Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perfil bioquímico do soro de frangos de corte alimentados com dieta suplementada com alfa-amilase de Cryptococcus flavus e Aspergillus niger HM2003

It was evaluated the biochemical serum profile of broilers fed rations supplemented with α-amylase produced by two microorganisms. Two extracts were produced, one was produced with a-amylase obtained from Cryptococcus flavus in a commercial yeast-based medium and the other with Aspergillus niger HM2003 produced in soybean protein and commercial starch medium with activity of 9.58 U/mL and 10.0 U/mL, respectively. A total of 360 Cobb 500 male 1-d broiler chicks with 49.72 ± 0.68 g of initial body weight were used in the experiment. Birds were housed in heated batteries from one to 21 days of age. It was used three diets, each one with five replicates of 12 birds in a complete random design. The first diet (basal) was formulated without the addition of enzyme and the other two were supplemented with a-amylase produced by Cryptococcus flavus and Aspergillus niger HM2003 cultivation. Corn and soybean based diets were formulated in two phases: pre-starter phase (from 1 to 7 days of age) and starter phase (from 8 to 21 days). In pre-starter phase, it was observed the following average values for calcium (6.90 and 5.99 mg/dL), plasma protein (2.0 and 2.5 g/dL) and alkaline phosphatase activity (979.98 e 974.66 UI/L) for Criptococcus flavus and Aspergillus niger HM2003, respectively. Diet added with a-amylase obtained from Aspergillus niger HM2003 increased phosphorus serum concentration. In the starter phase, significative results were related to potassium when diets added with a-amylase were evaluated by the two sources. Incorporation of tested enzymes does not provide metabolic changes neither toxicity in the animals.
A Study of Velocity-Dependent JND of Haptic Model Detail

The study of haptics, or the sense of touch in virtual reality environments, is constantly looking for improvements in modeling with a high fidelity. Highly detailed models are desirable, but they often lead to slow processing times, which can mean a loss of fidelity in the force feedback sensations. Model compression techniques are critical to balancing model detail and processing time. One of the proposed compression techniques is to create multiple models of the same object but with different levels of detail (LOD) for each model. The technique hypothesizes that the human arm loses sensitivity to forces with the increase of its movement speed. This the compression technique determines which model to use based on the user’s movement speed. This dissertation examines studies how the movement speed of the user affects the user’s ability to sense changes in details of haptic models. Experiments are conducted using different haptic surfaces. Their levels of detail are changed while the subject interacts with them to mimic the effects of a multiresolution compression implementation. The tests focus on the subjects’ ability to differentiate changes of the surfaces at each speed. The first experiment uses curved surfaces with multiple resolutions. This test observes the sensitivity of the user when the details on the surface are small. The results show that the subjects are more sensitive to changes of small details at a lower speed than higher speed. The second experiment measures sensitivity to larger features by using trapezoidal surfaces with different angles. The trapezoidal surfaces can be seen as a low-resolution haptic model with only two vertices, and changing the angles of the trapezoids is seen as changing the radii of curvature. With the same speed settings from the first experiment applied to the subjects, the sensitivity for changes in curvature is predicted to decrease with the increase of speed. However, the results of this experiment proved otherwise. The conclusions suggest that multiresolution designs are not a straightforward reduction of LOD, even though the movement speed does affect haptic sensitivity. The model’s iii geometry should be taken into account when designing the parameters for haptic model compression. The results from the experiments provide insights to future haptic multiresolution compression designs.
Asynchronous network of cellular automaton-based neurons for efficient implementation of Boltzmann machines

Artificial neural networks with stochastic state transitions and calculations, such as Boltzmann machines, have excelled over other machine learning approaches in various benchmark tasks. The networks often achieve better results than deterministic neural networks of similar sizes, but they require implementation of nonlinear continuous functions for probabilistic density functions, thus resulting in an increase in computational effort. The architecture size of cutting-edge artificial neural networks are ever-growing; therefore, they require dedicated hardware. Conversely, asynchronous cellular automaton-based neuron models have been investigated to model the highly nonlinear dynamics of biological neurons. They are special types of cellular automata and are implemented as small asynchronous sequential logic circuits. In this study, we propose a new type of asynchronous network of cellular automaton-based neuron for the efficient implementation of Boltzmann machines. Experimental comparisons demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves comparable or better performances in such benchmark tasks as image classification and generation while it requiring much less computational resources than traditional implementation approaches.
Error Correction by Structural Simplicity: Correcting Samplable Additive Errors

