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Societal Impact Statement Summary Bananas are nutritious fruits of major importance worldwide. Characterizing their diversity is essential to ensure their conservation and use. A catalog showcasing cultivated bananas genomic diversity was compiled and is to be used as a tool to support the classification of banana cultivars. This research revealed that cultivated banana groups are not all made of identical clones. Materials from recent collecting missions indicated that more banana diversity is expected to be found as the exploration of the banana gene pool continues. These discoveries will drive dynamic conservation strategies for banana genetic resources and should increase their use. Banana is an important food crop cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Because banana cultivars often have low fertility, they are typically propagated clonally, which maintains desirable traits across generations. However, different factors, such as synonymy, incomplete passport data, and environmental effects, complicate the morphological‐based assignment of banana cultivars to specific clones or cultivar groups. In this study, we applied a previously developed genomic‐based tool for fine‐scale characterization of banana ancestry, known as in silico chromosome painting, to high‐throughput genotyping data from 317 banana accessions. This dataset covers most of the globally conserved, studied, and cultivated cultivar groups and includes both genebanks and new, uncharacterized materials. By comparing curated morphological assignation to the genomic patterns resulting from in silico chromosome painting, we compiled a diversity catalog referencing curated passport data, pictures, and chromosome painting patterns of the cultivar groups. Examining the genomic patterns obtained, intra‐cultivar group variability was discovered. In some cultivar groups, mitotic recombination or deletions accumulated clonally. In addition, at least four cultivar groups encompassed cultivars from distinct sexual events co‐existing, notably Pisang Awak with five distinct patterns across two ploidy levels. Finally, additional patterns were discovered in the newest materials of the set, showing that a wider diversity of clones still exists on farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characterization of objects of historical and cultural interest represents a crucial topic, specifically when it regards gemstones. Actually, the advanced investigation of precious minerals of gemological interest requires exclusively non-destructive analyses which are also suitable for determining their provenance when it is unknown. In this study, a non-destructive analytical protocol, previously tested on diamonds for petrogenetic studies, has been applied to a natural diamond of very high historical and gemological value, donated in 1852 by Monsignor Lavinio de 'Medici Spada to the Museum of Earth Sciences of Sapienza University (Rome). The analytical protocol used includes X-ray diffraction topography, micro-computed X-ray tomography, single-crystal micro-X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results show the presence of dislocations originating from inclusions and a very low degree of plastic deformation. The aggregation states of its N impurities show that this diamond is type IaAB, while the inclusions consist of olivine (Fo92-93), suggesting a lithospheric origin. The historical references found in the catalogs of the Museum indicate only a Brazilian origin, without any reference to the mining district. The information acquired in this study, enhanced by document research on mining in Brazil since 1700, suggests that the diamond likely comes from the district of Diamantina, Mina Gerais, Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on the classification of Chinese Buddhist scripture catalogs, employing advanced deep learning methods to develop an automatic classification mechanism. Chinese Buddhist scripture catalogs serve as vital tools for organizing and retrieving Buddhist literature, facilitating research in the field. However, with the continuous addition of new texts and the need to adapt to modern academic research requirements, traditional manual classification methods have become time-consuming and less effective. In this study, we aim to address this challenge by harnessing the power of deep learning techniques. Our research not only involves the integration of new literature into existing catalog structures but also explores the reasons behind misclassifications in these catalogs. Additionally, we examine the inherent connections between different categories of scriptures to provide a comprehensive understanding of the catalog structure. Our contributions in this research encompass: 1. Automatic Classification: We pioneer the use of deep learning methods for the classification of Buddhist scripture catalogs, allowing for faster and more accurate categorization of texts. This automated approach significantly enhances the efficiency of catalog management. 2. Error Analysis: We delve into the reasons behind misclassifications in the catalogs, shedding light on common pitfalls and misconceptions in traditional classification methods. 3. Interconnections: We uncover the original interrelationships between different categories of scriptures, offering valuable insights for adjusting and optimizing the catalog structure to align with contemporary research needs. 4. Practical Application: The research findings are adopted by the CBETA research group as a reference tool for the cataloging of new literature in future editions of the Tripitaka, ensuring that the catalog remains up-to-date and relevant. This research is a significant step towards modernizing the management of Chinese Buddhist scripture catalogs, making them more efficient, accurate, and adaptable to the evolving landscape of Buddhist literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The pediatric population worldwide bears a significant morbidity and death burden due to acute respiratory infections (ARIs). Human Orthopneumovirus, sometimes referred to as the Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (HRSV), is one of the main causes of ARIs in infants. The main goal of this study was to identify the genetic diversity of HRSV strains that were circulating in the Iranian population at a certain time of year. Materials and Methods: Two hundred youngsters less than 12 years old with acute respiratory infections had samples taken from their throat and pharynx secretions. Then, external and hemi-nested PCR were employed, using specific