Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MEMS-Based Micro Sensors for Measuring the Tiny Forces Acting on Insects

Small insects perform agile locomotion, such as running, jumping, and flying. Recently, many robots, inspired by such insect performance, have been developed and are expected to be smaller and more maneuverable than conventional robots. For the development of insect-inspired robots, understanding the mechanical dynamics of the target insect is important. However, evaluating the dynamics via conventional commercialized force sensors is difficult because the exerted force and insect itself are tiny in strength and size. Here, we review force sensor devices, especially fabricated for measuring the tiny forces acting on insects during locomotion. As the force sensor, micro-force plates for measuring the ground reaction force and micro-force probes for measuring the flying force have mainly been developed. In addition, many such sensors have been fabricated via a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) process, due to the process precision and high sensitivity. In this review, we focus on the sensing principle, design guide, fabrication process, and measurement method of each sensor, as well as the technical challenges in each method. Finally, the common process flow of the development of specialized MEMS sensors is briefly discussed.
The Beginning of Meiosis in Mammalian Female Germ Cells: A Never-Ending Story of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors

Meiosis is the unique division of germ cells resulting in the recombination of the maternal and paternal genomes and the production of haploid gametes. In mammals, it begins during the fetal life in females and during puberty in males. In both cases, entering meiosis requires a timely switch from the mitotic to the meiotic cell cycle and the transition from a potential pluripotent status to meiotic differentiation. Revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying these interrelated processes represents the essence in understanding the beginning of meiosis. Meiosis facilitates diversity across individuals and acts as a fundamental driver of evolution. Major differences between sexes and among species complicate the understanding of how meiosis begins. Basic meiotic research is further hindered by a current lack of meiotic cell lines. This has been recently partly overcome with the use of primordial-germ-cell-like cells (PGCLCs) generated from pluripotent stem cells. Much of what we know about this process depends on data from model organisms, namely, the mouse; in mice, the process, however, appears to differ in many aspects from that in humans. Identifying the mechanisms and molecules controlling germ cells to enter meiosis has represented and still represents a major challenge for reproductive medicine. In fact, the proper execution of meiosis is essential for fertility, for maintaining the integrity of the genome, and for ensuring the normal development of the offspring. The main clinical consequences of meiotic defects are infertility and, probably, increased susceptibility to some types of germ-cell tumors. In the present work, we report and discuss data mainly concerning the beginning of meiosis in mammalian female germ cells, referring to such process in males only when pertinent. After a brief account of this process in mice and humans and an historical chronicle of the major hypotheses and progress in this topic, the most recent results are reviewed and discussed.
A Comparison of Spectinomycin with Ceftriaxone as Treatment for Uncomplicated Gonorrhea

Objective: To compare the efficacy of spectinomycin with ceftriaxone as treatment for Uncomplicated Gonorrhea. Design of the Study: It was a cross-sectional survey. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried at Department of Pharmacology DHQ Teaching Hospital kohat and Khaleefa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital Bannu from March 2019 to march 2020. Patients and Methods: For the trial, 200 participants were enrolled. Two groups of 100 patients each were formed by randomly dividing the patients. Injections of spectinomycin (2 gm) and ceftriaxone (500 mg) were administered intramuscularly to Group A and Group B, respectively. After 5 days, all patients underwent reexaminations, and their clinical and laboratory results were noted and reviewed. Results of the Study: When administered spectinomycin, patients in Group A (n = 100) indicated 95% full response, 3% partial response, and 2% no reaction, but when given ceftriaxone, patients in Group B (n = 100) indicated 91% full response, 3% partial response, and 6% no response at all. Furthermore, the aetiology of gonorrhoea infection is not statistically associated with getting older. Conclusion: The cure rates for spectinomycin and ceftriaxone are statistically indistinguishable. However, spectinomycin may only be used in cases of ceftriaxone resistance because it causes pain at the injection site, is less effective for pharyngeal gonorrhoea, and is contraindicated during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Keywords: Neisseria Gonorrhea, Ceftriaxone, Spectinomycin
In Silico Methods for Identification of Potential Active Sites of Therapeutic Targets

