Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meta-Learning for Neural Relation Classification with Distant Supervision

Distant supervision provides a means to create a large number of weakly labeled data at low cost for relation classification. However, the resulting labeled instances are very noisy, containing data with wrong labels. Many approaches have been proposed to select a subset of reliable instances for neural model training, but they still suffer from noisy labeling problem or underutilization of the weakly-labeled data. To better select more reliable training instances, we introduce a small amount of manually labeled data as reference to guide the selection process. In this paper, we propose a meta-learning based approach, which learns to reweight noisy training data under the guidance of reference data. As the clean reference data is usually very small, we propose to augment it by dynamically distilling the most reliable elite instances from the noisy data. Experiments on several datasets demonstrate that the reference data can effectively guide the selection of training data, and our augmented approach consistently improves the performance of relation classification comparing to the existing state-of-the-art methods.
A Novel Program of Ubiquitination Remodels the Erythroid Proteome During Terminal Differentiation

The ubiquitin-proteasome system was initially discovered in reticulocytes, which undergo massive and rapid proteome remodeling. During terminal differentiation, hundreds of generic constituents of the cell undergo programmed elimination. However, the mechanisms that drive the turnover of normally stable proteins remain largely unknown. Two decades ago, an unusually large ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, Ube2O, was found to be strongly and specifically upregulated in terminally differentiating reticulocytes, contemporaneously with the induction of globin. A null mutation in the murine Ube2O gene, known as hem9, resulted in a hypochromic, microcytic anemia, suggesting that Ube2O may be a major ubiquitinating factor in erythropoiesis. To understand the role of Ube2O in terminal differentiation, we first found that all major low molecular weight ubiquitin-protein conjugate bands are greatly reduced in levels in hem9 reticulocytes. When null reticulocyte lysates were treated with recombinant Ube2O, ribosomal proteins were overwhelmingly the major class of targets. Accordingly, hem9 reticulocytes have elevated ribosomal protein levels and 80S ribosomes. This phenotype of elevated ribosome abundance was accounted for by a defect in the elimination of ribosomes. Furthermore, overexpression of Ube2O was sufficient to drive ribosomal degradation in non-erythroid 293 cells. Quantitative mass spectrometry on these cells confirmed the destabilization of ribosomal proteins and indicated that Ube2O has a specific, yet broad ubiquitination program.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pecan Orchards in Semiarid Southern New Mexico

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are fueling global climate change, with methane and nitrous oxide being the primary agricultural gases emitted. It has been shown that N 2 O emissions correlate to moisture content ﬂuctuations; however, emissions from agricultural ﬁelds in the semiarid regions of the Southwest where rewetting events occur regularly are not well established. The scope of this study was to quantify GHG emissions in correlation to soil moisture ﬂuctuations and fertilizer application. The study was conducted continuously in two pecan [ Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] orchards between Aug. 2010 and Aug. 2011 on a sandy loam soil (La Mancha) and a silty clay loam soil (Leyendecker), both under normal management practices. The small chamber technique was used to measure GHGs. Emissions varied greatly throughout the year. The largest ﬂux of CO 2 at La Mancha and Leyendecker both occurred during a drying event immediately following an irrigation event: 84,642.49 m g · m L 2 · h L 1 and 30,338.24 m g · m L 2 · h L 1 , respectively. The net CH 4 ﬂux at Leyendecker and La Mancha was close to zero with the largest emissions occurring during wetting events. Results showed that N 2 O emissions were maintained near the baseline except for the few days following an irrigation event. The largest emission peak at La Mancha occurred after irrigation and nitrogen application: 322.06 m g · m L 2 · h L 1 . The largest emission peaks of 26.37 and 1.13 m g · m L 2 · h L 1 at Leyendecker and La Mancha, respectively, occurred after irrigation, nitrogen application, and tillage. Nitrogen application was the driving factor affecting N 2 O emissions at La Mancha, whereas soil moisture content was the driving factor at Leyendecker. Emission factors (EFs) at La Mancha and Leyendecker were 0.49% and 0.05%, respectively. A thorough accounting of GHG emissions is necessary for budgeting and identifying mitigation policy.
Interactions in Entomology: Enhanced Infectivity of Entomopathogenic Viruses by Fluorescent Brighteners

