Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular evidence for the early history of living vertebrates

Molecular data bearing on the origin and early history of vertebrates are assembled and analysed for phylogeny and times of divergence. The divergence time for cephalochordates and vertebrates is estimated here as 751 :t 30.9 Mya {million years ago) using nine constant-rate nuclear protein-coding genes. This suggests that free-swimming animals with a notochord, neural tube, and metameric lateral muscles were present about 200 million years before the first fossil evidence of bilaterian animals. By inference, urochordates, hemichordates, and echinoderms diverged even earlier in the Proterozoic. It is suggested that the origins of many major lineages of animals at the level of phylum and below were associated with Neoproterozoic glaciation events {Neoproterozoic Refugia Model). A phylogenetic analysis of the major groups of vertebrates, with 10 nuclear genes, supports the traditional tree: {Agnatha, {Chondrichthyes, {Actinopterygii, Tetrapoda))). The monophyly of Gnathostomata {jawed vertebrates) and of Osteichthyes {bony vertebrates) is each supported {100 per cent bootstrap confidence). A separate phylogenetic analysis of seven nuclear protein-coding genes having representatives of both hagfish and lamprey supported cyclostome monophyly {97 per cent) in agreement with analyses of ribosomal genes and some morphological studies. An early Palaeozoic divergence time {499 :t 36.8 Mya) was estimated for hagfish and
An Analytical Approach for the Optimal Operation of Simultaneous AC-DC
 Power Transmission System

Simultaneous AC-DC power transmission technique can improve both loadability and stability of a power system with long transmission line. But, there is a tradeoff between loadability and stability i.e. increase in the improvement of loadability causes the decrease in the improvement of stability and vice versa. Actually, it is a multi-objective optimization problem where the objective function depends on two decision variables with opposite in nature. Firstly, this paper presents an analytical expression for the objective function which is the function of two decision variables i.e. power flowing capacity and critical clearing time. Secondly, a mathematical model is developed for the optimal point of the objective function. Considering a typical system a numerical analysis is performed using the proposed expressions. Again, the impact of the line length and the voltage level of a transmission line on the objective function are also investigated. Finally, the developed model of the optimal point is applied to a real system to justify its ability to evaluate the combined benefit of loadability and stability of simultaneous AC-DC system.
Evaluation of Invertase Inhibition Activity and Cytotoxicity of Ethanol and Acetone Extracts of Swietenia macrophyllia Leaves, Syzygium cumini and Trigonella foenum-graecum Seeds

Invertase, the key enzyme responsible for sucrose hydrolysis. Inhibition of invertase can decrease the postprandial blood sugar level in diabetic patients and keep the blood glucose level normal where cytotoxicity to fast-growing cells like those of brine shrimp (Artemia salina) nauplii is a great measurement for further important drug development. This study was aimed to investigate potential anti-diabetic and cytotoxic activities of the ethanol and acetone extracts of Swietenia macrophylla leaves, Syzygium cumini and Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds. Invertase inhibition activities of S. macrophylla leaves, S. cumini, and T. foenum-graecum seeds were measured by spectrophotometrically using standard protocols and cytotoxicity were measured by brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Among the plant extracts, all ethanol extracts showed higher invertase inhibition activities than all acetone extracts. S. cumini seed ethanol extract showed the highest invertase inhibition activity whereas S. macrophylla leaves acetone extract showed the lowest invertase inhibition activity. The maximum toxicity was observed in ethanol extract of T. foenum-graecum seed whereas the lowest toxicity was observed in acetone extract of S. macrophylla leaves. Both ethanol and acetone extract of T. foenum-graecumseeds showed significant cytotoxic activities. This investigation suggested that S. cumini and T. foenum-graecum seeds possess potential antidiabetic activities and T. foenum-graecum seeds have potential cytotoxicity.
Evaluation of sialic acid levels in type-2 diabetes mellitus patients in NCR, Delhi

