Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Diluent pH on Enrichment and Performance of Dairy Goat X/Y Sperm

In this paper, on the basis of the differences in the hydrogen ion concentration (pH) of the diluent dairy goat semen on X/Y sperm motility, an X/Y sperm enrichment study was conducted to establish a simple and effective method for gender control in dairy goats. Dairy goat semen was diluted using different pH dilutions and was incubated. Then, the X/Y sperm ratio in the isolated upper sperm was determined using the double TaqMan qPCR method. The internal pH change pattern of sperm cells at different pH dilutions was measured using BCECF-AM probe, and the functional parameters of the isolated sperm were tested with the corresponding kit. Next, an in vitro fertilization test was conducted using isolated spermatozoa and oocytes to determine their fertilization rates, the percentages of female embryos, and the expression of genes related to developing potentially fertilized embryos. Results showed that the percentages of the X sperm cells in the upper sperm layer were 67.24% ± 2.61% at sperm dilution pH of 6.2 and 30.45% ± 1.03% at sperm dilution pH of 7.4, which was significantly different from 52.35% ± 1.72% of the control group (pH 6.8) (P < 0.01). Results also showed that there is a relationship between the external pHo and internal pHi of sperm cells. Furthermore, the percentages of female embryos after the in vitro fertilization of the isolated upper sperm with mature oocytes at pH 6.2 and 7.4 were 66.67% ± 0.05 and 29.73% ± 0.04%, respectively, compared with 48.57% ± 0.02% in the control group (pH 6.8). Highly significant differences occurred between groups (P < 0.01). Additionally, no significant difference was observed during the expression of genes related to embryonic development between the blastocysts formed from sperm isolated by changing the pH of the diluent and the control sperm (P > 0.05). Therefore, this study successfully established a simple and effective method for enriched X/Y sperms from dairy goats, which is important for regulating the desired sex progeny during dairy goat breeding and for guiding dairy goat production.
The Tea Plant Leaf Cuticle: From Plant Protection to Tea Quality

Camellia sinensis (tea tree) is a perennial evergreen woody crop that has been planted in more than 50 countries worldwide; its leaves are harvested to make tea, which is one of the most popular nonalcoholic beverages. The cuticle is the major transpiration barrier to restrict nonstomatal water loss and it affects the drought tolerance of tea plants. The cuticle may also provide molecular cues for the interaction with herbivores and pathogens. The tea-making process almost always includes a postharvest withering treatment to reduce leaf water content, and many studies have demonstrated that withering treatment-induced metabolite transformation is essential to shape the quality of the tea made. Tea leaf cuticle is expected to affect its withering properties and the dynamics of postharvest metabolome remodeling. In addition, it has long been speculated that the cuticle may contribute to the aroma quality of tea. However, concrete experimental evidence is lacking to prove or refute this hypothesis. Even though its relevance to the abiotic and biotic stress tolerance and postharvest processing properties of tea tree, tea cuticle has long been neglected. Recently, there are several studies on the tea cuticle regarding its structure, wax composition, transpiration barrier organization, environmental stresses-induced wax modification, and structure–function relations. This review is devoted to tea cuticle, the recent research progresses were summarized and unresolved questions and future research directions were also discussed.
ScholarWorks @ UTRGV ScholarWorks @ UTRGV

To shed light on whether and how ﬁrms changed compensation practices in response to a shift in the environment in which they operated, we examine whether there is contagion effect of executive compensation regulation on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the emerging market of China. Speciﬁcally, we investigate whether ﬁrms not directly affected by the changing regulatory environment nonetheless changed executive compensation in response to the actions of the directly affected ﬁrms, which is called contagion effect. We further examine the speciﬁc contagion mechanisms and the economic consequences of regulation on compensation. We ﬁnd that the regulation has a signiﬁcant effect on compensation gap in central SOEs and a contagion effect on local SOEs but not for non-SOEs. Within SOEs, there is an intra-industry contagion effect of compensation regulation but not an intra-region effect. Further, central SOEs and local SOEs experience reduced ﬁrm performance after the compensation regulations, but not the non-SOEs; indicating that the compensation regulation does not have favorable economic consequences for both the directly affected central SOEs and the indirectly affected local SOEs.
Coaxially Bioprinted Cell-Laden Tubular-Like Structure for Studying Glioma Angiogenesis

