Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online measurement of the viscosity in shake flasks enables monitoring of γ‐PGA production in depolymerase knockout mutants of Bacillus subtilis with the phosphate‐starvation inducible promoter Ppst

Poly‐γ‐glutamic acid (γ‐PGA) is a biopolymer with a wide range of applications, mainly produced using Bacillus strains. The formation and concomitant secretion of γ‐PGA increases the culture broth viscosity, while enzymatic depolymerisation and degradation of γ‐PGA decreases the culture broth viscosity. In this study, the recently published ViMOS (Viscosity Monitoring Online System) is applied for optical online measurements of broth viscosity in eight parallel shake flasks. It is shown that the ViMOS is suitable to monitor γ‐PGA production and degradation online in shake flasks. This online monitoring enables the detailed analysis of the Ppst promoter and γ‐PGA depolymerase knockout mutants in genetically modified Bacillus subtilis 168. The Ppst promoter becomes active under phosphate starvation. The different single depolymerase knockout mutants are ∆ggt, ∆pgdS, ∆cwlO and a triple knockout mutant. An increase in γ‐PGA yield in gγ‐PGA/gglucose of 190% could be achieved with the triple knockout mutant compared to the Ppst reference strain. The single cwlO knockout also increased γ‐PGA production, while the other single knockouts of ggt and pgdS showed no impact. Partial depolymerisation of γ‐PGA occurred despite the triple knockout. The online measured data are confirmed with offline measurements. The online viscosity system directly reflects γ‐PGA synthesis, γ‐PGA depolymerisation, and changes in the molecular weight. Thus, the ViMOS has great potential to rapidly gain detailed and reliable information about new strains and cultivation conditions. The broadened knowledge will facilitate the further optimization of γ‐PGA production.
The Use of Ellagic Acid and Annona Muricata Improves Semen Quality in Men with High-Risk Papillomavirus Infection

Background: Few data are currently available on the treatment of patients with HPV infection. In particular, there is no agreement on the use of antioxidants in these patients. Ellagic acid and annona muricata appear to improve HPV clearance in infected women. However, it is presently unknown whether they could enhance the clearance of HPV infection in infertile male patients. Aim: To evaluate the effects of a commercially available combined compound containing ellagic acid and annona muricata on semen quality in patients with documented papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and on the frequency of HPV DNA detection in seminal fluid after treatment. In addition, anti-sperm antibodies and the percentage of spermatozoa with fragmented DNA were evaluated. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective case-control study including patients attending our center for infertility. Fifty selected patients who were positive for high risk (HR)-HPV with available semen analysis results were consecutively enrolled. Patients were classified into two groups, according to the clinician’s decision to either administer ellagic acid 100 mg and annona muricata 100 mg (combined tablet formulation) for a period of three months (Group A; 25 patients), or to re-evaluate HPV DNA after a period of active surveillance only (protected sexual intercourse) (Group B; 25 patients). Results: Group A patients had a mean age of 31.0 ± 11.0 years, while Group B was 33.0 ± 8.0 years old (p > 0.05). After three months of treatment with ellagic acid and annona muricata, all conventional seminal parameters improved more significantly in Group A than in Group B patients: sperm concentration = 45 mil/mL vs. 20 mil/mL (p < 0.05); sperm progressive motility = 45% vs. 18% (p < 0.05); and normal sperm morphology = 18% vs. 6% (p < 0.05). After the treatment, the frequency of persistence of HPV DNA in the seminal fluid was significantly lower in Group A patients compared to those in Group B (12/25 = 48% vs. 22/25 = 88%; p < 0.05). Finally, after 3 months, Group A showed a significant reduction in anti-sperm antibodies and in the percentage of spermatozoa with fragmented DNA. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate, for the first time, the effects of a commercially available combined compound containing ellagic acid and annona muricata on semen quality in patients with HR-HPV infection, and that this therapy is also associated with a significant reduction in the persistence of HPV DNA in the seminal fluid.
The Pivotal Role of NF-kB in the Pathogenesis and Therapeutics of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, with a high prevalence that is expected to double every 20 years. Besides the formation of Aβ plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, neuroinflammation is one the major phenotypes that worsens AD progression. Indeed, the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a well-established inflammatory transcription factor that fuels neurodegeneration. Thus, in this review, we provide an overview of the NF-κB role in the pathogenesis of AD, including its interaction with various molecular factors in AD mice models, neurons, and glial cells. Some of these cell types and molecules include reactive microglia and astrocytes, β-secretase, APOE, glutamate, miRNA, and tau protein, among others. Due to the multifactorial nature of AD development and the failure of many drugs designed to dampen AD progression, the pursuit of novel targets for AD therapeutics, including the NF-κB signaling pathway, is rising. Herein, we provide a synopsis of the drug development landscape for AD treatment, offering the perspective that NF-κB inhibitors may generate widespread interest in AD research in the future. Ultimately, the additional investigation of compounds and small molecules that target NF-κB signaling and the complete understanding of NF-κB mechanistic activation in different cell types will broaden and provide more therapeutic options for AD patients.
Inverse kinematics of a dual linear actuator pitch/roll heliostat