Background: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common metabolic disorders characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, and it is associated with increased prevalence of microvascular complications. Serum sialic acid has developed as a potential risk factor for Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus. In type-2 diabetic individuals, elevated serum sialic acid is often observed as compared to non-diabetic individuals. Materials and Methods: The study conducted in NCR, Delhi was a cross-sectional analysis on 70 participants between the age group of 30 to 70 years. This included two groups of thirty-five individuals with type-2 diabetes mellitus recruited as cases (15 males and 20 females) and thirty-five individuals without diabetes taken as controls (16 males and 19 females). Fasting blood glucose and serum sialic acid in the both groups were measured. Results: In the present study, serum sialic acid levels were shown to be increased in type-2 diabetes mellitus (76.60+7.89) compared to non-diabetics (39.66+9.55) with a statistically significant p-value of Conclusion: On the basis of present study, it is concluded that the serum sialic acid levels were found to be increased in type-2 diabetic patients of Delhi -NCR which reflect that these patients were at the risk of developing microvascular complications. Therefore, estimating sialic acid levels may aid in early diagnosis and prevention of microvascular complications caused by type-2 diabetes mellitus. Keywords: Sialic acid, Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus, Hyperglycemia.
Mineral fertilizers with iron influence spring rape, maize and soil properties

ABSTRACT Because of low content of available iron (Fe) in soils and its poor mobility in plants, iron fertilization is necessary. Different forms of iron (mineral salts, chelates, nanomaterials) and fertilization strategies (soil and foliar application of solid or liquid fertilizers) are used. The effect of solid mineral fertilizers (A: a mixture of ammonium nitrate and dolomite; B: a mixture of ammonium nitrate and sulfate) enriched with iron sulfate was assessed during a three-year pot experiment. Iron addition did not change the yield of spring rape (first year) or maize (second and third year) significantly, and the effect on iron content in the plants was ambiguous. Fertilizer B with iron had the greatest yield-forming effect, increasing the yield of aboveground parts by 355–874%, and of roots by 211–692% in particular years. All fertilizers (especially containing sulfur) acidified the soil. After the experiment, pH of the soil fertilized with sulfur was 4.1, and of the unfertilized soil – 5.2. Iron addition increased the content of mobile and exchangeable iron in the soil by 12–110% and 2–58%, respectively, but not the content of the fraction bound to MnOx. Combination of sulfur and iron fertilization has a potential to improve soil abundance and plant yield.
The influence of Hakka language immersion programs on children’s preference of Hakka language and cross-language

ABSTRACT This study examined whether one Taiwan’s heritage language immersion influences children’s preference for the heritage language or cross-language. The research questions are: (1) What are children’s attitudes toward the Hakka language (HL)? Does a significant difference exist in children’s attitudes between those in the Hakka Language Immersion Program (HLIP) and children not participating in the program? (2) What are children’s language preferences? Is there a significant difference in children’s language preference between HLIP and non-HLIP (NHLIP)? This study used a causal comparative method to identify relationships between independent and dependent variables after the HLIP was implemented. The participants were selected from one HLIP (n = 37) and one NHLIP (n = 39). Both groups of children received a pretest and posttest, namely, the ‘HL attitude measurement test,’ which included ‘HL opinion’ and ‘language preference’ tests and had satisfactory reliability and validity. This study used covariate analysis to determine if a significant difference could be observed. The results demonstrated that the preference for the HL or cross-language in the HLIP was not significantly higher than those in the comparison group. Nevertheless, the children’s HL preference in the cognitive domain and cross-language preference in the behavior domain exhibited a significantly positive effect.
An Overview on the Advances of LiCoO2 Cathodes for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

LiCoO2, discovered as a lithium‐ion intercalation material in 1980 by Prof. John B. Goodenough, is still the dominant cathode for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) in the portable electronics market due to its high compacted density, high energy density, excellent cycle life and reliability. In order to satisfy the increasing energy demand of portable electronics such as smartphones and laptops, the upper cutoff voltage of LiCoO2‐based batteries has been continuously raised for achieving higher energy density. However, several detrimental issues including surface degradation, damages induced by destructive phase transitions, and inhomogeneous reactions could emerge as charging to a high voltage (>4.2 V vs Li/Li+), which leads to the rapid decay of capacity, efficiency, and cycle life. In this review, the history and recent advances of LiCoO2 are introduced, and a significant section is dedicated to the fundamental failure mechanisms of LiCoO2 at high voltages (>4.2 V vs Li/Li+). Meanwhile, the modification strategies and the development of LiCoO2‐based LIBs in industry are also discussed.
Systematic Literature Review to Identify and Rank the Most Common Reasons for Plagiarism

