Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Lr 34 gene complex with spot blotch disease resistance at molecular level in wheat (T. aestivum L.)

Leaf rust and spot blotch are among most important wheat diseases causing substantial yield losses in several parts of the world. The studies at phenotypic level suggested that, leaf tip necrosis (LTN) not only associated with multi fungal resistance gene Lr34 but also confer spot blotch resistance. This LTN – spot blotch association has not been tested at molecular level and hardly validated in different genetic backgrounds. A total of 87 near isogenic lines (NILs) segregating for Lr34 gene were evaluated for spot blotch resistance and genotyped with the molecular markers linked to QTL QSb.bhu-7D. A set of 147 advanced breeding lines was also evaluated for spot blotch besides being genotyped with markers belonging to Lr34 genic region. Out of 14 markers located on chromosome 7D, four markers segregated in NILs. The genotypic and phenotypic results indicated that the markers reportedly linked with spot blotch differentiate Lr34+ and Lr34- lines and vice versa. This supports the hypothesis that Lr34, Yr18 and QSb.bhu-7D lies in the same gene region. Hence, the linked markers may be used to select both for Lr34 and spot blotch resistant lines.
Use of Morphometric Analyses and DNA Barcoding to Distinguish Truncilla donaciformis and Truncilla truncata (Bivalvia: Unionidae)

ABSTRACT Closely related unionid species often overlap in shell shape and can be difficult to accurately identify in the field. Ambiguity in identification can have serious impacts on conservation efforts and population surveys of threatened and endangered species. Truncilla donaciformis and Truncilla truncata are sister species that overlap in their distributions and frequently co-occur in central North America. Because T. donaciformis is endangered in Canada and imperiled in some US jurisdictions, co-occurrence with the morphologically similar T. truncata means that misidentification could seriously impact status assessments and recovery efforts. The objectives of this study were to (1) establish species identifications of specimens using DNA barcoding (COI), (2) determine how well traditional morphometrics and geometric morphometrics accurately discriminate between the two species, and (3) determine the accuracy of field identifications relative to molecular and morphometric identifications. Truncilla specimens from four rivers in southern Ontario were photographed and visceral mass swabs were taken. Positive identifications of all specimens were obtained through DNA barcoding and comparison with sequences from GenBank. Traditional and geometric morphometric approaches were used to assign specimens to species. Assignments generated were compared to identifications based on mtDNA barcodes, with traditional and geometric morphometric analyses found to be 90% and 99% accurate in species identifications, respectively. This study confirmed the presence of T. donaciformis in Ontario's Thames River, and revealed that all Truncilla collected for this study from the other three rivers were T. truncata. This study reinforces the utility of combining geometric morphometric analyses and DNA barcoding for identifying problematic unionid specimens.
A GARCH Model with Artificial Neural Networks

In this paper, we incorporate a GARCH model into an artificial neural network (ANN) for financial volatility modeling and estimate the parameters in Tensorflow. Our goal was to better predict stock volatility. We evaluate the performance of the models using the mean absolute errors of powers of the out-of-sample returns between 2 March 2018 and 28 February 2020. Our results show that our modeling procedure with an ANN can outperform the standard GARCH(1,1) model with standardized Student’s t distribution. Our variable importance analysis shows that Net Debt/EBITA is among the six most important predictor variables in all of the neural network models we have examined. The main contribution of this paper is that we propose a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model with a GARCH framework because LSTM can systematically take into consideration potential nonlinearity in volatility structure at different time points. One of the advantages of our research is that the proposed models are easy to implement because our proposed models can be run in Tensorflow, a Python package that enables fast and automatic optimization. Another advantage is that the proposed models enable variable importance analysis.
How humans grasp three-dimensional objects

We rarely experience difficulty picking up objects, yet of all potential grasp points on an object’s surface, only a small proportion yield stable, comfortable grasps. Here, we present extensive behavioral data alongside a computational model that correctly predicts human precision grasping of unfamiliar 3D objects. We tracked participants’ forefinger and thumb as they picked up objects of 10 wood and brass cubes configured to tease apart effects of shape, weight, orientation, and mass distribution. Grasps were highly systematic and consistent across repetitions and participants. The model combines five cost functions related to force closure, torque, natural grasp axis, grasp aperture, and visibility. Even without free parameters, we find that the model predicts human grasps with striking fidelity: indeed, it predicts individual grasps almost as well as different individuals predict one another’s. Adding fittable weights to the model reveals the relative importance of the different constraints: the combination of force closure, hand posture, and grasp size explains most of human grasping behavior, while our participants cared surprisingly little about minimizing torque and optimizing object visibility. Together, these findings provide a unified account of how we derive effective grasps from objects’ 3D shape and material properties to interact with them successfully. Significance Statement Working out how we pick up and interact with objects effectively is one of the most important challenges in behavioral science. Of all the potential contact points on an object’s surface, only a small proportion yield effective grasps. Despite this, we rarely experience any difficulty choosing where and how to pick objects up. Here, we present a computational model that unifies the varied and fragmented literature on human grasp selection. We find that the model correctly predicts human grasps across a wide variety of conditions, taking into account the object’s 3D shape, material properties and orientation.
Subjektives Stresserleben und dessen objektive Erfassung mittels des Antioxidativen Potentials

