Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impacts of Selenium–Chitosan Treatment on Color of “Red Globe” Grapes during Low-Temperature Storage

Maintaining the vibrant color of fruit is a longstanding challenge in fruit and vegetable preservation. Chitosan and selenium, known for their protective and antioxidant properties, have been applied to preserve these produce. This study aimed to investigate the influence of selenium–chitosan treatment (comprising 25 mg L−1 selenium and 1.0% chitosan) on the color of “Red Globe” grapes and to analyze the relative expression of genes associated with anthocyanin synthesis enzymes (VvCHS, VvCHI, VvF3H, VvF3′H, VvF3′5′H, VvDFR, VvLDOX, VvUFGT, VvOMT, Vv5GT, and VvGST) using RT-qPCR. Our goal was to uncover the regulatory mechanisms governing grape color. Comparing various treatments, we observed that selenium–chitosan treatment had a significant effect in reducing decay, maintaining the soluble solids content of grape flesh, and preserving the vivid color of grape. This research indicated that selenium–chitosan treatment slowed down browning and prevented the reduction in total phenolic, flavonoids, and anthocyanin in the grape. Moreover, gene expression analysis revealed that selenium–chitosan treatment increased the expression of VvCHS, VvF3H, VvF’3′H, VvLDOX, and Vv5GT, while also stabilized the expression of VvCHI, VvF3′H, and VvDFR in grape skins. These findings shed light on the potential mechanism by which selenium–chitosan impacts grape color. This study established a theoretical foundation for investigating the molecular mechanisms behind selenium–chitosan’s ability to slow down grape browning and provides a novel approach to enhancing fruit and vegetable preservation techniques.
Ctp1 and Yhm2: Two Mitochondrial Citrate Transporters to Support Metabolic Flexibility of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Differently from higher eukaryotic cells, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae there are two mitochondrial carrier proteins involved in the transport of citrate: Ctp1 and Yhm2. Very little is known about the physiological role of these proteins. Wild-type and mutant yeast strains deleted in CTP1 and YHM2 were grown in media supplemented with a fermentable (glucose) or a nonfermentable (ethanol) carbon source. To assess changes in Ctp1 and Yhm2 mRNA expression levels, real-time PCR was performed after total RNA extraction. In the wild-type strain, the metabolic switch from the exponential to the stationary phase is associated with an increase in the expression level of the two citrate transporters. In addition, the results obtained in the mutant strains suggest that the presence of a single citrate transporter can partially compensate for the absence of the other. Ctp1 and Yhm2 differently contribute to fermentative and respiratory metabolism. Moreover, the two mitochondrial carriers represent a link between the Krebs cycle and the glyoxylate cycle, which play a key role in the metabolic adaptation strategies of S. cerevisiae.
Combined administration of gallic acid and glibenclamide mitigate systemic complication and histological changes in the cornea of diabetic rats induced with streptozotocin

ABSTRACT Purpose: To determine the effect of gallic acid or its combination with glibenclamide on some biochemical markers and histology of the cornea of streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. Methods: Following induction of diabetes, 24 male albino rats were divided into four groups of six rats each. Groups 1 and 2 (control and diabetic) received rat pellets and distilled water; group 3 (gallic acid) received rat pellets and gallic acid (10 mg/kg, orally) dissolved in the distilled water; and group 4 (gallic acid + glibenclamide) received rat pellets, gallic acid (10 mg/kg, orally), and glibenclamide (5 mg/kg, orally) dissolved in the distilled water. The treatments were administered for three months after which the rats were sacrificed after an overnight fast. Blood and sera were collected for the determination of biochemical parameters, while their eyes were excised for histology. Results: STZ administration to the rats induced insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, microprotenuria, loss of weight, oxidative stress, inflammation, and alteration of their cornea histology, which was abolished following supplementation with gallic acid or its combination with glibenclamide. Conclusions: The study showed the potentials of gallic acid and glibenclamide in mitigating systemic complication and histological changes in the cornea of diabetic rats induced with STZ.
Factors Influencing the Rheology of Methane Foam for Gas Mobility Control in High-Temperature, Proppant-Fractured Reservoirs

