Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of algal food (Chlorella vulgaris) concentration and inoculation density on the competition among three planktonic Brachionidae (Rotifera: Monogononta)

Competitive outcomes among three rotifer species (Anuraeopsis fissa, Brachionus havanaensis and B. angularis) were quantified with different inoculation densities of two competing species at a time (0, 25, 50, 75 and100%) and using different algal (Chlorella vulgaris) densities (0.2 × 10 6 , 0.4 × 10 6 and 0.8 × 10 6 cells ml -1 ). In control cultures, when each species was grown alone, the population growth of rotifers increased with increasing food availability in the medium, but in mixed cultures, decreased with increasing proportion of the competing species. At low food level, compared to B. havanaensis, B. angularis had stronger negative impact on A. fissa. However, with increasing algal density, both species of Brachionus had similar but reduced impact on A. fissa. Population growth of B. havanaensis was more adversely affected by A. fissa than B. angularis at low and intermediate concentrations. At high food level, the impact of either A. fissa or B. angularis on the growth of B. havanaensis was similar. When grown alone, for a given food density, A. fissa was more numerically (4 to 6 times) abundant than the other two species. The rate of population increase (r) of rotifers increased with increasing food levels. Depending on the rotifer species and the test conditions, the r varied from -0.001 to 0.34 d -1 . Results showed that the competitive outcome in the tested rotifers depended on the initial inoculation density of the competing species, the offered food concentration as well as the interaction of these two factors.
Systematic Balance Exercises Influence Cortical Activation and Serum BDNF Levels in Older Adults

We sought to investigate whether systematic balance training modulates brain area activity responsible for postural control and influence brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA protein expression. Seventy-four older adults were randomly divided into three groups (mean age 65.34 ± 3.79 years, 30 females): Classic balance exercises (CBT), virtual reality balance exercises (VBT), and control (CON). Neuroimaging studies were performed at inclusion and after completion of the training or 12 weeks later (CON). Blood samples were obtained to measure BDNF expression. The study revealed significant interaction of sessions and groups: In the motor imagery (MI) condition for supplementary motor area (SMA) activity (Fat peak = 5.25, p < 0.05); in the action observation (AO) condition for left and right supramarginal gyrus/posterior insula (left: Fat peak = 6.48, p < 0.05; right: Fat peak = 6.92, p < 0.05); in the action observation together with motor imagery (AOMI) condition for the middle occipital gyrus (laterally)/area V5 (left: Fat peak = 6.26, p < 0.05; right: Fat peak = 8.37, p < 0.05), and in the cerebellum–inferior semilunar lobule/tonsil (Fat peak = 5.47, p < 0.05). After the training serum BDNF level has increased in CBT (p < 0.001) and in CBT compared to CON (p < 0.05). Systematic balance training may reverse the age-related cortical over-activations and appear to be a factor mediating neuroplasticity in older adults.
A Primer on the Use of Predictive Discriminant Analysis.

It has been increasingly realized that (1) multivariate methods are essential in most quantitative studies (Fish, 1988; Thompson, 1992), and (2) all conventional parametric analytic methods are correlational and invoke least squares weights (e.g., the beta weights in regression) (Knapp, 1978; Thompson, 1991). The present paper reviews one very popular multivariate analytic method that explicitly invokes weighting to optimize one criterion: the analytic method that researchers have come to call predictive discriminant analysis (Huberty and Barton, 1989; Huberty and Wisenbaker, 1992). Predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) is differentiated from descriptive discriminant analysis (DDA) (Dolenz, 1993) by a focus on predicting membership in intact groups. The paper is intended as a primer introducing researchers to the distinction between PDA and DDA and explaining analytic issues related to the PDA application (Van Epps, 1987). For example, sdding predictors can actually result in worse prediction in PDA, though in no other analytic methods can adding predictors result in worse effects. Methods for evaluating predictor variable importance using leave-one-out (L-0-0) strategies are also explored. Included are two tables and one figure. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/SLD) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************
An overview of emerging trends in pathogen reduction in the processing of fruit juices