primers targeting the G gene region to detect HRSV. Subsequently, nine randomly selected positive samples were subjected to sequencing. The results were then compared with reference strains cataloged in GeneBank, and phylogenetic tree was constructed using Chromes and MEGA7. Results: Out of 200 samples, 34 were identified as containing HRSV. Subgroup A was predominant, accounting for 61.76% of cases, followed by subgroup BA (35.29%) and subgroup B (2.94%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed five samples associated with subtype B and four with genotype A. Genomic analysis showed three samples under the GA2 subgroup and one under GA1 for subtype A, and four samples in subgroup BA and one in GB2 for subtype B. Conclusion: In this study, subgroup A strains, particularly genotype GA2, exhibited a higher prevalence compared to subgroup B strains during the specific period under investigation, shedding light on the genetic landscape of HRSV in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring seismicity in real time provides significant benefits for timely earthquake warning and analyses. In this study, we propose an automatic workflow based on machine learning (ML) to monitor seismicity in the southern Sichuan Basin of China. This workflow includes coherent event detection, phase picking, and earthquake location using three-component data from a seismic network. By combining PhaseNet, we develop an ML-based earthquake location model called PhaseLoc, to conduct real-time monitoring of the local seismicity. The approach allows us to use synthetic samples covering the entire study area to train PhaseLoc, addressing the problems of insufficient data samples, imbalanced data distribution, and unreliable labels when training with observed data. We apply the trained model to observed data recorded in the southern Sichuan Basin, China, between September 2018 and March 2019. The results show that the average differences in latitude, longitude, and depth are 5.7 km, 6.1 km, and 2 km, respectively, compared to the reference catalog. PhaseLoc combines all available phase information to make fast and reliable predictions, even if only a few phases are detected and picked. The proposed workflow may help real-time seismic monitoring in other regions as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are significant environmental and health concerns associated with the current inefficient plastic recycling process. This study presents the first integrated reference catalog of plastic-contaminated environments obtained using an insilico workflow that could play a significant role in discovering new plastizymes. Here, we combined 66 whole metagenomic data from plastic-contaminated environment samples from four previously collected metagenome data with our new sample. In this study, an integrated plastic-contaminated environment gene, protein, taxa, and plastic degrading enzyme catalog (PDEC) was constructed. These catalogs contain 53,300,583 non-redundant genes and proteins, 691 metagenome-assembled genomes, and 136,654 plastizymes. Based on KEGG and eggNOG annotations, 42% of recognized genes lack annotations, indicating their functions remain elusive and warrant further investigation. Additionally, the PDEC catalog highlights hydrolases, peroxidases, and cutinases as the prevailing plastizymes. Ultimately, following multiple validation procedures, our effort focused on pinpointing enzymes that exhibited the highest similarity to the introduced plastizymes in terms of both sequence and three-dimensional structural aspects. This encompassed evaluating the linear composition of constituent units as well as the complex spatial conformation of the molecule. The resulting catalog is expected to improve the resolution of future multi-omics studies, providing new insights into plastic-pollution related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human gut microbiota is associated with human health and disease, and is known to have the second-largest genome in the human body. The microbiota genome is important for their functions and metabolites; however, accurate genomic access to the microbiota of the human gut is hindered due to the difficulty of cultivating and the shortcomings of sequencing technology. Therefore, we applied the stLFR library construction method to assemble the microbiota genomes and demonstrated that assembly property outperformed standard metagenome sequencing. Using the assembled genomes as references, SNP, INDEL, and HGT gene analyses were performed. The results demonstrated significant differences in the number of SNPs and INDELs among different individuals. The individual displayed a unique species variation spectrum, and the similarity of strains within individuals decreased over time. In addition, the coverage depth analysis of the stLFR method shows that a sequencing depth of 60X is sufficient for SNP calling.HGT analysis revealed that the genes involved in replication, recombination and repair, mobilome prophages, and transposons were the most transferred genes among different bacterial species in individuals. A preliminary framework for human gut microbiome studies was established using the stLFR library construction method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In assessing the energy performance of buildings, the thermal performance of the structural components and building materials is crucial. Although reference catalogs are used to determine the thermal properties of construction materials, the use of novel materials or non-homogeneous mixtures, particularly with biomaterials, demands the development of new instruments that are capable of performing rapid, accurate and cost-effective thermal characterization. This study introduces the ambient hot-box, a new tool for measuring the thermal properties of construction components and heterogeneous materials. The paper provides a methodology for measuring a sample's benchmark and fresh materials using a streamlined hot-box-based instrument. Utilizing samples as a benchmark material, the new instrument is assessed, yielding transmittance values with errors below 4%. The electronic circuits, measurements techniques and instrument implementation are all described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous people have used architecture over millennia to adapt to climatic factors and achieve stable and comfortable living. These adaptations can still inform the design of contemporary regional architecture. In order to explore the relationship between traditional dwellings and climatic factors, we examine buildings in four provinces and cities in southwest