Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contribution of potassium solubilizing bacteria in improved potassium assimilation and cytosolic K+/Na+ ratio in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under saline-sodic conditions

Sodium-induced potassium (K+) deficiency is more prevalent in salt-affected soils. Plants experience K+ starvation thus cytosolic K+/Na+ ratio is lowered, which is a prerequisite for their survival. K+ enrichment in crops can be acquired via K-solubilizing bacteria as a sustainable green agriculture approach. This study was conducted to explore potent K-solubilizing bacteria from the rhizosphere of wheat, rice, and native flora grown in salt-affected soils in two distinct regions of Pakistan. The aim of this work was to evaluate the contribution of microbial consortiums to the improvement of K+ assimilation and cytosolic K+/Na+ ratios in rice crops under saline-sodic conditions. Among 250 bacterial isolates, 9 were selected based on their salt (11% NaCl) and alkali (9) tolerance and K-solubilization indices (1.57–5.67). These bacterial strains were characterized for their plant growth-promoting traits and identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A consortium of five strains, namely, Enterobacter hormaechei, Citrobacter braakii, Pseudomonas putida, Erwinia iniecta, and Pantoea agglomerans, was used as a bio-inoculant to evaluate its role in K+ assimilation, cytosolic K+/Na+ ratio, and subsequent yield enhancement in rice grown under saline-sodic conditions. The impact of applied consortium on rice was assessed under variable salt levels (Control, 40, 80, and 120 mM) in a pot experiment and under natural saline-sodic conditions in the field. Plant agronomical parameters were significantly higher in the bacterial consortium-treated plants, with a concomitant increase in K+-uptake in root and shoot (0.56 and 0.35 mg g−1 dry wt.) of the salt-tolerant rice variety Shaheen. The root K+/Na+ ratio was significantly improved (200% in 40 mM and 126% in 80 mM NaCl) and in the shoot (99% in 40 mM and 131% in 80 mM) too. A similar significant increase was also observed in the salt-susceptible variety Kainat. Moreover, grain yield (30.39 g/1,000 grains wt.) and biomass (8.75 g) of the rice variety Shaheen, grown in field conditions, were also improved. It can be concluded that K-solubilizing bacteria can be used as bio-inoculants, contributing to growth and yield increment via enhanced K-assimilation and cytosolic K+/Na+ ratio in rice crops under salt stress.
Simulation of High-Temperature Performance and Electronic Noise of SiC-JFET for Charge-Sensitive Preamplifier

In special applications such as reactor in-core detection and deep space exploration missions, nuclear detection systems must contend with high-temperature environments. The temperature sensitivity of front-end electronics degrades detection system performance in high temperatures. This study proposes using silicon carbide junction field-effect transistors (SiC-JFETs) as input transistors of preamplifiers to reduce output noise at high temperatures. The theoretical analysis and Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation were used to demonstrate how the electrical properties and noise contribution of SiC-JFET change with increasing temperature. Results show that SiC-JFET has a wider operating temperature range and fewer performance variations as the temperature rises from 300 to 675 K when compared to Si-JFET with the same structure. SiC-JFET always has lower noise than Si-JFET when the structures are identical. When the two devices have the same transconductance, SiC-JFET produces less noise at high temperature and long shaping time. Furthermore, the output noise of a nuclear spectrometer with SiC detectors and capacitance-matched JFETs was calculated and analyzed. When the temperature exceeds 324 K or the shaping time is longer than $3.5~\mu \text{s}$ , SiC-JFET can obtain lower noise, and the equivalent noise charge (ENC) reduces thousands of electrons at most. This research lays the groundwork for building SiC-JFET-based charge-sensitive preamplifier (CSA) and front-end circuits with high-temperature resistance and low noise.
Insight into Montreal's Bikesharing System

In the summer of 2009, Montreal launched the BIXI. Within a few weeks, it has gained popular attention and phase 2 of the deployment, which was initially planned in 2010 was launced. This year, with its 5,000 bikes and increasing number of members, the system cannot solely rely on good intuition to increase its performance. This paper provides insight into the quantitative life of a fast-growing system. It proposes a set of indicators aiming to objectively describe the state of the main objects of the system in space and time: bikes, stations, members, anchor points and trips. It relies on data gathered during three months of operation during the summer of 2009 (July, August and September). First analyses show that regular members and occasional users have different behaviors, the former accounting for 67.8% of the studied trips. Results also show that bikesharers do between 1.7 and 2.1 trips per day. On typical weekdays, 72.6% of the trips are due to members while this proportion decreases during week-ends. Results show that stations face various states that require balancing transfers and that these seem to be related to spatial location. Systematic and continuous assessment of object-related indicators will help better understand supply and demand and propose efficient operational and planning strategies.
Effects of Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (NPV) on The Death of Spodoptera litura Larvae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its Comparison with Chemical Pesticide

