Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Features of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory peptides from dietary proteins.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) is involved in incretin hormone processing and therefore plays a key role in glycemic regulation. This review summarizes the latest developments in food protein-derived DPP-IV inhibitory peptides. The in silico approaches currently used to develop targeted strategies for the enzymatic release of DPP-IV inhibitory peptides from food proteins are outlined. The features within the primary sequences of potent DPP-IV inhibitory di-, tri-, and larger peptides, having half maximal inhibitory activity (IC50 ) < 100 µM, were evaluated and the outcomes are presented herein. It is proposed that detailed analysis of those food derived peptides identified in humans following ingestion may constitute a practical strategy for the targeted identification of novel bioavailable DPP-IV inhibitory peptides. Human intervention studies are required as the specific role of food protein-derived DPP-IV inhibitory peptides in the regulation of glycaemia in humans remains to be fully elucidated. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This review provides recent information on dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory peptides arising from food protein hydrolysates. Small animal studies have demonstrated that food protein hydrolysates with in vitro DPP-IV inhibitory properties also display antidiabetic activity. DPP-IV inhibitory peptides may be used as food ingredients to improve glycemic regulation in Type 2 diabetics. Therefore, the development of potent DPP-IV inhibitory hydrolysates containing bioavailable peptides in humans is of significant interest. This may help in the formulation of foods containing physiologically relevant doses of bioactive hydrolysates/peptides. Acquisition of detailed knowledge of DPP-IV inhibitory peptide features via the utilization of in silico tools may help to optimize the release of potent DPP-IV inhibitory peptides during enzymatic hydrolysis of food proteins. This review provides information on features within the primary sequences of potent DPP-IV inhibitory peptides and current in silico strategies which may be used to inform on the targeted enzymatic hydrolysis of food proteins.
Effects of neem based insecticides on Coccinellids and Staphylinids population in rice field

The investigation entitled “Effects of Neem based Insecticides on Coccinellids and Staphylinids Population in Rice Field” was carried out at Research cum Instructional Farm of IGKV, Raipur (C.G.) during Kharif, 2015-16 and The Field study carried out to evaluate the safety of neem based compounds i.e., Neembaan Neemazal, Nimbecidine, Multineem, Neem oil, NSKE and chemical pesticide i.e., Dinotefuran to Coccinellids (Lady bird beetles) and Staphylinids (Rove beetles) in the rice fields brought out that all six Neem based insecticides were found less toxic to Coccinellids population and among them the safest one is Nimbecidine @ 5ml/l with highest Coccinellid population i.e., 2.32 per hill. The Chemical insecticide i.e., Dinotefuran @ 0.5g/l was more fatal to Coccinellids with lowest mean population i.e., 0.30 whereas maximum Coccinellid population was found in untreated control (2.50). Similarly for rove beetles all Neem based insecticides were found safer than chemical insecticide. Lowest population was recorded from plot treated with Dinotefuran @ 0.5g/l (0.28) and highest population was recorded from untreated control plot (1.86). Among the botanicals lowest population was recorded from plot treated with Neem oil @ 5ml/l which is 1.60.
Dynamic Current Clamp Experiments Define the Functional Roles of IK1 and Ito,f in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Cardiomyocytes

The transient outward potassium current (Ito) plays a key, albeit incompletely defined, role in cardiomyocyte physiology and pathophysiology. In light of the technical challenges of studying adult human cardiomyocytes, this study examines the use of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) as a system which potentially preserves the native cellular milieu of human cardiomyocytes. ISPC-CMs express a robust Ito with slow recovery kinetics and fail to express the rapidly recovering Ito,f which is implicated in human disease. Overexpression of the accessory subunit KChIP2 (which is not expressed in iPSC-CMs) resulted in restoration of a rapid component of recovery. To define the functional role of Ito, dynamic current clamp was used to introduce computationally modeled currents into iPSC-CMs while recording action potentials. However, iPSC-CMs exhibit action potentials with multiple immature physiological properties, including slow upstroke velocity, heterogeneous action potential waveforms, and the absence of a phase 1 notch, thus potentially limiting the utility of these cells as a model of adult cardiomyocytes. Importantly, the introduction of modeled inwardly rectified current (IK1) ameliorated these immature properties by restoring a hyperpolarized resting membrane potential. In this context of normalized action potential morphologies, dynamic current clamp experiments introducing Ito,f demonstrated that there is significant cell-to-cell heterogeneity and that the functional effect of Ito,f is highly sensitive to the action potential plateau voltage in each cell.
Population Densities of Lepidopteran Pests in Selected Cranberry Cultivars in Wisconsin

