cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Examination of tourists’ willingness to pay under different conservation scenarios; Evidence from reef manta ray snorkeling in Fiji
Creators: name: Murphy, Shannon E.
name: Campbell, Ian
name: Drew, Joshua Adam
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 2018
Subjects: Ecotourism
Marine resources conservation--Finance
Willingness to pay
Endowments

description: Wildlife-focused tourism is often considered as having the potential to play an integral part of threatened species conservation efforts, particularly through financial support. We focused on the direct financing of conservation by investigating tourists’ willingness to pay to snorkel with reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) at Barefoot Manta, an ecotourism resort in the Yasawa group of islands in Fiji. Our results indicate that 82.4% of people surveyed would be willing to pay a mean value of ~ USD $9.2 (SE 0.9) more than the current cost, a 28% increase. Also, 89% of people surveyed would be willing to pay a mean value of ~ USD $10.2 (SE 0.9) more for a hypothetical scenario where they would snorkel with 50% fewer people, a 31% increase. We also investigated tourists’ willingness to make voluntary donations to the local community above an existing payment of ~ USD $10 that is built into the current snorkel payment of ~ USD $32.5. On average, 91.3% of the tourists interviewed were willing to donate additional funds with an average additional donation of ~ USD $8.6 (SE 0.5) to the community to pay for educational and environmental support, an 86% increase. There were few significant relationships between willingness to pay and demographic factors (including age, income, nationality, education, and others), suggesting that willingness to pay was widely held by the tourist population staying at Barefoot Manta Resort. Together, these results indicate that wildlife-based nature tourism could represent a potential, but not unlimited, income source to fund conservation in the Yasawa group, Fiji islands, and that conservation can arise from partnerships between local communities and the tourism sector.
Pisodonophis cancrivorus
Creators: name: Zainal Abidin, Danial Hariz
name: Lavoué, Sébastien
name: Mohd Abu Hassan Alshari, Norli Fauzani
name: Mohd. Nor, Siti Azizah
name: A. Rahim, Masazurah
name: Mohammed Akib, Noor Adelyna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Anguilliformes
Ophichthidae
Pisodonophis
Pisodonophis cancrivorus

description: Pisodonophis cancrivorus (Richardson, 1848) Figure 2E Material examined. MALAYSIA • 1, 254 mm TL; Kedah State, Merbok, Pompang Sungai Merbok; 05.664°N, 100.381°E; 6 Dec. 2018; Danial H. Zainal Abidin, Norli F.M.A.H. Alshari leg.; USMFC (106) 00001.
description: Published as part of Zainal Abidin, Danial Hariz, Lavoué, Sébastien, Mohd Abu Hassan Alshari, Norli Fauzani, Mohd. Nor, Siti Azizah, A. Rahim, Masazurah & Mohammed Akib, Noor Adelyna, 2021, Ichthyofauna of Sungai Merbok Mangrove Forest Reserve, northwest Peninsular Malaysia, and its adjacent marine waters, pp. 601-631 in Check List 17 (2) on page 607, DOI: 10.15560/17.2.601
title: Dynamic Properties of Chondrocytes
Creators: name: Otoo, Baaba Sekyiwaa
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: cell volume
subject: multiphoton imaging
subject: cartilage mechanics
subject: Engineering--Biomedical

description: Articular cartilage plays a crucial role in joint function by providing a smooth, load-bearing surface that facilitates movement and absorbs mechanical impact. Chondrocytes, the cells within cartilage, experience continuous mechanical loading in vivo and adapt their volume and shape accordingly, a process that is essential for maintaining cartilage health and function. Volume and shape changes in chondrocytes are key to cellular mechanotransduction, the mechanism by which cells detect and respond to external forces, influencing responses that are vital in both physiological and pathological conditions. This thesis focuses on developing methods to study the effects of dynamic cyclic compression loading on chondrocyte volume and shape changes, not only at the beginning and end of the loading cycle but, crucially, throughout the loading process. These dynamic responses are then compared with those observed under static conditions. A novel experimental approach was developed, incorporating the simultaneous loading and imaging of cartilage tissue, to overcome common technical challenges, such as motion artifacts, which have previously limited studies on chondrocyte deformations to static conditions. Using this setup, cartilage tissues were subjected to cycles of mechanical loading, with cell volume and shape measurements taken at specific time points, both at maximum and minimum stress. The study revealed that chondrocytes exhibit an initial transient decrease in volume within the first few cycles, followed by a gradual return to the baseline (pre-loading) volume despite the surrounding cartilage tissue not fully recovering. This dynamic behavior suggests that chondrocytes engage in active volume regulation as an adaptive response to sustained mechanical loading. Moreover, we also found that cell volume and shape responses under dynamic loading differ substantially from static loading conditions, highlighting the unique behavior of chondrocytes embedded in their native extracellular matrix in response to dynamic mechanical loads. The outcomes of this research underscore the importance of studying cellular adaptation mechanisms in a dynamic, physiologically relevant contexts, rather than under static conditions. This work offers insights into how chondrocytes modulate their volume and shape under cyclic mechanical stress, contributing to our understanding of cellular adaptations within articular cartilage and potentially informing future studies on cartilage health, degeneration, and mechanobiology.
Surface finite element approximation of spherical Whittle--Matérn Gaussian random fields
Creators: name: Jansson, Erik
name: Kovács, Mihály
name: Lang, Annika
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Numerical Analysis (math.NA)
subject: Probability (math.PR)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 35R60, 60G60, 60H35, 58J05, 60H15, 65C30, 65N12, 65N30

