Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Silica Nanoparticles Promote Apoptosis in Ovarian Granulosa Cells via Autophagy Dysfunction

Although silica nanoparticles (SNPs) are generally thought to be biocompatible and safe, the adverse effects of SNPs were also reported in previous studies. SNPs cause follicular atresia via the induction of ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis. However, the mechanisms for this phenomenon are not well understood. This study focuses on exploring the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis induced by SNPs in ovarian granulosa cells. Our results showed that 25.0 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)/intratracheal instillation of 110 nm in diameter spherical Stöber SNPs caused ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis in follicles in vivo. We also found that SNPs mainly internalized into the lumens of the lysosomes in primary cultured ovarian granulosa cells in vitro. SNPs induced cytotoxicity via a decrease in viability and an increase in apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. SNPs increased BECLIN-1 and LC3-II levels, leading to the activation of autophagy and increased P62 level, resulting in the blockage of autophagic flux. SNPs increased the BAX/BCL-2 ratio and cleaved the caspase-3 level, resulting in the activation of the mitochondrial-mediated caspase-dependent apoptotic signaling pathway. SNPs enlarged the LysoTracker Red-positive compartments, decreased the CTSD level, and increased the acidity of lysosomes, leading to lysosomal impairment. Our results reveal that SNPs cause autophagy dysfunction via lysosomal impairment, resulting in follicular atresia via the enhancement of apoptosis in ovarian granulosa cells.
Identification of Circular RNA Profiles in the Liver of Diet-Induced Obese Mice and Construction of the ceRNA Network

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, metabolic, and respiratory diseases, and it has become an important social health problem affecting the health of the population. Obesity is affected by both genetic and environmental factors. In this study, we constructed a diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mouse model and performed deep RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on liner-depleted RNA extracted from the liver tissues of the mice to explore the underlying mechanisms of obesity. A total of 7469 circular RNAs (circRNAs) were detected, and 21 were differentially expressed (DE) in the high-fat diet (HFD) and low-fat diet (LFD) groups. We then constructed a comprehensive circRNA-associated competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that DE circRNAs associated with lipid metabolic-related pathways may act as miRNA sponges to modulate target gene expression. CircRNA1709 and circRNA4842 may serve as new candidates to regulate the expression of PTEN. This study provides systematic circRNA-associated ceRNA profiling in HFD mouse liver, and the results can aid early diagnosis and the selection of treatment targets for obesity in the future.
Spin Waves in a Ferromagnetic Nanotube. Account of Dissipation and Spin-Polarized Current

Dipole-exchange spin waves in a ferromagnetic nanotube with a circular cross-section have been studied in the presence of a spin-polarized electric current. The exchange and dipole-dipole magnetic interactions, anisotropy, dissipation effects, and the influence of a spin-polarized current are taken into consideration. An equation for the magnetic potential of spin excitations in the system concerned is derived, and the dispersion relation for spin waves is obtained. Depending on its direction, the spin-polarized current is demonstrated to either strengthen or weaken the effective dissipation. A condition, under which the presence of the spin-polarized current can lead to a generation of a spin wave, is determined.
A comparative performance study of several pitch detection algorithms

A comparative performance study of seven pitch detection algorithms was conducted. A speech data base, consisting of eight utterances spoken by three males, three females, and one child was constructed. Telephone, close talking microphone, and wideband recordings were made of each of the utterances. For each of the utterances in the data base; a "standard" pitch contour was semiautomatically measured using a highly sophisticated interactive pitch detection program. The "standard" pitch contour was then compared with the pitch contour that was obtained from each of the seven programmed pitch detectors. The algorithms used in this study were 1) a center clipping, infinite-peak clipping, modified autocorrelation method (AUTOC), 2) the cepstral method (CEP), 3) the simplified inverse filtering technique (SIFT) method, 4) the parallel processing time-domain method (PPROC), 5) the data reduction method (DARD), 6) a spectral flattening linear predictive coding (LPC) method, and 7) the average magnitude difference function (AMDF) method. A set of measurements was made on the pitch contours to quantify the various types of errors which occur in each of the above methods. Included among the error measurements were the average and standard deviation of the error in pitch period during voiced regions, the number of gross errors in the pitch period, and the average number of voiced-unvoiced classification errors. For each of the error measurements, the individual pitch detectors could be rank ordered as a measure of their relative performance as a function of recording condition, and pitch range of the various speakers. Performance scores are presented for each of the seven pitch detectors based on each of the categories of error.
A Hybrid Improved Manta Ray Foraging Optimization With Tabu Search Algorithm for Solving the UAV Placement Problem in Smart Cities

