Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic distinctiveness of an endangered falcon: Implications for conservation in Europe

In the Falconidae, the genus Falco comprises species of large birds of prey with wide distribution worldwide. However, the European lanner falcon Falco biarmicus feldeggii is rapidly heading for global extinction following a dramatic decline caused by anthropogenic interference. Conservation projects are currently underway with the main purpose of increasing its population size in the Mediterranean basin through captive breeding and release of birds into the wild. To support the projects, and strengthen the legitimacy of conservation efforts consistently with the Evolutionary Significant Unit concept, we explored the possibility of characterising the gene pool of the European lanner and reliably distinguishing it from other falcon taxa inhabiting the Mediterranean area, which show morphological and genetic similarities. To address the issue, we examined genetic variability at the nuclear level through the analysis of 12 neutral Short Tandem Repeat loci, and, for the first time in these taxa, two single-copy functional genes, coding for the brain-derived neurotrophic factor precursor and the oocyte maturation factor, respectively. The second exon of the major histocompatibility complex class II B gene was also investigated. Additionally, to frame our data with previously published data, we assess variation at the mitochondrial level by sequencing portions of the cytochrome b, 12S rRNA gene, and the control region. Our results showed that the European lanner is highly distinct from other falcon taxa, as revealed by nuclear, but not by mitochondrial DNA. We discuss our findings focusing on their implications for the preservation of this highly endangered European bird, and highlighted the critical role of genetic information in planning and monitoring concrete interventions.
Risk factors for antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from poultry in Haryana

Colibacillosis is a disease of severe economic significance to all poultry producers worldwide, characterized by a diverse array of lesions. Due to enormous exploitation of antibiotics in broilers, an increased number of resistant bacterial strains have developed in recent years. 106 E. coli strains were collected from broilers suffering from colibacillosis. The resistance to different classes of antimicrobials was determined. The presence of integrons was determined by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). All the statistical analyses were carried out using STATA™. All the isolates were multidrug resistance (MDR), i.e. resistant to at least one agent in three or more antimicrobial categories. 37 (34.90%) isolates were found positive for Class 1 integrons. There was significant difference in carriage of integrons in different phylogentic groups, p=0.001, however, there was no difference among different serotypes for carriage of integrons. Significant difference was observed for resistance towards co-trimoxazole (p=0.002), piperacillin (p=0.034) and ciprofloxacin (p=0.046) in Class 1 integron carrying isolates and Class 1 integron negative isolates. Significant difference was observed for resistance towards ceftriaxone (p=0.004) and cefotaxime (p=0.027) in relation to phylogenetic groups. Also, significant difference was observed among different serotypes for resistance towards co-trimoxazole (p=0.001), gentamicin (p=0.005) and kanamycin (p=0.041).
INTEGRASI NILAI KEARIFAN LOKAL DALAM PEMBELAJARAN MATEMATIKA SD/MI KURIKULUM 2013

Pendidikan memiliki peran penting dalam pembangunan suatu bangsa. Pendidikan harus mampu mengakomodasi kebutuhan insan pembelajar agar mempunyai kesiapan dalam menghadapi perubahan zaman. Pendidikan harus lebih reaktif dan antisipatif terhadap nilai budaya dan karakter bangsa yang mulai tergerus oleh perkembangan zaman. Penanaman nilai-nilai kearifan lokal pada proses pembelajaran di sekolah khususnya dalam pembelajaran matematika, dianggap dapat membendung degradasi moral dan tetap mewujudkan manusia Indonesia yang berkarakter dan berdaya saing tinggi. Integrasi nilai-nilai kebudayaan juga sesuai dengan kurikulum saat ini, khususnya pada pembelajaran tematik SD/MI, dan diwujudkan dalam buku siswa tematik Kurikulum 2013. Tujuan dari kajian literatur pada artikel ini adalah mengkaji, menganalisa, dan mendeskripsikan bagaimana nilai-nilai kearifan lokal dapat diintegrasikan dalam pembelajaran untuk mencapai pembelajaran bermakna dan menghasilkan manusia yang bermoral, berkarakter, dan berbudaya.
AUVs as research vessels: the pros and cons.