Fluorescent brighteners or optical brighteners, chemicals that absorb energy from ultraviolet light (UV) and emit it as visible light, have been studied as UV protectants for entomopathogens to extend their effectiveness in the field as biocontrol agents. Some stilbene fluorescent brighteners have been demonstrated both to provide some protection from UV degradation and to enhance infectivity independently of the UV protection for several entomopathogenic viruses. Although the mode of action of this enhanced infectivity is not fully understood, enhanced infectivity of 10 nucleopolyhedroviruses and a granulovirus (Baculoviridae), a cypovirus (Reoviridae), an iridovirus (Iridoviridae), and an entomopoxvirus (Poxviridae) has been demonstrated. The enhanced infectivity produced by the fluorescent brighteners generally resulted in earlier mortality and in some cases extended infectivity of the virus to older instars. In a few cases the host range was extended, i.e., viruses which were not infective for a parti.
Leveraging User Email Actions to Improve Ad-Close Prediction

Online advertising systems often provide means for users to close ads and also leave feedback. Although closing ads requires additional user engagement and usually indicates a poor user experience, ad closes are not as scarce as one might expect. Recently it was shown that penalizing ads with high closing likelihood during auctions may substantially reduce the number of ad closes while maintaining a small predefined revenue loss. In this work, we focus on email since this is the property in which most ad closes occur. Using data collected from a major email provider, we present interesting insights about the interplay between ad closes in email and email-related user actions. In particular, we explore the merits of integrating information derived from user actions in email for ad-close prediction. Thorough performance evaluation reveals that incorporating such signals significantly improves ad-close prediction quality over previously reported results.
Altitudinal distribution of non-native plants: the effects of climate, habitat and introduction history

To determine limiting factors, particularly climatic ones, in the distribution range of non-native plant species, the occurrence of non-native species was analysed along elevational gradients in high mountains (especially on Tenerife). Species’ climatic pre-adaptation (“climate matching”) was important for the establishment at low elevations, but played a minor role for spread to higher elevations. At a regional scale, residence time of a species in the new region and its maximum reached altitude were positively correlated. This pattern might be explained by the time needed for genetic adaptations to varying environmental conditions. In fact, a climate chamber experiment revealed for all included species a uniform direction of genetic differentiation between populations of the same species from different elevations. Beside climatic factors, habitat context in the range of introduction was important for shaping the distribution pattern of non-native plant species.
Characteristics and Functional Properties of Ovary from Squid Loligo Formosana

ABSTRACT The characteristics and functional properties of the ovary from Loligo formosana were studied. Moisture (72.07 ± 0.24%) was dominant, followed by protein (18.64 ± 0.51%) and carbohydrate (7.44 ± 0.2%). Ash (1.39 ± 0.03%) and lipids (0.46 ± 0.5%) were found as the minor constituents. Albumin (79.02 ± 0.79%) was the major protein of the squid ovary, followed by glutelin-1 (8.31 ± 0.62%) and globulin (6.68 ± 0.08%). Nevertheless, prolamin and glutelin-2 constituted approximately 1% of the total proteins. Based on the electrophoretic studies, albumin had the largest band intensity. The squid ovary was rich in non-essential amino acids (52.26%) and high in hydrophobic amino acids (48.03%). It was also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA, 43.76 ± 0.84%), followed by saturated fatty acid (SFA, 39.36 ± 0.12%) and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA, 12.94 ± 0.55%). Ovary lipids had a high amount of docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6) (28.59%). At pH 3, the squid ovary powder (SOP) had the maximum solubility (96.39%), whereas the lowest solubility (38.33%) was observed at pH 9. The foaming capacity and stability of SOP were increased with increasing concentration up to 8% (p < 0.05). The globulin fraction showed the higher foaming capacity, as compared to albumin and glutelin-1 fractions. The squid ovary had good nutritional value and possessed excellent foaming properties. Therefore, the squid ovary could serve as a novel food additive or ingredient.
New and little known mollusks from ancient chemosynthetic environments

