Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Triad entanglement of estrogen-sulfotransferase (SULT1E1), NFÎºÎ² and Nrf-2 confers matrix-metalloprotease (MMP 2/9) action in breast carcinogenesis.

Estrogen (E2) is one of the most important signaling molecules that control cell-differentiation/early-embryogenesis/organogenesis in gender-independent manner. Nevertheless, during adolescence/adulthood it influences female reproductive-functions by delicate cellular proliferative-events via nongenomic (cellular-signaling)/genomic (transcriptional-signaling) pathways to recruit a number of genes/proteins. In case of post-menopausal-women high E2 may initiates tumors in breast/gynaecological-tissues. Impired estrogenic signaling may be the results from abnormal redox-regulations of estrogen-metabolizing-enzyme estrogen-sulfotransferase(SULT1E1), transcriptional-factors NF{kappa}{beta}, Nrf-2 and Matrixmetalloproteases (specially MMP 2/9) in the breast-tumor. Here, tumor and its surrounding tissues were obtained from the district-hospital. Intracellular redox-environment of tumors was screened with some in vitro-studies. RT-PCR for SULT1E1 expression and MMP 2/9-zymogram were conducted in lasoprazole (Nrf-2 inducer) or dexamethasone (SULT1E1 inducer) treted rat liver tissues. Immunohistochemistry was performed to analyze SULT1E1/NF{kappa}{beta} localization and MMP 2/9-zymogram in human breast-cancer versus its surrounding tissues. It can be hypothesized that transcription-factors (NF{kappa}{beta}/Nrf-2) imposes effect on MMPs expressions resulting in significant impacts on metastatic transition of breast-cancer. Breast tumor reveals higher (vs surrounding-tissue) expression/immunolocalization of NF{kappa}B/SULT1E1 paralleling to our previous finding of Nrf-2 induction. The relation between Nrf2/NF{kappa}B is determined by oxidative-stress and by CBP recruitment of HDAC3. Further, this relation is a determinant of MMP-regulations and SULT1E1-mediated E2 levels. Adaptively, augmented Nrf-2 may induce SULT1E1 resulting in lower active-estrogen. The triad regulations of NF{kappa}{beta}, SULT1E1 and Nrf2 are proposed here to execute MMPs function in the severity of human breast-carcinogenesis. Therapeutically this triad system may be effectively targeted for breast cancer treatment. Further studies are necessary in this regard.
Statistical and Network-Based Analysis of Italian COVID-19 Data: Communities Detection and Temporal Evolution

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak started at Wuhan, China, and it has rapidly spread across China and many other countries. Italy is one of the European countries most affected by the COVID-19 disease, and it has registered high COVID-19 death rates and the death toll. In this article, we analyzed different Italian COVID-19 data at the regional level for the period February 24 to March 29, 2020. The analysis pipeline includes the following steps. After individuating groups of similar or dissimilar regions with respect to the ten types of available COVID-19 data using statistical test, we built several similarity matrices (reported in Supplementary file). Then, we mapped those similarity matrices into networks where nodes represent Italian regions and edges represent similarity relationships (edge length is inversely proportional to similarity). Then, network-based analysis was performed mainly discovering communities of regions that show similar behaviour. Then, network-based analysis was performed by running several community detection algorithms on those networks and by underlying communities of regions that show similar behaviour. The network-based analysis of Italian COVID-19 data is able to elegantly show how regions form communities, i.e. how they join and leave them, along time and how community consistency changes along time and with respect to the different available data.
End-to-End Neural Segmental Models for Speech Recognition

Segmental models are an alternative to frame-based models for sequence prediction, where hypothesized path weights are based on entire segment scores rather than a single frame at a time. Neural segmental models are segmental models that use neural network-based weight functions. Neural segmental models have achieved competitive results for speech recognition, and their end-to-end training has been explored in several studies. In this work, we review neural segmental models, which can be viewed as consisting of a neural network-based acoustic encoder and a finite-state transducer decoder. We study end-to-end segmental models with different weight functions, including ones based on frame-level neural classifiers and on segmental recurrent neural networks. We study how reducing the search space size impacts performance under different weight functions. We also compare several loss functions for end-to-end training. Finally, we explore training approaches, including multistage versus end-to-end training and multitask training that combines segmental and frame-level losses.
Estimation of salt intake, potassium intake and sodium-to-potassium ratio by 24-hour urinary excretion: an urban rural study in Sri Lanka

