Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MESSENGER Observations of Planetary Ion Characteristics in the Vicinity of Kelvin‐Helmholtz Vortices at Mercury

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft regularly observed the magnetospheric flanks of Mercury during its orbital phase. Data from the Magnetometer (MAG) and the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) allow us to investigate the statistical properties of planetary ions (Na+) in the presence of Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) waves at the duskside magnetopause. We collect the data from orbits with clear signatures of KH waves under northward interplanetary magnetic field, as well as from adjacent orbits that do not have KH signatures, and we compare the energy characteristics between the KH and non‐KH events. Although low planetary counts in FIPS data make the comparison of these characteristics difficult, we find that in the presence of KH waves: (1) large counts of planetary ions are observed and (2) differences in Na+ energy spectra are only seen inside the magnetosphere, where they show a deceleration signature for ions with energies above 2.0 keV/e. These results suggest that planetary ions are not escaping from the magnetosphere and that electric field structures related to KH waves can decelerate planetary ions originating from the magnetotail region. The understanding of the energy distribution of planetary ions in the magnetospheric flanks of Mercury is important for a better understanding of plasma convection in the magnetosphere.
How context alters value: Price information recruits the brain’s valuation and affective regulation system for shaping experienced taste pleasantness

Informational cues such as the price of a wine can trigger expectations about its taste quality and thereby modulate the sensory experience on a reported and neural level. Yet it is unclear how the brain translates such expectations into sensory pleasantness. We used multilevel mediation analysis of neural and behavioral data obtained in participants who tasted identical wines cued with different prices. We found that the brain's valuation system (BVS) in concert with the anterior prefrontal cortex explained the effect of price cues on taste pleasantness ratings. The sensitivity of the BVS to rewards outside the taste domain moderated the strength of these effects. Moreover, brain mediators of price cue effects overlapped with brain regions previously found to be involved in placebo analgesia. These findings provide novel evidence for the fundamental role that neural pathways linked to motivation and affective regulation play for the effect of informational cues on sensory experiences.
A comparative study of consumers' intention to purchase counterfeit outdoor products in Taiwan and Hong Kong

PurposeThis study aims to compare the purchase intention of counterfeit outdoor products between Taiwan and Hong Kong consumers.Design/methodology/approachA total of 584 respondents from Hong Kong (n = 247, 42%) and Taiwan (n = 337, 58%) were recruited for the study. Data analysis was performed by using structural equation modelling techniques.FindingsThe results showed that consumers' perceived risk had a negative influence on attitude and intention to purchase counterfeit outdoor products. Moreover, attitude towards buying counterfeit outdoor products, perceived behavioural control and subjective norm had positive impacts on purchase intention. Brand consciousness, however, had a negative influence on purchase intention. The multi-group analysis identified significant differences between Hong Kong and Taiwanese respondents.Originality/valueThis study provides a better understanding of how these factors affect purchase intention of counterfeit outdoor products across different cultures.
IMMUNOMODULATORY AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES OF ALGERIAN ULVA LACTUCA

Background: Secondary metabolites such as polysaccharides and lectins from seaweeds were characterized by a broad spectrum of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effect. There are few studies in the literature about the bioactivities of Algerian Ulva lactuca marine algae extracts; that remain largely unexploited, thus this study aimed to examine whether polysaccharide or lectine fraction from Algerian U. lactuca are believed to promote anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Methods: the polysaccharide or lectine fraction extracted from Algerian U. lactuca were evaluated in vivo by testing the carrageenan induced acute inflammatory in Wistar rats and the in vivo immunomodulatory effect. The U. lactuca metabolites were also examined for their capacity to inhibit the synthesis of TNF-α, and the release of NO in mouse macrophages RAW 264.7 stimulated with LPS. Results: The results showed that the both U. lactuca polysachrides (ULPF) and lectines (ULLF) phases at 100 mg/kg proved a significant anti-edema effect. The ULPF phase was significantly more effective in decreasing MPO activity and MDA level in rat paw than ULLF phase. Both ULPF and ULLF phases enhanced the in vivo macrophage phagocytic activity, this effect is more pronounced in the ULLF-group than that in ULPF-group. At 60 μg/mL both ULPF or ULLF fraction from U. lactuca were weakly cytotoxic on RAW cells. Both ULPF or ULLF World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research SJIF Impact Factor 7.523 Volume 6, Issue 11, 72-95. Research Article ISSN 2277– 7105 *Corresponding Author
Design and Implementation on FPGA Board of a Chaos-based Stream Cipher

