Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Review: Sample Preparation and Chromatographic Technologies for Detection of Aflatoxins in Foods

As a class of mycotoxins with regulatory and public health significance, aflatoxins (e.g., aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2) have attracted unparalleled attention from government, academia and industry due to their chronic and acute toxicity. Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites of various Aspergillus species, which are ubiquitous in the environment and can grow on a variety of crops whereby accumulation is impacted by climate influences. Consumption of foods and feeds contaminated by aflatoxins are hazardous to human and animal health, hence the detection and quantification of aflatoxins in foods and feeds is a priority from the viewpoint of food safety. Since the first purification and identification of aflatoxins from feeds in the 1960s, there have been continuous efforts to develop sensitive and rapid methods for the determination of aflatoxins. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview on advances in aflatoxins analysis and highlights the importance of sample pretreatments, homogenization and various cleanup strategies used in the determination of aflatoxins. The use of liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), solid phase extraction (SPE) and immunoaffinity column clean-up (IAC) and dilute and shoot for enhancing extraction efficiency and clean-up are discussed. Furthermore, the analytical techniques such as gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC), mass spectrometry (MS), capillary electrophoresis (CE) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) are compared in terms of identification, quantitation and throughput. Lastly, with the emergence of new techniques, the review culminates with prospects of promising technologies for aflatoxin analysis in the foreseeable future.
Research on the Multiagent Joint Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithm Controlling Cooperative Fixed-Wing UAV Obstacle Avoidance

Multiple unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) collaboration has great potential. To increase the intelligence and environmental adaptability of multi-UAV control, we study the application of deep reinforcement learning algorithms in the field of multi-UAV cooperative control. Aiming at the problem of a non-stationary environment caused by the change of learning agent strategy in reinforcement learning in a multi-agent environment, the paper presents an improved multiagent reinforcement learning algorithm—the multiagent joint proximal policy optimization (MAJPPO) algorithm with the centralized learning and decentralized execution. This algorithm uses the moving window averaging method to make each agent obtain a centralized state value function, so that the agents can achieve better collaboration. The improved algorithm enhances the collaboration and increases the sum of reward values obtained by the multiagent system. To evaluate the performance of the algorithm, we use the MAJPPO algorithm to complete the task of multi-UAV formation and the crossing of multiple-obstacle environments. To simplify the control complexity of the UAV, we use the six-degree of freedom and 12-state equations of the dynamics model of the UAV with an attitude control loop. The experimental results show that the MAJPPO algorithm has better performance and better environmental adaptability.
Paving the Way to Unveil the Diversity and Evolution of Phage Genomes

Phage biology has been developing for the last hundred years, and the potential of phages as tools and treatments has been known since their early discovery. However, the lack of knowledge of the molecular mechanisms coded in phage genomes hindered the development of the field. With current molecular methods, the last decade has been a resurgence of the field. The Special Issue on “Diversity and Evolution of Phage Genomes” is a great example with its 17 manuscripts published. It covers some of the latest methods to sample and characterize environmental and host associated viromes, considering experimental biases and computational developments. Furthermore, the use of molecular tools coupled with traditional methods has allowed to isolate and characterize viruses from different hosts and environments with such diversity that even a new viral class is being proposed. The viruses described cover all different phage families and lifestyles. However, is not only about diversity; the molecular evolution is studied in a set of manuscripts looking at phage-host interactions and their capacity to uncover the frequency and type of mutations behind the bacterial resistance mechanisms and viral pathogenesis, and such methods are opening new ways into identifying potential receptors and characterizing the bacterial host range.
Cell-Based Influenza A/H1N1pdm09 Vaccine Viruses Containing Chimeric Hemagglutinin with Improved Membrane Fusion Ability