Twelve mollusk species from late Jurassic to Oligocene cold seep deposits are described and illustrated. Nine of them are new, two have already been named, two new genera are introduced, and one species is described only in open nomenclature. Puncturella (sensu lato) mcleani sp. nov. and Fissurella (sensu lato) bipunctata Stanton, 1895 are the only confirmed fissurellids in fossil cold seeps. The sutilizonid Triassurella goederti sp. nov. is similar to the modern ventinhabiting Sutilizona and the Late Triassic shallow-water reef-inhabitant Triassurella carnica. A smooth, late Jurassic neritid is the oldest neritid from fossil seeps and probably represents an independent neritid radiation into the seep environment, without close phylogenetic connection to the modern Bathynerita. The four new abyssochrysoid caenogastropods Humptulipsia macsotayi, Hokkaidoconcha novacula, Paskentana anistratenkorum, and P. umbilicata significantly extend the stratigraphic and geographic ranges of these apparently seep-restricted genera. Four bivalves are described, including the new modiomorphid Caspiconcha rubani from the early Cretaceous and the new bathymodioline Bathymodiolus (s.l.) palmarensis from the Oligocene. Among the lucinids, the oldest seep-inhabiting lucinid (late Jurassic) is described as Beauvoisina carinata gen. et sp. nov.; the new genus Cubatea is introduced for an Oligocene lucinid from Cuba. It is suggested that Caspiconcha, Paskentana, and hokkaidoconchids constitute the core of a seeprestricted fauna that inhabited seeps worldwide from (at least) late Jurassic to early Cretaceous time. These taxa are, at the family level, phylogenetically unrelated to the modern vent and seep fauna.
Effects of kelp Ecklonia maxima inclusion in formulated feed on the growth, feed utilisation and gut microbiota of South African abalone Haliotis midae

The effect of kelp Ecklonia maxima inclusion in formulated feeds on abalone growth and gut bacterial communities has not been previously investigated in South Africa. An eight-month on-farm growth trial was conducted with sub-adult Haliotis midae (∼43 mm shell length) fed graded levels of kelp in formulated feeds. Kelp inclusion (0.44–3.54% of pellet dry mass) promoted faster growth (65.7–74.5% total mass gain), with better feed and protein conversions (apparent feed conversion ratio [FCR] 1.4–1.8, apparent protein efficiency ratio [PER] 2.3–2.7), as compared with the non-supplemented feed (52.3% total mass gain, FCR 2.1, PER 1.9; p < 0.001). Abalone-gut bacterial DNA was sequenced using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and the sequences were clustered into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at a 97% similarity level. A supplementary 16S rRNA gene denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis was employed. The dominant OTUs differed in terms of their relative abundances, with an autochthonous Mycoplasma strain being significantly more abundant (p = 0.03) in the gut of abalone fed a kelp-supplemented feed. The DGGE band patterns displayed higher within-group variability for abalone fed the control diet, suggesting that dietary kelp inclusion promotes gut-bacteria homeostasis. This may contribute to better feed utilisation and growth in abalone fed kelp-supplemented feeds.
An Overview of Multi-task Learning

As a promising area in machine learning, multi-task learning (MTL) aims to improve the performance of multiple related learning tasks by leveraging useful information among them. In this paper, we give an overview of MTL by first giving a definition of MTL. Then several different settings of MTL are introduced, including multi-task supervised learning, multi-task unsupervised learning, multi-task semi-supervised learning, multi-task active learning, multi-task reinforcement learning, multi-task online learning and multi-task multi-view learning. For each setting, representative MTL models are presented. In order to speed up the learning process, parallel and distributed MTL models are introduced. Many areas, including computer vision, bioinformatics, health informatics, speech, natural language processing, web applications and ubiquitous computing, use MTL to improve the performance of the applications involved and some representative works are reviewed. Finally, recent theoretical analyses for MTL are presented.
De novo long-read assembly of a complex animal genome