Gas-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) through huff-n-puff (HnP) is an important method of recovering oil from fracture-stimulated reservoirs. HnP productivity is hampered by fracture channeling, leading to early gas breakthroughs and gas losses. To mitigate these issues, foam-generating surfactants have been developed as a method of reducing injected gas phase mobility and increasing oil recovery. This work investigates foam generation and propagation by a proprietary surfactant blend in high-temperature, high-pressure, high-permeability, and high-shear conditions that simulate the environment of a proppant-packed fracture. Bulk foam tests confirmed the aqueous stability and foaming viability of the surfactant at the proposed conditions. Through several series of floods co-injecting methane gas and the surfactant solution through a proppant pack at residual oil saturation, the effects of several injection parameters on apparent foam viscosity were investigated. The foam exhibited an exceptionally high transition foam quality (>95%) and strong shear-thinning behavior. The foam viscosity also linearly decreased with increasing pressure. Another flood series conducted in an oil-free proppant pack showed that swelling of residual oil had no effect on the apparent foam viscosity and was not the reason for the inversely linear pressure dependency. An additional flood series with nitrogen as the injection gas was completed to see if the hydrophobic attraction between the methane and surfactant tail was responsible for the observed pressure trend, but the trend persisted even with nitrogen. In a previous study, the dependence of foam viscosity on pressure was found to be much weaker with a different foaming surfactant under similar conditions. Thus, a better understanding of this important phenomenon requires additional tests with a focus on the effect of pressure on interfacial surfactant adsorption.
Role of Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Early Diagnosis and Characterization of Movement Disorders

Background: Symptoms of movement disorders in early stages are similar, which makes definite diagnosis difficult. Hence this study was conducted to explore the role of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in enhancing the early diagnosis and characterization of movement disorders. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted including 60 subjects. All of them were reviewed using conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and movement disorder DTI protocol. Commercially available software was used to produce fractional anisotropy (FA) maps. Post-processing 3D reconstruction was done to obtain tractograms. Both single and multiple regions of interest (ROIs) were selected for tractography in the pons, midbrain, substantia nigra (SN) and cerebellum. MRI and DTI images were interpreted and correlated with confirmatory diagnosis. Results: According to DTI diagnosis, out of the 30 cases, 28 had movement disorders. Among cases, 36.67% had Parkinson’s disease (PD), 23.33% had progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), 16.67% had essential tremor, 13.33% had multi-system atrophy (MSA) C, and 3.33% had MSA P. DTI correctly classified all cases with PD and PSP. All cases with long disease duration and 88.24% of cases with short disease duration were also correctly classified. A statistically significant difference was observed in the proportion of diagnosis between DTI and conventional MRI. Conclusion: DTI has high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of movement disorders. It is capable of early diagnosis of movement disorders and also differentiating and subcategorizing them.
Seismotectonics of the Horseshoe Abyssal Plain and Gorringe Bank, eastern Atlantic Ocean: Constraints from ocean bottom seismometer data

At the eastern end of the Azores‐Gloria transform fault system to the southwest of Portugal, the plate boundary between Africa and Iberia is a region where deformation is accommodated over a wide tectonically active area. The region has unleashed large earthquakes and tsunamis, including the Mw ~ 8.5 Great Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Although the source region of the 1755 earthquake is still disputed, most proposals include a source location in the vicinity of the Horseshoe Abyssal Plain (HAP), which is bounded by the 5000 m high Gorringe Bank (GB). In this study we characterize seismic activity in the region using data recorded by two local networks of ocean bottom seismometers. The networks were deployed in the eastern HAP and at the GB. The data set allowed the detection of 160 local earthquakes. These earthquakes cluster around the GB, to the SW of Cabo Sao Vicente, and in the HAP. Focal depths indicate deep‐seated earthquakes, with depths increasing from 20–35 km (mean of 26.1 ± 7.2 km) at the GB to 15–45 km (mean 31.5 km ± 10.5 km) under the HAP. Seismic activity thus extends down to levels that are deeper than those mapped by active seismic profiling, with the majority of events occurring within the mantle. Thermal modeling suggests that temperatures of approximately 600°C characterize the base of the seismogenic brittle lithosphere at ~45 km depth. The large source depth and thermal structure support previous suggestions that catastrophic seismic rupture through the lithospheric mantle may indeed occur in the area.
Molecular and Structural Alterations of Skeletal Muscle Tissue Nuclei during Aging

