Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accumulation and tolerance characteristics of chromium in nine jute varieties (Corchorus spp. and Hibiscus spp.).

This study investigates the effect of chromium (Cr) on seed germination, growth characteristics and the Cr accumulation in nine jute varieties. Two separate experiments viz, germination and vegetative growth were analyzed. Plants were exposed to 0-500 ppm Cr for 30 days and were evaluated for growth, gas exchange, photosynthetic activity, tolerance index and Cr accumulation. Excess chromium negatively affects on germination parameters such as the germination frequency (GF), germination index (GI) and vigor index (VI). There was a clear difference in germination properties across the varieties particularly in O-795 and O-9897. All varieties were moderately tolerant to Cr toxicity, with O-795, CVE-3, and BJC-7370, showed small inhibitions in plant growth and photosynthetic characteristics than the others. Furthermore, O-795, CVE-3 and BJC-7370 exhibited higher Cr concentration in the root, stem, leaf, higher bio-concentration factor as well as higher biomass than other jute varieties. Therefore, O-795, CVE-3 and BJC-7370 jute varieties can be used as excellent annual crop candidates for phytoremediation of Cr polluted soils.
Laboratory Diagnosis of Paratyphoid Fever: Opportunity of Surface Plasmon Resonance

Paratyphoid fever is caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi (A, B and C), and contributes significantly to global disease burden. One of the major challenges in the diagnosis of paratyphoid fever is the lack of a proper gold standard. Given the absence of a licensed vaccine against S. Paratyphi, this diagnostic gap leads to inappropriate antibiotics use, thus, enhancing antimicrobial resistance. In addition, the symptoms of paratyphoid overlap with other infections, including the closely related typhoid fever. Since the development and utilization of a standard, sensitive, and accurate diagnostic method is essential in controlling any disease, this review discusses a new promising approach to aid the diagnosis of paratyphoid fever. This advocated approach is based on the use of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor and DNA probes to detect specific nucleic acid sequences of S. Paratyphi. We believe that this SPR-based genoassay can be a potent alternative to the current conventional diagnostic methods, and could become a rapid diagnostic tool for paratyphoid fever.
Frustratingly Easy Multilingual Grapheme-to-Phoneme Conversion

In this paper, we describe two CU-Boulder submissions to the SIGMORPHON 2020 Task 1 on multilingual grapheme-to-phoneme conversion (G2P). Inspired by the high performance of a standard transformer model (Vaswani et al., 2017) on the task, we improve over this approach by adding two modifications: (i) Instead of training exclusively on G2P, we additionally create examples for the opposite direction, phoneme-to-grapheme conversion (P2G). We then perform multi-task training on both tasks. (ii) We produce ensembles of our models via majority voting. Our approaches, though being conceptually simple, result in systems that place 6th and 8th amongst 23 submitted systems, and obtain the best results out of all systems on Lithuanian and Modern Greek, respectively.
Purification of Heterotrimeric G Protein α Subunits by GST-Ric-8 Association

Ric-8A and Ric-8B are nonreceptor G protein guanine nucleotide exchange factors that collectively bind the four subfamilies of G protein α subunits. Co-expression of Gα subunits with Ric-8A or Ric-8B in HEK293 cells or insect cells greatly promoted Gα protein expression. We exploited these characteristics of Ric-8 proteins to develop a simplified method for recombinant G protein α subunit purification that was applicable to all Gα subunit classes. The method allowed production of the olfactory adenylyl cyclase stimulatory protein Gαolf for the first time and unprecedented yield of Gαq and Gα13. Gα subunits were co-expressed with GST-tagged Ric-8A or Ric-8B in insect cells. GST-Ric-8·Gα complexes were isolated from whole cell detergent lysates with glutathione-Sepharose. Gα subunits were dissociated from GST-Ric-8 with GDP-AlF4− (GTP mimicry) and found to be >80% pure, bind guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate (GTPγS), and stimulate appropriate G protein effector enzymes. A primary characterization of Gαolf showed that it binds GTPγS at a rate marginally slower than Gαs short and directly activates adenylyl cyclase isoforms 3, 5, and 6 with less efficacy than Gαs short.
Strain-induced vibrational properties of few layer black phosphorus and MoTe2 via Raman spectroscopy