Target identification is an important step in drug discovery, and computer-aided drug target identification methods are attracting more attention compared with traditional drug target identification methods, which are time-consuming and costly. Computer-aided drug target identification methods can greatly reduce the searching scope of experimental targets and associated costs by identifying the diseases-related targets and their binding sites and evaluating the druggability of the predicted active sites for clinical trials. In this review, we introduce the principles of computer-based active site identification methods, including the identification of binding sites and assessment of druggability. We provide some guidelines for selecting methods for the identification of binding sites and assessment of druggability. In addition, we list the databases and tools commonly used with these methods, present examples of individual and combined applications, and compare the methods and tools. Finally, we discuss the challenges and limitations of binding site identification and druggability assessment at the current stage and provide some recommendations and future perspectives.
The Transcriptional Regulator Prdm1 Is Essential for the Early Development of the Sensory Whisker Follicle and Is Linked to the Beta-Catenin First Dermal Signal

Prdm1 mutant mice are one of the rare mutant strains that do not develop whisker hair follicles while still displaying a pelage. Here, we show that Prdm1 is expressed at the earliest stage of whisker development in clusters of mesenchymal cells before placode formation. Its conditional knockout in the murine soma leads to the loss of expression of Bmp2, Shh, Bmp4, Krt17, Edar, and Gli1, though leaving the β-catenin-driven first dermal signal intact. Furthermore, we show that Prdm1 expressing cells not only act as a signaling center but also as a multipotent progenitor population contributing to the several lineages of the adult whisker. We confirm by genetic ablation experiments that the absence of macro vibrissae reverberates on the organization of nerve wiring in the mystacial pads and leads to the reorganization of the barrel cortex. We demonstrate that Lef1 acts upstream of Prdm1 and identify a primate-specific deletion of a Lef1 enhancer named Leaf. This loss may have been significant in the evolutionary process, leading to the progressive defunctionalization and disappearance of vibrissae in primates.
Spiral Inflow Feeding the Nuclear Starburst in M83, Observed in Hα Emission with the GHαFaS Fabry-Perot Interferometer

We present observations of the nearby barred starburst galaxy M83 (NGC 5236), with the new Fabry-Perot interferometer GHαFaS mounted on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope on La Palma. The unprecedented high-resolution observations, of 16 pc FWHM−1, of the Hα-emitting gas cover the central 2 kpc of the galaxy. The velocity field displays the dominant disk rotation with signatures of gas inflow from kpc scales down to the nuclear regions. At the inner inner Lindblad resonance radius of the main bar and centered at the dynamical center of the main galaxy disk, a nuclear (5.5 ± 0.9) × 108 M☉ rapidly rotating disk with scale length of 60 ± 20 pc has formed. The nuclear starburst is found in the vicinity as well as inside this nuclear disk, and our observations confirm that gas spirals in from the outer parts to feed the nuclear starburst, giving rise to several star formation events at different epochs, within the central 100 pc radius of M83.
Why marry early? Parental influence, agency and gendered conflict in Tanzanian marriages

Abstract Abstract Global health interventions increasingly target the abolishment of ‘child marriage’ (marriage under 18 years, hereafter referred to as ‘early marriage’). Guided by human behavioural ecology theory, and drawing on focus groups and in-depth interviews in an urbanising Tanzanian community where female early marriage is normative, we examine the common assumption that it is driven by the interests and coercive actions of parents and/or men. We find limited support for parent–offspring conflict. Parents often encouraged early marriages, but were motivated by the promise of social and economic security for daughters, rather than bridewealth transfers alone. Moreover, forced marriage appears rare, and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) were active agents in the transition to marriage, sometimes marrying against parental wishes. Support for gendered conflict was stronger. AGYW were described as being lured into unstable relationships by men misrepresenting their long-term intentions. Community members voiced concerns over these marriages. Overall, early marriage appears rooted in limited options, encouraging strategic, but risky choices on the marriage market. Our results highlight plurality and context dependency in drivers of early marriage, even within a single community. We conclude that engaging with the importance of context is fundamental in forging culturally sensitive policies and programs on early marriage.
THE AFTERGLOWS OF SWIFT-ERA GAMMA-RAY BURSTS. I. COMPARING PRE-SWIFT AND SWIFT-ERA LONG/SOFT (TYPE II) GRB OPTICAL AFTERGLOWS

