Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular and bioinformatic analyses of nematode-derived proteins involved in plant-parasitism

Plant parasitic nematodes comprise several groups; the most economically damaging of these are the sedentary endoparasites. Sedentary endoparasitic nematodes modify host root tissues, using a suite of effector proteins to create and maintain a feeding site that is their sole source of nutrition. Ultrastructural studies of plant-nematode interactions, and in particular those of the feeding sites, have identified two key feeding structures; feeding tubes and feeding plugs. Sedentary plant-parasitic nematodes feed by withdrawing host cell assimilate from the feeding site though a feeding tube. The function, composition and molecular characteristics of both feeding tubes and feeding plugs are poorly characterised. It is hypothesised that the apparent selective uptake of certain proteins from the feeding site is attributed to feeding tube size exclusion. A novel method is proposed to predict protein size based on protein database coordinates in silico. The validity of these predictions was tested using travelling wave ion mobility spectrometry – mass spectrometry, where predictions and measured values were within approximately 6% of each other. In silico predictions coupled with experimental techniques, such as mass spectrometry, analytical ultracentrifugation and protein electrophoresis, aimed to resolve seemingly-conflicting results of previous size exclusion experiments. Together these provided a pragmatic measurement of the upper limit for cyst nematode feeding tube size exclusion. Putative feeding-structure genes were identified from the genome sequence of the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida using a series of reasoned assumptions about their characteristics. As a result, several large gene families were identified, one of which displayed highly complex genomic variation within a population. Subsequent characterisation of these candidate genes informed their function. The expression of several candidates was demonstrated in tissues with the capacity to secrete proteins into the host, implicating their role in host-pathogen interactions. In addition, for the 444 gene family, the protein was detected in the apoplasm, between the anterior end of the nematode and the feeding site. In planta host induced gene silencing targeting 444s reduced nematode infection by > 50%; further supporting their important role in successful parasitism. Feeding structure candidate genes were identified in de novo transcriptome assemblies of two related species (Globodera rostochiensis and Rotylenchulus reniformis). Differential expression analysis identified those candidates with congruent expression between species. 444 and 448 genes appear to be “core” effectors present in three genera of plant-parasitic nematodes that infect mono- and di-cotyledonous crop species.
Research Status and the Prospect of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Behavior

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), also referred to as self-injurious behavior (SIB), are different terms to describe behaviors where the demonstrable injury is self-inflicted. The behavior involves deliberate tissue damage that is usually performed without suicidal intent. The term self-mutilation is also sometimes used, although this phrase evokes connotations that some find worrisome, inaccurate, or offensive. The diagnostic study of this behavior is controversial, and it needs to be further discussed with the definition criteria of suicide and borderline personality disorder. The pathologic mechanism of nssi behavior is proposed by several theoretical models, including the functional model, developmental pathologic model, and integrative model. In the future research, the research on the psychological evaluation intervention of nssi behavior should be widened, the factors affecting nssi can be further classified, and the cross-cultural research on nssi behavior and the applicability of existing foreign research achievements in China will also become the focus of future research.
Evaluation of the inactivation of heat sensitive antinutritive factors in fullfat soybean.

The regular quality control on the adequacy of heat treat- ment of fullfat soybeans requires the application of rapid chemical meth- ods. In the present work the trypsin inhibitor activity test and the urease test were applied on fullfat soya samples that were cooked in a pressured steam (toasted) or extruded at difierent temperatures and speed rates. In the case of toasting both of the results of the laboratory examinations proved that the heating was adequate, while in the case of the extruded samples the two tests gave difierent results. In the case of certain tem- perature and time combinations the more rapid and less accurate urease test claimed that the heat treatment reached the aim, while the results of the trypsin inhibitor activity test showed that the level of the inhibitors is still high and the fullfat soya is underheated.
Effect of Chester’s Step Test on Physical Fitness Index in Students of Age Group 18-25 Years