This paper explores the possibilities and limitations of error correction by the structural simplicity of error mechanisms. Specifically, we consider channel models, called samplable additive channels, in which (i) errors are efficiently sampled without the knowledge of the coding scheme or the transmitted codeword; (ii) the entropy of the error distribution is bounded; and (iii) the number of errors introduced by the channel is unbounded. For the channels, several negative and positive results are provided. Assuming the existence of one-way functions, there are samplable additive errors of entropy nε for ε∈(0,1) that are pseudorandom, and thus not correctable by efficient coding schemes. It is shown that there is an oracle algorithm that induces a samplable distribution over {0,1}n of entropy m=ω(logn) that is not pseudorandom, but is uncorrectable by efficient schemes of rate less than 1−m/n−o(1). The results indicate that restricting error mechanisms to be efficiently samplable and not pseudorandom is insufficient for error correction. As positive results, some conditions are provided under which efficient error correction is possible.
Statistical Literacy in the Classroom: Should Introductory Statistics Courses Rethink their Goals?

Abstract Many undergraduate degrees require the completion of an introductory statistics course, but it is unclear to what extent taking a statistics course improves statistical literacy. We conducted an online survey with a simple random sample of undergraduate students at the University of Waterloo, Canada. We then compared students who have completed at least one statistics course to those who have completed none and found that taking a statistics course did not improve statistical literacy on the questions asked (causation versus correlation, margin of error, and others). Introductory statistics courses may want to address statistical literacy as a learning outcome more explicitly for a better understanding of public policies.
Spatiotemporal analysis reveals significant overlap of key proepicardial markers in the developing murine heart

During embryonic development, the epicardium provides a source of multipotent progenitors for cardiac lineages, including pericytes, fibroblasts and coronary smooth muscle cells. The epicardium originates from a region of splanchnopleural mesoderm known as the proepicardial organ (PEO). The potential of the epicardium to contribute to coronary endothelium has been disputed, due to conflicting lineage tracing results with different PEO Cre lines. Controversy also surrounds when epicardial cell fate becomes restricted. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing, microscopy and flow cytometry-based single molecule RNA in situ hybridisation techniques, we systematically investigated the expression of five widely used epicardial markers, Wt1, Tcf21, Tbx18, Sema3d and Scx, over the course of development. We show co-expression of all markers in the PEO and epicardial layer until E13.5, then sequential downregulation as it undergoes quiescence. Markers also decrease in invading epicardium-derived progenitors, with the exception of Tcf21, lost only in epicardium-derived mural cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that the epicardium does not significantly contribute coronary endothelium. Our findings clarify a number of prevailing discrepancies in the field and support the notion that epicardial fate is not pre-determined within the PEO. Summary statement Assessing expression of five principal (pro)epicardial markers reveals their complete overlap during early embryonic development, challenging previous dogma regarding the existence of sub-compartments and the pre-committed fate model.
NEW SPECIES OF NORTH AMERICAN CAPNIIDAE (PLECOPTERA)

Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Contiilucd from page 48. ) Capnia, teresa sp. nov. Length to tip of wings, 8 , 6.5 mm. Expanse, $ , 11 mm. General color bro~vn. Head brov;n, wider than prothorax ; lateral tubercles pollshed; occiput ixarkecl with iollgitudinal ridges; hind ocelii closer to eyes than to each other; antennae bruwn, coiiipcsed of about 25 segmei1ts. Protilorax a little wider than long, soniewhat widened hellifid; front angles broadly rounded, hint! anglcs narrowly rounded; sicles sornev:hat convex; surface moderately rugose, the rugosities coarse and few in ilun~her. Legs brown. th'iings subhyaline; Sc reaches to the cord; R of forewiilg sinuate at origin of Rs. Abdotilen b ro~vn; cerci brown, coillposed of about 19 segnlents. C'rni fn! ic~: Mnlc. Seventh abdominal tergite with a raised, rearward ~ ~ o i n t i n g ciiitit~ot~s knob, closely beset wit11 fine spines and deep! y emarginate behind; ninth tergite partly cleft and each side of the nliddle with a raised granuinte ltnob; supraanal process recurved, enlarg-ed into a somewhat spherical bulb which bears a short pointed process a t the tip subanal lobes upcurveti and ending in a spine-like ninth sternite slightly produced and broadly rounded behind. Female unknown. Holo typc : male, OctobeiI j, 1922, Evey Canon, Clareinont, Theresa Robinson. Cornell University Collection. This species is rather closely related to C. tzii~qidn but is smaller, lighter in color and differs in the structure of the genitalia.
Metadata-Guided Visual Representation Learning for Biomedical Images

Motivation The clustering of biomedical images according to their phenotype is an important step in early drug discovery. Modern high-content-screening devices easily produce thousands of cell images, but the resulting data is usually unlabelled and it requires extra effort to construct a visual representation that supports the grouping according to the presented morphological characteristics. Results We introduce a novel approach to visual representation learning that is guided by metadata. In high-context-screening, meta-data can typically be derived from the experimental layout, which links each cell image of a particular assay to the tested chemical compound and corresponding compound concentration. In general, there exists a one-to-many relationship between phenotype and compound, since various molecules and different dosage can lead to one and the same alterations in biological cells. Our empirical results show that metadata-guided visual representation learning is an effective approach for clustering biomedical images. We have evaluated our proposed approach on both benchmark and real-world biological data. Furthermore, we have juxtaposed implicit and explicit learning techniques, where both loss function and batch construction differ. Our experiments demonstrate that metadata-guided visual representation learning is able to identify commonalities and distinguish differences in visual appearance that lead to meaningful clusters, even without image-level annotations. Note Please refer to the supplementary material for implementation details on metadata-guided visual representation learning strategies.
Optimized visual stimuli for BCI with hessenberg decomposition based extreme learning machine

Background and Objectives Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) aim to provide neuroscientific communication platform for human-beings, in particular locked-in patients. In most cases event-related potentials (ERPs), averaged voltage responses to a specific target stimuli over time, have key roles in designing BCIs. With this reason, for the last several decades BCI researchers heavily have focused on signal processing methods to improve quality of ERPs. However, designing visual stimulus with considering their physical properties with regard to rapid and also reliable machine learning algorithms for BCIs remain relatively unexplored. Addressing the issues explained above, in summary the main contributions of this study are as follows: (1) optimizing visual stimulus in terms of size, color and background and, (2) to enhance learning capacity of conventional extreme learning machine (ELM) using advanced linear algebra techniques. Methods Two different sized (small and big), three different colored (blue, red and colorful) images with four different backgrounds (white, black and concentric) for each of them were designed and utilized as single object paradigm. Hessenberg decomposition method was proposed for learning process and compared with conventional ELM and multi-layer perceptron in terms of training duration and performance measures. Results Performance measures of small colorful images with orange-concentric background were statistically higher than those of others. Visual stimulus with white background led to relatively higher performance measures than those with black background. Blue colored images had much more impact on improvement of P300 waves than red colored ones had. Hessenberg decomposition method provided 1.5 times shortened training duration than conventional ELM, in addition with comparable performance measures. Conclusions Herein, a visual stimuli model based on improving quality of ERP responses and machine learning algorithm relies on hessenberg decomposition method are introduced with demonstration of their advantages in the context of BCI. Methods and findings described in this study may pave the way for widespread applications, particularly in clinical health-informatics.
Community preferences for the preservation of Canary Palm from Red Palm Weevil in the city of Bari