Spodoptera litura larvae are polyphagous insects and have caused a lot of damage to various commodities. The application of Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (NPV) can be used as an alternative to control, other than by using chemical pesticides. This research was conducted to compare the mortality of S. litura with NPV treatment and compare them with chemical pesticides. NPV treatment with a concentration of 0.3% is used to soak the leaves to be used as larvae feed, as well as chemical pesticides the active ingredient Lambda-cyhalothrin (with a concentration of 0.05%). Observations were made at 2, 24, 48, and 76 hours after application. The parameters observed from the treatment included the percentage of mortality and morphological changes of larvae. Observation of the morphological changes of larvae was carried out by the parameters of slowing motion, discoloration, decaying, and severe shrinkage. Based on the results of the comparison, the percentage of mortality in the treatment of chemical pesticides is higher than the NPV. Death of 100% in Lambda-Cyhalothrin treatment was recorded in the first 2 (two) hours, while for NPV treatment is as much as 80%. The larvae with NPV treatment undergo a process of color change and the decomposition process is faster than the treatment of Lambda-cyhalothrin.
The Mystery of The Corpse

In medical studies, the human cadaver as a learning material is associated with the Anatomy course. When the Faculty of Medicine of the CLAEH University inaugurated a new practical workroom, very adequate and functional, for this subject, the Dean asked me to expose some thoughts about the human corpse. This prompted me to new reflections. I had previously delved countless times into life, death, and the forms and circumstances of one and the other, but I had not stopped to think deeply, taking the corpse itself as a subject. That request motivated me, and what I am writing is centered on my own experiences, feelings, and reflections through time in front of a dead human body. I insist on making this remark, because if this were intended to be a scholarly essay, the corpse should be approached within the immense subject of death and in depth from multiples points of view: historical, anthropological, religious, psychological, philosophical, and others. I think it would deserve a whole book. Although I will refer to various aspects, my essay is based on my experiences and feelings and will be biased not only by my conception of life, but also by the circumstance that motivated the encounter: the inauguration of a new room for dissecting human corpses for medical training purposes.
Quasi-Vertical GaN-on-Silicon Schottky Barrier Diode Terminated With Hydrogen Modulated In-Situ pn Junction

In this letter, a high performance quasi-vertical GaN-on-Si Schottky barrier diode (SBD) was fabricated by combing in-situ p-GaN layer with hydrogen plasma treatment and controlled diffusion as edge terminations (ETs), where the main junction region of Schottky contact is emerged by pattern etching the top p-GaN layer. The p-n junction with higher barrier height can screen the Schottky contact from high electric field induced by field crowding effect. The hydrogen plasma treatment and controlled diffusion applied to the p-GaN layer further reduces the electric field crowding effect near the p-n junction edge via a gradient junction termination extension structure. As a result, the breakdown voltage of the edge p-GaN terminated SBD with H treatment and diffusion is significantly boosted from 140 V in conventional SBD to 500 V with optimized fabrication process. The on/off current ratio of the diode is as high as 1011@±3 V. The forward current density is 1.45 kA/cm2@3 V and the specific on-resistance is 1.57 $\text{m}\Omega \cdot $ cm2.
Affinity and Pseudo-Affinity Membrane Chromatography for Viral Vector and Vaccine Purifications: A Review

Several chromatographic approaches have been established over the last decades for the production of pharmaceutically relevant viruses. Due to the large size of these products compared to other biopharmaceuticals, e.g., proteins, convective flow media have proven to be superior to bead-based resins in terms of process productivity and column capacity. One representative of such convective flow materials is membranes, which can be modified to suit the particular operating principle and are also suitable for economical single-use applications. Among the different membrane variants, affinity surfaces allow for the most selective separation of the target molecule from other components in the feed solution, especially from host cell-derived DNA and proteins. A successful membrane affinity chromatography, however, requires the identification and implementation of ligands, which can be applied economically while at the same time being stable during the process and non-toxic in the case of any leaching. This review summarizes the current evaluation of membrane-based affinity purifications for viruses and virus-like particles, including traditional resin and monolith approaches and the advantages of membrane applications. An overview of potential affinity ligands is given, as well as considerations of suitable affinity platform technologies, e.g., for different virus serotypes, including a description of processes using pseudo-affinity matrices, such as sulfated cellulose membrane adsorbers.
Analysis of landslide susceptibility in Qingyuan City based on machine learning and SINMAP coupling model

