Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the parasitic honey bee mite Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae)

Abstract Varroa destructor is a parasite mite of the eastern honey bee Apis cerana, which is native to Asia. The European honey bee Apis mellifera was imported to Asia from Europe and the USA for apiculture in the 19th century. In a short period of time, V. destructor parasitized the artificially introduced honey bees. Varroa destructor was estimated to have spread around the world with A. mellifera when it was exported from Asia to locations worldwide about 50 years ago. The mitochondrial DNA of the parasitic honey bee mite V. destructor was analyzed using next-generation sequencing. The complete mitochondrial genome of V. destructor was identified as a 16,476-bp circular molecule containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and one AT-rich control region. The heavy strand was predicted to have nine PCGs and 13 tRNA genes, whereas the light strand was predicted to contain four PCGs, nine tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes. All PCGs began with ATA as the start codon, except COIII and CytB, which had ATG as the start codon. Stop codons were of two types: TAA for eight genes and TAG for five genes. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that V. destructor from Japan was genetically distant from that of France. A high base substitution rate of 2.82% was also confirmed between the complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of V. destructor from Japan and the USA, suggesting that one Varroa mite strain found in the USA is not from Japan.
Heart rate variability analysis: physiological foundations and main methods

The article presents the main provisions of the methodology for the analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), which is now actively and widely implemented in many fields of medicine and applied physiology. This methodology was first developed in space medicine, where, already during the first manned spaceflights, there was a need in operative assessment of the person's reactions and abilities to maintain high performance and good level of health under different stress conditions. The HRV analysis methodology is based on the measurement of a consecutive series of cardiac cycle durations, for which electrocardiography, rheocardiography, ballistic cardiography, etc., can be used. The resulting numerical series are subjected to mathematical analysis using statistical, spectral and other methods. The results are interpreted as medical and physiological criteria of the functional state of the organism. Based on the mathematical model, a probabilistic approach to the prediction of pathological conditions was proposed. Indicators of the stress degree of regulatory systems and their functional reserve, which are calculated from the HRV analysis data, are used in the mathematical model of the functional states. In order to obtain the decision rules for the recognition of identified classes of functional states the stepwise discriminant analysis has been applied. Equations of the discriminant function were obtained. This article examines in detail this new probabilistic approach to the HRV analysis and provides examples of its use for assessing the functional state of cosmonauts at various stages of long space flights.
The moderating effect of supervisor–subordinate guanxi on the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational effectiveness

Abstract This study explores the association between transformational leadership and organizational effectiveness, measured in terms of organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. The study also explores the moderating role of supervisor–subordinate guanxi (s-s guanxi) on the association between transformational leadership and organizational effectiveness. The proposed hypotheses were tested using PLS path modeling and PROCESS macros in SPSS 22.0. Data were collected at two different times from a sample of 222 industrial firms in China. The findings reveal that transformational leadership has a direct, positive, and significant relationship with organizational effectiveness. Furthermore, s-s guanxi has a positive moderating effect on the association between transformational leadership and organizational commitment and between transformational leadership and job satisfaction. However, the moderating effect of s-s guanxi on the association between transformational leadership and turnover intentions is not significant. These findings unearth several theoretical, empirical, and managerial implications and provide the basis for future research.
Sensitivity Enhancement of Piezoelectric Transducers for Impedance-Based Damage Detection via a Negative Capacitance Interface

Piezoelectric transducers are used in many applications due to electromechanical coupling, which allows mechanical and electrical quantities to be related. This principle is used in the development of structural damage detection techniques such as electromechanical impedance (EMI) commonly used in structural health monitoring (SHM), where structural health is monitored by measuring and analyzing the electrical impedance of a transducer. As a piezoelectric transducer is a primarily capacitive device, its reactance becomes small at high frequencies, reducing sensitivity to structural damage and increasing the excitation current required from the measuring system. Therefore, this paper proposes the use of a negative capacitance (NC) interface with the transducer to improve sensitivity to structural damage and reduce the excitation current. The improvement obtained with the NC interface is theoretically analyzed using an electromechanical model and experimentally validated with tests on an aluminum structure. The results conclusively indicate a significant improvement in the sensitivity to structural damage and a reduction in excitation current, which are critical for detecting incipient damage and developing onboard monitoring systems where the output current drive is usually low.
Summarizing the results and methods of the 2019 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS HIV estimates

UNAIDS and other partners provide support to countries to develop estimates of HIV and related indicators on an annual basis. These estimates are used to monitor epidemic trends, guide program planning and resource allocation, and inform policy decision-making. The collection of articles in this AIDS supplement provide the headline results for the 2019 UNAIDS estimates and describe the new developments in the methods used to produce these estimates.
Tribological study of piston–cylinder interface of radial piston pump in high-pressure common rail system considering surface topography effect