Aim/Purpose: In this paper the authors explore and analyse the literature to determine the common reasons why a student may choose to plagiarise. The predominant purpose of the research formed part of a larger study to develop metrics and methods to identify potential plagiarism within coding-based assignments. Methodology: A systematic literature review with the objective to identify and rank the most common reasons for plagiarism was conducted. This was achieved by identi-fying primary studies conducted on the reasons for plagiarism. The identified studies were subsequently subjected to a top down quality assessment with a number of criteria. In total, 37 studies made it through the selection process. The results of the selected studies were synthesized to obtain a ranked list of reasons why students plagiarise. Contribution: This paper contributes a ranked list of reasons that may influence a student’s decision to plagiarise, based on a set of categories emerging from the literature. Findings: Eleven possible categories indicating the common reasons behind a student’s decision to plagiarise are identified. The literature revealed that aspects such as the external values of the student and attitudes towards academia and teaching styles are significant factors that impact a student’s willingness and decision to plagiarise. Impact on Society: Instructors may gain a better understanding on why their students decided to plagiarise.
Sexual Assault Among In-School Adolescents In Ekiti State, Nigeria: Prevalence And Predictors

Study Objective: In Nigeria, sexual assault is now a silent epidemic among adolescents. Accurate data are needed to prevent it. We aimed at estimating the prevalence and predictors of sexual assault among adolescents in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional cohort study involving 192 senior public high students across 16 local government areas in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Self-administered structured questionnaires were used to obtain data from participants during a summer youth camp in August 2019. Data were analysed with SPSS version 20. A p value < 0.05 is taken as statistically significant. Results: Twelve adolescents (6.3%) among the respondents had been sexually assaulted prior to this survey, and both sexes were evenly affected. Route of sexual intercourse (χ2 =69.37, p<0.001), age at sexual debut (χ2 =66.56, p <0.001), prior experience of non-contact sexual violence (χ2=18.06, p=0.002) and having a friend who had procured an abortion (χ2= 7.68, p=0.010) were significantly associated with sexual assault. Experience of sexual assault was predicted by having a friend who had procured abortion (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 4.23; 95% Confidence Interval [C.I.]: 1.05 – 17.00, p = 0.042), and having suffered two or more variants of non-contact sexual violence (AOR 8.44; 95% C.I.: 1.92 – 37.03, p = 0.005). Conclusion: Sexual assault is prevalent among the study population. There is a need to design institutional framework for identifying, reporting, preventing and accessing medical care immediately after non-contact sexual violence and sexual assault in order to ensure prosecution of perpetrators.
Use of a 2-Dimensional Ionization Chamber Array to Measure Head Leakage of a Varian Truebeam® Linear Accelerator

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the use of a two-dimensional (2D) planar ion chamber array to characterize leakage radiation from the head of the linear accelerator. Ion chamber arrays provide a benefit over a singular ion chamber measurement as they allow for the measurement of a larger area in order to isolate the point of maximum leakage dose and the small size of each individual ion chamber minimizes volume-averaging effects. A Varian Truebeam® undergoing acceptance testing was used for all measurements. The gantry was wrapped in Portal Pack for Localization (PPL) radiographic film in order to isolate the location of maximum leakage. A calibration curve was developed and used to determine dose-to-film. An Ion Chamber Profiler (IC Profiler™) manufactured by Sun Nuclear Corporation was used to confirm measurements by the PPL film. All measurements were normalized to leakage at 100 cm from the target relative to the central axis. Three points were investigated with the IC Profiler, including the top of the gantry, the Varian logo, and the side of the gantry. For the three locations, respectively, the PPL film and the IC profiler were measured 0.142% and 0.131%, 0.036% and 0.030%, and 0.014% and 0.019%. The good agreement between the PPL film and the IC Profiler provides confidence in the use of a more efficient and accurate ion chamber array for head leakage measurements.
VIM-Padé technique for solving nonlinear and delay initial value problems