Die Gefahrdungsbeurteilung psychischer Belastungen ist seit der Novellierung des Arbeitsschutzgesetzes im Jahr 2013 fur jeden Arbeitgeber Pflicht. Das stellt die Verantwortlichen Akteure des Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutzes vor grose Herausforderungen hinsichtlich der praktischen Umsetzung (Bamberg & Mohr, 2016), da der Gesetzgeber offengelassen hat, wie genau die Gefahrdungsbeurteilung umzusetzen ist. Empfehlungen zu geeigneten Verfahren, wie sie in der DIN EN ISO 10075-3 formuliert werden, sind insofern kritisch zu bewerten, als dass von geeigneten Instrumenten neben der Erfassung der psychischen Belastung zudem die Erfassung der psychischen Beanspruchung gefordert wird. Dies kann vor allem bei schriftlichen Befragungen zu Verzerrungen fuhren (Podsakoff, Mackenzie, Lee & Podsakoff, 2003; Specter, 2006). Hier konnten parallel zu den Befragungsinstrumenten eingesetzte physiologische Mase Abhilfe schaffen. Mit dieser Arbeit sollte die Eignung des Antioxidativen Potentials (AOP) als Indikator des oxidativen Stresses zur objektiven Erfassung des subjektiven Stresserlebens uberpruft werden. Dazu wurden sechs Studien in unterschiedlichen Settings durchgefuhrt. Sie sollten die Zusammenhange zwischen AOP, subjektivem Stresserleben und der Ernahrung untersuchen. In keiner der Studien konnte das angenommene Wirkmuster vollstandig bestatigt werden. Vielmehr liesen sich teils kontrare Wirkrichtungen feststellen, so dass die Befundlage als inkonsistent bezeichnet werden muss. Ungeachtet methodischer Limitationen der Studien, verdeutlichen die Ergebnisse vor allem den hohen Forschungsbedarf der bezuglich der Wechselwirkungen von psychischen, physiologischen und behavioralen Prozessen in diesem Bereich noch besteht. Zusammenfassend und basierend auf den durchgefuhrten Studien muss daher festgestellt werden, dass das AOP nicht als objektiver Parameter zur Erfassung des subjektiven Stresserlebens geeignet ist.
Application of enterprise integration patterns for the digital transformation of parliamentary control

Legal informatics is witnessing a sharp rise of available data sources and systems. In effect, managing the complexity of enabling and maintaining interoperability represents a basic challenge due to continuously introduced ontologies, standards and systems. This article suggests an extensible architectural approach that has the potential to streamline the process of supporting interconnection of different systems and data sources. The proposed solution utilizes proven enterprise integration patterns to implement integration and migration services. These software connectors may be used to provide or consume data and functionality of their respective systems. This enables new and existing connectors to be combined and configured to address different use cases. The case of interacting connectors between a parliamentary control data source containing a validated dataset with written questions from the Hellenic Parliament and the LEOS (Legislation Editing Open Software) editor that utilizes the Akoma Ntoso standard serves as proof-of-concept.
DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF LIQUID ETHANOL AND 2-PROPANOL (PART 1). DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF TRIMETHYLENE GLYCOL (PART 2)

Abstract : Dielectric constant and loss measurements of liquid EtOH and 2-PrOH were obtained from room temperature to -160 deg C for the pure liquids and mixtures with small amounts of H2O to facilitate supercooling. Two distinct dispersion regions were found below -100 deg C in the range from 1 c to 5 mc. The temperature dependances were similar and described by rate laws of the form found for similar measurements in 1-PrOH. The magnitudes and temperatures dependances of the equilibrium dielectric constants are discussed in terms of Kirkwood's theory. An explanation of the multiple dispersions is discussed in terms of H bond breaking to permit reorientation fo alkyl and hydroxyl groups. The dielectric constants and loss of trimethylene glycol were measured in the range 1 to -70 deg C at frequencies below 5 mc. The results indicate that the complex dielectric constant is not represented by a Debye function, but can be fitted by an empirical dispersion function of the same form describing measurements for glycerol and propylene glycol. The measured properties are intermediate between those for the latter 2.
Pixel-super-resolution lensfree microscopy based on multiple-wavelength scanning