Sardaro, R. , L. Roselli, R. Grittani, M. Scrascia, C. Pazzani, V. Russo, F. Garganese, C. Porfido, L. Diana and F. Porcelli. 2019. Community preferences for the preservation of Canary Palm from Red Palm Weevil in the city of Bari. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 37(2): 206-211. Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (red palm weevil) caused the death of 40% of Phoenix canariensis Chabaud (Canary palm) between 2011 and 2013 in the city of Bari. Extraordinary measures of compulsory pest control at EU and national level were applied, which however require public funds, hence proper cost-benefit studies, in order to favour better decision-making for urban green management. In this work, we investigated the preferences of the urban community towards specific measures for the preservation of Canary palm through a choice experiment. The results can be used to endorse the strategy in force and to shed light on effective and efficient prospective expenditures of public funds for areas affected by red palm weevil.
Evaluation of tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) genotypes under coastal ecosystem of Tamil Nadu

Genetic variability existing among genotypes is the prime and basic factor for the improvementof any character in a successful breeding programme of tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.). Though the attempts made so far to exploit the available variability have culminated in therelease of a few improved region specific selections as varieties from different centers inIndia, still, varieties suited to coastal eco-system are yet to be identified. Hence, an experimentwas laid out to study the performance of 21 genotypes of Polianthes tuberosa L. collected fromvaried geographical locations. The trial was conducted in the floriculture unit of the Departmentof Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University under randomized block designreplicated thrice to assess the genetic variability for eleven economic characters. The resultsshowed that the genotype PT-15 recorded relatively superior mean performance with respectto all characters. High PCV and GCV were observed for number of leaves per plant, plantheight and rachis length. Low variability in terms of PCV and GCV was observed for length ofthe flower and time taken for flowering. High PCV and GCV values of more than 60 per centwas observed for bulb volume followed by yield of flowers per plant, rachis length and durationof flowering. The genotypes viz., PT-15 (Kuzhumani, Thiruchirappalli District), PT-3(Ravanthavadi, Dharmapuri District) and PT-10(Perumalpatti, Dindugul District) were identifiedas superior genotypes which are suitable for the coastal region based on per se values and canbe utilized for future breeding programmes.
Gradual evolution of cell cycle regulation by cyclin-dependent kinases during the transition to animal multicellularity

Progression through the cell cycle in eukaryotes is regulated on multiple levels. The main driver of the cell cycle progression is the periodic activity of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) complexes. In parallel, transcription during the cell cycle is regulated by a transcriptional program that ensures the just-in-time gene expression. Many core cell cycle regulators are present in all eukaryotes, among them cyclins and CDKs; however, periodic transcriptional programs are divergent between distantly related species. In addition, many otherwise conserved cell cycle regulators have been lost and independently evolved in yeast, a widely used model organism for cell cycle research. To gain insight into the cell cycle regulation in a more representative opisthokont, we investigated the cell cycle regulation at the transcriptional level of Capsaspora owczarzaki, a species closely related to animals. We developed a protocol for cell cycle synchronization in Capsaspora cultures and assessed gene expression over time across the entire cell cycle. We identified a set of 801 periodic genes that grouped into five clusters of expression over time. Comparison with datasets from other eukaryotes revealed that the periodic transcriptional program of Capsaspora is most similar to that of animal cells. We found that orthologues of cyclin A, B and E are expressed at the same cell cycle stages as in human cells and in the same temporal order. However, in contrast to human cells where these cyclins interact with multiple CDKs, Capsaspora cyclins likely interact with a single ancestral CDK1-3. Thus, the Capsaspora cyclin-CDK system could represent an intermediate state in the evolution of animal-like cyclin-CDK regulation. Overall, our results demonstrate that Capsaspora could be a useful unicellular model system for animal cell cycle regulation. Author’s summary When cells reproduce, proper duplication and splitting of the genetic material is ensured by cell cycle control systems. Many of the regulators in these systems are present across all eukaryotes, such as cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK), or the E2F-Rb transcriptional network. Opisthokonts, the group comprising animals, yeasts and their unicellular relatives, represent a puzzling scenario: in contrast to animals, where the cell cycle core machinery seems to be conserved, studies in yeasts have shown that some of these regulators have been lost and independently evolved. For a better understanding of the evolution of the cell cycle regulation in opisthokonts, and ultimately in the lineage leading to animals, we have studied cell cycle regulation in Capsaspora owczarzaki, a unicellular amoeba more closely related to animals than fungi that retains the ancestral cell cycle toolkit. Our findings suggest that, in the ancestor of Capsaspora and animals, cyclins oscillate in the same temporal order as in animals, and that expansion of CDKs occurred later in the lineage that led to animals.
Identifizierung pathogenitätsrelevanter Gene in Candida albicans und Candida dubliniensis

