Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Failure Of Hearing Acquisition in Mice With Reduced Expression of Connexin 26 Correlates With the Abnormal Phasing of Apoptosis Relative to Autophagy and Defective ATP-Dependent Ca2+ Signaling in Kölliker’s Organ

Mutations in the GJB2 gene that encodes connexin 26 (Cx26) are the predominant cause of prelingual hereditary deafness, and the most frequently encountered variants cause complete loss of protein function. To investigate how Cx26 deficiency induces deafness, we examined the levels of apoptosis and autophagy in Gjb2loxP/loxP; ROSA26CreER mice injected with tamoxifen on the day of birth. After weaning, these mice exhibited severe hearing impairment and reduced Cx26 expression in the cochlear duct. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) positive cells were observed in apical, middle, and basal turns of Kölliker’s organ at postnatal (P) day 1 (P1), associated with increased expression levels of cleaved caspase 3, but decreased levels of autophagy-related proteins LC3-II, P62, and Beclin1. In Kölliker’s organ cells with decreased Cx26 expression, we also found significantly reduced levels of intracellular ATP and hampered Ca2+ responses evoked by extracellular ATP application. These results offer novel insight into the mechanisms that prevent hearing acquisition in mouse models of non-syndromic hearing impairment due to Cx26 loss of function.
Section Stability Comprehensive Research of Qingdong Artificial Breakwater

To choose the reasonable section structure for the Qingdong artificial island breakwater,this paper is based on the section stability of the physical model of the breakwater,uses the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process,and establish an evaluation model about the main parameters reflecting the breakwater section stability.We use the fuzzy evaluation to express the degree of different schemes of the physical model test.By means of the test results of the physical model,we can see the experimental results of the evaluation model is similar to the results of the physical model.Thus the proposed method can be used to choose the breakwater section structure.
Xim: Distributed Match-and-Mix for Bitcoin

A fundamental limitation of Bitcoin and its variants is that they link pseudonymous public addresses with transactions. The movement of coin between addresses can be observed by examining the public block chain that records the history of transactions. This record enables adversaries to link addresses to individuals, and to identify multiple addresses as belonging to a single participant. Users can try to hide this information by mixing, where a participant exchanges the money in an address coin-for-coin with another participant and address. In this paper, we describe the weaknesses of extant mixing protocols, and analyze their vulnerability to Sybil, denial-of-service, and timing-based inference attacks. As a solution, we propose Xim : a complete decentralized mixing protocol that aims to minimize the losses of an honest participant if they interact with an adversary. We bootstrap a protocol by Barber et al. with a new discovery protocol for anonymously pairing up participants. We explain the relationship between parameters used in our protocol for initial setup, and show why our protocol is eﬀective in deterring denial-of-service, inference, and Sybil attacks.
100kV HEAVY CURRENT REPETITIVE IMPULSE DISCHARGE APPARATUS

This paper describes a repetitive impulse discharge device with heavy current, its parameters are:100kV,10kVA, 10Hz and about 10kA. The charging technology with constant current using L C converter is adopted and the charging efficiency is more than 90%. The three electrodes spark gap can operate from several kilovolt to 100 kilovolt, and its construction and the triggering unit are simple. The high capability of anti interference of the control system makes the device working stably under repetitive rate.
Different Metrics with Different Cosmological Constants

In this article, the author demonstrates, that different metrics and therefore different gravitational systems have different cosmological constants and thus different total energy densities. Each gravitational system has its own individual metric, which differs from that one of another gravitational system. Coordinate transformations are only possible within one and the same metric, which means within one and the same gravitational system. As a result, our universe is traversed by a myriad of different metrics, from which one must select the appropriate one, that describes the gravitational system to be considered.
Planar Sublattices of a Free Lattice. II

In Planar sublattices of a free lattice, I [8] we verify Jonsson's conjecture for finite planar lattices; in particular we obtain a characterization of finite planar sublattices of a free lattice among all finite lattices. In the present paper we use arguments of a quite different flavour to obtain another characterization. Let be the family of lattices illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. Our goal is to prove the following theorem: a finite lattice is a planar sublattice of a free lattice if and only if it does not have a member of as a sublattice.
Cell Interactions Underlying Purkinje Cell Replacement by Neural Grafting in the pcd Mutant Cerebellum

