Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Belowground Inoculation With Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Increases Local and Systemic Susceptibility of Rice Plants to Different Pest Organisms

Plants face numerous challenges from both aboveground and belowground stressors, and defend themselves against harmful insects and microorganisms in many ways. Because plant responses to biotic stresses are not only local but also systemic, belowground interactions can influence aboveground interactions in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are soilborne organisms that form symbiotic associations with many plant roots and are thought to play a central role in plant nutrition, growth, and fitness. In the present study, we focused on the influence of AMF on rice defense against pests. We inoculated rice plants with AMF in several field and greenhouse experiments to test whether the interaction of AMF with rice roots changes the resistance of rice against two chewing insects, the rice water weevil (Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel, RWW) and the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, FAW), and against infection by sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani, ShB). Both in field and greenhouse experiments, the performance of insects and the pathogen on rice was enhanced when plants were inoculated with AMF. In the field, inoculating rice plants with AMF resulted in higher numbers of RWW larvae on rice roots. In the greenhouse, more RWW first instars emerged from AMF-colonized rice plants than from non-colonized control plants. Weight gains of FAW larvae were higher on rice plants treated with AMF inoculum. Lesion lengths and susceptibility to ShB infection were higher in rice plants colonized by AMF. Although AMF inoculation enhanced the growth of rice plants, the nutritional analyses of root and shoot tissues indicated no major increases in the concentrations of nutrients in rice plants colonized by AMF. The large effects on rice susceptibility to pests in the absence of large effects on plant nutrition suggest that AMF colonization influences other mechanisms of susceptibility (e.g., defense signaling processes). This study represents the first study conducted in the U.S. in rice showing AMF-induced plant susceptibility to several antagonists that specialize on different plant tissues. Given the widespread occurrence of AMF, our findings will help to provide a different perspective into the causal basis of rice systemic resistance/susceptibility to insects and pathogens.
Linear parameter-varying system identification of an industrial ball screw setup

Ball screws are high-precision positioning systems that translate rotational motion of an electric motor into translational motion of a slide. Due to the distributed stiffness and inertia of the ball screw, the resonance frequencies of the system vary with the position of the slide. This paper discusses the experimental identification of an industrial ball screw setup by treating it as a linear parameter-varying (LPV) system. Application of a novel nonlinear least-squares LPV system identification method with ℓ2,1-norm regularization yields a sparse model with satisfactory accuracy both in time and frequency domain and over the whole operating range of the setup.
Upregulation of multiple signaling pathways by Dock5 deletion in epithelial cells

Purpose Rupture of lens cataract (RLC) is a hereditary mouse model that shows spontaneous rupture of the lens at the posterior pole at 45–100 days of age. The responsible gene for this phenotype was identified as Dock5, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for small GTPase Rac1. This study was performed to elucidate the pathway initiating this phenotype. Methods We examined the RNA expression by microarray in lens epithelial cells (LECs) from wild-type and RLC mice at the pre-rupture age of 21 days. We applied the list of altered genes to an Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to predict the pathways that are altered upon dedicator of cytokinesis-5 (Dock5) protein loss. The activation status of the predicted pathways was examined by western blotting in the cultured epithelial cells treated with a Dock5 inhibitor. Results The highest-scored network was “Antimicrobial Response, Inflammatory Response, Dermatological Diseases and Conditions. ” In that network, it is predicted that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) is activated in LECs from RLC mice. Our test confirmed that Erk was more phosphorylated in the LECs at the equator in both Dock5-knockout mice and RLC mice. In an in vitro experiment of the cultured epithelial cells, the inhibition of Dock5 activity significantly induced Erk activation. It was also confirmed that Akt (cellular homolog of murine thymoma virus akt8 oncogene, also called protein kinase B) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB), predicted to be the key molecules in two other high-scoring networks by IPA, were activated upon Dock5 inhibition in the cultured epithelial cells. Conclusions Dock5 participates in epithelial cell maintenance by regulating gene expression.
An Active Partial Switching Method in Tertiary Loop for a High-Efficiency Predictive Current-Mode Control PFC Converter

This paper proposes a novel active partial switching method for a boost power factor correction (PFC) converter, based on the predictive current mode control to achieve both current shaping capability and high power conversion efficiency. This method consists of a controller that maintains a switching stop angle near the peak voltage of the input voltage by means of output voltage control, and an adaptive current shaper that adjusts the switching stop period near the zero voltage of the input voltage based upon the load condition. The proposed method shows good PFC performance and high efficiency even under various disturbances such as input voltage and load fluctuations. Moreover, it has the advantage that it is possible to achieve high efficiency even under conditions of output voltage exceeding the peak value of the input voltage. For sequential explanation, this paper illustrates the design of the controller based on the frequency-domain response and provides theoretical analysis of the proposed method. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, experimental results are presented based upon a 2.4 kW boost PFC converter prototype.
Shoot-Root Communication Plays a Key Role in Physiological Alterations of Rice (Oryza sativa) Under Iron Deficiency

