Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Sequence and Function of Drosophila Microvillus Cadherins, Cad74A, Cad87A, and Cad88C

Microvilli are actin-based protrusions at the apical surface of epithelial cells and have diverse functions. My bioinformatic analysis suggests that human Cadherin 23, which is critical for normal microvillus development, has three paralogous homologues in Drosophila, Cad74A, Cad87A, and Cad88C. All three fly cadherins are present in follicle cell microvilli in late stages of oogenesis. The combined loss of Cad74A, Cad87A, and Cad88C did not produce any obvious defects in follicle cell microvilli or egg morphology. However, in a Cad74A Cad88C double mutant, Cad87A is strongly reduced at the apical surface of follicle cells. Furthermore, females overexpressing Cad74A produced abnormal eggs. This phenotype was rescued by increasing or reducing Cad87A expression. Together, my data suggest genetic interactions between the three cadherins, and that Cad74A and Cad87A may be involved in
Can Biases in Perceived Attitudes Explain Anti-Conformism?

In two studies about farming practices, the respondents who are particularly favorable to organic farming tend to have a higher intention to convert their farm to organic when they perceive other farmers as not very favorable to this practice. This intention can be considered as anticonformist, as it is in opposition to the general view of others. This article hypothesizes that this phenomenon can be explained by some biases on the perceptions of attitudes. It proposes an agent-based model which computes an intention based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and assumes some biases in the perception of others’ attitudes according to the social judgment theory. It investigates the conditions on the model parameter values for which the simulations reproduce the features observed in the studies. The results show that perceptual biases are a possible explanation of anticonformist intentions.
Design and control of a reconfigurable high‐gain battery integrated dc‐dc boost converter for time‐varying loads

In this paper, a reconfigurable, low component count high‐gain battery integrated dc‐dc boost converter (HGBIBC) is proposed for power management of time‐varying loads (TVLs). The battery is integrated between the two switches and the two diodes, which provides an inherent feature of pulse‐charging and pulse‐discharging of the battery, thereby increasing its lifetime. The converter operation, in various modes, is explained, and the steady‐state and time‐domain analyses are performed to establish the high‐voltage gain feature of the converter, which makes it suitable for interfacing sources with low output voltages. The guidelines for the design of converter parameters and selection of switching devices are presented. Small‐signal models are derived, and the relative gain array (RGA) analysis is performed, which revealed that the control loops are of decoupled nature and hence the controllers, for each loop, can be designed independently, as in the case of a single‐input single‐output (SISO) converter. The PID controllers are designed to simultaneously regulate the load voltage and source current. The theoretical concepts developed in the paper are validated experimentally using the laboratory prototype of the converter. The experimental results, demonstrating power management, at load voltages of 60 and 48 V are presented, which are found to be in close correlation with the theoretical and simulation studies.
The psychology of mountaineering: a systematic review

ABSTRACT Research on the psychology of mountaineering has received widespread attention over many decades. Therefore, to clarify scientific findings in the area, provide future research directions, and enable the development of applied recommendations to enhance performance and safety, the purpose of this systematic mixed studies review was to identify, appraise, and synthesise research on the psychology of mountaineering. After systematically searching 10 electronic databases and undertaking manual searches up to April 2020, 69 studies published over 54 years (1966–2020) were included in the review. Thematic synthesis was undertaken and generated 11 descriptive themes, which were captured by two analytical themes, (i) personality characteristics of mountaineers, and (ii) psychological experiences in mountaineering. The synthesis generated novel insights into connections between different research topics in the psychology-specific literature in mountaineering, thus providing a more advanced understanding of current knowledge in this area. The review highlights that considerable progress has been made in this field, but further high-quality studies are required across all facets of this literature. Future avenues for research include: group dynamics; cognitive mechanisms underlying decision-making; and coping with setbacks and traumatic events.
Specific sperm abnormalities observed in rams (Ovis aries) following cypermethrin treatment

This work was designed to make further observations on the specific types of sperm abnormalities present in Cypermethrin treated rams and contribute information towards understanding how Cypermethrin affects male’s reproduction. Sixteen sexually-mature, healthy Yankasa rams aged 18 to 30 months and weighing between 21.5 to 46.5 kg were used. The 16 rams were divided equally into two groups (A and B). Group A served as the treatment group, while B served as the control. The rams in Group A were given Cypermethrin (3%) at the dose rate of 3 mg/kg (0.1 ml/kg) body weight, topically as pour-on. The control rams were given distilled water at the same dose rate and route. These treatments were repeated every two weeks for a period of 12 weeks. Semen was collected on weekly basis from each ram during the experimental period by means of a hand held electro-ejaculator (EE). The morphological sperm abnormalities/defects were determined by examining semen smears stained with eosin-nigrosin on a glass slide. Results showed that sperm abnormalities recorded were detached head, mid piece droplet, free tail, coiled tail and bent tail. There was no significant difference in the percentage of these abnormalities recorded between the two groups (p>0.05) from week 1 to 12. It is concluded that Cypermethrin did not induce any specific sperm abnormalities in rams treated with 3 mg/kg body weight as pour-on. Sperm death in Cypermethrin label dose treated rams may be mediated through oxidative stress. It was recommended that more studies be directed towards stress biomarkers in Cypermethrin treated rams. Key words: Sperm, abnormalities, cypermethrin, rams, oxidative stress.
Reconnecting with the past and anticipating the future: A review of fisheries‐derived cultural ecosystem services in pre‐Hispanic Peru

