Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioinformatics of Thymidine metabolism in camels and Trypanosoma evansi: nucleoside deoxyribosyltransferase (NDRT) as a drug target

Background Trypanosoma evansi (T. evansi), the causative agent for surra or camel trypanosomiasis, is characterized by the widest geographic distribution and infects the widest range of hosts among the known trypanosomes. The recent zoonotic importance and increasing reports of drug resistance necessitate the discovery of new drug targets. Drug discovery process entails finding an interesting difference between the host and the parasite. Results In this study, the thymidine metabolic pathways were compared in camel and T. evansi. Metabolic maps, protein sequence comparisons, domain and motifs contents analysis, phylogenetic relations and 3D structure models were used in comparisons. A unique difference in thymidine metabolism was at the level of recycling of thymidine which was performed by thymidine phosphorylase in camel, while this role is T. evansi was associated with nucleoside deoxyribosyltransferase (NDRT), which is a unique enzyme for the trypanosome and was absent in camel. Thymidine in T. evansi seems to be governed by thymine through NDRT. In contrast to camel, in which thymidine can be produced from thymidylate by the action of 5'-nucleotidase. Conclusions NDRT can be regarded as a drug target against T. evansi for its strict presence in the parasite but not in the host.
Characterization and monitoring by droplet digital PCR of a novel BCR-ABL1 fusion transcript in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by the t(9;22) (q34;q11) translocation which leads to the generation of the BCR-ABL1 protein with constitutive tyrosine kinase activity. BCR-ABL1 is the molecular marker for the evaluation of minimal residual disease (MRD) and its levels throughout the follow up define the depth of molecular remission and guide clinical decisions like change of tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) or, more recently, discontinuation of therapy [1].
Design, Challenges, and Trends of Inductive Power Transfer Couplers for Electric Vehicles: A Review

The magnetic coupler is the heart of an inductive power transfer (IPT) system, which facilitates wireless power transfer through its air gap. The couplers are designed to maximize efficiency, power density, power transfer distance, and misalignment tolerance while minimizing leakage flux, weight, cost, and volume. The coupler design process becomes complex due to the nonlinear behavior of magnetics, sophisticated geometrical structures, and mandatory design limitations imposed by standards, such as SAE J2954/1, IEC 61980-1:2015, and ISO 19363:2020. Initially, this article reviews the advancements in coil design methodologies and their structures over the last few decades to identify the ongoing challenges and trends. The impacts of the power electronics system, industrial standards, material selection, numerical and analytical modeling methods, and thermal modeling on the coil design process are identified to formalize the design procedure. A coil design example based on finite element analysis (FEA) tools is presented to identify the drawbacks of the existing design and optimization process. A sensitivity analysis, 3-D-Pareto plots, and optimal design selection by considering misalignment variations are proposed to improve the multiobjective optimization process. A generalized guideline for coil design is proposed, which highlights the essential design stages of an IPT coupler. Current trends are identified, and future directions are proposed.
Immersive Robotic Telepresence for Remote Educational Scenarios

Social robots have an enormous potential for educational applications and allow for cognitive outcomes that are similar to those with human involvement. Remotely controlling a social robot to interact with students and peers in an immersive fashion opens up new possibilities for instructors and learners alike. Using immersive approaches can promote engagement and have beneficial effects on remote lesson delivery and participation. However, the performance and power consumption associated with the involved devices are often not sufficiently contemplated, despite being particularly important in light of sustainability considerations. The contributions of this research are thus twofold. On the one hand, we present telepresence solutions for a social robot’s location-independent operation using (a) a virtual reality headset with controllers and (b) a mobile augmented reality application. On the other hand, we perform a thorough analysis of their power consumption and system performance, discussing the impact of employing the various technologies. Using the QTrobot as a platform, direct and immersive control via different interaction modes, including motion, emotion, and voice output, is possible. By not focusing on individual subsystems or motor chains, but the cumulative energy consumption of an unaltered robot performing remote tasks, this research provides orientation regarding the actual cost of deploying immersive robotic telepresence solutions.
Zinc accumulation in lettuce cultivars grown with organic or chemical based nutritional regimes

