about the results, we should envisage how to transform them into drug candidates that may be useful in combating SARS and related viral infections in the future.
Determinants of growth of Islamic Retail Bank in Pakistan

Purpose: to explore the determinants of growth of Islamic retail banking in Pakistan, and is tested in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative methodology is adopted for completion of this paper, through three-fold approach. In first method, growth of Islamic banks is compared with conventional banks through financial statements key statistics for a period of recent three (3) years; in second method an instrument is used through customers of Islamic retail banks and their perspective is assessed; and in third methodology, another instrument is used through bankers of Islamic retail banks.Findings:Our findings include good bank spread, customersâ€™ perspective of good returns on deposits and better services, part from religious cause of trend for Islamic retail bank; banksâ€™ perspective of better Islamic alternate to retail banking needs.Research limitations/implications: Study is conducted in Pakistan only. It may expand by including more variables into research.Practical implications: Practical implication of this paper may relate to the policy makers in Islamic banks for development of products as per customer needs and demands.Originality/value: To devise better policy related to growth and expansion of Islamic banking in emerging economy.
Facility-based identification of women with severe maternal morbidity: it is time to start.

To the Editor: I read with great interest the recent commentary by Callaghan and colleagues on their proposed approach for identifying severe maternal morbidity. However, the criterion identifying transfusion of 4 or more units of blood products may require some clarification. Does the authors’ criterion refer to 4 or more blood components (to include red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate), or does the criterion refer to 4 or more red blood cell units? An additional consideration is whether the proposed criterion addresses total blood donor exposures as opposed to doses of blood components. If the criterion measures blood donor exposures, a parturient receiving a single platelet pool (comprised of 4–6 whole-blood derived platelet concentrate units) or a single cryoprecipitate pool (comprised of 4–10 cryoprecipitate units) would meet the proposed definition for severe maternal morbidity despite having received only one blood component dose. I congratulate the authors for their proposal; this holds promise as a practical system for tracking near-miss maternal morbidity events. However, that promise may be in jeopardy if readers superimpose their interpretation of “blood product” on the authors’ intent.
Chemotherapeutic evaluation of rifampicin to experimental bacillary dysentery in cynomolgus monkeys.

Chemotherapeutic effect of rifampicin (RFP) and kanamycin (KM) to bacillary dysentery was evaluated using cynomolgus monkeys experimentally infected with Shigella flexneri 2a. Monkeys manifested typical symptoms of the disease after rectal administration of the bacilli. They were orally treated one or two days after challenge with a daily dose of 200 mg of RFP or KM per animal for five consecutive days. These monkeys were investigated clinically, bacteriologically and histopathologically. A more rapid improvement of the stools from a bloody mucous to a normal with disappearance of the bacilli in stools was observed in RFP treatment as compared with KM treatment. Reappearance of bacilli in the stools was observed from six to eight days after the last administration with KM. A more significant inhibitory effect with RFP was observed in penetration and multiplication of the bacilli within host epithelial cells than with KM. A greater part of the animals treated with KM revealed, as seen in non-treated controls, catarrhalic colitis associated with penetration and multiplication of the bacilli in epithelial cells or in the lamina propria. However, no histological changes were observed in cases treated with RFP with the exception of one case with microfoci in the ileocecal valve.
Comparative Systemic Toxicity of Convulsant and Supraconvulsant Doses of Intravenous Ropivacaine, Bupivacaine, and Lidocaine in the Conscious Dog

This study evaluated the systemic toxicity, arrhythmogenicity, and mode of death of convulsant and supraconvulsant doses of lidocaine, bupivacaine, and ropivacaine. Experiments in awake dogs were designed to mimic the clinical situation of an accidental intravenous (IV) injection of local anesthetics.On the first experimental day, lidocaine (8 mg·kg−1 · min−1), bupivacaine (2 mg·kg−1·min−1), and ropivacaine (2 mg·kg−1·min−1) were infused intravenously until seizures occurred (n = 6 for each group). The average dose and arterial plasma concentration at seizure onset was 20.8 ± 4.0 mg/kg and 47.2 ± 5.4 μg/ml for lidocaine, 4.31 ± 0.36 mg/kg and 18.0 ± 2.7 μg/mL for bupivacaine, and 4.88 ± 0.47 mg/kg and 21.4 ± 0.9 μg/mL for ropivacaine.The margin of safety between the convulsive and lethal doses was determined by administering two times the convulsive dose 24 h later. Two dogs given lidocaine died because of progressive hypotension, respiratory arrest, and finally cardiovascular collapse with an average peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of 469 μg/mL. No ventricular arrhythmias were observed in this group. Ventricular arrhythmias occurred in five of six dogs receiving bupivacaine. Four animals died because of hypotension, respiratory arrest, and cardiovascular collapse. One additional animal died because of ventricular fibrillation. The Cmax for bupivacaine was 70.1 ± 14.6 μg/mL in nonsurvivors. In the ropivacaine group one animal died because of hypotension, respiratory arrest, and cardiovascular collapse (Cmax 72.4 μg/mL). A surviving dog had transient premature ventricular contractions.Twenty-four hours later three times the convulsive dose was administered to the survivors. Death occurred in three animals in the lidocaine group, the remaining dog in the bupivacaine group, and four dogs in the ropivacaine group. All deaths were due to hypotension, respiratory arrest, and subsequent cardiovascular collapse. Ventricular arrhythmias were observed in two dogs in the ropivacaine group and the single dog receiving bupivacaine. The results suggest that the convulsive doses for ropivacaine and bupivacaine are similar. However, ropivacaine may possess a greater margin of safety and be less arrhythrnogenic than bupivacaine after an accidental rapid IV injection. Only lidocaine was devoid of arrhythmogenic activity.
Structure of Nitrite Bound to Copper-containing Nitrite Reductase from Alcaligenes faecalis