China. A database was created using detailed data obtained from the literature on indicators of climatic factors (e.g., temperature, precipitation, temperature difference, wind speed, solar radiation) and architectural elements (e.g., roof slope and eave length). Thorough statistical analysis shows that (1) MPWM has the most significant correlation with the slope angle of traditional building roofs but is not recommended as a predictor in multivariate equations. (2) Temperature and wind speed were significant correlates of roof slope, and a multiple regression model dominated by AMT and AWS serves as a good predictor of roof slope. (3) Solar radiation was not correlated with roof slope but was the largest correlate of eaves length in traditional buildings. AMSR and AWS also dominantly affect eaves length in a regression relationship. These results serve not only as a reference to catalog the use of traditional passive technologies but can guide the design of green buildings. However, more research is needed to refine the use of passive technologies to adapt to climate change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since July 2019 the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth has been funding a project dedicated to the creation of an Islamic Cultural Archive (ICA), a database designed for collaborative research in English, French and Arabic connecting researchers based in Germany and four African countries. The ICA pursues individual but interconnected studies revolving around Islamic learning in Africa. With the support of IT specialists, the project team developed a platform that allows us to handle our data through an ontology-based digital research environment building on WissKI, a set of modules that combines the Drupal content management system with semantic web technology. This article discusses the technical implications of our endeavour to connect diverse languages and data from various digital and digitized media. The research team members link their datasets to create synergies between various research foci and interests, ranging from the nexus of Islamic knowledge production, dissemination and acquisition to the socio-religious, political-economic, and cultural dimensions of Islamic learning. The article shows how our platform allows us to collect and archive different types of data, generate metadata through a shared ontology, and connect data beyond language barriers. Most notably, our data description method links the data through multilayered and multilingual tags, as well as through comprehensive cross-references, thus constituting an innovative way of data handling that can benefit researchers in Islamic Studies as well as cultural and literary studies more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Roca: Revista Científico-Educacional de la Provincia de Granma is the property of Universidad de Granma, Departamento Editorial and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Airborne bacteria are an influential component of the Earth’s microbiomes, but their community structure and biogeographic distribution patterns have yet to be understood. We analyzed the bacterial communities of 370 air particulate samples collected from 63 sites around the world and constructed an airborne bacterial reference catalog with more than 27 million nonredundant 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences. We present their biogeographic pattern and decipher the interlacing of the microbiome co-occurrence network with surface environments of the Earth. While the total abundance of global airborne bacteria in the troposphere (1.72 × 1024 cells) is 1 to 3 orders of magnitude lower than that of other habitats, the number of bacterial taxa (i.e., richness) in the atmosphere (4.71 × 108 to 3.08 × 109) is comparable to that in the hydrosphere, and its maximum occurs in midlatitude regions, as is also observed in other ecosystems. The airborne bacterial community harbors a unique set of dominant taxa (24 species); however, its structure appears to be more easily perturbed, due to the more prominent role of stochastic processes in shaping community assembly. This is corroborated by the major contribution of surface microbiomes to airborne bacteria (averaging 46.3%), while atmospheric conditions such as meteorological factors and air quality also play a role. Particularly in urban areas, human impacts weaken the relative importance of plant sources of airborne bacteria and elevate the occurrence of potential pathogens from anthropogenic sources. These findings serve as a key reference for predicting planetary microbiome responses and the health impacts of inhalable microbiomes with future changes in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large earthquakes have repeatedly occurred from Hokkaido to the Kamchatka Peninsula along the Kuril Trench. First, we confirmed the successive occurrence of large earthquakes of similar magnitude in nearby regions and within a short time interval using earthquake catalogs issued by international organizations. The searching criteria was whether a succeeding earthquake (Mw ≥ 7.75) had occurred within 500 km and 3 years of a preceding earthquake (Mw ≥ 7.70) in the period between 1890 and 2014. The pairs of successively occurring earthquakes were the June 1893 and March 1894 earthquakes, the September and November 1918 earthquakes, the October 1963 earthquakes, the October 1994 and December 1995 earthquakes, and the November 2006 and January 2007 earthquakes. These 5 pairs among the 21 large earthquakes were identified the successively occurring large earthquakes. Next, we tried to relocate the epicenters of the 1918 earthquakes because their epicenters had been changed in the version of the earthquake catalog referenced. We re-read the arrival times of the P and S waves from the seismograms of Japan Meteorological Agency and estimated the epicenters for the 1918 earthquakes from S-P times. The epicenters were a relative offset of about 160 km and the September event was near the epicenter of the 2006 Kuril earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 20 species of bumblebees are reported in South America, nine of them in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes. They are known to be important pollinators, but their distribution has been decreasing due to increasing land use change; this has caused an impoverishment of Andean ecosystems. Identifying and protecting the floral resources used by wild bees is key in the management of wild areas to mitigate the impact of human activities in highly intervened areas such as cities or crops. Pollen analysis is