Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncovering the Ocean’s Past

The ocean has a history. Over the past hundreds, thousands, and millions of years the ocean and life within it have evolved and changed. This history determines the ocean’s present state and shapes its path into the future. We cannot understand how the ocean functions today without knowing its ecological history. Likewise, we cannot predict future changes without knowing the origin, cause, and trajectory of change in the past. Finally, we cannot effectively restore degraded marine populations, communities, or ecosystems without historical baselines to use as reference points.
Prevalence, Incidence and Risk Factors for Acquisition of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 among Fishermen on the Shores of Lake Victoria in Kisumu County, Kenya

Background: Herpes simplex virus Type 2 (HSV-2) has been associated with HIV infection. More recently, HSV-2 incidence has been linked to HIV acquisition. A few studies have suggested that the fishing communities have a high HSV-2 prevalence but there is limited knowledge on HSV-2 incidence and associated risk factors among fishermen. Methods: Three hundred fishermen were consented, and evaluated for baseline HSV-2 serology status and again after 12 months among those negative at baseline. Sexual behavior and socio-demographic data were collected at enrolment and exit visits using a structured questionnaire. Baseline HIV serology and Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA genotyping were also performed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine independent factors associated with HSV-2 acquisition. Results: Baseline HSV-2 prevalence was 56.3% (95% CI: 50.7 - 62.0). Factors associated with HSV-2 prevalence were, older age (aOR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.16 - 2.85), history of STI (aOR 2.12; 95% CI: 1.19 - 3.91), infection with HIV (aOR 2.22; 95% CI: 1.17 - 4.22), ever married (aOR = 3.80; 95% CI: 1.42 - 11.90), most recent sexual act with sex worker/casual partner (OR= 3.56; 95% CI: 1.49 - 8.62) and inconsistent condom use with new sexual partner (aOR = 6.34; 95% CI: 2.24 - 13.04). The HSV-2 incidence was 23.6 (95% CI = 15.4 - 31.8)/100 pyr. Infection with persistent high-risk (HR) HPV (aIRR = 3.35; 95% CI: 1.21 - 11.37), multiple (≥2) partners in 12 months prior to study participation (aIRR = 4.77; 95% CI: 1.12 - 11.38), inconsistent condom use with new partner (aIRR =2.53; 95% CI: 1.12 - 7.38) and most recent sexual act with sex worker/casual partner (OR = 3.03; 95% CI: 1.17 - 8.58) were independent risk factors for HSV-2 acquisition. Conclusion: The incidence of HSV-2 is very high among fishermen. It is associated with persistent HR HPV infection and high-risk sexual behavior. Intervention strategies targeting these men with high risk sexual behavior are urgently needed to stop new HSV-2 acquisition and subsequently prevent HIV infection.
Genetic and epigenetic characterization of pediatric high hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The aim of this thesis was to analyze the genetic and epigenetic characteristics of pediatric high hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia (HeH ALL), the most common type of childhood malignancy. The three original articles presented in this thesis have addressed three major questions regarding HeH ALL: what are the genetic characteristics of the most common structural abnormality – dup(1q)? Are aberrant methylation patterns involved in leukemogenesis? How do diagnostic and relapse samples relate to each other genetically? In article I we found that the proximal breakpoints of dup(1q)-positive Burkitt lymphomas (BL) and pediatric HeH ALLs cluster close to the centromere, suggesting this region to be breakprone, and that five genes on 1q were significantly overexpressed and thus potentially pathogenetically important. In addition, the satellite II domain was not hypomethylated in either disorder, ruling out that decondensation of pericentric heterochromatin, due to hypomethylation of satellite II sequences, is the mechanism behind dup(1q) in BL and pediatric HeH ALL. In article II unsupervised cluster and principal component analyses of BAC array chromosome-wide methylome profiles accurately subgrouped the t(12;21) and HeH ALL subtypes, demonstrating that they are characterized by subtype specific methylomes. Analysis of promoter-specific CpG islands demonstrated that several B-cell- and neoplasia-associated genes were hypermethylated and underexpressed. Methylation hotspots were associated with chromosome bands predicted to harbor imprinted genes, suggesting that regions rich in imprinted genes could be associated with aberrant methylation in t(12;21)-positive and HeH ALLs. Moreover, we demonstrated that the tri-/tetrasomic chromosomes in HeH ALLs were less methylated than their disomic counterparts. Decreased methylation of gained chromosomes is a previously unknown phenomenon that may have ramifications not only for the pathogenesis of HeH ALL but also for other disorders with acquired or constitutional numerical chromosome anomalies. In article III we concluded that structural changes were significantly more common in relapse HeH samples than in diagnostic ones and that no single, recurrent aberration could be directly linked to relapse. In addition, the triple trisomies +4, +10, and +17, associated with low-risk ALL, were detected in two-thirds of cases that subsequently relapsed, thus questioning the favorable impact of these trisomies. The genetic differences between diagnostic and relapse samples suggest the presence of an ancestral HeH clone in the vast majority of patients, with strucutral changes and mutations being secondary to the HeH pattern.
Adaptive Neural Tracking Control Scheme of Switched Stochastic Nonlinear Pure-Feedback Nonlower Triangular Systems

