Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mutation of the Conserved Threonine 8 within the Human ARF Tumour Suppressor Protein Regulates Autophagy

Background: The ARF tumour suppressor plays a well-established role as a tumour suppressor, halting cell growth by both p53-dependent and independent pathways in several cellular stress response circuits. However, data collected in recent years challenged the traditional role of this protein as a tumour suppressor. Cancer cells expressing high ARF levels showed that its expression, far from being dispensable, is required to guarantee tumour cell survival. In particular, ARF can promote autophagy, a self-digestion pathway that helps cells cope with stressful growth conditions arising during both physiological and pathological processes. Methods: We previously showed that ARF is regulated through the activation of the protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway and that an ARF phospho-mimetic mutant on the threonine residue 8, ARF-T8D, sustains cell proliferation in HeLa cells. We now explored the role of ARF phosphorylation in both basal and starvation-induced autophagy by analysing autophagic flux in cells transfected with either WT and ARF phosphorylation mutants by immunoblot and immunofluorescence. Results: Here, we show that endogenous ARF expression in HeLa cells is required for starvation-induced autophagy. Further, we provide evidence that the hyper-expression of ARF-T8D appears to inhibit autophagy in both HeLa and lung cancer cells H1299. This effect is due to the cells’ inability to elicit autophagosomes formation upon T8D expression. Conclusions: Our results lead to the hypothesis that ARF phosphorylation could be a mechanism through which the protein promotes or counteracts autophagy. Several observations underline how autophagy could serve a dual role in cancer progression, either protecting healthy cells from damage or aiding cancerous cells to survive. Our results indicate that ARF phosphorylation controls protein’s ability to promote or counteract autophagy, providing evidence of the dual role played by ARF in cancer progression.
Modifying PC1D to model spontaneous & piezoelectric polarization in III-V nitride solar cells

Spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization present in the wurtzite group III-nitrides (AlN, GaN, InN and their alloys) influence the optical and electrical properties of these materials and thus, have significant consequences on solar cell design. First, the theoretical model of polarization implemented into the source code of PC1D is discussed. Polarization is introduced into PC1D as induced-surface/interface charges at the initialization of the solving routine. Simulations of InGaN solar cell test structures indicate an increase in efficiency by 38% due to an improved carrier collection efficiency caused by polarization-induced electric fields at the GaN/InGaN heterojunction. Scope for future enhancement of the III-nitride model includes optimizing radiative recombination for high band gap materials and optimizing the convergence routine of the program to handle abrupt changes in electric field and charge profiles.
Analisis faktor keikutsertaan screening hepatitis “B” pada ibu hamil

Background: Nagan Raya Regency is included in the top 5 districts/cities with the fourth highest number of hepatitis in Aceh Province. The hepatitis B screening program has not been implemented properly. The impact of the low coverage of this program affects public ignorance about the spread of hepatitis B from sufferers to other communities.Objective: This study aims to analyze the participation factors for Hepatitis B screening in pregnant women in the working area of the Ujong Patihah Health Center.Method: This research design is cross sectional study, in 2021. Data were collected using a questionnaire with a sample size of 220 pregnant women. Data collection was carried out by direct interviews with respondents, using a questionnaire instrument. Data analysis used the Cgi-square statistical test with a significance level of 95%, and continued with multivariate analysis using the Binary Logistics Regression test.Results: Bivariate analysis showed that there was a relationship between knowledge (p= 0.022), mother's attitude (p= 0.010), husband's role (p = 0.018), role of health workers (p = 0.028) and participation in hepatitis B screening, while education did not affect participation in hepatitis B screening (p= 0.668). Multivariate results showed that the mother's attitude was the dominant factor for participation in hepatitis B screening (OR= 2.24). Conclusion: Positive attitudes had a 2.24 times relationship to the participation of pregnant women in hepatitis B screening than negative attitudes.
A Circularly Polarized Implantable Rectenna for Microwave Wireless Power Transfer

A circularly polarized implantable antenna integrated with a voltage-doubled rectifier (abbr., rectenna) is investigated for microwave wireless power transfer in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band of 2.4–2.48 GHz. The proposed antenna is miniaturized with the dimensions of 7.5 mm × 7.5 mm × 1.27 mm by etching four C-shaped open slots on the patch. A rectangular slot truncated diagonally is cut to improve the circular polarization performance of the antenna. The simulated impedance bandwidth in a three-layer phantom is 30.4% (1.9–2.58 GHz) with |S11| below −10 dB, and the 3-dB axial-ratio bandwidth is 16.9% (2.17–2.57 GHz). Furthermore, a voltage-doubled rectifier circuit that converts RF power to DC power is designed on the back of the antenna. The simulated RF-to-DC conversion efficiency can be up to 45% at the input power of 0 dBm. The proposed rectenna was fabricated and measured in fresh pork to verify the simulated results and evaluate the performance of wireless power transfer.
Genetic functional potential displays minor importance in explaining spatial variability of methane fluxes within a Eriophorum vaginatum dominated Swedish peatland

