Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new regulator RsdA mediating fungal secondary metabolism has a detrimental impact on asexual development in Pestalotiopsis fici

Secondary metabolite (SM) production and development are correlated processes in fungi that are often coordinated by pleiotropic regulators. The eukaryotic regulators are critical players in mediating SM production related to fungal development, yet little data are available to support this hypothesis. In this study, a global regulator, RsdA (regulation of secondary metabolism and development), was identified through genome-wide analysis and deletion of the regulator gene in the endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. Here, we established that RsdA regulation of SMs is accompanied by the repression of asexual development. Deletion of rsdA significantly reduces not only asexual development, resulting in low sporulation and abnormal conidia, but also the major SM production, while remarkably increasing the melanin production. Overproduction of melanin leads to the formation of unusual, heavily pigmented hyphae. Transcriptome analysis data provide the evidence that RsdA globally regulates genes involved in secondary metabolism and asexual development. Double deletion of rsdA and the melanin polyketide synthase gene PfmaE confirm that RsdA regulation of asexual development is independent of the melanin biosynthetic pathway. Finally, our results demonstrate that RsdA can be used for the discovery of secondary metabolites in filamentous fungi.
Function and regulation of the Caenorhabditis elegans Rab32 family member GLO-1 in lysosome-related organelle biogenesis

Cell type-specific modifications of conventional endosomal trafficking pathways lead to the formation of lysosome-related organelles (LROs). C. elegans gut granules are intestinally restricted LROs that coexist with conventional degradative lysosomes. The formation of gut granules requires the Rab32 family member GLO-1. We show that the loss of glo-1 leads to the mistrafficking of gut granule proteins but does not significantly alter conventional endolysosome biogenesis. GLO-3 directly binds to CCZ-1 and they both function to promote the gut granule association of GLO-1, strongly suggesting that together, GLO-3 and CCZ-1 activate GLO-1. We found that a point mutation in GLO-1 predicted to spontaneously activate, and function independently of it guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), localizes to gut granules and partially restores gut granule protein localization in ccz-1(-) and glo-3(-) mutants. CCZ-1 forms a heterodimeric complex with SAND-1(MON1), which does not function in gut granule formation, to activate RAB-7 in trafficking pathways to conventional lysosomes. Therefore, our data suggest a model whereby the function of a Rab GEF can be altered by subunit exchange. glo-3(-) mutants, which retain low levels of GLO-3 activity, generate gut granules that lack GLO-1 and improperly accumulate RAB-7 in a SAND-1 dependent process. We show that GLO-1 and GLO-3 restrict the distribution of RAB-7 to conventional endolysosomes, providing insights into the segregation of pathways leading to conventional lysosomes and LROs.
Responsible Recommendations for Irrational People

Recommender systems are omnipresent in online interactions, tailoring content to users by filtering data and identifying contextually relevant information. These personalized services are valuable in shaping the decisions and opinions of individuals, but it is unclear how these technologies may be impacting society. This paper presents a gap in this research and suggests that simulation can be a useful tool for understanding the societal consequences of recommender systems.
A Theoretical Model of Indirect Request Comprehension

Natural human dialogue often contains ambiguous or indirect speech. This poses a unique challenge to language understanding systems because comprehension requires going beyond what is said to what is implied. In this paper, we survey related work on the particularly challenging case of understanding non-conventional indirect speech acts, then propose a more generalizable rule rooted in building a mental model of the speaker. Finally, we discuss experimental evidence pointing to the cognitive plausibility of this rule.
Integrated Optoelectronic Device for Detection of Fluorescent Molecules

This paper presents the development of a compact optoelectronic device suitable for on-chip detection of fluorescent molecules. In order to obtain a highly integrated device, a long-pass multi-dielectric filter has been integrated with thin-film amorphous silicon photosensors on a single glass substrate. Filter rejects the excitation light, allowing the reduction of the distance between the source and the fluorescent site and avoiding the use of external optical component. The compatibility of the technological processes determined the materials and the temporal sequence of the device fabrication. The developed device has been designed for the fluorescence detection of ruthenium complex based molecules and tested, as a proof of concept, for the detection of double-stranded DNA down to 0.5 ng. Results demonstrate the correct operation of the integrated system in both rejecting the excitation light and in detecting the fluorescent signal, demonstrating the suitability of this optoelectronic platform in practical biomedical applications.
Dismantling Knowledge Boundaries at NASA: The Critical Role of Professional Identity in Open Innovation