description: Spherical Whittle--Matérn Gaussian random fields are considered as solutions to fractional elliptic stochastic partial differential equations on the sphere. Approximation is done with surface finite elements. While the non-fractional part of the operator is solved by a recursive scheme, a quadrature of the Dunford--Taylor integral representation is employed for the fractional part. Strong error analysis is performed, and the computational complexity is bounded in terms of the accuracy. Numerical experiments for different choices of parameters confirm the theoretical findings.
description: 19 pages, 5 figures
Programmable Multimode Quantum Networks
Creators: name: Armstrong, Seiji
name: Morizur, Jean-Francois
name: Janousek, Jiri
name: Hage, Boris
name: Treps, Nicolas
name: Lam, Ping Koy
name: Bachor, Hans-A.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Entanglement between large numbers of quantum modes is the quintessential resource for future technologies such as the quantum internet. Conventionally the generation of multimode entanglement in optics requires complex layouts of beam-splitters and phase shifters in order to transform the input modes in to entangled modes. These networks need substantial modification for every new set of entangled modes to be generated. Here we report on the highly versatile and efficient generation of various multimode entangled states with the ability to switch between different linear optics networks in real time. By defining our modes to be combinations of different spatial regions of one beam, we may use just one pair of multi-pixel detectors each with M photodiodes in order to measure N entangled modes, with a maximum number of N=M modes. We program virtual networks that are fully equivalent to the physical linear optics networks they are emulating. We present results for N=2 up to N=8 entangled modes here, including N=2,3,4 cluster states. Our approach introduces flexibility and scalability to multimode entanglement, two important attributes that are highly sought after in state of the art devices.
description: 10 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, comments welcome!
Generalized Collisional Fluid Theory for Multi-Component, Multi-Temperature Plasma Using The Linearized Boltzmann Collision Operator for Scrape-Off Layer/Edge Applications
Creators: name: Raghunathan, Madhusudan
name: Marandet, Yannick
name: Bufferand, Hugo
name: Ciraolo, Guido
name: Ghendrih, Philippe
name: Tamain, Patrick
name: Serre, Eric
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Grad's method is used on the linearized Boltzmann collision operator to derive the most general expressions for the collision coefficients for a multi-component, multi-temperature plasma up to rank-2. In doing so, the collision coefficients then get expressed as series sum of pure coefficients of temperature and mass ratios multiplied by the cross-section dependent Chapman-Cowling integrals. These collisional coefficients are compared to previously obtained coefficients by Zhdanov et al [Zhdanov V.M., Transport processes in multi-component plasma, Taylor and Francis (2002)] for 13N-moment multi-temperature scheme. First, the differences in coefficients are compared directly, and then the differences in first approximation to viscosity and friction force are compared. For the 13N-moment multi-temperature coefficients, it is found that they behave reasonably similarly for small temperature differences, but display substantial differences in the coefficients when the temperature differences are high, both for the coefficients and for viscosity and friction force values. Furthermore, the obtained coefficients are compared to the 21N-moment single-temperature approximation provided by Zhdanov et al, and it is seen that the differences are higher than the 13N-moment multi-temperature coefficients, and have substantial differences even in the vicinity of equal temperatures, especially for the viscosity and friction force calculations.
description: Corrected some typos from the previous version. Accepted by Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (April 9,2021)
title: Fronteras Rupestres en México
Creators: name: Galicia, Aline Lara
name: Viramontes Anzures, Carlos
Publisher: name: Roma Tre University
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/05vf0dg29
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2025

description: Questo volume presenta le diverse forme in cui si esprimono le frontiere nelle manifestazioni rupestri della Mesoamerica e del nord del Messico. A partire da tredici capitoli, scritti da specialisti, si propone di analizzare le frontiere rupestri di collettivi nomadi e comunità agricole, come strutture dinamiche, simboliche o liminali, a partire dagli aspetti sociali, sacri, politici o economici. Le frontiere sono considerate sia fisiche che immaginarie, essendo interpretate dalla cosmovisione o da elementi intangibili, come l'appropriazione del paesaggio, i miti, gli spazi condivisi, i nodi tra le località o i punti di rottura.
An upper bound for asymmetrical spinless Salpeter equations
Creators: name: Semay, Claude
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Using the auxiliary field method, a generic upper bound is obtained for the spinless Salpeter equation with two different masses. Analytical results are presented for the cases of the Coulomb and linear potentials when a mass is vanishing.
description: Improved presentation and new references
Management of post-traumatic femoral defects with a monorail external fixator over an intramedullary nail.
Creators: name: Lu, Victor
name: Zhang, James
name: Zhou, Andrew
name: Krkovic, Matija
Publisher: name: Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
Year: 2021
Subjects: Trauma
Bone defect
Femur
Bone transport
Monorail

