Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genome Size Variation in Dianthus sylvestris Wulfen sensu lato (Caryophyllaceae)

Genome size (GS) is an important characteristic that may be helpful in delimitation of taxa, and multiple studies have shown correlations between intraspecific GS variation and morphological or environmental factors, as well as its geographical segregation. We estimated a relative GS (RGS) of 707 individuals from 162 populations of Dianthus sylvestris with a geographic focus on the Balkan Peninsula, but also including several populations from the European Alps. Dianthus sylvestris is morphologically variable species thriving in various habitats and six subspecies have been recognized from the Balkan Peninsula. Our RGS data backed-up with chromosome counts revealed that the majority of populations were diploid (2n = 30), but ten tetraploid populations have been recorded in D. sylvestris subsp. sylvestris from Istria (Croatia, Italy). Their monoploid RGS is significantly lower than that of the diploids, indicating genome downsizing. In addition, the tetraploids significantly differ from their diploid counterparts in an array of morphological and environmental characteristics. Within the diploid populations, the RGS is geographically and only partly taxonomically correlated, with the highest RGS inferred in the southern Balkan Peninsula and the Alps. We demonstrate greater RGS variation among the Balkan populations compared to the Alps, which is likely a result of more pronounced evolutionary differentiation within the Balkan Peninsula. In addition, a deep RGS divergence within the Alps likely points to persistence of the alpine populations in different Pleistocene refugia.
Recent Advances in the Development of Tetrazine Ligation Tools for Pretargeted Nuclear Imaging

Tetrazine ligation has gained interest as a bio-orthogonal chemistry tool within the last decade. In nuclear medicine, tetrazine ligation is currently being explored for pretargeted approaches, which have the potential to revolutionize state-of-the-art theranostic strategies. Pretargeting has been shown to increase target-to-background ratios for radiopharmaceuticals based on nanomedicines, especially within early timeframes. This allows the use of radionuclides with short half-lives which are more suited for clinical applications. Pretargeting bears the potential to increase the therapeutic dose delivered to the target as well as reduce the respective dose to healthy tissue. Combined with the possibility to be applied for diagnostic imaging, pretargeting could be optimal for theranostic approaches. In this review, we highlight efforts that have been made to radiolabel tetrazines with an emphasis on imaging.
Tweeter Sentiment and its Effect on The Egyptian Stock Market Sectors Profitability During COVID-19

December 2019 witnessed the beginning of the first appearance of the Covid 19 coming from the Chinese city of Wuhan, and then it began to spread throughout the world, with more than 38 million confirmed cases in different parts of the world, while more than one hundred thousand confirmed cases were infected in Egypt by the end of October 2020. With the confusion happened in all stock markets, we make a research to highlight the effect of covid 19 on the Egyptian stock market profitability .
Effects of temporary earnings on dividends in Korea

ABSTRACT We examine the effects of temporary earnings on dividends using cash dividend data of Korean firms over the period of 2001 to 2017. We find that firms using private debts exclusively increase dividends as temporary earnings increase while those with public debts do not change their dividends. We further find that the positive effects of temporary earnings on dividends in firms with only private debts is hampered by investment opportunity. These results are consistent with the precautionary savings hypothesis of firms under financing constraints as well as signalling hypothesis of public debts.
Is this a design-worthy dilemma? Identifying relevant and inspiring concern conflicts as input for user-centred design

Personal dilemmas can be valuable starting points for user-centred design. Since dilemmas prevail in everyday life, designers can identify many dilemmas relevant for a given design brief. It can therefore be a challenge to choose a target dilemma as a means to frame an appropriate problem space. To address this challenge, this paper proposes seven qualities of 'design-worthy' dilemmas. These key qualities were derived from a cross-comparison of four dilemma-driven design cases, and were clustered in three categories: 1) relevance for target users; 2) potential to inspire design ideas; 3) meaningful formulation of conflicting concerns. The qualities of design-worthy dilemmas explicate the considerations designers have when selecting a target dilemma, and thus, they can facilitate introspection and discussion in problem framing. In addition, the case studies demonstrate the main activities involved in dilemma-driven design, namely discovery, definition, and application.
Advanced emergency braking under split friction conditions and the influence of a destabilising steering wheel torque