A variety of complex geological disasters induced by extreme rainfall seriously threaten people's production and life safety, among which landslide disasters are the most widely distributed and the most destructive. In this paper, the typical rainfall concentration area of Guangdong Province (Qingxin-Qingcheng-Fogang-Yingde) is taken as the research area. Based on multi-source data, four machine learning methods are used to calculate the vulnerability of geological disasters such as landslides induced by heavy rain and flood, and the importance of the characteristic factors is analyzed to complete the landslide hazard susceptibility map. On this basis, the SINMAP model is coupled to enrich the data samples, improve the generalization ability of the machine learning model, and provide theoretical support for the risk prevention and resistance in the disaster situation of Guangdong Province. The results show that XGBoost model has the best performance, and its AUC value is 0.90, which is the largest among the four machine learning models. Among the 16 features, elevation contributes the most to the occurrence of landslide disasters, accounting for 15%; In XGBoost-SINMAP coupling model, the accuracy rate is 89%, the precision rate is 87%, and the recall rate is 92%, which further improves the prediction performance of XGBoost model.
Structural basis of IRGB10 oligomerization by GTP hydrolysis

Immunity-related GTPase B10 (IRGB10) is a crucial member of the interferon (IFN)-inducible GTPases and plays a vital role in host defense mechanisms. Following infection, IRGB10 is induced by IFNs and functions by liberating pathogenic ligands to activate the inflammasome through direct disruption of the pathogen membrane. Despite extensive investigation into the significance of the cell-autonomous immune response, the precise molecular mechanism underlying IRGB10–mediated microbial membrane disruption remains elusive. Herein, we present two structures of different forms of IRGB10, the nucleotide-free and GppNHp-bound forms. Based on these structures, we identified that IRGB10 exists as a monomer in nucleotide-free and GTP binding states. Additionally, we identified that GTP hydrolysis is critical for dimer formation and further oligomerization of IRGB10. Building upon these observations, we propose a mechanistic model to elucidate the working mechanism of IRGB10 during pathogen membrane disruption.
Refolding Increases the Chaperone-like Activity of αH-Crystallin and Reduces Its Hydrodynamic Diameter to That of α-Crystallin

αH-Crystallin, a high molecular weight form of α-crystallin, is one of the major proteins in the lens nucleus. This high molecular weight aggregate (HMWA) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cataracts. We have shown that the chaperone-like activity of HMWA is 40% of that of α-crystallin from the lens cortex. Refolding with urea significantly increased—up to 260%—the chaperone-like activity of α-crystallin and slightly reduced its hydrodynamic diameter (Dh). HMWA refolding resulted in an increase in chaperone-like activity up to 120% and a significant reduction of Dh of protein particles compared with that of α-crystallin. It was shown that the chaperone-like activity of HMWA, α-crystallin, and refolded α-crystallin but not refolded HMWA was strongly correlated with the denaturation enthalpy measured with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The DSC data demonstrated a significant increase in the native protein portion of refolded α-crystallin in comparison with authentic α-crystallin; however, the denaturation enthalpy of refolded HMWA was significantly decreased in comparison with authentic HMWA. The authors suggested that the increase in the chaperone-like activity of both α-crystallin and HMWA could be the result of the correction of misfolded proteins during renaturation and the rearrangement of protein supramolecular structures.
The Effect of Knowledge Protection Process on Employee Performance of PT. Mitra Kerinci

This study aims to find out and analyze the influence of the knowledge management process seen from knowledge protection on the performance of PT. Mitra Kerinci. This research is a causative study with quantitative methods. This study uses a nonprobability sampling technique with a purposive sampling method, the criteria used are permanent employees (Permanent / PKWTT) with a working period of more than 5 years. The results of the study show that the knowledge management process seen from knowledge protection has a positive and not significant effect on the performance of employees of PT. Mitra Kerinci. AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis pengaruh proses manajemen pengetahuan yang dilihat dari knowledge protection terhadap kinerja karyawan PT. Mitra Kerinci. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kausatif dengan metode kuantitatif. Penelitian ini menggunakan teknik pengambilan sampel secara non probabilitas dengan metode purposive sampling, kriteria yang digunakan yaitu karyawan tetap (Permanent/PKWTT) dengan masa kerja lebih dari 5 tahun Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa proses manajemen pengetahuan yang dilihat dari knowledge protection berpengaruh positif dan tidak signifikan terhadap kinerja karyawan PT. Mitra Kerinci.
Comprehensive Overview of the Effects of Amaranthus and Abelmoschus esculentus on Markers of Oxidative Stress in Diabetes Mellitus

The use of medicinal plants in the management of diabetes mellitus (DM) is extensively reported. However, there is still very limited information on the role of these plants as markers of oxidative stress in DM. This current review evaluated the effect of Amaranthus spinosus, Amaranthus hybridus, and Abelmoschus esculentus on markers of oxidative stress in rodent models of DM. Current findings indicate that these plants have the potential to reduce prominent markers of oxidative stress, such as serum malondialdehyde and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, while increasing enzymes that act as antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase. This may reduce reactive oxygen species and further ameliorate oxidative stress in DM. Although the potential benefits of these plants are acknowledged in rodent models, there is still a lack of evidence showing their efficacy against oxidative stress in diabetic patients. Therefore, we recommend future clinical studies in DM populations, particularly in Africa, to evaluate the potential effects of these plants. Such studies would contribute to enhancing our understanding of the significance of incorporating these plants into dietary practices for the prevention and management of DM.
A Fatal Case of Disseminated Histoplasmosis by Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum Misdiagnosed as Visceral Leishmaniasis—Molecular Diagnosis and Identification

