Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy Divisive Hierarchical Associative-Clustering Applied to Different Varieties of White Wines According to Their Multi-Elemental Profiles

Wine data are usually characterized by high variability, in terms of compounds and concentration ranges. Chemometric methods can be efficiently used to extract and exploit the meaningful information contained in such data. Therefore, the fuzzy divisive hierarchical associative-clustering (FDHAC) method was efficiently applied in this study, for the classification of several varieties of Romanian white wines, using the elemental profile (concentrations of 30 elements analyzed by ICP-MS). The investigated wines were produced in four different geographical areas of Romania (Transylvania, Moldova, Muntenia and Oltenia). The FDHAC algorithm provided not only a fuzzy partition of the investigated white wines, but also a fuzzy partition of considered characteristics. Furthermore, this method is unique because it allows a 3D bi-plot representation of membership degrees corresponding to wine samples and elements. In this way, it was possible to identify the most specific elements (in terms of highest, smallest or intermediate concentration values) to each fuzzy partition (group) of wine samples. The chemical elements that appeared to be more powerful for the differentiation of the wines produced in different Romanian areas were: K, Rb, P, Ca, B, Na.
A Miniature Triaxial Fiber Optic Force Sensor for Flexible Ureteroscopy

Objective: Design and evaluate a miniature triaxial fiber optic sensor which is integrated into the confined space at the tip of a flexible ureteroscope to measure the contact force during ureteroscopy. Methods: A notched flexure of multilayer continuous beams is deliberately designed to modulate the sensor sensitivity to axial stiffness but not to lateral bending and torsion, and to avoid the crosstalk between axial and lateral forces. Its structure parameters are optimized by the finite element method to meet the needs of miniaturization and performance. A linear decoupled model based on the singular value decomposition algorithm is proposed to accurately compute the forces from the wavelength shifts of fiber Bragg grating. Results: Experimental results show that in the axial direction the sensor has a range of 0-4 N with a resolution of 0.014 N, and in the lateral direction it has a resolution of 0.011 N within the range of -2 N to 2 N, and is able to provide accurate measurement with an error of less than 2%. Conclusion: Primary tests show the excellent competence of the sensor to measure the interactive force at the ureteroscope tip and to discriminate objects, validating its reliability and robustness.
Scientific explanation in biology. Beyond mechanistic explanation

The appeal to mechanisms in scientific explanation is commonplace in contemporary philosophy of science. In short, mechanists argue that an explanation of a phenomenon consists of citing the mechanism that brings the phenomenon about. In this paper, we present an argument that challenges the universality of mechanistic explanation: in explanations of the contemporary features of the eukaryotic cell, biologists appeal to its symbiogenetic origin and therefore the notion of symbiogenesis plays the main explanatory role. We defend the notion that symbiogenesis is non-mechanistic in nature and that any attempt to explain some of the contemporary features of the eukaryotic cell mechanistically turns out to be at least insufficient and sometimes fails to address the question that is asked. Finally, we suggest that symbiogenesis is better understood as a pragmatic scientific law and present an alternative non-mechanistic model of scientific explanation. In the model we present, the use of scientific laws is supposed to be a minimal requirement of all scientific explanations, since the purpose of a scientific explanation is to make phenomena expectable. Therefore, this model would help to understand biologists’ appeal to the notion of symbiosis and thus is shown to be better, for the case under examination, than the mechanistic alternative.
Public Awareness and Risk Perceptions of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: A Qualitative Study

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous chemicals found in food, consumer products, and the environment. EDCs are ubiquitous in modern life and exposure is associated with many negative health effects, such as reproductive disorders, metabolic disorders, and cancer. Scientists have deemed EDCs as a serious public health risk, yet the public’s perceptions of these chemicals is poorly understood. This study aimed to qualitatively explore how aware the public is of EDCs and their attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of EDC risk. Thirty-four participants (aged 19–65 years) took part in the six focus groups. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and Nvivo 11 was used for thematic analysis. Our results indicated that awareness of EDCs was low. Themes of EDC risk perception included perceived control, perceived severity, and similarity heuristics. Risk alleviation strategies were also discussed. Future research should use quantitative methodology and a larger sample size to validate the findings from this study. Findings from this study may aid the development of effective risk communication strategies and public health interventions.
TRIGGERED: could refocused cell signaling be key to NK cell-based HIV immunotherapeutics?

