Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrated genetic analyses revealed novel human longevity loci and reduced risks of multiple diseases in a cohort study of 15,651 Chinese individuals

There is growing interest in studying the genetic contributions to longevity, but limited relevant genes have been identified. In this study, we performed a genetic association study of longevity in a total of 15,651 Chinese individuals. Novel longevity loci, BMPER (rs17169634; p = 7.91 × 10−15) and TMEM43/XPC (rs1043943; p = 3.59 × 10−8), were identified in a case–control analysis of 11,045 individuals. BRAF (rs1267601; p = 8.33 × 10−15) and BMPER (rs17169634; p = 1.45 × 10−10) were significantly associated with life expectancy in 12,664 individuals who had survival status records. Additional sex‐stratified analyses identified sex‐specific longevity genes. Notably, sex‐differential associations were identified in two linkage disequilibrium blocks in the TOMM40/APOE region, indicating potential differences during meiosis between males and females. Moreover, polygenic risk scores and Mendelian randomization analyses revealed that longevity was genetically causally correlated with reduced risks of multiple diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and arthritis. Finally, we incorporated genetic markers, disease status, and lifestyles to classify longevity or not‐longevity groups and predict life span. Our predictive models showed good performance (AUC = 0.86 for longevity classification and explained 19.8% variance of life span) and presented a greater predictive efficiency in females than in males. Taken together, our findings not only shed light on the genetic contributions to longevity but also elucidate correlations between diseases and longevity.
A Cross-Sectional Examination of Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, and Sleep Between Adults With and Without Children in the Home Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and sleep are interconnected, promoting optimal health. Few studies have examined these factors holistically. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to capture the 24-hour activity cycles of the US population by examining PA, sedentary behavior, and sleep based on the presence of a child within the home, as well as gender and weight. METHODS Cross-sectional health-related variables from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for analysis. The primary variables were the total and type of PA (recreation, work, and active transportation), sedentary behavior, and sleep. Chi-square and regression models were applied to compare the outcomes across participants' characteristics. RESULTS The adults with children within the home reported less recreational PA, more work activity, less sedentary activity, and less sleep, but no differences in total PA. The females with children in the home not only had the lowest levels of recreational activity and sleep, but also the lowest levels of sedentary behavior. The obese individuals with children in the home had less sedentary time than the adults without children in the home, regardless of weight status. CONCLUSIONS Unhealthy sleep and PA behaviors are prevalent in adults with children living at home, and women are particularly impacted.
Precise sulfur isotope ratio measurements in trace concentration of sulfur by inductively coupled plasma double focusing sector field mass spectrometry

Sulfur isotope ratios ( 34 S/ 32 S) were determined by means of inductively coupled plasma double focusing sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SMS) operated in the medium resolution mode (m/Δm=4000) using a torch with a platinum guard electrode and a microconcentric nebulizer combined with a membrane desolvation unit. The guard electrode together with the nebulizing unit increased the signal intensity of the measured isotopes by two orders of magnitude. The use of the membrane desolvation unit decreased the signal intensity of the corresponding interference (mainly oxygen containing species) significantly. Detection limits in solution of 0.01 ng g –1 , limited only by blank levels, could be achieved. Moreover, sulfur isotope ratios could be determined at concentration levels down to 1 ng g –1 with a precision of better than 0.1% relative standard deviation (RSD) (n=10). A precision of 0.04% RSD could be achieved at higher concentration levels. ICP-SMS has been shown to be an excellent tool for fast and precise isotope ratio measurements in combination with a high sample throughput and minimum sample preparation prior to analysis.
PRAGMATISM vs RIGOUR: A Debate on the Resolution Of Disparate Analytical Data on Four Canadian Iron ‐ Formation Reference Samples

The analytical data received in an inter-laboratory study of four Canadian reference samples were treated by two different methods in order to arrive at “usable values” for the concentration of each constituent. The first method (“Select Laboratories”), proposed by S. Abbey (S.A.), is based on the fact that some laboratories consistently produce better results than others. S.A. suggests an approach which permits isolation of results from such laboratories, calculation of a mean or a median of such results and use of one or the other as the concentration of a constituent. That approach involves a degree of subjectivity and S.A. attempts to demonstrate the validity of his approach by means of several tests applied to the results obtained for the four samples.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Pseudomonas Species Isolated from Tailings Pond Water in Alberta, Canada

We report the complete genome sequence of strain OST1909, belonging to a Pseudomonas species. The genome size is 6,306,352 bp, with a G+C content of 59.6%. The isolate was recovered from oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), despite the numerous toxic compounds that accumulate in oil sands tailings ponds. ABSTRACT We report the complete genome sequence of strain OST1909, belonging to a Pseudomonas species. The genome size is 6,306,352 bp, with a G+C content of 59.6%. The isolate was recovered from oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), despite the numerous toxic compounds that accumulate in oil sands tailings ponds.
Draft Genome Sequences of Seven Vibrio cholerae Isolates from Adult Patients in Qatar