an important tool to preserve floral resources used by bees, but it depends on having pollen catalogs that allow adequate taxonomic identifications. The objective of this study was to develop a pollen catalog of plants used by three of the most common Andean bumblebees, Bombus rubicundus, B. hortulanus and B. pauloensis. Sampling was conducted in six localities of the Bogotá savanna, covering an altitudinal gradient between 2600 and 3500 m a. s. l. Floral samples from all localities were prepared by acetolysis, and then analyzed. A reference catalog was digitized from the pollen extracted from the body of workers of each bumblebee species. Pollen grains were described according to their size and morphology. The similarity of the resources used by the different bumblebee species was compared using Jaccard's similarity and distance index. Pollen grains from 99 plants were isolated, identified and described, with Taraxacum officinale, Vallea stipularis, Senna multiglandulosa, Trifolium pratense and Trifolium repens being the pollen sources shared by all species. The most generalist species and the one that used the most exotic plants was B. pauloensis. An illustrated pollen catalog is provided with all the resources used by the bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Scarabaeidae insect Protaetia brevitarsis (PB) has recently gained increasing research interest as a resource insect because its larvae can effectively convert decaying organic matter to plant growth-promoting frass with a high humic acid content and produce healthy, nutritional insect protein sources. Lignocellulose is the main component of PB larvae (PBL) feed, but PB genome annotation shows that PBL carbohydrate-active enzymes are not able to complete the lignocellulose degradation process. Thus, the mechanism by which PBL efficiently degrade lignocellulose is worthy of further study. Results: Herein, we used combined host genomic and gut metagenomic datasets to investigate the lignocellulose degradation activity of PBL, and a comprehensive reference catalog of gut microbial genes and host gut transcriptomic genes was first established. We characterized a gene repertoire comprising highly abundant and diversified lignocellulose-degrading enzymes and demonstrated that there was unique teamwork between PBL and their gut bacterial microbiota for efficient lignocellulose degradation. PBL selectively enriched lignocellulose-degrading microbial species, mainly from Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, which are capable of producing a broad array of cellulases and hemicellulases, thus playing a major role in lignocellulosic biomass degradation. In addition, most of the lignocellulose degradation-related module sequences in the PBL microbiome were novel. PBL provide organic functional complementarity for lignocellulose degradation via their evolved strong mouthparts, alkaline midgut, and mild stable hindgut microenvironment to facilitate lignocellulosic biomass grinding, dissolving, and symbiotic microbial fermentation, respectively. Conclusions: This work shows that PBL are a promising model to study lignocellulose degradation, which can provide highly abundant novel enzymes and relevant lignocellulose-degrading bacterial strains for biotechnological biomass conversion industries. The unique teamwork between PBL and their gut symbiotic bacterial microbiota for efficient lignocellulose degradation will expand the knowledge of holobionts and open a new beginning in the theory of holobionts. BPGV8LV-Txp2PAmT3d1J6V Video Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broad-band tomography statistically extracts the redshift distribution of frequency dependent emission from the cross-correlation of intensity maps with a reference catalog of galaxy tracers. We make forecasts for the performance of future all-sky UV experiments doing broad-band tomography. We consider the Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical-UV Research (castor) and the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx). The dominant uncertainty is from variability in the photometric zero-point, which scales with limiting magnitude and mirror size. With this scaling and assuming a galaxy number density characteristic of future spectroscopic data sets, we find that castor measures the UV background SED 2–10 times better than existing data. The applicable redshift range will expand from the current z < 1 to z ≈ 0–3 with castor and z  = 5–9 with SPHEREx. We show that castor can provide competitive constraints on the EBL monopole to those available from galaxy number counts and direct measurement techniques. At high redshift especially, these results will help understand galaxy formation and reionization. Our modelling code and chains are publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I analyze the challenge that the Quinean referential indeterminacy thesis poses to a specific set of externalist theories of reference. First, a metasemantic distinction between productive and interpretivist theories is presented, indicating that indeterminacy permeates both. Subsequently, externalist attempts to refute this problem by stressing the substantive role of external objects in the fixation of reference are evaluated, pointing out that the problem persists. Finally, the "internalist" conception of Quinean reference is analyzed, which, in principle, undermines the externalist arguments about reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Documentación de las Ciencias de la Información is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Numismática Hécate is the property of Revista Numismatica Hecate and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The giant panda, a strict herbivore that feeds on bamboo, still retains a typical carnivorous digestive system. Reference catalogs of microbial genes and genomes are lacking, largely limiting the antibiotic resistome and functional exploration of the giant panda gut microbiome. Here, we integrated 177 fecal metagenomes of captive and wild giant pandas to construct a giant panda integrated gene catalog (GPIGC) comprised of approximately 4.5 million non-redundant genes and reconstruct 393 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Taxonomic and functional characterization of genes revealed that the captivity of the giant panda significantly changed the core microbial composition and the distribution of microbial genes. Higher abundance and prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were detected in the guts of captive giant pandas, and ARG distribution was influenced by geography, for both captive and wild