Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeted Chromosomal Rearrangements via Combinatorial Use of CRISPR/Cas9 and Cre/LoxP Technologies in Caenorhabditis elegans

Rearranged chromosomes have been applied to construct genetic balancers to manipulate essential genes in C. elegans. Although much effort has been put into constructing balancer chromosomes, approximately 6% (map units) of the C. elegans genome has not been covered, and this area lies mostly in pairing centers (PCs). Here, we developed a method for conditional chromosomal engineering through combinatorial use of the CRISPR/Cas9 and Cre/LoxP technologies. Functional DNA fragments containing LoxP sequences were inserted into designated genomic loci using a modified counterselection (cs)-CRISPR method. Then, heat-shock-induced Cre recombinase induced an inversion of the chromosomal region between the two LoxP sites. The chromosomal inversions were subsequently detected by the appearance of pharyngeal GFP. Through this method, we have successfully generated several chromosomal inversion lines, providing valuable resources for studying essential genes in pairing centers.
Associations between lean mass and leptin in men with chronic spinal cord injury: Results from the FRASCI-muscle study

Leptin is an adipo-myokine that regulates appetite and energy expenditure by a neuroendocrine feedback loop. Leptin levels are positively correlated with BMI in the spinal cord injury population and leptin levels are greater in individuals with spinal cord injury compared to uninjured controls. Leptin is produced in multiple tissues, including fat, bone, and skeletal muscle and is a putative biomarker of sedentary behavior in older adults. We assessed body composition leptin, adiponectin, and IL-6 levels in 205 men with chronic spinal cord injury. We found no association between age, injury duration, injury level, injury completeness, or walking status and leptin. There was a significant positive association between lean mass and leptin in men with SCI that was independent of fat. Adjusting for body composition, leptin levels were positively associated with IL-6 and negatively associated with adiponectin levels. When considering men with SCI and sarcopenic obesity, only fat mass remained positively associated with leptin. We found no association between IL-6, adiponectin, or lean mass and leptin in the sarcopenic obesity group. Our findings suggest that lean mass is an under recognized, but substantial, source of circulating leptin. Furthermore, SCI-related sarcopenic obesity may result in dysregulated adipo-myokine metabolism with local and systemic physiologic effects.
A Critical Review of Consumer Wearables, Mobile Applications, and Equipment for Providing Biofeedback, Monitoring Stress, and Sleep in Physically Active Populations

The commercial market for technologies to monitor and improve personal health and sports performance is ever expanding. A wide range of smart watches, bands, garments, and patches with embedded sensors, small portable devices and mobile applications now exist to record and provide users with feedback on many different physical performance variables. These variables include cardiorespiratory function, movement patterns, sweat analysis, tissue oxygenation, sleep, emotional state, and changes in cognitive function following concussion. In this review, we have summarized the features and evaluated the characteristics of a cross-section of technologies for health and sports performance according to what the technology is claimed to do, whether it has been validated and is reliable, and if it is suitable for general consumer use. Consumers who are choosing new technology should consider whether it (1) produces desirable (or non-desirable) outcomes, (2) has been developed based on real-world need, and (3) has been tested and proven effective in applied studies in different settings. Among the technologies included in this review, more than half have not been validated through independent research. Only 5% of the technologies have been formally validated. Around 10% of technologies have been developed for and used in research. The value of such technologies for consumer use is debatable, however, because they may require extra time to set up and interpret the data they produce. Looking to the future, the rapidly expanding market of health and sports performance technology has much to offer consumers. To create a competitive advantage, companies producing health and performance technologies should consult with consumers to identify real-world need, and invest in research to prove the effectiveness of their products. To get the best value, consumers should carefully select such products, not only based on their personal needs, but also according to the strength of supporting evidence and effectiveness of the products.
A two-step docking site model predicting different short-term synaptic plasticity patterns