ABSTRACT The steering system in most heavy trucks is such that it causes a destabilising steering wheel torque when braking on split friction, that is, different friction levels on the two sides of the vehicle. Moreover, advanced emergency braking systems are now mandatory in most heavy trucks, making vehicle-induced split friction braking possible. This imposes higher demands on understanding how the destabilising steering wheel torque affects the driver, which is the focus here. Firstly, an experiment has been carried out involving 24 subjects all driving a truck where automatic split friction braking was emulated. Secondly, an existing driver–vehicle model has been adapted and implemented to improve understanding of the observed outcome. A common conclusion drawn, after analysing results, is that the destabilising steering wheel torque only has a small effect on the motion of the vehicle. The underlying reason is a relatively slow ramp up of the disturbance in comparison to the observed cognitive delay amongst subjects; also the magnitude is low and initially suppressed by passive driver properties.
Impact of Backpacks on Ergonomics: Biomechanical and Physiological Effects: A Narrative Review

(1) Background: the effects of load carriage packs on human gait biomechanics, physiology and metabolism depend on the weight carried, the design of the pack and its interaction with the user. (2) Methods: An extensive search in the PubMed database was performed to find all the relevant articles using the following keywords: backpack, rucksack, backpack ergonomy and sports backpack; 60 articles were included. (3) Results and significance: Double pack (DP) and T-pack (TP) designs are recommended solutions for school children, compared with backpacks (BP). For soldiers and hikers, a backpack remains the best compromise. A hip belt is recommended for BPs as well as for the back of DPs. Shorter and stiffer shoulder straps combined with a higher and tighter load placement on the back provide the best combination in terms of balance, muscle activation and energy expenditure. It is, therefore, possible to determine guidelines for designing the optimal load carriage system, depending on the application. (4) Conclusions: based on the available evidence, DP and TP are advantageous in terms of posture. DP is better than conventional BPs in terms of balance and muscle activation, but has the disadvantage of limited visibility, thermal sensation and obstructed ventilation. In general, it is desirable not to exceed 40% of body mass (BM).
Molecular Epidemiology of Enterovirus A71 in Surveillance of Acute Flaccid Paralysis Cases in Senegal, 2013–2020

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is a non-polio enterovirus that currently represents a major public health concern worldwide. In Africa, only sporadic cases have been reported. Acute flaccid paralysis and environmental surveillance programs have been widely used as strategies for documenting the circulation of polio and non-polio enteroviruses. To date, little is known about the molecular epidemiology of enterovirus A71 in Africa where resources and diagnostic capacities are limited. To fill this gap in Senegal, a total of 521 non-polio enterovirus isolates collected from both acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and environmental surveillance (ES) programs between 2013 and 2020 were screened for enterovirus A71 using real-time RT-PCR. Positive isolates were sequenced, and genomic data were analyzed using phylogeny. An overall rate of 1.72% (9/521) of the analyzed isolates tested positive for enterovirus A71. All positive isolates originated from the acute flaccid paralysis cases, and 44.4% (4/9) of them were isolated in 2016. The nine newly characterized sequences obtained in our study included eight complete polyprotein sequences and one partial sequence of the VP1 gene, all belonging to the C genogroup. Seven out of the eight complete polyprotein sequences belonged to the C2 subgenotype, while one of them grouped with previous sequences from the C1 subgenotype. The partial VP1 sequence belonged to the C1 subgenotype. Our data provide not only new insights into the recent molecular epidemiology of enterovirus A71 in Senegal but also point to the crucial need to set up specific surveillance programs targeting non-polio enteroviruses at country or regional levels in Africa for rapid identification emerging or re-emerging enteroviruses and better characterization of public health concerns causing acute flaccid paralysis in children such as enterovirus A71. To estimate the real distribution of EV-A71 in Africa, more sero-epidemiological studies should be promoted, particularly in countries where the virus has already been reported.
Sleepiness in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults Is Associated With CSF Biomarkers of Inflammation and Axonal Integrity

