Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantifying faulting and base level controls on syn‐rift sedimentation using stratigraphic architectures of coeval, adjacent Early‐Middle Pleistocene fan deltas in Lake Corinth, Greece

Quantification of allogenic controls in rift basin‐fills requires analysis of multiple depositional systems because of marked along‐strike changes in depositional architecture. Here, we compare two coeval Early‐Middle Pleistocene syn‐rift fan deltas that sit 6 km apart in the hangingwall of the Pirgaki‐Mamoussia Fault, along the southern margin of the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. The Selinous fan delta is located near the fault tip and the Kerinitis fan delta towards the fault centre. Selinous and Kerinitis have comparable overall aggradational stacking patterns. Selinous comprises 15 cyclic stratal units (ca. 25 m thick), whereas at Kerinitis 11 (ca. 60 m thick) are present. Eight facies associations are identified. Fluvial and shallow water facies dominate the major stratal units in the topset region, with shelfal fine‐grained facies constituting ca. 2 m thick intervals between major topset units and thick conglomeratic foresets building down‐dip. It is possible to quantify delta build times (Selinous: 615 kyr; Kerinitis: >450 kyr) and average subsidence and equivalent sedimentation rates (Selinous: 0.65 m/kyr; Kerinitis: >1.77 m/kyr). The presence of sequence boundaries at Selinous, but their absence at Kerinitis, enables sensitivity analysis of the most uncertain variables using a numerical model, ‘Syn‐Strat’, supported by an independent unit thickness extrapolation method. Our study has three broad outcomes: (a) the first estimate of lake level change amplitude in Lake Corinth for the Early‐Middle Pleistocene (10–15 m), which can aid regional palaeoclimate studies and inform broader climate‐system models; (b) demonstration of two complementary methods to quantify faulting and base level signals in the stratigraphic record—forward modelling with Syn‐Strat and a unit thickness extrapolation—which can be applied to other rift basin‐fills; and (c) a quantitative approach to the analysis of stacking patterns and key surfaces that could be applied to stratigraphic pinch‐out assessment and cross‐hole correlations in reservoir analysis.
Dormancy breaking in seeds of different accessions of Luffa cylindrica Roemer

Luffa cylindrica Roemer is abundant in countries of Asia, Central America and South America. Dormancy in luffa seeds is caused by the impermeability of the coat, which may be a major obstacle in the commercial production of seedlings for the cultivation of this species. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate different methods to break dormancy in different accessions of luffa. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a 6 (accessions) x 5 (dormancy breaking treatments) factorial arrangement, with four replicates. Seeds were planted on expanded polystyrene trays, containing commercial substrate Plantmax®. The analyzed variables were: emergence percentage; emergence speed index; number of true leaves; plant height; stem diameter; root length; shoot fresh and dry matter, and root dry matter. The first two variables were analyzed in the entire experimental plot and the others only in the evaluated area of the plot. Scarification with sandpaper nº 80 and cut with pruning pliers on the opposite end to the hilum were the methods of dormancy breaking which led to the best results. Due to the variability of the results among the accessions, it was not possible to recommend one method of dormancy breaking for luffa seeds that is generalized for all of them.
Strain specific differences in vitamin D3 response: impact on gut homeostasis

Vitamin D3 regulates a variety of biological processes irrespective of its well-known importance for calcium metabolism. Epidemiological and animal studies indicate a role in immune regulation, intestinal barrier function and microbiome diversity. Here, we analyzed the impact of different vitamin D3- containing diets on C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, with a particular focus on gut homeostasis and also investigated effects on immune cells in vitro. Weak regulatory effects were detected on murine T cells. By trend, the active vitamin D3 metabolite 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 suppressed IFN, GM-CSF and IL-10 cytokine secretion in T cells of C57BL/6 but not BALB/c mice, respectively. Using different vitamin D3-fortified diets, we found a tissue–specific enrichment of mainly CD11b+ myeloid cells but not T cells in both mouse strains e.g. in spleen and Peyer’s Patches. Mucin Reg3γ and Batf expression, as well as important proteins for gut homeostasis, were significantly suppressed in the small intestine of C57BL76 but not BALB/c mice fed with a high-vitamin D3 containing diet. Differences between both mouse stains were not completely explained by differences in vitamin D3 receptor expression which was strongly expressed in epithelial cells of both strains. Finally, we analyzed gut microbiome and again an impact of vitamin D3 was detected in C57BL76 but not BALB/c. Our data suggest strain-specific differences in vitamin D3 responsiveness under steady state conditions which may have important implications when choosing a murine disease model to study vitamin D3 effects.
The Role of Satisfaction on Mediating The Effects of Easier Usage and Benefit Perceptions to The Loyalty of Brilink Agents in Denpasar City