In this work, we employ a combination of variational iteration method (VIM) and Pade approximation method, called the VIM-Pade technique, to solve some nonlinear initial value problems and a delay differential equation (DDE). Some examples are provided to illustrate the capability and reliability of the technique. The obtained results by using the VIM are compared to the results of this technique. This comparison shows that VIM-Pade technique is more effective than VIM and yields faster convergence compared to the VIM.
Modeling the Optimal Portfolio: the Case of the Largest European Stock Exchanges

Portfolio optimization is the main concern for portfolio managers. Financial securities are placed within the portfolio based on the investor’s risk tolerance. The study measures the risk-reward relationship when the number of stocks in the portfolio increases. Six diverse portfolios have been created with a different number of stocks, such as portfolios with 47 stocks, 95 stocks, 142 stocks, 190 stocks, 239 stocks, and 287 stocks. Stock prices and trading volume were collected on a weekly basis from the six largest European stock exchanges (FTSE100, CAC40, FTSE MIB, IBEX35, DAX, and MDAX). Markowitz’s (1952) diversification formula has been used to measure the risk level of the individual portfolios. The results of the study show that the diversification risk constantly decreases when we move from the portfolios with 47 stocks to the portfolios with 287 stocks. The weighted average returns increase on the portfolios with a higher number of stocks, which is contrary to the standard portfolio theories. The results of the study indicate managerial implications for financial investors that are focused exclusively on the largest European stock exchanges.
Ergenlerde Kişisel ve Çevresel Faktörlerin Siber Zorbalık Davranışını Yordaması

Bireyin zorba ya da magdur olmasina ortam hazirlayan risk faktorlerinin birden fazla boyutunun olmasi; bireyin, kisisel ve cevresel ozellikleri ile beraber incelenmesi gerektigini ortaya cikarmaktadir. Bandura, Sosyal Ogrenme Teorisi ile Insanin sergiledigi davranislarin, bireysel, cevresel ve davranissal faktorlerin karsilikli etkilesimi sonucunda olustugunu savunmaktadir. Bu dogrultuda, bu arastirmada, Sosyal Bilissel Kuram temel alinarak, siber zorbalik davranisina sebep olan kisisel ve cevresel faktorleri bir model cercevesinde incelemek amaclanmaktadir. Bu arastirmada iliskisel tarama modeli kullanilmistir. Arastirmanin orneklemini, 2018-2019 egitim-ogretim yilinda Erzurum ili Yakutiye, Palandoken ve Aziziye ilcelerinde 9. , 10. , 11. ve 12. sinifta ogrenim goren, 753 lise ogrencisi olusturmaktadir. Arastirmada veri toplama araci olarak ‘Siber Zorbalik Olcegi’ ‘Internet Oz-Yeterligi Olcegi’, Sanal Ortam Yalnizlik Olcegi’ ve arastirmaci tarafindan gelistirilen ‘Sanal Ortamda Sosyal Etki Anketi’ kullanilmistir. Olceklerin yapi gecerligini saglamak amaciyla dogrulayici faktor analizi (DFA) kullanilmistir. Olceklerin guvenirligini saglamak icin ise Cronbach alfa katsayilari hesaplanmistir. Arastirmada elde edilen veriler icin, SPSS 21.0 programi araciligi ile korelasyon analizi ve LISREL 8.80 programi araciligiyla yapisal esitlik modeli uygulanmistir. Internet oz yeterligi, sanal ortamda sosyal etki, sanal ortamda yalnizlik ile siber zorbalik davranisi arasindaki iliskileri ortaya koymak amaciyla uygulanan yapisal esitlik modeli sonucunda; sanal ortamda sosyal etki, sanal ortamda yalnizlik ve interneti kullanma oz-yeterliligin siber zorbaligin % 29’unu pozitif yonde acikladigi saptanmistir. Arastirmadan elde edilen bulgular ilgili alanyazin isiginda tartisilmis ve gelecek calismalara yonelik onerilerde bulunulmustur
C-Reactive Protein, Interleukin-6, and Fibrinogen as Predictors of Coronary Heart Disease

