Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accelerated Amyloid Beta Pathogenesis by Bacterial Amyloid FapC

The gut–brain axis has attracted increasing attention in recent years, fueled by accumulating symptomatic, physiological, and pathological findings. In this study, the aggregation and toxicity of amyloid beta (Aβ), the pathogenic peptide associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), seeded by FapC amyloid fragments (FapCS) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that colonizes the gut microbiome through infections are examined. FapCS display favorable binding with Aβ and a catalytic capacity in seeding the peptide amyloidosis. Upon seeding, twisted Aβ fibrils assume a much‐shortened periodicity approximating that of FapC fibrils, accompanied by a 37% sharp rise in the fibrillar diameter, compared with the control. The robust seeding capacity for Aβ by FapCS and the biofilm fragments derived from P. aeruginosa entail abnormal behavior pathology and immunohistology, as well as impaired cognitive function of zebrafish. Together, the data offer the first concrete evidence of structural integration and inheritance in peptide cross‐seeding, a crucial knowledge gap in understanding the pathological correlations between different amyloid diseases. The catalytic role of infectious bacteria in promoting Aβ amyloidosis may be exploited as a potential therapeutic target, while the altered mesoscopic signatures of Aβ fibrils may serve as a prototype for molecular assembly and a biomarker for screening bacterial infections in AD.
The Role of Galectins in Mouse Development

ガレクチンはβ-ガラクトシドに特異的な糖認識分子のファミリーである。 分子量が14から36kDaと小さく、細胞内の分布状況も様々であることから、他の動物レクチンとは区別される。 現在のところ、このガレクチン遺伝子ファミリーは10種類が同定されている。 様々なガレクチンの胚形成における空間的・時間的分布を調べてみると、その発現パターンは絶えず変化しており、発生過程の様々な段階で働いていることが示唆される。 胚形成におけるガレクチンの機能を解明するため、我々はガレクチン-1とガレクチン-3遺伝子を欠失させた変異体を作った。 ガレクチン-1またはガレクチン-3のどちらかの変異をホモで持つ変異体は、生存も可能で繁殖能力も持っていた。 子宮内での着床時に、胚の表面にガレクチン-1とガレクチン-3両方が発現されるが、両ガレクチンの二重変異ホモの胚も着床に成功し、目立った表現型もない。 現在、二重変異を起こしたマウスについてより詳細な解析を行っている。
Mineral status of feeds, fodder and tree leaves for dairy animals in Jorhat district of Assam

A field survey was carried out in six blocks of Jorhat district of Assam to assess the existing feeding practices and mineral status of feeds, fodder and tree leaves commonly fed to the dairy animals. The prevalent feeding system was of semi-intensive type, letting the animals loose during the day time and housing in stalls in the evening. Offering concentrate was not a routine practice. However, some farmers used homegrown cereal byproducts like rice polish/rice bran with common salt or concentrate available in the local market. They generally used roughages mainly paddy straw along with cultivated grasses/jungle pasture grasses for feeding to their animals in the evening. Use of tree fodders was very common during rainy season and in lean periods. The pooled concentrate was found to be optimal in (on DM basis) Ca (0.76 mg%), Fe (96.03 mg/kg) and Mg (0.47 mg%), but deficient in Cu, Zn, Mn and K. The Cu, Zn and Mg were deficient in paddy straw. The cultivated green grasses were optimal in Ca, Fe, Mn and K, but were deficient in Zn and Mg. The Cu, Mn and Zn contents of the tree leaves were variable, whereas the Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn and K concentrations were above the recommended critical levels for the dairy animals. Thus, this study provides valuable information for formulating a balanced mineral supplementation taking into consideration the mineral status of concentrate, fodders and tree leaves to support optimum productivity of the dairy animals.
Effect of GA3 and Sitofex (CPPU) Spraying on Yield and Fruit Quality of "Kelsey" Plum Trees (Prunus salicina Lindl.)