The strength of synaptic transmission varies during trains of presynaptic action potentials, notably because of the depletion of synaptic vesicles available for release. It has remained unclear why some synapses display depression over time, whereas others facilitate or show a facilitation and depression sequence. Here we compare the predictions of various synaptic models assuming that several docking/release sites are acting in parallel. These models show variation of docking site occupancy during trains of action potentials due to vesicular release and site replenishment, which give rise to changes in synaptic strength. To conform with recent studies, we assume an initial docking site occupancy of <1, thus permitting site occupancy to increase during action potential trains and facilitation to occur. We consider both a standard one-step model and a more elaborate model that assumes a predocked state (two-step model). Whereas the one-step model predicts monotonic changes of synaptic strength during a train, the two-step model allows nonmonotonic changes, including the often-observed facilitation/depression sequence. Both models predict a partitioning of parameter space between initially depressing and facilitating synapses. Using data obtained from interneuron synapses in the cerebellum, we demonstrate an unusual form of depression/facilitation sequence for very high release probability after prolonged depolarization-induced transmitter release. These results indicate a depletion of predocked vesicles in the two-step model. By permitting docking site occupancy to be <1 at rest, and by incorporating a separate predocked state, we reveal that docking site models can be expanded to mimic the large variety of time-dependent changes of synaptic strength that have been observed during action potential trains. Furthermore, the two-step model provides an effective framework to identify the specific mechanisms responsible for short-term changes in synaptic strength.
OPTIMIZATION OF SPE FOR ANALYSIS OF MANDELIC ACID AS A BIOMARKER OF EXPOSURE TO ETHYL BENZENE

Ethyl benzene is an important constituent of widely used solvents in industries and laboratories, causing widespread environmental and industrial pollutions. For evaluation of occupational exposure to such pollutants, biological monitoring is an essential process, in which, preparation of environmental and biological samples is one of the most time-consuming and error-prone aspects prior to chromatographic techniques. The use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) has been grown and is a fertile technique of sample preparation as it provides better results than those of liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). In this study, SPE using bonded silica has been optimized with regard to sample pH, sample concentration, elution solvent, elution volume, sorbent type, and sorbent mass. Through experimental evaluation, a strong anion exchange silica cartridge (SAX) has been found successful in simplifying sample preparation. The present approach proved that, mandelic acid could be retained on SAX sorbent based on specific interaction. Further study was employed using 10% acetic acid to extract the analyte from spiked urine and gave a clean sample for HPLCUV system. In this study, a high performance liquid chromatography, using reverse-phase column was used. The isocratic run was done at a constant flow rate of 0.85 ml/min, the mobile phase was water/methanol/acetic acid and a UV detector was used, setting at 225 nm. At the developed conditions the extraction recovery was exceeded 98%. The factors were evaluated statically and also validated with three different pools of spiked urine samples and showed a good reproducibility over six consecutive days as well as six within-day experiments.
Cultural traits and conformity to norms

Social norms affect individual choice through a pressure to conform. Though it is common to think about the strength of the pressure to conform as one ordinal measure, we demonstrate in this paper that it is warranted to apply a separate measure for the way in which the pressure increases as one moves from small deviations from the norm to larger ones. Furthermore, we suggest a framework for how to classify societies and their treatment of deviant behavior. By way of some analytical examples we finally show that such a measure captures phenomena that cannot be captured using the traditional framework, and highlight some insights that result from an analysis that takes it into consideration. In particular, we illuminate some hidden connections between orthodox societies and perfectionist individuals, and between liberal societies and lax individuals.
From HIV prevention to non-communicable disease health promotion efforts in sub-Saharan Africa: A Narrative Review

Objective: To synthesize published literature on noncommunicable disease (NCD) behavior change communication (BCC) interventions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) and in the general population to inform efforts to adopt similar HIV and NCD BCC intervention activities. Methods: We conducted a literature review of NCD BCC interventions and included 20 SSA-based studies. Inclusion criteria entailed describing a BCC intervention targeting any four priority NCDs (cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cervical cancer, and depression) or both HIV and any of the NCDs. The RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework was used to assess potential public health impact of these studies. We also solicited expert opinions from 10 key informants on the topic of HIV/NCD health promotion in five SSA countries. Results: The BCC interventions reviewed targeted multiple parts of the HIV and NCD continuum at both individual and community levels. Various strategies (i.e. health education, social marketing, motivational interviewing, mobile health, and peer support) were employed. However, few studies addressed more than one dimension of the RE-AIM framework. Opinions solicited from the key informants supported the feasibility of integrating HIV and NCD BCC interventions in SSA potentially improving access, service provision and service demand, especially for marginalized and vulnerable populations. Conclusion: Although HIV/NCD integration can improve effectiveness of preventive services at individual and community levels, potential public health impact of such approaches remain unknown as reach, adoptability, and sustainability of both integrated and nonintegrated NCD BCC approaches published to date have not been well characterized.
Creating and chaining camera moves for quadrotor videography