Seeing the unequal conditions of establishing access to bank services in certain areas, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) issued a program entitled Laku Pandai. BRI has the largest number of Laku Pandai agents, known as BRILink agents, compared to other bank agents. The purpose of this research is to discuss the role of satisfaction in mediating the influence of perceived ease of use and benefit perceptions on BRILink Agent loyalty. Benefit perception is the condition of a person who believes that using a certain technological system can improve his or her performance. Satisfaction is defined as the feeling of pleasure or disappointment that a person feels when obtaining performance results from a product or service. Loyalty can be described as a continuous process of establishing repeat purchasing relationships over the long term. This research is a type of quantitative research that is associative in nature. The population of this research is BRILink agents located in Denpasar City. The sampling technique used purposive sampling with a sample size of 100 people. Data collection was carried out through a survey using a research instrument in the form of a questionnaire. The results of this research can provide an empirical contribution regarding the relationship between the variables of perceived ease of use, benefit perceptions, satisfaction, and loyalty for the development of consumer behavior theory. BRI Denpasar Branch management can improve the ease of operating technology on BRILink services.
177Lu-Labeled Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Functionalized with Doxorubicin and Bevacizumab as Nanobrachytherapy Agents against Breast Cancer

The use of conventional methods for the treatment of cancer, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and approaches such as brachytherapy in conjunction with the unique properties of nanoparticles could enable the development of novel theranostic agents. The aim of our current study was to evaluate the potential of iron oxide nanoparticles, coated with alginic acid and polyethylene glycol, functionalized with the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin and the monoclonal antibody bevacizumab, to serve as a nanoradiopharmaceutical agent against breast cancer. Direct radiolabeling with the therapeutic isotope Lutetium-177 (177Lu) resulted in an additional therapeutic effect. Functionalization was accomplished at high percentages and radiolabeling was robust. The high cytotoxic effect of our radiolabeled and non-radiolabeled nanostructures was proven in vitro against five different breast cancer cell lines. The ex vivo biodistribution in tumor-bearing mice was investigated with three different ways of administration. The intratumoral administration of our functionalized radionanoconjugates showed high tumor accumulation and retention at the tumor site. Finally, our therapeutic efficacy study performed over a 50-day period against an aggressive triple-negative breast cancer cell line (4T1) demonstrated enhanced tumor growth retention, thus identifying the developed nanoparticles as a promising nanobrachytherapy agent against breast cancer.
Single photon emission from silicon-vacancy colour centres in chemical vapour deposition nano-diamonds on iridium

Nanodiamonds with the ‘diamond’ 1332.5 cm Raman line as narrow as 1.8 cm have been produced by reactive ion etching in oxygen plasma of heteroepitaxial diamond particles grown by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MWPECVD) on silicon. After the etching, a doublet is recorded in the zero-phonon line photoluminescence spectra of an ensemble of silicon-vacancy (SiV) centres at 10 K. Each line of the doublet is split into two lines corresponding to the optical transitions between the split excited and ground energy levels of the SiV centres. These Raman and photoluminescent features have been observed previously only in low-strain homoepitaxial diamond films and single-crystal diamond.
Prevalence of Somatic Symptoms and Somatoform Disorders among a German Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Sample

Somatoform disorders (SD), commencing during adolescence, represent a major problem in health care systems. While literature underlines the high presence of mental health problems among children and adolescents afflicted by somatic symptoms in the general population, limited evidence is available on the prevalence of comorbid somatic symptoms in child and adolescent psychiatric populations. We assessed the prevalence of somatic symptoms, depression, and anxiety by validated questionnaires in an inpatient cohort. We further screened for the presence of SD. Out of 434 inpatients aged 11–17 years, 371 were included and a total of n = 288 (77.6%) children and adolescents participated in the study. A total of 93.8% of the inpatients reported somatic symptoms within the past six months and still almost half (45.7%) of the sample reported at least one somatic symptom within the last seven days prior to inquiry. Relating to the past six months, 59.5% were positively screened for SD, and 44.6% reported symptoms eligible for positive screening within the past seven days prior to the survey. Somatoform symptomatology was highly associated with anxiety and depression scores, but functional decline was amenable to the number of somatic symptoms only. We provide evidence that somatic symptoms are frequent in children and adolescents being treated in child and adolescent psychiatry and are relevant to everyday functioning. Screening for somatic symptoms should be introduced in the routine diagnostic procedures for early detection of SD in the commencing stages.
Improving Efficiency in Facial Recognition Tasks Through a Dataset Optimization Approach