Glioblastomas are the most frequently diagnosed and one of the most lethal primary brain tumors, and one of their key features is a dysplastic vascular network. However, because the origin of the tumor blood vessels remains controversial, an optimal preclinical tumor model must be established to elucidate the tumor angiogenesis mechanism, especially the role of tumor cells themselves in angiogenesis. Therefore, shell-glioma cell (U118)-red fluorescent protein (RFP)/core-human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC)-green fluorescent protein (GFP) hydrogel microfibers were coaxially bioprinted. U118–RFP and HUVEC–GFP cells both exhibited good proliferation in a three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment. The secretability of both vascular endothelial growth factor A and basic fibroblast growth factor was remarkably enhanced when both types of cells were cocultured in 3D models. Moreover, U118 cells promoted the vascularization of the surrounding HUVECs by secreting vascular growth factors. More importantly, U118–HUVEC-fused cells were found in U118–RFP/HUVEC–GFP hydrogel microfibers. Most importantly, our results indicated that U118 cells can not only recruit the blood vessels of the surrounding host but also directly transdifferentiate into or fuse with endothelial cells to participate in tumor angiogenesis in vivo. The coaxially bioprinted U118–RFP/HUVEC–GFP hydrogel microfiber is a model suitable for mimicking the glioma microenvironment and for investigating tumor angiogenesis.
Risk Factors for the Development of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in Children With Severe Adenovirus Pneumonia: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Objective: To investigate and analyze the relevant risk factors for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in children with severe adenovirus pneumonia (SAP). Methods: A retrospective study of children with SAP was performed in 30 cases developing HLH and 94 cases not developing HLH from December 2018 to August 2019. The binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors that were significantly associated with the development of HLH after the univariate analysis, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to find out the cut-off value for the significant relevant factors. Results: Two factors were associated with the development of HLH, which were the length of fever (OR = 1.331, 95%CI: 1.002–1.769) and triglycerides (TG) (OR = 17.345, 95%CI: 1.358–221.538). The cut-off value of the length of fever was 12.5 days, and the cut-off value of TG was 3.02 mmol/L. Conclusion: Children with SAP who had a duration of fever over 12.5 days and the TG level over 3.02 mmol/L are more likely to develop HLH.
Psychometric Properties of a German Online Version of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 1

Suggestibility is a trait dimension that has been differentiated into Yield and Shift dimensions. Yield refers to the susceptibility to suggestive item content in a first question series (Yield 1) and a second question series following negative feedback (Yield 2). Shift describes the tendency to change answers over the two series of questions depending on social pressure. This study aimed at investigating the psychometric properties and the factor structure of a German online version of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 1 (GSS 1) and measurement invariance of suggestibility scores for gender and research institution. A total of N=560 (n=287 female; age: M=24.20, SD=4.60years) students participated in the study. We present Stanine norms for the application of the online GSS 1. Results supported the theoretical basis of the GSS by revealing the two expected suggestibility factors: Yield and Shift. As expected, a leading factor and a non-leading factor were identified for Yield 1 and Yield 2 and a single factor for Shift. We report psychometric properties (e.g., item difficulty, part-whole corrected item-total correlations, reliability coefficients). We compare the factorial structure of the German online GSS 1 with former versions of the GSS 1. Our data suggest widely measurement invariance for gender and research institution on Yield 1 and Yield 2.
Predictors of Burnout Among Physicians: Evidence From a National Study in Portugal