We studied and compared the effect of tensile strain on the Raman spectra of black phosphorus (BP) and molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) crystals by using a simple custom strain device. In-situ Raman spectroscopy on BP revealed clear red shifting of all three phonon modes, A1g, B2g and A2g, under tensile stress. From our theoretical analyses, we found that such red shifting strongly depends on the direction of the strain exerted on the system even within the elastic deformation limit (i.e. strain ≤ 1 %). In particular, calculated results for the strain along the armchair direction are consistent with our experimental data, confirming that the strain applied to the sample acts effectively along the armchair direction. In a comparative study, we found that the effect of strain on the Raman shifting is larger for BP than that for MoTe2, presumably due to the smaller Young’s modulus of BP. We also see a remarkable resemblance between donor-type intercalation induced vibrational properties and tensile stress-induced vibrational properties in BP. We anticipate that our method of in-situ Raman spectroscopy can be an effective tool that can allow observation of strain effect directly which is critical for future flexible electronic devices.
Effects of batters containing different gum types on the quality of deep-fat fried chicken nuggets

The effects of soy protein isolate (SPI), whey protein isolate (WPI) and egg albumen (EA) on the quality of deep-fat-fried chicken nuggets were studied. Batter without protein addition was used as a control. Batter pickup and moisture content, oil content, texture, porosity and colour of the nuggets were determined for 3, 6, 9 and 12 min of frying at 180 °C. Additionally, the rheological properties of batters were studied. SPI (3%) provided the highest apparent viscosity and coating pickup. All the batters showed shear-thinning behaviour except EA-added batter. Addition of different proteins to the batter formulation decreased the oil content of the final product. EA reduced the oil content of chicken nuggets significantly but yielded softer products. WPI (3%) was found to be the most effective ingredient on improving quality parameters of deep-fat-fried chicken nuggets. WPI (3%) added batters provided the hardest and crunchiest product with the darkest colour and also significantly reduced the oil content of the fried nuggets.
Delayed Thrombin Generation Is Associated with Minor Bleedings in Venous Thromboembolism Patients on Rivaroxaban: Usefulness of Calibrated Automated Thrombography

Bleeding is the most feared and difficult to predict adverse event of anticoagulation. We sought to investigate whether calibrated automated thrombography (CAT) parameters are associated with minor bleeding (MB) in anticoagulated patients following venous thromboembolism (VTE). Enrolled were 132 patients on rivaroxaban, 145 on vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and 31 controls who stopped anticoagulation. Prior to the next dose of the anticoagulant, we measured CAT parameters, along with rivaroxaban concentration and INR. During a median follow-up of 10 months, we recorded minor and major bleedings. On rivaroxaban, 27 (20.5%) patients with MB had longer time to start thrombin generation, lower peak thrombin generation and lower endogenous thrombin potential compared with subjects without MB (all p < 0.001). All CAT parameters, except for peak thrombin generation (p = 0.049), were similar in VKA patients with (n = 25, 17.2%) vs. without MBs. By logistic regression, time to start thrombin generation (p = 0.007) and unprovoked VTE (p = 0.041) independently predicted MBs on rivaroxaban. Major bleedings were more frequent in patients with MBs (17.3% vs. 1.8%, p < 0.001). Abnormal CAT parameters characterize VTE patients prone to MBs on rivaroxaban, but not on VKA. Time to start thrombin generation measured about 24 h since the last rivaroxaban dose might help predict MBs.
Predictors of Academic Achievement for Elementary Teacher Education Students in Turkey