description: PurposeThe management of limb-length discrepancy secondary to traumatic femoral bone loss poses a unique challenge for surgeons. The Ilizarov technique is popular, but is associated with long external fixator time and many complications. This retrospective study assessed outcomes of post-traumatic femoral defects managed by monorail external fixation over an intramedullary nail.MethodsEight patients were included from October 2015 to May 2019 with post-traumatic femoral defects that underwent treatment with monorail fixator-assisted intramedullary nailing. Primary outcome was time to bone union and bone results according to ASAMI classification. Secondary outcomes were lengthening index, consolidation time and index, external fixator index (EFI), time to partial weight bearing(PWB) and full weight bearing (FWB), and complications. Patient reported outcome measures including EQ-5D-5L, SF-36, Oxford knee scores (OKS), and Oxford hip scores (OHS) were recorded after recovery.ResultsMean follow-up time was 227 weeks. Average bone defect size was 9.69 cm. Average consolidation time and index were 11.35 months and 1.24 months/cm, respectively. Mean lengthening and external fixator index were 20.2 days/cm and 23.88 days/cm, respectively. On average, patients achieved FWB and bone union 56.25 weeks and 68.83 weeks after bone transport initiation, respectively. Two patients had docking site non-union, five patients had pin site infections, and two patients had osteomyelitis. EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS scores were compared to UK population norms (p = 0.104, p = 0.238, respectively). Average OKS was 32.17 and OHS was 34.00.ConclusionMonorail external fixation over an intramedullary nail is an effective option for post-traumatic femoral defects, reducing external fixator time and returning patients' quality of life to a level comparable with the normal population.
title: Bovine Foot Rot and its Microbiological Relationship with Bovine Digital Dermatitis
Creators: name: Pyakurel, Susan
Publisher: name: Veterinary Medicine
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Bacteria
subject: Cattle
subject: Cow
subject: Interdigital Phlegmon
subject: Hairy Heel Warts
subject: Feedlots
subject: Beef
subject: Fusobacterium necrophorum
subject: Treponema
subject: Porphyromonas levii
subject: Veterinary Science
subject: Microbiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Biology--Molecular

description: Bovine foot rot (BFR) and bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) are important infectious diseases that cause pain and lameness in feedlot cattle. BFR causes subcutaneous tissue necrosis and is treated using systemic antibiotics whereas BDD affects outer skin layers and is treated using topical treatments, but cases often relapse. Visual diagnosis of BFR and BDD is complicated by inconclusive cases with lesion characteristics indifferentiable as either BFR or BDD. F. necrophorum and Treponema spp. are the bacteria primarily associated with the pathogenesis of BFR and BDD, respectively. Also, several Treponema spp. are found associated with disease stages of BDD, also called M-stages, of which we investigated the active M2 and chronic M4 stages. As reported in Chapter 2, we visually diagnosed cattle as either BFR, BDD-M2, BDD-M4, inconclusive, and healthy groups. We found that the absolute quantity of seven bacterial species associated with BFR and BDD pathogenesis, namely, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Fusobacterium mortiferum, Bacteroides pyogenes, Porphyromonas levii, Treponema medium, Treponema phagedenis, and Treponema pedis, were different among biopsies, swabs, and subcutaneous samples within and between the cattle groups. We also found that routine histology was not effective in differentiating BFR and BDD. Also, a producer survey indicated that the risk factors included in our survey did not increase the odds of cattle being diagnosed with either disease. In Chapter 3, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing on DNA extracted from biopsies, we found that the groups generally had similar bacterial species present, although in different proportions, with the healthy group having the most diverse microbial taxa. . In Chapter 4, using whole genome sequencing and agar dilution assay, we found that most bacterial isolates derived from biopsies from different cattle groups contained tetracycline resistance genes as compared to penicillin and ceftiofur, and phenotypic resistance was also higher for tetracycline as compared to ceftiofur and penicillin. This thesis provides quantitative insights into the potential pathogens and risk factors responsible for BFR and BDD pathogenesis, and the in vitro activities of antibiotics used for treating these diseases, while also demonstrating the comparative effectiveness of diagnostic tools for sample collection and differential diagnosis.
Naturalness and GUT Scale Yukawa Coupling Ratios in the CMSSM
Creators: name: Antusch, Stefan
name: Calibbi, Lorenzo
name: Maurer, Vinzenz
name: Monaco, Maurizio
name: Spinrath, Martin
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We analyse the fine-tuning in the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (CMSSM) in the light of the present and expected ATLAS and CMS SUSY searches. Even with 10/fb of data and no discovery of SUSY valid regions might remain with fine-tuning less than 20. Moreover we investigate the fine-tuning price of GUT scale Yukawa coupling relations. Considering a 2$σ$ constraint for $(g-2)_μ$ and fine-tuning less than 30 yields an allowed range of $y_τ/y_b = [1.31,1.70]$, which points towards the alternative GUT prediction $y_τ/y_b = 3/2$. Relaxing the $(g-2)_μ$ constraint to 5$σ$ extends the possible region to [1.02,1.70], allowing for approximate $b-τ$ Yukawa coupling unification.
description: 13 pages, 3 figures; version published in PRD
Serial representation of items during working memory maintenance at letter-selective cortical sites
Creators: name: Bahramisharif, Ali
name: Jensen, Ole
name: Jacobs, Joshua
name: Lisman, John
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: Biomedical engineering
subject: Neurosciences
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Short-term memory--Physiological aspects
subject: Hippocampus (Brain)

