Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genome-Wide Association Study of Body Weights in Hu Sheep and Population Verification of Related Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms

Body weight (BW) is a critical economic trait for meat production in sheep. The current study aimed to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to detect significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with BW in Hu sheep. The comparison and analysis of the G1 and G2 generations of a nucleus meat Hu sheep breeding herd revealed four SNPs identified by GWAS. The subsequent verification of the significant SNP loci in the Hu sheep G3 generation nucleus herd also detected nine SNPs in significant SNP regions. Two SNPs were significantly associated with the BW of Hu sheep (p < 0.05). OARX_76354330. 1 and s64890.1 could be identified as functional SNPs for the growth traits of Hu sheep. CAPN6, as a candidate gene, was significantly different in the biceps femoris and longissimus dorsi muscles of weaning (60-day) and 6-month sheep, which facilitated the discovery of causal variants for BW and contributed to the marker-assisted selection breeding of Hu sheep.
Design Opportunities for Digital Men's Health: An Exploratory Study Focusing on Football Fandom

Many men stop exercising as they age, engage in risky behaviours such as alcohol misuse, are reluctant to admit to mental health problems, and avoid seeking help. Men are generally hard to reach for community health interventions. However, interventions run at football clubs have successfully engaged men and have led to positive health outcomes. Mobile health technology might similarly be designed to engage and encourage men via connections with football. This technology could be used to augment and extend community programs, or be used to target global fan bases. However, it is not clear if and how what attracts men to community interventions can translate to technology. In this paper we report a design study with 18 middle-age male participants exploring what men find important in football, and connections between football, health and technology. We present five design opportunities to guide and prompt further innovation in this area.
Regulatory precedents for setting the WACC within a range

On 23 June 2014 the Commerce Commission (the Commission) published a number of expert reports as part of its ongoing review of the appropriate percentile estimate of the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Among these was a report by Economic Insights, which reviewed a number of regulatory decisions, from a range of overseas jurisdictions, on the choice of WACC point estimate from within a range.
INeo-Epp: A Novel T-Cell HLA Class-I Immunogenicity or Neoantigenic Epitope Prediction Method Based on Sequence-Related Amino Acid Features

In silico T-cell epitope prediction plays an important role in immunization experimental design and vaccine preparation. Currently, most epitope prediction research focuses on peptide processing and presentation, e.g., proteasomal cleavage, transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP), and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) combination. To date, however, the mechanism for the immunogenicity of epitopes remains unclear. It is generally agreed upon that T-cell immunogenicity may be influenced by the foreignness, accessibility, molecular weight, molecular structure, molecular conformation, chemical properties, and physical properties of target peptides to different degrees. In this work, we tried to combine these factors. Firstly, we collected significant experimental HLA-I T-cell immunogenic peptide data, as well as the potential immunogenic amino acid properties. Several characteristics were extracted, including the amino acid physicochemical property of the epitope sequence, peptide entropy, eluted ligand likelihood percentile rank (EL rank(%)) score, and frequency score for an immunogenic peptide. Subsequently, a random forest classifier for T-cell immunogenic HLA-I presenting antigen epitopes and neoantigens was constructed. The classification results for the antigen epitopes outperformed the previous research (the optimal AUC = 0.81, external validation data set AUC = 0.77). As mutational epitopes generated by the coding region contain only the alterations of one or two amino acids, we assume that these characteristics might also be applied to the classification of the endogenic mutational neoepitopes also called “neoantigens. ” Based on mutation information and sequence-related amino acid characteristics, a prediction model of a neoantigen was established as well (the optimal AUC = 0.78). Further, an easy-to-use web-based tool “INeo-Epp” was developed for the prediction of human immunogenic antigen epitopes and neoantigen epitopes.
The Wooden Quilt: Carving Out Personal Narratives in a Women-Only Makerspace