Chaos based stream cipher (CSC) has caught the attention of various security applications, especially for military needs and protection in Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, computing and memory resources have been suited by chaos based stream cipher for real-time communication. In this paper, we designed a chaos-based stream cipher using a robust pseudo chaotic number generator (RPCNG). The simulation of the proposed CSC is done in VHDL using the ISE Design Suite 14.6 tool of Xilinx with finite computing precision N = 32-bit and the hardware implementation is realized on the SAKURA-G FPGA board. The proposed system requires 6036 slices L UTs as hardware cost, and achieves throughput of 301.184 Mbps. It is robust against statistical attacks and thus can be used in all applications that require confidentiality.
Euglenoids from the El Farafra Oasis (Western Desert, Egypt)

The paper reports the first detailed study of the diversity of euglenoids recorded from the El Farafra Oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt. Four of the 20 identified species are new records for the Egyptian algal flora: the colorless Peranema inflexum Skuja, and the three pigmented species Euglena adhaerens Matv. , Phacus crassus Zakryś & M. Łukomska and Ph. cristatus Zakryś & M. Łukomska. A brief description and original documentation are given for each reported morphospecies.
Polymethylmethacrylate derivatives Eudragit
 E100
 and
 L100
 : Interactions and complexation with surfactants

: Precipitation or coprecipitation of polyelectrolytes has been largely investigated. However, the precipitation of polyelectrolytes via addition of charged and non-charged surfactants has not been systematically studied and reported. Consequently, the aim of this work is to investigate the eﬀect of diﬀerent surfactants (anionic, cationic, non-charged and zwitterionic) on the precipitation of cationic and anionic polymethyl methacrylate polymers (Eudragit). The surfactants eﬀect has been investigated as a function of their concentration. Special attention has been dedicated to the CMC range and to the colloidal characterization of the formed dispersions. Moreover, the eﬀect of salt (NaCl) and pH was also addressed. It is pointed out that non-ionic and zwitterionic surfactants do not interact with charged Eudragit E100 and L100. For oppositely charged Eudragit E100/SDS and Eudragit L100/CTAB, precipitation occurs, and the obtained dispersions have been characterized in terms of particle size distribution and zeta potential. It was established that the binding of SDS molecules to Eudragit E100 polymer chains is made through the negative charges of the surfactant heads under the CMC value whereas binding of CTAB to Eudragit L100 chains is made at a CTAB concentration 5 times above its CMC. For Eudragit E100/SDS system, a more acidic medium induces aggregation. A same result was observed for the Eudragit L100/CTAB at a more basic pH. Moreover, it was observed that increasing salt concentration (higher than 100 mM) led to aggregation as generally observed for polycations/anionic surfactant systems. polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes, precipitation, pH- sensitive polymers, Eudragit.
Pet and turtle: DNA barcoding identified twelve Geoemydid species in northeast India

Abstract Geoemydid turtles are one of the most imperilled fauna on the planet, with nearly half of them are threatened with extinction due to bushmeat crisis, traditional medicine, and the illegal pet trade. Classical taxonomy often fails to identify the pet-kept turtle specimens due to amorphous form, unusual shell colouration owing to poor storage in captivity or intensely tinted for high demanding value. The DNA barcoding technique has evidenced as a supportive tool for accurate species identification in systematics research and discerned the nameless taxa in forensic sciences. We tested the effectiveness of DNA barcoding tools for identifying the pet-kept Geoemydid turtle in northeast India. The 36 generated sequences are readily delineated into 12 Geoemydid species using molecular data. The overall mean genetic distance of the studied Geoemydid turtles dataset is 15.3% and ranges from 3.4% to 22.6% between the species. The NJ, ML and Bayesian phylogeny also resulted monophyletic clustering and discriminated all the studied species. The present study contributes DNA barcode sequences of Geoemydid turtles in the global database and also affirms the on-going illegal pet trade of highly threatened species in northeast India.
Gender Recognition on RGB-D Image

In this paper, we propose a deep-learning approach for human gender classification on RGB-D images. Unlike most of the existing methods, which use hand-crafted features from the human face, we exploit local information from the head and global information from the whole body to classify people’s gender. A head detector is fine-tuned on YOLO to detect the head regions on the images automatically. Two gender classifiers are trained using head images and whole-body images separately. The final prediction is made by fusing the two classifiers’ results. The presented method outperforms the state-of-art with an improvement in the accuracy of 2.6%, 7.6%, and 8.4% on three different test data of a challenging gender dataset which includes human standing, walking, and interacting scenarios.
Systematic analysis of the molecular architecture of endocytosis reveals a nanoscale actin nucleation template that drives efficient vesicle formation