We report the draft genome sequences of seven Vibrio cholerae isolates from patients. Four isolates were profiled as multilocus sequence type 69, serogroup O1, a subset of seventh-pandemic El Tor clonal isolates. Presented here are genome assemblies and evidence for major pathogenicity islands, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance genes. ABSTRACT We report the draft genome sequences of seven Vibrio cholerae isolates from patients. Four isolates were profiled as multilocus sequence type 69, serogroup O1, a subset of seventh-pandemic El Tor clonal isolates. Presented here are genome assemblies and evidence for major pathogenicity islands, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance genes.
Hematological Characterization of Common Bats in Urban Areas from Mérida (Venezuela), and Observations on Possible Hemopathogens

Bats are the second most diverse and widely distributed group of mammals, and may be directly or indirectly involved in some zoonotic diseases. Their baseline hematological knowledge and health condition in natural populations are important parameters, but when bats and humans cohabitate common spaces such as houses, buildings, and recreational parks, these variables become essential. Blood samples of bats representing 16 species from families Phyllostomidae (nine species; n = 104 individuals), Noctilionidae (two species; n = 24), and Molossidae (five species; n = 9) were obtained from 137 individuals captured in human-related spaces mostly in Mérida state, Venezuela. Hematocrit (Hct), total white blood cell counts (WBC), and differential white blood cell counts (DWBC) were quantified, and profiles compared in groups with large samples sizes and unambiguous reproductive conditions. Also, a general examination of blood smears was performed to assess the viability of in situ hemopathogen identification. Hct (x̄ ± SEM) of bats was 51.0 ± 1.9% for Artibeus lituratus (n = 53) and 51.0 ± 3.8% for A. jamaicensis (n = 18), the two most common bat species captured. WBC were higher in Phyllostomidae than in the other two families, and most species exhibited a DWBC formula dominated by lymphocytes. Lactating and pregnant females of A. lituratus showed higher values of neutrophiles than males and non-reproductive females. Overall, blood cell morphology and hematological profiles were consistent with those of other species of bats and/or mammals. Hemopathogens were observed in 19 individuals from three species. In this study, we report Anaplasma-compliant observations in blood samples of bats, but this first report requires molecular validation and further research to expand the knowledge on hemopathogens of bats. Our research is an important contribution to the hematological characterization of common species of Neotropical bats, and the first in providing hematological data for six species from three families of bats.
Prediction of Road Infrastructure Priorities in Banten Province Using Analytical Hierarchy Process Method

Roads are the key infrastructure that is needed to support the smooth transportation to improve the condition of the community economy. Along with the passage of time and the use of the road, the road will suffer damage due to natural factors as well as other technical factors, so it takes serious handling efforts from the local government to maintain excellent road infrastructure for the community. In case of road damage handling in some areas still found problems that need to be resolved immediately, one of them is the problem of availability of budget that is not comparable to the level of damage of the road is quite a lot required a method to know the order of the road priority should be addressed immediately. To determine the prediction and priority order of road handling, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) algorithm is used with consideration of damage, traffic, and economic factors as criteria decision. The result shows that area of Serang city with the value 0.231 (23.1%) as the most priority road to be repaired.
New triterpenoid glycosides from Centella asiatica

Four new triterpenoid glycosides named asiaticoside C (1), D (2), E (3), and F (4) were isolated from the BuOH fraction of the EtOH extract of whole plants of Centella asiatica, together with three known compounds, asiaticoside (5), madecassoside (6), and schelfuroside B (7). Based on FAB-MS, IR, H-1- and C-13-NMR, and 2D-NMR data (HMQC, HMBC, COSY), the structures of the new compounds were determined as (2alpha,3beta,4alpha)-23-(acetyloxy)-2,3-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (1), (2alpha,3beta)-2,3-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2), asiatic acid 6-O-beta-D-glycopyranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (3), (3beta,4alpha)-3,23-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-0-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (4).
An Influence of Oxygen Flow Rate on Structural, Optical and Tribological Properties of Molybdenum Oxide Thin Films

The influence of oxygen flow rate is examined on structural, optical and tribological properties of molybdenum oxide films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and contact angle measurement system. The optical properties of the films were measured by UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer and transmittance of ∼73% in the visible region of the spectrum was achieved. The band gap increases with increases in oxygen gas flow rate. AFM figure illustrates that the roughness of surface increases as oxygen flow rate increases. As oxygen increases wear rate and COF decreases while at the 18 sccm the lowest wear rate found.
Introducing Electrospray as a Potent Technique to Deliver Chitosan/pDNA Nanoparticles to Eukaryotic Cells

