Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Establishment of an Inactivation Method for Ebola Virus and SARS-CoV-2 Suitable for Downstream Sequencing of Low Cell Numbers

Technologies that facilitate the bulk sequencing of small numbers of cells as well as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) have aided greatly in the study of viruses as these analyses can be used to differentiate responses from infected versus bystander cells in complex systems, including in organoid or animal studies. While protocols for these analyses are typically developed with biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) considerations in mind, such analyses are equally useful for the study of viruses that require higher biosafety containment levels. Many of these workstreams, however, are not directly compatible with the more stringent biosafety regulations of BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories ensuring virus inactivation and must therefore be modified. Here we show that TCL buffer (Qiagen), which was developed for bulk sequencing of small numbers of cells and also facilitates scRNA-seq, inactivates both Ebola virus (EBOV) and SARS-CoV-2, BSL-4 and BSL-3 viruses, respectively. We show that additional heat treatment, necessary for the more stringent biosafety concerns for BSL-4-derived samples, was additionally sufficient to inactivate EBOV-containing samples. Critically, this heat treatment had minimal effects on extracted RNA quality and downstream sequencing results.
Shear flow disturbance due to a hole in the plane

An exact solution, using pairs of dual integral equations that arise from mixed boundary conditions, is presented for the interaction, due to a circular hole in the bounding wall, of a shear flow with otherwise stationary fluid. Together with a suction‐driven flow through the hole, this flow has been used by Yan, Acrivos, and Weinbaum [J. Fluid. Mech. (in press)] to asymptotically model fluid skimming and particle entrainment into a small circular side pore. The Cartesian velocity components and dynamic pressure can be quite simply expressed in terms of toroidal coordinates.
Three Molecular Modification Strategies to Improve the Thermostability of Xylanase XynA from Streptomyces rameus L2001

Glycoside hydrolase family 11 (GH11) xylanases are the preferred candidates for the production of functional oligosaccharides. However, the low thermostability of natural GH11 xylanases limits their industrial applications. In this study, we investigated the following three strategies to modify the thermostability of xylanase XynA from Streptomyces rameus L2001 mutation to reduce surface entropy, intramolecular disulfide bond construction, and molecular cyclization. Changes in the thermostability of XynA mutants were analyzed using molecular simulations. All mutants showed improved thermostability and catalytic efficiency compared with XynA, except for molecular cyclization. The residual activities of high-entropy amino acid-replacement mutants Q24A and K104A increased from 18.70% to more than 41.23% when kept at 65 °C for 30 min. The catalytic efficiencies of Q24A and K143A increased to 129.99 and 92.26 mL/s/mg, respectively, compared with XynA (62.97 mL/s/mg) when using beechwood xylan as the substrate. The mutant enzyme with disulfide bonds formed between Val3 and Thr30 increased the t1/260 °C by 13.33-fold and the catalytic efficiency by 1.80-fold compared with the wild-type XynA. The high thermostabilities and hydrolytic activities of XynA mutants will be useful for enzymatic production of functional xylo-oligosaccharides.
Model circuit analysis for current drive operations in a tokamak

The transition from the pulsed state to the steady state in a tokamak is numerically studied using a model circuit for the current drive operations. The problem of shutting off the primary circuit without reducing plasma current is analysed for the cases of air core and iron core transformers in a medium-sized tokamak. It is found that the air core transformer is more suitable for the current drive operations because of smaller primary-plasma coupling and the absence of saturation problems. Iron core transformers require careful adjustment in the vertical field in order to compensate for the change due to core saturation. The iron core transformer may be shut off only when plasma equilibrium in the negative saturation phase is maintained by a supplementary vertical field.
O2-sensitive microcavity arrays: A new platform for oxygen measurements in 3D cell cultures