Iron (Fe) is an essential mineral element required for plant growth, and when soil availability of Fe is low, plants show symptoms of severe deficiency. Under conditions of Fe deficiency, plants alter several processes to acquire Fe from soil. In this study, we used rice cultivars H 9405 with high Fe accumulation in seeds and Yang 6 with low Fe accumulation in seeds to study their physiological responses to different conditions of Fe availability. In both shoots and roots, the responses of ROS enzymes, leaf and root ultrastructure and photosynthetic system to iron deficiency in Yang 6 were much sensitive than those in H 9405. For the distribution of iron, the iron content was much higher in roots of Yang 6, in contrast to higher shoot content in H 9405. Differential responses were shown with the Fe content in roots and shoots, which were the opposite in the two varieties; thus, we proposed the existence of long-distance signals. Then split root and shoot removal experiments were used to demonstrate that a long-distance signal was involved in the iron-deficient rice plant, and the signal strength was highly correlated with the functional leaves.
Indicadores para balneabilidade em águas doces no Brasil

Apesar de sua reconhecida importância para a sociedade e o contínuo aumento na demanda, o uso recreacional das águas doces no Brasil carece de estudos e programas específicos de monitoramento em grande parte do país. Além disso, a atual metodologia, estabelecida pela Resolução CONAMA 274/2000, está restrita a limitados indicadores. Neste contexto, este trabalho buscou levantar quais parâmetros de qualidade de água, ou outros fatores, que poderiam ser utilizados para aprimorar os atuais processos de avaliação de balneabilidade em águas doces no Brasil, através do desenvolvimento de um painel de especialistas. Os resultados do painel demonstram que a atual metodologia vigente pode ser aperfeiçoada através da inserção de novos parâmetros e critérios, considerando a crescente diversificação das fontes de contaminação de corpos d ́água e garantindo, desta forma, maior segurança aos usuários.
S-DES: An efficient & secure DES variant

In this paper, we propose an efficient and secure variant of DES (S-DES), which strikes a good balance between performance and security level when compared to 3DES. S- DES is based on the same round function of DES, however, we introduce different modifications to overcome the weaknesses of the original DES such as the extended Feistel Network (FN) instead of the FN. The main advantage of the proposed scheme is that it benefits from the cryptographic characteristics of DES substitution and diffusion primitives. However, the size of the secret key is extended to 112 bits and the data block is set to 128 bits, which provides better resistance against the attacks that plagued DES. Moreover, the proposed internal scheme of S-DES allows for a parallel implementation, which reduces the response latency. Finally, the main idea of this paper is not to provide a better alternative to the existing standard (AES), but to provide an efficient candidate solution from the well-optimized DES cipher.
Potential factors associated with knee pain in cyclists: a systematic review

The potential factors associated with overuse injuries and pain in cyclists that are supported by evidence remain unclear. Our study aimed at assessing, using a systematic search of the most updated evidence, the main factors related to overuse knee-related pain and/or injuries in cyclists. The search assessed any potential mechanism related to knee pain or injury that could be used in the clinical practice. Databases were searched (i.e., PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO). Studies were included if they presented results from original studies. They had to include, preferably but not limited to, recreational and/or competitive cyclists with or without knee pain. Quality of articles was assessed. Eleven articles were deemed eligible for full text appraisal. Studies involved generally the assessment of biomechanical outcomes associated with knee pain in cyclists. Overall, studies showed that cyclists with knee pain present larger knee adduction and larger ankle dorsiflexion and differences in activation for hamstrings and quadriceps muscles. Unclear results were observed for knee moments and no differences were observed for knee flexion angle, tibiofemoral and patellofemoral forces. It is important to state that varied types of knee pain were mixed in most studies, with 2 focused on anterior-related pain. Cyclists with overuse-related pain or injuries on their knees presented an increased medial projection of their knees and an altered activation of the Vastus Medialis and Vastus Lateralis muscles. However, this limited evidence is based on retrospective studies comparing cyclists with and without pain, which limits the conclusion on how cyclists develop knee pain and what are the main options for treatment of knee pain.
Genomic analysis of red-tide water bloomed with Heterosigma akashiwo in Geoje