C. albicans ist das haufigste Erregerisolat aus Candidamiepatienten, deren Krankheitsverlauf mit hohen Mortalitatsraten verknupft ist. In unterschiedlichen Risikogruppen steigt die Wichtigkeit von nicht-albicans Candidosen, so tritt in HIV-seropositiven Patienten Candida dubliniensis haufig in Mischkulturen auf. Obwohl C. dubliniensis der nachste Verwandte von C. albicans und ihre Genetik sehr ahnlich ist, unterscheidet sich er durch seine verminderte Pathogenitat. Der Anspruch der vorliegenden Arbeit war der zwischenartliche genetische und phanotypische Vergleich von C. albicans und C. dubliniensis zur Identifikation und Charakterisierung verschiedenartiger virulenzassoziierter Faktoren. Die Bildung von Chlamydosporen als morphologische Struktur ist ein Mittel der klinischen Diagnostik, doch sind sowohl ihre biologische Funktionen als auch die Mechanismen zur molekulargenetischen Regulation weitestgehend unbekannt. Besonderen Regulatoren der Hyphenbildung auch in diesem morphologischen Prozess involviert. Die Initiation der Chlamydosporulation konnte als Hungerantwort kategorisiert werden, die sich durch speziesspezifische Schwellenwerte des Nahrstofflimits darstellte und uber den Repressor Nrg1 vermittelt wurde. Im Zusammenhang der nahrstoffgetriebenen Entwicklungsprozesse konnte die C. dubliniensis-spezifische Chlamydosporen- und Pseudohyphenbildung auf Stickstoffmangelmedium durch die Integration des C. albicans Gens, HMA1 (orf19.2115), zu einem Hefenwachstum verschoben werden. Hma1-negative C. albicans und C. dubliniensis-Mutanten zeigten Veranderungen in ihrer Rapamycinresistenz. Eine deutliche Verkurzung der Filamente trat nur in den C. albicans hma1/-Mutanten auf, die auf oralen Zellen mit einer verminderten Adharenz und Invasivitat korrelierte und in der Attenuierung im Infektionsmodell mundete. Mittels Analysen von orthologen Faktoren konnte C. albicans Hma1 als Threonylcarbamoyladenosin-Dehydratase klassifiziert werden und direkt die Effizienz und Leserahmengenauigkeit der Translation verstarkt. Resumierend konnte hier erstmals die exakte Komposition von tRNA-Basenmodifikationen als ein vollkommen neuartiger, epigenetischer Pathogenitatsmechanismus fur pilzliche Humanpathogene beschrieben werden.
TDP-43 regulates the expression levels of Disc-large in skeletal muscles to promote the assemble of the neuromuscular synapses in Drosophila

Background Alterations in the intracellular distribution of TDP-43 were observed in the skeletal muscles of patients suffering from ALS. However, it is not clear whether these modifications play an active role in the disease or represent a physiological adaptation to muscles homeostasis. Result To answer these questions, we modulated the activity of this protein in Drosophila muscles and observed that TDP-43 was required in these tissues to promote the formation and growth of the neuromuscular synapses. Moreover, we identified that TDP-43 regulates the expression levels of Disc-large (Dlg) and demonstrated that the modulation of Dlg activity, in skeletal muscles or motoneurons, was sufficient to recover the TDP-43-null locomotive and synaptic defects in flies. Additionally, we found that similar mechanisms are conserved in human cell lines and present in tissues derived from ALS patients. Conclusions Our results uncover the physiological role of TDP-43 in skeletal muscles as well as the mechanisms behind the autonomous and non-autonomous behavior of this protein in the organization of the neuromuscular synapses.