Using a longitudinal in-depth field study at NASA, I investigate how the open, or peer-production, innovation model affects R&D professionals, their work, and the locus of innovation. R&D professionals are known for keeping their knowledge work within clearly defined boundaries, protecting it from individuals outside those boundaries, and rejecting meritorious innovation that is created outside disciplinary boundaries. The open innovation model challenges these boundaries and opens the knowledge work to be conducted by anyone who chooses to contribute. At NASA, the open model led to a scientific breakthrough at unprecedented speed using unusually limited resources; yet it challenged not only the knowledge-work boundaries but also the professional identity of the R&D professionals. This led to divergent reactions from R&D professionals, as adopting the open model required them to go through a multifaceted transformation. Only R&D professionals who underwent identity refocusing work dismantled their boundaries, truly adopting the knowledge from outside and sharing their internal knowledge. Others who did not go through that identity work failed to incorporate the solutions the open model produced. Adopting open innovation without a change in R&D professionals’ identity resulted in no real change in the R&D process. This paper reveals how such processes unfold and illustrates the critical role of professional identity work in changing knowledge-work boundaries and shifting the locus of innovation.
On the Complexity of Solving Restricted Word Equations

We investigate the complexity of the solvability problem for restricted classes of word equations with and without regular constraints. The solvability problem for unrestricted word equations remains [Formula: see text]-hard, even if, on both sides, between any two occurrences of the same variable no other different variable occurs; for word equations with regular constraints, the solvability problems remains [Formula: see text]-hard for equations whose two sides share no variables or with two variables, only one of which is repeated. On the other hand, word equations with only one repeated variable (but an arbitrary number of variables) and at least one non-repeated variable on each side, can be solved in polynomial-time.
Method for isolation of pancreatic blood vessels, their culture and coculture with islets of langerhans

The only cure available for Type 1 diabetes involves the transplantation of islets of Langerhans isolated from donor organs. However, success rates are relatively low. Disconnection from vasculature upon isolation and insufficient rate of revascularization upon transplantation are thought to be a major cause, as islet survival and function depend on extensive vascularization. Research has thus turned toward the development of pretransplantation culture techniques to enhance revascularization of islets, so far with limited success. With the aim to develop a technique to enhance islet revascularization, this work proposes a method to isolate and culture pancreas‐derived blood vessels. Using a mild multistep digestion method, pancreatic blood vessels were retrieved from whole murine pancreata and cultured in collagen Type 1. After 8 days, 50% of tissue explants had formed anastomosed microvessels which extended up to 300 μm from the explant tissue and expressed endothelial cell marker CD31 but not ductal marker CK19. Cocultures with islets of Langerhans revealed survival of both tissues and insulin expression by islets up to 8 days post‐embedding. Microvessels were frequently found to encapsulate islets, however no islet penetration could be detected. This study reports for the first time the isolation and culture of pancreatic blood vessels. The methods and results presented in this work provide a novel explant culture model for angiogenesis and tissue engineering research with relevance to islet biology. It opens the door for in vivo validation of the potential of these pancreatic blood vessel explants to improve islet transplantation therapies. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 35: e2745, 2019.
A Method for Describing and Recognizing Fragments of Visual Scenes on the Basis of Descriptors Trajectories Analyzing in the Feature Space

We consider the problem of feature description of the object in video image. Classical approaches to the problem are oriented on synthesis and optimization of object descriptors. We propose alternative approach to object description based on the analysis of trajectory of its descriptor in the feature space when the object moves relatively to observer. The approach was evaluated on the facial recognition problem, where it provides high accuracy.
Twelve Limit Cycles in 3D Quadratic Vector Fields with Z3 Symmetry

This paper is concerned with the number of limit cycles bifurcating in three-dimensional quadratic vector fields with [Formula: see text] symmetry. The system under consideration has three fine focus points which are symmetric about the [Formula: see text]-axis. Center manifold theory and normal form theory are applied to prove the existence of 12 limit cycles with [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] distribution in the neighborhood of three singular points. This is a new lower bound on the number of limit cycles in three-dimensional quadratic systems.
New algorithms for the unbalanced generalised birthday problem

In this study, the authors present some new algorithms for the unbalanced generalised birthday problem (UGBP), which was proposed by Nikolic and Sasaki in their attacks on the generalised birthday problem (GBP). The authors’ first idea is simple, which uses some precomputing to convert UGBP into GBP. After the precomputing, they just adopt Wagner's k-tree algorithm or the algorithms of Bernstein et al. to solve UGBP. Their second idea combines the technique for the unbalanced meet-in-the-middle problem with the improved time–memory trade-off algorithm for GBP to solve UGBP. Besides, they will utilise the inactive technique and the rearrangement technique to improve the time complexities of their algorithms. The inactive technique is used to neglect the effect of some costly functions, and the rearrangement technique is adopted to balance the time costs between different functions. When k is not a power of 2, the time complexity of their algorithms for UGBP can also be improved by using the multicollision technique.
Treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and healthcare costs among patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension in a real-world US database

