Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combining ability and heterosis studies in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) for yield and fibre quality traits

Cotton is India’s most important cash crop and it is used for agricultural and industrial purposes for all over the world. The greatest way for identifying superior hybrids and best combiners of parents is by L×T design. For analyzing the combining ability and heterosis for various yield attributing variables as well as quality traits, the parents viz., four lines and four testers were crossed to produce sixteen hybrids. MCU5 × KC3 cross contributed to positive, highly significant heterosis for the traits viz., the number of sympodial branches, lint index and the number of bolls per plant, along with highly significant values of sca for the traits viz . , the number of sympodial branches, seed cotton yield per plant and micronaire. CO14 × NDLH1938 had a highly significant sca effect for the trait of upper half mean length along with significant heterosis for the traits, viz., boll weight and seed cotton yield per plant. Therefore, MCU5 had the best gca value for the upper half mean length among the four lines. The KC3 tester had a high gca value, indicating that it contributes to additive genes among the four testers. For some traits, not all good combiners have good sca effects. In the majority of the qualities investigated, non-additive or dominant gene action was seen. Heterosis breeding can be used to exploit the amount of available vigour.
Convective inhibition with an ocean. I. Supercritical cores on sub-Neptunes/super-Earths

Aims. In this work we generalize the notion of convective inhibition to apply it to cases where there is an inﬁnite reservoir of conden- sible species (i.e., an ocean). We propose a new model for the internal structure and thermal evolution of super-Earths with hydrogen envelopes. Methods. We derive the criterion for convective inhibition in a generalized phase mixture from ﬁrst principles thermodynamics. We then investigate the global ocean case using a water-hydrogen system, for which we have data, as an example. After illustrating the relevant thermodynamics, we extend our arguments to apply to a system of hydrogen and silicate vapor. We then employ a simple atmospheric model to apply our ﬁndings to super-Earths and to make predictions about their internal structures and thermal evolution. Results. For hydrogen envelope masses roughly in the range 10 − 3 − 10 − 1 M ⊕ , convective contact between the envelope and core may shut down because of the compositional gradient that arises from silicate partial vaporization. For envelope hydrogen masses that cause the associated basal pressure to exceed the critical pressure of pure silicate (on the order of a couple kilobars), the base of that envelope and the top of the core lie on the critical line of the two-phase hydrogen-silicate phase diagram. The corresponding temperature is much higher than convective models would suggest. The core is then “supercritical” in the sense that the temperature exceeds the critical temperature for pure silicate. The core then cools inefﬁciently, with intrinsic heat ﬂuxes potentially comparable to the Earth’s internal heat ﬂux today. Conclusions. This low heat ﬂux may allow the core to remain in a high entropy supercritical state for billions of years, but the details of this depend on the nature of the two-component phase diagram at high pressure, something that is currently unknown. A supercritical core thermodynamically permits the dissolution of large quantities of hydrogen into the core.
Predictors of Disability Attributed to Symptoms of Increased Interrecti Distance in Pregnant and Postpartum Women with Diastasis Rectus Abdominis

Background: Physically and physiologically, pregnancy and parturition are the phases of transformation for women. During pregnancy, the rectus abdominis muscles move laterally, and the interrecti distance increases and may remain increased in the immediate post-birth period which can lead to disability. Objective: To investigate various physical and physiological factors that can cause disability attributed to symptoms of increased interrecti distance after childbirth. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted from after approval from the ethical committee. About 239 postpartum females with age ranges of 25 to 35 years having an interrecti distance of at least 2 cm and whose youngest child ages between 1 to 8 years were included. Correlation analysis was applied for different variables using Pearson correlation with a disability as the outcome variable and fear-avoidance beliefs, emotional distress, body mass index, lumbopelvic pain, increased interrecti distance, and physical activity level as predictor variables. Results: Four strong predictors were considered that cause disability in the postpartum females with almost 2 finger-width increased interrecti distance at baseline. All patients reported disability caused by symptoms produced by these strong independent predictors like body mass index, fear-avoidance, depression/anxiety, and lumbopelvic pain. The disability was caused by symptoms of body mass index of 22%, with Tampa scale of kinesiophobia questionnaire fear-avoidance belief cause disability 23.4%, with hospital anxiety and depression score was 10%, and with lumbopelvic pain 16% or mean value of visual analog scale 5.78% and total score of pain disability index was reported 9%. The p-value for correlation of all predictor variables with disability outcome variable shows a significant correlation between them. Conclusion: The intensity of lumbopelvic pain, fear-avoidance attitudes, body mass index, and emotional distress are the primary causes of disability related to symptoms of an increased interrecti distance after childbirth. These four predictor variables show a significant correlation with disability.
Overview of Transcriptomic Research on Type 2 Diabetes: Challenges and Perspectives