ment of elementary teacher education students help us understand the predictors of student achievement. These studies (House, 2000b; Ting & Bryant, 2001; Zheng, Saunders, Shelley, & Whalen, 2002) focus on the relationship between academic achievement and a number of cognitive as well as noncognitive variables. Cognitive variables include high school achievement, standard aptitude tests, and university admission examinations. Noncognitive variables, often called psychosocial variables, include psychological, cultural, and social characteristics (Ting, 1997). Walsh and Betz (1995) claim that aptitude tests are important predictors of future academic achievement. Brody (1997) found a positive relationship between the results of aptitude tests and students’ future academic achievement. In Turkey, in order to enroll in undergraduate programs, students are required to take a centralized exam, the University Entrance Exam (UEE), which measures general academic aptitude and mental reasoning. The assumption here is that the UEE places students into programs where they can be successful (Aşkar, 1985; Kuzgun, 2000). Thornell and Mccoy (1985) argue that tests with the objective of selecting and placing students have to be important predictors of future academic achievement. There is a body of literature (Boyden, 1973; House, 1998, 2000a, 2000b; Özdoğan, 1988; Ting, 1997, 2000; Ting & Bryant, 2001; Tinto, 1993; Yıldırım, 1972; Zheng et al., 2002) that indicates measuring student academic ability before admition to a university using standardized test scores such as Scholastic Achievement Tests (SAT) and the American College Teaching (ACT) in United States and the UEE in Turkey are important predictors of student achievement. On the other hand, there are studies (Begik, 1997; Hall & Marchant, 2000) that found no significant correlation between standardized scores from the Student Selection Examination and academic achievement in college. Another indicator of previous academic achievement that has been well researched in predicting undergraduate academic achievement is the high school grade point average (GPA). Although a number of studies reported findings that high school graduation GPA is a positive predictor of under-
Ontogenic Development of Digestive Enzymes in Mealworm Larvae (Tenebrio molitor) and Their Suitable Harvesting Time for Use as Fish Feed

Mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) are edible insects consumed in feed and food. In the current study, the optimal harvesting time of mealworm larvae for use as aquafeed was investigated during the ages of 30–90 days after hatching (DAH). Development of digestive enzymes, proximate composition, and in vitro protein digestibility using digestive enzymes from African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), were used as criteria. The specific activities of pepsin and trypsin significantly decreased with age (p < 0.05) from the first harvesting time until 50 and 45 DAH, respectively, while steadiness in these enzyme activities was observed onwards. Chymotrypsin specific activity appeared constant across all harvesting times. The specific activity of amylase significantly decreased in the later stages of development, while cellulase exhibited a different pattern suggesting it has a major role in dietary fiber utilization relative to starch. Regarding proximate compositions of the mealworm larvae, the moisture and ash contents decreased significantly with age, while the protein content exhibited the opposite trend with the highest contents from 60 to 90 DAH. Crude lipid was generally fairly constant, but its lowest value was observed in the earliest stage. In vitro protein digestibility was not significantly different across all harvesting times for both fish species, except for the significantly decreased digestibility value at 65 DAH relative to 30 and 35 DAH for Nile tilapia. However, based on the economic benefits of time for growth increment and proximate chemical composition, approximately 60 DAH is proposed as suitable for harvesting mealworm larvae to be used in fish feed.
Infection of Ruminants, Including Pregnant Cattle, with Bungowannah Virus

Bungowannah virus is a pestivirus known to cause reproductive losses in pigs. The virus has not been found in other species, nor is it known if it has the capacity to cause disease in other animals. Eight sheep, eight calves and seven pregnant cows were experimentally infected with Bungowannah virus. It was found that sheep and calves could be infected. Furthermore, it was shown that the virus is able to cross the bovine placenta and cause infection of the foetus. These findings demonstrate the potential for species other than pigs to become infected with Bungowannah virus and the need to prevent them from becoming infected.
Characterization of FLOWERING LOCUS C Homologs in Apple as a Model for Fruit Trees

