Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The microRNA gene bta-mir-2313 in cattle: an atlas of regulatory elements and an association analysis with growth and carcass traits in the Slovenian Simental cattle breed

Abstract. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are a class of non-coding RNAs important in posttranscriptional regulation of target genes. Regulation requires complementarity between the target mRNA and the miRNA region responsible for their recognition and binding, also called the seed region. Previous studies have proven that expression profiles and genetic variations of miRNA genes (miR-SNP; SNP – single nucleotide polymorphism) and their target sites (miR-TS-SNPs) have an impact on phenotypic variation and disease susceptibility in human, animal models, and livestock. MicroRNA-associated polymorphisms therefore represent biomarker potential for phenotypic traits in livestock. Effects of miRNA gene polymorphisms on phenotypic traits have been studied in several animal species but much less in cattle. The aim of the present study was therefore to analyze the genetic variability in the bta-mir-2313 gene and test associations with growth and carcass traits of the Slovenian Simmental cattle breed. Additionally, validated and predicted genomic information related to the miRNA gene bta-mir-2313 has been obtained and presented as an atlas of miRNA regulatory elements. Sanger sequencing has been used for biomarker development and genotyping of 145 animals of Slovenian dual-purpose Simmental cattle. Out of nine known polymorphisms located within pre-miRNA regions, one mature miRNA seed SNP was polymorphic in the Slovenian Simmental cattle breed. An additional three polymorphisms were identified within the flanking pri-miRNA regions. There was no significant effect of polymorphisms on 18 tested fattening and carcass traits; however, validated polymorphisms could now be tested in association with other traits in other cattle populations. The microRNA gene bta-mir-2313 warrants further genetic and functional analyses since it overlaps with a large number of quantitative trait loci (QTL), has over 3100 predicted targets and highly polymorphic mature seed regions, and is located within protein-coding gene GRAMD1B, previously associated with production traits in cattle. Mature miRNA seed SNPs present important genomic loci for functional studies because they could affect the gain/loss of downstream targets and should be systematically studied in cattle.
Comparison of Risk Factors Frequencies of Hepatitis C in Two Provinces

Risk factors for transmission routes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) may vary in countries like Turkey which has geographical, cultural and socioeconomical differences among regions. In this study data from two provinces of Turkey were analysed to evaluate and compare the risk factors frequencies of HCV. From 2007 through 2014, a total of anti-HCV positive 90 patients from Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Training Hospital located in the west region of Turkey and 100 patients from Kilis State Hospital located in the south east part were included in the study to compare risk factors of HCV infection. Patients were questioned about history of dental treatment, hospitalization, blood transfusion, surgical operation and intravenous drug use which are major risk factors for transmission of HCV. Overall history of previous dental treatment was the most prevalent risk factor in both provinces followed by hospitalization, blood transfusion and operation. The use of intravenous drugs was higher in Kilis with a statistically significant difference. In every patient at least one risk factor was present. Although Kilis has a conservative community and lower socio economical level, this unexpected observation may be related to reflections of border trade of drugs on society. Thus preventive measures should be taken, considering socioeconomical differences among regions.
Wpływ postępowania fizjoterapeutycznego na sprawność chodu pacjentów po wszczepieniu endoprotezy stawu biodrowego Influence of physiotherapy on gait performance of patients after hip replacement

Aim: Assessment of walking speed of patients after hip replacement, influence of 3-week physiotherapy on gait performance and assessment whether the time after surgery has an impact on the effectiveness of rehabilitation. Material and method: The study included 30 patients (22 women, 8 men) aged 64.5 years (33-80 years) after hip replacement hospitalized for the purpose of rehabilitation. Patients were divided into two groups depending on the time elapsed since surgery (up to 1 year – group I and over 1 year after surgery – group II). The 6-minute walking test (6-MWT) was performed, walking speed was calculated and information on the pain and difficulties that occur during walking were collected at the beginning and after a 3-week of stay. results: In both groups after rehabilitation period the walking distance measured by 6-MWT and walking speed increased. Increase of walking distance in 6-MWT and walking speed after rehabilitation period was similar in group I and II. In group I, there was a reduction in pain and in difficulty during walking on a flat surface. In the second group difficulty during walking up the stairs decreased, without no change in pain relief. conclusion: Mean walking speed in patients after hip replacement is 0.71±0.35m/s, and the walking distance in 6-MWT is 255.7±127.7m. The effect of a 3-week rehabilitation streszczenIe Wstep: Nawet pomyślnie przeprowadzony zabieg wszcze pienia endoprotezy nie w pelni likwiduje istniejące deficyty związane z chodem. Pacjenci mają trudności z odzyskaniem normalnego wzorca chodu jeszcze kilka lat po zabiegu. celem pracy jest ocena predkości chodu u osob po wszcze pieniu endoprotezy stawu biodrowego, ocena wplywu 3-tygodniowego postepowania fizjoterapeutycznego na sprawnośc chodu pacjentow oraz ocena czy czas, ktory uplynąl od zabiegu operacyjnego ma wplyw na efektywnośc rehabilitacji.
Modelling Inflation and Debt Dynamics in a Monetary Union