ABSTRACT This study determined the potential to increase Zn density of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) through cultivar selection and nutrient management. Organic fertilizer and Hoagland and Arnon no.1 solution factored with three zinc (Zn) levels provided as zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) were the fertilizer regimes in a greenhouse experiment. Modern cultivars had a 32% higher fresh head weight than heritage cultivars, but each accumulated the same Zn concentration (65 mg kg−1 dry wt). Butterhead phenotypes had a 38% lower yield than loose-leaf and had the highest Zn concentration (78 mg kg−1 dry wt) followed by romaine (66 mg kg−1 dry wt) and loose-leaf (53 mg kg−1 dry wt). Concentration of Zn did not differ between fertility regimes, being about 66 mg kg−1 dry wt with each regime. Differences in Zn concentrations were significant among individual cultivars with ranges from 42 mg g−1 dry wt to 91 mg kg−1 dry wt. ‘Tom Thumb’, ‘Adriana’, ‘Claremont’, and ‘Focea’ were the top in cultivar ranking, with mean Zn concentration of 63 mg kg−1 dry wt. The results signify that selection of cultivars may be utilized to increase Zn accumulation in lettuce but that nutritional regimes had little effect on accumulation.
Influence of Zeolite, Selenium and Silicon upon Some Agronomic and Physiologic Characteristics of Canola Grown under Salinity

ABSTRACT The effect of soil applied zeolite, foliar application of selenium and silicon on the agronomic and physiologic traits of canola grown under salt stress conditions was investigated in two-year field experiment during 2012 and 2013. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks, arranged in factorial with 27 treatments forming combinations of zeolite (0, 5 and 10 ton ha−1), selenium (0, 2 and 4 g liter−1) and silicon (0, 2 and 4 g liter−1) and three replicates. The results indicated that zeolite improved plant growth in terms of plant height and increased yield and yield components of canola. In addition, biological yield, harvest index and oil percentage increased due to zeolite application. Zeolite could decrease respiration, malondialdehyde and proline in salt-stressed plants. Soluble sugars and potassium content increased in response to zeolite application while sodium content significantly decreased. Selenium led to an increase in plant height, silique number, seed number in silique, biological yield, harvest index and oil percentage, while respiration, malondialdehyde, proline and sodium decreased on account of selenium application. Similarly, silicon had a significant effect on growth and agronomic traits and increased them. Silicon promoted chlorophyll synthesis while preventing malondialdehyde, proline and sodium accumulation in plant tissues. Catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were suppressed by using silicon on plants. Interaction between zeolite and selenium was significant on leaf relative water content, photosynthesis, chlorophyll content and activity of antioxidant enzymes. In addition, seed weight, seed yield, photosynthesis and soluble sugar content were affected by selenium and silicon application.
Assessments of muscle fibre distribution by non-invasive methods

The objective of the present study was to assess muscle fibre composition by non-invasive methods for various sports events. 53 males of marathon (n=5), football (n=22), baseball (n=14), basketball (n=8) and tennis (n=4) athletes volunteered to participate in this study. The following 7 tests (overhead medicine ball throw, pull up, standing broad jump, sit up, shuttle run 10 x5, push up, vertical jump) are relatively easy to perform and to gather information about fibre composition through fitness levels. It can be used to assess the performance of strength using standard tables and to receive an indication of the degree of their share of fast (type II) and slow (type I) muscle fibres. For the study, a data analysis program in Microsoft Excel was used to view the mean and standard deviation of muscle fibre types. As a result, it was possible to speculate that the ratio of muscle fibre types differed according to the type of exercise. The results were obtained after sport motor tests of the mean value of muscle fibre composition by different sports events. Fibre type distribution remained with about 74.8% type 1 and 25.2% type 2 by marathoners, 43.8% type 1 and 53.2% type 2 by football athletes, 36.3% type 1 and 63.8% type 2 by baseball athletes, 46.6% type 1 and 53.5% type 2 by basketball athletes, and 40.0% type 1 and 60.0% type 2 by tennis athletes. Through these tests, the direction of the athletes’ muscle development can be considered, and it is possible to check the muscle fibre composition of elite athletes for the improvement of performance for each sport event. Moreover, it assumes that if this test is used for children, adolescents and young athletes, it will help to design scientific and effective training programs, thereby improving athletes’ ability to perform.
Smartphone use as a potential moderator between attachment to friends and subjective well-being among high school students