In this paper, we address the adaptive neural tracking control problem for a class of uncertain switched stochastic nonlinear pure-feedback systems with nonlower triangular form. The significant design difficulty is the completely unknown nonlinear functions with all state variables that can neither be directly estimated by radial basis function (RBF) neural networks (NNs) nor be eliminated by the traditional backstepping technique. To achieve the control objective of this paper, a common state-feedback controller for all subsystems is first systematically constructed by using the common coordinate transformation, the variable separation technique, and the universal approximation capability of RBF NNs. Then the stability analysis shows that the semi-global bounded in probability of the whole closed-loop switched system can be obtained and the desired tracking performance can also be insured under a class of switching signals with the average dwell time property. Finally, simulation results are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained control scheme.
Molecular characterization of bacterial diversity in New Zealand groundwater

Groundwater is a globally important natural resource and an integral part of the water supply in New Zealand. Due to high demand, the quality and availability of groundwater are both extensively monitored in New Zealand and globally, under State-of-the-Environment (SOE) monitoring programmes. SOE groundwater monitoring in New Zealand mainly evaluates hydrochemistry and until this thesis has largely overlooked the biotic component. Microbes including bacteria play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning by mediating biogeochemical processes in subsurface environments. Therefore, analysis of microbiological content will enable better evaluation of the health of groundwater ecosystems that is not fully reflected by chemical data alone. This project characterizes the bacterial diversity in New Zealand groundwater at national and regional scales using molecular methods and explores the underlying factors that shape the bacterial community structure. A simple molecular profiling tool, Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) was used to determine community structure at local and national scales. The results revealed considerable diversity that was driven by groundwater chemistry. Roche 454-pyrosequencing was then used to obtain a deeper insight into New Zealand groundwater ecosystems, and showed that bacterial communities have many low abundance taxa and relatively few highly abundant species. In addition, microbial diversity is mainly related to the redox potential of the groundwater. But, despite this relationship, Pseudomonas spp. were the dominant genus at many sites even those with diverse chemistries and environmental factors. The final phase of the project set the platform to test whether these Pseudomonas spp. have acquired genetic material from other species via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) enabling them to adapt into a diverse range of habitats. A whole-genome sequencing approach (Illumina MiSeq platform) was used to develop six metagenomic databases as a resource to test this hypothesis. Initial results show some evidence for HGT and further investigations are underway. Overall, the knowledge generated across all phases of this project provides novel insights into New Zealand groundwater ecosystems and creates a scientific basis for the future inclusion of microbial status assessment criteria into regional and national groundwater monitoring programmes and related policies in New Zealand.
Rainforest tourism final report: January 2007–December 2009 patterns of rainforest tourism in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, North Queensland