We have gathered optical photometry data from the literature on a large sample of Swift-era gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows including GRBs up to 2009 September, for a total of 76 GRBs, and present an additional three pre-Swift GRBs not included in an earlier sample. Furthermore, we publish 840 additional new photometry data points on a total of 42 GRB afterglows, including large data sets for GRBs 050319, 050408, 050802, 050820A, 050922C, 060418, 080413A, and 080810. We analyzed the light curves of all GRBs in the sample and derived spectral energy distributions for the sample with the best data quality, allowing us to estimate the host-galaxy extinction. We transformed the afterglow light curves into an extinction-corrected z = 1 system and compared their luminosities with a sample of pre-Swift afterglows. The results of a former study, which showed that GRB afterglows clustered and exhibited a bimodal distribution in luminosity space, are weakened by the larger sample. We found that the luminosity distribution of the two afterglow samples (Swift-era and pre-Swift) is very similar, and that a subsample for which we were not able to estimate the extinction, which is fainter than the main sample, can be explained by assuming a moderate amount of line-of-sight host extinction. We derived bolometric isotropic energies for all GRBs in our sample, and found only a tentative correlation between the prompt energy release and the optical afterglow luminosity at 1 day after the GRB in the z = 1 system. A comparative study of the optical luminosities of GRB afterglows with echelle spectra (which show a high number of foreground absorbing systems) and those without, reveals no indication that the former are statistically significantly more luminous. Furthermore, we propose the existence of an upper ceiling on afterglow luminosities and study the luminosity distribution at early times, which was not accessible before the advent of the Swift satellite. Most GRBs feature afterglows that are dominated by the forward shock from early times on. Finally, we present the first indications of a class of long GRBs, which form a bridge between the typical high-luminosity, high-redshift events and nearby low-luminosity events (which are also associated with spectroscopic supernovae) in terms of energetics and observed redshift distribution, indicating a continuous distribution overall.
Pollen Morphology of Some Selected Species of the Tribes Brassiceae, Conringieae, Isatideae, and Plagiolobeae (Brassicaceae) in Iran, and Its Taxonomic Significance

ABSTRACT Pollen morphology of 12 species, representing genera of the tribes Brassiceae, Conringieae, Isatideae and Plagiolobeae were studied using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated that the polar diameter, pollen exine ornamentation, mesocolpium width, and exine thickness have important systematic significance. Pollen grains in these genera were tricolpate and their shapes varied from prolate to perprolate, with the polar axis length ranging from 30.28 to 41.05 µm and the equatorial axis length ranging from 17.21 to 23.36 µm. However, fine details can be used to distinguish pollen grains of the different species within the genera. The exine ornamentation varied among genera within the tribes and among species within the same genus. Three pollen types are distinguished based on lumen size. All the studied tribes' pollen were heterogeneous, with reticulate, microreticulate (Conringia orientalis, Plagioloba derakii), or macroreticulate (Moricandia sinaica) ornamentation. The exine thickness ranged from 0.75 to 2.60 µm. Pollen characteristics support: (i) two distinct pollen types (viz. Conringia austriaca and Iljinskaea planisiliqua types) in all four tribes; (ii) the similarity of the pollen shape between tribes Isatideae and Brassiceae; (iii) the transfer of P. crenulata from Zuvanda to Plagioloba, and of I. planisiliqua from Conringia to Iljinskaea. Plagioloba clavata displays great variation in pollen morphological characters and needs to be further studied. A key to the species of the genera was also provided.
Cross-correlation cosmic shear with the SDSS and VLA FIRST surveys

