Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RNAi AS A TOOL TO OBTAIN POTATO RESISTANT TO VIRUSES

Potato is the third most important crop in the world but is very sensitive to pathogens. Viruses are pathogens which affect potato productivity causing important losses in the annual production. Consequently, potato is one of the main targets for genetic improvement by gene transfer and other biotechnological tools. RNA interference (RNAi) has recently been identified as a natural mechanism for regulation of gene expression and also as a natural antiviral defense mechanism. RNAi is a promising approach adopted to develop virus-resistant plants. The present paper gives an update of different approaches of using RNAi to obtain virus resistant potato plants.
Progressive Disentanglement Using Relevant Factor VAE

Unsupervised learning of meaningful disentanglement remains an open challenge. This problem has roughly two perpendicular objectives: dimensionality reduction of high-dimensional data (such as images) to a low-dimensional latent space, and enforcing a disentanglement structure on the obtained latent space. It has been shown that improved performance in one can potentially hurt the other i.e. increased disentanglement can reduce reconstruction quality. Previous works have developed various reformulations to better decouple these objectives but there is always still a connection which often requires hyperparameter search / tuning to find the right trade-off. In this work, we propose a systematic approach that automatically adapts the relative weights of both components to obtain the right trade-off. Based on the Factor VAE approach, our method can adaptively increase or decrease the weight of disentanglement objective as a function of the discriminator performance. This makes the unsupervised learning process insensitive to the initial choice of hyperparameters and dataset-agnostic. Our approach also enables a learning curriculum that initially places focus on the reconstruction and adaptively shifts emphasis to learning disentanglements.
Morphological features and vascularization study of caprine cyclic corpus luteum 1

Miranda-Moura M.T. M. , Fonseca V.U. , Silva N.B., Freitas M.L. , Almeida O.B. , Rocha H.A. O. , Papa P.C. & Moura C.E. B. 2010. Morphological features and vascularization study of caprine cyclic corpus luteum. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 30(4):351-357. Departamento de Morfologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho s/n, Campus Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN 59072970, Brazil. E-mail: mouraeduard@cb.ufrn. br Corpus luteum is a temporary endocrine gland that regulates either the estrous cycle and pregnancy. It presents extreme dependency on the adequate blood supply. This work aims to evaluate goat corpus luteum (CL) vascular density (VD) over the estrous cycle. For that purpose, 20 females were submitted to estrus synchronization/ovulation treatment using a medroxyprogesterone intra-vaginal sponge as well as intramuscular (IM) application of cloprostenol and equine chorionic gonadotrophine (eCG). After sponge removal, estrus was identified at about 72hs. Once treatment was over, female goats were then subdivided into 4 groups (n=5 each) and slaughtered on days 2, 12, 16 and 22 after ovulation (p.o). Ovaries were collected, withdrawn and weighted. CL and ovaries had size and area recorded. Blood samples were collected and the plasma progesterone (P4) was measured through RIA commercial kits. The VD was 24.42±6.66, 36.26±5.61, 8.59±2.2 and 3.97±1.12 vessels/mm2 for days 2, 12, 16 and 22 p.o, respectively. Progesterone plasma concentrations were 0.49±0.08, 2.63±0.66, 0.61±0.14 and 0.22±0.04ng/ml for days 2, 12, 16 e 22 p.o, respectively. Studied parameters were affected by the estrous cycle phase. Values greater than 12 p.o were observed. In the present work we observed that ovulation occurred predominantly in the right ovary (70% of the animals), which in turn presented bigger measures than the contra lateral one. There is a meaningful relationship between the weight and size of the ovary and these of CL (r=0.87, r=0.70, respectively, p<0.05). It is possible to conclude that morphology of goat’s ovaries and plasma progesterone concentration changed according to estrous cycle stages. We propose these parameters can be used as indicators of CL functional activity.
Coyote Ecology and Conflicts with Humans across the Urban-Wildland Gradient : Identifying the Potential Impacts of Changing Land Use