Background: The physical fitness index measures the physical fitness for muscular work and the ability to recover from the work. The Chester Step Test (CST) assesses the physical fitness of individual. The present study was done to assess the physical fitness index using Chester Step Test in young adult in the age group of 18 to 25 years with varying degree of physical activity. Objective: To determine the physical fitness index of individuals after performing Chester step test. Materials and Methods: The study included 50 participants, 35 female and 15 male. They were asked to perform Chester’s step test for the period of 4weeks and 5 sessions per week. The physical fitness index was calculated on the first and the last day of intervention. Result: By applying Student’s Paired ‘t’ test there is a highly significant improvement in the average values of physical fitness index from pre to post Chester’s Step Test. (i.e. p=0.001), in underweight participants the value of physical fitness index are 31.887 and post intervention is 66.59, where as in the normal BMI participants the value of physical fitness index are 32.620 and post intervention is 64.511 and in overweight participants the value of physical fitness index are 31.014 and post intervention is 52.322. Conclusion: The study concluded that the sedentary life style, lack of sporting activities and over emphasis on academics leads to decreased physical fitness in students. A decreased in physical fitness has been noted in overweight students. Whereas the individuals who are physically fit has less heart rate variability. Thus regular physical activities are important to maintain physical fitness. Thus the study concluded that the physical fitness index was increased after the intervention but not up to the scores of physical fitness index because of the above mentioned reasons.
A Spectral Gradient Projection Method for Sparse Signal Reconstruction in Compressive Sensing

In this paper, a new spectral gradient direction is proposed to solve the l1 -regularized convex minimization problem. The spectral parameter of the proposed method is computed as a convex combination of two existing spectral parameters of some conjugate gradient method. Moreover, the spectral gradient method is applied to the resulting problem at each iteration without requiring the Jacobian matrix. Furthermore, the proposed method is shown to have converge globally under some assumptions. Numerically, the proposed method is efficient and robust in terms of its quality in reconstructing sparse signal and low computational cost compared to the existing methods.
NON-CALORIC SWEETENERS AND BODY WEIGHT-Edulcorantes no calóricos y peso corporal

Both total caloric intake and consumption of free sugars is higher than recommended. This situation contributes, among many other factors, to the increase of overweight and obesity in the population. To maintain the sweet taste of foods and beverages while reducing the caloric content and the amount of free sugars in said products, many people choose to replace sugary products in their diet for options containing noncaloric sweeteners. This change in their dietary choice is accompanied by an increasing number of consultations with health professionals about the effects that non-caloric sweeteners could have on their body weight. Results reported in different scientific publications seem contradictory in relation to this topic: some of them, showing a positive association between the consumption of non-caloric sweeteners and energy intake and body weight, while others reporting that the consumption of these additives –in replacement of sugar– may lead to a reduction in caloric intake and body weight. The main objective of this article is to review the available evidence on the consumption of non-caloric sweeteners in relation to body weight, thus providing another tool for health professionals to make nutritional recommendations based on the best available evidence.
Value Chain Analysis Of Varanasi Silk Sarees And Brocade

The p;aper focuses on value chain analysis of Varanasi Silk Sarees and Brocade making use of the Value Chain model given by Porter (1985). In the process, it also looks into different production models practiced in the industry. The paper takes into consideration both support and primary activities of Porter‘s model. In order to understand the different production models in detail while analysing the value nodes through the value chain, multiple qualitative methods were used (Miles, 1979). In-depth Interviews with key stakeholders and case based research methods were adopted for qualitative data collection. The study identifies and outlines the prevalent three types of value chain models as traditional, contemporary & mixed with respect to the primary activities of the value chain. Findings draw a comparison between various types of value chains prevalent in the industry highlighting the relevant differences among them and suggesting the best suited one in artisans‘ interest. The study states that interventions that can be undertaken through collaboration of Government, Private organizations and NGOs to improve the situation of artisans and contribute towards sustainability of the craft can be achieved by improvements and modifications in design and execution of activities. The suggestions and recommendations were made pertaining to eliminating the involvement of middlemen to reduce the cycle size and increase artisans‘ wages. Government should work towards educating the progressive artisans in e-commerce and linking them to e-commerce portals. The implications of this study for development organizations, government, marketers and producers (artisans) include evolving a sustainable value chain in the interest of artisans and the industry.
An optimized greedy reconstruction algorithm for dipole momentum operators

In a previous work [7], an algorithm was proposed to compute a family of selective controls that enables the efficient Hamiltonian identification of quantum systems. These controls are iteratively computed for a given set of linearly independent matrices, whose span form the space where the unknown Hamiltonian is sought. In this paper, we show by direct numerical experiments that the procedure presented in [7] can suffer from a lack of robustness. This is due to the high non-linearity of the problem generated by the bilinear state-control structure and to the fact that the final results strongly depend on the basis matrices chosen before running the algorithm. For this reason, a randomly chosen set of linear independent matrices does not necessarily lead to a set of robust selective fields that allows an accurate identification of the unknown Hamiltonian. To tackle this problem we propose a new optimized version of this algorithm. This new strategy consists in extending the greedy character of the original algorithm in a way that more matrices, not necessarily linearly independent, are tested in a parallelizable fashion. A simple criterion is then used to identify which matrix has to be chosen at each iteration among the tested ones in order to produce the new selective field. Therefore, the new proposed algorithm is capable to choose the set of needed basis matrices and their corresponding order. This strategy leads to the generation of selective fields that guarantee more robustness in the numerical identification of the Hamiltonian. Results of numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the new proposed algorithm.
Highly Sensitive Phenol Biosensor Utilizing Selected Bacillus Biofilm Through an Electrochemical Method