individuals. Escherichia, as the prevalent genus in the guts of captive giant pandas, was the main carrier of ARGs, meaning there is a high risk of ARG transmission by Escherichia. We also found that multiple mcr gene variants, conferring plasmid-mediated mobile colistin resistance, were widespread in the guts of captive and wild giant pandas. There were low proportions of carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes in GPIGC and MAGs compared with several omnivorous and herbivorous mammals. Many members of Clostridium MAGs were significantly enriched in the guts of adult, old and wild giant pandas. The genomes of isolates and MAGs of Clostridiaceae harbored key genes or enzymes in complete pathways for degrading lignocellulose and producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), indicating the potential of these bacteria to utilize the low-nutrient bamboo diet. Overall, our data presented an exhaustive reference gene catalog and MAGs in giant panda gut and provided a comprehensive understanding of the antibiotic resistome and microbial adaptability for a high-lignocellulose diet. [Display omitted] • Captivity of giant panda changed the composition and diversity of gut microbiome. • Lifestyle and geography influenced on ARGs abundance and distribution, respectively. • Escherichia was the main carrier of ARGs in the guts of captive giant pandas. • Clostridium harbored key genes in metabolisms of lignocellulose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starphotometry, the nightime counterpart of sunphotometry, has not yet achieved the commonly sought observational error level of 1%: a spectral optical depth (OD) error level of 0.01. In order to address this issue, we investigate a large variety of systematic (absolute) uncertainty sources. The bright star catalog of extraterrestrial references is noted as a major source of errors with an attendant recommendation that its accuracy, as well as its spectral photometric variability, be significantly improved. The small Field of View (FOV) employed in starphotometry ensures that starphotometry, unlike sun- or moonphotometry, is only weakly dependent on the intrinsic and artificial OD reduction induced by scattering into the FOV by optically thin clouds. A FOV of 45 arc-seconds was found to be the best tradeoff for minimizing such forward scattering errors concurrently with flux loss through vignetting. The importance of monitoring the sky background and using interpolation techniques to avoid spikes and to compensate for measurement delay was underscored. A set of 20 channels was identified to mitigate contamination errors associated with stellar and terrestrial-atmospheric gas absorptions, as well as aurora and airglow emissions. We also note that observations for starsphotometers similar to our high-Arctic starphotometer should be made at high angular elevations, i.e. at airmasses lower than 5. We noted the significant effects of snow crystal deposition on the starphotometer optics, how pseudo OD increases associated with this type of contamination could be detected and how proactive techniques could be employed to avoid their occurrence in the first place. If all these recommendations are followed, one may aspire to achieve component errors that are well below 0.01: in the process one may attain a total 0.01 OD target error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We apply the spectroscopy-based stellar-color regression (SCR) method to perform an accurate photometric recalibration of the second data release from the SkyMapper Southern Survey (SMSS DR2). From comparison with a sample of over 200,000 dwarf stars with stellar atmospheric parameters taken from GALAH+ DR3 and with accurate, homogeneous photometry from Gaia DR2, zero-point offsets are detected in the original photometric catalog of SMSS DR2, in particular for the gravity- and metallicity-sensitive uv bands. For the uv bands, the zero-point offsets are close to zero at very low extinction, and then steadily increase with E(B − V), reaching as large as 0.174 and 0.134 mag respectively, at E(B − V) ∼ 0.5 mag. These offsets largely arise from the adopted dust term in the transformations used by SMSS DR2 to construct photometric calibrators from the ATLAS reference catalog. For the gr bands, the zero-point offsets exhibit negligible variations with the E(B − V) of Schlegel et al. due to their tiny coefficients on the dust term in the transformation. Our study also reveals small but significant spatial variations of the zero-point offsets in all uvgr bands. External checks using Strömgren photometry, WD loci, and the SDSS Stripe 82 standard-star catalog independently confirm the zero-points found by our revised SCR method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/Thesis: The paper aims to characterize references to different types of sources featuring in select Polish Wikipedia articles from the category of people related to the Austrian Partition and its subcategories. Approach/Methods: The data sample comprised references from 50 randomly selected articles from the Polish Wikipedia, including 1007 citations and 758 references. The references have been collected, processed, and analyzed with the use of R language. After they have been categorized, descriptive statistics were provided and analyzed. Results and conclusions: The study shows that the majority of sources used in the research sample were primary sources. Consequently, it demonstrates that the analyzed articles about historical persons can be considered to be a product of research rather than simple derivative work, if only to a certain extent. Polish Wikipedians relied mainly on government directories and newspaper or magazine articles, often available in digital libraries. Secondary sources, on the other hand, consisted mostly of books, webpages, and book sections. The references were variously structured, and bibliographic descriptions sometimes lacked important elements. The findings confirm previously observed difficulties of analyzing sources in Wikipedia. Moreover, they support the argument that it is necessary to research different editions and subject areas of the largest online encyclopedia. Research limitations: Due to the exploratory character of research, focusing on references from selected articles about historical persons from Poland, one cannot readily extrapolate its results to other parts of the Polish Wikipedia. Additionally, the research sample comprised only citations and references collected at one specific point of time. Originality/Value: Most of the studies on the sources used in Wikipedia articles have focused on its