1. Marine ecosystems play a key role in human wellbeing, particularly in the Global South through small-scale fisheries (SSF). While many have speculated that such activities are central to the provision of cultural benefits (such as cultural identity and heritage values), there are key information gaps regarding SSF cultural contributions to societies and their historical importance. 2. In this paper, we sought to identify and characterize the historical cultural benefits derived from SSF in Peru and their transformative role for early societies’ development. We carried out an extensive review of archaeological literature focusing on early coastal Peruvian settlements, cultures and civilizations (i.e. pre-Hispanic period: Our results suggest that the interaction between coastal dwellers and marine ecosystems in Peru is ancient, reciprocal and dynamic. These interactions were crucial for social transformation in Peru across millennia. Through fisheries, the first coastal Peruvians enjoyed multiple cultural benefits that entail a range of experiences, identities and beliefs.
An alternative splicing signature model for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma-specific survival.

Background Alternative splicing (AS) is a transcriptional regulation mechanism, which can expand the coding ability of genome and contribute to the occurrence and development of cancer. A systematic analysis of AS in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is lacking and urgently needed. Methods Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to distinguish survival-related AS events and to calculate the risk score. Kaplan-Meier analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the AS events' clinical significance to build a risk model in HCC. Results Data of AS events was obtained from the Splice-Seq database. The corresponding clinical information of HCC was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data portal. We analyzed 78,878 AS events from 13,045 genes in HCC patients. A total of 2,440 and 2,888 AS events were significantly related to HCC patients' disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). The two prognostic models (DFS and OS) were constructed based on a total of seven AS types from survival-related AS events above. The area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curves was 0.769 in the DFS cohort and 0.886 in the OS cohort. Conclusions The prognostic model constructed by AS events can be used to predict the prognosis of HCC patients and provide potential therapeutic targets for further validation.
The method of increasing COMPO contrast by linearization of backscattering characteristic η =f(Z)

The backscattered electron signal (BSE) in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been used for investigation of a specimen surface composition (COMPO mode). Creation of a material composition map is difficult because the dependence of backscattering coefficient η on the atomic number Z for Z > 40 is nonlinear. The method of increase in SEM resolution for the BSE signal by use of digital image processing has been proposed. This method is called the linearization of the η =f(Z) characteristic. The function approximating the experimental η =f (Z) dependence was determined by numerical methods. After characteristics linearization, the digital image in COMPO mode allows to distinguish between two elements with high atomic numbers if their atomic numbers differ by ΔZ = 1.
Monitoring ant assemblages of oak wood-pastures. A case study from Eastern Europe

Habitats associated with oak may host high insect diversity, especially saproxylic species, due to the availability of specific microhabitats such as dead wood, rotten logs and woody debris. Among the insects occurring in such habitats, ants play a major role in forest ecosystems as generalist predators. Ant assemblages were investigated using different types of traps. Sampling was carried out in 2015 and 2016, in a wood-pasture located in eastern Transylvania (Romania). Differences between species richness and composition in different types of oak habitats were tested: solitary oak in pasture, oak stand, and the ecotone separating them. Altogether a total of 17 ant species were identified. The three habitats shared an important proportion of the species, yet significant differences between the three habitats in terms of community composition were found. The highest diversity of ant species was recorded in the oak stands, followed by the solitary trees, though differences were not significant. Oak associated habitats can sustain high diversity of ant species and moreover thermophilic specialists thrive. Finally, the abundance of Lasius brunneus is highlighted, the species being proposed as a wood-pasture specialist.
Glacial Drivers of Marine Biogeochemistry Indicate a Future Shift to More Corrosive Conditions in an Arctic Fjord