This work presents a simple, computationally efficient inverse kinematics solution for a pitch/roll heliostat using two linear actuators. The heliostat design and kinematics have been developed, modeled and tested using computer simulation software. A physical heliostat prototype was fabricated to validate the theoretical computations and data. Pitch/roll heliostats have numerous advantages including reduced cost potential and reduced space requirements, with a primary disadvantage being the significantly more complicated kinematics, which are solved here. Novel methods are applied to simplify the inverse kinematics problem which could be applied to other similar problems.
Psychological effects and associated factors among vaccinated and unvaccinated general population against COVID-19 infection in Bangladesh

Background The global effort to develop herd immunity in the general public against the COVID-19 pandemic is currently ongoing. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no studies on how the COVID-19 vaccine affects mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. The present study investigated the psychological effects and associated factors among vaccinated and unvaccinated general populations against COVID-19 infection in Bangladesh. Methods A nationwide online cross-sectional survey was conducted in Bangladesh from June 23 to December 25, 2021. The frequency of symptoms of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), insomnia, and fear was assessed using the Bangla versions of the GHQ-12, PHQ-2, GAD-2, PSS-4, PC-PTSD-5, ISI, and FCV-19S scales, respectively. Results The study included 3,013 persons from all eight divisions of Bangladesh, with 1,272 (42.2%) being vaccinated and 1,741 (57.8%) being unvaccinated. Compared with unvaccinated populations, vaccinated populations had significantly lower prevalence rates of psychological distress (36.4 vs. 51.5%), depression (21.1 vs. 37.9%), anxiety (25.1 vs. 44.9%), stress (19.4 vs. 30.4%), PTSD (29.4 vs. 38.3%), insomnia (18.7 vs. 39.4%), and fear symptoms (16.1 vs. 27.5%). Among vaccinated populations, respondents who lived in nuclear families were significantly associated with higher risk of psychological distress (AOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.09–1.78), depression (AOR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.11–1.98), anxiety (AOR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.21–1.98), and fear (AOR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.11–1.83) symptoms. Participants who lost family members, friends, or colleagues due to the COVID-19 pandemic had significantly higher risk of symptoms of psychological distress (AOR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.02–1.79), anxiety (AOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.11–1.87), and PTSD (AOR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.24–2.19). On the other hand, unvaccinated populations who lived in the Dhaka division were significantly associated with an increased risk of depression (AOR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.40–2.52), anxiety (AOR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.15–2.47), stress (AOR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.12–2.88), and insomnia (AOR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.20–2.94) symptoms. Except for PTSD and fear symptoms, unemployed participants had considerably higher rates of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia symptoms (e.g., psychological distress: AOR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.10–2.62; depression: AOR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.37–2.19). Conclusions This study recommends immunizing unvaccinated populations as soon as possible to prevent infection and boost mental health. Vulnerable people needed special care, health-related education, and psychological assistance.
An Efficient Deep Learning Approach for Network Intrusion Detection System on Software Defined Network

Software-defined Networking (SDN) is a new technology for changing network architecture and making it more flexible and controllable. SDN can control all tasks of a network through the controller. Providing security for controller consider extremely important. Due side of the controller on the network side Network intrusion detection system (NIDS) will be effective to provide security for the controller. In this study, we suggest building a system (NIDS-DL) to detect attacks using 5 deep learning classifiers (DNN, CNN, RNN, LSTM, GRU). Our approach depends on the binary classification of the attacks. We used the NSL-KDD dataset in our study to train our deep learning classifiers. We employed 12 features extracted from 41 features using the feature selection method. CNN classifiers harvest the highest results in most evaluation metrics. Other classifiers also achieved good results. We compared our deep learning classifiers with each other and with other related studies. Our approach achieved success in identifying the attacks and might be used with great efficiency in the future.
Theory of Dipoles, Array Factors, and Multi-Element Antennas with Physics-Based Propagation for Mobile Communications