ABSTRACT: The results obtained with neuronal grafting in an animal model of heredo-degenerative ataxia (the pcd mutant mouse) have been extremely useful to unmask new aspects of neural plasticity. The grafted embryonic Purkinje cells invade the deficient molecular layer of the host by migrating radially through adult Bergmann fibers. There, they start building their dendritic trees and, by promoting the axonal sprouting of specific adult neuronal population in a timed sequence, they receive appropriate synaptic contacts, starting ten days after grafting. Twenty-one days after grafting, the grafted Purkinje cells have acquired their adult dendritic pattern and synaptic investment. Both the detailed timetable and the nature of the cellular interactions between embryonic and adult neural cells are remarkably similar to those occurring during normal development. These results raise the possibility that embryonic Purkinje cells can induce in adult neural cells a new type of plasticity, that of recreating a permissive microenvironment for the synaptic integration of the grafted neurons, leading to the anatomical restoration of the cortical circuit of the mutant cerebellum.
Crystal chemistry and miscibility of chernovite-(Y), xenotime-(Y), gasparite-(Ce) and monazite-(Ce) from Mt. Cervandone, Western Alps, Italy

Abstract The crystal chemistry and crystal structure of the rare earth element phosphates, monazite-(Ce), Ce(PO4), and xenotime-(Y), Y(PO4), as well as the arsenates, gasparite-(Ce), Ce(AsO4), and chernovite-(Y), Y(AsO4), from the hydrothermal quartz-bearing fissures, related to pegmatites overprinted by amphibolite facies, cropping out at Mt. Cervandone, Western Alps, Piedmont, Italy, have been investigated by means of electron microprobe analysis in wavelength dispersion mode and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The chemical data reveal the occurrence of a full solid solution among the isostructural chernovite-(Y) and xenotime-(Y) with tetragonal symmetry, whereas a wide miscibility gap is observed for the isostructural gasparite-(Ce) and monazite-(Ce) of Mt. Cervandone, with monoclinic symmetry. A significant chemical heterogeneity has been observed for several investigated samples, especially related to the Th content, which is locally enriched in ThSiO4 grains. The analysis of the refined structural models demonstrates the significant control played by the composition of the tetrahedrally-coordinated (As,P)-bearing sites on the bulk unit-cell volume, and on the size and shape of the (REE)-coordination polyhedra.
FPGA IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE VECTOR-CONTROLLED SPEED SERVO CONTROLLER FOR AC DRIVES

This paper presents a fully digitized hardware design scheme of a current-vector-controlled speed servo controller, which is verified and implemented on one-chip field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), for high-performance AC drives. This scheme integrates the vector control strategy, the M/T speed measurement algorithm, the PI regulating technique and the SVPWM principle as well as the EDA design methodology, and it will be a good substitute for traditional motion control practice. The realized controller IC also contains a standard host communication interface, which enables the online configuration for all kinds of control parameters. The actual sample frequencies of the current loop and the speed loop are limited by the selected FPGA; In the Xilinx FPGA prototype mentioned in this paper, the both loops can be set to a frequency of above 20kHz. Experimental results indicate that the controller can provide a controllable speed range from 0.2 to 10000 r/min with satisfactory dynamic and static performances.
Traditional Kenyan herbal medicine: exploring natural products’ therapeutics against schistosomiasis

Abstract Praziquantel (PZQ) remains the only drug of choice for the treatment of schistosomiasis, caused by parasitic flatworms. The widespread use of PZQ in schistosomiasis endemic areas for about four decades raises concerns about the emergence of resistance of Schistosoma spp. to PZQ under drug selection pressure. This reinforces the urgency in finding alternative therapeutic options that could replace or complement PZQ. We explored the potential of medicinal plants commonly used by indigenes in Kenya for the treatment of various ailments including malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea for their antischistosomal properties. Employing the Soxhlet extraction method with different solvents, seven medicinal plants Artemisia annua, Ajuga remota, Bredilia micranta, Cordia africana, Physalis peruviana, Prunus africana and Senna didymobotrya were extracted. Qualitative phytochemical screening was performed to determine the presence of various phytochemicals in the plant extracts. Extracts were tested against Schistosoma mansoni newly transformed schistosomula (NTS) and adult worms and the schistosomicidal activity was determined by using the adenosine triphosphate quantitation assay. Phytochemical analysis of the extracts showed different classes of compounds such as alkaloids, tannins, terpenes, etc., in plant extracts active against S. mansoni worms. Seven extracts out of 22 resulted in <20% viability against NTS in 24 h at 100 μg/ml. Five of the extracts with inhibitory activity against NTS showed >69.7% and ≥72.4% reduction in viability against adult worms after exposure for 24 and 48 h, respectively. This study provides encouraging preliminary evidence that extracts of Kenyan medicinal plants deserve further study as potential alternative therapeutics that may form the basis for the development of the new treatments for schistosomiasis.
Study of continuous ant colony optimization algorithm

