Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Class 4-like Chromosomal Integron Found in Aeromonas sp. Genomospecies paramedia Isolated from Human Feces

Integrons are genetic elements that store, express and exchange gene cassettes. These elements are characterized by containing a gene that codes for an integrase (intI), a cassette integration site (attI) and a variable region holding the cassettes. Using bioinformatics and molecular biology methods, a functional integron found in Aeromonas sp. 3925, a strain isolated from diarrheal stools, is described. To confirm the integron class, a phylogenetic analysis with amino acid sequences was conducted. The integrase was associated to class 4 integrases; however, it is clearly different from them. Thus, we classified the associated element as a class 4-like integron. We found that the integrase activity is not under the control of the SOS or catabolic repression, since the expression was not increased in the presence of mitomycin or arabinose. The class-4-like integron is located on the chromosome and contains two well-defined gene cassettes: aadA1 that confers resistance to streptomycin and lpt coding for a lipoprotein. It also includes eight Open Reading frames (ORFs) with unknown functions. The strain was characterized through a Multilocus Phylogenetic Analyses (MLPA) of the gyrB, gyrA, rpoD, recA, dnaJ and dnaX genes. The phylogenetic results grouped it into a different clade from the species already reported, making it impossible to assign a species. We resorted to undertaking complete genome sequencing and a phylogenomic analysis. Aeromonas sp. 3925 is related to A. media and A. rivipollensis clusters, but it is clearly different from these species. In silico DNA-DNA hybridization (isDDH) and Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) analyses suggested that this isolate belongs to the genomospecies paramedia. This paper describes the first class 4-like integron in Aeromonas and contributes to the establishment of genomospecies paramedia.
Evaluating a New Display of Information Generated from LiDAR Point Clouds

The design of a texture display for three-dimensional Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) point clouds is investigated. The objective is to present a low fidelity display that is simple to compute in real-time, which utilizes the pattern processing capabilities of a human operator to afford an understanding of the environment. The efficacy of the display is experimentally evaluated by in comparison with a baseline point cloud rendering. Subjects were shown data based on virtual hills, and were asked to plan the least-steep traversal, and identify the hill from a set of distractors.The major conclusions are: comprehension of LiDAR point clouds from the sensor origin is difficult without further processing of the data, a separated vantage point improves understanding of the data, and a simple computation to present local point cloud derivative data significantly improves the understanding of the environment, even when observed from the sensor origin.
Measuring AI Governance, AI Adoption and AI Strategy of Japanese Companies

Purpose: This study aims to measure the level of AI governance and AI adoption among Japanese companies. Theoretical Framework: The research investigates the extent to which Japanese companies have implemented AI governance frameworks and the degree of AI adoption in their operations. The study also explores the relationship between AI governance, AI adoption, and AI strategy, providing insights into the factors that influence successful AI implementation. Design / Methodology / Approach: a survey questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of Japanese companies across various industries. The questionnaire included items that assessed the presence and effectiveness of AI governance practices within the organizations. Findings: a positive correlation was observed between AI governance and AI adoption. Companies with well-established AI governance frameworks tended to have higher levels of AI adoption, suggesting that effective governance practices play a crucial role in facilitating successful AI implementation. These findings provide valuable insights into the current state of AI governance and AI adoption among Japanese companies. Conclusion: The results can assist organizations in benchmarking their AI initiatives against industry standards and identifying areas for improvement. Policymakers and regulators can also utilize these findings to develop guidelines and frameworks that promote responsible and effective AI implementation.
Total rupture of Achilles tendon induces inflammatory response and glial activation on the spinal cord of mice

Rupture of Achilles tendon is a common accident affecting professional and recreational athletes. Acute and chronic pain are symptoms commonly observed in patients with rupture. However, few studies have investigated whether Achilles tendon rupture is able to promote disorders in the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate nociceptive alterations and inflammatory response in the L5 lumbar segment of Balb/c mice spinal cord after Achilles tendon rupture. We found increased algesia in the paw of the ruptured group on the 7th and 14th days post-tenotomy compared with the control group. This phenomenon was accompanied by overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2) as well as hyperactivation of astrocytes and microglia in nociceptive areas of L5 spinal cord as evidenced by intense GFAP and IBA-1 immunostaining, respectively. Biochemical studies also demonstrated increased levels of nitrite in the L5 spinal cord of tenotomized animals compared with the control group. Thus, we have demonstrated for the first time that total rupture of the Achilles tendon induced inflammatory response and nitrergic and glial activation in the CNS in the L5 spinal cord region.
Análisis de sequías y productividad con cronologías de Pseudotsuga menziesii Rob. & Fern., y su asociación con El Niño en el nordeste de México