We measure the cosmic shear power spectrum on large angular scales by cross-correlating the shapes of ~9 million galaxies measured in the optical SDSS survey with the shapes of ~2.7x10^5 radio galaxies measured by the overlapping VLA-FIRST survey. Our measurements span the multipole range 10 < l < 130, corresponding to angular scales 2deg < {\theta} < 20deg. On these scales, the shear maps from both surveys suffer from significant systematic effects that prohibit a measurement of the shear power spectrum from either survey alone. Conversely we demonstrate that a power spectrum measured by cross-correlating the two surveys is unbiased. We measure an E-mode power spectrum from the data that is inconsistent with zero signal at the 99\% confidence (~2.7{\sigma}) level. The odd-parity B-mode signal and the EB cross- correlation are both found to be consistent with zero (within 1{\sigma}). These constraints are obtained after a careful error analysis that accounts for uncertainties due to cosmic variance, random galaxy shape noise and shape measurement errors, as well as additional errors associated with the observed large-scale systematic effects in the two surveys. Our constraints are consistent with the expected signal in the concordance cosmological model assuming recent estimates of the cosmological parameters from the Planck satellite, and literature values for the median redshifts of the SDSS and FIRST galaxy populations. The cross-power spectrum approach described in this paper represents a powerful technique for mitigating shear systematics and will be ideal for extracting robust results, with the exquisite control of systematics required, from future cosmic shear surveys with the SKA, LSST, Euclid and WFIRST-AFTA.
Spherical cows in dark matter indirect detection

Dark matter (DM) halos have long been known to be triaxial, but in studies of possible annihilation and decay signals they are often treated as approximately spherical. In this work, we examine the asymmetry of potential indirect detection signals of DM annihilation and decay, exploiting the large statistics of the hydrodynamic simulation Illustris. We carefully investigate the effects of the baryons on the sphericity of annihilation and decay signals for both the case where the observer is at 8.5 kpc from the center of the halo (exemplified in the case of Milky Way-like halos), and for an observer situated well outside the halo. In the case of Galactic signals, we find that both annihilation and decay signals are expected to be quite symmetric, with axis ratios very different from 1 occurring rarely. In the case of extragalactic signals, while decay signals are still preferentially spherical, the axis ratio for annihilation signals has a much flatter distribution, with elongated profiles appearing frequently. Many of these elongated profiles are due to large subhalos and/or recent mergers. Comparing to gamma-ray emission from the Milky Way and X-ray maps of clusters, we find that the gamma-ray background appears less spherical/more elongated than the expected DM signal from the large majority of halos, and the Galactic gamma ray excess appears very spherical, while the X-ray data would be difficult to distinguish from a DM signal by elongation/sphericity measurements alone.
Obstacle-Transformer: A Trajectory Prediction Network Based on Surrounding Trajectories

Recurrent Neural Network, Long Short-Term Memory, and Transformer have made great progress in predicting the trajectories of moving objects. Although the trajectory element with the surrounding scene features has been merged to improve performance, there still exist some problems to be solved. One is that the time series processing models will increase the inference time with the increase of the number of prediction sequences. Another lies in which the features can not be extracted from the scene's image and point cloud in some situations. Therefore, this paper proposes an Obstacle-Transformer to predict trajectory in a constant inference time. An ``obstacle'' is designed by the surrounding trajectory rather than images or point clouds, making Obstacle-Transformer more applicable in a wider range of scenarios. Experiments are conducted on ETH and UCY data sets to verify the performance of our model.
High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of tau Scorpii (B0.2V) with XMM-Newton