The concept of smart cities is to enhance the life quality of residents and provide efficient services by integrating advanced information and communication technologies, autonomous robots, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are a class of autonomous flying mobile robots that bring a lot of benefits to smart cities due to their mobility, accessibility, autonomy, and many other advantages. Their integration allows for accomplishing hard and complex tasks that humans or other entities are not able to complete. In most applications, multiple connected UAVs are required to build a network under which missions are completed and tasks are shared. This network can be established by finding the optimal UAV placement that meets some requirements such as user coverage, UAV connectivity, energy, and load distribution. In this paper, we present a hybrid algorithm, called IMRFO-TS, based on the hybridization of Improved Manta Ray Foraging Optimization (IMRFO) with the Tabu Search (TS) algorithm for solving the UAV placement problem in a smart city. First, the tangential control strategy is incorporated into the original MRFO algorithm to enhance its convergence speed and explore the search space effectively. Second, The TS algorithm is hybridized with the IMRFO algorithm to increase the exploitation capability of IMRFO and improve the best solution (placement quality) obtained after each iteration. The performance of the proposed IMRFO-TS algorithm is validated using 52 benchmarks considering the fitness value, coverage, connectivity, energy consumption, and load distribution parameters. Compared to eight well-known optimization meta-heuristics such as the original MRFO, TS algorithm, Bat Algorithm (BA), Firefly Algorithm (FA), Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO), Sine Cosine Algorithm (SCA), Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA), and Reptile Search Algorithm (RSA), the results of the experiments revealed the significant superiority of the proposed IMRFO-TS algorithm by obtaining promising solutions (optimal positions of UAVs) in the majority of the cases.
Let’s not take DNA breaks for granted. The importance of direct detection of DNA breaks for the successful development of DDR inhibitors

Successful development of a drug candidate requires availability of robust methods that enable precise and quantitative assessment of the biological effects exerted by the molecule of interest. In case of DNA Damage Response inhibitors, the most proximal readout of their efficiency is the level of induced DNA damage, usually - DNA breaks. Here we review the methods that are currently used for the assessment of the level of DNA damage, with special attention to their specificity and sensitivity. We also discuss the most common problems and challenges related to the classic IF or IHC methods that indirectly report on the activation of DNA repair mechanisms as the downstream effects of occurrence of the DNA lesions. Finally, we highlight the advent of new tools, such as STRIDE, which have the potential to transform the landscape of DDR functional biomarkers.
Network capacity based on complex network theory

Based on the complex network theory,we present formulae for estimating the maximum of betweenness centrality of edge in a network after the random breakdowns happen.Betweenness centrality of edge is defined as the number of shortest paths traveling through an edge given a communication protocol.The edge possessing the max betweenness tends to be congested in communication process,so providing more precise estimation of edge betweenness can give more exact estimation to the capacity of distributing traffic to a network.Finally,We confirm the formula by simulation analysis.Little attention has been paid to the effect of random breakdown on the edge betweenness,so the proposed formula provides a new solution to estimating edge betweenness and also it can be useful for traffic engineering and network planning.
Time-dependent phase-space characterization of intense charged particle beams

Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA(Received 3 October 2008; published 18 February 2009)Knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of a charged particle beam bunch is essential forunderstanding its evolution and for initializing computer simulations, especially when space charge isinvolved. This paper presents a novel experimental method for time-sliced mapping of the transversephase space of a space-charge dominated beam based on tomographic principles. The combination of ahigh precision tomographic diagnostic with fast imaging screens and a gated camera are used to producephase-space maps of two beams: onewith a parabolic current proﬁle and another with a short perturbationatop a rectangular pulse. The correlations between longitudinal and transverse phase spaces are apparentand their impact on the dynamics is discussed.
The transfer of resonance-line radiation in static astrophysical media

An analytic solution is derived for the mean intensity of resonance-line radiation within an absorbing medium of large scattering optical depth but low density. The line profile, the mean number of scatterings before absorption or escape, the mean path length traveled, and the fraction of the photons which escape the medium are derived. Approximate methods are also developed which permit the treatment of media of intermediate optical depth, where scattering takes place in the Doppler core. Astrophysical applications include the absorption of H Ly-alpha radiation by stellar dust, the pumping of H2 Lyman band lines by H Ly-alpha and the Bowen fluorescence.
Identifying historical climate changes in Australia through spatial analogs