Con tres cronologias de Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb. Franco obtenidas en la Sierra Madre Oriental (SMO), en el estado de Nuevo Leon, Mexico, se determinaron periodos de sequias y productividad analizando el patron de crecimiento radial durante un lapso de 120 anos. Se estudio la asociacion entre el indice de crecimiento radial de las cronologias y los registros instrumentales de factores climaticos (precipitacion y temperatura), obtenidos de cuatro estaciones meteorologicas vecinas a los sitios de muestreo. Se asociaron las cronologias con el indice multivariado del ENSO (MEI). Los resultados indican que en las cronologias resaltan cuatro periodos de sequias que se presentaron entre los anos: 1885-1903, 1907-1937, 1950-1963 y 1998-2003. La productividad disminuye notablemente de 1.18 mm ano -1 de crecimiento radial en epocas humedas a 0.82 mm ano -1 durante la presencia de sequias. Existe buena asociacion entre el Indice de Crecimiento Radial Estandarizado (ICRE) de las cronologias con la precipitacion invernal observada. La reconstruccion de la precipitacion invernal basada en las cronologias, muestra un ascenso paulatino a traves del tiempo, desde 1880 hasta 2003. La correlacion del ICRE de las tres cronologias y el MEI presenta buena asociacion en la mayoria de los meses del ano, principalmente, durante los meses que cubren las estaciones de otono, invierno y primavera, indicando que el crecimiento del ancho de los anillos se ve favorecido con la presencia de bajas temperaturas y precipitaciones por arriba del promedio durante el invierno o la etapas primarias de la primavera.
A comparison of multi-resource remote sensing data for vegetation indices

With the development of the satellite sensor, multi-resource observation systems have become widely used. However, there is a huge difference between quantitative remote sensing products because of the different sensing observations and the quantitative retrieval algorithms. In this paper, the quantitative relationships between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) and the vegetation index based on the universal pattern decomposition method (VIUPD) of Landsat ETM+ and ASTER sensors are investigated. The difference in observations was examined between the two sensors, based on a pair of images. The results showed that: 1) There was a strong correlation between the different vegetation indices for the same sensor, with the coefficient of determination being greater than 0.9. 2) Whether for ASTER or Landsat, the information of VIUPD was richer than that of NDVI and SAVI. Furthermore, in dense vegetation areas, the values of NDVI and SAVI could easily reach saturation. 3) The values of SAVI were higher than NDVI in the areas of water or bare soil, while this was the opposite in areas of lush vegetation.
A Study to Determine the Biological Feasibility of a New Fish-Tagging System : Annual Report 1998-1999.

This report covers our work during 1998 and 1999 (FY99) on a project to expand and improve technology for passive-integrated-transponder tags (PIT tags) throughout the Columbia River Basin. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in cooperation with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) conducted the work. Timely and accurate information derived from PIT-tag technology is increasingly critical to resource stakeholders in assessing the effectiveness of efforts to enhance survival of juvenile and adult salmonids. Continued development of PIT-tag technology will enable researchers and fisheries managers to address issues expressed in the NMFS biological opinions for operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) and the proposed Snake River Recovery Plan. The FY99 work was divided into individual projects that are covered separately in this report.
Event-Based Distributed Finite-Horizon $H_\infty$ Consensus Control for Constrained Nonlinear Multiagent Systems

This article presents an event-triggered adaptive dynamic programming (ETADP) algorithm to address the distributed finite-horizon $H_\infty$ consensus problem of nonlinear homogeneous multiagent systems subject to asymmetric input constraints and exogenous disturbances. By considering the exogenous disturbances as control inputs, the original control problem can be equivalently transformed into a multiplayer zero-sum differentiable game. Then, in contrast with the traditional dual networks framework to implement ETADP algorithm, a single critic network is introduced to attain approximate solutions of the time-varying event-triggered Hamilton–Jacobi–Isaacs equation, which circumvents the potential approximation error resulted from actor network. Note that the critic weight vector is tuned by using experience replay technique and normalized gradient descent method together, and in this situation, the persistence of excitation condition is removed. It is strictly proven that the local consensus error and the critic weight error are uniformly ultimately bounded, and the minimal intersample time is verified to be lower bounded. Simulation results verify the validity of the developed ETADP algorithm.
Gender and Jobs: Sex Segregation of Occupations in the World

This book explores the extent to which labour markets are divided on the basis of sex. It is based on detailed data for 41 countries or areas, and investigates how occupational segregation by sex differs internationally, how this has been changing over the past two decades and the factors contributing to it. It is suggested that occupational segregation by sex is extensive in all countries, and that whilst this is an important topic for researchers and policy makers, it is both impossible to completely eliminate and is not always a bad thing for women and good for men.
Possible Mechanisms of the Chicxulub Distal Ejecta Emplacement