description: A key component of working memory is the ability to remember multiple items simultaneously. To understand how the human brain maintains multiple items in memory, we examined direct brain recordings of neural oscillations from neurosurgical patients as they performed a working memory task. We analyzed the data to identify the neural representations of individual memory items by identifying recording sites with broadband gamma activity that varied according to the identity of the letter a subject viewed. Next, we tested a previously proposed model of working memory, which had hypothesized that the neural representations of individual memory items sequentially occurred at different phases of the theta/alpha cycle. Consistent with this model, the phase of the theta/alpha oscillation when stimulus-related gamma activity occurred during maintenance reflected the order of list presentation. These results suggest that working memory is organized by a cortical phase code coordinated by coupled theta/alpha and gamma oscillations and, more broadly, provide support for the serial representation of items in working memory.
Dynamic asymptotic dimension and Matui's HK conjecture
Creators: name: Bönicke, Christian
name: Dell'Aiera, Clément
name: Gabe, James
name: Willett, Rufus
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Operator Algebras (math.OA)
subject: Dynamical Systems (math.DS)
subject: K-Theory and Homology (math.KT)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 22A22, 37B99, 46L80, 46L85

description: We prove that the homology groups of a principal ample groupoid vanish in dimensions greater than the dynamic asymptotic dimension of the groupoid (as a side-effect of our methods, we also give a new model of groupoid homology in terms of the Tor groups of homological algebra, which might be of independent interest). As a consequence, the K-theory of the $C^*$-algebras associated with groupoids of finite dynamic asymptotic dimension can be computed from the homology of the underlying groupoid. In particular, principal ample groupoids with dynamic asymptotic dimension at most two and finitely generated second homology satisfy Matui's HK-conjecture. We also construct explicit maps from the groupoid homology groups to the K-theory groups of their $C^*$-algebras in degrees zero and one, and investigate their properties.
description: Version 3 adds a new description of the comparison map in dimension one based on the ABC spectral sequence, and shows that it is the same as the description based on mapping cones. This is the final version, to appear in Proceedings of the LMS
title: Impacts of sedimentation on early-life phenotypes and gene expression in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
Creators: name: Lai, Carina M.
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Fisheries and Aquaculture
subject: Biology--Molecular

description: Early-life environmental stressors may threaten species of conservation concern by impacting populations during vulnerable early life history stages. Here, I tested some of the effects of sediment stress and hypoxia during early-life development on phenotypic outcomes and gene expression in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). I obtained O. kisutch eggs from the Sugsaw Hatchery located on Vancouver Island, BC, and reared them in one of three substrate (0% fine sediment, 10% fine sediment, 20% fine sediment) or one of two no substrate (normoxia/100% DO or hypoxia/50% DO) treatments to the alevin stage (n=180 per treatment). Survival did not differ between groups, but fish reared in hypoxia and 20% fine sediment exhibited significantly lower fork lengths and weights. Yolk sac area and volume were also lower in fish from the 20% fine sediment treatment, suggesting a decrease in yolk sac conversion efficiency. Gene expression analysis of three general (HIF1A_6, ALD_1, HemA1_1) and four hypoxia-specific (Anillin, Ncapd3, Ndc80, Kif4) biomarkers revealed significant upregulation of ALD_1 expression in hypoxia-reared fish, while fewer significant differences were detected in the remaining biomarkers. Overall, more research is necessary to elucidate the genomic mechanisms mediating the phenotypic changes that result from exposure to hypoxia and high sedimentation in early-life salmonids. Yet these findings suggest that there may be negative consequences of sedimentation and hypoxia during early-life salmonid development and that these are driven by complex molecular interactions that underlie early-life organisms’ responses to stress. Reduced growth and yolk sac conversion efficiency in fish reared without substrate, compared to high quality substrate further suggest that substrate environmental enrichment (EE) during early-life rearing may be beneficial for salmonids artificially reared in hatcheries.
Societal Perspectives on a Bio-economy in Germany: An Explorative Study Using Q Methodology
Creators: name: Hempel, Corinna
name: Will, Sabine
name: Zander, Katrin
Publisher: name: International Journal on Food System Dynamics
Year: 2019
Subjects: Bio-economy; bio-based; Q methodology; society; perspectives; innovation; sufficiency; living standard; Germany