Abstract Host plant resistance, an important strategy of integrated pest management, was examined in the American cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton (Ericaceae). Despite the pressure on cranberry growers to reduce pesticide usage, host plant resistance is not used to help manage insect populations. This study measured field population densities of the three most economically important pest insects in Wisconsin, namely, cranberry fruitworm (Acrobasis vaccinii Riley), sparganothis fruitworm (Sparganothis sulfureana Clemens), and blackheaded fireworm (Rhopobota naevana Hübner), in five different cranberry cultivars, i.e., ‘Stevens', ‘Ben Lear', ‘GH1', ‘Mullica Queen’, and ‘HyRed'. Population densities of male moths of all three species were assessed using pheromone traps in beds of the different cranberry cultivars in commercial marshes in central Wisconsin. For each cultivar, damaged cranberries were collected, and the number of damaged berries and the number of larvae feeding within berries were compared among cultivars. More than 99% of larvae collected were cranberry fruitworm. Mullica Queen and Ben Lear had more damaged berries than Stevens or GH1, and had more larvae than GH1. Conversely, fewer adult male sparganothis fruitworm were found in Ben Lear and Mullica Queen beds than in beds of Stevens or GH1. Adult populations of cranberry fruitworm and blackheaded fireworm were not different among cultivars. Our findings provide evidence of different levels of resistance in common cranberry cultivars, which should inform future plantings and breeding programs.
Development of a sustainable grow-out technology for abalone Haliotis tuberculata coccinea (Reeve) as a new species for aquaculture diversification in the Canary Islands

El objetivo general de la presente tesis fue el ? desarrollo de la tecnologia de engorde de la oreja de mar, Haliotis tuberculata coccinea? , como nueva especie para el sector acuicola de Canarias. De forma especifica, se abordaron cuatro estudios en los que se evaluo el efecto de distintas dietas, tanto algales como artificiales, sobre el crecimiento y la supervivencia de los ejemplares, asi como el efecto de distintos parametros sobre el rendimiento del proceso productivo. Ademas, la tecnologia de cultivo a desarrollar se abordo desde un enfoque tal que garantice la sostenibilidad medioambiental de los procesos productivos mediante la implementacion de sistemas integrados. Se determino la idoneidad de las algas rojas Hypnea musciformis, Hypnea spinella y Gracilaria cornea como alimento para juveniles de H. tuberculata coccinea. Asimismo, se demostro que el cultivo de las macroalgas en sistemas integrados afecta su composicion, particularmente el contenido en proteinas, influyendo positivamente en el crecimiento del abalon, que se hace aun mas significativo cuando se suministran dietas mixtas. Por otro lado, la inclusion del alga roja Palmaria palmata en dietas compuestas, exclusivamente vegetales, mejoro el crecimiento, indice de condicion y utilizacion proteica, al contrario que la inclusion de Laminaria digitata. Finalmente, el ensayo en jaulas en mar abierto durante los ultimos seis meses de cultivo, demostro el efecto negativo del aumento de la densidad de cultivo en el crecimiento, vinculado a una mayor competicion por el espacio y alimento. Con la informacion obtenida se puede concluir la idoneidad de los sistemas integrados para el cultivo de la oreja de mar H. tuberculata coccinea, que puede alcanzar la talla comercial de 45-60 mm en tan solo 18-22 meses.
Genome-wide Enhancer Maps Differ Significantly in Genomic Distribution, Evolution, and Function