Oxygen concentration plays a crucial role in (3D) cell culture. However, the oxygen content in vitro is usually not comparable to the in vivo situation, which is partly due to the fact that most experiments are performed under ambient atmosphere supplemented with 5% CO2, which can lead to hyperoxia. Cultivation under physiological conditions is necessary, but also fails to have suitable measurement methods, especially in 3D cell culture. Current oxygen measurement methods rely on global oxygen measurements (dish or well) and can only be performed in 2D cultures. In this paper, we describe a system that allows the determination of oxygen in 3D cell culture, especially in the microenvironment of single spheroids/organoids. For this purpose, microthermoforming was used to generate microcavity arrays from oxygen-sensitive polymer films. In these oxygen-sensitive microcavity arrays (sensor arrays), spheroids cannot only be generated but also cultivated further. In initial experiments we could show that the system is able to perform mitochondrial stress tests in spheroid cultures to characterize mitochondrial respiration in 3D. Thus, with the help of sensor arrays, it is possible to determine oxygen label-free and in real-time in the immediate microenvironment of spheroid cultures for the first time.
Prenatal SSRI Exposure Increases the Risk of Autism in Rodents via Aggravated Oxidative Stress and Neurochemical Changes in the Brain

The mechanisms underlying selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use during pregnancy as a major autism risk factor are unclear. Here, brain neurochemical changes following fluoxetine exposure and in an autism model were compared to determine the effects on autism risk. The study was performed on neonatal male western albino rats which were divided into Groups one (control), two (propionic acid [PPA]-induced autism model), and three (prenatal SSRI-exposed newborn rats whose mothers were exposed to 5 mg/kg of fluoxetine over gestation days 10–20). SSRI (fluoxetine) induced significant neurochemical abnormalities in the rat brain by increasing lipid peroxide (MDA), Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and caspase-3 levels and by depleting Glutathione (GSH), Glutathione S-transferases (GST), Catalase, potassium (K+), and Creatine kinase (CK) levels, similarly to what has been discovered in the PPA model of autism when compared with control. Prenatal fluoxetine exposure plays a significant role in asset brain damage in newborns; further investigation of fluoxetine as an autism risk factor is thus warranted.
Metal abundances of RR Lyrae variables in selected Galactic star fields. V, The Lick Astrographic fields at intermediate Galactic latitudes

ΔS metalllicities are derived for 60 RR Lyrae in three new Lick Astrographic Survey fields at intermadiate Galactic latitudes : (l, b) = (86°, 35°), (52°, 35°), and (18°, 25°). ΔS values are also given for five nearby field RR Lyrae without previously published values, and improved ΔS values are listed for 24 nearby RR Lyrae. From these data and others, the nature of the Galactic halo in the galactocentric distance range 4-30 kpc is analyzed, based on 171 RR Lyraes. It is found that the nature of the metallicity of the Galactic halo changes at the solar circle. In comparison with the globular cluster population, outside the solar circle the field RR Lyraes and globular clusters have the same mean metallicity and dispersion, while inside the solar circle the field of RR Lyraes are more metal-rich than the globular clusters.
Geometric sensitivity analysis with isoparametric finite elements

This paper presents the development of several analytical relationships for use in the gradient calculations common to sensitivity analysis and configuration optimization. The methods discussed are oriented toward two- and three-dimensional continua modelled with isoparametric finite elements, and design parameters which control the geometric layout of the structure. The notable feature of these formulae is their simplicity, which leads to quick and systematic computational algorithms for most standard elements.
Performance, Gut Integrity, Enterobacteria Content in Ceca of Broiler Fed Different Eubiotic Additives