[Extract] The specific aim of this research was to develop a comprehensive data set, on a quarterly basis, that facilitates investigation of a range of issues including demographic profiles, motivations, activities, segmentation and seasonality of visitors to the Wet Tropics rainforests. Data has been released on a quarterly basis as a barometer, annually as annual reports (http://www.rrrc.org.au) and as occasional fact sheets. In this final annual report for the MTSRF program, data is provided on an annual as well as a whole of project time scale. Comparisons of annual data are provided for 2007, 2008, 2009 and for the overall 2007–2009 survey period. Results are based on 3360 completed surveys collected from tourists at various locations in the rainforest.
Central Venous Catheter-related Infection in Major Burn Patients: Comparison of Subclavian Vein and Femoral Vein

Background: A central venous catheter (CVC) is usually inserted in patients with severe burns and the selection of the CVC is often difficult due to widespread burned skin. We investigated the incidences of colonization and catheter-related blood stream infection (CRBSI) according to the insertion site of the CVC in major burn patients. Methods: In 63 adult massive burn patients in the intensive care unit, 93 CVCs (47 polyurethane standard CVCs and 46 Oligon anti-mocrobial CVCs) were randomly inserted via the subclavian vein (SCV group, n = 66) or femo- ral vein (FEV group, n = 27). All catheter tips removed were routinely cultured. Bacterial findings from the burn wound and peripheral blood were also monitored in all patients. Results: There was no significant difference in the average insertion length of the CVC (14.3 ± 6.8 days in SCV and 13.6 ± 3.8 days in FEV) between the two groups. There were no significant differences in CVC colonization (48.5% in SCV and 63.0% in FEV) and CRBSI (7.6% in SCV and 11.1 % in FEV) between the two groups. Logistic analysis found that the use of polyurethane standard CVC is significantly associated with increased risk of CVC colonization (odds ratio = 2.68). Conclusions: The placement of the CVC via the femoral vein does not increase the incidence of CVC colo- nization in massive burn patients. The use of Oligon anti-microbial CVC may be helpful to reduce CVC colo- nization in major burn patients.
Prevalence of Obesity and Associated Risk Factors amongst Teaching Staff of Juba University, South Sudan

Obesity is a significant contributing factor in the development of various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, stroke, osteoarthritis and certain cancer accounting for 2.8 million worldwide deaths annually. Recent global figures indicate that the prevalence of obesity is not just a problem of the developed countries but is also on the increase in the developing world, with over 115 million people suffering from obesity-related problems (WHO). In Africa, 8% of adults above 20 years are obese and 27% overweight (Steyn & Mchiza, 2014), Lack of empirical data remains an obstacle in monitoring the magnitude of current and future trends of overweight and obesity in sub Saharan Africa including South Sudan. This study investigated the prevalence of obesity and associated risk factors among teaching staff; a case at University of Juba in South Sudan (Rep). A cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 196 study participants drawn from various Colleges and faculties of Juba University using multi-stage systematic random sampling of 1st selecting the College, department and 2nd stage was the selection of participants using the exiting staff list obtained from the University administration. Key variables collected includes weight/kg, height, age, sex, physical activities, feeding habits and income of the study participants, which was used to determine the prevalence of obesity and associated risk factors. STATA version 12 was used to data analyze. Chi-square statistics were used to compare equality of distribution of obesity. Out of the 196 participants, 18.4% were males (160/196) and 81.6% were females (36/196). The mean age of the participant was estimated at 37 ± 8.5 years. Prevalence of Obesity (BMI> or=30) and Overweight (BMI >25 to <=30) among teaching staff was 4.1% and 10.2%, respectively. Of those found overweight/or obese, 20% were females (4/20) and 80% were males (16/20). While the age specific prevalence indicates obesity is highest among 35-44yrs (50%), followed by 45-55 yrs+ (37.5%) and 12.5% among 25-34yrs age groups. Age was found to be associated with obesity (P-value=0.0337, p<0.05)). Meal frequency was noted to be twice a day. Walking is the main physical activities for both males and females (97.5%) and nearly half of the participants (44.9%) had incomes 7500 South Sudan Pounds (SSP) an equivalent of $1000. Income levels was associated with BMI levels (P-value=0.0222; p<0.05). However, low prevalence of obesity among teaching staff at the University of Juba is not yet of an immediate public health concern, however, earlier preventive and control measures is required as most of the staff leads sedentary lifestyle. This study recommends public awareness intervention on dietary intake and physical exercises among others in schools and institutions at all levels to curtail an otherwise gradual rise in obesity and overweight in the near future.
El Comercio Intraindustrial En La Relación México-Canadá (Intra-Industry Trade in the Relationship México-Canada)