Aiming at the shortcoming of ant colony optimization (ACO) which can only apply to discrete problems, a new ACO algorithm for continuous problems (CACO) was put forward. CACO combines ACO with evolutionary algorithms (EA). It merges both population and genetic operations concepts of EA. It preserves the original form of feasible solutions of the continuous problems. In the proposed algorithm, the ant colony is divided into global ants and local ants, which do the global exploratory optimization and local exploitation optimization respectively. Ants deposit pheromone on the individuals which they selected and share the information in the ant colony, which leads to the positive feedback mechanism and accelerates the optimization process. Experimental results show that CACO is fit for continuous optimization, and that it has advantage over standard genetic algorithm (SGA) in global optimization, especially when applied to high dimensional complex problems. The main influencing factors such as the optimization methods which local ants use, global ants ratio, evaporation factor and size of regions were also discussed.
Expression and purification of TFPI KPI-2 Generation of vector for expression of the Kunitz-2 subdomain (KPI-2) of human TFPI

The DNA sequence corresponding to amino acid residues 91-150 of mature human TFPI (corresponding to residues 119-178 counting from Met-1) was synthesized (GeneArt®). A C-terminal hexahistidine sequence was included for purification purposes. The synthesized fragment was cloned into a pET26b vector for periplasmic expression in E.coli (Novagen®). An N-terminal AluI restriction site was used for in-frame fusion of the KPI-2 sequence to the pelB signal peptide sequence to ensure translocation of a mature KPI-2 to the bacterial periplasmic space. The sequence of the final construct was verified by DNA sequencing.
BLOCKCHAIN’S APPLICABILITY FOR MITIGATING ATTACKS

: The Internet of Things (IoT) makes smart cities feasible all around the world. Smart homes, smart farming, smart climate, smart wellness, smart governance, and many more types of smart communities are all possible in today's world. The Internet of Things is also utilized in the petroleum, gas mining, and industrial industries. In the human world, IOT increases efficiency, optimizes pricing, optimizes human capital, retains forecasts, and adds a great deal of convenience to daily activities. With the participation of a huge number of different devices and the processing of enormous amounts of data, security concerns are becoming more prevalent. The lack of success of the Internet of Things is mostly due to security and privacy concerns. One of the most serious dangers is the possibility of a distributed denial of service (DDOS) assault. This study discusses the application of blockchain-based techniques to prevent distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks in the internet of things. It gives a thorough examination of the existing blockchain-based architectures for dealing with distributed denial of service (DDOS) assaults.
Effects of seed morphology and orientation on secondary seed dispersal by wind

Understanding how diaspore (hereafter “seed”) morphology and orientation affect secondary seed dispersal by wind is important to link seed dispersal and post-dispersal processes, such as seed lodging, predation and germination. This study aims to describe the effects of seed morphology and orientation on secondary seed dispersal by wind via mechanistic modelling. We extend the mechanistic model of Schurr et al. (2005) in order to describe how secondary seed dispersal by wind is affected by wind conditions, ground surface, seed morphology and orientation. The model simulates the initial landing orientations, dispersal distances and stopping orientations of individual seeds. To parameterise the model, we measured orientation-specific vertical seed projection and seed lift-off velocity (the wind speed at which a seed starts moving on the ground) of the asymmetric seeds of heterocarpous Zygophyllum xanthoxylon, and determined orientation-specific model parameters that depend on properties of seeds and/or the environment. To validate the model, we conducted wind-channel experiments in which we released seeds of Z. xanthoxylon onto a sand-coated tar paper, and recorded the initial landing orientations, dispersal distances and stopping orientations of the seeds. The extended model could precisely predict secondary dispersal distance, and explain up to 99% of variation in the observed proportions of seeds which stopped in various orientations. The model predicts that secondary dispersal distance increases with wind speed and decreases with aerodynamic roughness length, and that there might be a positive correlation between dispersal distance and germination success.
Fuzzy Control of the Feeding System for a Belt conveyor Based on Image Recognition

Based on the coal flow width recognition of a belt conveyor, the automatic control of the conveyor feeding system is realized in the environment of control network, by taking the width of coal flow as the control variable and using a fuzzy controller: The experiment shows that this method can fit well with the automatic control of feeding materials of the conveyor in underground mines.
Land Use Influences the Composition and Antimicrobial Effects of Propolis