Aging is accompanied by a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are certainly multifactorial and still remain to be fully elucidated. Changes in the cell nucleus structure and function have been considered among the possible contributing causes. This review offers an overview of the current knowledge on skeletal muscle nuclei in aging, focusing on the impairment of nuclear pathways potentially involved in age-related muscle decline. In skeletal muscle two types of cells are present: fiber cells, constituting the contractile muscle mass and containing hundreds of myonuclei, and the satellite cells, i.e., the myogenic mononuclear stem cells occurring at the periphery of the fibers and responsible for muscle growth and repair. Research conducted on different experimental models and with different methodological approaches demonstrated that both the myonuclei and satellite cell nuclei of aged skeletal muscles undergo several structural and molecular alterations, affecting chromatin organization, gene expression, and transcriptional and post-transcriptional activities. These alterations play a key role in the impairment of muscle fiber homeostasis and regeneration, thus contributing to the age-related decrease in skeletal muscle mass and function.
Effects of Air Velocity, Air Gap Thickness and Configuration on HeatTransfer of a Wearable Convective Cooling System

The effects of air velocity, air-gap thickness and configuration on heat transfer of a wearable convective cooling system were modeled using a 2-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. Three different configurations, one with eight 1 cm fans (8 × 1 model); one with four 2 cm fans (4 × 2 model); and one with four 1 cm fans (4 × 1 model) were studied at different inlet air velocities of 0.25 m/s, 0.5 m/s, 0.75 m/s and 1.0 m/s and with air gaps of 3 mm, 7 mm and 11 mm. The simulations showed that the convective and evaporative heat transfer coefficients varied with a power function of inlet air velocity, but the exponent was larger than reported in the literature. At lower air velocities, the heat transfer coefficients increased as the gap between the skin and the undergarment widened. At higher inlet air velocities, 3 mm and 11 mm air gaps showed the highest heat transfer values. The ratios of the heat transfer coefficients of the 8 × 1 and 4 × 2 models to the 4 × 1 models were both less than 2 indicating that doubling the inlet airflow does not double the heat transfer capability. The ratios of convective to evaporative heat transfer coefficients were around 8.63 K/kPa (SD 0.25 K/kPa), and were independent on the air velocity and configurations of the cooling system, suggesting that convective and evaporative heat transfer are fully coupled. This ratio also shows that the vapor permeability index of our system is around 0.52. Using slightly larger fans should be more effective in enhancing heat transfer than using more fans.
Effects of Dietary Tuber Ethanolic Extract of Nut Grass (Cyperus rotundus Linn.) on Growth, Immune Response, and Disease Resistance in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Simple Summary This study investigates the use of tuber extract from nut grass (Cyperus rotundus Linn.) as growth and immune boosters in aquaculture. Although C. rotundus is considered a weed of low value, it has been found to enhance growth and act as an immunostimulant in Nile tilapia. C. rotundus exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. agalactiae, resulting in increased fish survival. The study suggests that the immunostimulant properties of C. rotundus, typically regarded as a weed of low value, could serve as a value-added source in a bio-green aquaculture model, promoting fish-friendly practices for consumer health. Abstract Nut grass (Cyperus rotundus Linn.) is a weed that grows in all tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the world, including areas where it grows on saline soil. This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of C. rotundus tuber extract in the diet on the growth performance and disease resistance of Nile tilapia. Various components of phytochemical importance of nut grass, including sugars/carbohydrates, terpenoids, tannins, and flavonoids were found in C. rotundus. Tilapia (n = 25 fish/group in triplicate) were fed with different levels of nut grass extract including 0 (control; T1), 0.4 (T2), 0.8 (T3), and 1.6 (T4) g/kg for 60 days in a completely randomized design (CRD) experiment. After the feeding trial, the highest weight gain and average daily gain (ADG) were observed in the T4 group, but it was not significantly different from T3 (Nile tilapia fed with a 0.8 g/kg) (p > 0.05). The lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was observed in the T3 group. Moreover, the fillet, crud lipid content, and blood chemical profiles (aspartate aminotransferase (AST), cholesterol, and malondialdehyde (MDA)) in fish fed with 1.6 g/kg were highest when compared in all groups. In addition, the T3 group presented with the immune response parameter found in red blood cells (RBC), lysozyme activity, and antioxidant (superoxide dismutase activity (SOD)) being higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The highest survival (93.33%) was observed in fish fed with 0.8 g/kg (T3) after a 14 day challenge with Streptococcus agalactiae. Thus, it was concluded that nut grass extract at 0.8 g/kg can be used to improve the growth performance and the tendency for resistance to S. agalactiae in Nile tilapia.
Is frictional heating needed to cause dramatic weakening of nanoparticle gouge during seismic slip? Insights from friction experiments with variable thermal evolutions