To elucidate the molecular mechanism of juvenility and annual flowering of fruit trees, FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), an integrator of flowering signals, was investigated in apple as a model. We performed sequence and expression analyses and transgenic experiments related to juvenility with annual flowering to characterize the apple FLC homologs MdFLC. The phylogenetic tree analysis, which included other MADS-box genes, showed that both MdFLC1 and MdFLC3 belong to the same FLC group. MdFLC1c from one of the MdFLC1 splice variants and MdFLC3 contain the four conserved motives of an MIKC-type MADS protein. The mRNA of variants MdFLC1a and MdFLC1b contain intron sequences, and their deduced amino acid sequences lack K- and C-domains. The expression levels of MdFLC1a, MdFLC1b, and MdFLC1c decreased during the flowering induction period in a seasonal expression pattern in the adult trees, whereas the expression level of MdFLC3 did not decrease during that period. This suggests that MdFLC1 is involved in flowering induction in the annual growth cycle of adult trees. In apple seedlings, because phase change can be observed in individuals, seedlings can be used for analysis of expression during phase transition. The expression levels of MdFLC1b, MdFLC1c, and MdFLC3 were high during the juvenile phase and low during the transitional and adult phases. Because the expression pattern of MdFLC3 suggests that it plays a specific role in juvenility, MdFLC3 was subjected to functional analysis by transformation of Arabidopsis. The results revealed the function of MdFLC3 as a floral repressor. In addition, MdFT had CArG box-like sequences, putative targets for the suppression of flowering by MdFLC binding, in the introns and promoter regions. These results indicate that apple homologs of FLC, which might play a role upstream of the flowering signals, could be involved in juvenility as well as in annual flowering. Apples with sufficient genome-related information are useful as a model for studying phenomena unique to woody plants such as juvenility and annual flowering.
Identification of quantitative trait loci associated with salt tolerance during seedling growth in soybean (Glycine max L.)

Salt stress is an important factor affecting the growth and development of soybean. The inheritance and expressionoftraitsassociatedwithsalttoleranceduringtheseedlingstagearecomplex.Thepresentstudywasconductedto identifyquantitativetraitloci(QTLs)associatedwithsalttoleranceduringseedlinggrowthinsoybean.Fieldandgreenhouse experimentswereconductedtoevaluate184recombinantinbredlines(RILs)derivedfromacrossbetweenKefengNo.1and Nannong1138-2forsalttoleranceandQTLsthatareassociatedwithsalttolerance.ThemolecularmapofthisRILpopulation, covering 2625.9cM of the genome, converged into 24 linkage groups and consisted of 221 SSR markers and 1 disease- resistant gene(Rsc-7). QTLmappingwas conductedusingWinQTLCart. Eight putativeQTLssignificantlyassociated with salt tolerance were identified. One QTL was identified both in field and greenhouse experiments. In the field, salt tolerance wasassessed(tolerancerating,TR)visuallyona0(death)to5(unaffectedbysaltstress)scale.ThreeQTLsweredetectedon two linkage groups explaining 7.1-19.7% of the total phenotypic variance for salt tolerance. In the greenhouse, plant survival days (PSD) and percentage of plant survival (PPS) under salt stress were measured. Six QTLs were detected on six linkage groups, and explained 7.8-19.2% of total phenotypic variation for salt tolerance. A major QTL was identified betweenmarkersSat_164andSat_358onlinkagegroupGinboththe fieldandgreenhouse.ThisQTLqppsN. 1wasidentified in the same location as a salt tolerance QTL previously reported in soybean. The detection of new QTLs will provide important information for marker-assisted selection (MAS) and further genetic studies on salt tolerance in soybean.
Development, preliminary validation and reliability testing of SEDA – Self-Efficacy in Daily Activities for children with pain

ABSTRACT Background: Self-efficacy can affect a child’s ability to perform important activities, infuse him/her with a sense of control and is likely an integral target for successful treatment in pediatric pain rehabilitation. Modern physical therapy treatment includes behavioral aspects and valid measures of self-efficacy are important for both research and clinical practice. In this study, the aim was to develop and perform preliminary testing of a self-efficacy scale for children and adolescents with pain. Methods: Children and adolescents participated, along with researchers and healthcare staff, in developing the Self-Efficacy in Daily Activities (SEDA) measure. A total of 109 children and adolescents seeking physical therapy treatment for pain lasting longer than 3 months responded to the SEDA. Pain and pain-related disability were assessed using the Functional Disability Inventory (FDI). Exploratory analyzes for testing validity and reliability – principal component analyses (PCA), intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and bivariate correlations – were performed. Results: The PCA revealed a 16-item SEDA and a three-component scale. The components represented self-efficacy for physical activities, self-efficacy for personal care and self-efficacy for daily exertion. Validity correlation analyses showed moderate association between SEDA and FDI, −0.72 (p < .01), and low correlation with pain intensity, −0.29 (p = .03). Conclusions: The 16-item SEDA has satisfactory psychometric properties in children moderately affected by long-term pain. Further validation of the SEDA in other populations and confirmatory analyses are warranted.
Producción de polisacáridos a partir de Ganoderma sp., aislado en la región andina