Capturing aerial videos with a quadrotor-mounted camera is a challenging creative task, as it requires the simultaneous control of the quadrotor's motion and the mounted camera's orientation. Letting the drone follow a pre-planned trajectory is a much more appealing option, and recent research has proposed a number of tools designed to automate the generation of feasible camera motion plans; however, these tools typically require the user to specify and edit the camera path, for example by providing a complete and ordered sequence of key viewpoints. In this paper, we propose a higher level tool designed to enable even novice users to easily capture compelling aerial videos of large-scale outdoor scenes. Using a coarse 2.5D model of a scene, the user is only expected to specify starting and ending viewpoints and designate a set of landmarks, with or without a particular order. Our system automatically generates a diverse set of candidate local camera moves for observing each landmark, which are collision-free, smooth, and adapted to the shape of the landmark. These moves are guided by a landmark-centric view quality field, which combines visual interest and frame composition. An optimal global camera trajectory is then constructed that chains together a sequence of local camera moves, by choosing one move for each landmark and connecting them with suitable transition trajectories. This task is formulated and solved as an instance of the Set Traveling Salesman Problem.
Getting a Head with Ptychodera flava Larval Regeneration

Severe injury to the central nervous system of chordates often results in permanent and irreversible mental and physical challenges. While some chordates are able to repair and/or regenerate portions of their nervous system, no chordate has been shown to be able to regenerate all regions of its central nervous system after catastrophic injury or amputation. Some hemichordates, on the other hand, are able to efficiently regenerate all neural structures, including their dorsal, hollow neural tube after complete ablation. Solitary hemichordates are marine acorn worms and a sister group to the echinoderms. The hemichordate Ptychodera flava progresses from a pelagic, feeding tornaria larva to a tripartite benthic worm with an anterior proboscis, a middle collar region, and a long posterior trunk. The adult worm regenerates all body parts when bisected in the trunk, but it was unknown whether the regeneration process was present in tornaria larvae. Now, we show that P. flava larvae are capable of robust regeneration after bisection through the sagittal, coronal, and axial planes. We also use antibody staining to show that the apical sensory organ regenerates a rich, serotonin-positive complex of cells within two weeks after amputation. Cells labeled with 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine confirm that regeneration is occurring through epimorphic processes as new cells are added at the cut site and throughout the regenerating tissue. This study verifies that P. flava larvae can be used for future functional studies aimed at identifying the genetic and morphological mechanisms controlling central nervous system regeneration in a stem deuterostome.
Effect of Skeletal Muscle and Fat Mass on Muscle Strength in the Elderly

It is important for elderly people to maintain or improve muscle strength and for clinicians to know the factors that affect muscle strength. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of fat mass (FM) and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) on muscle strength. The participants included 192 community-dwelling elderly women. The SMM and FM, grip strength, and knee extension strength were measured. Data were evaluated using stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, which was performed with grip or knee extension strength as a dependent variable and the SMM and FM of the upper and lower limbs as the independent variables. The SMM and FM of the upper limbs were associated with grip strength, whereas the SMM but not the FM of the lower limbs was associated with knee extension strength. These findings suggest that there may be thresholds for the SMM/FM ratio to affect muscle strength.
Understanding Satellite-Imagery-Based Crop Yield Predictions

Researchers like [26] have already trained Convolutional Neural Networks to predict crop yields by county in the US using satellite images. We aim to improve upon and better understand [26]’s methodology and results. In line with their work, we use nine spectral and temperature bands from relatively low resolution satellite images as our features for predicting county-level corn and soybean yields. To ease training, we reduce the dimensionality of our data by assuming that the position of pixels doesn’t impact the average yield (the permutation invariance assumption), which allows us to use pixel intensity histograms as features. By making [26]’s model deeper, we achieve better prediction accuracy, showing that there is still signal to extract from the data. To better understand whether our models can distinguish between crops, we compute saliency maps for each image/crop pair and compare maps for various crops. We find that our model distinguishes between crops, and that, in line with previous yield prediction research, the infrared and temperature bands of images taken during peak growing season contribute the most to discrimination ability.
Taxon‐specific contributions to silica production in natural diatom assemblages

The metabolic activity and growth of phytoplankton taxa drives their ecological function and contribution to biogeochemical processes. We present the first quantitative, taxon‐resolved silica production rates, growth rates, and silica content estimates for co‐occurring diatoms along two cross‐shelf transects off the California coast using the fluorescent tracer 2‐(4‐pyridyl)‐5‐((4‐(2‐dimethylaminoethylaminocarbamoyl)methoxy)phenyl)oxazole, and confocal microscopy. Taxon contribution to total diatom community silica production was predominantly a function of the surface area (SA) of new frustule that each taxon created as opposed to cell abundance or frustule thickness. The influential role of SA made large diatoms disproportionately important to community silica production over short time scales (< 1 d). In some cases, large taxa that comprised only ∼ 15% of numerical cell abundance accounted for over 50% of total community silica production. Over longer time scales relevant to bloom dynamics, the importance of SA declines and growth rate becomes the dominant influence on contribution to production. The relative importance of SA and growth rate in relation to silica production was modeled as the time needed for a smaller, faster‐growing taxon to create more SA than a larger, slower‐growing taxon. Differences in growth rate between the taxa effected the model outcome more than differences in SA. Shifts in relative silica production among taxa are time restricted by finite resources that limit the duration of a bloom. These patterns offer clues as to how taxa respond to their environment and the consequences for both species succession and the potential diatom contribution to elemental cycling.
Ornithodoros savignyi, the Tick Vector of “Candidatus Borrelia kalaharica” in Nigeria