Introduction: The K-P boundary is widely recognized as a global ejecta layer formed by a large meteorite impact 65 million years ago. The discovery of an iridium anomaly [1] and shocked quartz grains [2] within the K-P boundary layer provided the strongest confirmation of the impact hypothesis. The Chicxulub crater, a ‘smoking gun’ was discovered following a decade of studies of these worldwide ejecta deposits [3]. Although we now have good constraints on the size of this impact [3-5] and geochemistry of the target rocks [6-8], the mechanism for transporting the ejecta world-wide is still a subject of much debate. Numerical methods and initial conditions. We model the impact, ejecta origin, and ejecta re-entry using 3D hydrocode SOVA [9] complemented by the ANEOS equation of state for geological materials [10]. The modeled Chicxulub target consists of a 3-kmthick sedimentary layer, a 30-km-thick crystalline basement, and mantle. We use granite and dunite EOSs to describe the basement and the mantle, respectively. The sedimentary layer is modeled as 1) nonporous limestone (calcite EOS) and 2) porous watersaturated limestone (mixed calcite/water EOS similar to [11]). We also vary a projectile size, an impact angle and an impact velocity, keeping the transient cavity size constant and equal to 90-100 km.
State Ownership and Corporate Social Responsibility: An Investigation on Nigerian Data

Purpose: The paper examines the central issue underpinning the growing international literature and arguments that different ownership types have varying implications for a firm’s CSR engagement. It compliments evolving studies by looking at the effect of state ownership and other types of ownership structures on CSR, specifically in the Nigerian industry. It is argued that the impact of ownership structure on corporate decisions to allocate resources to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has assumed renewed significance in the burgeoning literature of developing economies, given the exigency for corporate executives to allocate firm specific resources to other social objectives that may detract from profit maximization. Methodology: This paper differs markedly from the methodologies of previous studies which used composite CSR indices. It deconstructs CSR expenditure into five categories – public goods, socially desirable goods, corporate philanthropy, employee relations and environmental conservation – and estimates the effects of government, foreign and institutional ownership on CSR variables controlling for such factors as firm size, return on assets and capital intensity. Using new data on listed Nigerian firms, this paper carries out its empirical investigation with panel data estimation in order to deal with heterogeneity and endogeneity issues. Findings: The findings of this paper indicate that different ownership structures have varying implications for the five forms of CSR investigated in this study. It reveals that government ownership has no significant effect on CSR expenditure on public goods, corporate philanthropy and environmental conservation. However, it finds that government ownership also significantly influences CSR expenditure on socially desirable goods and employee relations. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy:Theoretically, this paper extends the trajectory of CSR discourse to include an elaborate investigation of the impact of ownership structures on CSR practices in all the major sectors of Nigerian economy.The paper argues that its empirical results have several policy implications for good corporate governance practices in Nigeria and other emerging economies. This paper suggests the need to institute incentives schemes and regulatory constraints that would compel government, foreign and institutional ownership to align their incentives with some forms of CSR practices.
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DURATION OF NAPS AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING ELDERLY: DATA FROM THE MULTICENTER STUDY FIBRA

: This study aimed to analyze the association between the duration of the nap and the variables gender, age, education, family income, frailty levels and frailty criteria of community-dwelling elderly. This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study, an excerpt from the multicenter project Frailty in Elderly Brazilians. A total of 3,075 older adults were evaluated, aged 65 and over, using a sociodemographic questionnaire, question about nap (Minnesota Leisure Activity Questionnaire), phenotype of frailty proposed by Fried and screening test for cognitive impairment (Mini Mental State Examination). Descriptive analysis, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests (p<0.05) and multiple linear regression were applied. Ethical principles were respected. Most of the elderly participants napped (61.7%), with an average of 53.4 ± 42.7 min/day. There was an association between duration of naps and variables gender (p=0.002), frailty (p=0.022) and frailty criterion “hand grip strength” (p=0.008). It was observed that the length of the naps is greater for male and frail elderly. DESCRIPTORS : Aged. Nursing. Sleep.
Holocene carbon emissions as a result of anthropogenic land cover change