To examine whether faults can be lubricated by preexisting and newly formed nanoparticles, we perform high‐velocity friction experiments on periclase (MgO) nanoparticles and on bare surfaces of Carrara marble cylinders/slices, respectively. Variable temperature conditions were simulated by using host blocks of different thermal conductivities. When temperature rises are relatively low, we observe high friction in nano‐MgO tests and unexpected slip strengthening following initial weakening in marble slice tests, suggesting that the dominant weakening mechanisms are of thermal origin. Solely the rolling of nanoparticles without significant temperature rise is insufficient to cause dynamic fault weakening. For nano‐MgO experiments, comprehensive investigations suggest that flash heating is the most likely weakening mechanism. In marble experiments, flash heating controls the unique evolutions of friction, and the competition between bulk temperature rise and wear‐induced changes of asperity contact numbers seems to strongly affect the efficiency of flash heating.
Detection of Severe Lung Infection on Chest Radiographs of COVID-19 Patients: Robustness of AI Models across Multi-Institutional Data

The diagnosis of severe COVID-19 lung infection is important because it carries a higher risk for the patient and requires prompt treatment with oxygen therapy and hospitalization while those with less severe lung infection often stay on observation. Also, severe infections are more likely to have long-standing residual changes in their lungs and may need follow-up imaging. We have developed deep learning neural network models for classifying severe vs. non-severe lung infections in COVID-19 patients on chest radiographs (CXR). A deep learning U-Net model was developed to segment the lungs. Inception-v1 and Inception-v4 models were trained for the classification of severe vs. non-severe COVID-19 infection. Four CXR datasets from multi-country and multi-institutional sources were used to develop and evaluate the models. The combined dataset consisted of 5748 cases and 6193 CXR images with physicians’ severity ratings as reference standard. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate model performance. We studied the reproducibility of classification performance using the different combinations of training and validation data sets. We also evaluated the generalizability of the trained deep learning models using both independent internal and external test sets. The Inception-v1 based models achieved AUC ranging between 0.81 ± 0.02 and 0.84 ± 0.0, while the Inception-v4 models achieved AUC in the range of 0.85 ± 0.06 and 0.89 ± 0.01, on the independent test sets, respectively. These results demonstrate the promise of using deep learning models in differentiating COVID-19 patients with severe from non-severe lung infection on chest radiographs.
Matrix Profile XXX: MADRID: A Hyper-Anytime and Parameter-Free Algorithm to Find Time Series Anomalies of all Lengths