A field experiment was conducted during 2018 and 2019 seasons at Abu El-Matamir region, El-Bohaira governorate, Egypt, to study the effect of foliar application of GA3 and sitofex (CPPU) on yield and fruit quality of eight year "Kelsey” plum trees (Prunus salicina Lindl.). Foliar spray of sitofex (CPPU) at 0, 5, 10 and 15 ppm and GA3 at 0, 20 and 40 ppm individually or in combination were done twice at full bloom and two weeks other. Twelve treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design as split plot, gibberellic acid was assigned in the main plots while sitofex (CPPU) was assigned in sub plots. The results showed that, trees sprayed with GA3 at 40 ppm + CPPU at 15 ppm or GA3 at 20 ppm + CPPU at 15 ppm significantly increased fruit set %, yield (kg/ tree or ton/feddan) and some fruit physical parameters such as (fruit weight, fruit size and fruit juice). Fruit drop % was decreased compared to control and other treatments. Chemical fruit quality such as SSC %, total acidity and SSC/acid ratio were also improved as compared to control. It could be recommended that, “Kelsey” plum trees sprayed with GA3 at 40 ppm + CPPU at 15 ppm or GA3 at 20 ppm + CPPU at 15 ppm twice at the full bloom and after two weeks from full bloom which are considered the best combination treatments used to increasing the percentage of fruit size, yield and fruit weight as well as improving the other characteristics of fruit quality.
Carcinomatous Meningitis from Solid Tumors: A Seven Years’ Experience in Moroccan Patients

DOI: 10.21276/sjmps.2018. 4.3. 12 Abstract: Carcinomatous meningitis from solid tumors has not been investigated in detail in the Moroccan population. Therefore, we reviewed our experience with this disease to determine its clinical features and treatment outcomes in Moroccan patients. We performed a retrospective review of all patients with solid cancers admitted to the Military Hospital Moulay Ismail in Meknes, Morocco with carcinomatous meningitis between January 2011 and December 2017. A total of 12 patients were included. 5 were males and 7 were females. The median age was 54 years old (39 – 77 years old). The most frequent primary tumor was breast cancer (50%) and lung cancer (34%). The median time from initial cancer diagnosis to the development of carcinomatous meningitis was 6.9 months (0 – 49 months). The most common symptoms were headache (67%), nausea and vomiting (42%), and vision changes (34%). The diagnosis of CM was established by both CSF cytology and MRI in 25% of patients, by CSF cytology alone in 17%, and by MRI alone in 58%. One of the 12 patients received supportive care only. Chemotherapy was the only treatment for 50% of patients, 17% received radiotherapy alone, and 25% received both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The median survival from the time of carcinomatous meningitis diagnosis was 9 weeks (2 – 29 weeks). Our results confirm the continued poor prognosis of carcinomatous meningitis in Moroccan patients with solid tumors as well. Further clinical trials are needed to improve therapeutic strategies including prophylactic approaches.
Corporate Flexibility in a Time of Crisis

We use timely surveys of US CFOs to study how flexibility shapes companies’ responses to the onset of the COVID-19 crisis and drives longer-term changes in the corporate sector. The three dimensions of corporate flexibility that we study perform distinct functions, yet complement each other. We find that workplace flexibility, namely the ability for employees to work remotely, plays a central role in modulating firms’ employment and investment planning during the crisis. Investment flexibility allows firms to increase or decrease capital spending plans based on their business condition during the crisis, which is shaped by workforce flexibility. Finally, financial flexibility contributes to stronger employment and investment plans. We show that the role played by workplace flexibility is new and was absent during the 2008 financial crisis. CFOs expect the workplace transformation of 2020 to have lasting effects for years to come: high workplace flexibility firms foresee continuation of remote work, stronger employment recovery, and shifting away from traditional capital investment, whereas low workplace flexibility firms will rely more on automation to replace labor.
Use of Biometric-Based Identification and Automated Visual Surveillance to Checkmate Terrorist Activities in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions

: The current security challenges being faced in Nigeria is of public concern. Our institutions of higher learning are the prime targets of terrorist as it is evident in recent years. Several methods are used by the terrorist to gain access to the institutions one of which is by identity fraud (claiming to be guanine students/staff of such schools possibly by presenting students’/staff ID cards). In this paper we propose a framework that combines the use of biometrics in user identification and visual surveillance to monitor activities in real-time fashion in our institutions. We also conducted a survey in some institutions in northern Nigeria that were ravaged by the terrorist attacks in the recent past. The survey revealed that majority were of the opinion computerised security measures could significantly improve security situation in their institution. Majority also expressed readiness to accept the proposed initiative. More than 81% expressed preference of fingerprint biometric to other biometrics (iris, retina etc.).
Bi-connexive variants of Heyting-Brouwer logic