Humans have altered the Earth’s land surface since the Paleolithic mainly by clearing woody vegetation first to improve hunting and gathering opportunities, and later to provide agricultural cropland. In the Holocene, agriculture was established on nearly all continents and led to widespread modification of terrestrial ecosystems. To quantify the role that humans played in the global carbon cycle over the Holocene, we developed a new, annually resolved inventory of anthropogenic land cover change from 8000 years ago to the beginning of large-scale industrialization (ad 1850). This inventory is based on a simple relationship between population and land use observed in several European countries over preindustrial time. Using this data set, and an alternative scenario based on the HYDE 3.1 land use data base, we forced the LPJ dynamic global vegetation model in a series of continuous simulations to evaluate the impacts of humans on terrestrial carbon storage during the preindustrial Holocene. Our model setup allowed us to quantify the importance of land degradation caused by repeated episodes of land use followed by abandonment. By 3 ka BP, cumulative carbon emissions caused by anthropogenic land cover change in our new scenario ranged between 84 and 102 Pg, translating to c. 7 ppm of atmospheric CO2. By ad 1850, emissions were 325–357 Pg in the new scenario, in contrast to 137–189 Pg when driven by HYDE. Regional events that resulted in local emissions or uptake of carbon were often balanced by contrasting patterns in other parts of the world. While we cannot close the carbon budget in the current study, simulated cumulative anthropogenic emissions over the preindustrial Holocene are consistent with the ice core record of atmospheric δ13CO2 and support the hypothesis that anthropogenic activities led to the stabilization of atmospheric CO2 concentrations at a level that made the world substantially warmer than it otherwise would be.
Enhancing FastSLAM 2.0 performance using a DE Algorithm with Multi-mutation Strategies

-FastSLAM 2.0 is considered one of the popular approaches that utilizes a Rao-Blackwellized particle filter for solving simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problems. It is computationally efficient, robust and can be used to handle large and complex environments. However, the conventional FastSLAM 2.0 algorithm is known to degenerate over time in terms of accuracy because of the particle depletion problem that arises in the resampling phase. In this work, we introduce an enhanced variant of the FastSLAM 2.0 algorithm based on an enhanced differential evolution (DE) algorithm with multi-mutation strategies to improve its performance and reduce the effect of the particle depletion problem. The Enhanced DE algorithm is used to optimize the particle weights and conserve diversity among particles. A comparison has been made with other two common algorithms to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm in estimating the robot and landmarks positions for a SLAM problem. Results are accomplished in terms of accuracy represented by the positioning errors of robot and landmark positions as well as their root mean square errors. All results show that the proposed algorithm achieves high accuracy than the other compared algorithms in estimating the robot and landmark positions for all the considered cases. It can reduce the effect of the particle depletion problem and improve the performance of the FastSLAM 2.0 algorithm in solving SLAM problem.
Assessment of Knowledge and attitude towards Stroke among the UAE population during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Background: Despite significant advancements in healthcare, the burden of stroke continues to rise in the developed world, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Association between COVID-19 infection and stroke is well established. Factors identified for the delay in presentation and management include a lack of awareness regarding stroke. We aimed to assess the general public knowledge and attitudes on stroke and stroke risk factors in the United Arab Emirates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2021 and January 2022 among adults≥ 18 years old. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and stroke knowledge and attitudes. Knowledge and attitude scores were calculated based on the number of correct responses. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine the factors related to knowledge and attitude towards stroke. Results: Of the 500 respondents, 69.4% were females, 53.4% were aged between 18 and 25, and nearly half were students (48.4%). The mean knowledge score was 13.66 (range 2-24). Hypertension (69%), smoking (63.2%), stress (56.4%) obesity/overweight (54.4%), and heart disease (53.6%) were identified as risk factors. Overall, the knowledge of signs/symptoms was suboptimal. The mean attitude score was 4.41 (range, 1-6); 70.2% would call an ambulance if someone were having a stroke. A monthly income of 11,000-50,000 AED and being a student were associated with positive knowledge. Being a non-health worker and lacking access to electronic media sources were associated with worse attitudes. Conclusion: Overall, we identified poor knowledge and suboptimal attitudes toward stroke. These findings reflect the need for effective public health approaches to improve stroke awareness, knowledge, and attitudes for effective prevention in the community. Presently, this is of utmost necessity, given the increased occurrence of stroke and its severity among COVID-19 patients.
ENFERMEDAD TROMBOEMBÓLICA VENOSA: ¿UNA PATOLOGÍA FRECUENTE POCO RECONOCIDA? VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLIC DISEASE: A COMMON UNDERRECOGNIZED CONDITION

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the result of obstruction of the arterial circulation from pulmonary embolus, in most cases (95%), the deep venous system of the lower extremities (large proximal veins) in less frequent the pelvis. Other sources include: vena cava, righ heart, left ventricle (necrosis) and upper limbs. Emboli are rare tumors composed of, air, fibrin, amniotic fluid, bone marrow and foreign bodies.