Bandwidth, volume and energy are the basic resources for communications, and current signal processing techniques use these in many different ways. The bandwidth is limited by the antenna size, and maximizing the bandwidth of the elements and the design of multielement antennas (MEAs) require new research. This two-part thesis addresses antennatheoretic bandwidth and MEA evaluation. The limiting bandwidth of the most fundamental antenna element the dipole remains elusive despite its long research history. This motivates Part I, in which the bandwidth of the electric dipole is developed from theoretical and numerical methods, and recent measurements. The resulting antenna-theoretic bandwidth of the dipole with a feed gap offers new benchmark results for compact elements. The lossless, thin dipole with finite gap has a much wider bandwidth than was previously known, and the non-radiating feed is identified as the challenge to realize the available bandwidth. Using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and other diversity techniques with large dimensions (many elements) is the key technology for high spectral efficiency. But largedimension MIMO is not yet used commercially, and the design methodology and evaluation of MEAs is undeveloped. There is no standard for evaluating MEAs used for MIMO communications, and currently, the physical evaluation of a MIMO terminal comprises coarse throughput tests in an idealized environment. The real-world performance of the terminal, and especially the antenna performance, remains unclear from such tests. This motivates Part II, which explores MEA evaluation using physical antenna parameters together with site-specific, ray-traced models for the spatial channel. Ray-tracing calculation is well established, but its application with MEAs is in its infancy. Using third-party ray-tracing files, an approach for evaluating MEAs for urban channels is presented. The advantage is that it maintains the full control of being computer-driven, thereby avoiding expensive,
Chaotic convection in a magnetic fluid in rotation subjected to a pseudo-vector type force

This paper reports the chaos control on the convection in a magnetic fluid in rotation subjected to a pseudo-vector type force. We performed a truncated Galerkin expansion which allowed to describe the system by a Lorenz-type model. We characterized the dynamical system by plotting bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov exponents and phase spaces. It is found that the system exhibits rich behaviors depending on the variation of the system parameters. Finally, we noticed that the chaotic domain is considerably reduced with the increase of the helical force whereas the Taylor number enlarges it.
Molecular identification and characterization of Lumpy skin disease virus emergence from cattle in the northeastern part of Thailand

Background Lumpy skin disease (LSD), a disease transmitted by direct and indirect contact with infected cattle, is caused by the Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). The disease affects cattle herds in Africa, Europe, and Asia. The clinical signs of LSD range from mild to the appearance of nodules and lesions in the skin leading to severe symptoms that are sometimes fatal with significant livestock economic losses. Objectives This study aimed to characterize LSDV strains in the blood of infected cattle in Thailand based on the GPCR gene and determine the phylogenetic relationship of LSDV Thailand isolates with published sequences available in the database. Methods In total, the blood samples of 120 cattle were collected from different farms in four provinces in the northeastern part of Thailand, and the occurrence of LSDV was examined by PCR based on the P32 antigen gene. The genetic diversity of LSDV based on the GPCR gene was analyzed. Results Polymerase chain reaction assays based on the P32 antigen gene showed that 4.17% (5/120) were positive for LSDV. All positive blood samples were amplified successfully for the GPCR gene. Phylogenetic analysis showed that LSDV Thailand isolates clustered together with LSDVs from China and Russia. Conclusions The LSD outbreak in Thailand was confirmed, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed to infer the branching pattern of the GPCR gene from the presence of LSDV in Thailand. This is the first report on the molecular characterization of LSDV in cattle in Thailand.
Model predictive control for ARMAX processes with additive outlier noise

The Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMAX) model with exogenous input is a widely used discrete time series model, but its special structure allows outliers of its process to affect multiple output data items, thereby significantly affecting the output. In this paper, a regularized model predictive control (MPC) is proposed for an ARMAX process affected by outlier noise. The outlier noise is modeled as an auxiliary variable in the ARMAX model, and the MPC cost function is reconstructed to reduce the influence of outlier noise on multiple data items. The stability of the proposed method and the convergence of output/input and state are guaranteed. The degree to which regularization affects the system can be adjusted by an optional parameter. This paper provides some helpful insights on how to choose this optional parameter in the cost function. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by the results of 200 repeated simulations.
Facile Synthesis of N, S-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots from Food Waste as Fluorescent Probe for Sensitive Detection of Thiamphenicol and Its Analogues in Real Food Samples along with an Application in Bioimaging

Herein, N, S co-doped carbon quantum dots (N, S-CDs) with high absolute quantitative yield (Abs-QY) of 50.2% were produced by hydrothermal treatment of food residue crayfish shells. A new detection method of thiamphenicol (TAP) and its analogues was established by discovering the obvious fluorescence response between TAP and N, S-CDs, which achieved a wide linear range of 20–300 μg·L−1 with a detection limit (LOD) of 11.12 μg·L−1. This novel probe exhibited strong sensitivity and shows rapid response in complex food matrices (overall detection time is less than 45 min) mainly induced by static quenching. Spiked food sample recovery ranged from 97.3 to 99.34%. Further, the cell experiments of N, S-CDs were conducted, and the cell viability remained 91.76% under high concentration of N, S-CDs due to the environmentally friendly materials. The low cytotoxicity and good cytocompatibility make these N, S-CDs compatible for cell bioimaging and intracellular detection of TAP.
A Novel Portable Soil Water Sensor Based on Temperature Compensation