The structures of oxidized, reduced, nitrite-soaked oxidized and nitrite-soaked reduced nitrite reductase from Alcaligenes faecalis have been determined at 1.8–2.0 Å resolution using data collected at −160 °C. The active site at cryogenic temperature, as at room temperature, contains a tetrahedral type II copper site liganded by three histidines and a water molecule. The solvent site is empty when crystals are reduced with ascorbate. A fully occupied oxygen-coordinate nitrite occupies the solvent site in crystals soaked in nitrite. Ascorbate-reduced crystals soaked in a glycerol-methanol solution and nitrite at −40 °C remain colorless at −160 °C but turn amber-brown when warmed, suggesting that NO is released. Nitrite is found at one-half occupancy. Five new solvent sites in the oxidized nitrite bound form exhibit defined but different occupancies in the other three forms. These results support a previously proposed mechanism by which nitrite is bound primarily by a single oxygen atom that is protonable, and after reduction and cleavage of that N–O bond, NO is released leaving the oxygen atom bound to the Cu site as hydroxide or water.
A fast hybrid approach for approximating a thin-plate spline surface

Thin-plate spline (TPS) is a common method to smooth interpolation of bivariate scattered data. However, this method has been associated with very high computational cost, particularly when number of scattered data becomes large and interpolation function must be evaluated on a large grid. This paper describes a hybrid approach for computing a C2-continuous surface using combination of thin-plate spline and cubic spline interpolation that approximates the thin-plate spline interpolation function. Experimental results show that this method significantly speeds up the evaluation of thin-plate spline interpolation function in comparison with direct evaluation, particularly in the cases that interpolation function must be evaluated on a large grid.
ESTIMATION OF GENETIC PARAMETERS FORPRE-WEANING GROWTH TRAITS IN TEDDY GOATS

The objective of present study was to estimate genetic parameters of some pre-weaning growth traits in Teddy goats. Data available on 18702 kidding and performance records of 5150 Teddy goats and progeny of 382 sires maintained at three different locations(I) Livestock Experiment Station Rakh Ghulaman, District Bakkhar (1983-2008) (II) Livestock Experiment Station, Rakh Kharewala District Layyah (1971-2008) and (III) Livestock Experiment Station Chak Katora, District Bahawalpur (1975-2008) Punjab, Pakistan were analyzed for this purpose. Restricted Maximum likelihood (REML) procedure fitting an Individual Animal Model was used for variance component estimation. Estimates of breeding values for various performance traits like birth weight (BW), 60 day weight (60DW), weaning weight (WW), and pre-weaning daily gain (PrWDG) were calculated by using BLUP. For these purposes WOMBAT software was used. The heritability estimates for BW, 60DW, WW and PrWDG were 0.28±0.23, 0.26±0.44, 0.23±0.32, and 0.21±0.32, respectively, while the repeatability estimates for BW, 60DW, WW (as dam traits) were 0.53±0.02, 0.46±0.04, and 0.34±0.04, respectively. The increasing trend was observed in genetic trends for BW and WW during the period of study. It is envisaged from the present study that over the 34 years period selection remained ineffective to bring the desired changes and it will remain so if random use of breeding animals is practiced.
An Electrically Small Spherical UHF RFID Tag Antenna With Quasi-Isotropic Patterns for Wireless Sensor Networks

An electrically small spherical UHF (911.25 MHz) radio frequency identification (RFID) tag antenna is proposed. A dipole-typed RFID tag antenna is wound into a spherical shape to achieve small size and quasi-isotropic pattern. The overall diameter of the antenna is 25 mm (0.076¿), and the resulting electrical size is a kr of 0.24. A short stub is employed for good conjugate impedance matching with a RFID chip (Zchip = 14 - j145 ¿). The designed antenna has a -10-dB bandwidth of 7 MHz (0.77%) and the maximum readable distance of 132 cm at 5.2 W EIRP.