It is well known that the performance of Machine Learning techniques, notably when applied to Computer Vision (CV), depends heavily on the amount and quality of the training data set. However, large data sets lead to time-consuming training loops and, in many situations, are difficult or even impossible to create. Therefore, there is a need for solutions to reduce their size while ensuring good levels of performance, i.e., solutions that obtain the best tradeoff between the amount/quality of training data and the model’s performance. This paper proposes a dataset reduction approach for training data used in Deep Learning methods in Facial Recognition (FR) problems. We focus on maximizing the variability of representations for each subject (person) in the training data, thus favoring “quality” instead of size. The main research questions are: 1) Which facial features better discriminate different identities? 2) Will it be possible to significantly reduce the training time without compromising performance? 3) Should we favor “quality” over quantity for very large datasets in FR? This analysis uses a pipeline to discriminate a set of features suitable for capturing the diversity and a cluster-based sampling to select the best images for each training subject, i.e., person. Results were obtained using VGGFace2 and Labeled Faces in the Wild (for benchmarking) and show that, with the proposed approach, a data reduction is possible while ensuring similar levels of accuracy.
Delay in seeking treatment and associated factors among pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending public health facilities in the Metekel zone, Benishangul Gumuz region, Western Ethiopia

Background Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia. TB prevention and control in low-income countries, such as Ethiopia, face significant challenges, including late detection and treatment initiation. A delay in the initiation of tuberculosis treatment increases the morbidity and mortality of patients and community transmission. Therefore, this study aimed to assess patient delay and associated factors among pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending public health facilities in the Metekel Zone, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Western Ethiopia. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2020 among newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients. All pulmonary tuberculosis patients (416) who came to all public health facilities of the Metekel zone for treatment during the period were included. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured and pretested questionnaire. A multivariable logistic regression was fitted to identify independent factors for delay in seeking treatment among PTB patients. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% CIs were determined, and variables with p values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results Nearly three-fourths 302 (72.6, 95% CI: 68.5, 76.7) of the patients were delayed in seeking medical advice, with a median patient delay of 27 days (IQR: 21–31). Age of the patients [above 54 years (AOR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.30, 5.40), 36–54 years (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.14,3.02)], family size of 5 members and above (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10–3.14), travel time above 60 min (AOR = 3.65, 95% CI: 1.55, 8.60), history of visits to informal care providers (AOR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.14), and poor knowledge about PTB (AOR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.04–2.44) were statistically significant factors associated with delays in seeking treatment among PTB patients. Conclusion Most pulmonary tuberculosis patients delay seeking medical advice for their illnesses. Delays in seeking treatment were associated with older age, large household size, longer travel time to reach the nearby health facility, visiting informal care providers, and poor knowledge about pulmonary tuberculosis. Hence, it is crucial to consider community screening programs, enhance public awareness, and ensure the accessibility of TB diagnostic and treatment services.
Studies on Fishes of the Family Characidae. No. 16-A New Hyphessobrycon from Costa Rica

A new tetra of the genus Hyphessobrycon is described from the Tortuguero River in Costa Rica. While it is thought to be really close to none of the other known members of the genus, Hyphessobrycon compressus (Meek) and H. milleri Durbin are probably its closest allies. The species is also compared with the rhoadsiine, Rhoadsia eigenmanni (Meek), from near the same geographic locality.
A novel approach to recognition of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases: random subspace ensemble classifier based on deep hybrid features with a super-resolution image

Background Artificial intelligence technologies have great potential in classifying neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. These technologies can aid in early diagnosis, enhance classification accuracy, and improve patient access to appropriate treatments. For this purpose, we focused on AI-based auto-diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and healthy MRI images. Methods In the current study, a deep hybrid network based on an ensemble classifier and convolutional neural network was designed. First, a very deep super-resolution neural network was adapted to improve the resolution of MRI images. Low and high-level features were extracted from the images processed with the hybrid deep convolutional neural network. Finally, these deep features are given as input to the k-nearest neighbor (KNN)-based random subspace ensemble classifier. Results A 3-class dataset containing publicly available MRI images was utilized to test the proposed architecture. In experimental works, the proposed model produced 99.11% accuracy, 98.75% sensitivity, 99.54% specificity, 98.65% precision, and 98.70% F1-score performance values. The results indicate that our AI system has the potential to provide valuable diagnostic assistance in clinical settings.
Association of SLC6A3 variants with treatment-resistant schizophrenia: a genetic association study of dopamine-related genes in schizophrenia