Electrospray technique has received increasing attentions for intracellular gene delivery as well as production of nanoparticles. In this study, chitosan/pDNA nanoparticles with N/P ratio of 5 were prepared and transferred to HEK293T cells by electrospray technique. Physicochemical characterization of prepared nanoparticles, including size, zeta potential and entrapment efficiency was performed and attachment of pDNA to chitosan was confirmed by gel agarose electrophoresis. Moreover, transfection efficiency was investigated using flow cytometry. MTT assay was performed for cell viability studies. Nanoparticles were prepared at three pDNA concentrations of 10, 55 and 100 μg/ml in fixed N/P ratio. Size of nanoparticles was obtained as 110, 188 and 240 nm, using DLS. SEM showed size of 102.34 ± 10.66 nm for samples having 55 μg/ml pDNA. Zeta potential and entrapment efficiency were +25 mv and 85±4%m respectively. The effect of pDNA concentration, electrospray time and incubation time on transfection efficiency was investigated using Box-Behnken design. Percent of GFP-positive cells was 41.05 ± 3.04% which was taken as an indicator of transfection efficiency. Transfection efficiency of this method was then compared with that of calcium phosphate (31.1 ± 2.4%), showing improved efficiency. Considering the fact that electrospray is an easy, low cost, one-step process which makes low damage to cells and produces monodispersed nanoparticles, the method is introduced as a fascinating approach in gene transfection.
Electrospun Biomaterials’ Applications and Processing

One of the largest fields of application of electrospun materials is the biomedical field, including development of scaffolds for tissue engineering, drug delivery and wound healing. Electrospinning appears as a promising technique in terms of scaffolds composition and architecture, which is the main aspect of this review paper, with a special attention to natural polymers including collagen, fibrinogen, silk fibroin, chitosan, chitin etc. Thanks to the adaptability of the electrospinning process, versatile hybrid, custom tailored structure scaffolds have been reported. The same is achieved due to the vast biomaterials’ processability as well as modifications of the basic electrospinning set-up and its combination with other techniques, simultaneously or by post-processing.
Evaluation of 3-D Computational Model of Oscillating Water Column Converter with Constructal Design with Three Degrees of Freedom and Limited Chimney Height

Theoretically, ocean waves contain enough mechanical energy to supply the entire world’s demand and, as of late, are seen as a promising source of renewable energy. To this end, several different technologies of Wave Energy Converters (WEC) have been developed such as Oscillating Water Column (OWC) devices. OWCs are characterized by a chamber in which water oscillates inside and out in a movement similar to that of a piston. This movement directs air to a chimney where a turbine is attached to convert mechanical energy. The analysis conducted was based on the Constructive Design Method, in which a numerical study was carried out to obtain the geometric configuration that maximized the conversion of wave energy into mechanical energy. Three degrees of freedom were used: the ratio of height to length of the hydropneumatic chamber (H1/L), the ratio of the height of the chimney to its diameter (H2/d) and the ratio of the width of the hydropneumatic chamber to the width of the wave tank (W/Z). A Design of Experiments (DoE) technique coupled with Central Composite Design (CCD) allowed the simulation of different combinations of degrees of freedom. This allowed the construction of Response Surfaces and correlations for the efficiency of the system depending on the degrees of freedom (width and height of the chamber), as well as the optimization of the system based on the Response Surfaces.
The Biomechanics of the Fibrocystic Breasts at Finite Compressive Deformation

The deformation of the human breast, especially that of the female, under variable pressure conditions, has been a recent focus for researchers, both in the computational biomechanics, computational biology and the health sector. When the deformation of the breast is large, it hampers suitable cyst tracing as a mammographic biopsy precontrive data. Finite element methods (FEM) has been instrumental in the currently studied practices to trail nodules dislocation. However, the effect of breast material constitution, especially that of a fibrocystic composition, on the biomechanical response of these nodules has gained less attention. The present study is aimed at developing a finite element fibrocystic breast model within the frame of biosolid mechanics and material hyperelasticity to model the breast deformation at finite strain. The geometry of a healthy stress‐free breast is modelled from a magnetic resonance image (MRI) using tissues deformations measurements and solid modelling technology. Results show that the incompressible Neo-Hookean and Mooney-Rivlin constitutive models can approximate large deformation of a stressed breast. In addition to the areola (i.e. nipple base), the surrounding area of the cyst together with its interface with the breast tissue is the maximum stressed region when the breast is subjected to compressive pressure. This effect can lead to an internal tear of the breast that could degenerate to malignant tissue.
Lexicographic Environments in Natural Language Processing (NLP)