Systems of connexive logic and the bi-intuitionistic logic BiInt that is also known as Heyting-Brouwer logic have been carefully studied since the 1960s and 1970s with various philosophical and mathematical motivations, see [2, 19, 20, 47] and [29, 30, 31, 13, 8]. The characteristic principles of connexive logic are usually traced back to Aristotle and Boethius, and the co-implication of BiInt can be traced back to Skolem [35]. A distinctive feature of connexive logics is that they validate the so-called Aristotle’s theses: ∼(α→ ∼α) and ∼(∼α→ α), and Boethius’ theses: (α→ β)→ ∼(α→ ∼β) and (α→ ∼β)→ ∼(α→ β).
Non-normal flow rules affect fracture angles in sea ice viscous-plastic rheologies

Abstract. The standard viscous-plastic (VP) sea ice model with an elliptical yield curve and normal flow rule does not simulate fracture angles below 30° in uni-axial compression, in stark contrast with observations of Linear Kinematic Features (LKFs) in the Arctic Ocean. In this paper, we remove the normality constraint in the standard VP model and study its impact on the fracture angle in a simple uni-axial compressive loading test. To this end, we introduce a plastic potential independent of the yield curve that defines the post-fracture deformations or flow rule. The numerical experiments show that the fracture angle strongly depends on the flow rule details. For instance, a plastic potential with an ellipse aspect ratio smaller than that of the standard ellipse gives fracture angles that are as low as 22°. A newly adapted theory – based on one developed from observations of granular material – predicts numerical simulations of the fracture angles for plastic materials with a normal or non-normal flow rule with a root-mean-square error below 1.3°. Implementing an elliptical plastic potential in the standard VP sea ice model requires only minor modifications. The modified rheology, however, takes longer to solve numerically for a fixed level of numerical convergence. In conclusion, the use of a plastic potential addresses several issues with the standard VP rheology: the fracture angle can be reduced to values within the range of satellite observations and it can be decoupled from the exact shape of the yield curve. Furthermore, a different plastic potential function will be required to change the post-fracture deformation along the fracture lines (convergence or divergence) and to make the fracture angle independent on the confining pressure (as in observations).
ASSESMENT OF A WAKE MODEL FOR THE FLOW AROUND BLUNT TRAILING EDGES OF MARINE DUCTS USING A PANEL METHOD

A new cavity-wake like model is introduced to partially simulate the effects of the separation of the boundary layer in the blunt trailing edges of marine ducts. A constant pressure distribution on the trailing edge is obtained, as expected. However, the pressure level does not remain constant as the iterative process evolves. The solution did not converge. Nevertheless, the results are studied and hypothetical reasons for the divergence are proposed.
Molecular Detection of CTX-M Genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Different Clinical Samples in Baghdad City

Received 15 December 2014 Accepted 28 January 2015 Abstract CTX-M extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Klebsiella pneumoniae have been reported to be an important nosocomial infections. A total of 50 K. pneumonia isolates were isolated from different clinical samples in some public hospitals in Baghdad city during the period from October to December 2013. Bacterial identification was done using conventional cultural & chemical methods &and VITEK 2 cards (GN) for identification, while the antimicrobial drug susceptibility of K. pneumoniae was performed by disk diffusion test and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing was performed using VITEK 2 automated system (bioMérieux, France). ESBL production was phenotypically detected by double disk synergy test according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI) guidelines. The presence of bla-gene encoded CTX-M was detected by conventional PCR technique. Out of 50 K. Pneumonia isolates,13 (26%) were ESBL producer by CDT, the minimum inhibatory concentration (MIC) of different antibiotics was performed on these 13(26%) isolates using VITEK2 ASTGN30 showed that 13 (100%) isolates were Ceftazidime,Ceftraiaxone and Cefepime resistant with MIC ≥16≥64 μg/ml,and 8(61.53%) of ESBL producing isolates were carbapenem sensitive 8 (61.53%) with MIC <=0.25 μg/ml. PCR assay revealed that 4 (30.76%) of the ESBL producing isolates harbored blaCTX-M gene. Extended spectrum beta lactamase mediated resistance in K. pneumonia is a cause for concern in the therapy of critically ill patients. The ESBL producing K. pneumoniae isolates were more resistant to various antimicrobial agents. This suggests that ESBL producing isolates in hospitals may cause serious infections that illustrated when these strains were responsible for a nosocomial outbreak.The findings strongly suggest that there is a need to track the detection of ESBL producers and that judicious use of carbapenems is necessary to prevent the further spread of these organisms. The prevalence of multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae isolates especially ESBL producing bacteria was increased in Baghdad city . Phenotypic and molecular characterization of ESBL provide information about the prevalence of ESBL producing K. pneumoniae in Baghdad. The blaCTX-M was one of the predominant ESBL genes in K. pneumoniae in this study.
Dynamic wake meandering model calibration using nacelle-mounted lidar systems