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is an essential cellular function in all eukaryotes that is driven by a self-assembled macromolecular machine of over 50 different proteins in tens to hundreds of copies. How these proteins are organized to produce endocytic vesicles with high precision and efficiency is not understood. Here, we developed high-throughput superresolution microscopy to reconstruct the nanoscale structural organization of 23 endocytic proteins from over 100,000 endocytic sites in yeast. We found that proteins assemble by radially-ordered recruitment according to function. WASP family proteins form a circular nano-scale template on the membrane to spatially control actin nucleation during vesicle formation. Mathematical modeling of actin polymerization showed that this WASP nano-template creates sufficient force for membrane invagination and substantially increases the efficiency of endocytosis. Such nanoscale pre-patterning of actin nucleation may represent a general design principle for directional force generation in membrane remodeling processes such as during cell migration and division.
Effects of Interleukin-1β and -6 on the Expression of Ion Transporters Involved in Eggshell Mineralization in Cultured Hen Uterine Mucosal Tissue

This study determined the effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6) on the expression of eggshell mineralization-related ion transporters in the hen uterus mucosa. Uterine mucosal tissues collected from White Leghorn laying hens were cultured for 1.5 or 3 h in TCM-199 medium with or without 100 ng/mL recombinant chicken IL-1β or IL-6. Total RNA and protein were extracted from the cultured tissues for real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blot analyses and some tissues were processed into paraffin sections for immunostaining with calcium-binding protein D28K (CaBP-D28K) antibody. The gene expression of CaBP-D28K, PMCA1, PMCA2 (plasma membrane calcium-transporting ATPase 1 and 2; calcium pumps), CA2 (carbonic anhydrase 2), and SLC26A9 (solute carrier family 26 member 9; HCO3− transporter) was analyzed by real-time PCR and protein density of CaBP-D28K by western blotting. Expression of CaBP-D28K, PMCA1, PMCA2, CA2, and SLC26A9 was significantly higher in the tissues treated with IL-1β and IL-6 than in the control group at 1.5 h of incubation. Immunoreactive CaBP-D28K was localized in the uterine tubular gland cells in all groups, but its level was significantly lower in the tissues incubated for 1.5 h with IL-1β and IL-6 than in the control group. No significant differences were observed in the expression of all tested genes and CaBP-D28k content between the cytokine-treated and control groups at 3 h of incubation. These results suggest that IL-1β and IL-6 may not suppress the expression of genes related to Ca2+ and HCO3− transportation for eggshell formation, while CaBP-D28K protein content in uterine glandular cells was reduced by these cytokines during the early exposure phase. Thus, IL-1β and IL-6 induced by infections may disrupt the transportation of Ca2+ for eggshell formation through decreased CaBP-D28K content in the uterus.
A 60‐Year Cycle in the Meteorite Fall Frequency Suggests a Possible Interplanetary Dust Forcing of the Earth's Climate Driven by Planetary Oscillations

One of the most famous climate oscillations has a period of about 60 years. Although this oscillation might emerge from internal variability, increasing evidence points toward a solar or astronomical origin, as also argued herein. We highlight that the orbital eccentricity of Jupiter presents prominent oscillations with a period of quasi 60 years due to its gravitational coupling with Saturn. This oscillation is found to be well correlated with quite a number of climatic records and also with a 60‐year oscillation present in long meteorite fall records relative to the periods 619–1943 CE. Since meteorite falls are the most macroscopic aspect of incoming space dust and their motion is mostly regulated by Jupiter, we propose that the interplanetary dust influx also presents a 60‐year cycle and could be forcing the climate to oscillate in a similar manner by modulating the formation of the clouds and, therefore, the Earth's albedo.
Circular Economy Initiatives through Energy Accounting and Sustainable Energy Performance under Integrated Reporting Framework

The financial reporting plays a significant role in sustainable development, as it contributes greatly to providing the information required to assess sustainable development performance. In order to achieve the sustainable development, accurate information should be provided to stakeholders on the energy consumed and the impact of energy consumption on the environment. Information on sustainable energy performance needs providing both of financial and non-financial information. However, the traditional financial reporting system is unable to provide information that helps measure and promote sustainable energy performance, as the current accounting system provides financial information only. It is therefore important to adopt an appropriate reporting framework to support the evaluation of sustainable energy performance. This paper proposes an approach to the measure the sustainable energy performance based on the integrated reporting framework. A unique feature of the approach is the selection of corporate energy performance indicators that cover both financial and non-financial information. This paper therefore sets out indicators for assessing sustainable energy performance based on the Integrated Reporting Framework. Furthermore, the application of the indicators proposed in this paper helps regulators and economic policy makers to develop sustainable development strategies at national level. Moreover, the adoption of the proposed indicators can provide accurate information on the real and future of sustainable energy in the country. KeywordsEnergy accounting, Sustainable energy, Energy performance, Accounting system, Integrated reporting framework. International Journal of Mathematical, Engineering and Management Sciences Vol. 5, No. 6, 1032-1045, 2020 https://doi.org/10.33889/IJMEMS.2020. 5.6. 079 1033
A Low-Cost and High-Throughput NoC-Aware Chip-to-Chip Interconnection