: Natural killer (NK) cells are one of the critical innate immune effector cells that directly kill tumors and virus-infected cells, and modulate other immune cells including dendritic cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Signals from activating and inhibitory surface receptors orchestrate the regulatory and cytotoxic functions of NK cells. Although a number of surface receptors are involved, multiple signaling molecules are shared so that NK cell responses are synergistically regulated. Many pathogens and tumors evade NK cell responses by targeting NK cell signaling. Particularly in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) infection, the NK cell repertoire is diminished by changes in subsets of NK cells, expression of activating and inhibitory receptors, and intracellular signaling molecules. However, in-depth studies on intracellular signaling in NK cells in HIV/SIV infections remain limited. Checkpoint blockade and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cells have demonstrated enhanced NK cell activities against tumors and viral infections. In addition, targeting intracellular signaling molecules by small molecules could also improve NK cell responses towards HIV/SIV infection in vivo. Therefore, further understanding of NK cell signaling including identification of key signaling molecules is crucial to maximize the efficacy of NK cell-based treatments. Herein, we review the current state of the literature and outline potential future avenues where optimized NK cells could be utilized in HIV-1 cure strategies and other immunotherapeutics in PLWH.
Validation of Prognostic Stage and Anatomic Stage in the American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th Edition for Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Simple Summary This study is the first to confirm that the clinical prognostic stage in the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition provides a more accurate prognostication for inflammatory breast cancer than the traditional anatomic stage. It indicated that incorporating biological factors into the traditional staging system provides more accurate inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) prognosis stratification than does the tumor size (T) and presence of lymph node involvement (N) and distant metastasis (M) (TNM) staging system. Our results show that the AJCC prognostic staging system is optimal for prognostication in IBC. Abstract The AJCC updated its breast cancer staging system to incorporate biological factors in the “prognostic stage”. We undertook this study to validate the prognostic and anatomic stages for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). We established two cohorts of IBC diagnosed without distant metastasis: (1) patients treated at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 1991 and 2017 (MDA cohort) and (2) patients registered in the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2010 and 2015 (SEER cohort). For prognostic staging, estrogen receptor (ER)+/progesterone receptor (PR)+/ human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)+/grade 1–2 was staged as IIIA; ER+/PR−/HER2−/grade 3, ER−/PR+/HER2−/grade 3, and triple-negative cancers as IIIC; and all others as IIIB. Endpoints were breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS), overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS). We studied 885 patients in the MDA cohort and 338 in the SEER cohort. In the MDA cohort, the prognostic stage showed significant predictive power for BCSS, OS, and DFS (all p < 0.0001), although the anatomic stage did not. In both cohorts, the Harrell concordance index (C index) was significantly higher in the prognostic stage than the anatomic stage for all endpoints. In conclusion, the prognostic stage provided more accurate prognostication for IBC than the anatomic stage. Our results show that the prognostic staging is applicable in IBC.
Caliciopsis indica sp. nov. from India

Caliciopsis indica sp. nov. is described from leaf lesions of kokum (Garcinia indica, Clusiaceae) from the Western Ghats, India. Caliciopsis indica is morphologically similar to C. myrticola but differs in having larger ascomata, longer asci and smaller ascospores. Phylogenetic analysis of partial 28S rRNA gene sequence data has confirmed its placement within the Coryneliaceae (Coryneliales, Eurotiomycetes). The ITS/5.8S rRNA gene sequence, however, did not provide any clarity on the species delineation due to lack of reference sequences in GenBank.
Computation reuse-aware accelerator for neural networks

Power consumption has long been a significant concern in neural networks. In particular, large neural networks that implement novel machine learning techniques require much more computation, and hence power, than ever before. In this chapter, we showed that computation reuse could exploit the inherent redundancy in the arithmetic operations of the neural network to save power. Experimental results showed that computation reuse, when coupled with the approximation property of neural networks, can eliminate up to 90% of multiplication, effectively reducing power consumption by 61%, on average in the presented architecture. The proposed computation reuse -aware design can be extended in several ways. First, it can be integrated into several state-of-the-art customized architectures for LSTM, spiking , and convolutional neural network models to further reduce power consumption. Second, we can couple computation reuse with existing mapping and scheduling algorithms toward developing reusable scheduling and mapping methods for neural network. Computation reuse can also boost the performance of the methods that eliminate ineffectual computations in deep learning neural networks . Evaluating the impact of CORN on reliability and customizing the CORN architecture for FPGA-based neural network implementation are the other future works in this line.
Control of Shoot Meristem Size by an Aminoacyl tRNA Synthetase, OKI1, in Arabidopsis

