Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inferring the ancestral sexuality and reproductive condition in sponges (Porifera)

Considerable diversity abounds among sponges with respect to reproductive and developmental biology. Their ancestral sexual mode (gonochorism vs. hermaphroditism) and reproductive condition (oviparity vs. viviparity) however remain unclear, and these traits appear to have undergone correlated evolution in the phylum. To infer ancestral traits and investigate this putative correlation, we used DNA sequence data from two loci (18S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) to explore the phylogenetic relationships of 62 sponges whose reproductive traits have been previously documented. Although the inferred tree topologies, using the limited data available, favoured paraphyly of sponges, we also investigated ancestral character‐state reconstruction on a phylogeny with constrained sponge monophyly. Both parsimony‐ and likelihood‐based ancestral state reconstructions indicate that viviparity (brooding) was the likely reproductive mode of the ancestral sponge. Hermaphroditism is favoured over gonochorism as the sexual condition of the sponge ancestor under parsimony, but the reconstruction is ambiguous under likelihood, rendering the ancestry of sexuality unresolved in our study. These results are insensitive to the constraint of sponge monophyly when tracing the reproductive characters using parsimony methods. However, the maximum likelihood analysis of the monophyletic hypothetical tree rendered gonochorism as ancestral for the phylum. A test of trait correlation unambiguously favours the concerted evolution of sexuality and reproductive mode in sponges (hermaphroditism/viviparity, gonochorism/oviparity). Although testing ecological hypotheses for the pattern of sponge reproduction is beyond the scope of our analyses, we postulate that certain physiological constrains might be key causes for the correlation of reproductive characters.
Antibacterial constituents from the octocoral associated bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp

Bioassay guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract obtained from the bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. isolated from the octocoral Leptogorgia alba led to the isolation of two known diketopiperazines identified as cyclo–(L-Ph-L-Pro) (1), and cyclo–(L-Leu-L-Pro) (2). Structures of 1-2 were defined based on their spectroscopic data, including NMR, HRESITOF-MS and optical rotations, and their comparison with the spectroscopic data reported in the literature. Both, compounds 1 and 2 showed strong inhibition on the growth of Bacillus subtillis and Vibrio sp. Analysis of the crude extract using APCI-MS revealed the presence of other compounds of the diketopiperazine family. www.relaquim. com
A new present-day temperature parameterization for Greenland

Abstract Near-surface air temperature (2 m) over the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) is parameterized using data from automatic weather stations located on land and on the ice sheet. The parameterization is expressed in terms of mean annual temperatures and mean July temperatures, both depending linearly on altitude, latitude and longitude. The temperature parameterization is compared to a previous study and is shown to be in better agreement with observations. The temperature parameterization is tested in a positive degree-day model to simulate the present (1996–2006) mean melt area extent of the GrIS. The model accounts for firn warming, rainfall and refreezing of meltwater, with different degree-day factors for ice and snow under warm and cold climate conditions. The simulated melt area extent is found to have reasonable agreement with satellite-derived observations.
Analysis of Distributed Adaptive Filters Based on Diffusion Strategies Over Sensor Networks

In this paper, we will analyze a basic class of diffusion adaptive filters based on least mean squares algorithms. Both stability and performance analyses will be carried out under a general cooperative information condition, without such stringent conditions as statistical independence and stationarity that have been used in almost all the existing literature and, thus, makes our theory applicable to stochastic systems with feedback. In comparison with the existing work, a key theoretical difficulty that needs to be overcome in this paper is to analyze the product of asymmetric correlated nonstationary random matrices, which is inherent in the structure of the diffusion-type filtering algorithms. We will further demonstrate that the distributed adaptive filters can estimate a dynamic process of interest from noisy measurements by a set of sensors working in a cooperative way, in the natural scenario where none of the sensors can fulfill the estimation task individually due to insufficient information. Finally, the necessity of our cooperative information condition will also be discussed in this paper.
Hadamard Response: Estimating Distributions Privately, Efficiently, and with Little Communication

We study the problem of estimating $k$-ary distributions under $\varepsilon$-local differential privacy. $n$ samples are distributed across users who send privatized versions of their sample to a central server. All previously known sample optimal algorithms require linear (in $k$) communication from each user in the high privacy regime $(\varepsilon=O(1))$, and run in time that grows as $n\cdot k$, which can be prohibitive for large domain size $k$. We propose Hadamard Response (HR}, a local privatization scheme that requires no shared randomness and is symmetric with respect to the users. Our scheme has order optimal sample complexity for all $\varepsilon$, a communication of at most $\log k+2$ bits per user, and nearly linear running time of $\tilde{O}(n + k)$. Our encoding and decoding are based on Hadamard matrices, and are simple to implement. The statistical performance relies on the coding theoretic aspects of Hadamard matrices, ie, the large Hamming distance between the rows. An efficient implementation of the algorithm using the Fast Walsh-Hadamard transform gives the computational gains. We compare our approach with Randomized Response (RR), RAPPOR, and subset-selection mechanisms (SS), both theoretically, and experimentally. For $k=10000$, our algorithm runs about 100x faster than SS, and RAPPOR.
Shell morphological versus genetic identification of quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) and zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha).