The aims of this research on burnout among physicians were threefold, (1) to characterize the burnout symptoms’ prevalence among Portuguese physicians, (2) to test the hypothesis that organizational demands and resources add, on top of other factors, to the explanatory level of burnout; and (3) to explore the predictors of organizational demands and resources. Data collection was conducted online at the national level in Portugal, with 9,176 complete replies and a response rate of 21%. Predictors stemming from theoretical models of an intra-individual, occupational, organizational, and socio-psychological nature were measured using an online/paper survey. Results were analyzed through a significantly modified version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) after transformations to address the fit of this measure in this sample. Results show that 66% of physicians have high levels of emotional exhaustion, 33% high levels of depersonalization, and 39% high levels of decrease of personal accomplishment. Moreover, a first set of hierarchical multiple regression models with burnout symptoms reveals that organizational resources, demands of the relationship with the patients and of work schedule are consistently important predictors of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization on top of other theoretically relevant predictors. A second set of regression models with the organizational-level variables shows that, aside from organizational variables, other context variables, like procedural justice and teamwork, have the most substantial predictive value. These results highlight the importance of recognizing physicians’ burnout as a phenomenon that is predicted by a wide variety of factors, but also the importance of attending to the particular role of circumstancial factors that may be addressed in future interventions.
Validation and Verification of Business Rules

The Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Rules (SBVR) OMG standard and its supplementary Date-Time Vocabulary (DTV) have been proposed for specifying business models. The rules in such models are prescribed in Structured English (SBVR-SE) making them easier to understand and removing the need, or reducing the gap, for layers of business analysts between the stakeholder and the end programmer. In this paper, we validate the SBVR rules by translating the rules into regular expressions (regex) which allows for a representation of rules by Communication Finite State Machines (CFSMs). This formal representation is then compared with the textual representation used in the global graph for validation and model veriﬁcation purposes.
SwissText 2021 Task 3: Swiss German Speech to Standard German Text (short paper)

We present the results and ﬁndings of SwissText 2021 Task 3 on Swiss German Speech to Standard German Text. Participants were asked to build a system translating Swiss German speech to Standard German text. The objective was to maximize the BLEU score on a new test set covering a large part of the Swiss German dialect landscape. Four teams participated, with the winning contribution achieving a BLEU score of 46.0.
Sequence or Pseudo-Sequence? An Analysis of Sequential Recommendation Datasets

Sequential recommendation aims to model a user’s preferences by looking at the order of interactions in a user’s history. The evaluation of such algorithms requires robust datasets with genuine sequential information. In this work we analyze the timestamp information of several commonly used datasets and show that reported timestamps are not indicative of meaningful sequential order. In the datasets explored, significant numbers of users have interactions occurring at identical timestamps. The actual order of these interactions is therefore unknowable; the interaction history is pseudo-sequential. We find that randomly shuffling the order of interactions has minimal impact on the performance of a leading sequential recommender. Particular attention is paid to MovieLens because of its frequency of use in the field of sequential recommendation. Our findings motivate the necessity for new datasets with more meaningful ordering for the evaluation of sequential recommenders.
Participation of HULAT-UC3M in SEPP-NLG 2021 shared task (short paper)

This paper introduces the HULAT-UC3M sys-tem developed to participate in the SEPP-NLG 2021 shared task. The systems is based on the Punctuator framework, a bidirectional recurrent neural network model with attention mechanism for automatic punctuation trained on the Europarl dataset provided by organizers. The best results obtained in Subtask 1 are F1 score of 84%, 79%, 36% and 83% for EN, IT, DE and FR languages on development dataset, respectively. Concerning Subtask 2, F1 score are 63%, 57%, 69% and 64% for EN, IT, DE and FR languages on development dataset, respectively.
Prediction Accuracy and Autonomy

The tech industry has been criticised for designing applications that undermine individuals' autonomy. Recommender systems, in particular, have been identified as a suspected culprit that might exercise unwanted control over peoples' lives. In this article we try to assess the objectives of recommender system research and offer a nuanced discussion of how these objectives can align with users' goals. This discussion employs a qualitative literature survey connecting the dots between relevant research within the fields of psychology, design ethics, interaction design and recommender systems. Finally, we focus on the specific use-case of YouTube's recommender system and propose design changes that will better align with individuals' autonomy. Based on our analysis we offer directions for future research that will help secure rights to digital autonomy in the attention economy.
Commonsense Reasoning with Argumentation for Cognitive Robotics