An experiment was carried out to study the effect of different eubiotics on productive characteristics, intestinal integrity, as well as the content of enterobacteria in the cecum of broiler chickens. A completely randomized design with five treatments and 8 replicates of 25 birds each was used. In total 1000 mixed broiler chickens from Ross308 strain, one day old were obtained from a commercial hatchery. The birds were housed on concrete floors in a conventional house. A sorghum+soybean meal control diet was used, to which the additives under study were added. The treatments were distributed as follows: T1 = Control diet without antibiotic or eubiotic; T2 = T1 + bacteriophages; T3 = T1 + antibiotic; T4 = T1 + probiotic; T5 = T1 + symbiotic. The results obtained at 49 days of age for weight gain and feed conversion rate improved ( p <0.05) with the addition of the antibiotic and eubiotics. A lower ( p <0.05) intestinal density was observed with the probiotic. The height, width, and area of villi in duodenum was higher ( p <0.05) when antibiotic and eubiotics were included. In the histological score, in duodenum, the antibiotic and eubiotics resulted with a higher score ( p <0.05), associated to a physiological and controlled inflammation response that allowed improving productivity. Finally, the relative expression of enterobacteria, such as Lactobacillus salivarius , allowed associating positive changes in the microbiome and better productive parameters when including the symbiotic, with comparable results to the antibiotic when including the eubiotics
The value of cognitive foundations for dynamic social theory

It is possible to develop models of social behavior that are predicated on detailed mechanical models of cognition. Cognitively based social models are potentially unified theoretical frameworks that can be used to explain a wide variety of social phenomena. Moreover, if a knowledge representation scheme and a knowledge acquisition scheme are specified in the underlying cognitive model then it is possible to produce a dynamic social model. The resulting social model can thus be used to predict and explain not only conditions for specific behaviors but changes in those behaviors over time. Constructuralism is a theory of social behavior that rests on a cognitive model. The cognitive model specified has a knowledge representation scheme, knowledge acquisition procedures, and control procedures for shifting cognitive attention. The resulting social model is a dynamic model that can be used to explain both conditions for the occurrence of a behavior and social and individual changes that accrue do to a series.
Ambient Air Quality Standards and Policies in Eastern Mediterranean Countries: A Review

Objectives: National ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) are critical tools for controlling air pollution and protecting public health. We designed this study to 1) gather the NAAQS for six classical air pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, SO2, and CO in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries, 2) compare those with the updated World Health Organizations Air Quality Guidelines (WHO AQGs 2021), 3) estimate the potential health benefits of achieving annual PM2.5 NAAQS and WHO AQGs per country, and 4) gather the information on air quality policies and action plans in the EMR countries. Methods: To gather information on the NAAQS, we searched several bibliographic databases, hand-searched the relevant papers and reports, and analysed unpublished data on NAAQS in the EMR countries reported from these countries to the WHO/Regional office of the Eastern Mediterranean/Climate Change, Health and Environment Unit (WHO/EMR/CHE). To estimate the potential health benefits of reaching the NAAQS and AQG levels for PM2.5, we used the average of ambient PM2.5 exposures in the 22 EMR countries in 2019 from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) dataset and AirQ+ software. Results: Almost all of the EMR countries have national ambient air quality standards for the critical air pollutants except Djibouti, Somalia, and Yemen. However, the current standards for PM2.5 are up to 10 times higher than the current health-based WHO AQGs. The standards for other considered pollutants exceed AQGs as well. We estimated that the reduction of annual mean PM2.5 exposure level to the AQG level (5 μg m−3) would be associated with a decrease of all natural-cause mortality in adults (age 30+) by 16.9%–42.1% in various EMR countries. All countries would even benefit from the achievement of the Interim Target-2 (25 μg m−3) for annual mean PM2.5: it would reduce all-cause mortality by 3%–37.5%. Less than half of the countries in the Region reported having policies relevant to air quality management, in particular addressing pollution related to sand and desert storms (SDS) such as enhancing the implementation of sustainable land management practices, taking measures to prevent and control the main factors of SDS, and developing early warning systems as tools to combat SDS. Few countries conduct studies on the health effects of air pollution or on a contribution of SDS to pollution levels. Information from air quality monitoring is available for 13 out of the 22 EMR countries. Conclusion: Improvement of air quality management, including international collaboration and prioritization of SDS, supported by an update (or establishment) of NAAQSs and enhanced air quality monitoring are essential elements for reduction of air pollution and its health effects in the EMR.
Sliding Inguinal Bladder Hernia: An Open and Minimally Invasive Robotic-Assisted Repair

