Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of Aleurone Peroxidases in Kernels of Insect-Resistant Maize (Zea mays L.; Pob84-C3R) After Mechanical and Insect Damage

Peroxidases (PODs) have many biological functions during the plant life cycle. In maize kernels, endosperm PODs have been identified as biochemical contributors to resistance against Sitophilus zeamais, but their identities have not been determined. In this study, we identified these PODs and determined whether their contributions are basal or inducible. Semi-purification and LC-MS/MS analyses showed that the protein ZmPrx35 is the predominant soluble endosperm POD from kernels of Pob84-C3R. Subsequent time-course analyses after mechanical damage showed that POD activity was regulated in a fluctuating kinetics pattern and that zmprx35 mRNA expression levels reflected this pattern. After 48 h of infestation with S. zeamais or Prostephanus truncatus, soluble endosperm POD activities were 1.38- or 0.85-fold, respectively. Under the same conditions, zmprx35 expression was induced 1.61-fold (S. zeamais infestation) and 1.17-fold (P. truncatus infestation). These findings suggest that ZmPrx35 contributes to the protective responses of aleurone cells against wounding and pest attacks, which could be enhanced/repressed by insect factors. Our data also provide evidence that the mechanisms of resistance of maize Pob84-C3R kernels toward the insect pests S. zeamais and P. truncatus are independent.
Impact of public health measures to control SARS-CoV-2Outbreak: a data-driven analysis

With the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus since Fall 2019, governments took variousmeasures to contain the propagation of the pandemic, declared on March, 2020. This study introduces a novel method to estimate the reproductive number using Bayesian inference with time-dependent priors. By inferring the infection dates from incidence time series, the developed approach allows direct comparison between reproductive number and introduction of public health measures in a specific country. First a specific period between the onset of the symptoms and a case being declared as dead is derived on data available in Switzerland. Focussing on the measures taken by 31 European countries, this study shows that most countries required tough state interventions with a stringency index equal to 83.6 out of 100 to reduce the reproductive number below one and hence control the development of the epidemy. In addition, it is shown that there is a direct correlation between the time taken to introduce restrictive measures and the time required to contain the spread of the epidemy with a median time of 8 days between the introduction of initial restrictive measures and the reproductive rate reducing below one.
Birth Cohort Changes in the Subjective Well-Being of Chinese College Students: A Cross-Temporal Meta-Analysis, 2002–2017

According to the happiness-income paradox, economic growth within a country does not necessarily lead to an increase in well-being. However, previous literature also showed that economic growth has a greater impact on well-being in a low-income country than a high-income country. China is a typical developing country that has experienced dramatic development in recent decades. How did the well-being of the Chinese change? To examine birth cohort changes in Chinese college students' subjective well-being, a cross-temporal meta-analysis that involved 100 studies was conducted (106 data points, N = 55,830). The results showed that Chinese college students' well-being increased by at least 0.45 standard deviations from 2002 to 2017. In addition, their subjective well-being was significantly correlated with social indicators (e.g., GDP per capita, divorce rate, and university enrollment rate) for the corresponding years and 3 years prior to the collection of subjective well-being data. It is evident that social changes play an important role in predicting changes in well-being.
Lumbar Lordosis, Pain Intensity and Type of Work in Women Participating in Fitness Activities

Abstract Introduction. The aim of this study was to examine women participating in fitness activities regarding their level of disability in daily activities and lumbar lordosis. Material and methods. Data were collected from 68 females between the ages of 25-70 participating in fitness exercises. The Oswestry Disability Index was applied to measure the level of disability due to the low back pain in everyday life. The angle of lumbar lordosis was measured using a Saunders’ digital inclinometer. Results. The results of the study confirmed the existence of problems related to low back pain in people performing sedentary work. There were no correlations between lumbar lordosis angle and the level of disability in daily activities of the groups. The low back pain increases especially among people performing sedentary work. Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that work in a sitting position is not associated with a decrease in the angle of lordosis in relation to another work than in a sitting position. Sitting work can be an indirect cause of back pain and slight disability in everyday life by weakening postural muscles.
Cross-National Associations Among Cyberbullying Victimization, Self-Esteem, and Internet Addiction: Direct and Indirect Effects of Alexithymia