Commonsense Reasoning is a cognitive ability which is found only in humans, but the desire is to implement it in Artiﬁcial Intelligence when solving tasks. Moreover, the use of arguments can reveal how and why a human individual supports or rejects an opinion. In this thesis, our goal is to study theoretically the problem of commonsense reasoning and develop methods for enhancing the commonsense reasoning capabilities of a cognitive robotic system that acts in a household environment. The commonsense reasoning mechanism is implemented with the use of argumentation, by developing argumentation frameworks that can facilitate commonsense knowledge. Additionally, we use Semantic Web technologies to add commonsense knowledge in the commonsense reasoning mechanism, and we construct a framework that accommodates our methods.
Analytical modeling and analysis of magnetic field and torque for novel axial flux eddy current couplers with PM excitation

Rotational permanent magnet eddy current couplers are promising devices for torque and speed transmission without any mechanical contact. In this study, flux-concentration disk-type permanent magnet eddy current couplers with double conductor rotor are investigated. Given the drawback of the accurate three-dimensional finite element method, this paper proposes a mixed two-dimensional analytical modeling approach. Based on this approach, the closed-form expressions of magnetic field, eddy current, electromagnetic force and torque for such devices are obtained. Finally, a three-dimensional finite element method is employed to validate the analytical results. Besides, a prototype is manufactured and tested for the torque-speed characteristic.
One-electron equation in terms of equivalent function and phase norm

We present an alternative one-electron equation for resolving many-electron problem to one-electron approximation and including the exchange and correlation effects in an analytical way, thereby fulfilling the requirements for ab initio calculation. To derive one-electron equation, we accept a new notion of equivalent function suggestive of the pseudo wavefunction. As a result, we reduce many-electron equation to one-electron including the exchange effect in an analytical method. Moreover we accept the notion of phase norm for two electrons to resolve the electronic correlation problem. The phase norm is used to specify the electron-approachable limit between particles. We take into consideration the electronic correlation with the help of a correlation-hole function in terms of the phase norm, by which multiplying the integrand of the operator term representing the interaction between electrons. Using the phase norm leads to analytical consideration of the electronic correlation without employing in a factitious way the additional term pertaining to correlation, so it embodies the physical essence of electronic correlation. The derived equation becomes an one-electron equation which does not include an additional term pertaining to the exchange and correlation, but takes into consideration the exchange and correlation effects in a rigorous ab initio way.
Accretion onto Regular Magnetic Black Hole in Non-minimal Einstein-Yang-Mills Theory

In this work, we investigate the process of accretion for static spherical symmetric geometries for isotropic fluid. For analyze this process we use the nonminimal magnetically charged regular black holes. For this purpose, we obtain generalized expressions for the accretion rate Ṁ , critical radius rs, critical speed v s and squared sound speed c 2 s during the accretion process near the regular black holes. Finally, we study the behavior of radial velocity, energy density and rate of change of mass for each regular black hole by plotting graph. AMS Mathematics Subject Classification : 83C05.
Study on the molecular models commonly used in the simulation of dilute polymeric solutions in flow