Inguinal hernia repair, although a common procedure, can present in complicated ways such as a sliding inguinal bladder hernia (IBH). This rare type of hernia can alter a patient’s quality of life by obstructing urination, requiring manual scrotal compression to fully empty the bladder, and lead to devastating complications such as hydronephrosis and kidney failure. Treatment is typically by open inguinal hernia repair with manual bladder reduction, but this method poses risks of iatrogenic injury to the bladder. Within this case series, IBH repairs via open and robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedures are compared, and the morbidity and mortality of each method are analyzed. Although risk of recurrence is similar for both procedures, robotic surgeries are linked to decreased postoperative pain and length of hospital stay. The ease of dissection of pelvic anatomy and detailed view of the associated structures that robotic surgery can provide during a complex hernia repair encourages its use for IBH.
Spermidine-Eugenol Supplement Preserved Inflammation-Challenged Intestinal Cells by Stimulating Autophagy

Increases in non-communicable and auto-immune diseases, with a shared etiology of defective autophagy and chronic inflammation, have motivated research both on natural products in drug discovery fields and on the interrelationship between autophagy and inflammation. Within this framework, the tolerability and protective effects of a wheat-germ spermidine (SPD) and clove eugenol (EUG) combination supplement (SUPPL) were investigated on inflammation status (after the administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) and on autophagy using human Caco-2 and NCM460 cell lines. In comparison to the LPS treatment alone, the SUPPL + LPS significantly attenuated ROS levels and midkine expression in monocultures, as well as occludin expression and mucus production in reconstituted intestinal equivalents. Over a timeline of 2–4 h, the SUPPL and SUPPL + LPS treatments stimulated autophagy LC3-11 steady state expression and turnover, as well as P62 turnover. After completely blocking autophagy with dorsomorphin, inflammatory midkine was significantly reduced in the SUPPL + LPS treatment in a non-autophagy-dependent manner. After a 24 h timeline, preliminary results showed that mitophagy receptor BNIP3L expression was significantly downregulated in the SUPPL + LPS treatment compared to the LPS alone, whereas conventional autophagy protein expression was significantly higher. The SUPPL shows promise in reducing inflammation and increasing autophagy to improve intestinal health.
Nonlinear free flexural vibration of thin circular cylindrical shells

Introduction T HE early development on the topic of nonlinear vibrations of isotropic circular cylindrical shells is well documented by Evensen. In 1976, Raju and Rao presented a finite-element solution, and Evensen commented that the authors had ignored the physics of the problem that thin shells bend more readily than they stretch. Subsequently, Prathap pointed out some inconsistencies in the mathematical analysis carried out by Evensen and also in the physical behavior of the three-term model of Dowell and Ventres. The comments made in Ref. 4 led to reinvestigation of the earlier problem in the present study. The axisymmetric part of the assumed deflected shape plays an important role in the nonlinear behavior of the shell, and so two appropriate threeterm mode shapes for the transverse displacement are chosen. The modal equations obtained by the Galerkin method are solved by the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method to obtain the amplitude-frequency relationship. The numerical results based on the present study and on the analysis of Evensen are compared with the existing experimental values.
Comparitive Analysis of Positive Output Elementary Superlift Luo Converter using PI and Fuzzy Controller

The applications of Power electronic DC-DC converters are increasing frequently with the advancement of technology. There are more than 500 topologies of the power converters which are categorized into non-isolated and isolated converters. Selection of converter topology is based on the area of application as well as some important performance parameters such as cost, power density, power transfer efficiency, gain and size. This paper presents the comparative analysis of positive output super lift Luo converter with Proportional-Integral and Fuzzy logic-based controller. The converter is designed under CCM mode, and the modelling of converter is done using state space method. The POSLLC is designed along with two controllers and performance is analyzed and compared for both. This analysis can be utilized effectively for the choice of robust controller with high dynamic performance. The simulation study of converter with both the controllers is executed in the MATLAB platform and the results are compared and illustrated.
Simple equations to describe aerosol growth