Non-coding gene regulatory loci are essential to transcription in mammalian cells. As a result, a large variety of experimental and computational strategies have been developed to identify cis-regulatory enhancer sequences. However, in practice, most studies consider enhancer candidates identified by a single method alone. Here we assess the robustness of conclusions based on such a paradigm by comparing enhancer sets identified by different strategies. Because the field currently lacks a comprehensive gold standard, our goal was not to identify the best identification strategy, but rather to quantify the consistency of enhancer sets identified by ten representative identification strategies and to assess the robustness of conclusions based on one approach alone. We found significant dissimilarity between enhancer sets in terms of genomic characteristics, evolutionary conservation, and association with functional loci. This substantial disagreement between enhancer sets within the same biological context is sufficient to influence downstream biological interpretations, and to lead to disparate scientific conclusions about enhancer biology and disease mechanisms. Specifically, we find that different enhancer sets in the same context vary significantly in their overlap with GWAS SNPs and eQTL, and that the majority of GWAS SNPs and eQTL overlap enhancers identified by only a single identification strategy. Furthermore, we find limited evidence that enhancer candidates identified by multiple strategies are more likely to have regulatory function than enhancer candidates identified by a single method. The difficulty of consistently identifying and categorizing enhancers presents a major challenge to mapping the genetic architecture of complex disease, and to interpreting variants found in patient genomes. To facilitate evaluation of the effects of different annotation approaches on studies’ conclusions, we developed a database of enhancer annotations in common biological contexts, creDB, which is designed to integrate into bioinformatics workflows. Our results highlight the inherent complexity of enhancer biology and argue that current approaches have yet to adequately account for enhancer diversity.
DNA Barcoding Analysis of Commercial Freshwater Fish Species Cultured in China

In this study, thirteen commercial freshwater fish species cultured in China, and one hybrid F1 (Megalobrama amblycephala ♀ × Erythroculter ilishaeformis ♂), were barcoded for a 860 bp region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The results showed that a neighbor-joining (NJ) tree was constructed based on COI sequence clustered species in accordance with their taxonomic classification. Hybrid F1 could not be differentiated from M.amblycephalaj in the neighbor-joining (NJ) tree. There was a significant negative correlation between interspecific hybrid compatibility and genetic distance (R = 0.96). Hybrid compatibility can be predicted by the interspecific genetic distance. The IJA appears exclusively as a peer-reviewed on-line open-access journal at http://www.siamb. org.il. To read papers free of charge, please register online at registration form. Sale of IJA papers is strictly forbidden. Sale of IJA papers is strictly forbidden.
Diet Composition of Six Anuran Species (Amphibia: Anura) in Terminalia Forest, Mindanao Island, Philippines

The diet of six anuran species (Kaloula conjuncta, Philautus acutirostris, Polypedates leucomystax, Occidozyga laevis, Fejervarya cancrivora and Rana granducola) was determined using the gut content analysis. Nineteen food items were identified with Hymenoptera: Formicidae as the most frequently occurring food item appearing in the guts of 5 out of 6 species. Coleoptera, Diptera, and Orthoptera followed appearing in 4 out of 6 species. The constantly frequent occurring food item for each species was: Hymenoptera for K. conjuncta and P. leucomystax; Hemiptera for O. laevis; and Orthoptera for R. grandocula. Degree of food preference (DFP) differed for each food item. Preferential food items (2<DFP<3) were Hymenoptera for K. conjuncta and P. leucomystax and Orthoptera for R. granducola. Presence of accidental occurrence and occasionally preferred food items was prominent in P. acutirostris. The occurrence of tadpole in the gut of O. laevis suggesting batracophagy is reported here. The recovery of food items that serve as bioindicators for water quality suggest that the water quality in the area was good. Thus, this study strongly supports the protection of the area for conservation of both anurans and their prey.
Identification of Myxobolus episquamalis (Myxozoa, Myxobolidae) in flathead mullet Mugil cephalus (Pisces, Teleostei, Mugilidae) from the coast of Senegal (eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean)