Simple Summary Honey bees collect a multitude of substances from plants, including nectar, pollen, and a lesser-known resin called propolis. Honey bees line their colonies with propolis to fill in cracks and potentially aid in their defense against pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Different plants contain different types of chemicals that are collected by bees to form propolis, and so one would expect the plants that bees visit to influence the quality of the propolis contained within honey bee colonies. This project explored the chemical composition and antibacterial effects of propolis collected from apiaries that were surrounded by different types of land use patterns in Iowa. Propolis samples collected from colonies that were surrounded by the highest levels of agriculture had the lowest abundance of chemical compounds and also the lowest antimicrobial activity detected for two of the bacteria species studied. These results add to a growing body of work that suggests that high intensity agricultural land use negatively impacts multiple aspects of honey bee colony health. Abstract Honey bee propolis is a complex, resinous mixture created by bees using plant sources such as leaves, flowers, and bud exudates. This study characterized how cropland surrounding apiaries affects the chemical composition and antimicrobial effects of propolis. The chemical composition and compound abundance of the propolis samples were analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and the antimicrobial effects were analyzed using the 50% minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC50) assay against four relevant bee pathogens, Serratia marcescens, Paenibacillus larvae, Lysinibacillus sphaericus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Propolis composition varied significantly with apiary, and cropland coverage predicted mean sum abundance of compounds. The apiary with the highest cropland coverage exhibited significantly higher MIC50 values for S. marcescens and K. pneumoniae compared to other apiaries. These results demonstrate that agricultural land use surrounding honey bee apiaries decreases the chemical quality and antimicrobial effects of propolis, which may have implications for the impacts of land use on hive immunity to potential pathogens.
The Role of Guilt and Empathy on Prosocial Behavior

Research on the effects of guilt on interpersonal relationships has shown that guilt frequently motivates prosocial behavior in dyadic social situations. When multiple persons are involved, however, this emotion can be disadvantageous for other people in the social environment. Two experiments were carried out to examine the effect of guilt and empathy on prosocial behavior in a context in which more than two people are involved. Experiment 1 investigates whether, in three-person situations, guilt motivates prosocial behavior with beneficial effects for the victim of one’s actions but disadvantageous effects for the third individual. Participants were faced with a social dilemma in which they could choose to take action that would benefit themselves, the victim, or the other individual. The findings show that guilt produces disadvantageous side effects for the third individual person present without negatively affecting the transgressor’s interest. In Experiment 2, participants were faced with a social dilemma in which they could act to benefit themselves, the victim, or a third person for whom they were induced to feel empathic concern. Again, the results show that guilt generates advantages for the victim but, in this case, at the expense of the transgressor and not at the expense of the third person, for whom they were induced to feel empathic concern. Therefore, guilt and empathy seem to limit the transgressor’s interest. The theoretical implications are discussed.
Epidemiological and Genetic Characterization of Norovirus Outbreaks That Occurred in Catalonia, Spain, 2017–2019

Molecular characterization of human norovirus (HuNoV) genotypes enhances the understanding of viral features and illustrates distinctive evolutionary patterns. The aim of our study was to describe the prevalence of the genetic diversity and the epidemiology of the genotypes involved in HuNoV outbreaks in Catalonia (Spain) between 2017 and 2019. A total of 100 HuNoV outbreaks were notified with the predominance of GII (70%), followed by GI (27%) and mixed GI/GII (3%). Seasonality was observed for GII outbreaks only. The most prevalent genotypes identified were GII.4[P31] Sydney 2012, GII.4[P16] Sydney 2012 and GII.2[P16]. As compared to person-to-person (P/P) transmitted outbreaks, foodborne outbreaks showed significantly higher attack rates and lower duration. The average attack rate was higher in youth hostel/campgrounds compared to nursing homes. Only genotypes GI.4[P4], GII.2[P16], GII.4[P16], GII.4[P31] and GII.17[P17] were consistently detected every year, and only abundance of GII.2[P16] showed a negative trend over time. GII.4 Sydney 2012 outbreaks were significantly associated to nursing homes, while GII.2[P16] and GI.3[P3] were most frequently identified in youth hostel/campgrounds. The average attack rate was significantly higher when comparing GII.2[P16] vs. GI.4[P4], GII.2[P16] vs. GII.4[P31] Sydney 2012, and GII.6[P7] vs. GII.4[P31] Sydney 2012. No correlations were found between genotype and outbreak duration or age of affected individuals.
Old and New Insights into Sporothrix schenckii Complex Biology and Identification

Sporothrix schenckii is a worldwide-distributed thermally dimorphic fungus, which usually causes a subacute to chronic infection through traumatic implantation or inoculation of its infectious propagules. The fungus encompasses a group of phylogenetically closely related species, thus named the S. schenckii complex, of which S. schenckii sensu stricto and S. brasiliensis are main causative species of sporotrichosis. Owing to a multifaceted molecular dynamic, the S. schenckii complex can switch between the mycelium and the yeast form. This characteristic along with a varying cell wall composition account for significant species-specific differences in the host range, virulence, and susceptibility to antifungal drugs. While culture remains the gold standard to diagnose sporotrichosis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry-based methods have become an essential for accurate species identification in many clinical laboratories. If directly applied on tissue samples, molecular methods are helpful to improve both sensitivity of and time to the etiological diagnosis of sporotrichosis. This mini-review aims to put together the old and new knowledge on the S. schenckii complex biology and identification, with particular emphasis on the laboratory diagnosis-related aspects of disease.