Traditional ocean going research vessels have advanced considerably over the last century. However, as marine sampling platforms they suffer from some major shortcomings related to their large size and surface restriction. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are small unmanned submarines which have emerged over the past ten years as alternative platforms. Currently, there are over 75 AUVs either under development or in operation in the offshore industries of mineral exploration, in the military, and in applied and academic oceanographic science. This paper reviews the application of AUVs to marine research. Compared to traditional research vessel platforms, AUVs are able to sample previously impenetrable environments such as the sea surface, the deep sea and under sea ice. Furthermore, AUVs are typically small, very quiet, and have the potential to operate at low cost and be unconstrained by the vagaries of weather. Examples of how these traits may be utilised in marine science are given with reference to previous work and to potential future applications. However, before many of the more prospective applications can be accomplished, advances in AUV power source technology are required to increase the range of operation. The paper reviews current power sources for AUVs and examines other developments which will overcome many of the limitations currently inhibiting the wider application of AUVs for gathering data in marine science.
World Journal of Gastroenterology

Frailty and sarcopenia are frequently observed in patients with end-stage liver disease. Frailty is a complex condition that arises from deteriorations across various physiological systems, including the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and immune systems, resulting in a reduced ability of the body to withstand stressors. This condition is associated with declined resilience and increased vulnerability to negative outcomes, including disability, hospitalization, and mortality. In cirrhotic patients, frailty is influenced by multiple factors, such as hyperam-monemia, hormonal imbalance, malnutrition, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and alcohol intake. Assessing frailty is crucial in predicting morbidity and mortality in cirrhotic patients. It can aid in making critical decisions regarding patients’ eligibility for critical care and transplantation. This, in turn, can guide the development of an individualized treatment plan for each patient with cirrhosis, with a focus on prioritizing exercise, proper nutrition, and appropriate treatment of hepatic complications as the primary lines of treatment. In this review, we aim to explore the topic of frailty in liver diseases, with a particular emphasis on pathophysiology, clinical assessment, and discuss strategies for preventing frailty through effective treatment of hepatic complications. Furthermore, we explore novel assessment and management strategies that have emerged in recent years, including the use of wearable technology and telemedicine.
A Resource-Efficient Multiplierless Systolic Array Architecture for Convolutions in Deep Networks

This brief presents a resource-efficient VLSI architecture for convolution operations in deep networks. Taking advantage of a feature of the max pooling layer in classical convolutional neural networks (CNNs), the image pixels are scaled such that the weight values are constrained to lie in [−1, +1] range. Under this constraint, the weight parameters are chosen as trigonometric functions, enabling realization of convolution without multipliers. In particular, the convolution is realized using the CORDIC algorithm. We also propose a dataflow model based on a reconfigurable systolic ring array to achieve performance comparable to contemporary CNN architectures but with substantially less hardware, high resource utilization efficiency, and reduced power consumption. FPGA implementation of the proposed architecture on Xilinx Virtex-5 XC5VLX5OT achieves roughly 55% higher resource efficiency, with approximately 53% reduction in the slice-delay product and 55% reduction in power consumption compared to recent architectures.
Taxonomy, ecology, and relevance to food safety of the genus Listeria with a particular consideration of new Listeria species described between 2010 and 2022

ABSTRACT Since 2010, the genus Listeria has had the addition of 22 new species that more than tripled the number of species identified until 2010. Sixteen of these 22 new species are distantly related to the type species, Listeria monocytogenes, and several of these present phenotypes that distinguish them from classical Listeria species (L. monocytogenes, Listeria innocua, Listeria ivanovii, Listeria seeligeri, Listeria welshimeri, and Listeria grayi). These 22 newly described species also show that Listeria is more genetically diverse than previously estimated. While future studies and surveys are needed to clarify the distribution of these species, at least some of these species may not be widely spread, while other species may be frequently found spread to human-related settings (e.g., farms and processing facilities), and others may be adapted to specific environmental habitats. Here, we review the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and ecological characteristics of these new Listeria species identified since 2010 and re-iterate the suggestion of re-classification of some species into three new genera: Murraya, Mesolisteria, and Paenilisteria. We also provide a review of current detection issues and the relevance to food safety related to the identification of these new species. For example, several new non-pathogenic species could be misidentified as the pathogen L. monocytogenes, based on methods that do not target L. monocytogenes-specific virulence genes/factors, leading to unnecessary product recalls. Moreover, eight species in the proposed new genus Mesolisteria are not good indicators of environmental conditions that could allow L. monocytogenes to grow since Mesolisteria species are unable to grow at low temperatures.
Comorbidities and chance of remission in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis receiving methotrexate as first-line therapy: a Swedish observational nationwide study