English edition. Moreover, articles about historical persons in this encyclopedia have not been analyzed from the perspective of sources used, their types, and reference patterns. The paper broadens the understanding of the way the sources are used in Wikipedia by focusing on the Polish edition of the encyclopedia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The rumen microbiota provides essential services to its host and, through its role in ruminant production, contributes to human nutrition and food security. A thorough knowledge of the genetic potential of rumen microbes will provide opportunities for improving the sustainability of ruminant production systems. The availability of gene reference catalogs from gut microbiomes has advanced the understanding of the role of the microbiota in health and disease in humans and other mammals. In this work, we established a catalog of reference prokaryote genes from the bovine rumen. Results Using deep metagenome sequencing we identified 13,825,880 non-redundant prokaryote genes from the bovine rumen. Compared to human, pig, and mouse gut metagenome catalogs, the rumen is larger and richer in functions and microbial species associated with the degradation of plant cell wall material and production of methane. Genes encoding enzymes catalyzing the breakdown of plant polysaccharides showed a particularly high richness that is otherwise impossible to infer from available genomes or shallow metagenomics sequencing. The catalog expands the dataset of carbohydrate-degrading enzymes described in the rumen. Using an independent dataset from a group of 77 cattle fed 4 common dietary regimes, we found that only <0.1% of genes were shared by all animals, which contrast with a large overlap for functions, i.e., 63% for KEGG functions. Different diets induced differences in the relative abundance rather than the presence or absence of genes, which explains the great adaptability of cattle to rapidly adjust to dietary changes. Conclusions These data bring new insights into functions, carbohydrate-degrading enzymes, and microbes of the rumen to complement the available information on microbial genomes. The catalog is a significant biological resource enabling deeper understanding of phenotypes and biological processes and will be expanded as new data are made available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The free-living flatworm Macrostoma lignano (M. lignano) is an emerging model organism for aging and regeneration research. Long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) have important roles in many biological processes such as aging, stem cell maintenance and differentiation. However, to date, there is no systematic identification of lincRNAs in M. lignano. By using public RNA-seq data, we identified a total of 2547 lincRNA transcripts in M. lignano genome. We discovered that M. lignano lincRNAs shared many characteristics with other species such as shorter in length, lower GC content, and lower in expression compared to protein-coding genes. Unlike protein-coding genes, M. lignano lincRNAs showed higher tendency to be expressed in temporal and region-specific fashion. Additionally, co-expression network analysis and functional enrichment suggest that M. lignano lincRNAs have potential roles in regeneration. This study will provide important resources and pave the way for investigations on non-coding genes involved in aging and regeneration. • A reference catalog of 2547 lincRNA transcripts in the regenerative flatworm Macrostomum lignano. • lincRNAs in Macrostomum lignano share many characteristics with other species. • lincRNAs possess temporal and region-specific expression. • Co-expression network analysis suggests potential roles of lincRNAs in aging and regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theme of this article is the relationship between the reference work and cataloging, regarding the importance of connecting the work of the cataloging librarian with the work of the reference librarian, for the efficient attendance of the user's needs. It aims to reveal the relationship between the reference work and the catalog, through Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) user tasks and the six phases of the reference process proposed by Nice Figueiredo. This is a bibliographical and documentary research paper. For the preparation of this work, a literature review was conducted regarding the subjects dealt with in it: the catalog, FRBR user tasks and reference work. It was also observed that this relationship is extremely important for the improvement of the cataloging and a larger attendance of the needs of its users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Babylon Center for Humanities Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Fusion is the linking of two survey datasets by pairing up similar respondents and joining their data records, in order to be able to cross-analyse outputs from one survey with those from the other. Invariably, the two surveys are pre-existing rather than being designed specifically for the fusion, and their samples of respondents differ both in design and size. Depending on the particular method of fusion used, the size of the fused dataset may be the same as one of the surveys or different to both. An unresolved issue is: what is the effective sample size of the fused dataset -- that is, the size of a hypothetical single-source sample that would deliver equal variances and standard errors to the fusion? This paper addresses this question and provides three main findings. First, it is shown that the assumption of conditional independence, crucial for good fusion, also facilitates analysis and comparison of effective sample sizes and variances. Second, across the range of fusion methods and outputs examined, the effective sample size is shown to be a weighted geometric mean of the two source sample sizes and therefore lies between them; and for designers of fusion the simple (unweighted) geometric mean may be taken as a representative figure. Third, while limited validation of the geometric mean result has been performed so far, the generality of the conditions under which it was derived implies that it should have wide validity across different fusion methodologies. Knowledge of the effective sample size in turn provides several benefits: it is a tool for designers of fusion to deliver outputs of required precision, and a tool for users to compute the standard error of outputs; this in turn permits calculation of confidence intervals and significance tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the characterization