Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Runs of Homozygosity and Quantitative Trait Locus/Association for Semen Parameters in Selected Chinese and South African Beef Cattle

Simple Summary Genome-wide runs of homozygosity (ROH) are excellent in understanding population history, estimating genomic inbreeding, and deciphering genetic architecture of complex traits and diseases, as well as identifying genes of agro-economic traits. ROH are defined as continuous region on the chromosome where an individual is homozygous across the genome. This study identified distribution of ROH in the six selected beef cattle breeds, Chinese Simentaler (CSI), Belgian Blue (BEL), and South African Angus (ANG), Nguni (NGU), Bonsmara (BON), and Simentaler (SIM), using Bovine BeadChip markers. Furthermore, nine candidate genes, CDF9, MARCH1, WDR19, SLOICI, ST7, DOP1B, CFAF9, INHBA, and ADAMTS1, were suggested to be associated with semen QTL traits and reported moderate inbreeding in some breeds with high to low correlation inbreeding between breeds. The study findings will allow proper guidelines for breeder’s societies. Abstract In this study, runs of homozygosity (ROH) and quantitative trait locus/association (QTL) for semen parameters in selected Chinese and South African beef cattle breed were estimated. The computed results showed 7516 ROH were observed between classes 0–5 Mb with no ROH observed in classes >40 Mb. Distribution of ROH showed high level of genomic coverage for ANG, NGU, CSI, and BEL breeds. Approximately 13 genomic regions with QTL were controlling sperm motility, sperm concentration, semen volume, sperm count, sperm head abnormalities, sperm tail abnormalities, sperm integrity, and percentage of abnormal sperm traits. Nine candidate genes, CDF9, MARCH1, WDR19, SLOICI, ST7, DOP1B, CFAF9, INHBA, and ADAMTS1, were suggested to be associated with above mentioned QTL traits. The results for inbreeding coefficient showed moderate correlation between FROH vs FHOM at 0.603 and high correlation between FROH 0–5 Mb 0.929, and lowest correlation for 0–>40 Mb 0.400. This study suggested recent inbreeding in CSI, BEL, ANG, BON, SIM, and NGU breeds. Furthermore, it highlighted varied inbreeding levels and identified QTL for semen traits and genes of association. These results can assist in implementation of genetic improvement strategies for bulls and provide awareness and proper guidelines in developing breeding programs.
Determinants of Dual Enrollment Access: A National Examination of Institutional Context and State Policies

Despite considerable growth in rates of participation in recent years, concerns remain about disparities in access to dual enrollment programs. On one hand, there are questions regarding who has access, which students are most disadvantaged, and which schools fail to offer the opportunity at all? On the other hand, there has been little clarity about what helps to improve access—in particular, what is the role of state policies in this effort? Using nationally representative data sources, this study uses a multilevel approach to understand how dual enrollment participation varies at the level of states, schools, and students. The findings reveal that policy mandates are among the strongest predictors of dual enrollment participation. Furthermore, schools serving greater proportions of racially minoritized students are the least likely to offer dual enrollment, but within schools, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have a lower probability of participating relative to their more affluent peers.
Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) prototype with Raspberry Pi

With globalisation and the thirst for connectivity across society, the demand placed on wireless infrastructure and the associated resource is growing exponentially. Very soon this resource will reach saturation point, due to the finite bandwidth available in the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum. A method of countering the impending saturation needs to be found. That method can be Visible Light Communication (VLC). Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) is a research field within VLC that utilises the visible light band within the electromagnetic wave spectrum. This band is 10,000 times larger than the RF band and cannot be ‘leased’ or saturated with users. Light waves can be modulated to carry an enormous amount ofsimultaneous data, at speeds faster than current consumer equipment can handle. This Dissertation describes in detail the research, construction and testing of a Li-Fi prototype using Raspberry Pi. The prototype is compact, low cost, uses accessible components and provides a solid foundation for other students to follow on with further work in this field. The prototype successfully demonstrates the principle of Visible Light Communication and shows the viability of using Python for coding, SPI for data transfer and lists suitable electronic components to process bit-wise data signals. The prototype shows that while it is possible to use addressable LED’sas the transmitting element, the Dissertation concludes that they are not suitable outside of a heavily constrained environment.
Spectroscopic, Docking and MD Simulation Analysis of an Adamantane Derivative with Solvation Effects in Different Solvents