The relationship among cyberbullying victimization, lower self-esteem, and internet addiction has been well-established. Yet, little research exists that explains the nature of these associations, and no previous work has considered the inability to identify or describe one’s emotions, namely, alexithymia, as a potential mediator of these links. The present study sought to investigate the indirect effects of cyberbullying victimization on self-esteem and internet addiction, mediated by alexithymia. The sample consisted of 1,442 participants between 12 and 17 years (Mage = 14.17, SD = 1.38, 51.5% male) from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. Results showed a direct relationship between cyberbullying victimization and self-esteem and an indirect association mediated by alexithymia in the Dutch sample. However, in the German and U.S. samples, only an indirect relationship via alexithymia, but not a direct effect of cyberbullying victimization on self-esteem, was found. Consistent across the three country samples, cyberbullying victimization and internet addiction were directly and also indirectly associated via alexithymia. In sum, findings indicate that alexithymia might help better understand which detrimental effects cyberbullying victimization has on adolescent psychological health. Thus, cyberbullying prevention programs should consider implementing elements that educate adolescents on the ability to identify and describe their own emotions.
Double randomization method for estimating the moments of solution to vehicular traffic problems with random parameters

Abstract In this paper we consider a Boltzmann type equation arising in the kinetic vehicle traffic flow model with an acceleration variable. The latter model is improved within the framework of the previously developed approach by introducing a set of random parameters. This enables us to take into account different types of interacting vehicles, as well as various parameters describing skills and behavior of particular drivers. We develop new Monte Carlo algorithms to evaluate probabilistic moments of linear functionals of the solution to the considered equation.
Strategies to Investigate Ubiquitination in Huntington's Disease

Many neurodegenerative disorders including Huntington's Disease are hallmarked by intracellular protein aggregates that are decorated by ubiquitin and different ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinating enzymes. The protein aggregates observed in Huntington's Disease are caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the N-terminus of the huntingtin protein (Htt). Improving the degradation of mutant Htt via the Ubiquitin Proteasome System prior to aggregation would be a therapeutic strategy to delay or prevent the onset of Huntington's Disease for which there is currently no cure. Here we examine the current approaches used to study the ubiquitination of both soluble Htt as well as insolubilized Htt present in aggregates, and we describe what is known about involved (de)ubiquitinating enzymes. Furthermore, we discuss novel methodologies to study the dynamics of Htt ubiquitination in living cells using fluorescent ubiquitin probes, to identify and quantify Htt ubiquitination by mass spectrometry-based approaches, and various approaches to identify involved ubiquitinating enzymes.
Microbial and Genetic Diversity in Soil Environments

SUMMARY Soil microorganisms play a key role in soil biogeochem-ical cycling processes, in sustaining natural soil ecosystems and in agricultural production. Microbial diversity is an index of the community that takes into account both species richness and the relative abundance of species. This paper discusses concepts of microbial diversity from various points of view and extends the concepts to include genetic diversity. Advantages and disadvantages of various research methods (i.e., methods involving culturable microorganisms, biochemical markers and indirect methods, microscopy and other direct methods, and nucleic acid methods) to study microbial diversity are listed to help match research goals with the appropriate research method. Recent progress has yielded a better understanding of microbial diversity in selected environments and these results are reviewed with emphasis on the plant root rhizosphere and some typical agroecosystems. The study of microbial diversity and how it relates to sustainable agriculture and environmental protection is an emerging focus area that has great potential. We believe that advances will continue to occur as we apply new and reliable research methods both in the laboratory and in the field.
TDP-43 Is Efficiently Transferred Between Neuron-Like Cells in a Manner Enhanced by Preservation of Its N-Terminus but Independent of Extracellular Vesicles