Women can face barriers to participation in universal makerspace environments and are consequently underrepresented within them. Further, women have historically been excluded from learning and working with particular types of materials, such as wood. To explore how we might address these inequalities in regards to both access to makerspaces and to diverse materials, we present the wooden quilt probe. Through this probe we aimed to 1) create a makerspace environment specifically for women where they could engage with materials and tools traditionally found in more male-dominated craft environments, and 2) facilitate the sharing of stories and experiences with other women within the community center where this work took place. We contribute a rich understanding of the stories and experiences of women from the community center, and discuss the implications of the work for Interaction Design: how designers can contribute towards diversifying makerspace environments that enable women's participation within them, the benefits of intertwining storytelling and making, and the boundaries around sharing personal narratives.
Prognostic Value of Complement Component 2 and Its Correlation with Immune Infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of complement component 2 (C2) has been found to be significantly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, little is known about the role and mechanism of C2 in HCC. In the present study, we aimed to explore the prognostic value of C2 and its correlation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells in HCC. Materials and Methods mRNA expression was downloaded from TCGA (365 HCC patients and 50 healthy controls), GSE14520 (220 HCC patients and 220 adjacent normal tissues), and ICGC HCC (232 HCC patients) cohorts. Unpaired Student's t-tests or ANOVA tests were used to evaluate differences of C2 expression. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze the prognostic value of C2. CIBERSORT was used to calculate the proportion of 22 kinds of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Results Significantly lower C2 expression was found at HCC compared to healthy controls, and C2 was associated with TNM stages. Higher C2 expression was significantly associated with better prognosis, and multivariate analysis showed that C2 was also an independent factor for the prognosis of HCC. Moreover, elevated CD4 T cells were found at HCC patients with higher C2 expression while the higher proportion of macrophage M0 cells was found in HCC patients with lower C2 expression. KEGG analysis showed that “cell cycle,” “AMPK signaling pathway,” and “PPAR signaling pathway” were enriched in HCC patients with higher C2 expression. Conclusion C2 is a prognostic factor for HCC and may be used as a therapeutic target for future treatment of HCC.
Evaluating Design Fiction: The Right Tool for the Job

Design fiction has become so widely adopted that it regularly appears in contexts ranging from CEO speeches to dedicated tracks at academic conferences. However, evaluating this kind of work is difficult; it is not clear what good or bad design fiction is or what the judgment criteria should be. In this paper we assert that design fiction is a heterogeneous set of methods, and practices, able to produce a diversity of scholarly and design contributions. We argue locating these diverse practices under the single header of "design fiction" has resulted in epistemological confusion over the appropriate method of evaluation. We identify different traditions within the HCI literature-critical design; narratology and literary theory; studio-based design "crits"; user studies; scenarios and persona development; and thought experiments-to articulate a typology of evaluative frames. There is often a mismatch between the standards to which design fiction is held and the knowledge that speculative methods seek to produce. We argue that evaluating a given instance of design fiction requires us to properly select the right epistemological tool for the job.
Increased Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation in Right Angular Gyrus and Left Superior Occipital Gyrus Negatively Correlated With Heroin Use

Abnormal amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation has been implicated in heroin addiction. However, previous studies lacked consistency and didn’t consider the impact of confounding factors such as methadone and alcohol. Fifty-one heroin-dependent (HD) individuals and 40 healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The ‘amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation’ (ALFF) value was calculated and support vector machine (SVM) classification analysis was applied to analyze the data. Compared with healthy controls, heroin addicts exhibited increased ALFF in the right angular gyrus (AG) and left superior occipital gyrus (SOG). A negative correlation was observed between increased ALFF in the right angular gyrus and left superior occipital gyrus and the duration of heroin use (p 1=0.004, r 1=-0.426; p 2=0.009, r 2=-0.361). Moreover, the ALFF in the right AG and left SOG could discriminate the HD subjects from the controls with acceptable accuracy (Acc1=64.85%, p 1=0.004; Acc2=63.80%, p 2=0.005). HD patients showed abnormal ALFF in the brain areas involved in semantic memory and visual networks. The longer HD individuals abused heroin, the less the ALFF of associated brain regions increased. These observed patterns suggested that the accumulative effect of heroin’s neurotoxicity overpowered self-recovery of the brain and may be applied as a potential biomarker to identify HD individuals from the controls.
Disconnecting: Towards a Semiotic Framework for Personal Data Trails

Data collection from users' interactions with ubiquitous computing is a wicked problem for design. Despite legislation increasingly requiring "informed" consent, the apathy born from a constant bombardment of consent notifications means many users remain largely uninformed about the collection, manipulation and dissemination of their personal information. We explore existing semiotics as signposts that inform individual decisions, and report from a design activity where participants mapped out their daily personal data trails. Using these as inspiration we explore how to engage users with new or emergent data trails. This pictorial provides a visual argument for (1) engaging users with whole data trails, which may yield greater benefit than the optimisation of individual notifications, and (2) how a whole data trail perspective may be valuable in the development of semiotic conventions for acquainting users with emergent (future) data trails.
OmniGlobeVR: A Collaborative 360-Degree Communication System for VR