The white rot wood fungi like Ganoderma has been used worldwide because it has triterpenoids and polysaccharides with medicinal properties. This research focuses on determining the polysaccharide production conditions and laboratory and bioreactor scale, from the aforementioned fungi, isolated in the Andean region. It was used agricultural lignin-residue supplemented with glucose and lactose. We found that the most appropriate and feasible production conditions for biomass and Ganoderma polysaccharides are: Bio medium 3%, t = 10 days, 10% lactose, pH= 4,0, T= 30°C, 300 rpm and 1 vvm. The spectrophotometric, enzymatic and IR tests; allowed us to identify the presence of polysaccharides and proteins in some extracts, suggesting that the endogenous mushrooms in the Andean region also have characteristics similar to those of metabolites that are important in medicine. Additionally, the antiproliferative effect was observed in J774 sarcoma cells, particularly GIPSi extract (IC50= 86%) similar to the effect generated by commercial standards.
CD38 deletion of human primary NK cells eliminates daratumumab-induced fratricide and boosts their effector activity.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell neoplasm that commonly expresses CD38. Daratumumab (DARA), a human monoclonal antibody targeting CD38, has significantly improved the outcome of patients with relapsed and refractory MM, but the response is transient in most cases. Putative mechanisms of suboptimal efficacy of DARA include down-regulation of CD38 expression and over-expression of complement inhibitory proteins on MM target cells as well as DARA-induced depletion of CD38high natural killer (NK) cells resulting in crippled antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Here, we tested if maintaining NK-cell function during DARA therapy could maximize DARA-mediated ADCC against MM cells and deepen the response. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to delete CD38 (CD38KO) in ex vivo expanded peripheral blood NK cells. These CD38KO NK cells were completely resistant to DARA-induced fratricide, showed superior persistence in immune deficient mice pretreated with DARA, and enhanced ADCC activity against CD38-expressing MM cell lines and primary MM cells. Additionally, transcriptomic and cellular metabolic analysis demonstrated that CD38KO NK cells have unique metabolic reprogramming with higher mitochondrial respiratory capacity. Lastly, we evaluate the impact of exposure to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on wild type NK and CD38KO NK cells function and highlight potential benefit and drawbacks of combining ATRA with DARA in patients with MM. Taken together, these findings provide proof of concept that adoptive immunotherapy using ex vivo expanded CD38KO NK cells has the potential to boost DARA activity in MM.
Tannin-Rich Plants as Natural Manipulators of Rumen Fermentation in the Livestock Industry

Condensed tannins (CTs) are plant anti-herbivore compounds with antimicrobial activity that can be used in ruminant diets as ruminal microbiome manipulators. However, not all CTs from fodder legumes are bioactive due to their wide structural diversity. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of 10 CT-containing plants (Flemingia macrophylla, Leucaena leucocephala, Stylosanthes guianensis, Gliricidia sepium, Cratylia argentea, Cajanus cajan, Desmodium ovalifolium, Macrotiloma axilare, D. paniculatum, and Lespedeza procumbens) on in vitro fermentation kinetics of Nelore beef cattle. Polyethylene glycol (PEG), a specific CT-binding agent, was added to neutralize condensed tannin. Tifton and alfalfa hay were used as controls lacking CT. The experimental layout included a randomized complete block with factorial design and four blocks. The data were subjected to analysis of variance followed by Duncan’s test to determine differences (p < 0.05) among treatment means. The addition of PEG in browse incubations resulted in increased gas production, fermentation rate, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and N-NH3 release. Within our study, Lespedeza procumbens, Desmodium paniculatum, Leucaena leucocephala, Desmodium ovalifolium, and Flemingia macrophylla showed superior bioactivity compared to other species evaluated, suggesting a natural alternative for replacing ionophores to modify ruminal fermentation. Condensed tannins from L. pocumbens, D. paniculatum, L. leucocephala, D. ovalifolium, and F. macrophylla have the potential to modify rumen fermentation in beef cattle.