Microbial community structures of harmful algal bloom (HAB) caused by Heterosigma akashiwo in Geoje were analyzed using the MiSeq platform. To analyze phytoplankton communities without cross-reactivity with predominant bacteria, a new phytoplankton-specific 23S universal primer set was designed by modifying two previously used ones. The new universal primer set turned out to be a useful tool for the analysis of the phytoplankton community; it showed a high specificity for phytoplankton without cross-reactivity to bacterial sequences as well as the wide taxon coverage presenting from prokaryotic cyanobacteria to eukaryotic algae. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data generated by two universal primer sets (16S and 23S) provided useful information about the H. akashiwo bloom. According to the 23S universal primer set, proportions of H. akashiwo increased by more than 200-fold as the bloom occurred and its numbers were high enough to detect in control sites. Its operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected in the bloom sites at low proportions suggesting that the 16S universal primer set may not be as effective for monitoring harmful algal blooming (HAB) as the 23S universal primer set. In addition, several abundant OTUs in Chlorophyta were not presented by the 16S universal primer set in this study. However, the 16S primer set was useful for detecting decreases in Foraminifera as HAB occurred suggesting that genomic analyses using two universal primer sets would provide more reliable data for understanding microbial community changes by various environmental or ecological events, including HAB. Genomic analyses using two universal primer sets was also useful for determining a correlation between microbial components as HAB occurred. Heterosigma akashiwo was positively correlated with other bloom species, including Karenia mikimotoi, Teleaulax amphioxeia, and bacteria in Verrucomicrobia.
Design and Manufacturing of an Ultra-Low-Cost Custom Torque Sensor for Robotics

This article describes a new, very low-cost torque sensor. It was designed to obtain a geometric shape suitable for very affordable manufacturing by machining. The torque sensor was developed under the principle of measurement by strain gauges. It has been designed in order to make manufacturing operations as simple as possible. Optimization was achieved through finite element analysis. Three test sensors for 1, 5, and 20 Nm were designed and machined. Calibration of the three sensors has been carried out obtaining excellent results. An analysis of the dimensional quality of the product and associated costs demonstrates that manufacturing is possible with very simple machining operations, standard tools, and economic equipment.
Aleuritolic Acid Impaired Autophagic Flux and Induced Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells

Aleuritolic acid (AA) is a triterpene that is isolated from the root of Croton crassifolius Geisel. In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of AA on hepatocellular carcinoma cells were evaluated. AA exerted dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity by inducing mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2. Meanwhile, treatment with AA also caused dysregulation of autophagy, as evidenced by enhanced conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II, p62 accumulation, and co-localization of GFP and mCherry-tagged LC3 puncta. Notably, blockage of autophagosome formation by ATG5 knockdown or inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (3-MA or Ly294002), significantly reversed AA-mediated cytotoxicity. These data indicated that AA retarded the clearance of autophagic cargos, resulting in the production of cytotoxic factors and led to apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
Effects of acute exercise on drug craving, self‐esteem, mood and affect in adults with poly‐substance dependence: Feasibility and preliminary findings

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Novel treatments for substance use disorders are needed. Acute bouts of exercise can improve mood states in non-clinical populations, but effects in those with poly-substance dependence are understudied. We examined the feasibility and short-term effects of three types of exercise on drug cravings, self-esteem, mood and positive/negative affect in nine poly-drug-dependent inpatients. DESIGN AND METHODS Using a cross-over design, changes in the four study outcomes were assessed immediately before exercise and on four separate occasions post-exercise (immediately after, then at 1, 2 and 4 h post-exercise) enabling patterns of change over time (analysis of covariance) to be observed. RESULTS Participants were willing and able to engage in different non-laboratory based exercises. Football was associated with non-significant short-term reductions in drug cravings. A similar trend was seen for circuit-training, but not walking. Football and circuit-training were associated with brief improvements in mood and positive/negative affect. No adverse events were reported. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Football, circuit training and walking are feasible therapeutic activities for inpatients with poly-substance dependence. Controlled trials are needed to determine the long-term effects of these activities.
Design and optimization of SIW patch antenna for Ku band applications using ANN algorithms

Substrate Integrate Waveguides (SIW) present very compatible components to planar technologies since recent years that have has been widely implemented in microwave antennas as a class of effective integrated transmission lines to provide high quality factor capacities and incomparable self-consistent shielding. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) present ones of the fundamental electromagnetic (EM) design automations through numerical optimizations which become nowadays ubiquitous in various modeling fields such as microwave engineering. Accordingly, this paper provides for the Ku microwave band (12–18 GHz), a new design of a patch antenna based on SIW technology using a tree-dimensional electromagnetic (EM) simulation based on structured supervised learning alternative to neural networks to provide accurate geometric dimensions for the target requirements. The SIW patch antenna is designed to operate in Ku frequency band and resonate at 16.10 GHz. The optimized antenna shows very low return losses of less than −10dB to −19dB for the selective band resulting in good performance. ANN algorithms implemented for the training process present than a reliable tool of estimating the antenna performance to provide precise geometrical dimensions with the specific requirements.
Relational inductive bias for physical construction in humans and machines