In this paper, we present a novel collaboration tool, OmniGlobeVR, which is an asymmetric system that supports communication and collaboration between a VR user (occupant) and multiple non-VR users (designers) across the virtual and physical platform. OmniGlobeVR allows designer(s) to explore the VR space from any point of view using two view modes: a 360° first-person mode and a third-person mode. In addition, a shared gaze awareness cue is provided to further enhance communication between the occupant and the designer(s). Finally, the system has a face window feature that allows designer(s) to share their facial expressions and upper body view with the occupant for exchanging and expressing information using nonverbal cues. We conducted a user study to evaluate the OmniGlobeVR, comparing three conditions: (1) first-person mode with the face window, (2) first-person mode with a solid window, and (3) third-person mode with the face window. We found that the first-person mode with the face window required significantly less mental effort, and provided better spatial presence, usability, and understanding of the partner's focus. We discuss the design implications of these results and directions for future research.
Impacts of Microgravity Analogs to Spaceflight on Cerebral Autoregulation

It is well known that exposure to microgravity in astronauts leads to a plethora physiological responses such as headward fluid shift, body unloading, and cardiovascular deconditioning. When astronauts return to Earth, some encounter problems related to orthostatic intolerance. An impaired cerebral autoregulation (CA), which could be compromised by the effects of microgravity, has been proposed as one of the mechanisms responsible for orthostatic intolerance. CA is a homeostatic mechanism that maintains cerebral blood flow for any variations in cerebral perfusion pressure by adapting the vascular tone and cerebral vessel diameter. The ground-based models of microgravity are useful tools for determining the gravitational impact of spaceflight on human body. The head-down tilt bed rest (HDTBR), where the subject remains in supine position at −6 degrees for periods ranging from few days to several weeks is the most commonly used ground-based model of microgravity for cardiovascular deconditioning. head-down bed rest (HDBR) is able to replicate cephalic fluid shift, immobilization, confinement, and inactivity. Dry immersion (DI) model is another approach where the subject remains immersed in thermoneutral water covered with an elastic waterproof fabric separating the subject from the water. Regarding DI, this analog imitates absence of any supporting structure for the body, centralization of body fluids, immobilization and hypokinesia observed during spaceflight. However, little is known about the impact of microgravity on CA. Here, we review the fundamental principles and the different mechanisms involved in CA. We also consider the different approaches in order to assess CA. Finally, we focus on the effects of short- and long-term spaceflight on CA and compare these findings with two specific analogs to microgravity: HDBR and DI.
GENETIC MANIPULATION OF TOMATO PLANT WITH ANNEXIN GENE THROUGH AGROBACTERIUM MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION

The present study of genetic manipulation by incorporation of annexin gene has been attempted in tomato plant, Lycopercicum esculantum through Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The annexin gene construct was transferred into plant Genomic DNA by using leaf disc preparation, co-cultivation and selection media transfer. The selection media consists of kanamycin, augmentin and cefatoxime. Leaf disc containing gene construct survives on selection media and were allow growing in calli, indicating the presence of gene of interest, which was further confirmed by extraction of genomic DNA and PCR analysis. Study revealed that Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in tomato was a successful method for transfer of annexin gene. The methodologies may be used for the commercial production of transformed tomato with salt and drought
DayClo: An Everyday Table Clock Providing Interaction with Personal Schedule Data for Self-reflection

We introduce DayClo, an interactive clock visualizing schedule data for supporting users to reflect and self-track themselves in their daily lives. DayClo is designed by applying the form and time representation method of analog clocks. It shows the user's upcoming schedules through the sequential movement of two clock hands with hidden LEDs and a display. We deployed DayClo in eight participants' working spaces for a month to explore how the design and its interaction could support their reflections on their scheduling practices. The findings revealed that DayClo supported users' casual access to the schedule data and motivated self-tracking of their plans. Moreover, the moving clock hands revealed the empty time of their schedules and helped to draw new plans for their implicit goal. Our findings suggest new opportunities for designing everyday objects as a medium of delivering and fostering spontaneous interaction with personal data for self-reflection.
Efficient distributed SNP selection by a Modified Binary Flower Pollination Algorithm

Porcine Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs---certain pieces of nucleotide in a DNA sequence) can be indirectly associated with traits of an individual pig, like its meat quality or resistance to common diseases. It is most desirable to obtain a smallest number of most significant SNPs in genomics research, and several computer classification algorithms have been used to do so. For instance, for breed classification, one needs to obtain a set of a much smaller number of significant SNPs than that of the entire SNP data set. This study attempted to find such significant porcine SNPs by using computational feature selection and classification methods. In a preliminary trial, a binary flower pollination algorithm (BFPA) was used and shown not to able to reduce the number of selected SNPs to a sufficiently low number. Therefore, to achieve our objective, we developed a vertically distributed feature selection method incorporating a modified BFPA and a support vector machine classifier for selecting significant porcine SNPs. The developed method was evaluated and compared against four baseline methods. It provided the smallest average number of significant SNPs (128.40) that resulted in 94.57% classification accuracy. This and other findings in this study may directly benefit researchers in the bioinformatics field in their effort to map SNPs.
CyberGuardians: Improving Community Cyber Resilience Through Embedded Peer-to-Peer Support