Introduction Sleepiness has been associated with cognitive decline and dementia in the elderly. Older adults with excessive daytime sleepiness appear to be more vulnerable to longitudinal amyloid PET accumulation before the onset of the dementia. However, it remains unclear whether sleepiness is similarly associated with other biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), axonal integrity, and inflammation, which may also contribute to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Methods In this cross-sectional analysis, we identified 260 cognitively unimpaired adults (>60 years) from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a population-based cohort from Olmsted County (MN), who underwent CSF quantification of AD biomarkers (Aβ42, p-tau, p-tau/Aβ42) in addition to at least one of the following biomarkers [neurofilament light chain (NfL) interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)]. We fit linear regression models to assess associations between sleepiness, as measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and CSF biomarkers, controlling for age, sex, APOε4 status, body mass index, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and prior diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Results Higher ESS scores were associated with higher CSF IL-6 and NfL, but not with the other CSF biomarkers. For every ESS score point increase, there was a 0.009 ([95% CI 0.001–0.016], p = 0.033) increase in the log of IL-6 and 0.01 ([95% CI 0.002–0.018], p = 0.016) increase in the log of NfL. A sensitivity analysis showed an association between ESS scores and log of p-tau/Aβ42 only in participants with an abnormal ratio (>0.023), highly predictive of amyloid positivity. For every ESS score point increase, there was a 0.006 ([95% CI 0.001–0.012], p = 0.021) increase in the log of CSF p-tau/Aβ42. Conclusion Sleepiness was associated with greater CSF IL-6 and NfL levels, which could contribute to neurodegeneration or alternatively cause sleepiness. Higher NfL levels may result from sleep disruption and/or contribute to sleepiness via disturbed connectivity or damage to wake-promoting centers. Associations between sleepiness and p-tau/Aβ42 in participants with abnormal ratio suggest that amyloid positivity contributes to vulnerability to sleep disturbance, which may further amyloid accumulation in a feed-forward loop process. Prospective studies of these markers are needed to determine cause-effect relationships between these associations.
Whey Protein Isolate Nanofibers Prepared by Subcritical Water Stabilized High Internal Phase Pickering Emulsion to Deliver Curcumin

This study aimed to design a Pickering emulsion (PE) stabilized by whey protein isolate nanofibers (WPINs) prepared with subcritical water (SW) to encapsulate and prevent curcumin (Cur) degradation. Cur-loaded WPINs–SW stabilized PE (WPINs–SW–PE) and hydrothermally prepared WPINs stabilized PE (WPINs–H–PE) were characterized using the particle size, zeta potential, Congo Red, CD, and TEM. The results indicated that WPINs–SW–PE and WPINs–H–PE showed regular spherical shapes with average lengths of 26.88 ± 1.11 μm and 175.99 ± 2.31 μm, and zeta potential values were −38.00 ± 1.00 mV and −34.60 ± 2.03 mV, respectively. The encapsulation efficiencies of WPINs–SW–PE and WPINs–H–PE for Cur were 96.72 ± 1.05% and 94.07 ± 2.35%. The bio-accessibility of Cur of WPINs–SW–PE and WPINs–H–PE were 57.52 ± 1.24% and 21.94 ± 2.09%. In addition, WPINs–SW–PE had a better loading effect and antioxidant activities compared with WPINs–H–PE. SW could be a potential processing method to prepare a PE, laying the foundation for the subsequent production of functional foods.
Photoemission of Plasmonic Gold Nanostars in Laser-Controlled Electron Current Devices for Technical and Biomedical Applications