Abstract. Light detection and ranging (lidar) systems have gained a great importance in today's wake characteristic measurements. The aim of this measurement campaign is to track the wake meandering and in a further step to validate the wind speed deficit in the meandering frame of reference (MFR) and in the fixed frame of reference using nacelle-mounted lidar measurements. Additionally, a comparison of the measured and the modeled wake degradation in the MFR was conducted. The simulations were done with two different versions of the dynamic wake meandering (DWM) model. These versions differ only in the description of the quasi-steady wake deficit. Based on the findings from the lidar measurements, the impact of the ambient turbulence intensity on the eddy viscosity definition in the quasi-steady deficit has been investigated and, subsequently, an improved correlation function has been determined, resulting in very good conformity between the new model and the measurements.
Antidiabetic Activity of the Leaves of Ficus sur Forssk (Moraceae) on Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rats

DOI: 10.21276/sjmps.2018. 4.1. 20 Abstract: To investigate the acute toxicity and antidiabetic potentials of various extracts of the leaves of Ficus sur Forssk on alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Powdered leaves were successively extracted with n-hexane, chloroform and 70% ethanol for three consecutive days respectively and the obtained extracts were assessed for phytochemicals, acute toxicity and antidiabetic activity on albino rats. The acute toxicity was assessed by Lorke’s method. Diabetes was achieved by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan monohydrate (120mg/kg). Blood glucose was determined daily for seven days using a glucometer. On the seventh day of treatment, blood samples were obtained and the serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), glycosylated heamoglobin (GH), urea and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were determined. The active N-hexane fraction was further fractionated by column chromatography packed with silica gel G (60-80mesh) eluting with gradient mixture of n-hexane, dichloromethane and ethanol. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of terpenoids, tannins, flavonoid and carbohydrates. The lethal dose (LD50) was recorded at 2154mg/kg in the toxicity study. The n-hexane extract showed the highest significant (p<0.05) reduction of 77.7% in blood glucose which was comparable to Glibenclamide (78.3%). Further fractionation yielded five fractions (F1-F5) in which fraction F4 and F5 were the most active with 54.7 and 55.9% reduction of blood glucose. The lipid profile of fraction F4 also exhibited decrease in TG, TC, GH, Urea and increase in HDL. This study reports the LD50 of F. sur to be2154 mg/kg and further confirms its ethnobotanical use of in the treatment of diabetes mellitus and its potential in preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Profiles of Sex Steroids in Wild-caught Carp Cyprinus carpio carpio Linnaeus 1758 During Ovulation Induction by Acute Versus Sustained Delivery Methods of Different GnRHa Analogues

The effects of acute versus sustained delivery methods of GnRHa on sex steroid profiles of wild-caught female carp Cyprinus carpio carpio Linnaeus 1758 (Cyprinidae) were studied in fish receiving 20 μg . kg −1 mammalian or salmon GnRHa in acute (Linpe method) or sustained delivery methods, i.e., cholesterol pellets (Chol) and emulsion of GnRHa (GnRHa-FIA). Negative and positive control fish were injected by physiological saline (control) and 4 mg . kg −1 carp pituitary extract (CP), respectively. Plasma steroid levels of testosterone (T), 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α, 20β-dihydroxy, 4-pregnone, 3-one (DHP) were measured by RIA at 0, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after final injection. Plasma level of T decreased after final injection in almost all treatment groups and gradually increased thereafter, and peaked at ovulation time (from 0.56±0.12 in sChol to 1.50±0.56 ng . mL -1 in CP). E2 levels showed similar changes in almost all treatments with an increase at ovulation time (from 0.46±0.14 in sChol to 1.69±0.93 ng . mL -1 in CP) and a decrease afterwards except for Chol groups in which the levels of E2 decreased at ovulation time. Plasma DHP levels showed a surge at the ovulation time (from 14.27±3.27 in mlinpe to 21.80±17.44 ng . mL -1 in sLinpe) before a rapid decrease in all groups except for Chol groups in which the levels of DHP gradually increased during ovulation induction and remained high even after 48 h (from 7.92±1.4 in mChol to 9.37±0.76 ng . mL -1 in sChol).
Study of Sociodemographic Profile and Comorbidities of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders in Children Attending Child Guidance Clinic in a Tertiary Care Hospital