We present a wavelength-scanning-based lensfree microscopy that generates high-resolution reconstructions from undersampled raw measurements captured at multiple wavelengths.The reconstruction result of the standard 1951 USAF achieves a half-pitch lateral resolution of 775 nm, corresponding to a numerical aperture of ∼ 1.0, across a large field of view (∼ 29.85 mm2). Compared with other super-resolution methods such as lateral or axial shift-based device and illumination source rotation design, wavelength scanning avoids the need for shifting/rotating mechanical components. This wavelength-scanning super-resolution method would benefit the research and development of more stable lensfree microscopy system.
"If you've gone straight, now, you must turn left" - Exploring the use of a tangible interface in a collaborative treasure hunt for people with visual impairments

Tangible User Interfaces (TUI) have been found to be relevant tools for collaborative learning by providing a shared workspace and enhancing joint visual attention. Researchers have explored the use of TUIs in a variety of curricular activities and found them particularly interesting for spatial exploration. However, very few studies have explored how TUIs could be used as a collaborative medium for people with visual impairments (VIs). In this study, we investigated the effect of tangible interaction (a small tangible robot) in a spatial collaborative task (a treasure hunt) involving two people with VIs. The aim was to evaluate the impact of the design of the TUI on the collaboration and the strategies used to perform the task. The experiment involved six dyads of people with VIs. The results showed that the collaboration was impacted by the interaction design and open interesting perspectives on the design of collaborative games for people with VIs.
Toxicity and Mechanism Analysis of Bisphenol a on Male Reproductive Development of Rats Based on Information Technology Statistics

In this study, BPA was selected as the research object to explore the effect of BPA on the development of reproductive system and its damage mechanism in the weaning F1 male offspring SD rats. The development of sexual organs and the change of sex hormone level in F1 male offspring were observed from the day of pregnancy when BPA of 50mg / kg, 100mg / kg and 200mg / kg was administered to the mother rats to the weaning period. The results showed that the serum PRL level of F0 parent rats in BPA group increased significantly at the end of weaning period, and the serum E2 level of 100 mg / kg and 200 mg / kg groups increased significantly. In F1 offspring, the dose of BPA was positively correlated with the level of serum E2, negatively correlated with the level of serum T, FSH decreased in 200mg / kg BPA group, and the organ coefficient of testis decreased significantly in 100mg / kg and 200mg / kg groups compared with the control group.
Effects of Seed Priming on Germination Characteristics of Achillea millefolium Seeds under Different Ageing Treatment

The genus Achillea L. (Compositae) widely use as medicinal plant possessing several pharmacological effects due to presence of active compounds. In order to study of seed priming effects on seedling growth of yarrow, a factorial experiment, based on randomized complete design with three replications was conducted under greenhouse conditions in Research Institute of Forests and Rangeland (RIFR) for one year. Experimental factors were a) three Achillea millefolium L. accessions originated from Kordestan (14303), Semnan (21602) and Gilan (27028), provinces, b) five conservation methods including: medium-term storage (Active Collection at 4 °C,10 or 15 years), long-term storage (Base Collection at -18 °C,10 or 15 years), regenerated seeds in open storage 22 °C for2 years (Control) and aged seed under accelerated ageing (40 °C,98% of relative humidity for 48 and 72h) and c) priming treatments including: non- priming (control), osmo-priming (PEG-0.3Mpa), hormonal priming (gibberellic acid at250 and 500ppm). Data collected for seed emergence percent, root and shoot length, seedling length, vigor index, seedling weight and three peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymatic activities. Result of analysis of variance showed significant effects of all factors and their interactions for all of seedling traits and enzymatic activities except for SOD (P<0.01). Results also suggested significant differentiation among three accessions of A. millefolium for all germination traits and enzymes activities. Results showed that responses of accessions to aging and priming treatments were different. The data demonstrated that catalase is a key enzyme for seed repair against ageing ROS-induced damage during priming treatment.
Towards Automatic Captioning of University Lectures for French students who are Deaf

Access to higher education of Deaf students is below the national average. Recently, there has been a growing number of applications for the automatic transcription of speech, which claim to make everyday speech more accessible to people who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing but we have very little data on how they actually deal with captions. In this paper, we describe the MANES project, whose long-term goal is to assess captioning solution for Deaf students’ development of academic literacy. We present the first technical results of a real-time system to make course captioning suitable for the target audience.
Comparison Between Commercial and Synthesized Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Removal of Heavy Metal Contaminants in Wastewater