of the GALANTE photometric system, a seven intermediate- and narrow-band filter system with a wavelength coverage from 3000 Å to 9000 Å. We describe the photometric system presenting the full sensitivity curve as a product of the filter sensitivity, CCD, telescope mirror, and atmospheric transmission curves, as well as some first- and second-order moments of this sensitivity function. The GALANTE photometric system is composed of four filters from the J-PLUS photometric system, a twelve broad-to-narrow filter system, and three exclusive filters, specifically designed to measure the physical parameters of stars such as effective temperature T eff, log (g), metallicity, colour excess E (4405 − 5495), and extinction type R 5495. Two libraries, the Next Generation Spectral Library (NGSL) and the one presented in Maíz Apellániz & Weiler (2018), have been used to determine the transformation equations between the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) ugriz photometry and the GALANTE photometric system. We will use this transformation to calibrate the zero-points of GALANTE images. To this end, a preliminary photometric calibration of GALANTE has been made based on two different griz libraries (SDSS DR12 and ATLAS All-Sky Stellar Reference Catalog, hereinafter RefCat2). A comparison between both zero-points is performed leading us to the choice of RefCat2 as the base catalogue for this calibration, and applied to a field in the Cyg OB2 association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a high‐resolution Atlas of the linearly polarized spectrum of the post‐AGB binary 89 Herculis. Data were collected with the Echelle SpectroPolarimetric Device for the Observation of Stars and cover the spectral region from 4,000 to 9,042 Å. This result represents the first "Second Solar Spectrum"‐like behavior ever observed in a star different than the Sun. The present atlas wants to be a reference catalog for future observations and theoretical investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have used housing prices on the Internet real estate information platforms as data sources, but platforms differ in the nature and quality of the data they release. However, few studies have analysed these differences or their effect on research. In this study, second-hand neighbourhood housing prices and information on five online real estate information platforms in Guangzhou, China, were comparatively analysed and the performance of neighbourhoods' raw information from four for-profit online real estate information platforms was evaluated by applying the same housing price model. The comparison results show that the official second-hand residential housing prices at city and district level are generally lower than those issued on four for-profit real estate websites. The same second-hand neighbourhood housing prices are similar across each of the four for-profit real estate websites due to cross-referencing among real estate websites. The differences of housing prices in the central city area are significantly fewer than those in the periphery. The variation of each neighbourhood's housing prices on each website decreases gradually from the city centre to the periphery, but the relative variation stays stable. The results of the four hedonic models have some inconsistencies with other studies' findings, demonstrating that errors exist in raw information on neighbourhoods taken from Internet platforms. These results remind researchers to choose housing price data sources cautiously and that raw information on neighbourhoods from Internet platforms should be appropriately cleaned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One way to measure the contribution of a journal to a discipline is to compare the number of citations made to that journal in subsequent papers published in its own and related disciplines [6]. Similarly, the number of citations made to articles published in a marketing journal would provide an objective measurement of the journal's use by the scholarly community. This article, based on a general-purpose citation indexing system, illustrates the extent of cross-referencing to the AMA's two journals, the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Marketing Research. The most important application of the CASPER program is to assist marketing scholars and practitioners in coping with the information explosion. The marketing community, business firms, research organizations, and educational institutions need to review their journal subscription policies with regard to how well their collections are serving their needs [2]. If a marketing library cannot be complete, then it must be selective [8]. Therefore, it becomes essential to develop a means of identifying journals which are most useful to researchers and practitioners. Also, it would be helpful to journal editors and editorial boards to know how well their publication is serving the marketing community. The CASPER approach is not an alternative to readership surveys or other means of evaluating journals, but a method for examining one dimension of a professional journal's impact. It does not provide feedback on the acceptance rate or implementation experiences of marketing concepts by practitioners [8]. However, the results of this study suggest that AMA journals have become an important source of innovative ideas in the literature of marketing and business administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the notions of periodic point are compared, and the sensitivity of semigroup actions on Hausdorff uniform spaces is studied. We show that for an action of a semigroup on a compact uniform space, if it is syndetically transitive and not minimal, then it is syndetically sensitive. We point out that if an action of a semigroup on a uniform space (does not need to be compact) is topologically transitive, not minimal, and has a dense set of s-periodic points, then it is syndetically sensitive. Additionally, we prove that if an action of a monoid on a uniform space (does not need to be compact) is topologically transitive, not minimal, and has a dense set of FM-periodic points, then it is syndetically sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses 10 simple rules for responsible referencing. Topics discussed include citations for content of the publication and reading the publications of citations for quality and credibility of work; importance of self-citation in discussions of citations and evaluations of citation-based metrics; and evaluating citations in their rhetorical context and accepting differences in citation cultures across boundaries.