Histoplasmosis is an endemic mycosis in the Americas. However, its diagnosis is challenging due to the complexity and limited availability of conventional laboratory techniques—antigen tests, culture, and staining. Microscopic preparations often confuse with other pathogens, such as Leishmania spp. The genus Histoplasma capsulatum comprises three varieties: var. capsulatum, var. duboissi, and var. farciminosum, which cannot be distinguished using conventional techniques. An infant from a tropical region of Ecuador was hospitalized for fever, bloody diarrhea, and anemia persisting for two months. Upon admission, he received antibiotics and immunosuppressants. Histopathological examination of the lymph nodes, intestines, and bone marrow aspirate reported the presence of Leishmania-like amastigotes, and treatment was initiated with meglumine antimoniate and conventional amphotericin B. However, subsequent analysis of samples using PCR and DNA sequencing identified H. capsulatum var. capsulatum but not Leishmania. Despite fluconazole and amphotericin B, the infant succumbed to the disease. The delay in clinical and laboratory diagnosis of histoplasmosis and the use of nonspecific and ineffective drugs such as fluconazole led to disease dissemination and, ultimately, death. Implementing molecular diagnosis and antigen tests in laboratories located in endemic regions and reference hospitals is crucial.
Novel Land-Cover Classification Approach With Nonparametric Sample Augmentation for Hyperspectral Remote-Sensing Images

Samples play a crucial role in the supervised classification of remote-sensing images. However, labeling large samples for training a classifier or deep-learning network is not only time-consuming, but also labor-intensive. In this article, a novel land-cover classification with nonparametric sample augmentation is proposed to improve the performance of hyperspectral remote-sensing image (HRSI) classification. First, initial samples with limited quantity are selected randomly from the ground-truth map. Second, based on the gray image, a nonparametric adaptive region generation (NARG) algorithm is developed for utilizing the contextual information around each sample. Then, a nonparametric sample augmentation algorithm is developed with NARG to explore reliable samples iteratively around each initial sample. Finally, the above steps are fused into an iterative process to obtain the final classification map. Compared with some typical traditional methods and some widely used deep-learning methods based on four real HRSIs, our proposed approach exhibits some advantages in improving the visual performance and quantitative accuracies of HRSI classification, such as the improvement is about 2.0%–10.34% for four real HRSIs in terms of the overall accuracy (OA).
MBBR Ammonia Removal: An Investigation of Nitrification Kinetics, Biofilm and Biomass Response, and Bacterial Population Shifts During Long-Term Cold Temperature Exposure

ii Acknowledgements . iv List of Figures . x List of Tables . xii List of Abbreviations . xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1. Background . 1 1.2. Aim of Study . 8 1.3. Thesis organization . 9 1.4. Contributions of Authors . 10 1.5. References . 13 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 17 2.1. Biological wastewater Treatment . 17 2.1.1. Microbial Metabolism . 17 2.1.2. Bacterial Growth & Energetics . 20 2.2. Nitrification . 25 2.2.1. Microbial Metabolism of Nitrifiers . 27 2.2.2. Bacterial Energetics of Nitrifiers . 28 2.2.3. Dissolved Oxygen Requirements . 30 2.2.4. pH & Alkalinity Requirements . 31 2.2. 5. Temperature . 32 2.3. Suspended Growth Biological Treatment System . 35 2.3. 1. Lagoons . 35 2.3. 2. Activated Sludge . 36 2.4. Biofilm . 37 2.4. 1. Bacterial Attachment . 38 2.4. 2. Biofilm Maturation . 39
Dynamic e-ICIC using Moving Average Crossover

Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets) are considered a technology option capable of improving system capacity and spatial spectrum reuse. However, high spectrum reuse causes high inter-cell interference among macro and small cells. Almost Blank Subframe (ABS) is a method of the Enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (e-ICIC) framework proposed for LTE systems as a means to mitigate interference among macro and small cells. ABS mutes some of macro cell transmissions in selected subframes to reduce interference to small cells, orthogonalizing macro and small cell transmissions in time-domain. In this work, we use Moving Average Crossover (MAC) based on trading know-how to propose a new dynamic ABS e-ICIC algorithm. Using system-level simulations, we attest that the proposed algorithm outperforms traditional e-ICIC by 6.4% in terms of capacity.