Wastewater polluted with harmful heavy metal presently becomes a crucial environmental issue throughout the world. In this study, commercial and synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles were functioned to remove lead, nickel and cadmium ions in single element system. Experimental conditions including pH, contact time and metal ion concentrations were tested. The isothermal equilibrium for single component system was favorable and the maximum uptake of lead, nickel and cadmium ions adsorbed on commercial Fe3O4 were 35.3, 5.18 and 18.16 mg/g respectively while 31.5, 4.36 and 20.56 mg/g on synthesized one at optimum pH 6 for an hour of equilibrium contact time. The isotherm data resulted from both adsorbents fitted well with Freundlich model. The experiments demonstrates that the performance of synthesized nanosorbent which is economically convenient to be used, approaches the effectiveness of commercial Fe3O4. Therefore, prepared nanosorbent form was taken as practical adsorbent and utilized in binary and ternary systems to show the competition of metal contaminants. Results indicated that lead ions had rapid affinity to be sorbed on the nanoparticles while nickel solute had slow attraction. XRF X-ray fluorescence, TEM Transmission electron microscope, FTIR Fourier transfer infrared and XRD X-ray diffraction were also carried out to identify and demonstrate the properties of both nanosorbents. Keywords— metal ion, nanosorbent, adsorption, wastewater
ViScene: A Collaborative Authoring Tool for Scene Descriptions in Videos

Audio descriptions can make the visual content in videos accessible to people with visual impairments. However, the majority of the online videos lack audio descriptions due in part to the shortage of experts who can create high-quality descriptions. We present ViScene, a web-based authoring tool that taps into the larger pool of sighted non-experts to help them generate high-quality descriptions via two feedback mechanisms—succinct visualizations and comments from an expert. Through a mixed-design study with N = 6 participants, we explore the usability of ViScene and the quality of the descriptions created by sighted non-experts with and without feedback comments. Our results indicate that non-experts can produce better descriptions with feedback comments; preliminary insights also highlight the role that people with visual impairments can play in providing this feedback.
Inclusive improvisation through sound and movement mapping: from DMI to ADMI

The field of Accessible Digital Musical Instruments (ADMIs) is growing rapidly, with instrument designers recognising that adaptations to existing Digital Musical Instruments (DMIs) can foster inclusive music making. ADMIs offer opportunities to engage with a wider range of sounds than acoustic instruments. Furthermore, gestural ADMIs free the music maker from relying on screen, keyboard and mouse-based interfaces for engaging with these sounds. This brings greater opportunities for exploration, improvisation, empowerment and flow through music making for people living with disabilities. This paper presents a case study of the a gestural DMI invented by the first author and shows that system-based considerations that enabled an expert percussionist to achieve virtuoso performances with the instrument, required minimal hardware and software changes to facilitate greater inclusivity. Understanding the needs of the users and customising the system-based movement to sound mappings was of far greater importance in making the instrument accessible.
SwiShmem: Distributed Shared State Abstractions for Programmable Switches

Programmable switches provide an appealing platform for running network functions (NFs), such as NATs, firewalls, and DDoS detectors, entirely in data plane, at staggering multi-Tbps processing rates. However, to be used in real deployments with a complex multi-switch topology, one NF instance must be deployed on each switch, which together act as a single logical NF. This requirement poses significant challenges in particular for stateful NFs, due to the need to manage distributed shared NF state among the switches. While considered a solved problem in classical distributed systems, data-plane state sharing requires addressing several unique challenges: high data rate, limited switch memory, and packet loss. We present the design of SwiShmem, the first distributed shared state management layer for data-plane P4 programs, which facilitates the implementation of stateful distributed NFs on programmable switches. We first analyze the access patterns and consistency requirements of popular NFs that lend themselves for in-switch execution, and then discuss the design and implementation options while highlighting open research questions.
Smart city collaboration model: a case study of university-city collaboration

This paper introduces a collaboration model between Tallinn city government and Tallinn University of Technology, based on partnership of two public institutions. The TalTechCity model can be seen as a response from the Tallinn city government to the smart city challenges that most of today's cities are facing all over the globe, e.g. how to manage problems related to overpopulation, traffic and data management, built environment and energy, how to reach the goals set in sustainable development agreements etc. Another aspect of this collaboration model is to investigate how to enhance smart city initiatives in the condition of limited financial and human resources. The paper analyses also the up-scaling potential of TalTechCity model and its suitability for entry level smart city initiatives.