Spanish Abstract: El presente estudio es producto del trabajo de investigacion que se realizo durante el ano 2012 dentro del Taller de Investigacion Comercial, Aduanera y Observatorio de Negocios de la Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur. El objetivo de este trabajo es constrastar la realidad de las relaciones comerciales entre Mexico y Canada con lo que senala la teoria de la Economia Internacional, la teoria nos indica que cuando un pais incursiona en el proceso de libre comercio y ampliacion de los mercados los niveles de bienestar se ven incrementados en la poblacion. Tambien fundamenta lo anterior en que la industria entra en un proceso de convergencia entre los paises socios, lo que conlleva a un incremento en la participacion del libre comercio de las industrias entre distintos sectores y en empresas del mismo ramo, esta forma de comercio es conocida como comercio intraindustrial. De conformidad a la teoria los resultados muestran que los flujos comerciales intraindustriales se incrementaron en algunas industrias significativas y en otras decrecieron considerablemente, estos resultados coinciden con algunos estudios anteriores y a su vez muestran otras dinamicas que a la luz del analisis de los indicadores permiten dilucidar a que fenomenos se atribuyen dichos comportamientos.English Abstract: This paper is a result of a survey conducted inside the Commercial Research Workshop, Customs and Business Centre of the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur. We contrast actual and theoretical trade relations between Mexico and Canada, with International theory. When a country enters a process of free trade and market expansion, population welfare is increased and industry enters a process of convergence between partner countries, leading to an increase in trade participation among industries', sectors and similar companies known as IIT. Intra Industries Trade increased significantly in some areas and decreased in others in accordance to theory. Findings are consistent with previous studies, which show other dynamics, allowing us to elucidate which phenomena such behaviors can be attributed.
Correlation Between High Dose Rate Irradiation and Low Dose Rate Irradiation for Switched Dose Rate Technique

Based on gated lateral p-n-p (GLp-n-p) transistors, the correlation between the high dose rate (HDR) and low dose rate (LDR) irradiations during the switched dose rate experiments is investigated. Experimental results show that a significant deviation of the current gain degradation caused by switching dose rate irradiations from that by individual LDR ones is found. It is also observed that, after the switching of dose rate from HDR to LDR, the positive oxide-trapped charges induced by the HDR irradiations would influence the recombination of interface traps produced by the LDR irradiations, leading to an abnormal evolution of the excess base current and excess collector current for the GLp-n-p transistors. The decrease in the positive oxide-trapped charges from HDR to LDR is not caused by an annealing effect. The evolution of positive oxide-trapped charges could influence the formation of interface traps during switched dose rate experiments. All the experimental results indicate that the degradations in the GLp-n-p caused by the HDR and LDR irradiations are not two independent processes for the switched dose rate technique.
Global climate change effects on competition and succession in pastures.