In plants, the stem cells that form the shoot system reside within the shoot apical meristem (SAM), which is regulated by feedback signaling between the WUSCHEL (WUS) homeobox protein and CLAVATA (CLV) peptides and receptors. WUS-CLV feedback signaling can be modulated by various endogenous or exogenous factors such as chromatin state, hormone signaling, reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling and nutrition, leading to a dynamic control of SAM size corresponding to meristem activity. Despite these insights, however, the knowledge of genes that control stem cell fate is still limited, and in particular the regulation by ROS signaling is only beginning to be comprehended. Here, we report a new regulator of SAM size, OKINA KUKI (OKI1), which is expressed in the SAM and encodes a mitochondrial aspartyl tRNA synthetase (AspRS). oki1 mutants display enlarged SAMs with abnormal expression of WUS and CLV3, and overaccumulation of ROS in the meristem. Our findings support the importance of normal AspRS function in the maintenance of the WUS-CLV3 feedback loop and SAM size.
Exploring the impacts of unprecedented climate extremes on forest ecosystems: hypotheses to guide modeling and experimental studies

<p>Climatic extreme events are expected to occur more frequently and potentially be stronger in the future, increasing the likelihood of unprecedented climate extremes (UCEs), or record-breaking events such as prolonged droughts, to occur. To prepare for UCEs and their impacts, we need to develop a better understanding of terrestrial ecosystem responses to events such as extreme drought. We know that intense, extreme droughts can substantially affect ecosystem stability and carbon cycling through increased plant mortality and delaying ecosystem recovery. Our ability to predict such effects is limited due to the lack of experiments focusing on climatic excursions beyond the range of historical experience. </p><p>We explore the response of forest ecosystems to UCEs using two dynamic vegetation demographic models (VDMs), ED2 and LPJ-GUESS, in which the abundances of different plant functional types, as well as tree size- and age-class structure, are emergent properties of resource competition. We investigate the hypothesis that ecosystem responses to UCEs (e.g., unprecedented droughts) cannot be extrapolated from ecosystem responses to milder extremes, as a result of non-linear ecosystem responses (e.g. due to plant plasticity, functional diversity, and trait combinations). We evaluate each model&#8217;s mechanisms and state variables prior, during, and after a continuum of drought intensities ultimately reaching very extreme drought scenarios (i.e., 0% to 100% reduction in precipitation for drought durations of 1-year, 2-year, and 4-year scenarios) at two dry forested sites: Palo Verde, Costa Rica (i.e. tropical) and EucFACE, Australia (i.e. temperate). Both models produce nonlinear responses to these UCEs. Due to differences in model structure and process representation, the model&#8217;s sensitivity of biomass loss diverged based on either duration or intensity of droughts, as well as different model responses at each site. Biomass losses in ED2 are sensitive to drought duration, while in LPJ-GUESS they are mainly driven by drought intensity. Elevated atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations alone did not buffer the ecosystems from carbon losses during UCEs in the majority of our simulations. Our findings highlight discrepancies in process formulations and uncertainties in models, notably related to availability in plant carbohydrate storage and the diversity of plant hydraulic schemes. This shows that different hypotheses of plant responses to UCEs exist in two similar models, reflecting knowledge gaps, which should be tested with gap-informed field experiments. This iterative modeling-experiment framework would help improve predictions of terrestrial ecosystem responses and climate feedbacks. </p>
Culturally adapted and lay-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for older adults with depressive symptoms in rural China: a pilot trial

Abstract Background: Late-life depression issues in developing countries are challenging because of understaffing in mental health. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective for treating depression. Aim: This pilot trial examined the adherence and effectiveness of an eight-session adapted CBT delivered by trained lay health workers for older adults with depressive symptoms living in rural areas of China, compared with the usual care. Method: Fifty with screen-positive depression were randomly assigned to the CBT arm or the care as usual (CAU) arm. The primary outcomes were the session completion of older adults and changes in depressive symptoms, assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: The majority (19/24) of participants in the CBT arm completed all sessions. Mixed-effect linear regression showed that the CBT reduced more GDS scores over time compared with CAU. Conclusion: Lay-delivered culturally adapted CBT is potentially effective for screen-positive late-life depression.
Heterogeneous demand for soybean quality