Conflicts between humans and coyotes (Canis latrans) vary across the urban-wildland gradient. As the human population becomes more concentrated in urban centers and land use types succeed from wildland to rural to suburban to urban, the nature of conflicts will change. It is essential for the coexistence of humans and coyotes to understand coyote ecology (i.e. foraging habits, home range sizes, habitat selection, etc.) within these different environments to inform wildlife managers as to how a changing landscape will effect coyote survival and human-coyote conflict into the future. In wildland areas, coyotes have been accused of negatively impacting availability of deer (Odocoileus spp.) for recreational hunting. Eastern coyotes have been documented to exhibit larger body size and a greater dependence on white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) in recent years, however, deer-coyote dynamics appear to be largely unexplored. Similarly, the effects of secondary contact between coyotes and wolves (C. lupis, C. lycaon, C. rufus) in wolf reintroduction areas is largely unstudied. This is perhaps due to the dominant theory that wolves historically excluded coyotes and will likely do so again in areas where they have been reintroduced. This theory, however, does not account for convergence in prey base in wolves and eastern coyotes, or possible effects of hybridization on interspecific interactions. In rural environments coyotes have long been persecuted for depredation of sheep. Depredation management has had little benefit for the sheep industry to date, and the efficacy of economic subsidies should be further investigated and compared to other management strategies. There has also been little investigation into whether increased dependence on deer has an effect on livestock depredation. Depredation rates should be compared between larger eastern coyotes which have incorporated deer as a significant portion of their diet and smaller western coyotes. The study of coyote ecology in suburban and urban environments is a relatively new but growing field. Its importance is only increasing as the United States continues to urbanize. Studies conducted thus far indicate that coyote populations have been able to not only survive, but to expand and thrive in many suburban and urban environments. Understanding the impact of such urbanization on coyotes is critical from a management perspective. Coyotes have been known to attack domestic pets and, on rare occasions, humans. Such encounters will likely only increase if coyotes continue to adapt to living in developed areas. More studies on coyote population dynamics and structure in suburban and urban environments are needed to make informed management decisions in the future.
Style Transfer on Non-Parallel Text by Iterative Matching and Translation FYP 18008 INTERIM REPORT

Style transfer is the task to change the style of text while preserving the content. Previous work using generative models has demonstrated limitations in content preservation and grammatical accuracy. This project proposes a more effective approach by constructing a pseudo-parallel corpus and iteratively refining it by a sequence-to-sequence model. Currently, we have compared our model with three state-of-the-art approaches on two benchmark datasets, where improvements have been identified on three key areas, content preservation, style correctness, and grammatical accuracy according to human evaluation. This approach contributes to the research on Natural Language Generation (NLG) and has potential further applications in downstream tasks including paraphrase generation and formality conversion.
Small-Footprint Magic Word Detection Method Using Convolutional LSTM Neural Network

The number of consumer devices which can be operated by voice is increasing every year. Magic Word Detection (MWD), the detection of an activation keyword in continuous speech, has become an essential technology for the hands-free operation of such devices. Because MWD systems need to run constantly in order to detect Magic Words at any time, many studies have focused on the development of a small-footprint system. In this paper, we propose a novel, small-footprint MWD method which uses a convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network to capture frequency and time domain features over time. As a result, the proposed method outperforms the baseline method while reducing the number of parameters by more than 80%. An experiment on a small-scale device demonstrates that our model is efficient enough to function in real time.
SES-based Structure Modeling Method Using the Block Diagram

SES(System Entity Structure) is the well-known structure representation formalism for describing the decomposition and/or taxonomy of the system. It also provides several convenient operations for building the structure model. However, the conventional SES modeling system does not utilize the module diagram which is easy and widely used graphical representation method. To deal with this, we have proposed the advanced structure modeling method by combining the SES structure model with the block diagram representation. The paper will demonstrates how each properties and operations of the SES may be accomplished by using the block diagram.
Synthesis and Structure‐Activity Relationships of N‐(4‐Benzamidino)‐Oxazolidinones: Potent and Selective Inhibitors of Kallikrein‐Related Peptidase 6

Kallikrein‐related peptidase 6 (KLK6) is a secreted serine protease that belongs to the family of tissue kallikreins. Aberrant expression of KLK6 has been found in different cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, and KLK6 is currently studied as a potential target in these pathologies. We report a novel series of KLK6 inhibitors discovered in a high‐throughput screen within the European Lead Factory program. Structure‐guided design based on docking studies enabled rapid progression of a hit cluster to inhibitors with improved potency, selectivity and pharmacokinetic properties. In particular, inhibitors 32 ((5R)‐3‐(4‐carbamimidoylphenyl)‐N‐((S)‐1‐(naphthalen‐1‐yl)propyl)‐2‐oxooxazolidine‐5‐carboxamide) and 34 ((5R)‐3‐(6‐carbamimidoylpyridin‐3‐yl)‐N‐((1S)‐1‐(naphthalen‐1‐yl)propyl)‐2‐oxooxazolidine‐5‐carboxamide) have single‐digit nanomolar potency against KLK6, with over 25‐fold and 100‐fold selectivities against the closely related enzyme trypsin, respectively. The most potent compound, 32, effectively reduces KLK6‐dependent invasion of HCT116 cells. The high potency in combination with good solubility and low clearance of 32 make it a good chemical probe for KLK6 target validation in vitro and potentially in vivo.
Effective Detecting Microblog Spammers Using Big Data Fusion Algorithm