Herein we provide first genetic evidence that Dreissena bugensis Andrusov, 1897 has reached the German Danube system. The occurrence of this species at several sampling sites along a 152 km river stretch of the upper Danube River thereby proved to be wrongly estimated by using solely shell morphology features for species identification. 17.5% of the dreissenid specimens (Dreissena bugensis, N=26, Dreissena polymorpha, N=34), identified according to exterior shell characteristics, were assigned to the wrong species. In contrast to RFLP identification, comparisons of shell dimension measurements by discriminant function analysis were not able to fully identify the two species, with correct classification rates between 61.1% and 94.4%, confirming their high morphological plasticity. The results of this study suggest that species records of dreissenid mussels should generally be genetically verified.
Daily consequences of work interference with family and family interference with work

Abstract This study proposes that inter-role conflict and its consequences fluctuate on a daily basis, and that both family interference with work and work interference with family should be investigated. The authors propose a model in which the two types of inter-role conflict predict strain (cognitive difficulties, anxiety and depression), which in turn predicts marital behaviour (withdrawal and anger), Specifically, cognitive difficulties and anxiety are proposed to predict withdrawal from marital interactions, and depression to predict angry marital interactions. Also, the authors predict that interference of work with the family will be related to withdrawal from the family, and interference of the family with work to withdrawal from work. Using data collected from 19 men and 21 women over an average of 18 work days, overall support was found for the authors' model, which was tested using path analysis. There were some notable differences between the men and women in the pattern of the relationships .
Prevalence of Clinical Depression among Medical Students and Medical Professionals: A Systematic Review Study

Objectives: To examine relevant data on clinical depression among medical students and professionals and thus improve practices in the field. Methods: Detailed analysis of 15 peer reviewed articles published between 1980-2016, the following electronic databases such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC and PubMed. Important articles were included after reviewing retrieved articles from various reference lists. Results: The studies review therefore shows a higher trend of prevalence of depression. It is observed that it’s quite common among most of the medical students. It involves increased levels of burnout and suicidal ideation which is not inevitable among resident and consultants. Level of psychological distress it quite common among medical students and professionals. It has consistently increased higher as compared to the regional general population. In general, the studies show that the psychological suffering is higher for female physicians and medical students as compared to males. Conclusion: Prevalence due to psychological distress among medical student and resident professionals around parts of the world is substantial. Future research should seek to identify and possibly eradicate unnecessary stressors.
THE INFLUENCE OF CADMIUM ON SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLINGS GROWTH OF DIANTHUS BARBATUS L . AND D . CHINENSIS L . SPECIES

The paper presents the results of a study regarding the influence of treatment with cadmium in different concentrations (2 mg∕l, 6 mg ∕l, 10mg/l) on seed germination and growth in early ontogenetic stages of Dianthus barbatus L. and D. chinensis L. The following indicators were analyzed: the percentage of germinated seeds, the length of the root, the length of the hypocotyl, the length of the seedling, the tolerance index. The results underline the specific variations of analysed indicators, depending on the concentrations used for the treatments of seeds and the test species. The concentrations used for treatment did not change significantly the seed germination, but they influenced negatively the seedling growth (especially the root elongation). The length of the root was reduced comparing with the control by 25.22% to 35.31% in the case of the species D. barbatus and respectively by 9.04% to 21.94% in the case of the species D. chinensis.The delay effect on the growth process was pronounced at higher concentrations. D. barbatus compared to D. chinensis presented a higher sensitivity to the cadmium treatment.
Temporal and spatial variability of surface mass balance at Dome Fuji, East Antarctica, by the stake method from 1995 to 2006