Background: Sodium intakes of different populations around the world became of interest after a positive correlation was drawn between dietary sodium intake and prevalence of hypertension. Sri Lanka has adopted a salt reduction strategy to combat high blood pressure in the population with escalation of non-communicable diseases. Objective: To measure intake of salt, potassium and sodium/potassium ratio of adults in urban and rural settings. Design: A community based study of 328 adults between 30-59 years, including equal numbers from urban and rural sectors. Weight, height and waist circumference were measured. Blood pressure was measured by a standardized automated measurement system and the mean of two readings was used for analysis. 24-hour urine was collected and measured for creatinine, sodium, potassium levels. Results: Mean daily salt consumption was 8.3g (95%CI:7.9,8.8), which is 1.6 times higher than WHO recommendation. Mean daily potassium intake was 1,265g (95%CI:1191.0,1339.3), which is 2.8 times lower and sodium/potassium ratio was 4.3 (95%CI:4.2,4.5), which is 7 times higher than WHO recommendation. Daily salt consumption was significantly higher in males (9.0g;95%CI:8.3,9.8) than females (7.7g;95%CI:7.2,8.2); rural (8.9g;95%CI:8.2-9.6,) than urban (7.7g;95%CI:7.2,8.3) with increasing body mass index (8.2g;95%CI:6.1,10.2 to 10.0g;95%CI:8.5,11.6). Systolic blood pressure was significantly positively correlated with high BMI and waist circumference. Conclusions: High salt consumption, low potassium intake and high sodium/potassium ratio was found in this population. This information can be used to set targets to reduce salt intake in the population. Need to create awareness to enhance the consumption of potassium rich food while reducing salt intake to minimize future NCD burden.
STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING WRITING SKILLS IN SECOND LANGUAGE

The writing skills are very important for the students with regard to assessment and evaluation of the students’ level of understanding in different subjects. These skills are also significant in case of awarding grades. The grades are critically important for admissions to different degree program and for getting an employment. This study is based on the review of literature to explore difficulties faced by students in writing, especially in the second language. According to the researchers, writing is a reflective activity and requires thinking, ideas, relevant knowledge and vocabulary. The writing in second language becomes even more difficult task for the students. Writing is more difficult than speaking because the former is more formal than the latter, and also due to the fact that people speak more than writing in their routine life. Moreover, spoken language occurs in natural environment; whereas, writing takes place in artificial environment. Writing requires learning vocabulary and grammar. It has also been found that good writers are also the good readers. The literature shows that teachers use different approaches to teach writing skills to their students. Students’ learning of the writing skills also depends on the teachers’ approaches to teach the writing skills. The approaches to teach the writing skills involve a product approach, a process approach, an eclectic approach and a genre approach.
The effect of BCG vaccination on COVID-19 examined by a statistical approach: no positive results from the Diamond Princess and cross-national differences previously reported by world-wide comparisons are flawed in several ways

Recently, the controversial hypothesis that BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccination reduces infection or severity of COVID-19 has been proposed. The present study examined this hypothesis using statistical approaches based on the public data. Three approaches were utilized: 1) comparing the infection and mortality ratio of people on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, 2) comparing the number of mortalities among nations, and 3) comparing the maximum daily increase rate of total mortalities among nations. The result of 1) showed that there is no significant difference in infection per person onboard and mortality-infection between Japanese citizens vs. other nationalities and BCG obligatory nations vs. non-BCG obligatory nations on the Diamond Princess. The result of 2) showed that the number of mortalities among nations is similar to the previous studies, but this analysis also considered the timing of COVID-19 arrival in each nation. After correcting for arrival time, previously reported effect of BCG vaccination on decreasing total mortality disappeared. This is because nations that lack BCG vaccination are concentrated in Western Europe, which is near an epicenter of COVID-19. Therefore some previous reports are now considered to be affected by this artifact; the result may have been flawed by on-land dispersal from an epicenter. However, some results showed weakly significant differences in the number of deaths at a particular time among BCG obligatory and non-BCG nations (especially the use of Japanese BCG strain Tokyo 172). However, these results are affected by the results of three countries and the effect of BCG vaccination remains inconclusive. The result of 3) showed that the maximum daily increasing rate in death among nations showed no significant difference among BCG vaccination policies. In the present study, although some results showed statistically significant differences among BCG vaccination policies, they may be affected by the impact of various other factors, such as national infection-control policies, social distancing, behavioral changes of people, possible previous local epidemics of closely related viruses, or inter-population differences in ACE2 or other genetic polymorphism. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying cause of the observed differences in infection and mortality of the disease among nations. Nevertheless, our results show that the effect of BCG vaccination, if any, can be masked by many other factors. Therefore, the possible effect might be relatively small. In fact, in Japan, where almost all citizens have been vaccinated, COVID-19 cases are constantly increasing. Given the importance of peoples behavior in preventing viral propagation, the spread of optimism triggered by this hypothesis would be harmful to BCG vaccination nations.
Scaling description of the yielding transition in soft amorphous solids at zero temperature