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a common chronic disease whose etiology is known to have a strong genetic component. Standard genetic approaches, although allowing for the detection of a number of gene variants associated with the disease as well as differentially expressed genes, cannot fully explain the hereditary factor in T2D. The explosive growth in the genomic sequencing technologies over the last decades provided an exceptional impetus for transcriptomic studies and new approaches to gene expression measurement, such as RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and single-cell technologies. The transcriptomic analysis has the potential to find new biomarkers to identify risk groups for developing T2D and its microvascular and macrovascular complications, which will significantly affect the strategies for early diagnosis, treatment, and preventing the development of complications. In this article, we focused on transcriptomic studies conducted using expression arrays, RNA-seq, and single-cell sequencing to highlight recent findings related to T2D and challenges associated with transcriptome experiments.
Low-Protein Infant Formula and Obesity Risk

Infant formulas have been designed to mimic human milk for infants who cannot be breastfed. The overall goal is to establish similar functional outcomes to assure optimal growth, development, maturation of the immune system, and programming of the metabolic system. However, after decades of improving infant formula, growth patterns and body composition development are still different in formula-fed infants compared to breastfed infants, which could contribute to an increased risk of obesity among formula-fed infants. It has been hypothesized that the lower protein concentration of breast milk compared to infant formula influences infants’ growth and body composition. Thus, several trials in formula-fed infants with different protein intake levels have been performed to test this hypothesis. In this review, we discuss the current evidence on low-protein infant formula and obesity risk, including future perspectives and implications.
A Quantitative Assay for Ca2+ Uptake through Normal and Pathological Hemichannels

Connexin (Cx) hemichannels (HCs) are large pore hexameric structures that allow the exchange of ions, metabolites and a variety of other molecules between the cell cytoplasm and extracellular milieu. HC inhibitors are attracting growing interest as drug candidates because deregulated fluxes through HCs have been implicated in a plethora of genetic conditions and other diseases. HC activity has been mainly investigated by electrophysiological methods and/or using HC-permeable dye uptake measurements. Here, we present an all-optical assay based on fluorometric measurements of ionized calcium (Ca2+) uptake with a Ca2+-selective genetically encoded indicator (GCaMP6s) that permits the optical tracking of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) changes with high sensitivity. We exemplify use of the assay in stable pools of HaCaT cells overexpressing human Cx26, Cx46, or the pathological mutant Cx26G45E, under control of a tetracycline (Tet) responsive element (TRE) promoter (Tet-on). We demonstrate the usefulness of the assay for the characterization of new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting the extracellular domain of the HCs. Although we developed the assay on a spinning disk confocal fluorescence microscope, the same methodology can be extended seamlessly to high-throughput high-content platforms to screen other kinds of inhibitors and/or to probe HCs expressed in primary cells and microtissues.
Comparison of mean daily discharge data for under-mountain and highland-lowland types of rivers

Most Slovak rivers have increasing spring flow followed by a period or two of low flow in the summer, autumn, and, in some cases, winter. The flow rate fluctuations in two different streams in Slovakia are being investigated in this study. The study focused on an under-mountain and a lowland-highland river to investigate the low and peak flow periods and to identify the trends in monthly and annual mean flows for both rivers. Analysing daily mean discharge data from two different types of streams requires the use of a robust normalization approach to verify the comparability between the chosen streams. On both streams, a broad statistical low-flow analysis was performed over different study periods, as well as a hydrological drought analysis utilizing the water-bearing coefficient approach over the period 2010–2020. The evaluation for the foothill river in Slovakia demonstrates that snow melting has a significant impact on annual runoff in the spring months, and both rivers have a low flow period in August, September, and October. Despite the considerable variations in the catchment area, geographical, and hydrological characteristics, drought analysis for the years 2010 to 2020 found a lack of normality and a dry hydrological situation in both streams.
Concordance between Ki-67 index in invasive breast cancer and molecular signatures: EndoPredict and MammaPrint