Abstract Three molecular models, commonly used in the simulation of polymeric solutions and melts were employed to describe the rheological behaviour of dilute, elastic and constant viscosity solution formed by bead-and-bond chain molecules immersed into a soft-sphere solvent. The intermolecular interactions for the three models were calculated by the Lennard-Jones potential. The differences amongst the models proceeded from the intramolecular restrictions: the simplest one is a Freely-Joined-Chain (FJC) model with harmonic bond potentials, in the second model bonds are restricted by a finite extensible non-linear elastic (FENE) potential plus a repulsive WCA potential, and the third model is conformed by the United Atom (UA) approach which includes bond, flexion and torsion potentials. Both Couette and Poiseuille flows were simulated using Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics. Deformation displayed by the three chain models; defined in terms of their radius of gyration was calculated and according to results it was found that for Couette flow, the three chains exhibit similar response to deformation. In Poiseulle flow, the FJC and FENE models behave similarly but the UA model presents a larger resistance to deformation. For both flow regimes, the forces involved to deform the chains were estimated in terms of the first normal stress differences. From these estimations it was found that the UA model depicted the stiffest chain, followed by the FENE model, and last the FJC model.
Disproportionality analysis of adverse neurological and psychiatric reactions with the ChAdOx1 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccines in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT Background Information on neurological and psychiatric adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) with COVID-19 vaccines is limited. Research design & methods We examined and compared neurological and psychiatric AEFIS reports related to BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and ChAdOx1 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) COVID-19 vaccines and recorded in the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency between 9 December 2020 and 30 June 2021. Results As of 30 June 2021, 46.1 million doses of ChAdOx1 and 30.3 million doses of BNT162b2 had been administered. The most frequently reported AEFI was headache with 1,686 and 575 cases per million doses of ChAdOx1 and BNT162b2, respectively. AEFIs more frequently reported after CHAdOx1 compared with BNT162b2 vaccination were Guillain-Barré syndrome (OR, 95% CI = 2.53, 1.82–3.51), freezing (6.66, 3.12–14.22), cluster headache (1.53, 1.28–1.84), migraine (1.23,1.17–1.30), postural dizziness (1.24,1.13–1.37), tremor (2.86, 2.68–3.05), headache (1.40, 1.38–1.43), paresthesia (1.11, 1.06–1.16), delirium (1.85, 1.45–2.36), hallucination (2.20, 1.82–2.66), poor quality sleep (1.53, 1.26–1.85), and nervousness (1.54, 1.26–1.89) Reactions less frequently reported with ChAdOx1 than with BNT162b2 were Bell’s palsy (0.47, 0.41–0.55), anosmia (0.58, 0.47–0.71), facial paralysis (0.35, 0.29–0.41), dysgeusia (0.68, 0.62–0.73), presyncope (0.48, 0.42–0.55), syncope (0.63, 0.58–0.67), and anxiety (0.75 (0.67–0.85). Conclusion Neurological and psychiatric AEFIs were relatively infrequent, but each vaccine was associated with a distinctive toxic profile. Plain Language Summary We examined reports on adverse neurological and psychiatric effects following immunization with BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and ChAdOx1 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) for COVID-19 to the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency between 9 December 2020 and 30 June 2021. Adverse effects following immunization (AEFIs) were relatively infrequent. Compared to BNT162b2, Guillain-Barré syndrome, freezing phenomenon, cluster headache, migraine, postural dizziness, tremor, headache, paresthesia, delirium, hallucination, poor quality sleep, and nervousness were more frequently reported for ChAdOx1. Reactions less frequently reported for ChAdOx1 than for BNT162b2 were Bell’s palsy, anosmia, facial paralysis, dysgeusia, presyncope, syncope, and anxiety.
Silver ions blocking crystallization of guanosine-based hydrogel for potential antimicrobial applications

In this work, the detailed crystallization process of 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroguanosine (FGd) hydrogel has been studied using single crystal X-ray diffraction, variable-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance (VT-NMR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both solid and solution results indicated that the K+-mediated G-quartet structures were unstable and easily resulted in the breakdown of the hydrogel to form linear ribbon structures by forming mimic reverse Watson–Crick base pairs between the two faces with an intermolecular hydrogen-bond (N10H–O11). Accordingly, Ag+ was introduced to block the crystallization of FGd to form long lifetime stable supramolecular hydrogel (>6 months) and possible silver-ions-mediated base pair motifs were suggested via NMR, UV, and mass spectroscopy (MS) in combination with powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD). Furthermore, FGdAg hydrogel exhibited low toxicity for normal oral keratinocyte cells (NOK-SI) and good antibacterial activities for Fusobacterium nucleatum in vitro.