Spatial analogs have previously been used to communicate climate projections by comparing the future climate of a location with an analogous recent climate at a different location which is typically hotter. In this study, spatial climate analogs were computed using observational data to identify and quantify past changes. A sigma dissimilarity metric was computed to compare the recent climates of nine major Australian cities and early 20th century climate across Australia. Evidence is found for climate shifts, particularly in Darwin where temperature variability is lower than in extratropical cities. Analogs designed to capture extremes, including a human health-relevant climate analog, were constructed and these also highlight significant climate shifts. The analogs may also be used to examine extreme events in the context of a reference city climate and identify unusual events. This work demonstrates the utility of climate analogs for monitoring past climate changes and extreme events as well as examining and communicating future change. Care should be taken in interpretation of the movement of analogous climates and the design of analyses, but climate analogs have many potential applications beyond previous uses. Tailored analogs could be studied to communicate climate changes relevant to specific stakeholders.
Scale Estimators in Target Mapping from an Aerial Vehicle

Abstract This paper describes the use of scale estimators in field trials for mapping ground targets by an aerial vehicle with onboard sensing. Targets are assumed to be static and of a known shape. The vehicle is a lightweight, tethered, airship with onboard global positioning system, magnetometer, 3-axis accelerometer and gyro sensors, and a camera. The dynamics, trajectory, and sensing noise characteristics, are assumed a priori unknown. The paper focus on the use of scale estimators to minimize the influence of the outlier measurements in the mean and covariance of the target positions observed as the vehicle moves. The results obtained show an interesting performance, better than that obtained with common maximum likelihood mean and covariance estimators, namely a smaller uncertainty is achieved.
Determining cancer stage at diagnosis in population-based cancer registries: A rapid scoping review

Introduction Population-based cancer registries are the main source of data for population-level analysis of cancer stage at diagnosis. This data enables analysis of cancer burden by stage, evaluation of screening programs and provides insight into differences in cancer outcomes. The lack of standardised collection of cancer staging in Australia is well recognised and is not routinely collected within the Western Australia Cancer Registry. This review aimed to explore how cancer stage at diagnosis is determined in population-based cancer registries. Methods This review was guided by the Joanna-Briggs Institute methodology. A systematic search of peer-reviewed research studies and grey literature from 2000 to 2021 was conducted in December 2021. Literature was included if peer-reviewed articles or grey literature sources used population-based cancer stage at diagnosis, and were published in English between 2000 and 2021. Literature was excluded if they were reviews or only the abstract was available. Database results were screened by title and abstract using Research Screener. Full-texts were screened using Rayyan. Included literature were analysed using thematic analysis and managed through NVivo. Results The findings of the 23 included articles published between 2002 and 2021 consisted of two themes. (1) “Data sources and collection processes” outlines the data sources used, as well as the processes and timing of data collection utilised by population-based cancer registries. (2) “Staging classification systems” reveals the staging classification systems employed or developed for population-based cancer staging, including the American Joint Committee on Cancer's Tumour Node Metastasis and related systems; simplified systems classified into localised, regional, and distant categories; and miscellaneous systems. Conclusions Differences in approaches used to determine population-based cancer stage at diagnosis challenge attempts to make interjurisdictional and international comparisons. Barriers to collecting population-based stage at diagnosis include resource availability, infrastructure differences, methodological complexity, interest variations, and differences in population-based roles and emphases. Even within countries, disparate funding sources and funder interests can challenge the uniformity of population-based cancer registry staging practices. International guidelines to guide cancer registries in collecting population-based cancer stage is needed. A tiered framework of standardising collection is recommended. The results will inform integrating population-based cancer staging into the Western Australian Cancer Registry.
Crop domestication disrupts intercropping benefits: A case study from barley–faba bean mixture under contrasting P inputs

How crop domestication mediates root functional traits and trait plasticity in response to neighboring plants is unclear, but it is important for selecting potential species to be grown together to facilitate P uptake. We grew two barley accessions representing a two-stage domestication process as a sole crop or mixed with faba bean under low and high P inputs. We analyzed six root functional traits associated with P acquisition and plant P uptake in five cropping treatments in two pot experiments. The spatial and temporal patterns of root acid phosphatase activity were characterized in situ with zymography at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after sowing in a rhizobox. Under low P supply, wild barley had higher total root length (TRL), specific root length (SRL), and root branching intensity (RootBr) as well as higher activity of acid phosphatase (APase) in the rhizosphere, but lower root exudation of carboxylates and mycorrhizal colonization (MC), relative to domesticated barley. In response to neighboring faba bean, wild barley exhibited larger plasticity in all root morphological traits (TRL, SRL, and RootBr), while domesticated barley showed greater plasticity in root exudates of carboxylates and colonization by mycorrhiza. Wild barley with greater root morphology-related trait plasticity was a better match with faba bean than domesticated barley, indicated by higher P uptake benefits in wild barley/faba bean than domesticated barley/faba bean mixtures under low P supply. Our findings indicated that the domestication of barley disrupts the intercropping benefits with faba bean through the shifts of root morphological traits and their plasticity in barley. Such findings provide valuable information for barley genotype breeding and the selection of species combinations to enhance P uptake.
Hydroponic Cultivation of Medicinal Plants—Plant Organs and Hydroponic Systems: Techniques and Trends