∗ Huaping Zhang is the Corresponding author. (E-mail: kevinzhang@bit.edu.cn) Abstract The Spammers spread rumors and threaten social stability to get profit while resulting a serious impact. Most of the existing studies utilize machine learning techniques to detect spammers. While new trend of the Spammers is they are getting more intelligent too, evolving to evade existing detection features including to avoid being detected by performing like normals. In this paper, we design a Big Data Fusion algorithm to investigate the combination effects of multiple factors in detecting spammers with a series of comprehensive experimental studies. We grab a large amount of microblog data on the Internet and tested for 1.1TB of spammers’ data which contains Weibo Microblog message of over 800,000 accounts. The results show that our new algorithm is much more effective than the existing detectors in that it is significantly improved in both the accuracy and the FP-rate by a large margin.
EAI Endorsed Transactions on Industrial Networks and Intelligent Systems Research

In this paper, we present a possible way forward to the design of network coding (NC) as a virtual network functionality offered to the communication service designer. Specifically, we propose the integration of NC and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architectural designs. The integration is realized as a toolbox of NC design domains that the service designer can use for flow engineering. Our proposed design framework combines network protocol-driven design and system modular-driven design approaches. In particular, the adaptive choice of the network codes and its use for a specific service can be optimized depending on the ultimate service intent and underlying network. We work out a complete use case where we design geo-network coding, an application of NC for which coding rate is optimized using databases of geo-location information towards an efficient use of network resources. Our numerical results highlight the benefits of both the proposed NC design framework and the specific application. Received on 01 August 2019; accepted on 13 August 2019; published on 30 August 2019
Hepatitis B virus X protein induces TNF-a expression via down-regulation of selenoprotein P in human hepatoma cell line , HepG 2

Human hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is associated with the induction of oxidative stress, which is considered significant in the development of liver damage. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which HBx induced lipid peroxidation and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) expression through regulation of selenoprotein P (SeP) expression in the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. Forced expression of HBx significantly down-regulated the expression of SeP mRNA and protein in both the cell lysates and the culture medium. Lipid peroxidation increased 2.5-fold when expression of the SeP protein was blocked with a SeP antisense vector. Also, HBx transfection increased lipid peroxidation by 3.0-fold, whereas the hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) had no significant effects. The induction of lipid peroxidation due to the block in SeP protein expression or treatment with ferric chloride (FeCl3) up-regulated the expression levels of TNF-a mRNA and protein. The pattern of HBx-induced lipid peroxidation and TNF-a up-regulation was reversed by SeP introduction. These results suggest that HBx induces lipid peroxidation via down-regulation of SeP expression, resulting in increased expression of TNF-a in the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. D 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Towards comparable cognitive creative systems. Two case studies and a general approach based on cognitive processing, knowledge acquisition and evaluation with human creativity tests

Creative cognitive systems are rarely assessed with the same tools as human creativity. In this paper, a general approach is proposed for building more such comparable systems. The importance of using cognitively viable processes, cognitive knowledge and evaluation when implementing creative problem-solving systems is emphasized. Two case studies of artificial cognitive systems evaluated with human creativity tests are reviewed. A general approach is put forward. The applicability of this general approach to other creativity tests and artificial cognitive systems, together with ways of performing cognitive knowledge acquisition for these systems are then explored.
SELENIUM AMELIORATES CADMIUM STRESS-INDUCED DAMAGE BY IMPROVING ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE SYSTEM IN CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII

Present study was aimed to investigate the role of selenium in amelioration of cadmium stress in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Cadmium treatment growth declined by reducing the pigment synthesis and increasing the oxidative damage to membranes. Selenium supplementation caused a significant decline in hydrogen peroxide production and hence the rate of lipid peroxidation which was well correlated with the increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase. Proline increased due to supplementation of selenium and optimised the synthesis of nitric oxide for better counteracting the cadmium stress. Supplementation of selenium protected membrane structures in C. reinhardtii from the cadmium stress by maintaining the higher contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
A Regularization-based Framework for Bilingual Grammar Induction

Grammar induction aims to discover syntactic structures from unannotated sentences. In this paper, we propose a framework in which the learning process of the grammar model of one language is influenced by knowledge from the model of another language. Unlike previous work on multilingual grammar induction, our approach does not rely on any external resource, such as parallel corpora, word alignments or linguistic phylogenetic trees. We propose three regularization methods that encourage similarity between model parameters, dependency edge scores, and parse trees respectively. We deploy our methods on a state-of-the-art unsupervised discriminative parser and evaluate it on both transfer grammar induction and bilingual grammar induction. Empirical results on multiple languages show that our methods outperform strong baselines.
Efficacy of Essential Oils to Control the Carob Moth , Ectomyelois Ceratoniae Zeller ( Lepidoptera : Pyralidae )