The balance of scientific evidence suggests that human activities are changing the atmosphere and climate of the earth (Santer et al., 1995). These observed atmospheric changes include increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, decreases in ozone (O3) concentration, increases in ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation, increases in nitrous oxide (N2O) concentration and increases in methane (CH4) (Schimel et al., 1995). These increasing gas concentrations are expected to alter climatic conditions (the ‘enhanced greenhouse effect’), resulting in increased global atmosphere and sea-surface temperatures, changes in rainfall distribution and intensity and changes in the frequency of extreme climatic events such as droughts and storms (Kattenberg et al., 1995). Significant questions are therefore raised about how ecosystems and food production activities will be affected. Several excellent recent reviews have examined the implications of global change for terrestrial vegetation (Reilly et al., 1995; Körner and Bazzaz, 1996; Walker and Steffen, 1996; Lumsden, 1997; Rozema et al., 1997a; Walker et al., 1998). In many vegetation types, including pastures, competition remains a key unresolved issue in predicting vegetation responses to global climate change. Our chapter specifically considers how four global climatic change factors – atmospheric CO2, stratospheric O3 temperature and rainfall – might affect competition and succession in pastures. The predominant emphasis to date in global climate change research has been on the long-term effects of climate change, with relatively little emphasis on the importance of human interference in modifying climate change impacts. For the specific case of intensive pasture systems, such decisions as choice of seed mixture, fertilizer regime or stocking pressure can be of overriding importance in determining competitive outcomes and vegetation succession. Therefore, where possible, we examine the implications of these changes for management decisions that influence competition in pastures.
Earthquake-tsunami hazard assessment and risk mitigation in Vietnam using GIS

The increase of damages and losses due to earthquake and tsunami is not a contingent phenomenon, but a indispensable consequence of population explosion, high speed industrial and infrastructure development, and other social-economical activities. High seismic risk exposure is particularly focused on megacities, industrial centers located in the areas, vulnerable to earthquake impacts, or coastal zones within radius of tsunamis affection. Therefore, planning and investment for strategies on reduce and mitigation of losses and damages due to earthquake and tsunami now become an urgent issue for many countries in the World. Moreover, these strategies have to be made and implemented before the occurrence of earthquake or tsunami in order to avoid much more expenses for the response and recovery activities.
The Profession

Responding to an intensely critical review of one's own attempt is not an easy decision, particularly since the chore usually runs along a predictable course vis-a-vis the reviewer. However, when several reasons point towards such a necessity, the main purpose of this decision remains to think beyond a polemic— as best as one can under the circumstances. One obvious choice could have been to dismiss the review under question (Sharma 1977 : 298-304) through a short letter, especially since there had been a gross misreading of the aims, approaches, and conclusions of the study. But this would not have rectified the situation, for the review attempts to seriously mislead the reader in wrong ways, and for wrong reasons. Criticism is normal and natural among scholars, and one should be prepared to take it in good cheer, yielding, hopefully, some learning for the future, but wayward, feebly developed assertions are harder to let go unnoticed, even if they come from a Kanya-Kubja Brahman as a Kanya-Kubja Brahman. To the extent Sharma offers information as a (and only one) Kanya-Kubja Brahman on his group, my attitude is as appreciative as towards any Kanya-Kubja Brahman informant. However, my differences with him as an ethnographer, a sociologist, and a social anthropologist are vigorous and relentless, for I do think he has presented a failing picture of his scholarly responsibility in the review. The review, as it is, is little short of a scholarly faux pas. In support of my characterization I shall offer below, given limitations of the space and the context, enough such indications, and will supply some necessary additional references in evidence. Even so, I must only mention (and be content to mention alone) that my response does not attend all that the review bristles with, including several implicit, unresolved theoretical, methodological, and conceptual issues of Indian ethnography, sociology, and social anthropology. The book reviewed is not
Development of an efficient pulsed magnet for improvement of inertial electrostatic confinement fusion

In this paper thin Aluminum strip has been used to construct a low resistance low inductance magnet. This new magnet has relatively high bore diameter designed for magnetization of plasma in small sized fusion neutron generators; e.g. electrostatic confinement devices. This magnet enables us to use 900 Volts/33 mFarad capacitor bank. The small sized and comparatively low voltage capacitors are able to produce more than 2400A current to produce more than 2 Tesla magnetic field inside the 11 cm diameter bore without any coolant. The maximum current density for this coil was measured as 12 kA/cm2 that lasts for about 60 ms (with rise time of 7.5 ms). This relatively low current density decreases the destructive magnetic stress. Analytical and simulation results of the magnetic field profile and the experimental performance of the magnet are described in the paper.