Abstract 3-(Adamantan-1-yl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-{[4-(2-methyoxyphenyl)piprazin-1yl]-methyl}-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5-thione (AFT) was synthesized and spectroscopic investigations have been made experimentally and theoretically. The electrostatic potential maps and frontier orbital visualizations were used to comment of molecular polarity and stability in AFT. In AFT, thione group, methoxyphenyl ring, and triazole are the strongest repulsion and attractive reactive sites. The chemical descriptors in different solvents and NLO properties are predicted. For different solvents and gas phase, UV-vis theoretical spectra are being used to assess the electronic transition. Solvation free energy in water (hydration free energy) indicates good solubility of AFT in an aqueous medium, factor that corroborates the biological activity, in as much as that bioorganic processes occur in aqueous medium. Solvation produces a lowering of absorption in the UV-vis region. After evaluating the drug likeness properties, the title compound was examined for its analgesic activity by means of molecular docking and MD simulations. The MD simulations and docking studies suggested inhibitory activity against analgesic protein glutamate receptor.
Understanding The Principles of Vernacular Architecture in Designing Environmentally Friendly Architecture

Vernacular architecture is understood as architecture that responds to the natural environment through a local wisdom approach. Response to the natural environment as a form of environmentally friendly principles. The residential architecture of Balinese ethnic vernacular residences is an embodiment of a housing that prioritizes integration with its natural environment through the configuration of the building mass and the presence of green open space in the residential yard. This integration can be found in tall buildings that seek to present green elements on the facade of the building. This study examines the principles of vernacular architecture in traditional and modern facilities that show an environmentally friendly context. The achieve this goal, this study uses a qualitative rationalistic method using the great concept of vernacular architecture. The dependent variable is traditional buildings and modern buildings; the independent variable is spatial planning and building layout principles. The results showed that green elements (vegetation) exist in standard building units and modern facilities to sustain the ecosystem where other living things live.
Emulsion Gels as Precursors for Porous Silicones and All-Polymer Composites—A Proof of Concept Based on Siloxane Stabilizers

In spite of its versatility, the emulsion templating method is rather uncommon for the preparation of porous silicones. In this contribution, two siloxane-containing stabilizers, designed to be soluble in polar (water) and non-polar (toluene) solvents, respectively, were used in low concentrations to produce stable emulsions, wherein polysiloxane gels were obtained by UV-photoinitiated thiol-ene click cross-linking. The stabilizers exhibited negative interfacial tension, as measured by Wilhelmy plate tensiometry. The emulsion gels evolved into porous silicones (xerogels), with tunable morphology and properties. According to TEM and SEM investigations, the emulsion template was preserved in the final materials. Several parameters (e.g., the structure of the polysiloxane precursors, composition of the emulsion gels, nature of the continuous phase, cross-linking conditions, or additives) can be varied in order to obtain porous elastic materials with desired properties, such as Janus membranes, absorbent monoliths, all-polymer porous composites, or silicone-swollen gels. The feasibility of these types of materials was tested, and exemplary porous silicones were briefly characterized by contact angle measurements, mechanical testing, and absorption tests. The proposed method is simple, fast, and economic, uses very little amounts of stabilizers, and can be adjusted as a green technique. In this contribution, all the silicon-based materials with a convenient design were prepared in house.
Relationship between emotional words in electronic medical records and leave periods of users of a return-to-work program with depression

Introduction We attempted to score data extracted from written medical records containing assessment results using natural language processing, and to clarify the relationship between duration of sick leave and the use of emotional words among return-to-work (RTW) program users on sick leave due to mental health problems. Method Participants were users of an RTW program. We extracted textual data from their electronic medical records, and gave all words a score based on the following two considerations: positivity score (the degree of positive emotion a word has) and emotion score with respect to seven emotions (sadness, anxiety, anger, disgust, trust, surprise, and joy), with the score for each emotion measured for each word. We analyzed relationships between duration of sick leave and each score. Results Forty-two users participated. The results showed that high positive scores (β = −0.42, p < 0.00) and high sadness scores (β = −0.60, p < 0.00) were related to a shorter duration of sick leave, and high anger score (β = 0.52, p < 0.00) was related to a longer duration of sick leave. Conclusion Professional assessments based on occupational therapy and natural language processing of medical records may predict the appropriate timing of RTW.
Marine Heatwaves and Their Depth Structures on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf

Marine Heatwaves (MHWs) are ocean extreme events, characterized by anomalously high temperatures, which can have significant ecological impacts. The Northeast U.S. continental shelf is of great economical importance as it is home to a highly productive ecosystem. Local warming rates exceed the global average and the region experienced multiple MHWs in the last decade with severe consequences for regional fisheries. Due to the lack of subsurface observations, the depth-extent of MHWs is not well-known, which hampers the assessment of impacts on pelagic and benthic ecosystems. This study utilizes a global ocean circulation model with a high-resolution (1/20°) nest in the Atlantic to investigate the depth structure of MHWs and associated drivers on the Northeast U.S. continental shelf. It is shown that MHWs exhibit varying spatial extents, with some only occurring at depth. The highest intensities are found around 100 m depth with temperatures exceeding the climatological mean by up to 7°C, while surface intensities are typically smaller (around 3°C). Distinct vertical structures are associated with different spatial MHW patterns and drivers. Investigation of the co-variability of temperature and salinity reveals that over 80% of MHWs at depth (>50 m) coincide with extreme salinity anomalies. Two case studies provide insight into opposing MHW patterns at the surface and at depth, being forced by anomalous air-sea heat fluxes and Gulf Stream warm core ring interaction, respectively. The results highlight the importance of local ocean dynamics and the need to realistically represent them in climate models.
Can Green Finance Promote the Optimization and Upgrading of Industrial Structures?—Based on the Intermediary Perspective of Technological Progress

In the context of today’s sustainable development, green finance and industrial structure optimization and upgrading are important components of sustainable development and are new trends in today’s society. Based on the relevant data from 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020, this study considers the role of green finance in optimizing and upgrading industrial structure from the technological progress perspective. The entropy weight method and the principal component downscaling method are used to measure the level of green finance development and industrial structure optimization and upgrading indexes of each province; the existence of the intermediary effect is verified using stepwise regression and the Sobel test. Through model construction comparison, the two-step system GMM is optimal, and the corresponding final two-step system GMM model is constructed to verify the promotion effect of green finance on the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure. The model introduces the control variables of openness to the outside world, government support, human resources, environmental regulation, and urbanization rate. Except for the insignificant effect of the urbanization rate control variable, the rest of the control variables have a significant promotion effect on the optimization of industrial structure because the corresponding urbanization rate in China at this stage does not bring about the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure. After the robustness test of the model, a sub-regional regression using the constructed model reveals that the effect of green finance on the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure is most significant in the central region, whereas the central and western regions are weaker compared to the east.
An Accurate Detection Approach for IoT Botnet Attacks Using Interpolation Reasoning Method

Nowadays, the rapid growth of technology delivers many new concepts and notations that aim to increase the efficiency and comfort of human life. One of these techniques is the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT has been used to achieve efficient operation management, cost-effective operations, better business opportunities, etc. However, there are many challenges facing implementing an IoT smart environment. The most critical challenge is protecting the IoT smart environment from different attacks. The IoT Botnet attacks are considered a serious challenge. The danger of this attack lies in that it could be used for several threatening commands. Therefore, the Botnet attacks could be implemented to perform the DDoS attacks, phishing attacks, spamming, and other attack scenarios. This paper has introduced a detection approach against the IoT Botnet attacks using the interpolation reasoning method. The suggested detection approach was implemented using the interpolation reasoning method instead of the classical reasoning methods to handle the knowledge base issues and reduce the size of the detection fuzzy rules. The suggested detection approach was designed, tested, and evaluated using an open-source benchmark IoT Botnet attacks dataset. The implemented experiments show that the suggested detection approach was able to detect the IoT Botnet attacks effectively with a 96.4% detection rate. Furthermore, the obtained results were compared with other literature results; the accomplished comparison showed that the suggested method is a rivalry with other methods, and it effectively reduced the false positive rate and interpolated the IoT Botnet attacks alerts even in case of a sparse rule base.
Characterization of Potential Molecular Markers in Lac Insect Kerria lacca (Kerr) Responsible for Lac Production

Simple Summary Lac insect Kerria lacca (Hemiptera, Kerriidae) is widely used to produce lac in tropical and subtropical areas. This species is genomically understudied and there is no information present on single-nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions and deletions of lac insects. This study involves distribution and characterization of molecular markers in K. lacca. Nucleotide substitution frequency and transition to transversion ratio were highest at the late adult stage. The maximum numbers of SNPs and InDels were distributed on chromosome 8 and 1, respectively. Most variants at low frequencies were detected in InDels compared to SNPs. Gene function analysis showed several gene variations, and candidate SNPs that were involved in lac synthesis. This work paves the way to determining further mechanisms involved in increased lac production. Abstract Kerria lacca (Kerr) is an important lac insect extensively used in industrial products in the form of resin, wax and dye. The scarce knowledge on molecular markers for K. lacca is a barrier in elucidating genetic information. Our study identified a total of 16,921 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and 6231 insertions and deletions (InDels)—of which, intergenic variation accounted for 41.22% and 56.30%, and exonic variation accounted for 39.10% and 17.46%, of SNPs and InDels, respectively. Observation of SNPs suggested that nucleotide substitution frequency and transition to transversion (Ts/Tv) ratio were highest at the late adult stage, 3.97, compared to at the other stages, with a genome-wide Ts/Tv ratio of 2.95. The maximum number of SNPs, 2853 (16.86%), was identified in chromosome 8, while the lowest, 1126 (6.65%), was identified in chromosome 7. The maximum and minimum numbers of InDels were located on chromosome 1 and 7, with 834 (13.38%) and 519 (8.33%), respectively. Annotation showed that highest numbers of exonic and intergenic SNPs were present at the late adult stage, whereas the maximum number of InDels was found at the larval stage. On the basis of gene function, 47 gene variations were screened and 23 candidate genes were identified in associations with lac production. Concluding work will enhance knowledge on molecular markers to facilitate an increase in lac production in K. lacca as well as other lac insects.
Comparative Analysis of the Cytotoxic Effect of a Complex of Selenium Nanoparticles Doped with Sorafenib, “Naked” Selenium Nanoparticles, and Sorafenib on Human Hepatocyte Carcinoma HepG2 Cells