Measures of stored pest control are mainly based on application of synthetic insecticides and fumigants. Recently, natural pest control methods including essential oils have been increasingly explored. In this work, the fumigant activity of essential oil vapours distilled from Citrus sinensis and Artemisia herba-alba were tested against adults, larvae and eggs of the carob moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae. Results showed that fumigant toxicity depends on oil species, concentrations and exposure time. Aged larvae L5 were more susceptible than young larvae (L4 and L3). Mortality rate of Larvae (L5) reached 100% and 64% respectively for Artemisia herba-alba and Citrus sinensis at the concentration of 150μl/l air after 24 hours exposure. The corresponding LC50 for adults values were respectively 2.6 and 0.31 μl/l air for Citrus sinensis andherba-alba. The hatching rate decreased with increases in concentration or exposure time for the two oils. The exposure to vapours of essential oils from Artemisia herba-albacaused 0% of hatching rate at the concentration of 150 μl/l air after 48 hours exposure. With the same concentration and time exposure, hatching rate was 31, 2 % when eggs were exposed to Citrus sinensis oil. Results suggested that the two oils mainly Artemisia herba-alba essential oils could be used as an alternative to the synthetic fumigant in postharvest treatment program for the control of E. ceratoniae.
Abbreviation detection in Swedish Medical Records The Development of SCAN , a Swedish Clinical Abbreviation Normalizer

Swedish clinical records are filled with numerous abbreviations that are difficult to understand. This problem can span from patients reading their own records to medical personnel reading texts from a different clinical domain than the one they are used to. Computer algorithms processing clinical texts also suffer from this problem since abbreviations can hide valuable information important to the algorithm's task. In this report, a first step is taken towards solving this problem by developing an algorithm that detects abbreviations in Swedish clinical texts and supplies suggestions to their full length translations. A combination of design science and empirical research was used to approach the problem. The development process was started by reviewing existing algorithms in similar domains, from which key features were taken and used as a foundation for a rule based algorithm. Some additions were also made in order to mitigate problems experienced by previous researchers as well as some new problems predicted to arise from the specific domain of Swedish clinical texts. The developed algorithm was tested against assessment sections from 300 medical records from an emergency department of the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. In these tests, the best performing version of the algorithm achieved an F-Measure score of 79%, with 76% recall and 81% precision. These results were compared against a baseline result as well as the results from existing similar algorithms. The algorithm was concluded to be successful in its task and the performance was established to be better than the baseline tests and close to the similar algorithms, though questions were raised regarding the validity of these results due to different conditions. Problems and flaws with the algorithm were analyzed and discussed; and it was concluded that many of the problems were due to the usage of word lists.
Effects of the Cell Cycle Inhibitor Olomoucine on Inflammatory Response and Neuronal Cell Death after Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Objective:The influence of olomoucine on microglial proliferation with associated inflammatory response after spinal cord injury has been determined.Methods:Microglial proliferation and neuronal apoptosis were observed by immunofluorescence.Level of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β(IL-1β)expression in the injured cord was determined by Western blot analysis.Results:the cell cycle inhibitor olomoucine,administered at 1 h post injury,significantly suppressed microglial proliferation and produced a remarkable reduction of tissue edema formation.In the olomoucine-treated group,a significant reduction of activated and/or proliferated microglial induced IL-1β expression was observed 24 h after SCI.Moreover,olomoucine evidently attenuated the number of apoptotic neurons after SCI.Conclusion:Our findings suggest that modulation of microglial proliferation with associated proinflammatory cytokine expression may be a mechanism of cell cycle inhibition-mediated neuroprotections in the CNS trauma.
miR-34 a Promotes Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Calcification by Downregulating SIRT 1 ( Sirtuin 1 ) and Axl ( AXL Receptor Tyrosine Kinase )

Vascular calcification (VC) is an age-related complication of atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease and is characterized by the maladaptive transdifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) toward an osteochondrogenic lineage, which results in hydroxyapatite deposition and eventually mineralization of the arterial wall. Although VC is a risk factor for cardiovascular and allcause mortality, a therapy is not yet available, mostly because the pathways responsible for the VSMC osteochondrogenic phenotypic shift are still poorly understood. It has recently emerged that senescence and the acquisition of an inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype increase the propensity of VSMC to experience the osteoblastic transition. Remarkably, senescent VSMCs are characterized by the expression of bone-related genes, such as Runx2 (Runt-related transcription factor 2), alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin, and secretion of senescence-associated secretory phenotype molecules, such as IL-6 (interleukin 6), BMP2 (bone morphogenetic protein 2), and OPG (osteoprotegerin), that can induce the senescence and osteoblastic phenotype of neighboring VSMCs and local or circulating stem