In recent years there has been increasing evidence that one of the simplest time series anomaly detection methods, time series discords, remains one of the most effective methods. However, time series discords have one notable issue; the anomalies discovered depend on the algorithm’s only input parameter, the subsequence length. The obvious way to bypass this issue is to find anomalies at every possible length, however this seems to be untenably slow. In this work we introduce MADRID, an algorithm to efficiently solve the all-discords problem. We show that we can reduce the absolute time to compute all-discords, and that by using a novel computation ordering strategy, MADRID is a Hyper-Anytime Algorithm. We will formally define this term later, but this refers to an anytime algorithm that converges exceptionally fast. In practice this means that for most real-world analytical tasks, the user can interact with their data in real-time. The ability to compute anomalies of all lengths produces the issue of ranking anomalies of different lengths. We further introduce novel algorithms for this task. We demonstrate the utility of MADRID in various domains and show that it allows us to Find anomalies that would otherwise escape our attention.
Ref-MEF: Reference-Guided Flexible Gated Image Reconstruction Network for Multi-Exposure Image Fusion

Multi-exposure image fusion (MEF) is a computational approach that amalgamates multiple images, each captured at varying exposure levels, into a singular, high-quality image that faithfully encapsulates the visual information from all the contributing images. Deep learning-based MEF methodologies often confront obstacles due to the inherent inflexibilities of neural network structures, presenting difficulties in dynamically handling an unpredictable amount of exposure inputs. In response to this challenge, we introduce Ref-MEF, a method for color image multi-exposure fusion guided by a reference image designed to deal with an uncertain amount of inputs. We establish a reference-guided exposure correction (REC) module based on channel attention and spatial attention, which can correct input features and enhance pre-extraction features. The exposure-guided feature fusion (EGFF) module combines original image information and uses Gaussian filter weights for feature fusion while keeping the feature dimensions constant. The image reconstruction is completed through a gated context aggregation network (GCAN) and global residual learning GRL. Our refined loss function incorporates gradient fidelity, producing high dynamic range images that are rich in detail and demonstrate superior visual quality. In evaluation metrics focused on image features, our method exhibits significant superiority and leads in holistic assessments as well. It is worth emphasizing that as the number of input images increases, our algorithm exhibits notable computational efficiency.
New species of Tropicoporus (Basidiomycota, Hymenochaetales, Hymenochaetaceae) from India, with a key to Afro-Asian Tropicoporus species

﻿Abstract The Inonotuslinteus complex, predominantly reported from East Asia, Mesoamerica and Caribbean countries, was circumscribed into Tropicoporus as one of the new genera, based on morphological and phylogenetic data. The present paper describes four new species of Tropicoporus from India. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses, based on ITS and nLSU data, delimited the new species, which are named T.cleistanthicola, T.indicus, T.pseudoindicus and T.tamilnaduensis. The pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test was done to confirm the distinctive nature of the new species. The traits of Indian species remain distinct from one another, except for the pileate basidiome with the mono-dimitic hyphal system, cystidioles and broadly ellipsoid basidiospores. Descriptions, illustrations, PHI test results and a phylogenetic tree to show the position of the new species are provided. In addition, an identification key to Tropicoporus in Asia and an African species is given.
Early Experience with a New Program for Rural Development in Honduras

Development projects conducted in rural areas in Honduras have not had the desired impact on rural dwellers’ lives. The recently launched National Program of Sustainable Rural Development was created by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock with the intent of coordinating the interventions managed by a variety of projects in rural areas, with the overall goal of assisting rural families and their communities to reach a sustainable level of development. Rural human resources development will be critical to any sustained efforts in rural areas of Honduras. The purpose of this paper is to describe and comment on past practices of rural development programs in Honduras and to compare these practices with those of a new approach embodied in the National Program of Sustainable Rural Development (PRONADERS). PRONADERS is trying to incorporate some of the best practices in rural development and extension. Although some strategies remain undefined, the philosophical basis and early experience of PRONADERS look promising. This research is part of a longitudinal study of the program.