description: Bio-economy describes an economy based on renewable instead of fossil resources. To ensure the success of this transformation it is necessary to involve society into the process. Q methodology was used to empirically assess people’s perspectives on bio-economy in Germany. Using a Q-type factor analysis three perspectives were identified. “Sufficiency and close affinity to nature” focuses on natural/ecological relations, while “Technological Progress” favours technologies to become less dependent on fossil resources. The third perspective “Not at any price” is rather concerned about economic trade-offs. People’s viewpoints could be useful for politicians and stakeholders to improve communication and knowledge building on bio-economy in Germany.
description: International Journal on Food System Dynamics, Vol 10, No 1 (2019)
title: Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence through the lens of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Creators: name: Eaton, Sarah Elaine
Publisher: name: Werklund School of Education
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: academic integrity
subject: artificial intelligence
subject: GenAI
subject: equity
subject: diversity
subject: inclusion
subject: accessibility

description: In this presentation for MYFest 2023 Equity Unbound, Sarah Elaine Eaton explores the connections between academic integrity, artificial intelligence, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA). Questions we will consider are: What are the connections between these? What do we need to be paying attention to in terms of teaching, learning, and assessment? How can we keep the focus on student learning? We may not arrive at firm answers, but we will think through some of these complexities in community with one another.
title: Exploring Technical and Biological Variation in Nematode Genomes
Creators: name: Mariene, Grace Mukiri
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Genomics
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: Education--Agricultural
subject: Parasitology
subject: Veterinary Science
subject: Biophysics--Medical

description: Parasitic species of nematodes are the causative agents of major infectious diseases of humans, livestock and crops. Mass drug administration programs have been the primary control strategy for livestock and, increasingly, human parasites, significantly contributing to the global issue of resistance to these anthelmintic drugs. The need for new anthelmintics demands a deeper understanding of nematode biology, which, in turn, would greatly benefit from high-quality assembled and annotated genomes. However, challenges in the current bioinformatics protocols that guide accurate genome assembly and annotations introduce errors and variability, which potentially compromise the preservation of genetic material and accuracy, particularly critical in drug discovery. These variations are often overlooked and unaccounted for by many researchers. This thesis, in addition to finding the most effective protocols to generate a high-quality genome assembly and annotation for the Canadian isolate of Heligmosomoides bakeri, also describes an in-depth investigation of the sources and impact of genome assembly variations to be considered in genomics research. The performance of several commonly used assembly programs was compared using long-read DNA sequencing data from three nematodes: Caenorhabditis bovis, Haemonchus contortus, and H. bakeri. The results of these comparisons showed that each program yielded different results which could have critical impacts in gene finding. This work is described in Chapter 2. The sources and potential impacts of variations in differently scaffolded H. bakeri genomes was also investigated. The results, which are described in Chapter 3, indicated that most variations stemmed from the starting preliminary contig assemblies. In Chapter 4, the potential utility of H. bakeri as a model organism for Clade V parasitic nematodes is described using a genomics approach of orthology and phylogenomic comparisons of gene families involved in detoxification of xenobiotics. Together, this work describes cost-effective quality control, assembly and annotation protocols that can be extended to create genomics resources for livestock parasites, such as Ostertagia ostertagi, Cooperia punctata and Cooperia oncophora, which are the most prevalent parasitic nematodes of Albertan cattle with rapidly emerging anthelmintic resistance, as well as other highly heterozygous invertebrate organisms. Additionally, the work creates awareness and cautions researchers, particularly those interested in comparative genomics and genic analysis, of the critical impacts of “small” variations in the starting draft genomes and the need for informed and more careful assembly generation approaches and selection.
Using geographical analysis to identify child health inequality in sub-Saharan Africa
Creators: name: Yourkavitch, Jennifer
name: Burgert-Brucker, Clara
name: Assaf, Shireen
name: Delgado, Stephen G.
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 2018
Subjects: Children--Health and hygiene
Autocorrelation (Statistics)
Child health services
Children--Mortality
Medical geography
Health status indicators