The study examines the reference accuracy of two prominent Indian library and information science journals, viz. Annals of Library and Information Studies and DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology. In all, one hundred and eighteen references were considered for verification. Only 39 (33%) references were correct. Among 79 incorrect references, there were total 151 errors of which 71 (47%) errors were major and 80 (53%) were minor errors. The average number of errors (ratio of number of errors) was 1.28. A proper mechanism is needed in both the journals to maintain the quality of references in terms of errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to identify the core references in introductory textbooks in two sub-disciplines of psychology: social psychology and developmental psychology. One research question was the extent to which the common references in these textbooks present the trends in contemporary research in each sub-discipline. An analysis of the reference sections of 10 introductory social psychology textbooks and 15 developmental psychology textbooks found a small set of common references for each subject area. The results yielded three additional effects. First, there were more common references across social psychology textbooks than across developmental psychology textbooks. Second, authors of social psychology textbooks used journal articles as common references more often than books, whereas authors of developmental psychology textbooks used books as common references more than journal articles. Third, the majority of the core references were published prior to 2000. Implications of these findings for teachers of psychology were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores on the defense of reference services for the information needed by the librarians in the U.S. It examines the implications of higher education for the delivery of reference services in the libraries. It also cites the value of information for the engagement of an interpersonal communication with the professional reference librarians.

The proliferation of online digital libraries offers users a great opportunity to search their desired literatures on Web. Cross-library search applications can help users search more literature information from multiple digital libraries. Duplicate literatures detection is always a necessary step when merging the search results from multiple digital libraries due to heterogeneity and autonomy of digital libraries. To this end, this paper proposes a holistic solution which includes achieving automatic training set, holistic attribute mapping, and weight of attribute training. The experiments on real digital libraries show that the proposed solution is highly effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study of undergraduate students in University of Nigeria, as they prefer in submitting reference inquiries. Topics discussed include the revolutionized functions and services of libraries in modern information and communication technologies (ICTs), the different channels such as traditional reference used by students nowadays and the use of social networks as references.

Big Data Era brings global digital infrastructure collaboration built on the emerging standards. Given the complexity and dynamics of each specification, corresponding implementations need to undergo sufficient verification and validation procedures. Significant efforts have been invested into conformance testing of individual requirements, for example, by using formal, semi-formal or informal approaches. Less works have been accomplished, however, on the overall orchestration assessment so as to ensure global validity of conformance statements. For example, cyclic dependencies among conformance statements of a service under test may lead to inappropriate conclusions on the assessment outcome. In this study, a dependency model based on three-valued logic and fixed point theory to address dependency issues among cross-referenced statements is presented, so as to provide effective support to global digital infrastructure collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino (UPDF) (2001 at 2010) which was edited by Virgilio S. Almario is one of the latest contributions towards developing a Filipino monolingual dictionary. This paper aims to give a critical perspective on the construction of the UPDF by means of a quantitative analysis of its definitions and the structure of cross-referencing (or lack thereof) of its entries. The analysis concludes with some general critical observations regarding problems of corpus development which should be the basis of the UPDF or any other dictionary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the scholarly communication system evolves to become natively web based, citations now commonly include hyperlinks to content that is issued on the web. The content at the end of those hyperlinks is subject to what has been termed 'reference rot': a link may break or the content at the end of the link may no longer represent what was first noted as significant. Reference rot threatens both the usability of what is published and the long-term integrity of the scholarly record. The aim of the Hiberlink project has been to focus on this problem and then to compile and analyse a large corpus of full-text publications in order to quantify the extent of reference rot. The results are now out, and the task has shifted to alerting publishers and libraries on what to do in order to ensure that published web-based references do not rot over time. This has implications for the integrity of the scholarly record and for authors of that record. Fortunately, the Hiberlink project has progressed further than originally envisaged and has recommended remedies aimed at alleviating reference rot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights several coverage-based approaches to addressing the search result diversification problem. Topics discussed include the online learning approach proposed by Radlinski and colleagues to maximise coverage of clicked documents, the probabilistic approach for maximising coverage of multiple facets from Carterette and Chandar and the approach leveraging the relevance scores assigned to documents introduced by Kharazmi and colleagues.

Background: Curation of gene-disease associations published in literature should be based on careful and frequent survey of the references that are highly related to specific gene-disease associations. Retrieval of the references is thus essential for timely and complete curation. Results: We present a technique CRFref (Conclusive, Rich, and Focused References) that, given a gene-disease pair < g, d>, ranks high those biomedical references that are likely to provide conclusive, rich, and focused results about g and d. Such references are expected to be highly related to the association between g and d. CRFref ranks candidate references based on their scores. To estimate the score of a reference r, CRFref estimates and integrates three measures: degree of conclusiveness, degree of richness, and degree of focus of r with respect to < g, d>. To evaluate CRFref, experiments are conducted on over one hundred thousand references for over one thousand gene-disease pairs. Experimental results show that CRFref performs significantly better than several typical types of baselines in ranking high those references that expert curators select to develop the summaries for specific gene-disease associations. Conclusion: CRFref is a good technique to rank high those references that are highly related to specific gene-disease associations. It can be incorporated into existing search engines to prioritize biomedical references for curators and researchers, as well as those text mining systems that aim at the study of gene-disease associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the significance of archives in preserving reference material for the public. It states that archives signify the cultural and social context with reference to geography. Topics include the her experiences of aftermath of hurricane Hugo in the Caribbean, the conference "Shaping Canberra: the lived experience of place, home and capital" held at the Humanities Research Centre, Canberra in September 2013, and the stability or familiarity of physical surroundings.