Abstract The surface mass balance (SMB) at Dome Fuji, East Antarctica, was estimated using 36 bamboo stakes (grid of 6 × 6, placed at 20 m intervals) from 1995 to 2006. The heights of the stake tops from the snow surface were measured at 0.5 cm resolution twice monthly in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2003, and once a year for the rest of the study period. To account for snow settling, the average snow density at the stake base during the measurements was used for converting the stake-height data to SMB. The annual SMB from 1995 to 2006 at Dome Fuji was 27.3 ± 1.5 kg m−2 a−1. This result agrees well with the annual SMB from AD 1260 to 1993 (26.4 kg m−2 a−1) estimated from volcanic signals in the Dome Fuji ice core. Over the period 1995–2006, there were 37 (8.6% of the measurements) negative or zero annual SMB results. Variation in the multi-year averages of annual SMB decreased with the square root of the number of observation years, and 10 years of observations of a single stake allowed the estimation of annual SMB at ±10% accuracy. The frequency distributions of annual and monthly SMB were examined. The findings clarify the complex behavior of the annual and monthly SMB at Dome Fuji, which will be common phenomena in areas of low snow accumulation of the interior of the Antarctic ice sheet.
Anti-tumor, antioxidant and antimicrobial and the phenolic constituents of Glycyrrhizaglabra

Seventeen phenolic compounds were defined from the methanol extract of licorice roots (Glycyrrhizia glabra L.) by chromatographic methods. Efficiency of the methanol extract of licorice roots as anticancer agent for breast, colon and liver was tested. The results showed that the IC50 of the extract was 28. 1µg / ml for anti-colon cancer and 31. 3µg/ml for anti-breast cancer,while itwas 3. 42µg/ml for anti-hepatic cancer. The antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH radical scavenging method. This extract showed strong antioxidant activity against DPPH as compared with vitamin C. Antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract of licorice roots was studied against three bacterial and four fungal strains at concentration 0.1ml and 0.3ml (10mg/1ml)). The extract showed strong inhibitory effect for most species at concentration 0.3ml.
Biological Tissue-Equivalent Phantoms Usable in Broadband Frequency Range Phantoms

Since mobile terminals are normally used in the vicinity of human bodies, the electromagnetic waves radiated from the mobile terminals interact with the human body. The electromagnetic energy of electromagnetic waves radiated from a mobile terminal absorbed by a given volume of the human body is expressed as the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). The influences of a human body on antenna characteristics include changes in the input impedance, the radiation directivity and the radiation efficiency, and low deterioration of antenna characteristics is desired when using the mobile terminal near a human body compared to in free space. However, it is nearly impossible to measure the energy absorbed in an actual human body; the measurements fluctuate due to individual differences such as body types, and there are several problems in reproducibility. In order to eliminate such problems, simulated human bodies, called biological tissue-equivalent phantoms, are used [1]. They simulate various electrical constants of biological tissues (e.g., the relative permittivity and the conductivity) and come in various shapes, from simple ones such as spheres and cubes to shapes closely resembling human bodies; different shapes are used according to the purpose. Phantoms can be classified into numerical phantoms, which are used for computer simulation, and experimental phantoms, which are used for experiments. This article discusses experimental phantoms. There are two types of biological-tissue equivalent phantoms: liquid and solid phantoms. A liquid phantom requires a container to hold the fluid, but since the E-field probe scan can be easily carried out in liquid, the liquid phantom has been adopted in the SAR measurement method of mobile terminals [2]. A solid phantom does not allow scanning with a probe inside the phantom, but can be manufactured in arbitrary shapes that do not require containers once the molds are created. Such phantoms have been developed for each of the frequency bands below 3 GHz (e.g., 1950 MHz), which are mostly used in mobile terminals [3] [4]. On the other hand, wireless LAN systems operated at 5.2 GHz band have been used, and 5 to 6 GHz band and below have been investigated for the fourth generation mobile communication. Moreover, Ultra WideBand (UWB) communication technologies using the 3.1 to 10.6 GHz band have been developed. Observing this trend, it is highly likely that wireless communication using frequencies of 3 GHz or above, as well as broadband will be put to practical use, and that such mobile terminals will be used in the vicinity of human bodies in the future. For this reason, phantoms with higher frequency or broadband frequency characteristics are required in order to evaluate the amount of absorbed electromagnetic energy and antenna characteristics. This article describes the composition and electric constants of the developed broadband biological tissue-equivalent solid phantoms as well as the effects of deviations between the electrical constants of the phantoms and biological tissues on the antenna characteristics.
Predicting Sales Performance, Job Satisfaction, and Depression by Using the Achievement Strivings and Impatience-Irritability Dimensions of Type A Behavior

Recent research suggested that two dimensions of Type A behavior, namely, Achievement Strivings (AS) and Impatience-Irritability (11), differentially predict physical health and performance outcomes. The present study extends this research and examines whether AS and II differentially predict work performance (number of insurance policies sold), work attitudes (job satisfaction), and depression in a sample of 117 life insurance salespersons. As hypothesized, after statistically controlling for relevant biographical variables and II, AS predicted the number of policies sold and job satisfaction but was not related to depression. After partialing out the effect of relevant biographical variables and AS, II was associated with depression but not with the number of policies sold. In addition, controlling for the same variables, 11 was negatively associated with job satisfaction. Implications for the prediction of sales performance, job satisfaction, and depression, and interventions designed to decrease the negative consequences of Type A by reducing II but not AS, are discussed.
High Diversity Attribute Guided Face Generation with GANs