In this paper, a literature review is presented in reference to the most important lexicographical environments that have been developed in the last decades, with the aim of utilizing them in various knowledge management applications, in the wider area of the Semantic Web (SW). This paper focuses on the semantic networks of lexical information, in order to highlight their value but also the urgent need to design and implement an electronic conceptual dictionary with ontological structure for the modern Greek language, according to international dictionary standards.
A Load Balancing Algorithm for 5G Vehicular Cloud Computing Systems

5G Vehicular Cloud Computing (5G-VCC) infrastructures are evolving rapidly. In a 5G-VCC system, Cloud resources should be efficiently distributed to provide satisfactory Quality of Service (QoS) for modern services with increased requirements. Furthermore, the workload should be fairly distributed to the available Virtual Machines (VMs). This paper proposes an algorithm for performing load balancing in Cloud infrastructures that exist in 5G-VCC systems. The algorithm is called Modified Ant Colony Optimization (MACO), as its functionality is influenced by the natural behaviour of ants. Specifically, the MACO algorithm assigns a pheromone (weight) value to each VM. Subsequently, for each service request the VM with the highest pheromone is selected in a way similar to the one that ants apply to select optimal routes. The selection of each VM results in the decrement its pheromone value, considering the workload of the assigned service. Evaluation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms existing load balancing algorithms in terms of the processing time required for serving the user requests.
Molecular dynamics simulation of aqueous solutions using interaction energy components: Application to the dielectric properties of the acetone–water system

Molecular dynamics simulation of aqueous solution of acetone was made using Lennard–Jones 12-6-1 potentials to describe the solute–solvent interactions and TIP4P to describe the water–water interactions. The Morokuma decomposition scheme and the ESIE solute atomic charges were used to reproduce the molecular parameters of the solute–water interaction potential. The results showed that the functions that use the EX-DIS-ES model improve the values of the dielectric properties, in particular, the dielectric constant and the dielectric relaxation time.
MOOCs in Higher Education: A Study on the Learning Effectiveness, Quality and Usability of a SPOC on Introduction to Programming

In most Universities today, the sheer size of students in a single class and the limited time for on-campus lessons or activities limit the learning experience for both students and professors. Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs), which are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) used locally to support certain groups of learners, can be a practical solution to this problem. Previous studies included only self-reported data to measure students' satisfaction and learning experience on SPOCs. There is also little longitudinal research on how SPOC-supported blended learning affects students' academic performance. This paper presents a SPOC on Introduction to Programming and explores its learning effectiveness, perceived course quality, perceived educational experience, and platform usability for on-campus Computer Science students. A total of 454 students were involved in a between-subjects study comparing a traditional lectured-based class to a SPOC-supported blended class. Results showed that students in the SPOC-supported class achieved significantly higher grades in the final exams and provided significantly higher course quality assessments. In addition, they rated their perceived educational experience as very satisfactory and the perceived usability of the SPOC platform as good-to-excellent.
An Improved GPU-based Algorithmfor Processing the k Nearest Neighbor Query

The k Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) query is a common spatial query that appears in several big data applications. We propose and implement a new GPU-based algorithm for the k-NN query, which improves our previous Symmetric Progression Partitioning method (SPP) by adding a heap buffer. We experimentally prove that the addition of heap speeds up the k-NN query, especially in larger values of k. Using random, synthetic and real datasets, we present an extensive experimental performance comparison against two of our algorithms. This comparison shows that the new algorithm excels in all the conducted experiments.
Resource Provisioning Schemes for Multiple Workflow Scheduling with Seclusion Requirements

In the generic statement of the workflow scheduling problem we are given a set of tasks that have precedence constraints and a set of available machines whereby they can be assigned. The problem is to schedule the tasks to machines so that some target function, e.g., makespan, is optimized. The workflow itself is usually modeled by means of a DAG with nodes representing tasks and edges capturing precedence requirements. In the multiple workflow version of the problem a set of workflows must be scheduled concurrently to the available machines. Most research in the area focused on using a common task queue for all workflows, while task to machine assignment exhibited no restrictions, other than the ones imposed by performance optimization criteria. Nevertheless, strong privacy requirements might entail disjoint workflow to machine assignments. In this paper we tackle the resulting resource allocation problem when multiple workflows must be executed in a secluded manner. We investigate the performance of three heuristics that decide upon the splitting of available machines to the workflows. Experimental evaluation using common benchmark DAGs reveal different trade-offs for the proposed schemes.
Using UML Activity Diagram for Adapting Experiments under a Virtual Laboratory Environment

The development of a system model can be an extremely complex process. A common approach to modeling system behavior uses activity diagrams (AD) in Unified Modeling Language (UML), which, however, do not support the formal analysis that is possible when using formal languages such as Petri Nets (PN). In this paper, we show how a model describing an experiment in a Virtual Laboratory and represented by an AD can be transformed into an equivalent PN. Then, the model represented as a PN can be readily compared to a model of a similar experiment used in another educational setting, in order to decide the extent to which it can be reused.