A detailed survey of a high Arctic glacier fjord (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard) was carried out in summer 2016, close to the peak of the meltwater season, in order to identify the effects of glacier runoff on nutrient distributions and the carbonate system. Short‐term weather patterns were found to exert a strong influence on freshwater content within the fjord. Freshwater inputs from glacier runoff and ice meltwater averaged (±SD) low nitrate (1.85 ± 0.47 μM; 0.41 ± 0.99 μM), orthophosphate (0.07 ± 0.27 μM; 0.02 ± 0.03 μM), dissolved organic carbon (27 ± 14 μM in glacier runoff), total alkalinity (708 ± 251 μmol kg−1; 173 ± 121 μmol kg−1), and dissolved inorganic carbon (622 ± 108 μmol kg−1; 41 ± 88 μmol kg−1), as well as a modest silicate concentration (3.71 ± 0.02 μM; 3.16 ± 5.41 μM). pCO2 showed a nonconservative behavior across the estuarine salinity gradient with a pronounced undersaturation in the inner‐fjord, leading to strong CO2 uptake from the atmosphere. The combined effect of freshwater dilution and atmospheric CO2 absorption was the lowering of aragonite saturation state to values that are known to negatively affect marine calcifiers (ΩAr, 1.07). Glacier discharge was therefore a strong local amplifier of ocean acidification. Future increases in discharge volume and the loss of marine productivity following the retreat of marine‐terminating glaciers inland are both anticipated to further lower ΩAr within inner‐fjord surface waters. This shift may be partially buffered by an increase in the mean freshwater total alkalinity as the fractional importance of iceberg melt to freshwater fjord inputs declines and runoff increases.
Fabrication of Multifunctional Nano Gelatin/Zinc Oxide Composite Fibers

Abstract According to health studies, reinforcing gelatin is necessary in order to obtain the multifunctional material. In this study, nano zinc oxide (ZnO; at concentrations of 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%) was doped with gelatin and the solution was electrospun under specific conditions to obtain multifunctional gelatin/ZnO nanofibers. The morphology of the nanofibers was studied by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) analysis indicated the presence of nano Zn on the surface of gelatin fibers. On the contrary, elemental mapping analysis proved the distribution of nano material along the nano gelatin fibers. The results show that the produced nano gelatin/ZnO composite increases the ultraviolet (UV) blocking of fabric significantly. It is also observed that electrospun gelatin/ZnO nanofibers have excellent bactericidal property against both Bacillus cereus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) bacteria.
MicroRNA-155 from sputum as noninvasive biomarker for diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis

Objective(s): Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a widespread infectious disease around the world. Early diagnosis is always important in order to avoid spreading. At present, many studies have confirmed that microRNA (miRNA) could be a useful tool for diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate whether miRNAs could be regarded as a noninvasive diagnosis biomarker from sputum for pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Materials and Methods: The M. tuberculosis strain H37Rv was incubated and cultured with human macrophage line THP-1. The total RNA was extracted from the THP-1 cells for detection. Six increased expressions of miRNAs were selected by miRNA microarray chips and the miRNAs were confirmed by qRT-PCR in the M. tuberculosis infection cell model. At last, the efficiency of other methods was compared with using miRNA. Results: Only miR-155 showed a better diagnostic value for PTB than the other five miRNAs to distinguish PTB from non-PTB, including pneumonia, lung cancer, and unexplained pulmonary nodules. Next, we detected and analyzed the results of 68 PTB patients and 122 non-PTB, the sensitivity and specificity of miR-155 detection was 94.1% and 87.7%, respectively. It was higher than sputum smear detection and anti-TB antibody detection. But slightly lower than ELISpot (97%, P=0.404). Interestingly, the ranking of sputum smear by Ziehl-Neelsen staining had positive correlation with the expression level of miR-155 in smear-positive sputum (R2=0.8443, P<0.05). Conclusion: Our research suggested that miR-155 may be an efficiency biomarker for active PTB diagnosis and bacteria-loads evaluation.
Enteral Versus Parenteral Nutrition for Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) remains a significant source of morbidity following pancreatic surgery. The most effective feeding route for the conservative management of POPF is currently unknown. We aimed to compare the efficacy of enteral to parenteral nutrition in the rate of POPF closure. Methods: Medline, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Web of Science were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing enteral to parenteral nutrition in the conservative management of POPF. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Quality of the evidence was assessed using GRADE. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate time to POPF closure. Results: From 2,682 citations, three RCTs (n=167) were included (enteral group, n=85; parenteral group, n=82). Mean time to POPF closure was 3.64 days shorter in the enteral than the parenteral group, which was not statistically significant (95% CI -3.22 to 10.49, P = 0.30). There were no significant differences in postoperative complication rate (OR 1.69, 95% CI 0.52 to 5.47, P = 0.38) or length of hospital stay between groups (mean difference: 0.76, 95% CI -9.21 to 10.74, P = 0.88). According to GRADE, the overall certainty of the evidence for the main outcome was very low. Conclusions: There was no data to suggest that enteral nutrition is more effective than parenteral nutrition at enhancing the rate of POPF closure. However, the quality of evidence that currently exists is very low. Therefore, the decision between enteral and parenteral nutrition in this setting should still be based on physician preference and patient specific factors.
EVALUATION OF HYGIENIC QUALITY OF RAW MEAT (MUTTON AND CHICKEN) AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ISOLATED PATHOGENS