The H1N1 influenza pandemic vaccine has been developed from the A/California/07/09 (Cal) virus and the well-known high-yield A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8) virus by classical reassortment and reverse genetics (RG) in eggs. Previous studies have suggested that Cal-derived chimeric hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) improve virus yields. However, the cell-based vaccine of the H1N1 pandemic virus has been less investigated. RG viruses that contained Cal-derived chimeric HA and NA could be rescued in Madin–Darby canine kidney cells that expressed α2,6-sialyltransferase (MDCK-SIAT1). The viral growth kinetics and chimeric HA and NA properties were analyzed. We attempted to generate various RG viruses that contained Cal-derived chimeric HA and NA, but half of them could not be rescued in MDCK-SIAT1 cells. When both the 3′- and 5′-terminal regions of Cal HA viral RNA were replaced with the corresponding regions of PR8 HA, the RG viruses were rescued. Our results were largely consistent with those of previous studies, in which the N- and C-terminal chimeric HA slightly improved virus yield. Importantly, the chimeric HA, compared to Cal HA, showed cell fusion ability at a broader pH range, likely due to amino acid substitutions in the transmembrane region of HA. The rescued RG virus with high virus yield harbored the chimeric HA capable of cell fusion at a broader range of pH.
Influential Factors Affecting Protective Coping Behaviors of Flood Disaster: A Case Study in Shenzhen, China

As the risk of urban flooding increases worldwide, floods seriously endanger the safety of people’s lives and property. Understanding the protective coping behaviors of the public in flood disasters is crucial to the implementation of effective flood mitigation measures and flood risk management. In this study, influential factors affecting protective coping behaviors in the face of flood disasters were identified, and the effects of these factors were discussed as well. Shenzhen City in China was selected as the study area, in which a questionnaire survey of 339 respondents was carried out in three flood-prone districts. Correlation analysis was conducted to preselect potential influential factors. Then, two linear regression models were established to identify main influential factors and to explore the interaction effects of these factors. The results indicated that age, monthly income, flood experience, trust in government and insurance willingness were main influential factors of protective coping behaviors. Trust in government had the highest positive correlation coefficient, while monthly income and age were negatively associated with protective coping behaviors. The interaction between insurance willingness and monthly income jointly affected protective coping behaviors of the public. The findings of this study could help authorities better understand the public’s intention to cope with flood and design effective risk reduction measures, not only for Shenzhen, but also for many other similar cities that facing with the same situation.
A Novel Sensor Prototype with Enhanced and Adaptive Sensitivity Based on Negative Stiffness Mechanism

Loess–mudstone/soil-rock interfacial landslide is one of the prominent landslide hazards that occurs in soil rock contacting zones. It is necessary to develop sensors with high sensitivity to weak and low frequency vibrations for the early warning of such interfacial landslides. In this paper, a novel monitoring sensor prototype with enhanced and adaptive sensitivity is developed for this purpose. The novelty of the sensitive sensor is based on the variable capacitances and negative stiffness mechanism due to the electric filed forces on the vibrating plate. Owing to the feedback control of adjustable electrostatic field by an embedded micro controller, the sensor has adaptive amplification characteristics with high sensitivity to weak and low frequency input and low sensitivity to high input. The design and manufacture of the proposed sensor prototype by Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) with proper packaging are introduced. Post-signal processing is also presented. Some preliminary testing of the prototype and experimental monitoring of sand interfacial slide which mimics soil–rock interfacial landslide were performed to demonstrate the performance of the developed sensor prototype with adaptive amplification and enhanced sensitivity.
Factors Underlying Food Choice Motives in a Brazilian Sample: The Association with Socioeconomic Factors and Risk Perceptions about Chronic Diseases