Eukaryotic genome assembly remains a challenge in part because of the prevalence of complex DNA repeats. This is a particularly acute problem for holocentric nematodes because of the large number of satellite DNA sequences found throughout their genomes. These have been recalcitrant to most genome sequencing methods. At the same time, many nematodes are parasites and some represent a serious threat to human health. There is a pressing need for better molecular characterization of animal and plant parasitic nematodes. The advent of long-read DNA sequencing methods offers the promise of resolving complex genomes. Using Nippostrongylus brasiliensis as a test case, applying improved base-calling algorithms and assembly methods, we demonstrate the feasibility of de novo genome assembly matching current community standards using only MinION long reads. In doing so, we uncovered an unexpected diversity of very long and complex DNA repeat sequences, including massive tandem repeats of tRNA genes. The method has the added advantage of preserving haplotypic variants and so has the potential to be used in population analyses.
Characterization of Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses in PYNOD-Deficient Mice

PYNOD (also called NLRP10) is a member of the nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat containing family. Many members of this family play important roles in the activation and/or regulation of immune and inflammatory responses. We previously showed that PYNOD inhibits the IL-1β secretion in response to microbial infection in PYNOD-transgenic mice. In this study, we generated PYNOD-knockout (KO) mice and further investigated PYNOD’s role in the innate and adaptive immune responses. Similar to wild-type macrophages, PYNOD-KO macrophages produced IL-1β and induced pyroptosis, a caspase-1–dependent programmed cell death, in response to various inflammasome activators and microbial infection. In addition, the PYNOD deficiency did not significantly affect the proliferation or cytokine production of T cells, the delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, the anti-tumor immunity, the Ag-specific Ab production, the cytotoxicity of NK cells, or the maturation, Ag-presenting capacity, or elicited migration of dendritic cells. Furthermore, the steady-state skin self-antigen transport to regional lymph nodes was not impaired in PYNOD-KO mice, suggesting that PYNOD is dispensable for steady-state dendritic cell migration. These results suggested that PYNOD is dispensable for the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses in mice, unless PYNOD’s expression is highly induced under certain conditions.
BIOACCUMULATIN OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN TISSUES OF CHICKEN AND QUAIL AND ESTIMATE HEALTH RISKS FROM THE CONSUMPTION OF BIRDS VISCERA

Food safety issues and potential health risks in avian tissues are one of the most serious environmental concerns, this paper carries out probabilistic risk analysis methods to quantify trace elements bioaccumulation in chicken liver, gizzard, and lung content to assess the range of exposures for the people who consume the contaminated chicken. The concentrations of Al (aluminum), Mn (manganese), Cu (copper), Co (cobalt), and Zn (zinc) were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), using the stock standard solution of heavy metals and blank sample. Results show the contents of elements in bird tissues samples were in the range of (18.68-62.24, 1.6-18.6, 0.12-0.61, 2.12-24.95, 35.10-93.85 μg/g for Al, Mn, Co, Cu, and Zn respectively. A risk assessment on human health beings due to consumption of chicken was performed using toxic reference benchmark, namely the reference dose (RfD). The hazard index (HI), sum of the hazard quotients calculated for all pollutants have shown that the risks of fowls consumption were generally low and are within safe limits. Bas.J.Vet.Res.Vol.1,No.2. 2014. SIS Impact Factors:0.792 ,ISI Impact Factor:3.259
Ground-Active Arthropod Recovery in Response to Size of Shrub Plantations in a Desertified Grassland Ecosystem

ABSTRACT The ground-active arthropod diversity response to size of shrub plantations in desertified grassland ecosystems is largely unknown. In the study ground-active arthropods were collected by pitfall trapping beneath shrub canopy of very low, low, medium and high size, with adjacent mobile sandy land as a control. It was found that arthropod dominant taxa from mobile sandy land were significantly distinctive from those from plantations of different shrub size. A considerably lower Sørensen index (i.e., 0.25–0.48) was found between the arthropod communities from mobile sandy land and the canopy of either shrub size, than between those under low and medium/high shrub size (i.e., 0.62 to 0.69). The arthropod total abundance was significantly greater under the shrub canopy of very low size in comparison to that of low and medium shrub size and mobile sandy land, with the intermediate values under shrub canopy of high shrub size. Taxon richness and diversity of arthropod communities were distinctly lower under the shrub canopy of low size in comparison to very low, medium and high shrub size. The shrub size was found to have different effects on the density and richness distribution of arthropod trophic groups (i.e., predators, phytophagous, saprophagous, and omnivorous). It was concluded that shrub plantations could facilitate ground-active arthropod diversity recovery when they were afforested in mobile sandy land. There was a contrasting effect of shrub size on ground-active arthropod diversity recovery versus arthropod abundance when grazing was excluded.
Peptones in Silage from Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) Waste as a Culture Medium for Bioprocesses