Soil water sensors based on the standing wave rate (SWR) principle are affected by temperature in long-term operation. To address this problem, a temperature compensation model based on the binary regression analysis method is proposed. The measurement results of the temperature-compensated standing wave rate (TCSWR) sensor at different temperatures and soil volumetric water content are analyzed, and the least-squares principle is used to identify the parameters to be determined in the compensation model for temperature for the SWR soil water sensor. A portable tapered TCSWR sensor with built-in temperature compensation model was developed on this basis. The calibration results show that the standing wave measurement circuit of the TCSWR sensor can effectively respond to changes in soil water, and the coefficient of the fitted equation exceeds 0.95. A comparison of the results before and after temperature compensation proves that compensation can significantly reduce the measurement error of the TCSWR sensor and improve the measurement accuracy. The static and dynamic characteristics of the TCSWR sensor show that the measurement range of the TCSWR sensor is7.50%-31.50%, the measurement accuracy is ±0.63%, the stability is good, the resolution is a minimum of 0.05%, and the dynamic response time is less than 1 s. The absolute error of the TCSWR sensor measurement is less than 1% in comparison with similar sensors, demonstrating that the measurement results of the TCSWR sensor are reliable.
Inducible Costimulator-C-X-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 3 Signaling is Involved in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Pathogenesis

Background The role of inducible costimulator (ICOS) signaling in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not been fully elucidated. Methods We compared the percentages of ICOS+ T cells and ICOS+ regulatory T (Treg) cells in CD4+ T cells and CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Tregs, respectively, in the peripheral blood of smokers with or without COPD to those in healthy controls. We further characterized their phenotypes using flow cytometry. To investigate the influence of ICOS signaling on C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) expression in COPD, we evaluated the expression levels of ICOS and CXCR3 in vivo and in vitro. Results ICOS expression was elevated on peripheral CD4+ T cells and CD4+ Tregs of COPD patients, which positively correlated with the severity of lung function impairment in patients with stable COPD (SCOPD), but not in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). ICOS+CD4+ Tregs in patients with SCOPD expressed higher levels of coinhibitors, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT), than ICOS−CD4+ Tregs, whereas ICOS+CD4+ T cells mostly exhibited a central memory (CD45RA−CCR7+) or effector memory (CD45RA−CCR7−) phenotype, ensuring their superior potential to respond potently and quickly to pathogen invasion. Furthermore, increased percentages of CXCR3+CD4+ T cells and CXCR3+CD4+ Tregs were observed in the peripheral blood of patients with SCOPD, and the expression level of CXCR3 was higher in ICOS+CD4+ T cells than in ICOS−CD4+ T cells. The percentage of CXCR3+CD4+ T cells was even higher in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid than in matched peripheral blood in SCOPD group. Lastly, in vitro experiments showed that ICOS induced CXCR3 expression on CD4+ T cells. Conclusions ICOS signaling is upregulated in COPD, which induces CXCR3 expression. This may contribute to increased numbers of CXCR3+ Th1 cells in the lungs of patients with COPD, causing inflammation and tissue damage.
Water Quality Assessment Bias Associated with Long-Screened Wells Screened across Aquifers with High Nitrate and Arsenic Concentrations

Semi-arid regions with little surface water commonly experience rapid water table decline rates. To hedge against the falling water table, production wells in central Mexico are commonly installed to depths of several hundred meters below the present water table and constructed as open boreholes or perforated casings across their entire length. Such wells represent highly conductive pathways leading to non-negligible flow across chemically distinct layers of an aquifer—a phenomenon known as ambient flow. The objectives of this study were to estimate the rate of ambient flow in seven production wells utilizing an end-member mixing model that is constrained by the observed transient chemical composition of produced water. The end-member chemical composition of the upper and lower layers of an urban aquifer that overlies geothermal heat is estimated to anticipate the future quality of this sole source of water for a rapidly growing urban area. The comprehensive water chemistry produced by seven continuously perforated municipal production wells, spanning three geologically unique zones across the city of San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato State, was monitored during one day of pumping. The concentration of conservative constituents gradually converged on steady-state values. The model indicates that, relative to the lower aquifer, the upper aquifer generally has higher specific conductance (SC), chloride (Cl), nitrate (NO3), calcium (Ca), barium (Ba) and magnesium (Mg). The lower aquifer generally has a higher temperature, sodium (Na), boron (B), arsenic (As) and radon (Rn). Ambient flow ranged from 33.1 L/min to 225.7 L/min across the seven wells, but this rate for a given well varied depending on which tracer was used. This new 3D understanding of the chemical stratification of the aquifer suggests that as water tables continue to fall, concentrations of geothermally associated contaminants of concern will increase in the near future, potentially jeopardizing the safety of municipal drinking water.