Abstract. Microbial communities of methane (CH4) producing methanogens and consuming methanotrophs play an important role for Earth's atmospheric CH4 budget. Despite their global significance, knowledge on how much they control the spatial variation in CH4 fluxes from peatlands is poorly understood. We studied variation in CH4 producing and consuming communities in a natural peatland dominated by Eriophorum vaginatum, via a metagenomics approach using custom designed hybridization-based oligonucleotide probes to focus on taxa and functions associated with methane cycling. We hypothesized that sites with different magnitudes of methane flux are occupied by structurally and functionally different microbial communities, despite the dominance of a single vascular plant species. To investigate this, nine plant-peat mesocosms dominated by the sedge Eriophorum vaginatum, with varying vegetation coverage, were collected from a temperate natural wetland and subjected to a simulated growing season. During the simulated growing season, measurements of CH4 emission, carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange and δ13C signature of emitted CH4 were made. Mesocosms 1 through 9 were classified into three categories according to the magnitude of CH4 flux. Gross primary production and ecosystem respiration followed the same pattern as CH4 fluxes, but this trend was not observed in net ecosystem exchange. We observed that genetic functional potential was of minor importance in explaining spatial variability of CH4 fluxes with only small shifts in taxonomic community and functional genes. In addition, a higher β-diversity was observed in samples with high CH4 emission. Among methanogens, Methanoregula, made up over 50 % of the community composition. This, in combination with the remaining hydrogenotrophic methanogens matched the δ13C isotopic signature of emitted CH4. However, the presence of acetoclastic and methylotrophic taxa and type I, II and Verrucomicrobia methanotrophs indicates that the microbial community holds the ability to produce and consume CH4 in multiple ways. This is important in terms of future climate scenarios, where peatlands are expected to alter in nutrient status, hydrology, and peat biochemistry. Due to the high functional potential, we expect the community to be highly adaptive to future climate scenarios.
Locality Analysis of Graph Reordering Algorithms

A major challenge in processing real-world graphs stems from poor locality of memory accesses and vertex reordering algorithms (RAs) have been proposed to improve locality by changing the order of memory accesses. While state-of-the-art RAs like SlashBurn, GOrder, and Rabbit-Order effectively speed up graph algorithms, their capabilities and disadvantages are not fully understood, mainly, for three reasons: (1) the large size of datasets, (2) the lack of suitable measurement tools, and (3) disparate characteristics of graphs. The paucity of analysis has also inhibited the design of more efficient RAs. This paper unlocks this black box by introducing a number of tools, including: (1) a cache simulation technique for processing large graphs, (2) the Neighbour to Neighbour Average ID Distance (N2N AID) as a spatial locality metric, (3) the degree distributions of simulated cache miss rate and AID to investigate how locality of different vertices is affected by RAs, and (4) “effective cache size” to measure how much of cache capacity is used to support random accesses. We introduce (1) asymmetricity degree distribution, (2) degree range decomposition, and (3) push and pull locality to present a structural analysis of different types of real-world graphs by explaining their contrasting behaviours in confronting RAs. Finally, we propose a number of improvements for RAs using the analysis provided in this paper.
Distinct Roles of Zmynd17 and PGC1α in Mitochondrial Quality Control and Biogenesis in Skeletal Muscle

Maintaining skeletal muscle mitochondrial quality is important not only for muscle activity but also for systemic metabolism. Exercise has long been recognized to have a positive impact on muscle mitochondrial quality. Although exercise triggers various changes in the mitochondrial dynamics, its molecular basis remains to be elucidated. We have previously reported that inactivation of the muscle-specific protein, zinc finger MYND domain-containing protein 17 (Zmynd17), results in mitochondrial abnormalities. To investigate the link between Zmynd17 activity and exercise-induced mitochondrial maintenance, we observed the effect of consecutive exercise on the mitochondrial quality in Zmynd17-deficient muscles. Zmynd17-deficient mice displayed abnormal mitochondrial morphology in limb muscles, which remarkably improved upon voluntary exercise. Interestingly, morphological abnormalities in mitochondria were even more apparent when PGC1α, a regulator of exercise-induced mitochondrial biogenesis, was overexpressed in Zmynd17-KO limb muscle. These abnormalities were also ameliorated by voluntary exercise. Our results show that neither the effect of consecutive exercise on mitochondrial quality nor PGC1α-induced mitochondrial biogenesis are mediated through Zmynd17 activity, thereby suggesting the existence of a complex mechanism of mitochondrial quality control in muscles.
Using UML to specify artifact-centric business process models