This study aimed to evaluate the food choice motives in a sample in Brazil and to identify how socioeconomic characteristics and risk perceptions about chronic diseases and weight gain affect these motives. The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) is an instrument to analyze the motivations for food choice. The FCQ was completed by 525 adult individuals in Brazil. The participants were asked about their perceived risk of gaining weight, developing diabetes, and hypertension. Confirmatory factor analysis led to the rejection of the original FCQ structure, and, after exploratory factor analysis, 30 items of the FCQ were maintained in eight factors: Nutritional Composition, Preparation Convenience, Purchase Convenience, Mood, Sensory Appeal, Health, Price, and Familiarity. Sensory Appeal and Familiarity were, respectively, the most and the least important factors involved in food choices in this sample. A high education level, high income, age, and female sex positively affected FCQ factors (except for the Price factor). On the basis of FCQ scores, we defined five clusters: Health Driven, Practicality Concerned, Shape Concerned, Food Concerned, and Cooking Enthusiasts. In general, individuals were optimistic regarding the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, and gaining weight, especially those from the Shape Concerned cluster. The differences in food choice motives presented here reinforce the existence of different niches of food consumption. Different types of products can attract specific target groups at the time of choice.
Pediatric Solid Gastric Emptying Scintigraphy: Normative Value Guidelines and Nonstandard Meal Alternatives.

INTRODUCTION Adult standards for gastric emptying scintigraphy, including the type of meal and range of normative values for percent gastric emptying, are routinely used in pediatric practice, but to date have not been validated. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of adult criteria for gastric emptying scintigraphy is valid for children and whether alternative nonstandard meals can also be offered based on these criteria. METHODS This retrospective study analyzed patients (n = 1,151 total) who underwent solid-phase gastric emptying scintigraphy. Patients were stratified into normal and delayed gastric emptying cohorts based on adult criteria, i.e., with normal gastric emptying defined as ≤10% gastric retention at 4 hours. Patients were further stratified based on the type of meal, namely complete or partial adult standard meals or alternative cheese-based meals. Percent gastric retention values at 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours were compared. RESULTS The median (95% upper reference limit) percentage gastric retention values for the complete standard meal were 72% (93%) at 1 hour, 39% (65%) at 2 hours, 15% (33%) at 3 hours, and 6% (10 %) at 4 hours. By comparison, the values for cheese-based meals were 60% (87%) at 1 hour, 29% (61%) at 2 hours, 10% (30%) at 3 hours, and 5% (10%) at 4 hours. Consumption of at least 50% of the standard meal yielded similar retention percentages; 68% (89%) at 1 hour, 32% (57%) at 2 hours, 10% (29%) at 3 hours, and 5% (10%) at 4 hours. There were no significant age- or sex-specific differences using the adult criteria. DISCUSSION The adult normative standards for gastric emptying scintigraphy are applicable for use in the pediatric population. These same standards can be also be applied to nonstandard meal options, including cheese-based alternative meals and partial standard meals.
Controlled Drug Release and Cytotoxicity Studies of Beta-Lapachone and Doxorubicin Loaded into Cyclodextrins Attached to a Polyethyleneimine Matrix

This work presents a new look at the application of cyclodextrins (CD) as a drug nanocarrier. Two different cyclodextrins (αCD, βCD) were covalently conjugated to branched polyethylenimine (PEI), which was additionally functionalized with folic acid (PEI-βCD-αCD-FA). Here, we demonstrated that the combination of αCD and βCD enabled to load and control release of two anticancer drugs: doxorubicin (DOX) and beta-lapachone (beta-LP) (DOX in β-CD and beta-LP into α-CD) via host-guest inclusion. The PEI-βCD(DOX)-αCD-FA nanoconjugate was used to transport anticancer drugs into A549 lung cancer cells for estimation the cytotoxic and antitumor effect of this nanoconjugate. The presence of FA molecules should facilitate the penetration of studied nanoconjugate into the cell. Whereas, the non-cellular experiments proved that the drugs are released from the carrier mainly in the pH 4.0. The release mechanism is found to be anomalous in all studied cases.
Naphthoquinone-Based Meroterpenoids from Marine-Derived Streptomyces sp. B9173