The research deals with a problem that has remained open despite significant efforts on the part of researchers - does frequent use of smart phones disrupt the interpersonal relationships and subjective well-being of the users? Hypotheses on the moderating effects that smart phone (SP) use can have on the relationship between dimensions pertaining to attachment to friends and dimensions pertaining to subjective well-being among high school students were tested. The research included 556 Serbian adolescents, all of whom were of age. The following measuring instruments were used: Smartphone use frequency (SUF); Inventory of Parents and Peer Attachment-Revised (IPPA-R) - subscales for friends; in particular, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were used to measure subjective well-being. The basic research results indicate that the frequency of smart phone use is a moderator in the relationship between Trust in friends and Communication with friends, and Satisfaction with life and Positive affect: the connection between Trust and Communication, and the dimensions of subjective well-being is most pronounced for those adolescents who, compared to their peers, use smart phones the least, while the connection is the weakest, or cannot be determined, among those adolescents who most frequently use a smart phone. An important limit in the frequency of SP use is the transition from low or moderate to excessive use - in the case of the highest level of frequency of SP use the positive connection between attachment to friends and subjective well-being is lost.
Predicting binding affinities of a novel polymer for the neutralization of fondaparinux

Anticoagulants are an essential clinical tool in modern medicine where they are administered to patients who are undergoing procedures such as cardiac surgery and kidney dialysis. They are also used to treat serious illnesses including venous thromboembolism, unstable angina, and acute myocardial infarction. However, anticoagulants have undesirable side effects, most notably excessive bleeding. Thus, antidotes are required to rapidly reverse the anticoagulant effect and treat life-threatening bleeding complications that might arise from an overdose of anticoagulants or the urgent need to perform an invasive procedure. For instance, while the synthetic anticoagulant fondaparinux has become increasingly important in clinical medicine because of its advantages over other heparin-based drugs, its use is limited by a lack of an antidote. The development of an effective, clinically safe antidote for fondaparinux is therefore critical for its widespread adoption in clinical medicine. The synthetic polymer HBSPCM (Heparin Binding Synthetic Polyvalent Cationic Macromolecule) has been found to be a promising candidate antidote for fondaparinux. However, an optimal design of HBSPCM that binds to fondaparinux with high affinity and neutralizes it has not yet been determined. A robust model is herein developed that describes the electrostatic interactions between fondaparinux and candidate HBSPCMs using data gathered from experimental work as well as molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. This model is then used to characterize the binding affinities of various putative HBSPCM structures for fondaparinux. This enables the prediction of an improved structure for the initial design of an antidote molecule.
Determination of Inorganic Anions in Drinking Water by Ion Chromatography

Objective To determine multiple inorganic anions in drinking water with ion chromatography,such as F~-,Cl~-, NO_2~-,Br~-,HPO_4~(2-),NO_3~-,SO_4~(2-). Methods The ion chromatography was used.The optimized conditions were explored.Results Under the selected flow rate(1.5 ml/min),the optimal concentration of eluent NaHCO_3 and Na_2CO_3 was 2.0×10~(-3)and 3.0×10~(-3) mmol/L,under the concentration of eluent,the optimum pump flow rate was 1.5 ml/min,the recovery rate was 94.69%-102.20%. Conclusion This method is applicable to the determination of multiple inorganic anions in drinking water.
Stability Analysis of Semi-Markov Jump Stochastic Nonlinear Systems