A simple set of one algebraic equation and two ordinary differential equations is proposed to describe an aerosol growth process simultaneously involving nucleation, condensation/evaporation and coagulation using a monodisperse approach. With the assumption of spherical particles in a gas-volume-based environment, this method is applicable to both the free molecular size and the continuum size regimes, although it is not of use in the transition regime because it does not take into account the dynamics of transition. Despite its much simpler mathematical formulation and lower computational costs, this method gives reasonable numerical results for the particle number concentration and the particle size. These results practically coincide with those obtained with a more complex and elaborate method using the moments of a size distribution function. Modification of the equations to express different probabilities for particle fusion on impact is also suggested.
GALEV evolutionary synthesis on the web – current state and future plans

Abstract GALEV evolutionary synthesis models describe the evolution of stellar populations in general, of star clusters as well as of galaxies, both in terms of resolved stellar populations and of integrated light properties over cosmological timescales of >13 Gyr from the onset of star formation shortly after the Big Bang until today. A new web-interface now allows to run customized GALEV models with user-defined parameters. This web-interface, all data, and many more features to come, can be found at http://www.galev. org.
Exploratory Analysis of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) for Quantitative Traits

With the decreasing cost and the increasing ability to quickly genotype single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) across the human genome, large databases containing possibly hundreds of typed SNPs are becoming common in population-based studies of quantitative traits. Testing for association between individual SNPs and the quantitative trait is an important first step in the discovery of disease susceptibility SNPs. This task, however, could be time-consuming and tedious if a large number of SNPs is involved. In this article, I introduce two new commands designed to facilitate the screening and testing of multiple SNPs for possible association with quantitative traits.
Multiresolution energy minimisation framework for stereo matching

Global optimisation algorithms for stereo dense depth map estimation have demonstrated how to outperform other stereo algorithms such as local methods or dynamic programming. The energy minimisation framework, using Markov random fields model and solved using graph cuts or belief propagation, has especially obtained good results. The main drawback of these methods is that, although they achieve accurate reconstruction, they are not suited for real-time applications. Subsampling the input images does not reduce the complexity of the problem because it also reduces the resolution of the output in the disparity space. Nonetheless, some real-time applications such as navigation would tolerate the reduction of the depth map resolutions (width and height) while maintaining the resolution in the disparity space (number of labels). In this study a new multiresolution energy minimisation framework for real-time robotics applications is proposed where a global optimisation algorithm is applied. A reduction by a factor R of the final depth map's resolution is considered and a speed of up to 50 times has been achieved. Using high-resolution stereo pair input images guarantees that a high resolution on the disparity dimension is preserved. The proposed framework has shown how to obtain real-time performance while keeping accurate results in the Middlebury test data set.
Study of Resistive SFCLs for Transient Stability Enhancement of Paralleled Synchronous and Virtual Synchronous Generators in Weak Grid

Regarding a paralleled synchronous generator (SG) and virtual synchronous generator (VSG) system connected to a weak grid, the transient stability should be given more concern. This paper proposes applying resistive superconducting fault current limiters (R-SFCLs) to boost the paralleled SG-VSG system's transient stability while meeting the current limitation requirement (CLR). Firstly, the theoretical modeling is carried out, and the influencing mechanism of the grid strength on the transient stability is clarified. Then, the functions of the R-SFCLs to the paralleled system are analyzed, and the parameter design guidelines for the R-SFCLs are stated. Time-domain simulations are implemented in MATLAB, and a detailed comparison of using the R-SFCLs and the additional torque control for the paralleled system is made. From the simulations, the proposed approach offers a more significant stabilization effect. It outperforms the additional torque control to decrease the unbalanced power, eliminate the power angle oscillation, and handle the short-circuit fault with a longer duration for the paralleled system. The viability and appropriateness of the proposed approach are well confirmed.