The misfolding of transactive response DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of TDP-43 proteinopathies, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 inclusions, but also plays a role in other neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer disease. It is thought that different truncations at the N- and C-termini of TDP-43 contribute to its misfolding and aggregation in the brain, and that these aberrant TDP-43 fragments contribute to disease. Despite this, little is known about whether different truncation events influence the protein’s transmissibility between cells and how this cell-to-cell transfer occurs. In this study, we use a well-established cellular model to study the efficiency by which full-length and truncated TDP-43 fragments are transferred between neuron-like cells. We demonstrate that preservation of the N-terminus of TDP-43 enhances its transmissibility between cells and that this protein transmission occurs in a manner exclusive of extracellular vesicles, instead requiring cellular proximity for efficient propagation. These data indicate that the N-terminus of TDP-43 might be a useful target in the generation of therapeutics to limit the spread of TDP-43 pathology.
Cortisol Responses to Naturally Occurring Psychosocial Stressors Across the Psychosis Spectrum: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Individuals with established psychosis and those at high-risk for the disorder have been found to show abnormalities within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, including elevations in basal and diurnal cortisol, but a blunted cortisol awakening response. However, the extent to which these features are associated with psychosocial stressors encountered in the natural environment (which are known to be more commonly experienced by these groups, and more distressing) is currently unclear. We therefore conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the concordance between naturally-occurring psychosocial stressors and cortisol levels in these populations. Methods PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE were searched up to November 2019 to identify studies examining the concordance between psychosocial stressors and cortisol in healthy controls and individuals on the psychosis spectrum (patients with established psychosis and/or high-risk individuals). An overall meta-analysis (including data for all stressor-cortisol pairings) was performed to determine the degree of concordance irrespective of group status, with meta-regression employed to test whether the degree of concordance differed in established psychosis and high-risk groups compared to controls. Planned stratified analyses were then performed to examine group differences (where established psychosis and high-risk groups were combined) within individual stressor-cortisol pairings. Results Eighteen studies (16 datasets) were eligible for inclusion. The overall model, comprising 134 effect sizes, showed that stressors and cortisol measures were only weakly correlated [r=0.05 (95% CI: -0.00 to 0.10), p=0.059] and that neither established psychosis status (r=0.01, p=0.838) nor high-risk status (r=0.02, p=0.477) had a significant effect of the strength of correlation. In stratified analyses, significant differences between healthy controls and psychosis spectrum groups were observed for only one of the six stressor-cortisol pairings examined, where life event exposure and diurnal cortisol were positively correlated in controls [r=0.25 (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.46)], but negatively correlated in the psychosis spectrum group [r=-0.28 (95% CI: -0.49 to -0.04)]. Conclusions Overall, we observed poor concordance between naturally-occurring psychosocial stressors and cortisol irrespective of stressor type, cortisol measure, or group status. We consider a range of methodological factors that may have obscured the ability to detect “true” associations and provide recommendations for future studies in this field.
Effects of Expressive Arts–Based Interventions on Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: A Stratified Randomized Controlled Trial

Background People with intellectual disabilities have difficulties expressing their views and can manifest psychological and behavioral symptoms. The present study aimed to examine the effects of expressive arts–based intervention (EABI) on the behavioral and emotional well-being of adults with intellectual disabilities. Methods This study assigned 109 Chinese adults with intellectual disabilities into EABI (N = 55) or control groups (N = 54) using stratified randomization. Pre- and post-intervention quantitative assessments were conducted of aberrant behaviors, personal well-being, mood and color usage in drawings. Focus group interviews were conducted with the EABI participants and their caseworkers at the post-intervention stage. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance evaluated the EABI effects with age, gender and degree of intellectual disability as covariates, and latent profile analysis examined the patterns of color usage in drawings. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed on the interview data. Results The interview findings suggest that the EABI group was more emotionally expressive and stable after the intervention. Compared to the control group, the EABI group tended to use more diverse colors and leave less empty space in their drawings. No significant overall improvements were found in the EABI group with respect to aberrant behaviors, mood or personal well-being. Among males, the EABI participants showed significantly more anger and less energetic moods than those in the control group. Among females, the EABI participants showed significantly lower levels of aberrant behavior than those in the control group. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that expressive arts–based interventions have different effects on the emotional and behavioral well-being of male and female participants. Moreover, increased color usage may imply a more positive state of emotional well-being.
A survey of anthocyanins VII. The natural selection of flower colour

The anthocyanins have been identified in the flowers, fruits or leaves of approximately 200 species of plants. The results have been combined with earlier data, to ascertain the frequency with which derivatives of the three main anthocyanidin types occur as flower pigments among the species so far examined. Classification of the natural habitats of the species examined shows that pelargonidin derivatives predominate in the flowers of tropical and subtropical species, while delphinidin derivatives are the commonest in temperate and alpine plants. The colours of tropical and subtropical flowers containing cyanidin or delphinidin derivatives are generally redder than those of temperate species containing the same anthocyanin. It is concluded that red-flowered forms have a greater survival value than blue in most tropical plants. On the basis of the anthocyanin present in the flowers of thirty-two species of Tulipa, the genus falls into two groups in accordance with the morphological classification.
Nature Tourism Satisfaction in Okomu National Park, Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract Introduction. This paper examines the nature tourism satisfaction of tourists visiting Okomu National Park (ONP) in Edo State, Nigeria. Material and methods. Questionnaires were randomly administered to tourists visiting the park. Factor analysis was employed to identify the major issues influencing tourist satisfaction when visiting national parks. Results. The results indicated that the majority of the tourists were youth and were first-time visitors. Furthermore, the results revealed that management, interpretation, accessibility, and expectation are the major requirements for ensuring a good experience and satisfaction when visiting national parks. Conclusion. The results of the research reveal that in order to promote tourist satisfaction, managers of national parks need to pay attention to the proper management of the flora and fauna, including the interpretation of natural features.
Changing Time of Feeding Starter, Grower, and Finisher Diets for Broilers 3. Birds Grown to 3.3 kg