Several new medications for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have recently been introduced; however, current real-world data regarding US patients with PAH are limited. We conducted a retrospective administrative claims study to examine PAH treatment patterns and summarize healthcare utilization and costs among patients with newly diagnosed PAH treated in US clinical practice. Patients newly treated for PAH from 1 January 2010 to 31 March 2015 were followed for ≥12 months. Patient characteristics, treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and costs were described. Adherence (proportion of days covered), persistence (months until therapy discontinuation/modification), and the probability of continuing the index regimen were analyzed by index regimen cohort (monotherapy versus combination therapy). Of 1637 eligible patients, 93.8% initiated treatment with monotherapy and 6.2% with combination therapy. The most common index regimen was phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE-5I) monotherapy (70.0% of patients). A total of 581 patients (35.5%) modified their index regimen during the study. Most patients (55.4%) who began combination therapy did so on or within six months of the index date. Endothelin receptor agonists (ERAs) and combination therapies were associated with higher adherence than PDE-5Is and monotherapies, respectively. Healthcare utilization was substantial across the study population, with costs in the combination therapy cohort more than doubling from baseline to follow-up. The majority of patients were treated with monotherapies (most often, PDE-5Is), despite combination therapies and ERAs being associated with higher medication adherence. Index regimen adjustments occurred early and in a substantial proportion of patients, suggesting that inadequate clinical response to monotherapies may not be uncommon.
Lithium treatment in bipolar adolescents: a follow-up naturalistic study

Background Although lithium is currently approved for the treatment of bipolar disorders in youth, long term data, are still scant. The aim of this study was to describe the safety and efficacy of lithium in referred bipolar adolescents, who were followed up at the 4th (T1) and 8th (T2) month of treatment. Methods The design was naturalistic and retrospective, based on a clinical database, including 30 patients (18 males, mean age 14.2±2.1 years). Results Mean blood level of lithium was 0.69±0.20 mEq/L at T1 and 0.70±0.18 mEq/L at T2. Both Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) and Children Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS) scores improved from baseline (CGI-S 5.7±0.5, C-GAS 35.1±3.7) to T1 (CGI-S 4.2±0.70, C-GAS 46.4±6.5; P<0.001), without significant differences from T1 to T2. Thyroid-stimulating hormone significantly increased from 2.16±1.8 mU/mL at baseline to 3.9±2.7 mU/mL at T2, remaining within the normal range, without changes in T3/T4 levels; two patients needed a thyroid hormone supplementation. Creatinine blood level did not change. No cardiac symptoms and electrocardiogram QTc changes occurred. White blood cell count significantly increased from 6.93±1.68 103/mmc at baseline to 7.94±1.94 103/mmc at T2, and serum calcium significantly increased from 9.68±0.3 mg/dL at baseline to 9.97±0.29 mg/dL at T2, both remaining within the normal range; all the other electrolyte levels were stable and normal during the follow-up. The treatment with lithium was well tolerated, probably due to the relatively low lithium blood levels. Gastrointestinal symptoms (16.7%), sedation (9.7%) and tremor (6.4%) were the most frequently reported side effects. Conclusion Lithium was effective and safe in adolescent bipolar patients followed-up for eight months.
A long-term survey unveils strong seasonal patterns in the airborne microbiome coupled to general and regional atmospheric circulations

Significance The airborne microbiome is a topic of high interest in ecology, biogeochemistry, environmental and human health, among other fields. Large amounts of microorganisms are continuously exchanged among ecosystems and continents through the atmosphere, with unpredictable consequences for ecosystem services and biogeochemical cycling. Using wet bioaerosols collected fortnightly over a 7-y period at a mountaintop Long-Term Ecological Research Network site, we generated the most comprehensive long-term monitoring of the airborne microbiome reported to date. We found nonrandom recurrent interannual dynamics coupled to air circulation regimes, with a complex composition of original tracked sources. We unveil the factors influencing seasonal distributions with consistent evidence regarding the recurrence of microbes with a potential forensic signature. We highlight the need for a connected global sampling network for the airborne microbiome. Airborne microbes (bacteria, archaea, protists, and fungi) were surveyed over a 7-y period via high-throughput massive sequencing of 16S and 18S rRNA genes in rain and snow samples collected fortnightly at a high-elevation mountain Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network site (LTER-Aigüestortes, Central Pyrenees, Spain). This survey constitutes the most comprehensive mountain-top aerobiology study reported to date. The air mass origins were tracked through modeled back-trajectories and analysis of rain water chemical composition. Consistent microbial seasonal patterns were observed with highly divergent summer and winter communities recurrent in time. Indicative microbial taxa were unveiled as a forensic signature, and ubiquitous taxa were observed as common atmosphere inhabitants, highlighting aerosols as a potentially successful mechanism for global microbial dispersal. Source-tracking analyses identified freshwater, cropland, and urban biomes as the most important sources for airborne bacteria in summer, while marine and forest biomes prevailed in winter, in agreement with air mass retrotrajectories and the prevailing general and regional atmospheric circulation.
CASANET Energy Management System: a Wireless Sensors based solution for Heaters Control