Objective— This study was undertaken to examine the association of plasma inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6, and fibrinogen with the incidence of coronary heart disease within the prospective cohort study on myocardial infarction (PRIME study). Methods and Results— Multiple risk factors were recorded at baseline in 9758 men aged 50 to 59 years who were free of coronary heart disease (CHD) on entry. Nested case-control comparisons were carried out on 317 participants who suffered myocardial infarction (MI)-coronary death (n=163) or angina (n=158) as an initial CHD event during a follow-up for 5 years. After adjustment for traditional risk factors, incident MI-coronary death, but not angina, was significantly associated with CRP, interleukin-6, and fibrinogen, but only interleukin-6 remained significantly associated with MI-coronary death when the 3 inflammatory markers were included in the model. The different interleukin-6 levels in Northern Ireland and France partly exp.
A hierarchical multi-label classification method based on neural networks for gene function prediction

abstract Gene function prediction is used to assign biological or biochemical functions to genes, which continues to be a challenging problem in modern biology. Genes may exhibit many functions simultaneously, and these functions are organized into a hierarchy, such as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) for Gene Ontology (GO). Because of these characteristics, gene function prediction can be seen as a typical hierarchical multi-label classification (HMC) task. A novel HMC method based on neural networks is proposed in this article for predicting gene function based on GO. The proposed method belongs to a local approach by transferring the HMC task to a set of subtasks. There are three strategies implemented in this method to improve its performance. First, to tackle the imbalanced data set problem when building the training data set for each class, negative instances selecting policy and SMOTE approach are used to preprocess each imbalanced training data set. Second, a particular multi-layer perceptron (MLP) is designed for each node in GO. Third, a post processing method based on the Bayesian network is used to guarantee that the results are consistent with the hierarchy constraint. The experimental results indicate that the proposed HMC-MLPN method is a promising method for gene function prediction based on a comparison with two other state-of-the-art methods.
Problems, Limitations, and Challenges in Species Identification of Ascomycota Members on the Basis of ITS Regions

The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region is regarded as a formal fungal primary barcode with a high probability of the correct identification for a broad group of fungi. ITS sequences have been widely used to determine many fungal species and analysis of rDNA ITS is still one of the most popular tools used in mycology. However, this region is not equally variable in all groups of fungi; therefore, identification may be problematic and result in ambiguous data, especially in some species-rich genera of Ascomycota. For these reasons, identification based on rDNA ITS is usually complemented by morphological observations and analysis of additional genes. Reliable species identification of Ascomycota members is essential in diagnosing plant diseases, verifying air quality and the effectiveness of agronomic practices, or analyzing relationships between microorganisms. Therefore, the present study aimed to verify, using specific examples, the extent to which ITS sequence analysis is useful in species identification of pathogens and saprobionts from Ascomycota and demonstrate problems related to such identification in practice. We analyzed 105 ITS sequences of isolates originating from air and plant material. Basic local alignment search tool (BLASTn) significantly contributed to the reliable species identification of nearly 80% of isolates such as Arthrinium arundinis , Beauveria bassiana , Boeremia exigua , Cladosporium cladosporioides , Epicoccum nigrum , Nigrospora oryzae , Sclerotinia sclerotiorum , or Sordaria fimicola and members of the genera Alternaria and Trichoderma . However, for most isolates, additional morphological observations, information regarding the isolate origin and, where possible, a PCR with species-specific primers were helpful and complementary. Using our practical approach, we determined that ITS-based species identification and comparative analysis with GenBank sequences significantly helps identifying Ascomycota members. However, in many cases, this should be regarded as suggestive of a taxon because the data usually require the use of additional tools to verify the results of such analysis.