Background Most genetic analyses that have attempted to identify a locus or loci that can distinguish patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) from those who respond to treatment (non-TRS) have failed. However, evidence from multiple studies suggests that patients with schizophrenia who respond well to antipsychotic medication have a higher dopamine (DA) state in brain synaptic clefts whereas patients with TRS do not show enhanced DA synthesis/release pathways. Patients and methods To examine the contribution (if any) of genetics to TRS, we conducted a genetic association analysis of DA-related genes in schizophrenia patients (TRS, n = 435; non-TRS, n = 539) and healthy controls (HC: n = 489). Results The distributions of the genotypes of rs3756450 and the 40-bp variable number tandem repeat on SLC6A3 differed between the TRS and non-TRS groups. Regarding rs3756450, the TRS group showed a significantly higher ratio of the A allele, whereas the non-TRS group predominantly had the G allele. The analysis of the combination of COMT and SLC6A3 yielded a significantly higher ratio of the putative low-DA type (i.e., high COMT activity + high SLC6A3 activity) in the TRS group compared to the two other groups. Patients with the low-DA type accounted for the minority of the non-TRS group and exhibited milder psychopathology. Conclusion The overall results suggest that (i) SLC6A3 could be involved in responsiveness to antipsychotic medication and (ii) genetic variants modulating brain DA levels may be related to the classification of TRS and non-TRS.
Multiple Transitions between Y Chromosome and Autosome in Tago’s Brown Frog Species Complex

Sex chromosome turnover is the transition between sex chromosomes and autosomes. Although many cases have been reported in poikilothermic vertebrates, their evolutionary causes and genetic mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we report multiple transitions between the Y chromosome and autosome in the Japanese Tago’s brown frog complex. Using chromosome banding and molecular analyses (sex-linked and autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs, from the nuclear genome), we investigated the frogs of geographic populations ranging from northern to southern Japan of two species, Rana tagoi and Rana sakuraii (2n = 26). Particularly, the Chiba populations of East Japan and Akita populations of North Japan in R. tagoi have been, for the first time, investigated here. As a result, we identified three different sex chromosomes, namely chromosomes 3, 7, and 13, in the populations of the two species. Furthermore, we found that the transition between the Y chromosome (chromosome 7) and autosome was repeated through hybridization between two or three different populations belonging to the two species, followed by restricted chromosome introgression. These dynamic sex chromosome turnovers represent the first such findings in vertebrates and imply that speciation associated with inter- or intraspecific hybridization plays an important role in sex chromosome turnover in frogs.
Is Bike Share an Amenity?: An Exploration of Bike Share’s Effect on Single-Family Home Values in Minneapolis

Bicycle sharing systems are rapidly expanding to cities across the globe. Much research has been conducted on transportation and health related benefits purported to occur with bike share implementation, but few studies have sought to understand the economic impacts of bike share. This research builds two hedonic models to estimate changes in single family home prices in Minneapolis, Minnesota based on proximity to the Nice Ride bicycle sharing system. The models suggest that changes in value may be negative in many neighborhoods, though results are not uniform. Other studies have found positive impacts on other types of housing, indicating that further research is necessary to fully understand in what types of circumstances bicycle sharing systems have positive or negative effects on home values.
The gut microbe-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background/Aim: Both human and animal studies suggest that the gut microbe-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is strongly associated with several autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and correlates to disease severity. The study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic validity of TMAO as a potential biomarker in patients with SLE, particularly focusing on lupus nephritis patients and its relation to disease activity. Methods: A total of 90 patients were included and assigned into either: group I (SLE without nephritis (NN)), group II (lupus nephritis (LN)) and group III (healthy controls). Serum TMAO levels were compared between the study groups and correlated to the clinical, laboratory and histopathological criteria. Results: Unpredictably, TMAO levels were significantly higher in healthy controls compared to the total SLE population (p = 0.003), to LN and NN groups individually (p = 0.01). TMAO levels did not significantly vary be-tween (NN) and (LN) patients and only correlated to anti-dsDNA titres (p = 0.02) and red blood cells count (p = 0.02) among LN patients. Conclusion: Contrary to previous studies, TMAO levels were found to be higher in healthy controls. A possible confounding effect of the dietary pat-tern and ingested drugs on the gut microbiome limits the utility of TMAO as a potential marker in different diseases.