description: One challenge to achieving Millennium Development Goals was inequitable access to quality health services. In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, interventions need to reach underserved populations. Analyzing health indicators in small geographic units aids the identification of hotspots where coverage lags behind neighboring areas. The purpose of these analyses is to identify areas of low coverage or high need in order to inform effective resource allocation to reduce child health inequity between and within countries. Using data from The Demographic and Health Survey Program surveys conducted in 27 selected African countries between 2010 and 2014, we computed estimates for six child health indicators for subnational regions. We calculated Global Moran’s I statistics and used Local Indicator of Spatial Association analysis to produce a spatial layer showing spatial associations. We created maps to visualize sub-national autocorrelation and spatial clusters. The Global Moran’s I statistic was positive for each indicator (range: 0.41 to 0.68), and statistically significant (p <0.05), suggesting spatial autocorrelation across national borders, and highlighting the need to examine health indicators both across countries and within them. Patterns of substantial differences among contiguous subareas were apparent; the average intra-country difference for each indicator exceeded 20 percentage points. Clusters of cross-border associations were also apparent, facilitating the identification of hotspots and informing the allocation of resources to reduce child health inequity between and within countries. This study exposes differences in health indicators in contiguous geographic areas, indicating that specific regional and subnational, in addition to national, strategies to improve health and reduce health inequalities are warranted.
Sardinella albella USMFC
Creators: name: Zainal Abidin, Danial Hariz
name: Lavoué, Sébastien
name: Mohd Abu Hassan Alshari, Norli Fauzani
name: Mohd. Nor, Siti Azizah
name: A. Rahim, Masazurah
name: Mohammed Akib, Noor Adelyna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Clupeiformes
Clupeidae
Sardinella
Sardinella albella

description: Sardinella albella (Valenciennes, 1847) Material examined. MALAYSIA • 1, 57 mm TL; Kedah State, Merbok, Pompang Sungai Merbok; 05.664°N, 100.381°E; 6 Dec. 2018; Danial H. Zainal Abidin, Norli F.M.A.H. Alshari leg.; USMFC (5) 00007. • 1, 75 mm TL; Kedah State, Kampung Batu Lintang, Pompang Batu Lintang; 05.625°N, 100.394°E; 17 Jul. 2019; Sébastien Lavoué leg.; USMFC (5) 00009. Identification. Recently rediagnosed by Stern et al. (2016). A moderate-sized species of Clupeidae (maximum TL about 150 mm); body relatively deep, strongly compressed and fully keeled from isthmus to anus (scutes 30 or 31); mouth small, upward; no lateral line; last dorsal fin ray not filamentous; lower gill rakers 47–64 (on first gill arch); vertical striae on scales discontinuous, not meeting at centre; flanks and belly silver, dorsum dark grey-blue; a black mark at the dorsal fin base, a diffuse ovoid black mark behind upper part of gill opening. Sardinella albella is similar to Sardinella gibbosa (Bleeker, 1849) occurring in the Merbok river estuary but it can be distinguished by its deeper body and lower number of scutes (31 or less vs. 32 in S. gibbosa). Sardinella albella is a predominantly coastal marine species and a common species of Clupeidae caught in brackish ecosystems of this region (Tongnunui et al. 2002). Otherwise, widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region (Whitehead 1985).
description: Published as part of Zainal Abidin, Danial Hariz, Lavoué, Sébastien, Mohd Abu Hassan Alshari, Norli Fauzani, Mohd. Nor, Siti Azizah, A. Rahim, Masazurah & Mohammed Akib, Noor Adelyna, 2021, Ichthyofauna of Sungai Merbok Mangrove Forest Reserve, northwest Peninsular Malaysia, and its adjacent marine waters, pp. 601-631 in Check List 17 (2) on page 609, DOI: 10.15560/17.2.601
description: {"references": ["Stern N, Rinkevich B, Goren M (2016) Integrative approach revises the frequently misidentified species of Sardinella (Clupeidae) of the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. Journal of Fish Biology 89 (5): 2282 - 2305. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / jfb. 13114", "Tongnunui P, Ikejima K, Yamane T, Horinouchi M, Medej T, Sano M, Kurokura H, Taniuchi T (2002) Fish fauna of the Sikao Creek mangrove estuary, Trang, Thailand. Fisheries Science 68: 10 - 17. https: // doi. org / 10.1046 / j. 1444 - 2906.2002.00383. x", "Whitehead PJP (1985). Clupeoid fishes of the world (Suborder Clu- peoidei): an annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf herrings. Pt. 1. Chirocentridae, Clupeidae and Pristigasteridae. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125 (7): 1 - 303."]}
Dirac point spectral weight suppression and surface "gaps" in nonmagnetic and magnetic topological insulators
Creators: name: Xu, Su-Yang
name: Wray, L. A.
name: Alidoust, N.
name: Xia, Y.
name: Neupane, M.
name: Liu, Chang
name: Ji, H. -W.
name: Jia, S.
name: Cava, R. J.
name: Hasan, M. Z.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: It is predicted that electrons on the surface of a topological insulator can acquire a mass (massive Dirac fermion) by opening up a gap at the Dirac point when time-reversal symmetry is broken via the out-of-plane magnetization. We report photoemission studies on a series of topological insulator materials focusing on the spectral behavior in the vicinity of the Dirac node. Our results show that the spectral intensity is suppressed resulting in a "gap"-like feature in materials with or without any magnetic impurity or doping. The Zeeman gap in magnetically doped samples, expected to be rather small, is likely masked by the non-magnetic strong spectral weight suppression involving a large energy scale we report. The photoemission spectral weight suppression observed around the Dirac node thus cannot be taken as the sole evidence for a time-reversal symmetry breaking magnetic gap. We discuss a few possible extrinsic and kinematic origins of the Dirac point spectral weight suppression ("gap") observed in many commonly studied topological materials.
description: 10 pages, 3 Figures
PATHS TO EQUITABLE ACCESS: EVALUATING ICT DIFFUSION AND INEQUALITY IN AFRICA
Creators: name: Marie-Claire, Kouassi Koffi
name: Amadou, Diallo Traoré
Publisher: name: AMERICAN SERIAL
Year: 2024
Subjects: Information and Communications Technology (ICT),
digital divide
nternet penetration
economic analysis
developing countries