Business process modeling using an artifact-centric approach has raised a significant interest over the last few years. One of the research challenges in this area is looking for different approaches to represent all the dimensions in artifact-centric business process models. Bearing this in mind, the present paper proposes how to specify artifact-centric business process models by means of diagrams based on UML. The advantages of basing our work on UML are many: it is a semi-formal language with a precise semantics; it is widely used and easy to understand; and it provides an artifact-centric specification which incorporates also some aspects of process-awareness.
Smooth ambiguity preferences and asset prices with a jump-diffusion process

The present study extends the continuous-time smooth ambiguity preferences model by introducing a Poisson jump component into the agent's consumption process. Under this setting, we examine the effect of ambiguity with respect to both Brownian motion and a Poisson jump process on asset prices. Using reasonable values for preferences parameters, our model replicates historical moments of the U.S. asset returns, including the equity premium, equity volatility, and risk-free rate. Our model also generates substantial equity variance premium and a mildly downward sloping volatility curve of equity options that are consistent with the U.S. data. In addition, our model captures the predictive power of the variance premium with respect to equity returns.
Unity power factor operation and neutral current compensation of diesel generator set feeding three-phase four-wire loads

This study deals with power quality improvement in a diesel generator (DG) set-based standalone supply system feeding three-phase four-wire(3P4W) loads. The proposed system consists of a diesel engine, three-phase wound field synchronous generator, a four-leg voltage source converter (VSC) and3P4W loads. The four-leg VSC with a capacitor connected on its DC link is used for neutral current compensation and unity power factor operation of the DG set. In addition, the VSC provides harmonics elimination and the load balancing. The voltage of the DG system is controlled by excitation control of the synchronous generator and the frequency is controlled by speed regulating system of the diesel engine. The speed of the engine is regulated by controlling the fuel injection of the diesel engine. An adaptive theory-based notch filter algorithm is used to extract fundamental component of the load currents for estimation of reference source currents.
Interactions between genetic variants and near-work activities in incident myopia in schoolchildren: a 4-year prospective longitudinal study

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance Knowledge of interactions between genetic variants and near-work activities at the onset of myopia can facilitate health education regarding myopia. Background To investigate the interactions between genetic variants (PDE10A, AREG and GABRR1) and near-work activities in the onset of myopia in southeastern Chinese school children. Methods A total of 458 non-myopic, grade 1 children aged 6–7 years were included in a 4-year follow-up examination; 409 children were assessed further. Manifest (non-cycloplegic) refraction and axial length (AL) were measured every year, and questionnaires were administered annually to assess information regarding the demographic characteristics of children, near-work activities, outdoor exposure and parental myopia. Oral mucosa was collected in the last year of follow-up, and Sanger sequencing was used to genotype single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA. Results The cumulative change in the spherical equivalent refraction (SER) over 4 years was −1.20 ± 1.00 D, and the proportion of children with incident myopia was 42.9%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that an increased amount of time spent doing homework (>2 h/d) was an independent risk factor for incident myopia. The PDE10A rs12206610CT genotype and spending > 5 h/d on near-work activities showed an interaction for incident myopia (OR = 4.29, 95% CI: 1.27-14.53; Pinteraction = 0.02); moreover, the rs12206610CT genotype carriers who used electronic devices for > 1 h/d displayed an increased risk of incident myopia (OR = 3.43, 95% CI: 1.07-11.01; Pinteraction = 0.043). Conclusions The rs2206610CT genotype carriers with near-work activities of >5 h/d were more likely to show incident myopia, especially those who used electronic devices >1 h/d. However, interactions between the rs12206610 SNP and near-work activities require further verification in animal models and larger sample cohorts.
Knowledge Graph-based Data Transformation Recommendation Engine

Demand for data transformation has increased with the rapid growth of data. To ensure improvements in production line efficiency, Internet of Things (IoT) data analytics demand data transformations that include changing the format, structure, or values of the data stored in a data lake. Data transformations are generally not reused due to the complexity of data transformation files and the lack of knowledge on previous data transformation flows developed by other Extract Transform Load (ETL) developers who develop data transformations. For a naive developer, it is time consuming and difficult to find relevant existing data transformations that can be modified as per new requirements. To solve this problem, we developed a knowledge graph-based data transformation recommendation system featuring a data similarity component that helps to provide explainable results. This system, can improve the mean average precision 26% and the mean average recall by 24% while reducing the mean average root mean squared error by 69% which implies that it can significantly increase the effectiveness of the of recommendations. With the help of this recommendation engine, data transformation tasks can be done by naive developers with little knowledge on existing data transformation flows and continuous improvement projects can be speeded up.
Teasing apart the joint effect of demography and natural selection in the birth of a contact zone