The problem of exponential stability for semi-Markov jump stochastic nonlinear systems is studied in this article. Semi-Markov chain is well known as an extension of the Markov chain, whose sojourn time distribution depends on the current and next states, and is no longer limited to the exponential distribution. However, in the existing works, the independence and the distribution function limitation are imposed on the sojourn time of semi-Markov jump systems. In this article, without additional constraints for the sojourn time, the problem of almost surely exponential stability is investigated for semi-Markov jump stochastic nonlinear systems by developing a new stochastic analysis method. In addition, mode-dependent linear comparable relationships are assumed among Lyapunov like functions, which can effectively reduce the conservatism caused by mode-independent case. To validate the developed theoretic results, two examples are provided in this article.
Translation and Adaptation of the Social Connectedness Scale to Portuguese

Abstract The goal of the present study was to adapt the social connectedness scale (SCS) to Brazilian Portuguese and evaluate its psychometric properties. A survey was conducted with 222 participants. They answered the SCS, the positive and negative affective schedule (PANAS), the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), two pictorial measures of social connectedness, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. The original one factor solution was supported by the data. The SCS-derived score was significantly associated with the other measures in the expected directions. The results described in the present study are favorable regarding the internal consistency and evidence of validity of SCS scores. The study offers three social connectedness measures that can be used to investigate the impacts of social connectedness on cognition, behavior and health of Brazilians.
Synthesis and application of homogeneous Fe3O4 core/Au shell nanoparticles with strong SERS effect

Magnetic Fe3O4@Au nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated using a specific strategy for use as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. The Raman enhancement of Fe3O4@Au NPs could be verified by the detection of rhodamine and crystal violet. The resonator plasma of gold nanoparticles could significantly improve the SERS activity of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles. The results showed that the fabricated Fe3O4@Au NPs have superior SERS sensitivity for rhodamine and crystal violet with a detection limit of 10−7 M. Moreover, the magnetic properties of Fe3O4 are conducive for easily separating Fe3O4@Au NPs from solution. Due to the convenience of operating and high efficiency technique for separating the product, the Fe3O4@Au NPs could be further developed for other applications.
Experiences of Patient-Centered Care Among Japanese and Australian Cancer Outpatients: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study

There have been few international comparisons of patient-centered cancer care delivery. This study aimed to compare the experiences of patient-centered care (PCC) of Japanese and Australian radiation oncology patients. Participants were adults with cancer attending a radiotherapy appointment at a Japanese or Australian clinic. Participants completed a survey asking about 10 indicators of PCC. Overall, 259 Japanese and 285 Australian patients participated. Compared with Japanese participants, Australian participants were significantly more likely to report receiving information about: what the treatment is, and the short-term and long-term side effects of treatment. A higher proportion of Australian participants reported being asked whether they wanted a friend or family member present at the consultation. There were no differences in the frequency with which Japanese and Australian participants were asked by their clinicians about whether they were experiencing physical side effects or emotional distress. International differences highlight the (1) need to exercise caution when generalizing from one country to another; and (2) the importance of context in understanding PCC delivery and the subsequent design of quality improvement interventions.
Global Dialysis Perspective: Brunei Darussalam.