description: In recent decades, the pervasive integration of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has catalyzed substantial transformations, positioning ICT as a pivotal subject within economic analysis and as a catalyst for growth. Nonetheless, it is imperative to acknowledge that the adoption of ICT exhibits a pronounced discrepancy between developed and developing regions. This study delves into the landscape of ICT adoption, particularly focusing on the substantial variance in utilization levels across different global regions. Drawing on data from Internet World Stats (2017), which reveals a strikingly low internet penetration rate in Africa—merely 353 million internet users out of a total global population of 3 billion—the study elucidates the considerable digital divide between Africa and other developed regions such as Europe, where internet penetration rates soar as high as 77%. The discourse unfolds by contextualizing the critical importance of ICT adoption within the broader framework of economic analysis and growth dynamics. Through an examination of pertinent literature and empirical evidence, the study underscores the pivotal role that ICT plays as a driver of economic development, innovation, and productivity enhancement. Furthermore, it probes into the various factors contributing to the stark contrast in ICT adoption rates between developed and developing nations, ranging from infrastructural constraints and socioeconomic disparities to policy frameworks and institutional environments.

The findings of this study hold significant implications for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars alike. By shedding light on the multifaceted dynamics underpinning ICT adoption, the study offers valuable insights into devising strategies aimed at bridging the digital divide and fostering inclusive growth trajectories. Moreover, it underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to address the underlying barriers hindering widespread ICT adoption in developing regions, thereby unlocking the transformative potential of technology to drive socioeconomic progress and mitigate global disparities
Responsive core-shell DNA particles trigger lipid-membrane disruption and bacteria entrapment.
Creators: name: Walczak, Michal
name: Brady, Ryan A
name: Mancini, Leonardo
name: Contini, Claudia
name: Rubio-Sánchez, Roger
name: Kaufhold, William T
name: Cicuta, Pietro
name: Di Michele, Lorenzo
Publisher: name: Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
Year: 2021
Subjects: Bacteria
Escherichia coli
Membrane Lipids
DNA
Cell Membrane Permeability
Particle Size
Nanostructures
Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions

description: Funder: Wellcome Trust
description: Biology has evolved a variety of agents capable of permeabilizing and disrupting lipid membranes, from amyloid aggregates, to antimicrobial peptides, to venom compounds. While often associated with disease or toxicity, these agents are also central to many biosensing and therapeutic technologies. Here, we introduce a class of synthetic, DNA-based particles capable of disrupting lipid membranes. The particles have finely programmable size, and self-assemble from all-DNA and cholesterol-DNA nanostructures, the latter forming a membrane-adhesive core and the former a protective hydrophilic corona. We show that the corona can be selectively displaced with a molecular cue, exposing the 'sticky' core. Unprotected particles adhere to synthetic lipid vesicles, which in turn enhances membrane permeability and leads to vesicle collapse. Furthermore, particle-particle coalescence leads to the formation of gel-like DNA aggregates that envelop surviving vesicles. This response is reminiscent of pathogen immobilisation through immune cells secretion of DNA networks, as we demonstrate by trapping E. coli bacteria.
Multiple roles for integrins in Drosophila glial development
Creators: name: Xie, Xiaojun
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2012