Myxobolus episquamalis (Myxozoa, Myxobolidae), a myxosporidian parasite, was found for the first time infecting scales and fins of flathead mullet (Mugil cephalus) from the Senegalese coast. The overall prevalence of infection was 4.7% (25/529), while the highest infection rates were observed in January 2006 (17.1%) and July 2006 (13. 9%). This parasite forms large and white cysts which cover a great part of the fish body. According to this new report from African Atlantic coast, Myxobolus episquamalis geographical distribution is extended considerably. However, the infection is of little commercial importance and does not cause a significant economic loss in Senegal.
Road Boundary Detection using 3D-to-2D Transformation of LIDAR Data and Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks

The Detection of road boundaries in an urban driving scenario has been an active area of research as perception of the surrounding environment is critical for vehicle's navigation and maneuverings. Most of the approaches in the literature deal with perception in the day light conditions only. This paper proposes an end-to-end method to extract road boundaries in both daylight and night driving conditions using conditional generative adversarial networks (CGANs). This is achieved by using input data only from 3D LIDAR which is not dependent on external light sources. The point cloud data obtained from a LIDAR was pre-processed by selecting the region of interest and deleting noise points resulting in data size reduction. From the pre-processed point cloud, top view images are generated, thus converting data into 2D image space. These images are fed as input to train a CGAN to segment road boundaries. Experimental results demonstrate that in different road scenarios the proposed method has achieved good performance with Structural Similarity index (SSIM) above 96%.
Logical Unit Design using Reversible HSG1 Gate and Its Application in ALU Design

Due to reduced size and increase in component density, controlling heat dissipation is becoming a big challenge for chip designers and manufacturers and thus researchers, scientists, and engineers throughout the world are looking for newer technologies for remedy. One such technology that is providing a solution to the above-stated problem is Reversible Logic Technology (RL T). RLT is a new paradigm and finding its application in Quantum Computing, Nano-Electronics, Cryptography, Low-Power Low-Dissipation circuit designs. In this paper based on RLT, 16×16 Harsh Shiva Gate 1 (HSG1) is proposed. HSG1 gate can be programmed for performing 16, 1024, and 16384 logical output operations using 4, 10, and 14 programmable input pins respectively on two operand A and B in a single clock cycle. HSG1 gate has 2 Output Modes - Simultaneous and Cascade Mode. In Simultaneous Mode, a total of 14 programmable and 2 operand input pins are available for performing 65536 logical output operations at the output pins from x0 to x15. While in Cascade Mode, based on 4 selection input pins, X, Y, N, and P, 16 logical output operations are performed at the output pin LOUT. The main advantage of cascade mode is using LOUT as the input to the control unit of ALU when HSG 1 gate is used as a logical unit in designing of ALU. It has been also proved that the proposed HSG1 gate is better than its counterpart for implementing logical unit in terms of garbage output, the number of gates, and logical operations to be performed. All the results have been verified using VHDL simulation.
Student’s Access Pattems of a Moodle-based Course Management System: A Case Study of a Large Entry Level Programming Class

With the wide adoption of Course Management Systems (CMSs) and their availability on different types of devices, students can access their course content anytime, anywhere and stay up to date with their modules on a frequent basis. The continued growth in the volume of data allows us to apply learning analytics strategies to understand patterns of access and students’ online behavior. Our aim is to analyze the use of online materials in a Moodle-based CMS by students to identify their usage patterns. To do this, we systematically collected and analyzed students’ access of the course materials related to two coursework assessments in a large programming course for entry level students across two years. Our results indicate that students’ access of the course materials significantly impact on their assignment scores. There are also differences in students’ access based on their gender and STEM/Non-STEM backgrounds. Based on our results, we derive suggestions for how to improve the learning experience of students in CMSs.
Investigating the effects of stimulation duration for brain-computer interface