An eco-friendly phenol biosensor from Bacillus biofilm was prepared and investigated. The biofilm, which produced tyrosinase enzyme, was successfully immobilized on a screen-printed carbon electrode surface. A total of 72 Bacillus isolates were utilized because of their capability to produce tyrosinase enzyme in tyrosine media. Among them, Bacillus isolate code 100 was selected because it produced an adequate amount of tyrosinase enzyme and a high potentiostat current. The response surface methodology was also used to optimize the phenol sensing condition through an electrochemical method. Results showed that the optimum condition was achieved after 6 days on a phosphate buffer solution (pH of 8), with an optical density of 0.33. Furthermore, the limits of detection and quantification were 3.0 and 13 ng/L, respectively. The measurements of precision yielded a relative standard deviation of < 5%, which is remarkable. Although the biosensor material was used for 35 days, the current throughout was still maintained at 90%, indicating that the evaluated biosensor material has the potential to be used for phenol monitoring on environmental samples in the near future.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Ameliorates the Harmful Effects of Dexamethasone Induced Diabetes on Liver and Pancreas of Adult Male Albino Rats

Aims: This study was done to clarify the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the harmful changes of liver and pancreas of adult male albino rats after dexamethasone induced diabetes. Place of Study: Faculty of medicine, Tanta University, Egypt. Methodology: Thirty two adult male albino rats were divided into; group I (control), group II (Hyperbaric oxygen treated), Group III (induced diabetes non treated group) and Group IV (induced diabetes + Hyperbaric oxygen treated group). Induction of diabetes was done by dexamethasone injection for ten days. Hyperbaric oxygen was given once per day for 5 sessions in group II and IV. The rats of all groups were sacrificed after the 20 day. Specimens of liver and pancreas were subjected to microscopic examination. Original Research Article El-Helbawy et al.; JAMMR, 32(5): 40-54, 2020; Article no.JAMMR. 56065 41 Results: Rats from group III showed a highly significant increase of blood glucose compared to the controls. Treated rats in group IV showed highly significant decrease in blood glucose compared to group III. Hepatic steatosis and histopathological changes of pancreatic acini and islets of Langerhans were noticed in untreated diabetic rats. Group IV after Hyperbaric oxygen therapy revealed partial improvement of histological and ultrastructural effects of diabetes on the liver and pancreas. Conclusions: HBOT is partially effective in reducing blood glucose level and improving the hazardous effect of untreated diabetes on the histological and ultrastructural architecture of the liver and pancreas of male albino rats.
Extending a mobile device's interaction space through body-centric interaction

Modern mobile devices rely on the screen as a primary input modality. Yet the small screen real-estate limits interaction possibilities, motivating researchers to explore alternate input techniques. Within this arena, our goal is to develop Body-Centric Interaction with Mobile Devices: a class of input techniques that allow a person to position and orient her mobile device to navigate and manipulate digital content anchored in the space on and around the body. To achieve this goal, we explore such interaction in a bottom-up path of prototypes and implementations. From our experiences, as well as by examining related work, we discuss and present three recurring themes that characterize how these interactions can be realized. We illustrate how these themes can inform the design of Body-Centric Interactions by applying them to the design of a novel mobile browser application. Overall, we contribute a class of mobile input techniques where interactions are extended beyond the small screen, and are instead driven by a person's movement of the device on and around the body.
Exploring Environmental Sustainability Practices in Pakistani SMEs