Significance Yield stress solids flow if a sufficiently large shear stress is applied. Although such materials are ubiquitous and relevant for industry, there is no accepted microscopic description of how they yield. Here we propose a scaling description of the yielding transition that relates the flow curve, the statistics of the avalanches of plasticity observed at threshold, and the density of local zones that are about to yield. Our description shares some similarity with the depinning transition that occurs when an elastic manifold is driven through a random potential, but also presents some striking differences. Numerical simulations on a simple elasto-plastic model find good agreement with our predictions. Yield stress materials flow if a sufficiently large shear stress is applied. Although such materials are ubiquitous and relevant for industry, there is no accepted microscopic description of how they yield, even in the simplest situations in which temperature is negligible and in which flow inhomogeneities such as shear bands or fractures are absent. Here we propose a scaling description of the yielding transition in amorphous solids made of soft particles at zero temperature. Our description makes a connection between the Herschel–Bulkley exponent characterizing the singularity of the flow curve near the yield stress Σc, the extension and duration of the avalanches of plasticity observed at threshold, and the density P(x) of soft spots, or shear transformation zones, as a function of the stress increment x beyond which they yield. We argue that the critical exponents of the yielding transition may be expressed in terms of three independent exponents, θ, df, and z, characterizing, respectively, the density of soft spots, the fractal dimension of the avalanches, and their duration. Our description shares some similarity with the depinning transition that occurs when an elastic manifold is driven through a random potential, but also presents some striking differences. We test our arguments in an elasto-plastic model, an automaton model similar to those used in depinning, but with a different interaction kernel, and find satisfying agreement with our predictions in both two and three dimensions.
New information from fish diets on the importance of glassy flying squid (Hyaloteuthis pelagica) (Teuthoidea: Ommastrephidae) in the epipelagic cephalopod community of the tropical Atlantic Ocean

Squids of the family Ommastrephidae are a vital part of marine food webs and support major f isheries around the world. They are widely distributed in the open ocean, where they are among the most abundant in number and biomass of nektonic epipelagic organisms. In turn, seven of the 11 genera of this family (Dosidicus, Illex, Martialia, Nototodarus, Ommastrephes, Sthenoteuthis, and Todarodes) are heavily preyed upon by top marine predators, i.e., birds, mammals, and fish, and currently support fisheries in both neritic and oceanic waters (Roper and Sweeney, 1984; Rodhouse, 1997). Their commercial importance has made the large ommastrephids the target of many scientific investigations and their biology is consequently reasonably well-known (Nigmatullin et al., 2001; Zuyev et al., 2002; Bower and Ichii, 2005). In contrast, much less information is available on the biology and ecological role of the smaller, unexploited species of ommastrephids (e.g., Eucleoteuthis, Hyaloteuthis, Ornithoteuthis, and Todaropsis).
Scratching the surface Surface scatters, armatures and forager-farmer contact in a ‘frontier zone’

While small and seemingly unimpressive compared to other artefact classes, armatures have been cited widely over the past four decades as noteworthy evidence for contact between Late Mesolithic hunterfisher-gatherer and Linearbandkeramik (LBK) populations during the ‘neolithisation’ (or, the incorporation of domestic agriculture into society) of Northwest Europe (Allard, 2007; Amkreutz et al., in press; Belland et al., 1985; Crombé, in press; Ducrocq, 1991; Gronenborn, 1990; de Grooth & van de Velde, 2005; Hauzeur, 2006; Huyge & Vermeersch, 1982; Jeunesse, 2002; Löhr, 1994; Newell, 1970; Rozoy, 1991; Thévenin, 1996). This interest has developed for two reasons: taphonomy and ethnography. Taphonomy has caused armatures to be one of the most prevalent artefact classes from which we are able to infer possible forager-LBK contact (Robinson, in press). Ethnographic studies (e.g. Wiessner, 1983) have emphasized the significance of armatures for communicating social and cultural identities. The central problem for contemporary research on the role of armatures in forager-LBK contact is the reconciliation of our archaeological reality with ethnographic data for their significance as cultural signifiers. Amkreutz et al. (in press) rightly note the prevalence of top-down approaches to forager-LBK contact, where ethnographic data has determined the ways in which the archaeological record is interpreted. They argue for a bottom-up approach in which the archaeological record determines the analytical boundaries for the incorporation of ethnographic data into forager-LBK contact models. Despite their apt criticism and call for a new approach to model building, their interpretation of the role of armatures in foragerLBK contact is still dictated by ethnographic data. Amkreutz et al. (in press) thus interpret armatures as indicative of ‘hybridisation’ caused by forager-LBK contact, which led to foragers copying particular formal attributes of LBK arrowheads. While compelling, this interpretation still awaits further testing from the bottomup approach they advocate. A bottom-up approach requires that the researcher begin by investigating the role of armatures as signifiers of contact before attempting to interpret exactly what kind of contact they indicate. This paper seeks to contribute to this bottom-up approach by starting from the most problematic but prevalent source of our data for the role of armatures in possible foragerLBK contact: surface scatter assemblages. The primary aim of this paper is to answer the following question: Do the armatures in Late Mesolithic surface assemblages of the southern Netherlands suggest their role as evidence of forager-LBK contact during the late 6early 5 millennia BC?
Microencapsulation of Vitamin D by Complex Coacervation Using Soy Protein Isolate and Cress Seed Mucilage