Agricultural commercialisation is a critical pathway for economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the lack of market information may impede this development. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine market information and preferences for soybean quality in a developing-world context. We seek to understand the nature of information markets associated with the nascent soybean trade in Sub-Saharan Africa in order to inform the market and policy of previously unknown key marketing information. The research involves a discrete choice experiment with 228 buyers of soybean involving five key soybean quality attributes. The sample represents three distinct classes of buyer/traders: wholesalers, processors and retailers. Traders significantly discount the price of soybean attributes such as off-colour, small grain size, low oil levels and high contamination with foreign material, such as stones. Foreign material ranks highest of the attributes that we examined, in terms of the discount level, at 22%. The study finds significant preference heterogeneity among traders, explained partly by the socioeconomic and trade characteristics of the respondents. We identified three distinct classes of traders per the latent class logit (LCL) results, namely ‘high price discounters’, ‘big bean supporters’, and ‘oil sceptics’. Our findings improve soybean market information, transparency and signalling. This will lead farmers to be more efficient and allow policymakers to understand better how the market actually prices grain at the farm gate.
Contrast sensitivity deficits in schizophrenia: A psychophysical investigation

Individuals with schizophrenia have problems with visual contrast processing. The current study investigated contrast sensitivity (CS) in schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms affected by this disorder and to identify critical testing conditions that distinguish individuals with the disorder from healthy individuals. Principal component analysis was applied to the data (N = 143) to separate responses from distinct visual pathways. Participants were 68 patients and 75 age‐similar controls. CS was obtained using a forced‐choice psychophysical paradigm with grating patterns of low to high spatial frequency presented at short and long durations. Linear mixed‐effects models were used to examine differences in log CS with respect to group, duration, and stimulus condition. Lower CSs were found in patients compared to controls over all stimulus conditions with the magnitude of deficits dependent on both spatial frequency and stimulus duration. Log CSs to low and high spatial frequencies loaded onto separate principal components, supporting the existence of two psychophysical mechanisms, transient and sustained. Critical conditions were identified to tap each mechanism. Visual acuity was correlated moderately with log CS to high, but not low, spatial frequencies, and deficits found for acuity and CS to moderate/high spatial frequencies (4–21 cycles/degree) appear to reflect dysfunction in the sustained mechanism. CS deficits found at the lowest spatial frequency tested (0.5 cycles/degree) appear to reflect dysfunction in the transient mechanism. Both types of CS deficits may have diagnostic value and implications for social and neurocognitive deficits in this disorder.
Validation testing of new mechanisms with outdoor chamber data. Volume 1: comparison of CB4 and CAL mechanisms. Final report, April 1986-September 1988

The UNC smog chamber data base was used to compare the performance of two state-of-the-science photochemical mechanisms: The Carbon Bond Four Mechanism (CB4) and the Carter, Atkinson, Lurmann Mechanism (CAL). Although the mechanisms behaved differently, both mechanisms showed good agreement with ozone and oxides of nitrogen chamber data. The agreement for other products such as formaldehyde and peroxyacetyl nitrate were not as good. Neither mechanism, however, was overall superior to the other in fitting chamber data. The two mechanisms predicted very similar VOC control requirements for the standard SIP-type cases. In SIP-like sensitivity analyses, CB4 was more sensitive to decreasing hydrocarbon and ozone aloft and to decreasing the temperature, giving somewhat lower control requirements than CAL at the extreme conditions. Although problems remain in the performance of both mechanisms, the authors do not believe that it is possible to choose between them on the basis of performance in either fitting chamber data or in predicting control calculations.
Students’ Perception on Learning English Language through Conventional and Digital Storytelling

Storytelling is one of the methods used in English language teaching. Several teachers have taught it, as it was found to be helpful and useful to the students. It can be achieved in two different styles, both traditional and digital. Hence, this study was conducted to see what the perceptions of the students regarding both storytelling approaches are when applied in the classroom. The findings will help teachers choose the correct way to apply storytelling that can later help students learn English. A survey was carried out at one of the schools in Sentul District, Kuala Lumpur, on the selected Year 4 pupils. The results showed that the students displayed greater interest in second language learning when these two storytelling methods were introduced. It changed the learning attitudes of the students as they found the learning to be more fun, enjoyable and attractive which enabled them to pay more attention in the classroom. They also preferred the approach of digital storytelling rather than the other, since it helped them better understand the story. The results also show that if the interactive storytelling technique were implemented in the classroom the students wanted to participate in the lesson again.
Genetic Improvement of Cereals and Grain Legumes

The anticipated population growth by 2050 will be coupled with increased food demand. To achieve higher and sustainable food supplies in order to feed the global population by 2050, a 2.4% rise in the yield of major crops is required. The key to yield improvement is a better understanding of the genetic variation and identification of molecular markers, quantitative trait loci, genes, and pathways related to higher yields and increased tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Advances in genetic technologies are enabling plant breeders and geneticists to breed crop plants with improved agronomic traits. This Special Issue is an effort to report the genetic improvements by adapting genomic techniques and genomic selection.