1 Associate Professor, Department Of Paediatrics, Murshidabad Medical College, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India 2 Associate Professor, Department Of Psychiatry, R.G Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India 3 PhD Student, Department of Psychiatry, R.G Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India 4 M.D PGT, Department of Community Medicine, R.G Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Sparse Portfolio Job Market Paper Click here for the latest version Ekaterina Seregina

The classical approach to portfolio optimization is notorious for producing undesirable extreme long and short positions due to inaccurate estimation of asset weights that fluctuate substantially over time. Besides, its asset allocations are associated with non-negligible transaction costs, high turnover and large monitoring costs. To overcome these shortcomings, we develop a novel optimization approach which produces sparse wealth allocations by setting some weights to zero using a penalty function. The proposed statistical method proceeds in two steps: first, it uses an `1-penalty on the weight vector to select stocks, second, we apply de-biasing and postlasso to obtain the optimal asset allocation weights. The main contribution is twofold: from the theoretical perspective, this paper establishes unbiasedness and consistency of the optimal sparse allocations in a high-dimensional setting, when the number of assets exceeds the sample size. We demonstrate the importance of the de-biasing step that has been overlooked in previous studies. From the empirical perspective, the application to the constituents of the S&P500 reveals that compared to the common strategy of holding all assets, our sparse portfolio strategy leads to lower risk, lower turnover, and higher out-of-sample Sharpe ratio. We illustrate that during several economic downturns including the dot-com bubble of 2000 and the financial crisis of 2007-09, our sparse de-biased estimator was the only model that produced positive cumulative excess return (CER) and did not exceed the target level of risk. In contrast, all non-sparse models produced negative CER and violated the risk constraint. This finding suggests that our de-biased sparse estimator exhibits desirable minimax properties: it minimizes the maximum risk level of a portfolio.
Conservation agriculture effects on aggregates carbon storage potential and soil microbial community dynamics in the face of climate change under semi-arid conditions: A review

Soil organic carbon plays the crucial role in maintaining soil quality. The impact carbon and nitrogen dynamics and rate of SOC sequestration in tillage and crop residue application is still in investigation in this environment. The soil organic carbon build up was affected significantly by tillage and residue level in upper depth of 0-15 cm but not in lower depth of 15-30 cm. Higher SOC content of 19.44 gkg-1 of soil was found in zero tilled residue retained plots followed by 18.53 g kg-1 in permanently raised bed with residue retained plots. Whereas, the lowest level of SOC content of 15.86 g kg-1 of soil were found in puddled transplanted rice followed by wheat planted under conventionally tilled plots. Zero tilled residue retained plots sequestrated 0.91gkg-1yr-1 SOC which was 22.63% higher over the conventionally tilled residue removed plots after seven seasons of experimentation. Soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) was highest (66.05 μg g-1) in treatments FYM @10 ton ha-1+PSB + Azotobactor and it was lowest (51.71μgg-1) in treatments having farmers’ practices. Microbial biomass carbon significantly increased with the integrated application of organic manure (FYM @ 10 tonnes ha-1) and mineral fertilizer (100% NPK) over control. Development of management practices that favour C sequestration or prevent further losses will help to reduce the potential SOC decline due to the climate change and because of the importance of SOC to soil health and plant productivity, maintenance or restoration of SOC will help to reduce the threats of food security due to climate change. Enhancing the soil organic carbon pool also improves agro-ecosystem resilience, eco-efficiency, and adaptation to climate change.