Unpasteurized fruit juices have been implicated as the source of foodborne outbreaks due to pathogens such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157: H7 and Cryptosporidium parvum. The growth of pathogens can usually be slowed through freezing or largely eliminated through pasteurization. Although pasteurization is often effective in eliminating pathogens, it often yields undesirable flavors that are unlike those of fresh juice. Growing consumer trends towards “healthy” unpasteurized alternatives are fueling the development of alternative processing techniques. Several promising techniques for pathogen reduction in the processing of fruit juices are currently being developed. A new technique that is already being marketed worldwide is hyperbaric processing (HPP) which subjects the fruit juice to a high pressure of up to 1000 MPa. The high-pressure treatment results in up to a 7 log reduction kill in pathogens while preserving the naturally occurring flavor profile, sensory attributes and nutritional benefits. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) and ionizing radiation are also being widely explored as viable techniques to process unpasteurized fruit juices. PEF promises to be a commercially viable energy efficient alternative to pasteurization, adding only $0.03 – $0.05 per liter to final food costs. Although irradiation enjoys support for use in the processing of fruit juice by regulatory agencies, support in public opinion is lacking and hinders its growth as an alternative to pasteurization. Other experimental techniques are also present in the development pipeline. Ultrasonic radiation and high intensity pulsed light radiation are both experimental techniques that are being researched. A particularly exciting alternative is the use of plant-based antimicrobials. Several fruits and spices are known to be natural antimicrobials and are therefore being researched as alternatives to the traditional chemical preservatives.
Variations in the Use of Electronic Medical Records: Role of Sociocultural Aspects

Research on health practices, particularly around patient records in CSCW and HCI largely has underlying assumptions like individualism, emotional minimalism, recording clinical evidence, etc. We break away from this over simplification, that forgoes cultural categories like beliefs and assumptions about illness, technology and, gender roles, etc. This paper provides overview of ongoing dissertation research seeking to examine socio cultural aspects evoked within obstetrics and gynaecology (OB/GYN) outpatient consultation and how this leads to variations in EMR use. We have identified case study as suitable research strategy and principles of grounded approach will be applied while analyzing data. We hope to bring more nuanced understanding of cultural mechanisms in creating variations in use of health IT.
Functional Dissection of the Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Stay-Green Phenotype Associated with Molecular Variation at an Ortholog of Mendel’s I Gene for Cotyledon Color: Implications for Crop Production and Carotenoid Biofortification

“Stay-green” crop phenotypes have been shown to impact drought tolerance and nutritional content of several crops. We aimed to genetically describe and functionally dissect the particular stay-green phenomenon found in chickpeas with a green cotyledon color of mature dry seed and investigate its potential use for improvement of chickpea environmental adaptations and nutritional value. We examined 40 stay-green accessions and a set of 29 BC2F4-5 stay-green introgression lines using a stay-green donor parent ICC 16340 and two Indian elite cultivars (KAK2, JGK1) as recurrent parents. Genetic studies of segregating populations indicated that the green cotyledon trait is controlled by a single recessive gene that is invariantly associated with the delayed degreening (extended chlorophyll retention). We found that the chickpea ortholog of Mendel’s I locus of garden pea, encoding a SGR protein as very likely to underlie the persistently green cotyledon color phenotype of chickpea. Further sequence characterization of this chickpea ortholog CaStGR1 (CaStGR1, for carietinum stay-green gene 1) revealed the presence of five different molecular variants (alleles), each of which is likely a loss-of-function of the chickpea protein (CaStGR1) involved in chlorophyll catabolism. We tested the wild type and green cotyledon lines for components of adaptations to dry environments and traits linked to agronomic performance in different experimental systems and different levels of water availability. We found that the plant processes linked to disrupted CaStGR1 gene did not functionality affect transpiration efficiency or water usage. Photosynthetic pigments in grains, including provitaminogenic carotenoids important for human nutrition, were 2–3-fold higher in the stay-green type. Agronomic performance did not appear to be correlated with the presence/absence of the stay-green allele. We conclude that allelic variation in chickpea CaStGR1 does not compromise traits linked to environmental adaptation and agronomic performance, and is a promising genetic technology for biofortification of provitaminogenic carotenoids in chickpea.
Influence of Piezoelectric Performance on Nonlinear Dynamic Characteristics of MFC Shells

Based on the structures of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) wings, nonlinear dynamic analysis of macrofiber composite (MFC) laminated shells is presented in this paper. The effects of piezoelectric properties and aerodynamic forces on the dynamic stability of the MFC laminated shell are studied. Firstly, under the flow condition of ideal incompressible fluid, the thin airfoil theory is employed to calculate the effects of the mean camber line to obtain the circulation distribution of the wings in subsonic air flow. The steady aerodynamic lift on UAV wings is derived by using the Kutta–Joukowski lift theory. Then, considering the geometric nonlinearity and piezoelectric properties of the MFC material, the nonlinear dynamic model of the MFC laminated shell is established with Hamilton’s principles and the Galerkin method. Next, the effects of electric field, external excitation force, and nonlinear parameters on the stability of the system are studied under 1 : 1 internal resonance and the effects of material parameters on the natural frequency of the structure are also analyzed. Furthermore, the influence of the aerodynamic forces and electric field on the nonlinear dynamic responses of MFC laminated shells is discussed by numerical simulation. The results indicate that the electric field and external excitation have great influence on the structural dynamic responses.
On the Resilience of Network-based Moving Target Defense Techniques Against Host Profiling Attacks