In developed countries, most of the population recognizes that they are facing environmental and social threats which are mainly related to global warming. The problem associated with an ecological footprint, particularly water shortage, ecosystems, climate change, deforestation, and declining biodiversity, is considered a harmful threat to human life and environmental health around the world. The purpose of this study is to explore the environmental sustainability practices of Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan. Although there are three dimensions of sustainability, such as environmental, social, and economical. However, the focus of this study is on the environmental dimension of sustainability. Qualitative method was used to collect data. A sample of 30 manufacturing SMEs were chosen, and semi-structured interviews were conducted for a complete understanding of the research problem. The results revealed that most of the firms believed that they have measurable targets for reducing waste, energy, water, and carbon. As in Pakistan, there is an energy crisis, and most of the industries have shut down due to the energy crises. Another vital issue for the majority of industrial estates was the scarcity of water. To reduce air pollution, most of the medium firms were trying to protect the air from pollution, whereas small firms were less concerned about air pollution. Similarly, very few medium-size (Food, Steel, Pharmaceutical) firms recycle the wastewater and reuse it, While none of the small firms recycle the water. Most SMEs are utilizing power factor for energy saving due to severe energy shortage in the country. The study indicates a bleak outlook regarding the implementation of environmental sustainability practices in small firms.
Action Biases Perceptual Decisions Toward Expected Outcomes

We predict how our actions will influence the world around us. Prevailing models in the action control literature propose that we use these predictions to suppress or “cancel” perception of expected action outcomes, to highlight more informative surprising events. However, contrasting normative Bayesian models in sensory cognition suggest that we are more, not less, likely to perceive what we expect—given that what we expect is more likely to occur. Here we adjudicated between these models by investigating how expectations influence perceptual decisions about action outcomes in a signal detection paradigm. Across three experiments, participants performed one of two manual actions that were sometimes accompanied by brief presentation of expected or unexpected visual outcomes. Contrary to dominant cancellation models but consistent with Bayesian accounts, we found that observers were biased to report the presence of expected action outcomes. There were no effects of expectation on sensitivity. Computational modeling revealed that the action-induced bias reflected a sensory bias in how evidence was accumulated rather than a baseline shift in decision circuits. Expectation effects remained in Experiments 2 and 3 when orthogonal cues indicated which finger was more likely to be probed (i.e. task-relevant). These biases toward perceiving expected action outcomes are suggestive of a mechanism that would enable generation of largely veridical representations of our actions and their consequences in an inherently uncertain sensory world.
Foraging areas and associated environmental preferences of juvenile loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta)

The tracks of 10 juvenile loggerhead turtles that were tagged in 1998, in Madeira (Portugal) were analysed, to determine foraging regions and associated environmental preferences. To smooth the paths and standardize the locations in time, a Kalman-based (KF) state space model (SSM) was applied to the raw data. Area-restricted search (ARS) was used as a proxy for foraging behaviour, and three methods were combined to determine ARS: first passage time (FPT), straightness index (SI) and speed (corrected with currents direction and magnitude). Environmental key variables that may be related with foraging choices of these animals were extracted, using Marine Geospatial Ecology Tools (MGET), in ArcMap (ESRI 2011). Based on previous works concerning loggerheads and other marine vertebrates, the chosen variables were: bathymetry, sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), sea surface height anomalies (SSHA) and chlorophyll a (Chla) concentration. A generalised additive model (GAM) was applied to the data, to determine the relation between the response variable (ARS) and the predictors (environmental variables). Results showed the existence of a relationship between the environmental variables and foraging regions, identified by both visual analysis of the data and by the model results. In general, the animals foraged in regions where one or more of these features occurred: low bathymetry, absolute high values of sea surface height anomalies and also within the boundaries of sea surface temperature fronts and Chla fronts. Most animals also headed in opposite directions, according to the season they were tagged (spring or autumn), demonstrating latitude ranging variability by season. The combination of the methods applied to determine ARS was successful in allowing to relate the environmental variables with foraging locations and also enabled obtaining a visual scale for ARS locations. Results of this work will be used for comparison in an ongoing larger study related with sunfish (Mola mola)
Capital, risk and profitability of WAEMU banks: Does cross-border banking matter?

Using hand-collected bank level data from all West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries for 2000-2014, we investigate the simultaneous relationship among bank capital, risk and profitability, taking into account bank ownership and cross-border banking. We split the countries into lower middle-income (LMIs) and low-income (LICs). We find that the sensitivity of bank profitability to an increase in capital ratio is much higher in LMIs (+0.10) than in LICs (+0.05). Moreover, we uncover evidence to support the regulatory hypothesis, i.e. positive relationship between risk and capital. Also, we find that banks’ capital positions tend to be counter-cyclical in LICs, mimicking Basle III. Differentiating between cross-border panAfrican banks and foreign banks from outside the continent, we find that overall cross-border bank ownership reduces credit risk and profitability in the banking sector. These findings are generally robust to the use of alternative measures of risk and profitability and alternative estimation techniques.