Vast population movements induced by recurrent climatic cycles have shaped the genetic structure of plant species. This is especially true in Scandinavia that was repeatedly glaciated. During glacial periods trees were confined to refugia, south and east of the ice sheet, from which they recolonized Scandinavia as the ice melted away. This multi-pronged recolonization led to large contact zones in most species. We leverage large genomic data from 5000 trees to reconstruct the demographic history of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and test for the presence of natural selection during the recolonization process and the establishment of the contact zone. Sweden is today made up of two large genetic clusters, a southern one originating from the Baltics and a Northern one originating from Northern Russia. The contact zone delineating these two clusters closely matches the limit between two major climatic regions. This suggests that natural selection contributed to the establishment and the maintenance of the contact zone. To test this hypothesis we first used Approximate Bayesian Computation; an Isolation-with migration model with genome-wide linked selection fits the data better than a purely neutral one. Secondly, we identified loci characterized by both extreme allele frequency differences between geographic regions and association to the variables defining the climatic zones. These loci, many of which are related to phenology, form clusters present on all linkage groups. Altogether, the current genetic structure reflects the joint effect of climatic cycles, recolonization and selection on the establishment of strong local adaptation and contact zones. Significance Statement Understanding how past climatic events, human actions and evolutionary forces contributed to the present distribution of genetic diversity is crucial to predict their reaction to the current climate crisis. Vast distribution shifts induced by past environmental changes, local ecological processes, natural selection and human transfers contributed to the current distribution of Norway spruce across Northern Europe. Genome-wide polymorphisms from thousands of individuals show that Scandinavia was recolonized after the Last Glacial from both south and north. This two-pronged recolonization established a contact zone between two genetic clusters that matches the limit between two major climate zones. The contact zone is shaped and maintained by natural selection on a large number of loci that form blocks of co-adapted loci spread genome-wide.
Optimization of an unscented Kalman filter for an embedded platform

The unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is finding increased application in biological fields. While realizing a complex UKF system in a low-power embedded platform offers many potential benefits including wearability, it also poses significant design challenges. Here we present a method for optimizing a UKF system for realization in an embedded platform. The method seeks to minimize both computation time and error in UKF state reconstruction and forecasting. As a case study, we applied the method to a model for the rat sleep-wake regulatory system in which 432 variants of the UKF over six different variables are considered. The optimization method is divided into three stages that assess computation time, state forecast error, and state reconstruction error. We apply a cost function to variants that pass all three stages to identify a variant that computes 27 times faster than the reference variant and maintains required levels of state estimation and forecasting accuracy. We draw the following insights: 1) process noise provides leeway for simplifying the model and its integration in ways that speed computation time while maintaining state forecasting accuracy, 2) the assimilation of observed data during the UKF correction step provides leeway for simplifying the UKF structure in ways that speed computation time while maintaining state reconstruction accuracy, and 3) the optimization process can be accelerated by decoupling variables that directly impact the underlying model from variables that impact the UKF structure. Author summary Powerful statistical tools can be used to estimate unmeasured information in biological systems and predict the system’s future state. Translating these tools from a desktop computer to small, wearable or implantable platforms can unlock many benefits, but presents many design challenges, because tradeoffs between computational simplicity and system accuracy must be balanced. We present an approach to translating one such widely used statistical tool, the unscented Kalman filter, from a desktop computer to a miniature device. We demonstrate the approach with a case study centering on the neural circuits governing the mammalian sleep-wake cycle. By exploiting uncertainty in the biology being estimated and the corrective influence of biological measurements, we arrive at a design that is easily computable on the miniature device and maintains a high level of accuracy. We anticipate that our approach will aid others in designing such miniaturized systems for a broad range of applications.
Impacts and effects of the use of medications by crew and passengers during air transport

During a flight, changes occur in the human body, whose possible reactions can influence the well-being and quality of health of medicine users, subject of scarce studies. The aim of this paper is to analyze the impacts and effects of medication use during air transport. Through a literature review and documentary research methodology, relevant facts about the precautions that should be taken regarding the use of medication in flights were considered. As a practical contribution, some important medications and their possible effects during flights are presented, as well as some warnings about medication interactions, and some advice for better quality air travel for the health of passengers and crew are given. As a theoretical contribution, this study gathers the scattered information presented in the literature about the problems that the use of medications during a flight can cause to the human body and possible recommendations. As social contribution, this study warns about the risks of self-medication, and establishes a basis for future discussions with society about the use of medication in flights.