Endemic tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) has not been documented in Nigeria, yet clinically compatible cases have been described, and soft tick species are endemic in surrounding countries. Consequently, our aim was to investigate if TBRF-associated Borrelia is present in Nigeria. ABSTRACT Endemic tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) has not been documented in Nigeria, yet clinically compatible cases have been described, and soft tick species are endemic in surrounding countries. Consequently, our aim was to investigate if TBRF-associated Borrelia is present in Nigeria. To address this, we examined 49 soft tick pools to identify the tick species and to screen for Borrelia. The tick species was revealed by 16S rRNA gene amplification and Sanger sequencing to be Ornithodoros savignyi, an aggressive, multihost, rapidly feeding species with significant veterinary impact. We detected a Borrelia organism in 3 of 49 pooled samples (6%). Molecular analysis of amplified 16S rRNA and flagellin genes and intragenic spacer fragments disclosed that this Borrelia organism was synonymous with the recently described organism “Candidatus Borrelia kalaharica,” identified in a tourist returning to Germany from South Africa. Given the widespread endemic range of this tick vector, TBRF should be considered part of the differential diagnosis for patients with fever returning from arid areas of Africa and further afield.
Propagation Patterns of News on Twitter

As so called fake news spread widely on the internet it is important to examine how they are spread, and thereby, how much of a problem they are. This thesis investigates how the spread of news articles on Twitter can be represented via a tree structure, as well as whether or not the trees have patterns that correlate to attributes such as the source of the shared news article and how many followers the original tweeter has. As part of the study a tool was built in Python 2.7 that, amongst other things, allows tracking and reconstruction of a news article’s propagation on Twitter. It could be concluded that most links that are shared on Twitter propagate over a period of a few days and most retweets are made within the first twelve hours. We observe patterns suggesting that having more followers correlates to getting more retweets. Users who have few followers have to rely on their tweets being retweeted in a longer chain of users for it to reach a larger audience. Tweets that have a substantial spread often spread widely, but not especially deep. Finally, our results suggest that both the news site that created the article and the content of the article has an impact on how much it is retweeted.
The impact of universal health coverage on households’ consumption and savings in Thailand

ABSTRACT This paper studies the impact of Thailand's Universal Health Coverage Scheme (UCS) on households' consumption and savings by using a synthetic panel data approach. Using difference-in-differences estimation, it finds that, in the short run, the UCS had little or no impact on either savings or consumption expenditures. In the long run, the UCS still had no effect on savings, but there is some evidence of an increase in consumption. These effects are generally consistent with economic theory. The provision of healthcare coverage at little or no cost to previously uninsured households has an income effect that will increase both savings and consumption and a risk reduction effect that will reduce precautionary savings and thus increase consumption. These two effects on savings are of opposite sign and appear to cancel each other out, while both effects on consumption are positive and so appear to increase consumption, at least in the long run.
Survey of evolutionary learning for generating agent controllers in synthetic environment

Using evolutionary methods is a promising approach to overcoming limitations in developing traditional artificial intelligence (AI) controllers in synthetic environments. Traditional AI is difficult and expensive to create and maintain. As a result exercises and training simulations often require the participation of human players who exist solely to provide believable and realistic behaviour for allied, enemy, and neutral forces. Here we review recent results in evolutionary learning for achieving two goals: reducing the difficulty of creating AI, and creating highly capable and robust AI. Results are organized first according to their architectures; these range from hand-designed controllers with evolved parameters to neural networks that grow in complexity. Second we compare methods of guiding the evolutionary search process, necessary because of the large size of the controller search space. These methods, such as modularization and multiobjective evolution, help to reduce the designer’s workload. We explain the need to identify practical applications for evolutionary methods by examining shortcomings in current client use of AI, and outline a research plan for developing evolutionary methods for application to these client requirements. Successful application of these methods will generate better AI, reduce cost, and reduce the human workload in executing distributed simulation exercises.