While current deep learning systems excel at tasks such as object classification, language processing, and gameplay, few can construct or modify a complex system such as a tower of blocks. We hypothesize that what these systems lack is a "relational inductive bias": a capacity for reasoning about inter-object relations and making choices over a structured description of a scene. To test this hypothesis, we focus on a task that involves gluing pairs of blocks together to stabilize a tower, and quantify how well humans perform. We then introduce a deep reinforcement learning agent which uses object- and relation-centric scene and policy representations and apply it to the task. Our results show that these structured representations allow the agent to outperform both humans and more naive approaches, suggesting that relational inductive bias is an important component in solving structured reasoning problems and for building more intelligent, flexible machines.
Predictive Control of a Grid-Tied Cascaded Full-Bridge NPC Inverter for Reducing High-Frequency Common-Mode Voltage Components

In this paper, a model predictive control (MPC) strategy for a grid-tied cascaded full-bridge inverter with neutral-point-clamped legs has been developed. Two strings of photovoltaic (PV) cells are interfaced to the grid by the inverter, while the controller ensures the operation at maximum power conditions. It is thus essential for the developed control method to be capable of independently regulating the two dc sources while balancing the dc-link voltages of the capacitors. In addition to these requirements, the proposed controller addresses the critical issue of the common-mode voltage (CMV) effects. By using the redundant switching states of the inverter topology, MPC reduces the high-frequency CMV components and consequently, the flow of the leakage currents from the PV system to earth ground. The developed control strategy is tested by conducting various experiments in an inverter prototype connected to two PV strings. Additionally, the system performance at steady-state conditions, during abrupt reference changes, and with grid voltage variations is compared with the traditional control strategy.
THE BLACK HOLE MASS DISTRIBUTION IN THE GALAXY

We use dynamical mass measurements of 16 black holes in transient low-mass X-ray binaries to infer the stellar black hole mass distribution in the parent population. We find that the observations are best described by a narrow mass distribution at 7.8 ± 1.2 M☉. We identify a selection effect related to the choice of targets for optical follow-ups that results in a flux-limited sample. We demonstrate, however, that this selection effect does not introduce a bias in the observed distribution and cannot explain the absence of black holes in the 2–5 M☉ mass range. On the high-mass end, we argue that the rapid decline in the inferred distribution may be the result of the particular evolutionary channel followed by low-mass X-ray binaries. This is consistent with the presence of high-mass black holes in the persistent, high-mass X-ray binary sources. If the paucity of low-mass black holes is caused by a sudden decrease of the supernova explosion energy with increasing progenitor mass, this would have observable implications for ongoing transient surveys that target core-collapse supernovae. Our results also have significant implications for the calculation of event rates from the coalescence of black hole binaries for gravitational wave detectors.
Arabidopsis IQM4, a Novel Calmodulin-Binding Protein, Is Involved With Seed Dormancy and Germination in Arabidopsis

Seed dormancy and germination are regulated by complex mechanisms controlled by diverse hormones and environmental cues. Abscisic acid (ABA) promotes seed dormancy and inhibits seed germination and post-germination growth. Calmodulin (CaM) signals are involved with the inhibition of ABA during seed germination and seedling growth. In this study, we showed that Arabidopsis thaliana IQM4 could bind with calmodulin 5 (CaM5) both in vitro and in vivo, and that the interaction was the Ca2+-independent type. The IQM4 protein was localized in the chloroplast and the IQM4 gene was expressed in most tissues, especially the embryo and germinated seedlings. The T-DNA insertion mutants of IQM4 exhibited the reduced primary seed dormancy and lower ABA levels compared with wild type seeds. Moreover, IQM4 plays key roles in modulating the responses to ABA, salt, and osmotic stress during seed germination and post-germination growth. T-DNA insertion mutants exhibited ABA-insensitive and salt-hypersensitive phenotypes during seed germination and post-germination growth, whereas IQM4-overexpressing lines had ABA- and osmotic-hypersensitive, and salt-insensitive phenotypes. Gene expression analyses showed that mutation of IQM4 inhibited the expression of ABA biosynthetic genes NCED6 and NCED9, and seed maturation regulators LEC1, LEC2, ABI3, and ABI5 during the silique development, as well as promoted the expression of WRKY40 and inhibited that of ABI5 in ABA-regulated seed germination. These observations suggest that IQM4 is a novel Ca2+-independent CaM-binding protein, which is positively involved with seed dormancy and germination in Arabidopsis.