The goal of this paper is to model the dynamics of an economy belonging to a monetary union, when the possibility of leaving that union arises. For this, we extend the Drazen-Helpman (1990) model, introducing a new component of the interest rate, i.e. the "spread", that allows for bridging the interest rates’ dynamics inside the union with the anticipated future outside the union. In the context of the neoclassical Ramsey infinite horizon model, with optimizing individuals and competitive markets, the spread, differently from inflation, affects the real side of the economy as a sort of distortionary taxation on investments. This implies that a country belonging to the monetary union but characterized by weak public finances will suffer from lower capital accumulation, lower output, and lower consumption levels than the ones achievable by the steady state "golden rule". In reality, we will show that Pareto-optimality requires either to embrace the path to a fiscal union or to break-up. In this paper the focus is on the break-up option, when public debt becomes unsustainable. We analyse the dynamics of the economy before and after the break-up, with specific attention to interest rates, capital accumulation and exchange rate. We derive that the nominal interest rate will not change around the break-up event, thanks to the “bridging” property of the spread. The real interest rate instead will decrease, and consumption will jump down, allowing for higher investments necessary to reconstitute the optimal stock of capital. The exchange rate will overshoot initially and then will appreciate, converging toward the new equilibrium level. JEL Classifications: E58, E63, H63
Changes of egg quality properties with the age of layer hens in traditional and conventional production.

The upcoming ban on cage rearing system, ecological aspects of production, perception of better quality and biological safety of products from less intensive systems are reasons in favour of alternative (non-conventional) systems of production of table eggs. Considering only few studies have dealt with quality properties of eggs obtained from autochthonous breeds and changes during production cycle, objective of this study was to define these changes and determine the degree of correlation between the age of layer hens of Banat Naked-Neck breed and quality of eggs in traditional production in relation to conventional, traditional production of light line hybrid of layers in cage system. Results of the study showed poorer quality of eggs from traditional production but certain properties (egg mass, egg shell mass), thanks to strong positive correlation to age of layer hens, were significantly improved, i.e. no decrease with the age of layers was determined, contrary to eggs from conventional production.
2.3. EVALUATION OF THE RESULTS OF A PRODUCTION SIMULATION GAME WITH DIFFERENT DEA MODELS

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a method for comparing the efficiency of decisionmaking units when the output of these units is evaluated based on the amount of inputs used. A special application area of DEA is the evaluation of student groups participating in a production simulation game. This paper shows how DEA is used to compare the performance of student groups in the simulation game, and how their results can be evaluated using the efficiency scores. Several DEA models exist to capture the special characteristics of real life operation. Basic models with radial efficiency measures are used to analyse the effect of input and output weights, and to separate the proportional decrease of inputs from the independent input reduction possibilities. Slack based measure models are applied to study the joint effect of proportional and independent input/output changes. Dynamic models are used to study the change of efficiency over time. This paper compares the results of the applied models and analyses the differences. The results show that the application of an assurance regain model is strongly recommended. The presence of negative outputs requires the application of models which can be adapted to negative data. Dynamic models indicate efficiency problems even if overall performances are acceptable.
Mitigating Splash Erosion with Applying Bacillus subtilis Natto

Soil erosion from upland fields affects not only soil productivity but also water environment. From the viewpoints of soil and water conservation, many strategies for mitigation of soil erosion were discussed. Especially, conservation strategy for mitigating splash erosion which is the first process of soil erosion should be considered. Moreover, biological crust mixing with microorganisms has been focused as one of the treatments for splash erosion. Therefore, two objectives were determined in this study. The first is to evaluate the effect of Bacillus subtilis Natto adding on mitigating splash erosion, and the second is to investigate the kinetic energy of raindrop to break the binding force of soil particles with hyphae of Bacillus subtilis Natto. Raindrop experiment was carried out with stainless cans and Mariotte bottle of splash erosion apparatus. Stainless cans were filled with soil, and then Bacillus subtilis Natto was applied. In addition, raindrop energy was changed through controlling the height of Mariotte bottle. Based on the experimental results, there was a tendency that soil loss from the cans applied Bacillus subtilis Natto was significantly lower than controlled cans. In addition, it was observed that Bacillus subtilis Natto mitigated splash erosion until kinetic energy of raindrop at 4.86×10 J/drop. Therefore, it was concluded that Bacillus subtilis Natto is applicable for mitigation of splash erosion.
Purity of Gaussian states: Measurement schemes and time evolution in noisy channels