Identifying patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early invasive breast cancer (EIBC) who benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy has improved with molecular signature tests. However, due to high cost and limited availability, alternative tests are used. The present study sought to evaluate the performance of the proliferation marker Ki-67 to identify these patients and explore its association with molecular signatures and risk stratification markers. From the San José TecSalud Hospital in Monterrey México, patients with HR+ EIBC as tested with EndoPredict or MammaPrint and Ki-67 index were identified. They were categorized into two groups: Group 1 (June 2016-August 2018) was evaluated using EndoPredict and Group 2 (June 2016-August 2018) with MammaPrint. A ≥20% Ki67 index cutoff was utilized to identify highly proliferative EIBC and an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve and κ concordance were utilized to evaluate the performance of Ki-67 index compared to molecular signature tests. In the EndoPredict group, 54/96 patients were considered high-risk based on their EPclin score, while 57/96 patients had Ki-67 index ≥20%. However, there was no significant overall concordance between them (59.37%, κ=0.168, P=0.09), while the given risk of distant recurrence given in percentage by EPclin had a positive association with the Ki67 index (P=0.04). In the MammaPrint group, 21/70 patients were considered high-risk and 36/70 patients presented with a Ki-67 index ≥20% with a significant overall concordance (67.14%, κ=0.35, P<0.001). In addition, high Ki-67 index was associated with the Nottingham histological grade in both groups. In conclusion, there was a concordance between Ki-67 and MammaPrint risk stratification of HR+ EIBC and no concordance with the EndoPredict molecular signature, but a positive association with the given percentage of recurrence and the median Ki-67 index as the cutoff at our center. Cost-effectiveness analyses of these tests in developing countries are required; until then, the use of Ki-67 appears reasonable to aid clinical decisions, together with the other established clinicopathological variables.
Comparative Mitogenome Analyses of Subgenera and Species Groups in Epeorus (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae)

Simple Summary As one of the most species-rich genera of Ephemeroptera, Epeorus Eaton, 1881, was found to be widely distributed in Holarctic and Oriental regions, and nine subgenera have been reported. Previous phylogenetic studies of Epeorus were mainly focused on morphological characters or several gene fragments. Here, 15 mitogenomes of Epeorus are sequenced and the comparative mitogenome analysis of six subgenera is performed. The gene rearrangement of trnI-trnM-trnQ-NCR-ND2 was first found in the genus. In addition, differences in genetic composition and codon usage between the species with this kind of rearrangement and other Epeorus species were observed. Phylogenetic analyses show that three subgenera, Proepeorus, Belovius and Iron, are not monophyletic groups, and our results imply that gill structures are not always appropriate for the classification of subgenera in Epeorus. Abstract Epeorus Eaton, 1881 is a diverse mayfly genus in Heptageniidae comprising more than 100 species which are further divided into nine subgenera and several species groups. However, the classification and the phylogenetic relationships among them are still uncertain. Here, 15 complete mitochondrial genomes of Epeorus were sequenced and compared together with six available ones of same genus in the NCBI database. Based on morphological classification, the 21 mitogenomes were classified into six subgenera (Proepeorus, Epeorus s.str., Belovius, Iron, Caucasiron and Siniron) and four species groups (G1, G2, montanus and longimanus). Among all analyzed mitogenomes, the gene rearrangement of trnI-trnM-trnQ-NCR-ND2 was first found occurring in three species of group G1, whereas the gene block trnI-trnM-trnQ-trnM-ND2 was observed in all other mitogenomes of Epeorus. Furthermore, the genetic composition and codon usage of species in group G1 were also significantly different from all other Epeorus species, except group longimanus. The intergenic spacer between trnA and trnR, which has the stem-loop secondary structure, occurred in all 21 mitogenomes, and the sequences of stems and loops were conserved within species groups. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analyses strongly support the monophyly of all species groups, although three of six recognized subgenera Proepeorus, Belovius, and Iron, were shown as the non-monophyletic groups.
CORPORATE EXECUTIVES’ PERCEPTIONS OF CSR IN THE LISTED MOROCCAN COMPANIES

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the perception of corporate social responsibility by corporate executives in the Moroccan context. To do so, we conducted a survey of seventy-four Moroccan corporate executives working in listed companies. Subjects were solicited by e-mail, sending them a questionnaire consisting of 37 items presented in the form of a five-point response scale (Likert scale). Our measurement scale was designed on the basis of Carroll’s (1991) theoretical model of social responsibility. The study proposes a scale to measure corporate executives‘ perceptions of CSR in their company. The results of our study reveal two findings. The first one suggests that Moroccan corporate executives working in listed companies are more concerned about compliance with laws and ethical values than with a true CSR commitment. The second one highlights the fact that CSR commitment is a three-dimensional construct marked by a predominance of ethical-legal and philanthropic practices. The paper states the main conclusions of the study and provides some practical implications.
Beneficial Effect of Melatonin Alone or in Combination with Glatiramer Acetate and Interferon β-1b on Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a relevant animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation play a major role in the pathogenesis of MS and EAE. Melatonin, a neurohormone, has potent anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of our study was to assess the therapeutic properties of melatonin alone or in combination with interferon β-1b (IFNβ-1b) or glatiramer acetate (GA) on EAE. EAE was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats with an intraperitoneal injection of a homogenate of spinal cord and pig brain. At day 10 post immunization, rats were euthanized, and their brains were immediately excised and processed to measure oxidative stress markers and membrane fluidity. In addition, proinflammatory cytokines were quantified in plasma. Melatonin alone or in combination with GA and IFNβ-1b inhibited the disease process of EAE and the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines, caused a significant decrement in oxidative stress markers, and preserved the membrane fluidity in the motor cortex, midbrain, and spinal cord. The cumulative index score was significantly reduced in EAE rats treated with melatonin alone or in combination with GA and IFNβ-1b. In conclusion, our findings provide preclinical evidence for the use of melatonin as an adjuvant therapeutic treatment for MS.
The Relationship of Mother's Role in Stimulation with Motor Development in Toddler