Vitamin D plays a significant role for human health, survival and fertility. Several studies have focused on preventing diseases such as heart, immune and skeletal disorders, and infectious using vitamin D. In this study, microencapsulation process of vitamin D by complex coacervation method was investigated using cress seed mucilage as an indigenous hydrocolloid and soy protein isolate, and effects of core to shell and protein to polysaccharide ratios were evaluated. The results showed that both parameters had significant effects on the encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity ( P< 0.05). Using the ratios of core to shell and protein to polysaccharide of 0.3 resulted in the production of microcapsules with the best functional properties. The microencapsulation efficiency and loading were in the range of 20-90% and 2-27%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that microcapsules were almost non-spherical and had rough surfaces. The mean particle size was 57.2±1.2. The analysis of Fourier infrared transformation spectrometry confirmed the presence of vitamin D in the produced microcapsules and interaction of cress seed mucilage and soy protein isolate. The results of this study suggested the possibility of using cress seed mucilage and soy protein as domestic and low-cost hydrocolloids for encapsulation of hydrophobic compounds.
Microsatellite DNA markers for analysis of genetic population structure of stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus Pallas, 1771) in the North (Volga and Ural Rivers) and South Caspian Sea (Sefidrud and Gorganrud Rivers)

This study represents a large-scale population genetic analysis of the stellate sturgeon, Acipenser stellatus, in the Caspian Sea. In total, 192 samples of adult stellate sturgeon were collected from four commercial catch stations in the Northern (Volga and Ural Rivers) and Southern Caspian Sea (estuary of Sefidrud and Gorganrod Rivers-Iran). Fifteen sets of microsatellite primers developed from lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) were tested on genomic DNA. Ten primer sets (LS-19, 34, 54, 68, Spl-105, 104, 163, 170, 173, 113) revealing polymorphic loci were used to analyze the genetic variation found in adults of the stellate sturgeon populations. Analyses revealed that the average number of alleles per locus was 13.05 (range 8 to 18 alleles per locus in regions, Ne= 7.86). All sampled regions contained private alleles. The average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.665 and 0.862, respectively. Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were seen in most cases. Average of Fis, Fit and Nm were 0.230, 0.261 and 7.498, respectively. Pairwise Population FST Values ranged from 0.019 to 0.035. FST, RST, and gene flow estimates in AMOVA indicated significant genetic differentiation among and regions, indicating that the populations were divergent. The genetic distance between populations indicates that the genetic difference among the studied populations is pronounced. These results together with highly significant RST of genotypic differences between these pairs of collections support the existence of different genetic populations along the Caspian Sea coast.
Polygenic risk, susceptibility genes, and breast cancer over the life course

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for breast cancer have potential to improve risk prediction, but there is limited information on their clinical applicability. We set out to study how PRS could help in clinical decision making. Among 99,969 women in the FinnGen study with 6,879 breast cancer cases, the PRS was associated not only with breast cancer incidence but also with a range of breast cancer-related endpoints. Women with a breast cancer PRS above the 90th percentile had both higher breast cancer mortality (HR 2.40, 95%CI 1.82-3.17) and higher risk for non-localized disease at diagnosis (HR 2.94, 95%CI 2.63-3.28), compared to those with PRS <80th percentile. The PRS modified the breast cancer risk of two high-impact frameshift risk variants. Women with the c.1592delT variant in PALB2 (242-fold enrichment in Finland, 263 carriers) and an average PRS (20-80th percentile) had a lifetime risk of breast cancer at 58% (95%CI 50-66%), which increased to 85% (70-100%) with a high PRS (>90th percentile), and decreased to 27% (15-39%) with a low PRS (<20th percentile). Similarly, for c.1100delC in CHEK2 (3.7-fold enrichment; 1,543 carriers), the respective lifetime risks were 27% (95%CI 25-30%), 59% (52-67%), and 18% (13-22%). Among breast cancer cases, a PRS >90th percentile was associated with risk of contralateral breast cancer with HR 1.66 (95%CI 1.24-2.22). Finally, the PRS significantly refined the risk assessment of women with first-degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer, i.e. the combination of high PRS (>90th percentile) and a positive family-history was associated with a 2.33-fold elevated risk (95%CI 1.57-3.46) compared to a positive family history alone. These findings demonstrate opportunities for a comprehensive way of assessing genetic risk in the general population, in breast cancer patients, and in unaffected family members.