Introduction Brunei Darussalam is a small country in Southeast Asia, with a population of less than half a million people. Hemodialysis (HD) first began in the country in 1968, using single-patient Dylade model B proportioning machines with heat sterilization and Kiil dialyzers (1,2). Scribner arteriovenous shunts were inserted into patients’ legs by nephrologists. Interestingly, patients were required to manage their own dialysis, which usually extended to 10 hours each session, independent of nursing staff. There were stringent criteria for patient selection. Since the open-door policy was set out in 1985, the incidence and prevalence of KRT have increased significantly (Figure 1). Brunei has some of the world’s highest KRT incidence and prevalence. In 2018, the incidence and prevalence of KRT were 380 and 1769 per million population, respectively (Table 1), placing Brunei in the top five globally for incidence and in the top nine for prevalence of patients on KRT (3). The Brunei Dialysis and Transplant Registry was created in 2011 to enable a systematic collection of KRT data. The registry has enabled our nephrology services to be benchmarked against international registries, and it is unique as it captures all patients on KRT in the country. However, in our Brunei Dialysis and Transplant Registry, patients who were incident were excluded if death happened within 2 weeks of starting KRT, rather than the more commonly defined 90 days in other national registries, which might explain the disproportionately higher incidence compared with prevalence in Brunei. In 2019, the mean and median ages of death were 61.3 and 62 years, respectively. About 25% of the mortality happened within the first year of dialysis. The top cause of mortality was infection (28%), followed by cardiovascular death (23%). Hospitalization data are not available. In 2019, diabetes mellitus accounted for 58% and 76% of patients with prevalent and incident kidney failure, respectively, some of the highest rates in Asia (4). In total, 21% of kidney failure was attributed to GN and 13% to hypertension. Brunei also has the highest prevalence of childhood obesity in Southeast Asia. Rising incidence of all these risk factors has contributed to the trend of kidney failure. The mean age at KRT initiation was 54 years old, one of the lowest in Asia. Half of the prevalent KRT population were aged 41–60 years in 2019, with a significant effect on employability and economic productivity (4).
CNAME Cloaking-Based Tracking on the Web: Characterization, Detection, and Protection

Third-party tracking on the Web has been used for collecting and correlating user’s browsing behavior. Due to the increasing use of ad-blocking and third-party tracking protections, tracking providers introduced a new technique called CNAME cloaking. It misleads Web browsers into believing that a request for a subdomain of the visited website originates from this particular website, while this subdomain uses a CNAME to resolve to a tracking-related third-party domain. This technique thus circumvents the third-party targeting privacy protections. The goals of this paper are to characterize, detect, and protect the end-user against CNAME cloaking based tracking. Firstly, we characterize CNAME cloaking-based tracking by crawling top pages of the Alexa Top 300,000 sites and analyzing the usage of CNAME cloaking with CNAME blocklist, including websites and tracking providers using this technique to track users’ activities. We also point out that browsers and privacy protection extensions are largely ineffective to deal with CNAME cloaking-based tracking except for Firefox with a developer’s version of the uBlock Origin extension. Secondly, we propose a supervised machine learning-based approach to detect CNAME cloaking-based tracking without the on-demand DNS lookup. We show that the proposed approach outperforms well-known tracking filter lists. Finally, to circumvent the lack of DNS API in Chrome-based browsers, we design and implement a prototype of the supervised machine learning-based browser extension to detect and filter out CNAME cloaking tracking, called CNAMETracking Uncloaker. Our evaluation shows that CNAMETracking Uncloaker is able to filter out CNAME cloaking-based tracking requests without performance degradation when compared with the vanilla setting on the Chrome browser.
Influence of Molecular Structure on Densities and Viscosities of Several Ionic Liquids

One of the potential applications of the ionic liquids (ILs) is their use as lubricants or lubricant additives. The choice of the cation and the anion of the ILs, as well as the side chain design, determine their fundamental properties, which permits us to create tailor-made lubricants and lubricant additives among other functional fluids. In this work we have studied 10 ILs for which we report densities and viscosities from 283.15 K (and for some ILs at lower temperatures) up to 373.15 K. The viscosities of the ILs fall in the range of the applications of hydraulic fluid or lubricants. Four of these ILs were composed by the anion tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate [(C2F5)3PF3]− and one of the following cations: 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium [C4C1C1min]+, 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium [C4C1Pyrr]+, 1-(2-methoxyethyl)-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium [C1OC2C1Pyrr]+, and trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium [P6,6,6,14]+. Furthermore, three of the ILs contain the anion bis(trifloromethylsulfonyl)imide [NTf2]− and on.