The main goal of this work was to modify the previously developed blade-type planar structure using plasmonic gold nanostars in order to stimulate photofield emission and provide efficient laser control of the electron current. Localization and enhancement of the field at the tips of gold nanostars provided a significant increase in the tunneling electron current in the experimental sample (both electrical field and photofield emission). Irradiation at a wavelength in the vicinity of the plasmon resonance (red laser) provided a gain in the photoresponse value of up to 5 times compared to irradiation far from the resonance (green laser). The prospects for transition to regimes of structure irradiation by femtosecond laser pulses at the wavelength of surface plasmon resonance, which lead to an increase in the local optical field, are discussed. The kinetics of the energy density of photoinduced hot and thermalized electrons is estimated. The proposed laser-controlled matrix current source is promising for use in X-ray computed tomography systems.
Liquid flow in scaffold derived from natural source: experimental observations and biological outcome

Abstract This study investigates the biological effects on a 3D scaffold based on hydroxyapatite cultured with MC3T3 osteoblasts in response to flow-induced shear stress (FSS). The scaffold adopted here (B-HA) derives from the biomorphic transformation of natural wood and its peculiar channel geometry mimics the porous structure of the bone. From the point of view of fluid dynamics, B-HA can be considered a network of micro-channels, intrinsically offering the advantages of a microfluidic system. This work, for the first time, offers a description of the fluid dynamic properties of the B-HA scaffold, which are strongly connected to its morphology. These features are necessary to determine the FSS ranges to be applied during in vitro studies to get physiologically relevant conditions. The selected ranges of FSS promoted the elongation of the attached cells along the flow direction and early osteogenic cell differentiation. These data confirmed the ability of B-HA to promote the differentiation process along osteogenic lineage. Hence, such a bioactive and naturally derived scaffold can be considered as a promising tool for bone regeneration applications.
Self-organisation of internal models in autonomous robots

Internal Models (IMs) play a significant role in autonomous robotics. They are mechanisms able to represent the input-output characteristics of the sensorimotor loop. In developmental robotics, open-ended learning of skills and knowledge serves the purpose of reaction to unexpected inputs, to explore the environment and to acquire new behaviours. The development of the robot includes self-exploration of the state-action space and learning of the environmental dynamics. In this dissertation, we explore the properties and benefits of the self-organisation of robot behaviour based on the homeokinetic learning paradigm. A homeokinetic robot explores the environment in a coherent way without prior knowledge of its configuration or the environment itself. First, we propose a novel approach to selforganisation of behaviour by artificial curiosity in the sensorimotor loop. Second, we study how different forward models settings alter the behaviour of both exploratory and goal-oriented robots. Diverse complexity, size and learning rules are compared to assess the importance in the robot’s exploratory behaviour. We define the selforganised behaviour performance in terms of simultaneous environment coverage and best prediction of future sensori inputs. Among the findings, we have encountered that models with a fast response and a minimisation of the prediction error by local gradients achieve the best performance. Third, we study how self-organisation of behaviour can be exploited to learn IMs for goal-oriented tasks. An IM acquires coherent self-organised behaviours that are then used to achieve high-level goals by reinforcement learning (RL). Our results demonstrate that learning of an inverse model in this context yields faster reward maximisation and a higher final reward. We show that an initial exploration of the environment in a goal-less yet coherent way improves learning. In the same context, we analyse the self-organisation of central pattern generators (CPG) by reward maximisation. Our results show that CPGs can learn favourable reward behaviour on high-dimensional robots using the self-organised interaction between degrees of freedom. Finally, we examine an on-line dual control architecture where we combine an Actor-Critic RL and the homeokinetic controller. With this configuration, the probing signal is generated by the exertion of the embodied robot experience with the environment. This set-up solves the problem of designing taskdependant probing signals by the emergence of intrinsically motivated comprehensible behaviour. Faster improvement of the reward signal compared to classic RL is achievable with this configuration.
Challenges of Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Nepal