Medicinal plants are a globally important resource for the treatment of disease and improvement of human health, and the only form of healthcare used by millions of people. Currently, the status of many medicinal species is threatened by overharvesting caused by increasing demand. While many species have been cultivated in soil, the resulting material often contains lower levels of medicinal compounds than that of wild-harvested plants. Hydroponic cultivation of medicinal plants may provide sustainable access, with research demonstrating increased secondary metabolite content in some species compared to both wild and soil-grown plants. There are a variety of hydroponic systems and techniques available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. As medicinal compounds are often localised within specific plant organs, selecting hydroponic systems that maximise the yield of the desired organs and metabolites is necessary. However, as of yet there has been no attempt to examine the literature with regards to the cultivation of specific plant organs of medicinal plants in hydroponics. This article explores the use of different hydroponic systems to cultivate medicinal plants and how the choice of system differs depending on the desired plant organ, as well as highlighting studies with novel outcomes that may provide value to the field.
Booststrapped johansen tests for cointegration relationships: a graphical analysis

Using Monte Carlo methods together with the bootstrap critical values, we have studied the properties of two tests (Trace and Lmax), derived by Johansen (1988) for testing for cointegration in VAR systems. Regarding the size of the tests, the results show that both of the test methods perform satisfactorily when there are mixed stationary and nonstationary components in the model. The analyses of the power functions indicate that both of the test methods can effectively detect the presence of cointegration vector(s). Finally, when considering the size and power properties, we could not find any noticeable differences between the two test methods.
The impact of trade unions and government party orientation on income inequality: evidence from 17 OECD economies

PurposeDespite the existing conceptual analysis on the impact of trade unions on employees' welfare and the wider economy, the mediating effect of political party orientation (i.e., right, centre and left) on income inequality remains under researched. In this paper, the authors empirically explore the relationship between the nature of political party orientation, trade unions and income inequality.Design/methodology/approach The authors use three different measures of income inequality and dummy variables that capture government party orientation with respect to economic policy for a panel of 17 OECD economies over the period 2000–2016. The authors employ a panel fixed effects approach and the Driscoll and Kraay's (1998) nonparametric covariance matrix estimator.FindingsThe empirical evidence indicates that strong unions and, to some extent, left party governance, are fundamental institutional elements to combat rising levels of income inequality whilst countries dominated by right-wing political parties appear to exacerbate income inequality. The results pertaining to the impact of centrist parties on income inequality are ambiguous suggesting that a potential fragmentation may exist in their political approach.Originality/valueThe evidence generated can have significant policy ramifications in alleviating rising levels of income inequality as well in relation to the declining unionization rates observed across advanced economies.
Out of their depth: The successful use of cultured subtidal mussels for intertidal restoration

Ecosystem restoration has proliferated across the globe to combat widespread ecosystem decline. Translocations of viable individuals into degraded habitats form a core component of restoration efforts, but the selection of source populations poses challenges because phenotypic differences between source populations and depleted populations result in low post‐translocation survival. Intertidal mussel restoration is typically reliant on subtidal source populations despite their weaker shells, lighter weights, and poorer respiratory abilities compared to intertidal mussels. Intertidal mussel restoration using subtidal mussels has recorded very low survival, leading to suggestions that subtidal mussels are unfit for the intertidal zone, effectively eliminating the possibility of translocation‐based intertidal mussel restoration. In this study, small‐scale intertidal mussel restoration was tested using subtidal cultured mussels transplanted to paired plots, half in the lower intertidal and half in the upper subtidal. The results demonstrate the first scientific evidence of the successful restoration of intertidal mussel reefs using subtidal mussels at this scale. Specifically, one location recorded very high survival after 12 months (95.1 ± 0.6%; mean ± SE), comparable to the survival recorded in the subtidal zone (97.6 ± 0.3%). Translocations to the intertidal at the other two locations experienced mortality during the Austral summer (final survival: 81.3 ± 1.6% and 56.6 ± 7.4%), which directly correlated with exposure to extreme temperatures (>40°C). These results reveal that despite phenotypic differences, subtidal cultured mussels are potential sources for successful intertidal restoration. However, care should also be taken to avoid locations prone to high temperatures, particularly in light of a warming global environment. Ultimately, to achieve the massive upscaling in restoration called for by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we encourage restoration managers to think broadly about potential source populations, avoid rejections based solely on phenotypic differences, and explore every potential avenue for restoration success.