Abstract Two experiments were conduct to determine the effect of changing time of feeding starter (SD), grower (GD), and finisher (FD) diets on live performance and carcass composition of broilers grown to approximately 1 kg. In Experiment 1, SD were fed to 7, 14, or 21 days, with combinations of GD and FD fed to 28 days. In Experiment 2, SD were fed to 7, 14, or 21 days with GD subsequently fed to 28 days. Male broilers grown to 28 days attained the desired weight of 1 kg on all feeding programs. Inclusion of FD from 21 to 28 days resulted in a reduction in body weight, a deterioration in feed conversion and calorie utilization, and an increase in abdominal fat. Different feeding strategies did not affect carcass yield. Using typical poultry industry diets, optimum time of feeding SD for birds grown to a target weight of 1 kg appear to be no more than 14 days and may lie between 7 and 14 days. Based on typical cost differences between SD and GD, the economic impact of changing from SD to GD at earlier ages may be considerable. Use of diets of different nutrient content may alter these recommendations.
PEEIM and Online Shopper Loyalty

Online shopping frequently characterized by the risks, e.g., leaking of personal information or credit card fraud. These risks are critical. Hence, shopping websites develop protective mechanisms, enhancing shoppers’ Perceived Effectiveness of E-Commerce Institutional Mechanisms (PEEIM). However, shoppers may not perceive this mechanisms, or PEEIM, motivating them to defect and threat shopping websites’ survival. To solve this problem, we plan to contextualize the signaling theory into the online shopping context and use context-specific features (quality evaluations and PEEIM) to extend this theory. Our findings will envision which quality aspects are more relevant in forming users’ perceptions and loyalty. Theoretically, our findings will change our understanding of the signaling theory that observable cues may not only form beliefs of the two parties (as the theory posited) but also form beliefs pertaining to the third party (e.g., PEEIM).
Bridging Qualitative and Quantitative Methods for User Modeling: Tracing Cancer Patient Behavior in an Online Health Community

Researchers construct models of social media users to understand human behavior and deliver improved digital services. Such models use conceptual categories arranged in a taxonomy to classify unstructured user text data. In many contexts, useful taxonomies can be defined via the incorporation of qualitative findings, a mixed-methods approach that offers the ability to create qualitatively-informed user models. But operationalizing taxonomies from the themes described in qualitative work is non-trivial and has received little explicit focus. We propose a process and explore challenges bridging qualitative themes to user models, for both operationalization of themes to taxonomies and the use of these taxonomies in constructing classification models. For classification of new data, we compare common keyword-based approaches to machine learning models. We demonstrate our process through an example in the health domain, constructing two user models tracing cancer patient experience over time in an online health community. We identify patterns in the model outputs for describing the longitudinal experience of cancer patients and reflect on the use of this process in future research.
Detecting Antisocial Personality Disorder Using a Novel Machine Learning Algorithm Based on Electroencephalographic Data

Since the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder is complex, cost-and time-consuming, inaccurate, and prone to human mistakes, a novel machine learning approach for the detection of ASPD based on electroencephalography recordings was developed. Using machine learning and a finer division of electroencephalography bands, the approach achieves satisfactory and reliable results with a balanced accuracy of 77.50 percent. This novel method introduces a new benchmark since there is no such model available for the exact definition and prediction of antisocial behavior. Due to its high level of threat to individuals and society, the developed approach has strong theoretical and practical relevance.
Identifying Conditions for Effective Communication with Just Enough Documentation in Continuous Software Development

Modern development methods like Lean, Agile, and DevOps have characteristics in common concerning avoiding waste, delivering working software, and continuous delivery. We call these collective meth-ods Continuous Software Development (CSD). Additionally, we take into account the full lifecycle of software development, including continuous architecting and operations. Typically, in CSD processes, one can observe a lower amount of documentation as well as a lower quality of process-internal information. Stakeholders start development with just enough, and informal, documentation through sketches. In combination with face-to-face communication, this is considered suﬃcient. Nevertheless, having no documentation at all is not an option. Developers and other stake-holders at least require a minimal amount of documentation which is of acceptable quality. In addition, information is scattered throughout tools in the software development ecosystem. An investigation is therefore conducted as to how this information can be organized into comprehensible documentation. The contribution of this research project primarily consists of an empirically validated and theoretically founded documentation framework that is streamlined for CSD.