To offer sufficient computing capability, current hardware systems tend to be equipped with multiple chips, while each chip integrates tens to hundreds of cores with Network-on-Chip (NoC) architecture. Thus, chip-to-chip interconnection for NoCs becomes indispensable. However, state-of-the-art inter-chip interconnection, like PCIe or SRIO, suffers from latency and bandwidth bottlenecks especially for communication-intensive tasks. In this paper, we propose a NoC-aware chip-to-chip interconnection scheme. In addition to a lightweight interconnection architecture and protocol, we utilize NoC routers to improve inter-chip connection. A virtual-channel router with transmission priority in the NoC is proposed to eliminate the congestion in the chip-to-chip interconnection. The interconnection system is implemented in Verilog RTL and verified on the Xilinx ZCU102 evaluation kit, achieving up to 10Gb/s/lane line rate with low resource utilization.
Linking fishing pressure with ecosystem thresholds and food web stability on coral reefs

Managing fisheries for ecosystem resilience is essential, but practical guidance is limited by food-web complexity. Processes, mechanisms, and thresholds associated with ecosystem overfishing were investigated by combining traditional concepts in fisheries biology with recent advances in food-web modeling. Diverse coral-reef food webs were simplified by grouping species into guilds based on the way they capture, store, and transfer energy, rather than taxonomically, as is traditionally done. Biomass fluxes between the guilds were then quantified using an allometric trophic model. The model was calibrated by linking parameters describing growth, predation, and competition with known body size and metabolic constraints, and then adjusting the base rate of parameters to match fish biomass estimates from a “pristine” coral reef system. The calibrated model was then tested by replacing equilibrium fish biomasses with observations from fished systems across the Pacific, spanning nine islands and numerous major-reef habitats. Encouraging relationships were found between predicted algal accumulation and field observations, and between modelled and observed guild restructuring. In terms of food-web ecology, “pristine” food webs were characterized by asynchronous population dynamics between the guilds (i.e., offsetting fluctuations), which maximized their persistence and the net accumulation of biomass within food webs. Beneficial, offsetting fluctuations were driven by the contrasting roles of density dependence, apparent competition, and predation. Fishing for predators synchronized the population fluctuations between the guilds, resulting in larger amplitudes (i.e., highs and lows), and a growing dominance of small herbivores. Continued fishing for large herbivores eventually led to an inflection point where algal biomass accumulated exponentially, revealing an ecosystem-based fisheries benchmark. Management targets that maximized fisheries yields while controlling for algal accumulation required simultaneous exploitation across the guilds; a significant challenge because maximum yields of predators, large herbivores, and small herbivores were magnitudes of order apart. This strategy also represented a departure from modern commercial fisheries policies that place catch quotas on entire fish families taxonomically, committing systems to smaller fish, higher biomass turnover, and undesirable algal accumulation. Moving forward, the model provided a flexible and adaptable framework to consider economic and ecosystem objectives of fisheries simultaneously, ultimately balancing resilient food webs against higher fisheries productivity.
Chemotherapy and Abdominal Wall Closure Technique Increase the Probability of Postoperative Ventral Incisional Hernia in Patients With Colon Cancer

Background Chemotherapy is associated with postoperative ventral incisional hernia (PVIH) after right hemicolectomy (RHC) for colon cancer, and abdominal wall closure technique may affect PVIH. We sought to identify clinical predictors of PVIH. Methods We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent RHC for colon cancer from 2008-2018 and later developed PVIH. Time to PVIH was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier analysis, clinical predictors were identified with multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling, and the probability of PVIH given chemotherapy and the suture technique was estimated with Bayesian analysis. Results We identified 399 patients (209 no adjuvant chemotherapy and 190 adjuvant chemotherapy), with an overall PVIH rate of 38%. The 5-year PVIH rate was 55% for adjuvant chemotherapy, compared with 38% for none (log-rank P < .05). Adjuvant chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-2.31, P < .01), age (HR .99, 95% CI .97-1.00, P < .01), body mass index (HR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.04, P < .01), and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (HR 1.92, 95% CI 1.21-3.00, P < .01) were independently associated with PVIH. Postoperative ventral incisional hernia was more common overall in patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy (46% compared with 30%, P < .01). In patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy, the probability of PVIH for incision closure with #1 running looped polydioxanone was 42%, compared with 59% for incision closure with #0 single interrupted polyglactin 910. Discussion Exposure to chemotherapy increases the probability of PVIH after RHC, and non–short stitch incision closure further increases this probability, more so than age or body mass index. The suture technique deserves further study as a modifiable factor in this high-risk population.