We present a systematic study of the purity for Gaussian states of single-mode continuous variable systems. We prove the connection of purity to observable quantities for these states, and show that the joint measurement of two conjugate quadratures is necessary and sufficient to determine the purity at any time. The statistical reliability and the range of applicability of the proposed measurement scheme are tested by means of Monte Carlo simulated experiments. We then consider the dynamics of purity in noisy channels. We derive an evolution equation for the purity of general Gaussian states both in thermal and in squeezed thermal baths. We show that purity is maximized at any given time for an initial coherent state evolving in a thermal bath, or for an initial squeezed state evolving in a squeezed thermal bath whose asymptotic squeezing is orthogonal to that of the input state.
Kinetic Phenomena and Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Thin Films Based on PbSnAgTe Compounds

Thin polycrystalline films based on PbSnAgTe (LATT) compounds on mica-muscovite substrates are obtained. The dependences of conductivity, mobility of current carriers and specific thermoelectric power on temperature for these condensates are investigated. It is established that the mechanisms of transport of carriers on the intergrain boundaries dominate at low temperatures, and at higher temperatures the charge transport is determined by the volume of grain. The predominant scattering mechanism at higher temperatures is scattering on acoustic phonons.
On the existence of some skew-normal stationary processes

Recently some authors have introduced in the literature stationary stochastic processes, in the time and in the spatial domains, whose finite-dimensional marginal distributions are multivariate skew-normal. Here we show with a counter-example that the characterizations of these processes are not valid and so that these processes do not exist. Moreover, more generally, we also show that it is very unlikely that there might exist stationarity stochastic processes having all their finite-dimensional marginal distributions to be multivariate skew-normal. Besides, we point our attention to some valid constructions of stationary stochastic processes which can be used to model skewed data.
Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure of School Children in Agricultural Villages in Indonesia

The effects of environmental chemicals on children’s health are important issues in Asian developing countries undergoing rapid urbanization, although little data have been reported. We investigated the organophosphorus (OP) pesticide exposure of 235 elementary school children living in three agricultural villages in the Citarum watershed, Bandung, Indonesia, through urinary and blood biomonitoring. We evaluated four common dialkylphosphate (DAP) metabolites of OP compounds: dimethylphosphate (DMP), dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP), diethylphosphate (DEP), and diethylthiophosphate (DETP). Moreover, blood cell acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was assessed using blood samples. The collection of biological samples was accompanied by a questionnaire-based survey on sociodemographic indicators, food consumption, and behavioral patterns. The detection rates of DMP, DMTP, DEP, and DETP were 8.6, 21.7, 17.2, and 29.8%, and the median levels of dimethyl-, diethyl-, and total DAP were 5.8, 3.1, and 11.8nmol /L, respectively. These exposure levels of OP pesticides were lower than those reported in developed countries, possibly due to the low consumption of farm-grown fruits and the infrequent use of OP pesticides. The detection rate of DAP was highest in the village practicing pisciculture, where the use of pesticides was expected to be the lowest among the three villages, although the reason for this was not clear from our interview results.
continental strike-slip earthquake segmentation and thickness of the crust

[1] High-resolution maps of large continental strike-slip earthquake surface ruptures show that they are formed of fault segments. These segments are bounded by fault bends, step overs, or combinations of the two. The lowest limit in size for such segments may not be relevant in the understanding of earthquake mechanics, as it pertains to the granular properties of fault zones. The maximum limit in segment length, however, is important as it is directly relates to the maximum extent of seismic rupture. To measure the length of the segments, a new quantitative method based on piecewise linear fitting is developed and is used to automatically retrieve segments from earthquake rupture maps. Next, this approach is tested against a set of ten continental strike-slip earthquake ruptures derived from similar, high quality maps. The test suggests that segments have a maximum length of ∼18 km, independent of regional tectonic setting. Slip-inversions for earthquakes, based on seismological and/or geodetic data, most often are not unique and can show some variability even for one particular event. Some basic characteristics, however, such as total moment release or general source geometry, seem to persist that are relevant to earthquake mechanics. Measurements of the maximum horizontal extent of individual slip-patches derived from seismic source inversion for strike-slip ruptures show that their strike dimension does not increase infinitely with magnitude, but instead reaches a maximum value of ∼25 km. These two independent lines of observations, complemented by earlier data and analog experiments, suggest that it is the thickness of the seismogenic crust that controls the structural scaling of the length of seismic segments, and that it is independent of the ultimate size of individual earthquakes.
Optimization of Substrate and Starter Cell Concentrations for Dibenzothiopene Biodegradation by Indigeneous Marine Bacteria Mauricauda olearia LBF-1-0009, Alcanivorax xenomutants LBF-1-0018, and Stakelama pacifica LBF-1-0031