Toddler period is an important phase in the growth and development of children. The role of parents, especially mothers, is needed to help children develop motor skills so that children's development can be maximized. The objective of this study is to analyze the mother's role in stimulating the child's motor development. The research method is cross sectional. The population in this study were mothers who had children aged 1-3 years in the work area of the Mangasa Primary Health Center, Makassar, amounting to 45 people. The sample in this study was 45 people, taken with a saturated sampling technique or the total population. The statistical test used the chi square test. The results presented that 95.7% of mothers who played a role in stimulating children's motor development had children whose development was appropriate. The results of the chi square test obtained p value <0.001. The conclusion is that there is a relationship between mother's role in stimulation and the motor development of toddler. It is expected that the Primary Health Center or midwives will provide training to mothers about providing developmental stimulation so that mothers can independently assess their child's development and pay attention to their child's development according to age.
The G3BP1-UPF1-Associated Long Non-Coding RNA CALA Regulates RNA Turnover in the Cytoplasm

Besides transcription, RNA decay accounts for a large proportion of regulated gene expression and is paramount for cellular functions. Classical RNA surveillance pathways, like nonsense-mediated decay (NMD), are also implicated in the turnover of non-mutant transcripts. Whereas numerous protein factors have been assigned to distinct RNA decay pathways, the contribution of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to RNA turnover remains unknown. Here we identify the lncRNA CALA as a potent regulator of RNA turnover in endothelial cells. We demonstrate that CALA forms cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein complexes with G3BP1 and regulates endothelial cell functions. A detailed characterization of these G3BP1-positive complexes by mass spectrometry identifies UPF1 and numerous other NMD factors having cytoplasmic G3BP1-association that is CALA-dependent. Importantly, CALA silencing impairs degradation of NMD target transcripts, establishing CALA as a non-coding regulator of RNA steady-state levels in the endothelium.
The Relationship between Death Anxiety, Spiritual Well-Being, and Successful Aging among Community Dwelling Older Adults

Background: death anxiety is a prevalent problem among older adults, as they exposed to bio-psychosocial changes. It is associated with adverse health consequences, including the decrease in physical functions, psychological stress, and weakening of religious beliefs. Adherence to spirituality can be a crucial factor in dealing with the notion of death anxiety and contributing to successful aging among older adults. Aim of the study : determine the relationship between death anxiety, spiritual well-being, and successful aging among community dwelling older adults. Design : A descriptive correlational research design was used to carry out this study. Setting : This study was conducted at three elderly clubs at Damanhour city, El-Behaira Governorate, Egypt. Subjects: 137 community dwelling older adults. Tools : four tools were used; tool I: A Socio-Demographic and Presence of Chronic Disease Structured Interview Schedule, tool II: The Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA), tool III: Spiritual Well-being scale (SWBS), tool IV: Successful Aging Scale (SAS). Results: More than half of the studied older adults experienced either moderate or severe death anxiety. A positive significant relation spirituality and successful ageing (r=0.610, p<0.001). Also, A negative correlation between death anxiety and spirituality (r=-0.679, p<0.001) and successful ageing (r=-0.746, p<0.001). Conclusion: there was significant positive relationship between spirituality and successful ageing which were statistically significant negative predictors of death anxiety in older adults. Recommendations: Providing psycho-educational program about successful aging and spiritual mental health promotion among older adults starting from early life stages through media, and religious classes in schools, clubs, and health care settings.
Effects of Concrete Block Pavement on Flow Retardation Factor

Abstract Surface roughness has an important role in retarding the runoff velocity. The increase in paving blocks usage, particularly in urban areas, can change the surface roughness of the land. This study investigated the effects of four types of concrete block pavements (CBPs) in retarding the surface runoff velocity. Three design parameters based on CBP properties that considerably influenced the flow retardation were promoted. They were opening ratio (Or), void ratio (Vr) and straight channel ratio (Sr). A tilted plot equipped with a rainfall simulator was used to investigate the influence of surface slope and rainfall intensity to the flow on various CBPs. A modified dye tracing method in view was performed to monitor the surface flow velocity under various rainfall intensities. Flow retardation coefficient (Frd) were calculated based on velocity data on smooth pavement and on CBPs layer measured under the same slope and rainfall intensity. The results showed that flow retardation coefficient increased with an increase in openings ratio, rainfall intensity and surface slope. The relationship between flow retardation coefficient and all design parameters was expressed by a linear regression function. A further study is required to increase the accuracy of the model by modifying the regression function and increasing the variation of design parameters.