Researchers propose Moving Target Defense (MTD) strategies for networking infrastructures as a countermeasure to impede attackers from identifying and exploiting vulnerable network hosts. In this paper, we investigate the weaknesses of Network-based Moving Target Defense (NMTD) against passive host profiling attacks. In particular, we consider periodical and reactive approaches to change hosts' identifiers. To evaluate the capabilities of a host profiling attack, we design Hostbuster, a tool that reidentifies hosts based on network flow data. We experimentally evaluate its effectiveness using real-world network traffic from the University of Oxford. We show the robustness of learned host profiles, which are valid for more than two months. On average, our experiments result in 80% classification performance given by the F1 score. As a result of these analyses, we provide guidelines to strengthen NMTD against these types of attacks.
Outage Performance Improvement by Selected User in D2D Transmission and Implementation of Cognitive Radio-Assisted NOMA

In this paper, we investigate the outage performance in secondary network of cognitive radio (CR) employing non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) wireless networks over Rayleigh fading channels. The considered system model adopts device-to-device (D2D) transmission together with traditional communication to form a new system model, namely CR-D2DNOMA network. The specific user is selected from multiple D2D-Tx users (D2Ds) to communicate with far NOMA users to form qualified D2D connection with assistance of the Relay user (RU). The main metric in such CR-D2DNOMA network needs to be considered and we particularly introduce the closed-form expressions for outage probability in the secondary network where it is designed to serve two far NOMA users. The perfect Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) and imperfect SIC can be further examined at the second NOMA user who detects signal based on the ability of SIC. The results show the positive impact of increasing the fading parameters on the system performance. More importantly, numerical results are provided to verify the correctness of our derivations. Additionally, the effects of asymptotic expressions on insights evaluation are also further analyzed.
Computational Mechanisms for Perceptual Stability using Disparity and Motion Parallax

Walking and other forms of self-motion create global motion patterns across our eyes. With the resulting stream of visual signals, how do we perceive ourselves as moving through a stable world? Although the neural mechanisms are largely unknown, human studies (Warren and Rushton, 2009) provide strong evidence that the visual system is capable of parsing the global motion into two components: one due to self-motion and the other due to independently moving objects. In the present study, we use computational modeling to investigate potential neural mechanisms for stabilizing visual perception during self-motion that build on neurophysiology of the middle temporal (MT) and medial superior temporal (MST) areas. One such mechanism leverages direction, speed, and disparity tuning of cells in dorsal MST (MSTd) to estimate the combined motion parallax and disparity signals attributed to the observer's self-motion. Feedback from the most active MSTd cell subpopulations suppresses motion signals in MT that locally match the preference of the MSTd cell in both parallax and disparity. This mechanism combined with local surround inhibition in MT allows the model to estimate self-motion while maintaining a sparse motion representation that is compatible with perceptual stability. A key consequence is that after signals compatible with the observer's self-motion are suppressed, the direction of independently moving objects is represented in a world-relative rather than observer-relative reference frame. Our analysis explicates how temporal dynamics and joint motion parallax-disparity tuning resolve the world-relative motion of moving objects and establish perceptual stability. Together, these mechanisms capture findings on the perception of object motion during self-motion. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The image integrated by our eyes as we move through our environment undergoes constant flux as trees, buildings, and other surroundings stream by us. If our view can change so radically from one moment to the next, how do we perceive a stable world? Although progress has been made in understanding how this works, little is known about the underlying brain mechanisms. We propose a computational solution whereby multiple brain areas communicate to suppress the motion attributed to our movement relative to the stationary world, which is often responsible for a large proportion of the flux across the visual field. We simulated the proposed neural mechanisms and tested model estimates using data from human perceptual studies.
Association of Endothelial Function with Parental Hypertension in Normotensive-Obese African-American Women: A Pilot Study