Based on the theory of thermal fluid dynamic lubrication, the Reynolds equation and energy equation of the average flow of a piston–cylinder interface of a radial piston pump in a high-pressure common rail system are established, considering the surface topography effect. The tribological properties of the piston–cylinder interface are calculated by solving the Reynolds equation and energy equation. A surface wear model is established and the wear distribution and trend of the piston–cylinder interface are studied. The wear characteristics of the piston–cylinder interface are verified through experiment, and the wear lubrication of the piston–cylinder interface is discussed. The surface topography effect has a considerable influence on the characteristics of the piston–cylinder interface film. Different surface morphologies change the film characteristics of the piston–cylinder interface, yielding different wear behaviors on the mating surface. The wear of the piston–cylinder interface first decreases along the film outlet to the inlet and then rises. The cylinder surface mainly exhibits abrasive, cavitation, and micro-convex scratch wear, whereas the piston surface mainly shows cavitation wear. The results obtained in this study are of considerable significance as they reveal the tribological properties of the piston–cylinder interface under the surface topography effect.
Did Tax Reform Raise the Cost of Owning a Home

The 2018 slowdown in the housing market has been a subject of intense interest to the press and policymakers, including articles reporting a slowing in house price growth and a decline in home construction. Today we follow up on our colleagues' research on whether the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) has contributed to a slowdown in the housing market, looking closely at what price signals tell us about the trade-off between owning and renting.
Survey of invasive alien species in the flora of Lozenska Mountain, Bulgaria

Th is study explores the invasive alien fl ora of Lozenska Mountain, southwestern Bulgaria (maximum height 1190 m, area 80 km2). Th e aims were to (i) describe the taxonomic and ecological structure of the invasive alien fl ora in Lozenska Mountain, and (ii) provide data on the local distribution of the globally most widespread invasive species. Ten transects of diff erent lengths (from 4 to 12 km) in diff erent parts of the mountain covering the most characteristic habitats were surveyed between April 2017 and October 2018. Altogether, 27 invasive alien species (IAS) and 4 potentially invasive alien species (PIAS) belonging to 17 families of fl owering plants were encountered. Th ese represent 3.46% of the fl ora of Lozenska Mountain, and 45% of all the IAS in Bulgaria. Seven species (Acer negundo, Ailanthus altissima, Amorpha fr uticosa, Bidens fr ondosus, Fallopia × bohe mica, Opuntia humifusa and Robinia pseudoacacia) are highly aggressive. In the biological spectrum of IAS, therophytes predominate (29%), followed by hemicryptophytes (19.4%). Th e majority of IAS originates from America (65.6%) and Asia (19.5%). 64.5% of the IAS were deliberately introduced. Th e established invasive species on the territory of the mountain are predominantly heliophytes (90.3%); microthermophytes (71.0%); high humidity species (38.7%); mesophytes (54.8%), mesooligotrophs (58.1%) and basophilic species (80.6%). Th e most widespread species are Robinia pseudoacacia, Erigeron canadensis and Xanthium italicum. Most of the IAS were found in one transect only. Th e highest percentage of species cover (over 80%) was reached by plants adapted to specifi c habitats: aquatic (Elodea canadensis), riparian (Impatiens glan dulifera, Fallopia × bohemica) and anthropogenically heavily disturbed terrains (Sorghum halepen se). Th ere is a substantial threat of IAS irruption on the territory of Lozenska Mountain for the following habitat types (reference codes according to Annex I of the Directive 92/43/EEC): 3150 (Natural eutrophic lakes with Magnopotamion or Hydrocharition vegetation) and 3270 (Rivers with muddy banks with Chenopodion rubri p.p. and Bidention p.p. vegetation) included in Natura 2000. * Corresponding author
SEDIMENT FLOW CHARACTERISTICS AROUND CYLINDRICAL STRUCTURE REGARDING SEABED EFFECTIVE STRESS RESPONSE

ABSTRACT: Stability of onshore and offshore structures subjected to stormy ocean waves is influenced by the soundness of seabed foundation ground, as well as the intensity of wave pressure acting directly on the structures. The seabed soundness would be affected by the change of the seabed surface elevation caused by erosion and/or deposition of sediment. The fluctuating effective stress in the seabed ground, which is induced by sea wave loading, would cause the reduction in seabed stiffness, and then the sediment flow and related scouring of seabed must be also affected by the effective stress fluctuation. The present study proposes a calculation method for sediment traction flow on seabed around cylindrical structures. The calculation method used comprises with linear wave theory, pore-linear-elasticity theory for seabed medium, and empirical sediment traction flow model regarding seawater flow velocity. Although the intensity of sediment traction flow is mainly a function of seawater flow velocity, the sediment traction flow must be also influenced by the soundness of seabed ground. The sediment flow and associated erosion-deposition around upright cylindrical structures of several types were calculated. The characteristic behavior of sediment flow was clarified.
Reliability Sensitivity Analysis of Dropped Objects Hitting on the Pipeline at Seabed