Despite the use of sorafenib as one of the most effective drugs for the treatment of liver cancer, its significant limitations remain—poor solubility, the need to use high doses with the ensuing complications on healthy tissues and organs, and the formation of cell resistance to the drug. At the same time, there is more and more convincing evidence of the anticancer effect of selenium-containing compounds and nanoparticles. The aim of this work was to develop a selenium–sorafenib nanocomplex and study the molecular mechanisms of its anticancer effect on human hepatocyte carcinoma cells, where nanoselenium is not only a sorafenib transporter, but also an active compound. We have created a selenium–sorafenib nanocomplex based on selenium nanoparticles with size 100 nm. Using vitality tests, fluorescence microscopy, and PCR analysis, it was possible to show that selenium nanoparticles, both by themselves and doped with sorafenib, have a pronounced pro-apoptotic effect on HepG2 cells with an efficiency many times greater than that of sorafenib (So). “Naked” selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and the selenium–sorafenib nanocomplex (SeSo), already after 24 h of exposure, lead to the induction of the early stages of apoptosis with the transition to the later stages with an increase in the incubation time up to 48 h. At the same time, sorafenib, at the studied concentrations, began to exert a proapoptotic effect only after 48 h. Under the action of SeNPs and SeSo, both classical pathways of apoptosis induction and ER-stress-dependent pathways involving Ca2+ ions are activated. Thus, sorafenib did not cause the generation of Ca2+ signals by HepG2 cells, while SeNPs and SeSo led to the activation of the Ca2+ signaling system of cells. At the same time, the selenium–sorafenib nanocomplex turned out to be more effective in activating the Ca2+ signaling system of cells, inducing apoptosis and ER stress by an average of 20–25% compared to “naked” selenium nanoparticles. Our data on the mechanisms of action and the created nanocomplex are promising as a platform for the creation of highly selective and effective drugs with targeted delivery to tumors.
Plant and Herbal Extracts as Ingredients of Topical Agents in the Prevention and Treatment Radiodermatitis: A Systematic Literature Review

Background: The use of herbal extracts as the source of antioxidant substances capable of neutralizing free radicals and providing protection from ionizing radiation appears to be an alternative therapy for radiodermatitis. As concerns the prevention and treatment of side effects, a lot of recommendations are based on proper experience of radiotherapy centers. We summarize recent research aiming at reducing radiation-induced skin injuries by use of proper skin care, using topical preparations with herbal extracts including onco-cosmetics. Methods: This article is limited to a critical analysis of scientific and professional literature. It concerns preparations in different physicochemical forms, e.g., gels, emulsions, ointments. We stress the connection between the type of applied skin care (type of preparation, its composition, the dose), the properties of the herbal extract and the evaluation of its efficiency in preventing and treating radiation reaction on skin. Conclusions: Herbal extracts can be added to recipes because they are part of a category of cosmeceutical supplements and can be introduced into preparations without prescription. The effectiveness evaluation for herbal extracts in radiotherapy is not an easy task since there are no strict guidelines. Studies should be preceded by the analysis of herbal extracts and recipe in terms of physicochemical, dermatological and performance characteristics.
Effects of Game-Based Learning on Students’ Computational Thinking: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis determined game-based learning’s (GBL) overall effect on students’ computational thinking (CT) and tested for moderators, using 28 effect sizes from 24 studies of 2,134 participants. The random effects model results showed that GBL had a significant positive overall effect on students’ CT (g = 0.677, 95% confidence interval 0.532–0.821) with significant heterogeneity among effect sizes. Among game types, role-playing yielded the largest GBL effect size, followed by action, puzzles, and adventures. Moreover, the effect of GBL on CT was weaker among students in countries that were more individualistic than others. Lastly, interventions between four hours and one week showed the largest GBL effect size, followed by those over four weeks, up to four hours, and between one week and four weeks.