Objectives This study aims to examine whether comorbidities affect the likelihood of reaching primary remission on methotrexate monotherapy as the first disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods We used nationwide Swedish clinical and quality registers to collect RA disease activity measures and comorbidity data for patients diagnosed with RA 2007–2020 (n=11 001). The primary outcome was failure to reach 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) remission at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included Boolean, Simplified Disease Activity Index/Clinical Disease Activity Index remission, European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology response and no swollen joint count at 3 and 6 months. For each comorbidity, and for combinations thereof, we calculated adjusted relative risks (RRs) of failure to reach remission, using modified Poisson regression. Results In total, 53% (n=4019/7643) failed to reach DAS28 remission after 3 months of methotrexate monotherapy, ranging from 66% (n=25/38) among patients with chronic kidney disease to 48% (n=154/319) in patients with previous cancer. The risk of not reaching DAS28 remission at 3 months (RR adjusted for sex and age) was increased among patients with endocrine (RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.15), gastrointestinal (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.30), infectious (RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.38), psychiatric (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.35) and respiratory comorbidities (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.32). Having three or more comorbidity categories was associated with a 27% higher risk of DAS28 remission failure at 3 months. A similar pattern was observed for the secondary outcomes. Conclusions Comorbidities decrease the chance of reaching remission on methotrexate as DMARD monotherapy in patients with early RA and are important to consider when assessing treatment outcomes.
Detecting and mapping levels of Gonipterus scutellatus-induced vegetation defoliation and leaf area index using spatially optimized vegetation indices

Abstract Gonipterus scutellatus outbreaks may severely defoliate Eucalyptus plantations growing in South Africa. Therefore, detecting and mapping the severity and extent of G. scutellatus defoliation is essential for the deployment of suppressive measures. In this study, we tested the utility of spatially optimized vegetation indices and an artificial neural network in detecting and mapping G. scutellatus-induced vegetation defoliation, using both visual estimates of percentage defoliation and optical leaf area index (LAI) measures. We tested both field methods to determine which of the two were more superior in detecting vegetation defoliation using optimized vegetation indices. These indices were computed from a WorldView-2 pan-sharpened image, which is characterized with a 0.5-m spatial resolution and eight spectral bands. The indices were resampled to spatial resolutions that best represented levels of G. scutellatus-induced defoliation. The results showed that levels of defoliation, using visual percentage estimates, were detected with an R2 of 0.83 and an RMSE of 1.55 (2.97% of the mean measured defoliation), based on an independent test data-set. Similarly, LAI subjected to defoliation was detected with an R2 of 0.80 and an RMSE of 0.03 (0.06% of the mean measured LAI), based on an independent test data-set. Therefore, the results indicate that the cheaper less-complicated visual percentage estimates of defoliation was the more superior model of the two. A sensitivity analysis revealed that NDRE, MCARI2 and ARI ranked as the top three most influential indices in developing both percentage defoliation and LAI models. Furthermore, we compared the optimized model with a model developed using the original image spatial resolution. The results indicated that the optimized model performed better than the original 0.5-m spatial resolution model. Overall, the study showed that vegetation indices optimized to specific spatial resolutions can effectively detect and map levels of G. scutellatus-induced defoliation and LAI subjected to defoliation.
The diagnostic value of circulating tumor cells and ctDNA for gene mutations in lung cancer

Purpose Detecting gene mutations by two competing biomarkers, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and ctDNA has gradually paved a new diagnostic avenue for personalized medicine. We performed a comprehensive analysis to compare the diagnostic value of CTCs and ctDNA for gene mutations in lung cancer. Methods Publications were electronically searched in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science as of July 2018. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC, each with a 95% CI, were yielded. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Quality assessment of included studies was also performed. Results From 4,283 candidate articles, we identified 47 articles with a total of 7,244 patients for qualitative review and meta-analysis. When detecting EGFR, the CTC and ctDNA groups had pooled sensitivity of 75.4% (95% CI 0.683–0.817) and 67.1% (95% CI 0.647–0.695), respectively. When testing KRAS, pooled sensitivity was 38.7% (95% CI 0.266–0.519) in the CTC group and 65.1% (95% CI 0.558–0.736) in the ctDNA group. The diagnostic performance of ctDNA in testing ALK and BRAF was also evaluated. Heterogeneity among the 47 articles was acceptable. Conclusion ctDNA might be a more promising biomarker with equivalent performance to CTCs when detecting EGFR and its detailed subtypes, and superior diagnostic capacity when testing KRAS and ALK. In addition, the diagnostic performance of ctDNA and CTCs depends on the detection methods greatly, and this warrants further studies to explore more sensitive methods.
Transcriptional pathways across colony biofilm models in the symbiont Vibrio fischeri