Naphthoquinone-based meroterpenoids are hybrid polyketide-terpenoid natural products with chemical diversity and a broad range of biological activities. Here, we report the isolation of a group of naphthoquinone-containing compounds from Streptomyces sp. B9173, and their structures were elucidated by using a combination of spectroscopic techniques, including 1D, 2D NMR, and high-resolution mass (HRMS) analysis. Seven flaviogeranin congeners or intermediates, three of which were new, have been derived from common naphthoquinone backbone and subsequent oxidation, methylation, prenylation, and amino group incorporation. Both flaviogeranin B1 (1) and B (2) contain an amino group which was incorporated into the C8 of 1,3,6,8-terhydroxynaphthalene (THN). Flaviogeranin D (3) contains an intact C-geranylgeranyl residue attached to the C2 of THN, while the O-geranylgeranyl group of 2 links with the hydroxyl on the C2 site of THN. Four compounds were selected and tested for antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity, with 3 and flaviogeranin C2 (5) displaying potent activity against selected bacteria and cancer cell lines. In light of the structure features of isolated compounds and the biosynthetic genes, a biosynthetic pathway of naphthoquinone-based flaviogeranins has been proposed. These isolated compounds not only extend the structural diversity but also represent new insights into the biosynthesis of naphthoquinone-based meroterpenoids.
Weber Texture Local Descriptor for Identification of Group-Housed Pigs

The individual identification of group-housed pigs plays an important role in breeding process management and individual behavior analysis. Recently, livestock identification methods based on the side view or face image have strict requirements on the position and posture of livestock, which poses a challenge for the application of the monitoring scene of group-housed pigs. To address the issue above, a Weber texture local descriptor (WTLD) is proposed for the identification of group-housed pigs by extracting the local features of back hair, skin texture, spots, and so on. By calculating the differential excitation and multi-directional information of pixels, the local structure features of the main direction are fused to enhance the description ability of features. The experimental results show that the proposed WTLD achieves higher recognition rates with a lower feature dimension. This method can identify pig individuals with different positions and postures in the pig house. Without limitations on pig movement, this method can facilitate the identification of individual pigs with greater convenience and universality.
Placement Retargeting of Virtual Avatars to Dissimilar Indoor Environments

Rapidly developing technologies are realizing a 3D telepresence, in which geographically separated users can interact with each other through their virtual avatars. In this article, we present novel methods to determine the avatar’s position in an indoor space to preserve the semantics of the user’s position in a dissimilar indoor space with different space configurations and furniture layouts. To this end, we first perform a user survey on the preferred avatar placements for various indoor configurations and user placements, and identify a set of related attributes, including interpersonal relation, visual attention, pose, and spatial characteristics, and quantify these attributes with a set of features. By using the obtained dataset and identified features, we train a neural network that predicts the similarity between two placements. Next, we develop an avatar placement method that preserves the semantics of the placement of the remote user in a different space as much as possible. We show the effectiveness of our methods by implementing a prototype AR-based telepresence system and user evaluations.
Ultradelayed Arterial Thrombosis: Critical Flap Ischemia After Phalloplasty.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Delayed arterial thrombus causing loss of a cutaneous free flap at or beyond 6 months is a rare phenomenon. The purpose of this report is to describe 2 cases of arterial compromise requiring medical and surgical intervention at or beyond 6 months after radial forearm free flap (RFFF) phalloplasty and to define the phenomenon of ultradelayed arterial thrombosis. METHODS Patient 1 is a 44-year-old transmale who presented with pulselessness, pallor, and hypersensitivity of his neophallus 10 years status post-RFFF phalloplasty using a saphenous vein interposition graft (SVIG) between the superficial femoral artery (SFA) and radial artery (RA). Patient 2 is a 35-year-old transmale who presented with similar complaints 6 months status post-RFFF phalloplasty with the same vascular connections as above. RESULTS Patient 1 was found to have an arterial thrombus distal to the SFA-SVIG anastomosis requiring catheter-directed thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator, resulting in partial loss limited to the distal three fourths of the shaft. Patient 2 was also found to have an arterial thrombus distal to the SFA-SVIG anastomosis requiring catheter-directed thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator and common femoral artery CFA-RA bypass, resulting in partial loss limited to the neoglans. CONCLUSIONS Ultradelayed arterial thrombosis is a rare phenomenon requiring urgent intervention. The exact causes of this phenomenon, whether mechanical or physiological or both, have yet to be fully elucidated but it is hypothesized that the original anastomosis may continue to serve as the critical blood supply to its flap as far as 10 years after surgery.
Novas sinapomorfias para Rhamphichthys Muller & Troschel, 1848 (Teleostei: Rhamphichthyidae)