description: Glia are well known for providing essential physical and metabolic support to neurons, as well as regulating neuronal development. Glial development is also modulated by external signals from other cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Many signals are transduced into glia by specific receptors, such as integrins for the ECM. Previous studies show that integrins are expressed by all major vertebrate glial subtypes and play key roles in many important developmental processes. However complex composition of the integrin family and difficulties of manipulating genes in vertebrates limit the understanding of in vivo functions of integrins in glia. Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model for genetic analysis of the nervous system development. In this dissertation, I investigated integrin function in Drosophila glia. Integrins are expressed by glia in both the central and peripheral nervous systems at larval stages, where they form complexes with Talin and Integrin-Linked-Kinase (ILK). I found that integrin complexes were localized to different glia layers in the larval peripheral nerve and optic stalk. By using MARCM and RNA interference techniques, I found that integrins are required for multiple developmental events in individual and populated glia. In the peripheral nerve, integrins are important for glial ensheathment. When integrins were removed, perineurial glia failed to initiate or maintain their wrapping around the nerve and wrapping glia failed to send out numerous membrane processes between axons. In the optic stalk, integrins were necessary for glial migration, deposition and barrier formation. Removal of integrins impaired glial migration into the eye disc. Moreover, perineurial glia tended to aggregate at the anterior half and form multiple layers, and carpet glia failed to form organized septate junctions along the optic stalk. These glial defects resulted in photoreceptor axonal stalling in the eye disc and optic stalk, and mis-targeting in the brain. My work suggests that integrins are important for different aspects of Drosophila glial development and reveals a new glial function in helping photoreceptor axons through the optic stalk. Integrin distribution implicated that integrins may mediate glia-glia or glia-neuron interactions through ECM and non-ECM ligands.
Sardinella gibbosa USMFC
Creators: name: Zainal Abidin, Danial Hariz
name: Lavoué, Sébastien
name: Mohd Abu Hassan Alshari, Norli Fauzani
name: Mohd. Nor, Siti Azizah
name: A. Rahim, Masazurah
name: Mohammed Akib, Noor Adelyna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Clupeiformes
Clupeidae
Sardinella
Sardinella gibbosa

description: Sardinella gibbosa (Bleeker, 1849) Material examined. MALAYSIA • 2, 121– 131 mm TL; Kedah State, Kuala Kedah, Kuala Muda Whispering Market; 05.578°N, 100.341°E; 6 Dec. 2018; Danial H. Zainal Abidin, Norli F.M.A.H. Alshari leg.; USMFC (5) 00004. Identification. Recently rediagnosed in Stern et al. (2016). A moderate-sized species of Clupeidae (maximum TL about 170 mm); body relatively slender, strongly compressed and fully keeled from isthmus to anus (scutes 32); mouth small, upward; no lateral line; last dorsal fin ray not filamentous; lower gill rakers on first gill arch 48–69; vertical striae on scales discontinuous, not meeting at centre; flanks and belly silver, dorsum dark greyblue; a black mark at the dorsal fin base, a diffuse ovoid black mark behind upper part of gill opening. Sardinella gibbosa can be separated from S. albella occurring in the Merbok river estuary by a relatively slender body and more scutes. Sardinella gibbosa is a predominantly coastal marine species and one of the most common species of Clupeidae caught in brackish ecosystems of this region (Tongnunui et al. 2002). Otherwise, widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region, from India to Australia (Whitehead 1985).
description: Published as part of Zainal Abidin, Danial Hariz, Lavoué, Sébastien, Mohd Abu Hassan Alshari, Norli Fauzani, Mohd. Nor, Siti Azizah, A. Rahim, Masazurah & Mohammed Akib, Noor Adelyna, 2021, Ichthyofauna of Sungai Merbok Mangrove Forest Reserve, northwest Peninsular Malaysia, and its adjacent marine waters, pp. 601-631 in Check List 17 (2) on page 611, DOI: 10.15560/17.2.601
description: {"references": ["Stern N, Rinkevich B, Goren M (2016) Integrative approach revises the frequently misidentified species of Sardinella (Clupeidae) of the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. Journal of Fish Biology 89 (5): 2282 - 2305. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / jfb. 13114", "Tongnunui P, Ikejima K, Yamane T, Horinouchi M, Medej T, Sano M, Kurokura H, Taniuchi T (2002) Fish fauna of the Sikao Creek mangrove estuary, Trang, Thailand. Fisheries Science 68: 10 - 17. https: // doi. org / 10.1046 / j. 1444 - 2906.2002.00383. x", "Whitehead PJP (1985). Clupeoid fishes of the world (Suborder Clu- peoidei): an annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf herrings. Pt. 1. Chirocentridae, Clupeidae and Pristigasteridae. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125 (7): 1 - 303."]}
Spin Berry phase in anisotropic topological insulators
Creators: name: Imura, Ken-Ichiro
name: Takane, Yositake
name: Tanaka, Akihiro
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Three-dimensional topological insulators are characterized by the presence of protected gapless spin helical surface states. In realistic samples these surface states are extended from one surface to another, covering the entire sample. Generally, on a curved surface of a topological insulator an electron in a surface state acquires a spin Berry phase as an expression of the constraint that the effective surface spin must follow the tangential surface of real space geometry. Such a Berry phase adds up to pi when the electron encircles, e.g., once around a cylinder. Realistic topological insulators compounds are also often layered, i.e., are anisotropic. We demonstrate explicitly the existence of such a pi Berry phase in the presence and absence (due to crystal anisotropy) of cylindrical symmetry, that is, regardless of fulfilling the spin-to-surface locking condition. The robustness of the spin Berry phase pi against cylindrical symmetry breaking is confirmed numerically using a tight-binding model implementation of a topological insulator nanowire penetrated by a pi-flux tube.
description: 9 pages, 4 figures (6 panels)