Obese African-American (AA) women are at high risk of hypertension (HT) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and arterial augmentation index (AI) are measures of endothelial function and arterial stiffness. Whether endothelial function and arterial stiffness predict risk of HT or CVD in obese African-American women with, versus without, parental histories of HT and whether aerobic exercise is an effective countermeasure remain unclear. The capacity for FMD is partly heritable. Therefore, we tested the hypotheses that less FMD and greater AI may be found in normotensive-obese, young-adult (18-26 year-old) AA women with hypertensive parents (n=10) than in a matched control group with normotensive parents (n=10) and that a single bout of aerobic exercise improves both endothelial function and arterial stiffness, with less improvement in the women with hypertensive parents. We studied each subject while at rest, 20 min before and 20 min after, 30 min of aerobic exercise. The exercise-induced changes and parental hypertension-related differences in AI were not significant. The exercise increased FMD in both of the groups with no significant difference in magnitude between the women with hypertensive and normotensive parents. FMD was significantly less in the women with hypertensive parents than in the women with normotensive parents after, but not before, the exercise (mean ±95% confidence interval of 11.3 ± 4.9% vs. 15.6 ± 4.9%, P=0.05). These findings suggest that a 30-min bout of aerobic exercise may improve FMD and unmask endothelial dysfunction in normotensive-obese, young-adult AA women with parental histories of HT. Future studies should determine whether regular aerobic exercise protects obese AA women from the endothelial dysfunction associated with diabetes and prevents CVD in this high-risk population.
Meaning in life experienced by parents of children living with diabetes

In this study, nine parents of children living with well-controlled diabetes participated in semi-structured interviews to explore how they make meaning of living with a child with diabetes. Creating a state of normalcy that incorporates the diabetes care plan, empowering their children to successful transition to independent care, positive relationships with their medical team as well as acquiring and sharing diabetes-related knowledge and skills add to the meaning in life of these parents. Health practitioners should facilitate conversations with parents to help them realise their motivation for adhering to the diabetes care plan.
Hyaluronidase-Expressing Salmonella Effectively Targets Tumor-Associated Hyaluronic Acid in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding cancer cells forms a barrier that often limits the ability of chemotherapeutic drugs and cytotoxic immune subsets to penetrate and eliminate tumors. The dense stromal matrix protecting cancer cells, also known as desmoplasia, results from the overproduction of major ECM components such as collagens and hyaluronic acid (HA). Although candidate drugs targeting ECM components have shown promise in increasing penetration of chemotherapeutic agents, severe adverse effects associated with systemic depletion of ECM in peripheral healthy tissues limits their use at higher, more effective doses. Currently, few strategies exist that preferentially degrade ECM in tumor tissue over healthy tissues. In light of this, we have developed an attenuated, tumor-targeting Salmonella typhimurium (ST) expressing functional bacterial hyaluronidase (bHs-ST), capable of degrading human HA deposited within PDAC tumors. Our data show that bHs-ST (i) targets and colonizes orthotopic human PDAC tumors following systemic administration and (ii) is efficiently induced in vivo to deplete tumor-derived HA, which in turn (iii) significantly increases diffusion of Salmonella typhimurium within desmoplastic tumors. BHs-ST represents a promising new tumor ECM–targeting strategy that may be instrumental in minimizing off-tumor toxicity while maximizing drug delivery into highly desmoplastic tumors.
Exploring patterns of beta‐diversity to test the consistency of biogeographical boundaries: A case study across forest plant communities of Italy

Abstract Aim To date, despite their great potential biogeographical regionalization models have been mostly developed on descriptive and empirical bases. This paper aims at applying the beta‐diversity framework on a statistically representative data set to analytically test the consistency of the biogeographical regionalization of Italian forests. Location Italy. Taxon Vascular plants. Methods Forest plant communities were surveyed in 804 plots made in a statistically representative sample of forest communities made by 201 sites of Italian forests across the three biogeographical regions of the country: Alpine, Continental, and Mediterranean. We conducted an ordination analysis and an analysis of beta‐diversity, decomposing it into its turnover and nestedness components. Results Our results provide only partial support to the consistency of the biogeographical regionalization of Italy. While the differences in forest plant communities support the distinction between the Alpine and the other two regions, differences between Continental and Mediterranean regions had lower statistical support. Pairwise beta‐diversity and its turnover component are higher between‐ than within‐biogeographical regions. This suggests that different regional species pools contribute to assembly of local communities and that spatial distance between‐regions has a stronger effect than that within‐regions. Main conclusions Our findings confirm a biogeographical structure of the species pools that is captured by the biogeographical regionalization. However, nonsignificant differences between the Mediterranean and Continental biogeographical regions suggest that this biogeographical regionalization is not consistent for forest plant communities. Our results demonstrate that an analytical evaluation of species composition differences among regions using beta‐diversity analysis is a promising approach for testing the consistency of biogeographical regionalization models. This approach is recommended to provide support to the biogeographical regionalization used in some environmental conservation polices adopted by EU.