Energy Efficient Buildings (EEB) rely on Energy Management System (EMS) to optimize energy consumption, and on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to implement relevant energy policies. Data acquisition constitutes a major ICT component for EMS, and consists mostly on deploying appropriate Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). The acquired data is then processed to monitor building's loads and appliances. In this paper, we present an EMS solution developed in a real-world project (CASANET EMS) deployed at a university campus. At this stage of the project, CASANET EMS controls electrical heaters and is based on the classical control method. This control method takes as input several parameters to decide on the adequate timing for turning heaters On/Off. The CASANET EMS is shaped to fit educational, administrative, and residential buildings at the university campus.
Cancer-Associated Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 1A Mutants Impair Rps3 and Rps10 Binding and Enhance Scanning of Cell Cycle Genes

Protein synthesis is linked to cell proliferation, and its deregulation contributes to cancer. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 1A (eIF1A) plays a key role in scanning and AUG selection and differentially affects the translation of distinct mRNAs. ABSTRACT Protein synthesis is linked to cell proliferation, and its deregulation contributes to cancer. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 1A (eIF1A) plays a key role in scanning and AUG selection and differentially affects the translation of distinct mRNAs. Its unstructured N-terminal tail (NTT) is frequently mutated in several malignancies. Here we report that eIF1A is essential for cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. Ribosome profiling of eIF1A knockdown cells revealed a substantial enrichment of cell cycle mRNAs among the downregulated genes, which are predominantly characterized by a lengthy 5′ untranslated region (UTR). Conversely, eIF1A depletion caused a broad stimulation of 5′ UTR initiation at a near cognate AUG, unveiling a prominent role of eIF1A in suppressing 5′ UTR translation. In addition, the AUG context-dependent autoregulation of eIF1 was disrupted by eIF1A depletion, suggesting their cooperation in AUG context discrimination and scanning. Importantly, cancer-associated eIF1A NTT mutants augmented the eIF1A positive effect on a long 5′ UTR, while they hardly affected AUG selection. Mechanistically, these mutations diminished the eIF1A interaction with Rps3 and Rps10 implicated in scanning arrest. Our findings suggest that the reduced binding of eIF1A NTT mutants to the ribosome retains its open state and facilitates scanning of long 5′ UTR-containing cell cycle genes.
Low-complexity and differential power analysis (DPA)-resistant two-folded power-aware Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) security schema implementation for IoT-connected devices

The hardware security issues are emerging in crypto-algorithms of embedded portable Internet-of-Things-Devices (IoTD). The communication protocols/standards including MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) are enforcing additional cares in device-to-system design perspectives. Due to computation-capacity limitations (CCLs) in battery-operated IoTD, heavy-duty crypto-algorithms are prohibited. This results in compromised hardware using lightweight algorithms. In this study, a new implementation schema for hierarchically-connected IoTD for indoor applications is proposed. This schema allows the IoT network to utilise strong-crypto-algorithms (i.e. RSA) instead of lightweight algorithms (i.e. attribute-based encryption (ABE)). Therefore, without increasing the consumption power or complexity, the security in the IoT network increases. This method brings about a new low CCL RSA with two-folded power-aware implementation. Furthermore, without complexity overhead, the proposed method is more secure than the conventional implementation due to the inherent countermeasure against the side-channel attacks. The presented schema is implemented on a target IoT network, utilising in XC7A100T-FPGA as IoT nodes. Furthermore, both the conventional and the proposed RSA-2048 have been implemented in Spartan6-LX75 on a SAKURA-GW board. The results show that the proposed method has reduced the RSA execution time and consumption power of IoTD at about 50 and 60%, respectively. The most noticeable drawback of the current implementation is an overhead in the range of 30-53% on block-random access memory (RAM) usage.