Older users are rapidly adopting internet-enabled devices, yet are often targeted by cyber attackers with possible disastrous consequences. We describe the CyberGuardians initiative where we train older members of the community to be knowledgeable about cybersecurity so they can spread the information to peers and help protect their communities from cyber harms. Specifically, we focus on a case study evaluating two CyberGuardians and their use of training materials to inform peers in their community about cybersecurity. We discuss the importance of flexible training materials that can be adapted by CyberGuardians for sharing with peers.
Comparative Effectiveness of ELISA and RT-PCR for Detecting Grapevine Leafroll-Associated Closterovirus-3 in Field Samples

We compared the effectiveness of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in detecting grapevine leafroll associated virus-3 (GLRaV-3) in infected symptomatic Pinot noir and nonsymptomatic hybrid grapevines throughout the growing season. Tissue samples from leaves, petioles, flowers, fruits, and bark scrapings of canes were tested by nested immunocapture reverse transcriptase PCR (N-IC-PCR) and by double antibody sandwich ELISA. PCR primers were selected from the 55K (heat shock protein 90 homolog) gene region of the GLRaV-3 genome. In symptomatic and nonsymptomatic vines, ELISA and N-IC-PCR detected GLRaV-3 in all samples of bark scrapings of canes that were collected throughout the growing season and from dormant cuttings in storage. Detection of GLRaV-3 in flowers or fruits of symptomatic and nonsymptomatic vines was generally erratic throughout the growing season, regardless of the detection technique. ELISA and N-IC-PCR were similarly effective for detecting GLRaV-3 in petioles of nonsymptomatic and symptomatic vines, with nearly all tested samples being positive from the developing berries stage onward. With lamina of leaves collected from the apical, middle, and basal positions on canes of test vines, GLRaV-3 was detected in many more samples from symptomatic vines than from nonsymptomatic vines. In symptomatic vines, N-IC-PCR and ELISA detected GLRaV-3 in nearly all lamina samples of basal leaves collected throughout the growing season and from the pea-sized berry stage onward, respectively. Both methods detected GLRaV-3 in all lamina samples starting from the veraison stage. In contrast, detection of GLRaV-3 in nonsymptomatic vines was erratic regardless of the detection method that was used. For example, N-IC-PCR detected GLRaV-3 in 100% of samples of middle leaves collected at the pea-sized berry stage, 20% at the veraison stage, and 65% at the berry ripening stage, whereas GLRaV-3 was detected in all similarly collected samples of symptomatic vines. Based on the results, we recommend that bark scrapings of canes from vines or from dormant cuttings be used for reliable detection of GLRaV-3 by ELISA or N-IC-PCR.
Bio-inspired Routing in DMFB: An Artificial Swarm Propagation Based Application

Digital Microfluidic Biochips (DMFB) has been evolved as a new generation of Lab-on-Chip device. This appears as a viable alternative to conventional benchtop laboratory process in the fields of point of care diagnostics, environmental toxicity monitoring and other biomedical applications. With increase in complexity, scalability and requirements of more precise control in microfluidic operations - simultaneous execution of complex bioassays within the same substrates poses a major challenge. Transportation of multiple droplets comprising complex bioassays within a 2D array faces the major issue of cross contamination. Poorly estimated route path and bad pre-scheduling may result in unwarranted cross overs resulting in faulty detection and dire wrong diagnostic consequences. In this work we used a swarm propagation based technique to resolve the cross contamination issues for parallel routing within a single 2D DMFB array. The proposed technique shows encouraging improvements in terms of arrival time as well as optimal contamination for enhanced routing performance.
Context-Based Interface Prototyping and Evaluation for (Shared) Autonomous Vehicles Using a Lightweight Immersive Video-Based Simulator

Autonomous vehicles (AVs; SAE levels 4 and 5) develop rapidly, whereas appropriate methods for interface design and development for such driverless vehicles are still in their infancy. This paper presents a simple approach for context-based prototyping and evaluation of human-machine interfaces for (shared) AVs in public transportation. It demonstrates how to set up a lightweight immersive video-based AV simulator using real-world video and audio footage captured in urban traffic. In two user studies (n1 = 9; n2 = 31) we investigate presence perception and simulator sickness to provide initial evidence for the suitability of this cost-effective method. Furthermore, with the intent to increase presence perception and technology acceptance, we combine the AV simulator with a human actor imitating a passenger that gets on and off a shared AV ride.