Seven new synapomorphies are presented for Rhamphichthys, a neotropical genus of freshwater electric fishes: (1) dark, oblique, transverse bars on body flank prolonged through the anal fin (also as a homoplasy in Steatogenys – Hypopomidae); (2) ventral branches of the body lateral line, near head, elongate (also as a homoplasy in Sternopygus – Sternopygidae); (3) presence of a fleshy skin fold on the body wall, inside the opercular opening; (4) first scale row, below the lateral line, composed of elongate scales, oblique to the body axis; (5) scales of the lateral line and series of scales juxtaposed above and below them, deeply immersed in the skin; (6) dark oblique transversal bars on the body interrupted dorsally and (7) 306 to 461 rays in the anal fin. The presence of a thick, fibrous, and opaque gas bladder, cannot be considered as an apomorphy of Rhamphichthys. Keywords: systematics, cladistics, electric fish, freshwater, Neotropical region, Rhamphichthys, Steatogenys, Sternopygus.
Multi-Sensor Data Fusion for Remaining Useful Life Prediction of Machining Tools by IABC-BPNN in Dry Milling Operations

Inefficient remaining useful life (RUL) estimation may cause unpredictable failures and unscheduled maintenance of machining tools. Multi-sensor data fusion will improve the RUL prediction reliability by fusing more sensor information related to the machining process of tools. In this paper, a multi-sensor data fusion system for online RUL prediction of machining tools is proposed. The system integrates multi-sensor signal collection, signal preprocess by a complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition, feature extraction in time domain, frequency domain and time-frequency domain by such methods as statistical analysis, power spectrum density analysis and Hilbert-Huang transform, feature selection by a Light Gradient Boosting Machine method, feature fusion by a tool wear prediction model based on back propagation neural network optimized by improved artificial bee colony (IABC-BPNN) algorithm, and the online RUL prediction model by a polynomial curve fitting method. An example is used to verify whether if the prediction performance of the proposed system is stable and reliable, and the results show that it is superior to its rivals.
Bolstered physical defences under nutrient‐enriched conditions may facilitate a secondary foundational algal species in the South Pacific

Humans have a long history of changing species' ranges and habitat distributions, making studies of the ecological processes that may facilitate these changes of key importance, particularly in cases where a primary foundation species is replaced by another, less desirable species. We investigated the impact of nutrients and herbivory on Turbinaria ornata, a secondary foundational macroalga that depends on and likely competes with coral, the primary foundational community. T. ornata is also rapidly expanding in range and habitat across the South Pacific. We conducted (i) a mesocosm experiment assessing relative nutrient limitation, (ii) a field experiment comparing importance of nutrients (+/−) and herbivory (+/−) to biomass accumulation, and (iii) an herbivory assay and toughness test comparing enriched and ambient thalli to assess changes to anti‐herbivory defences. We found no evidence of growth being nutrient limited in T. ornata; rather than stimulating growth, nutrient addition deterred herbivores. However, when physical toughness was removed, enriched algae were preferred, with consumption rates 25‐fold those of unenriched algae. Additionally, enriched thalli were tougher than ambient thalli, suggesting physical defences were bolstered by nutrient enrichment. Synthesis. We found a unique interaction where nutrients inhibit herbivory and facilitate Turbinaria ornata biomass accumulation. While concern is often placed on degradation of foundation species via anthropogenic change, instead here we show that anthropogenic change can facilitate secondary foundation species. This facilitation may allow a secondary foundation species to better compete with primary foundation species.