Dibenzothiophene (DBT) and its derivatives have been widely used as model organic sulfur compounds in petroleum, included their biodegradation process. The abilities of microorganisms to degrade pollutants are significantly influenced by various factors such as microbial species, nutrients and environmental parameters. In this research, we carried out further study to determine optimal condition for DBT biodegradation regarding with substrate and strains cell concentration by several indigenous marine bacteria from Indonesia. These three isolates were belong to Mauricauda olearia , Alcanivorax xenomutants , and Stakelama pacifica , with homology result 99% each. Optimal dibenzothiophene as substrate reached by all isolates is 100 ppm, while cell concentration or microbial numbers that gave highest growth for all isolates is 20 based on conversion of OD 600 nm measurement.
A note on the meat quality of W11 and W33 White Kołuda geese strains

Due to the considerable content of oleic, linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acids goose fat is considered the safest animal fat. Geese raised on grassland (pastures) and fed diverse feeds consume more polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) than poultry maintained under a closed rearing system, fed standard feeds, low in linolenic acid and PUFA and high in saturated fatty acids. In consequence, the meat and fat of broiler chickens and turkeys is lower in n-3 acids than geese meat and fat. Two strains of White Koluda geese were examined: W11 and W33. In the chemical composition of breast muscles no significant differences were shown between strains except for the ash and cholesterol content, which were both higher in W11 geese of both sexes. Differences observed between the strains in breast muscle pH 48 , cutting force and coefficient of emulsion instability indicate that further selec tion of strain W33 for higher body weight may negatively affect the technological value of meat.
Papadopoulos, Panagiotis N. and Guo, Tingyan and Milanović, Jovica V. (2018) Probabilistic framework for online identification of dynamic behavior of power systems with renewable generation. IEEE Transactions

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Fuzzy Finite-Time Stability of Chaotic Systems with Time-Varying Delay and Parameter Uncertainties

This paper discusses the finite-time stability of chaotic systems with time-varying delay and parameter uncertainties. A new model based on Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) model is proposed for representing chaotic systems. By the new model, finite-time stability of chaotic systems can be converted into stabilization of fuzzy T-S systems with parameter uncertainties. A sufficient condition is given in terms of matrix inequalities, which guarantees the finite-time stability for fuzzy systems can be achieved. Numerical simulations on the chaotic systems are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Effect of co-culturing of cellulolytic fungal isolates for degradation of lignocellulosic material

This study intended to compare the efficiency of fungal monocultures and co-cultures in the simultaneous delignification and saccharification of kitchen waste and Eichhornia crassipes in order to subject the hydrolysate into biofuel production. Three fungal isolates of genus Trichoderma, Aspergillus, Pycnoporus and an unidentified strain (F113) were grown in mono and co-cultures and the extracted enzymes were used for the degradation. Co-culture of Trichoderma spp with the other fungi improved its enzyme activity while the other co-cultures did not show significantly improved enzymatic degradation compared to monocultures. The highest percentage of saccharification (over total dry weight) achieved were 11.9% with kitchen waste after seven days and 9.8% with E. crassipes after 4 days. The drop in degradation rate normally seen after complete digestion of amorphous cellulose was not apparent probably due to the grinding of the substrates to fine particle size. Key words: Fungal co-culture, biofuel, cellulase, kitchen waste, invasive weeds.
On the potential of wavelets for filtering and thresholding airborne gravity data

Wavelets can be used in the decomposition and analysis of airborne gravity data. In this paper, multiresolution analysis is applied to de-noise gravity disturbance and different de-noising techniques are studied. The first objective is testing the usefulness of wavelets for analyzing and filtering airborne gravity data. The second one is a comparison between the usage of the wavelet transform and other well known low-pass filters. The gravity disturbances are filtered using wavelet thresholding to remove the noise introduced by the dynamics of the aircraft. Two procedures have been tested. The first one is de-noising using minimax and universal techniques. The second one is a combination of wavelet thresholding and filtering at certain levels. Comparison to independent reference data is performed in the area of interest to determine the external accuracy of this approach. Results from both cases and from the low-pass filter approach are compared. The results of testing different de-noising techniques show that the combination of thresholding and filtering can reach RMS values equal to 25 mGal in comparison to the results from the 90s low-pass filter.