We report the analysis of the first high-resolution X-ray spectrum of the B0.2V star τ Scorpii obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometers ( )a nd the-  spectrometers on board XMM-Newton. The spectrum exhibits bright emission lines of the H- and He-like ions of C, N, O, Ne, Mg, and Si, as well as Fe  &F e lines. Line fluxes have been determined. Simultaneous fits to the  and spectra were used to obtain four plasma temperatures, emission measures, and the overall elemental abundances. This multi-temperature fitting yielded temperatures of 1.6, 5.2, 8.2, and >20 MK. These temperatures are confirmed by DEM modelling. The nitrogen lines are relatively strong: the N/O abundance ratio is about 3× solar. No indication of a solar-type "FIP effect" was found for the other elements. According to the derived models the X-ray luminosity in the energy range 0.3-10 keV is Lx =3.2 ×10 31 erg s −1 at a distance of 132 pc. The sensitivity of the He-like forbidden and intercombination lines to a strong ultraviolet radiation field is used to derive upper limits to the radial distances at which lines of Mg  ,N e ,O  ,a nd N originate. The results suggest that the soft X-rays (<8 MK) originate from shocks low in the wind that are produced by the common mechanism of radiation line-driven instabilities. This is consistent with the observed emission line profiles that are much narrower (<500 km s −1 ) than the broad lines (up to 1500 km s −1 ) observed high up in the wind of ζ Puppis. The hot (∼20-40 MK) component may be explained by a model involving dense clumps embedded in a wind which sweeps past them at high relative velocity (∼1400-1700 km s −1 ). Such an interaction would produce the strong
Digestible and metabolizable energy values of faba beans and field peas fed to growing pigs

Abstract The digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) in faba beans (FB) and field peas (FP) fed to growing pigs were estimated by the difference procedure in two experiments using the total collection method. Twenty-four barrows with mean initial body weight (BW) of 20.0 kg (SD = 1.13) and 20.4 kg (SD = 0.56) in the first (Exp. 1) and second experiments (Exp. 2), respectively, were assigned to three dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design with BW as a blocking factor. A reference diet was prepared using corn, soybean meal, and soybean oil as the energy-contributing ingredients. Organic FB and DS Admiral FP (FPD) in Exp. 1 and Hampton FP (FPH) and 4010 FP (FP4) in Exp. 2 were included at 30% in the reference diet. In Exp. 1, the determined DE and ME were 3772 and 3606 kcal·kg−1 dry matter (DM) in FB and 3683 and 3589 kcal·kg−1 DM in FPD, respectively. In Exp. 2, the respective DE and ME were 4164 and 4014 kcal·kg−1 DM in FPH and 3574 and 3467 kcal·kg−1 DM in FP4. In conclusion, the determined ME values for FB and FP were 77% to 90% of gross energy.
Quantum-gravitational effects on gauge-invariant scalar and tensor perturbations during inflation: The de Sitter case

We present detailed calculations for quantum-gravitational corrections to the power spectra of gauge-invariant scalar and tensor perturbations during inflation. This is done by performing a semiclassical Born-Oppenheimer type of approximation to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, from which we obtain a Schroedinger equation with quantum-gravitational correction terms. As a first step, we perform our calculation for a de Sitter universe and find that the correction terms lead to an enhancement of power on the largest scales.
Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don and Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench Infusion Consumption Affects the Inflammatory Status and the Composition of Human Gut Microbiota in Patients with Traits of Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Comparative Study

Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don (HI) and Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench (HA) are rich in polyphenols and their infusions have beneficial effects for patients with metabolic syndrome. To investigate whether these effects are mediated by the gut microbiota, we analysed the effects of daily consumption of HI or HA infusion on the composition of gut microbiota, inflammatory status, and zonulin, a marker of gut barrier permeability. The study was a randomized, double-blind comparative trial. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to two groups and received either HA or HI tea filter bags, each containing 1 g of dried plant material, for daily consumption lasting 4 weeks. The results show that consumption of both infusions resulted in a reduction of some genera belonging to Firmicutes and in a slight but significant reduction in Shannon diversity index. Consumption of HI infusion significantly reduced serum levels of proinflammatory markers and zonulin alongside with the observed trend of Proteobacteria reduction. It can therefore be concluded that the HI and HA infusions could act as prebiotics and thus improve the intestinal environment. In addition, HI infusion has a positive impact on microbial dysbiosis and gut barrier dysfunction that occur in obesity and metabolic syndrome.