ABSTRACT This study investigated the efficacy of the aqueous fraction obtained after fractionating silage of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and cobia (Rachycentron canadum) in supporting the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The silages were prepared using combinations of citric, formic, and propionic acids. The aqueous fractions, used as test peptones, contained lower levels of total protein. The concentrations of 18 amino acids in all the samples were observed to be lower than those in the commercial peptone. Glutamic acid, lysine, glycine, and aspartic acid were present in higher concentrations than other amino acids, for both types of silage. Biomass production from E. coli culture ranged from 38.4 to 65.9 mg 100 mL−1 for all the tested treatments, while that for S. aureus was from 26.3 to 53.7 mg 100 mL−1. This indicated that products from fish silage were effective for bacterial growth in terms of biomass, by providing the main sources of nitrogen and carbon to facilitate their growth. The tested silages yielded similar efficiency to the commercial peptone. The findings revealed that it is feasible for the fish processing industry to incorporate freeze-dried by-products obtained after fractioning waste silage from the processing of tilapia and cobia.
Rotavírus do grupo A em rebanhos bovinos leiteiros da região nordeste do Estado de São Paulo

A study was realized in order to determine the occurrence of rotavirus infection among dairy herds from northern region of Sao Paulo State. Fecal samples from 576 calves, between 1 to 45 days old, were obtained from 63 dairy herds and were analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). From these samples, 222 belonged to diarrheic animals and 354 to healthy calves. The use of PAGE detected 4.9% (28/576) of positive samples of which 9.9% (22/222) and 1.7% (6/354) belonged to diarrheic and healthy animals, respectively. All positive samples were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (kit-EIARA/Fiocruz) and were classified as rotavirus group A. The analysis of genomic profiles revealed a high diversity with seven distinct electropherotypes.
Long-Term Anticoagulation in Secondary Ischemic Stroke Prevention: The Prospective Multicenter RESTAIC Registry

Background and Objective: Oral anticoagulation (OAC) for secondary stroke prevention is recommended in atrial fibrillation (AF) and other sources of cardioembolic stroke. Our objectives were to explore the differences in ischemic and hemorrhagic events when using OAC for secondary stroke prevention according to the type of anticoagulant treatment and to analyze the number and reasons for OAC switches during long-term follow-up. Methods: Ischemic stroke (IS) patients who were discharged on OAC for secondary stroke prevention from January 2014 to October 2017 were recruited in a prospective, multicenter, hospital-based registry. Follow-up at 3 months was scheduled at the outpatient clinic with subsequent annual phone interviews for 3 years. Patients were classified into three study groups according to OAC at discharge: Vitamin K antagonist (VKA), Factor Xa inhibitor (FXa), or direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI). We compared stroke recurrences, intracranial hemorrhage, major bleeding, and all-cause mortality during the follow-up. We recorded any switches in OAC and the main reasons for the change. Results: A total of 241 patients were included. An anticoagulant was indicated in the presence of a source of cardioembolic stroke in 240 patients (99.6%) and lupus plus antiphospholipid syndrome in one patient. Up to 86 patients (35.6%) were on OAC before the index stroke; in 71 (82.5%) of them, this was VKA. At hospital discharge, 105 were treated with FXa (43.8%), 96 with VKA (39.6%), and 40 with DTI (16.6%). The cumulative incidences at 3 years were 17% for stroke recurrence, 1.6% for intracranial hemorrhage, 4.9% for major hemorrhage, and 22.8% for all-cause mortality, with no differences among the OAC groups in any outcomes. During the follow-up, 40 OAC switches were recorded (63% of them to FXa), mostly due to stroke recurrence. Conclusion: Long-term OAC in secondary stroke prevention is associated with a lower frequency of bleeding complications than stroke recurrences. No differences between anticoagulant drugs were found in any of the analyzed outcomes. The main cause for OAC switch during follow-up was stroke recurrence.