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Influence of the Facets of Bi24O31Br10 Nanobelts and Nanosheets on Their Photocatalytic Properties

Bi24O31Br10 microcrystals composed of nanobelts and nanosheets with exposed (30-4) and (117) facets were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The desired morphology and facets were obtained by adjusting the pH of the reaction system. Bi24O31Br10 nanobelts (BOB-NBs) with dominant (30-4) exposed facets were used for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride under visible light irradiation, with a degradation efficiency of up to 91% after 60 min of irradiation. The BOB-NBs possessed a higher charge separation and transfer efficiency, and showed less charge carrier recombination compared to the Bi24O31Br10 nanosheets (BOB-NSs), ascribed to a cooperative effect between the internal electric fields and surface active sites. A higher photocurrent response (2.6 times higher) was observed for BOB-NBs (12.8 μA cm−2) compared to that of BOB-NSs (4.9 μA cm−2). These findings are directional for a comprehensive understanding of the influence of the crystal facets of Bi24O31Br10 microcrystals on their photocatalytic activity and could help to guide the future design of high-performance photocatalytic materials.
Tempo and Metrical Analysis by Tracking Multiple Metrical Levels Using Autocorrelation

We present a method for tempo estimation from audio recordings based on signal processing and peak tracking, and not depending on training on ground-truth data. First, an accentuation curve, emphasizing the temporal location and accentuation of notes, is based on a detection of bursts of energy localized in time and frequency. This enables the detection of notes in dense polyphonic texture, while ignoring spectral fluctuation produced by vibrato and tremolo. Periodicities in the accentuation curve are detected using an improved version of autocorrelation function. Hierarchical metrical structures, composed of a large set of periodicities in pairwise harmonic relationships, are tracked over time. In this way, the metrical structure can be tracked even if the rhythmical emphasis switches from one metrical level to another. This approach, compared to all the other participants to the Music Information Retrieval Evaluation eXchange (MIREX) Audio Tempo Extraction competition from 2006 to 2018, is the third best one among those that can track tempo variations. While the two best methods are based on machine learning, our method suggests a way to track tempo founded on signal processing and heuristics-based peak tracking. Moreover, the approach offers for the first time a detailed representation of the dynamic evolution of the metrical structure. The method is integrated into MIRtoolbox, a Matlab toolbox freely available.
Rotating Disc around a Schwarzschild Black Hole

A stationary and axisymmetric (in fact circular) metric is reviewed which describes the first-order perturbation of a Schwarzschild black-hole space-time due to a rotating finite thin disc encircling the hole symmetrically. The key Green functions of the problem (corresponding to an infinitesimally thin ring)—the one for the gravitational potential and the one for the dragging angular velocity—were already derived, in terms of infinite series, by Will in 1974, but we have now put them into closed forms using elliptic integrals. Such forms are more practical for numerical evaluation and for integration in problems involving extended sources. This last point mostly remains difficult, but we illustrate that it may be workable by using the simple case of a finite thin disc with constant Newtonian surface density.
A Fast Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Image Denoising Problem

: Noise can affect images while acquired, transmitted, stored or compressed. One of the best methods for noise removal is the sparse representation algorithm (SR). The Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization (QPSO) is one of the meta-heuristic algorithms. This paper shows excellent results in noise reduction in the quick version of QPSO, which uses benefit of the SRs and meta-heuristic algorithms. This approach is known as FQPSO-MP, depending on the matching pursuit algorithm (MP). A proposed Dynamic-Multi-Swarm (DMS) and a pre-learned dictionary (FQPSO-MP) method saves the time of calculating the learning dictionary. These modifications contribute to important benefits of computing efficiency (productivity improvements of approximately 90% are achieved) without sacred image quality in comparison with the initial QPSO-MP technique (the bigger reduction relative to the PSNR indexes is lower than 0.58 dB and 0.019). The proposed FQPSO-MP method compared to the original QPSO-MP method after modification. The scientific results show that the FQPSO-MP algorithm is more effective and quicker without sacrificing image quality than the FQPSO-MP algorithm. The experimental results show, in comparison to state-of-the-art denoising algorithms, that both quantitative and image quality results are achieved with the suggested FQPSO-MP method.
Autoionization widths of cold Rydberg atomic complexes