Title of the Thesis : EVALUATION OF HYGIENIC QUALITY OF RAW MEAT (MUTTON AND CHICKEN) AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ISOLATED PATHOGENS Name of the Student Registration No. : Huma Kousar Zargar J-14-MV-381 Major Subject : Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology Name and Designation of Major Advisor : Dr. S.K. Kotwal Professor & Head, Division of Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, F.V. Sc & A.H, R.S Pura, Jammu. Degree to be awarded : M.V. Sc (Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology) Year of award of Degree : 2016 Name of the University : Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu (J&K) The present study was undertaken to evaluate the hygienic quality of raw mutton and chicken along with characterization of the isolated pathogens. A total of 145 samples (mutton-75, chicken-70) were collected from different locations of Jammu city. Mean ± SE values (log10cfu/g) of standard plate count, E. coli count and Staphylococcus aureus count in mutton samples were 6.12±0.08, 3.30±0.55 and 4.08±0.15, respectively and the counts in chicken samples were 6.17±0.05, 3.99±0.13 and 4.16±0.09, respectively. The counts were higher than the prescribed microbiological standards (BIS, 1995; FSSAI, 2011) thereby indicating gross unhygienic status. Out of 145 samples, 52 (35.9%) samples revealed E. coli whereas 49 (33.7%) samples yielded S. aureus; Campylobacter were detected from 21 samples (14.4%). Out of 21 isolates of Campylobacter, 16(76.1%) were C. jejuni and 5(23.8%) were C. coli. The E. coli isolates were found to be most sensitive to ciprofloxacin (88.46%) followed by polymixin B (78.84%) and amoxycillin (75%). Isolates of S. aureus were found to be most sensitive to ciprofloxacin (91.84%) followed by amikacin (91.83%), polymixin B (83.67%) and chloramphenicol (73.46%) while most (100%) resistant to nalidixic acid. Campylobacter spp. were found to be most sensitive to nalidixic acid (100%) and most resistant to cephalothin (100%). Based on hygienic evaluation and presence of pathogens in mutton and chicken meat being sold in the markets of Jammu city necessitates remedial measures including creating awareness about hygienic practices during slaughtering and subsequent handling of meat.
Protean: VM Allocation Service at Scale

We describe the design and implementation of Protean - the Microsoft Azure service responsible for allocating Virtual Machines (VMs) to millions of servers around the globe A single instance of Protean serves an entire availability zone (10-100k machines), facilitating seamless failover and scale-out to customers The design has proven robust, enabling a substantial expansion of VM offerings and features with minimal changes to the core infrastructure In particular, Protean preserves a clear separation between policy and mechanisms From a policy perspective, a flexible rule-based Allocation Agent (AA) allows Protean to efficiently address multiple constraints and performance criteria, and adapt to different conditions On the system side, a multi-layer caching mechanism expedites the allocation process, achieving turnaround times of few milliseconds A slight compromise on allocation quality enables multiple AAs to run concurrently on the same inventory, resulting in increased throughput with negligible conflict rate Our results from both simulations and production demonstrate that Protean achieves high throughput and utilization (85-90% on a key utilization metric), while satisfying user-specific requirements We also demonstrate how Protean is adapted to handle capacity crunch conditions, by zooming in on spikes caused by COVID-19 © 2020 Proceedings of the 14th USENIX Symposium on Operating Systems Design and Implementation, OSDI 2020 All rights reserved
Prognostic impact of lymph node ratio in patients with pT1–2N1M0 non-small cell lung cancer

Background This study evaluated the lymph node ratio (LNR) defined as the ratio of the number of metastatic lymph nodes to the number of dissected lymph nodes as a prognostic factor for survival in patients with pT1–2N1M0 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods We retrospectively reviewed 413 patients with pathologic T1–2N1M0 NSCLC after complete surgical resection and mediastinal LN dissection between January 2004 and December 2012. The cut-off value for LNR was determined using χ2 tests, which were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression model. Based on this model, the optimal cut-off value for LNR was 0.1. Results The study included 337 males and 76 females with a mean age of 62 years (range, 34–83 years). Patients with a high LNR (≥0.1) were more likely to be female and have more adenocarcinomas compared with patients with a low LNR (<0.1). The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were significantly worse in the high LNR group than the low LNR group (OS, 55.4% vs. 69.8%, respectively P=0.003; DFS, 33.2% vs. 61.7%, P<0.001). In the multivariate analysis, a high LNR was associated with significantly worse OS [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 2.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.74–4.17] and DFS (aHR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.57–3.68). Conclusions LNR is an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with pT1–2N1M0 NSCLC. These findings may provide useful prognostic information to allow the selection of patients for more aggressive postoperative therapy or follow-up strategies.