ABSTRACT Beneficial microbial symbionts that are horizontally acquired by their animal hosts undergo a lifestyle transition from free-living in the environment to associating with host tissues. In the model symbiosis between the Hawaiian bobtail squid and its microbial symbiont Vibrio fischeri, one mechanism used to make this transition during host colonization is the formation of biofilm-like aggregates in host mucosa. Previous work identified factors that are sufficient to induce V. fischeri biofilm formation, yet much remains unknown regarding the breadth of target genes induced by these factors. Here, we probed two widely used in vitro models of biofilm formation to identify novel regulatory pathways in the squid symbiont V. fischeri ES114. We discovered a shared set of 232 genes that demonstrated similar patterns in expression in both models. These genes comprise multiple exopolysaccharide loci that are upregulated and flagellar motility genes that are downregulated, with a consistent decrease in measured swimming motility. Furthermore, we identified genes regulated downstream of the key sensor kinase RscS that are induced independent of the response regulator SypG. Our data suggest that transcriptional regulator VpsR plays a strong role in expression of at least a subset of these genes. Overall, this study adds to our understanding of the genes involved in V. fischeri biofilm regulation while revealing new regulatory pathways branching from previously characterized signaling networks. IMPORTANCE The V. fischeri-squid system provides an opportunity to study biofilm development both in the animal host and in culture-based biofilm models that capture key aspects of in vivo signaling. In this work, we report the results of the transcriptomic profiling of two V. fischeri biofilm models followed by phenotypic validation and examination of novel signaling pathway architecture. Remarkable consistency between the models provides a strong basis for future studies using either approach or both. A subset of the factors identified by the approaches were validated in the work, and the body of transcriptomic data provides a number of leads for future studies in culture and during animal colonization. The V. fischeri-squid system provides an opportunity to study biofilm development both in the animal host and in culture-based biofilm models that capture key aspects of in vivo signaling. In this work, we report the results of the transcriptomic profiling of two V. fischeri biofilm models followed by phenotypic validation and examination of novel signaling pathway architecture. Remarkable consistency between the models provides a strong basis for future studies using either approach or both. A subset of the factors identified by the approaches were validated in the work, and the body of transcriptomic data provides a number of leads for future studies in culture and during animal colonization.
Uptake of extracellular vesicles into immune cells is enhanced by the protein corona

Abstract The influence of a protein corona on the uptake of nanoparticles in cells has been demonstrated in various publications over the last years. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), can be seen as natural nanoparticles. However, EVs are produced under different cell culture conditions and little is known about the protein corona forming on EVs and its influence on their uptake by target cells. Here, we use a proteomic approach in order to analyze the protein composition of the EVs themselves and the protein composition of a human blood plasma protein corona around EVs. Moreover, we analyze the influence of the protein corona on EV uptake into human monocytes and compare it with the influence on the uptake of engineered liposomes. We show that the presence of a protein corona increases the uptake of EVs in human monocytes. While for liposomes this seems to be triggered by the presence of immunoglobulins in the protein corona, for EVs blocking the Fc receptors on monocytes did not show an influence of uptake. Therefore, other mechanisms of docking to the cell membrane and uptake are most like involved, demonstrating a clear difference between EVs and liposomes as technically produced nanocarriers.
Is evoking fear effective? Exploratory findings from a randomised experiment on the impacts of health warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverages

Objective: Health warning labels (HWL) have been suggested to be effective in reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). Yet, the efficacy and acceptability of SSB HWL of different formats (textual/pictorial) and severity remain unclear. This exploratory study aims to examine the extent and mechanism through which HWL of different formats and severity may affect responses towards the HWL and SSB consumption. Design: Randomised online experiment. Participants were exposed to images of a hypothetical SSB bearing a HWL of one of three conditions: text-only HWL, moderately severe pictorial HWL and highly severe pictorial HWL. They then responded to theory-based affective, cognitive and behavioural measures. Setting: Singapore Participants: One hundred and twenty-seven young adult consumers from a public university Results: Direct effects were found for fear, avoidance, reactance and acceptability of the HWL, but not attitude, intention or motivation to consume less SSB. Pictorial (moderately severe and highly severe) HWL were associated with greater fear, avoidance, and reactance, and lower acceptability than text-only HWL. There was weak evidence that highly severe pictorial HWL resulted in greater reactance than moderately severe pictorial HWL. Fear mediated the effect of HWL of different severity levels on avoidance, reactance, intention and motivation, but not for attitude or acceptability. Conclusions: Exploratory findings indicate that although pictorial HWL were less acceptable, they may still be effective in influencing intention and motivation to reduce SSB consumption through the psychological mechanism of fear. Hence, graphic HWL should not be dismissed too quickly when considering strategies for reducing SSB consumption.