We have considered two types of interactions between particles resulting in autoionization of the intermediate Rydberg collisional complex. The first type is caused by the charge exchange processes inside the ionic core of the complex and is responsible for the formation of the final associative ionization channel due to the departure of a Rydberg electron (RE) of the complex to the energy continuum. We have investigated the evolution of the orbital momentum L of RE and discovered a non-trivial time dependence of L, demonstrating a contrasting oscillatory structure in both direction orientation and its absolute value. The second type of interaction, dipole-dipole interaction, dominates in cold highly excited gaseous media and leads to Penning ionization of various pairs of Rydberg atoms. We have found the optimal quantum configurations of atomic pairs, which intensify the PI rates by several orders of magnitude, and become important suppliers of charged particles upon the evolution of Rydberg gas into cold plasma.
Managing sustainability tensions in global supply chains: specific investments in closed-loop technology vs ‘blood metals’

Abstract This paper discusses how problems of eco-opportunism in metals markets escalate due to market failures because of the increasing scarcity of precious metals. Establishing the right sourcing strategy for recycled material, therefore, is crucial for supply chains and for managing corporate sustainability tensions. We analyse the transaction costs in three strategic models of sourcing from ‘make’ inside the supply chain to contract, and ‘buy’ in the grey market for metals. ‘Blood metals’ leak into the grey markets when there is lack of control, information asymmetry in global supply chains and eco-opportunism in recycling of electronic products. Consequently, the need for traceable supply encourages companies to integrate closed-loop recycling of their products. Furthermore, scarcity of valuable metals along with consumer preferences for sustainable products lead to specific investments in product design and robot technology that disassemble end-of-life products. Together, these factors provide an integrated system that reduces transaction costs and increases recycling efficiency. Therefore, specific assets designed to facilitate reuse of scarce metals like the Apple robot Daisy is a key corporate strategy to secure sustainable performance. Specific investments in disassembling technology like robots in the smartphone industry, should, according to transaction cost theory, be organised as a vertically integrated circular economy. The integrated closed-loop model presented here, control eco-opportunism and the unsustainable character of grey markets for recycled material in electronics.
Neuroligin dependence of social behaviour in C. elegans provides a model to investigate an autism associated gene

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised by a triad of behavioural impairments including social behaviour. Neuroligin, a trans-synaptic adhesion molecule, has emerged as a penetrant genetic determinant of behavioural traits that signature the neuroatypical behaviours of autism. However, the function of neuroligin in social circuitry and the impact of genetic variation to this gene is not fully understood. Indeed, in animal studies designed to model autism there remains controversy regarding the role of neuroligin dysfunction in the expression of disrupted social behaviours. The model organism, C. elegans, offers an informative experimental platform to investigate the impact of genetic variants on social behaviour. In a number of paradigms it has been shown that inter-organismal communication by chemical cues regulates C. elegans social behaviour. We utilise this social behaviour to investigate the effect of autism associated genetic variants within the social domain of the research domain criteria. We have identified neuroligin as an important regulator of social behaviour and segregate the importance of this gene to the recognition and/or processing of social cues. We also use CRISPR/Cas9 to edit an R-C mutation that mimics a highly penetrant human mutation associated with autism. C. elegans carrying this mutation phenocopy the behavioural dysfunction of a C. elegans neuroligin null mutant, thus confirming its significance in the regulation of animal social biology. This highlights that quantitative behaviour and precision genetic intervention can be used to manipulate discrete social circuits of the worm to provide further insight to complex social behaviour.
The role of exfoliative cytology and molecular biology in oral potentially malignant disorders

According to the latest statistics, oral squamous cell carcinoma is the 9th most common cancer to diagnose worldwide, especially in males and in the developing countries and cause for high mortality and morbidity. Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD's) are an important entity associated as precusors for most of these cases which are reversible. Hence, early detection of OPMD's can be very useful. Exfoliative cytology is a practically very easy and patient-friendly method to collect cells from these lesions. They can be subjected to a variety of analysis to help us detect oral cancer in advance. This review describes all the techniques have been used in early detection right from the conventional techniques to molecular diagnostics.
The sexism of men’s body dissatisfaction accounts

In this commentary I critically reflect on five discourses I have observed whilst working within the field of men’s body dissatisfaction between 2011 and 2018. I have observed these in empirical work on men’s body dissatisfaction, media coverage and participants’ own accounts in qualitative research I have conducted. I argue these discourses are sexist and identify them as: (1) Men Are The Real Beauty Victims; (2) Women Should Stop Obsessing; (3) Superficial Women; (4) Mothers Are Body Shamers; and (5) Feminism Forces Muscles On Men. I conclude that these discourses further post-feminism, where women’s gains are seen as men’s losses, and neoliberalism, where blame is placed at the individual’s (or woman’s) feet. As an alternative, I outline the feminist approach that recognises the widespread cultural commodification of the body as driving body dissatisfaction.