This article has presented the difficulties and challenges faced by teachers in teaching English as a foreign language in Nepal. The main objective of the article is to describe the challenges in teaching English in the countries where it is not spoken as a mother tongue. The primary data were collected from three English teachers who have been teaching English in basic level at community schools located in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, Bhaktapur. Field observation and in-depth interviews were the major tools for data collection. From the interviews and the available literature, some challenges of teaching English as a foreign language in our context have been drawn. The result shows that the teachers encounter the challenges inside the classroom with the knowledge of teacher and students, outside of it with parents and unfavorable environment, some challenges are related to languages and others are related to the curriculum, textbooks and the policy of the government. The findings of the study is beneficial to the teachers, researchers, school administrators, policy makers, curriculum developers and textbook writers to obtain the fruitful results in teaching English in Nepal.
Vibriosis triggered mass kills in Pacific white leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) reared at some Egyptian earthen pond-based aquaculture facilities

1. Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya. 2.Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 12211 Egypt. 3.Department of Hydrobiology, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt. 4.Fish Disease Lab, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF), Egypt. 5.Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt. 6.Department of Fish Diseases, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Egypt. 7.Department of Fish Diseases and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt. 8.Department of Poultry & Fish Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Libya. 9.Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 12211 Egypt. * Corresponding Author: aeissa2012@cu.edu. eg
The Acute Effects of Weighted Vest Protocols on 20-Metre Sprint Performance in Youth Soccer Players

This investigation examined the effects of a warm-up containing weighted vest (WV) sprints on subsequent 20-metre sprint time relative to a control (C) condition in youth soccer players (n=12, mean ± SD age 16 ± 0.60 years, height 175.17 ± 5.92 cm and body mass 61.85 ± 5.88 kg). The main experimental trials consisted of three WV conditions at 10, 20 and 30% of body mass (WV10, WV20 and WV30) and C. Participants were required to complete one 20-metre sprint with each of WV conditions or without additional mass as part of C prior to a 20-metre sprint at 4-, 8- and 12-minutes. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed no significant difference between any of the conditions and rest periods (p = >0.05). The between condition effect sizes for 20-metre sprint times were moderate at 4- and 12-minutes post WV10 (d = -0.86 and -1.15, respectively) and 12-minutes post WV20 (d = -0.84) and WV30 (d = -0.80). Moderate effect sizes were also observed at 4-minutes post WV10 (d = -1.04) and WV20 (d = -0.67) for 10-metre sprint times. These findings demonstrate that WV loading has no significant effect on 20-metre sprint time in youth soccer players. However, there is an opportunity for S&C coaches to implement WV warm-ups of no more than 30% body mass to improve 20-metre sprint times.
Aerial Observations and Numerical Simulations Confirm Density‐Driven Streamwise Vortices at a River Confluence

When rivers collide, complex three‐dimensional coherent flow structures are generated along the confluence's mixing interface. These structures mix streamborne pollutants and suspended sediment and have considerable bearing on the morphology and habitat quality of the postconfluent reach. A particular structure of interest—streamwise orientated vortices (SOVs)—were first detected in numerical simulations to form in pairs, one on each side of the mixing interface rotating in the opposite sense of the other. Since, it has proven difficult to detect SOVs in situ with conventional pointwise velocimetry instrumentation. Despite the lack of clear evidence to confirm their existence, SOVs are nevertheless considered important drivers of mixing and sediment transport processes at confluences. Additionally, their causal mechanisms are not fully known which hinders a complete conceptual understanding of these processes. To address these gaps, we analyze observations of strongly coherent SOVs filmed in aerial drone video of a mesoscale confluence with a stark turbidity contrast between its tributaries. Eddy‐resolved modeling demonstrates the SOVs' dynamics could only be accurately reproduced when a density difference (Δρ) was imposed between the tributaries (Δρ = 0.5 kg/m3)—providing compelling evidence the observed SOVs are indeed a novel density‐driven class of SOV. This work confirms that SOVs exist, expands understanding of their generative processes and highlights the important role of small density gradients (e.g., ≤0.5 kg/m3) on river confluence hydrodynamics.