In this paper, the most effective stimulation durations for the purpose of brain-computer interface (BCI) with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is investigated. To do so, this study investigates the influence of varying stimulation duration on the hemodynamic response (HR) signal in the primary visual cortex of the human brain. fNIRS is used for the measurement of HRs. For brain stimulation, a flickering checkerboard task is utilized, and the HR signals are acquired. Three different stimulation durations, i.e., 1, 3, and 5 secs were used in this study, and a total of 5 subjects participated in the experiment. From the results of the study, it is concluded that among the tested stimulation durations, the HR signal rises with the increase of the stimulation duration. Also, it was found that even the smallest stimulation duration, i.e., 1 sec, can generate a detectable activation in the visual cortex of the brain, which can well serve the purpose of BCI.
Structural mechanisms of stepwise FAK activation: influence of ligands and PIP2

Upon cell adhesion, focal adhesions couple the actin cytoskeleton mechanically to the extracellular matrix, which allows cells to sense and respond to physical cues. These mechanical connections at the cell membrane consist of cytosolic proteins and transmembrane integrins. Together, they enable cell spreading, division and migration. The Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is one of the most upstream signaling kinases in the integrin-mediated signal transduction pathway, where it orchestrates the formation and turn-over of focal adhesions. Its overexpression promotes metastasis in several solid tumors and is linked with poor prognosis. FAK is a multidomain protein with a kinase domain flanked by a 4.1, ezrin, radixin, moesin homology (FERM) and a focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domain. In the cytosol, FAK exists in an auto-inhibited structure, in which the FERM domain blocks the kinase domain. At focal adhesions, the auto-inhibited conformation of FAK is opened up through membrane binding, FAK clustering and phosphorylation of tyrosine residues. Only in the open and phosphorylated conformation, the kinase domain is thought to be catalytically active. Important regulators of FAK conformation and activity have been discovered, including phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and the Src kinase, but the mechanisms how they influence the different states of FAK and its functions at the structural level remain largely unclear. First, we studied different states of the catalytic cycle of FAK’s kinase domain with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. We show that the nucleotide binding pocket of the active conformation of FAK’s kinase domain is structurally unstable and fluctuates between an open and closed conformation upon removal of the nucleotide. In contrast, the pocket remained open in the inactive conformation during the simulated timescales. This has implications on the catalytic cycle, since ATP-binding is slowed down if the pocket is transiently closed in the active conformation and potentially requires a conformational change in the activation loop for ATP binding in each catalytic cycle, which is in agreement with a model based on previous experimental findings. Moreover, the simulations showed
Detection of Respiratory Infections Using RGB-Infrared Sensors on Portable Device

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a serious global pandemic in the past few months and caused huge loss to human society worldwide. For such a large-scale pandemic, early detection and isolation of potential virus carriers is essential to curb the spread of the pandemic. Recent studies have shown that one important feature of COVID-19 is the abnormal respiratory status caused by viral infections. During the pandemic, many people tend to wear masks to reduce the risk of getting sick. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a portable non-contact method to screen the health conditions of people wearing masks through analysis of the respiratory characteristics from RGB-infrared sensors. We first accomplish a respiratory data capture technique for people wearing masks by using face recognition. Then, a bidirectional GRU neural network with an attention mechanism is applied to the respiratory data to obtain the health screening result. The results of validation experiments show that our model can identify the health status of respiratory with 83.69% accuracy, 90.23% sensitivity and 76.31% specificity on the real-world dataset. This work demonstrates that the proposed RGB-infrared sensors on portable device can be used as a pre-scan method for respiratory infections, which provides a theoretical basis to encourage controlled clinical trials and thus helps fight the current COVID-19 pandemic. The demo videos of the proposed system are available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare. 12028032.