In this work we focused on GAN-based solution for the attribute guided face synthesis. Previous works exploited GANs for generation of photo-realistic face images and did not pay attention to the question of diversity of the resulting images. The proposed solution in its turn introducing novel latent space of unit complex numbers is able to provide the diversity on the "birthday paradox" score 3 times higher than the size of the training dataset. It is important to emphasize that our result is shown on relatively small dataset (20k samples vs 200k) while preserving photo-realistic properties of generated faces on significantly higher resolution (128x128 in comparison to 32x32 of previous works).
Unique Raman Spectroscopic Fingerprints of B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Implications for Diagnosis, Prognosis and New Therapies

Objective Raman spectroscopy is a non-invasive laser-based technique that identifies molecular chemical composition of tissues and cells. The objective of the work was to demonstrate that unique Raman spectroscopic fingerprints of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells could be distinguished from normal B-cells. Methods Normal B-cells and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells were mounted on aluminum slides and analyzed by Raman spectroscopy using Asymmetric Least Squares and Principal Component Analysis. Results Clustering by Principal Component Analysis differentiated normal B-cells from B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells as well as between the different B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma cell types. Conclusions Raman spectroscopy technology provided a different paradigm in analyzing tumor cells which could be used for diagnosis as well as contribute new information on unique characteristics of cancer cells to understand pathogenesis and potential novel treatments.
Adapting petri nets to DES: stochastic modelling of manufacturing systems

Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) is commonly used for the simulation of manufacturing systems. In many practical cases, DES practitioners have to make simplifications or to use the software in an unconventional or convoluted fashion to meet their needs. Petri nets enable the development of transparent models which allow increased flexibility and control for designers. Furthermore, Petri nets take advantage of a solid mathematical ground and constitute a simple language. However, Petri nets lack the software capabilities to realise their full potential. This study investigates the suitability and relevance of Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) software for Petri net modelling in the context of manufacturing systems. A framework is developed for the modelling of different classes of Petri nets on DES. Analytical models of asynchronous flow lines are developed. Initial results show that the analytical models are without closed-form so lution and the explosion of the state space is observed, justifying the use of computational methods and simulation for the analysis of manufacturing systems. This study shows that the gain in flexibility provided by Petri nets provides a new insight into the effects of stochasticity on setup and failure times in manufacturing systems.
VEGF and MMP-9 Gene Expression Caused by Treatment with Helicobacter Pylori Neutrophil-activating Recombinant Protein in a Breast Cancer Model

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is a major cause of death in women, worldwide. Cytotoxic drugs may lead to various adverse side-effects in patients. Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (HPNAP) is one of the most important proteins, produced by helicobacter pylori. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of VEGF and MMP-9 genes, caused by HP-NAP treatment in a breast cancer model. METHODS: In this experimental study, 18 female BALB/c mice, aged 6-8 weeks (19-23 g), were used. The mice were allocated to three groups: test group (treated with recombinant HP-NAP), positive control group (treated with an anti-cancer drug called trastuzumab), and negative control group (receiving phosphate-buffered saline). Expression and purification of HP-NAP were performed using nickel-resin affinity chromatography (Qiagen). The mice with breast tumors were treated with HP-NAP. MMP-9 and VEGF gene expression was measured using realtime polymerase chain reaction (PCR). FINDINGS: Protein expression was confirmed, using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The analysis showed the expression of a 20,000 dalton protein. Moreover, MMP-9 and VEGF gene expression decreased more significantly in the test group (due to treatment with HP-NAP), compared to the negative control group. The reduced expression in the test group was almost a quarter of the expression in the control group
Modeling and Analysis of Engine Control Tasks Under Dynamic Priority Scheduling

In automotive systems, engine control applications include computational activities that are triggered by specific rotation angles of the crankshaft, causing their activation rate to be proportional to the engine speed. In order to avoid overloads at high engine speeds, these tasks are implemented to adapt their functionality based on the angular velocity of the engine. This paper proposes a task model for expressing a number of realistic features of such engine control tasks and presents a real-time schedulability analysis for applications consisting of multiple engine control tasks and classical periodic/sporadic tasks scheduled by the earliest deadline first algorithm. Differently from other efforts spent in analyzing engine-control applications, the presented approach is focused on simplicity, providing linear-time and quadratic-time schedulability tests based on utilization bounds. Experimental results are finally presented to assess the performance of the presented analysis techniques.