Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supplementing the Nuclear-Encoded PSII Subunit D1 Induces Dramatic Metabolic Reprogramming in Flag Leaves during Grain Filling in Rice

Our previous study has demonstrated that the nuclear-origin supplementation of the PSII core subunit D1 protein stimulates growth and increases grain yields in transgenic rice plants by enhancing photosynthetic efficiency. In this study, the underlying mechanisms have been explored regarding how the enhanced photosynthetic capacity affects metabolic activities in the transgenic plants of rice harboring the integrated transgene RbcSPTP-OspsbA cDNA, cloned from rice, under control of the AtHsfA2 promoter and N-terminal fused with the plastid-transit peptide sequence (PTP) cloned from the AtRbcS. Here, a comparative metabolomic analysis was performed using LC-MS in flag leaves of the transgenic rice plants during the grain-filling stage. Critically, the dramatic reduction in the quantities of nucleotides and certain free amino acids was detected, suggesting that the increased photosynthetic assimilation and grain yield in the transgenic plants correlates with the reduced contents of free nucleotides and the amino acids such as glutamine and glutamic acid, which are cellular nitrogen sources. These results suggest that enhanced photosynthesis needs consuming more free nucleotides and nitrogen sources to support the increase in biomass and yields, as exhibited in transgenic rice plants. Unexpectedly, dramatic changes were measured in the contents of flavonoids in the flag leaves, suggesting that a tight and coordinated relationship exists between increasing photosynthetic assimilation and flavonoid biosynthesis. Consistent with the enhanced photosynthetic efficiency, the substantial increase was measured in the content of starch, which is the primary product of the Calvin–Benson cycle, in the transgenic rice plants under field growth conditions.
A study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a gene-based nutrition and lifestyle recommendation for weight management among adults: the MyGeneMyDiet® study

Introduction Managing nutrition and lifestyle practices, nutrition phenotypes, and the genome forms the foundation of precision nutrition. Precision nutrition focuses on metabolic variability among individuals, and one approach to achieving its goals is to integrate gene-based nutrition and lifestyle recommendations in nutrition practice. However, scientific evidence proving the effectiveness of such recommendations is limited. This study will examine whether providing nutrition and lifestyle recommendations based on individual genotype can lead to better weight loss, along with reduction in body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and body fat percentage among overweight and obese adults. Methods and analysis A parallel group, single-blind, randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Sixty-two overweight/obese individuals aged 19–59 years old will be recruited. Participants will be randomly allocated to either the intervention (n = 31) or the control arm (n = 31). Participants in the intervention group will receive the MyGeneMyDiet® Recommendation for Weight Management, a gene-based nutrition and lifestyle recommendation that was developed based on existing evidence of the effects of FTO rs9939609 on body weight, BMI, and physical activity; UCP1 rs1800592 on calorie intake; and TCF7L2 rs7903146 on dietary fat intake. Participants in the control group will receive the standard recommendations for weight management. The primary outcomes will be the differences in weight, BMI, waist circumference, and body fat percentage between arms in both the active phase (6 months) and inactive phase (last 6 months) of the trial. Participants in both arms will be evaluated at baseline and in months 3, 6, 9, and 12. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first gene-based intervention that will adopt a phase of intensive nutrition counseling, followed by a simulation of a free-living state to determine adherence to a gene-based recommendation. This study will contribute to the future implementation of precision nutrition interventions by providing evidence on the effectiveness of a gene-based nutrition and lifestyle recommendation for weight loss. Clinical trial registration clinicaltrials.gov, identifier [NCT05098899].
A Quadruple CLLC Converter for Submodule of MMC-Based SSTs with High Efficiency and Symmetric Bidirectional Power Flow

This paper proposes a quadruple CLLC converter for the submodule of modular multilevel converter- (MMC) based solid state transformers (SSTs). In SST applications, bidirectional power flow capability is required. The proposed converter offers symmetric bidirectional power flow capability, which is preferable due to the same circuit analysis and identical efficiency for both power flows. Moreover, high efficiency and soft switching operations at various loads can be ensured without any additional circuits and complex control schemes. A simple parameter design to achieve soft-switching and desired output voltage is discussed in this paper. Large-scale simulation at 100 kW and small-scale prototype at 500 W rated powers verify the effectiveness of the proposed converter. The converter efficiency is also compared with other existing topologies and the maximum efficiencies of the large-scale simulation and small-scale prototype are 98.9 %.
Commutation Torque Ripple Reduction for Direct DC-link Current Control by Applying Multilevel Hysteresis Controller and Proper Voltage Vectors

To achieve high-performance control of the brushless direct current (BLDC) motors, a direct DC-link current control (DDLCC) is introduced and compared with the direct torque control (DTC) method. Similar to the DTC method, the proposed DDLCC method has a fast transient response; nonetheless, it comes with higher reliability, cost-effectiveness, and lower torque ripple. Although this method provides average torque ripples lower than those of the DTC method, the commutation torque ripple is higher. A four-level hysteresis controller is utilized to distinguish the commutations, and then, the commutation torque ripple is suppressed by applying appropriate voltage vectors. These vectors provide similar fall time and rise time for both commutated currents and suppress commutation torque ripple. The results verify these appropriate voltage vectors guarantee the stable performance of the BLDC motor as well as commutation torque ripple reduction compared to the conventional DTC method.
Pathways to Enhancing Analysis of Irrigation by Remote Sensing (AIRS) in Urban Settings

In contrast to agricultural settings, irrigation of residential properties in urban settings is typified by small and irregular areas, many untrained water users, limited end-use metering, and differing groundcover. This makes analyzing irrigation patterns to promote efficient water use challenging. We explore the use of remote sensing tools and data sets to help characterize urban irrigation use in the United States. Herein, we review available multispectral imagery datasets and discuss tradeoffs among spatial resolution, collection frequency, and historical availability. We survey options for evapotranspiration data at various spatial and temporal scales that could be paired with the multispectral imagery to estimate irrigation demand. We call the general approach Analysis of Irrigation by Remote Sensing (AIRS). We discuss the potential of drones to capture higher-resolution temporal or spatial data in study areas and/or multiple flights in a single season to provide ground truth or establish patterns. We present data and analysis options that may be suitable depending on specific project objectives. Through a case study scenario, we illustrate some tradeoffs. As a starting point, we recommend public 1 m National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) images for irrigated area estimates and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) calculations, combined with open-source OpenET for evapotranspiration, to provide historical snapshots of water use, vegetation quality, and general irrigation efficiency in urban areas. The method is most effective when paired with optional water use data and can provide information with which to design more optimal studies.
Effect of urbanization on stream insect communities in adjacent headwater and downstream reaches

Title of Document: EFFECT OF URBANIZATION ON STREAM INSECT COMMUNITIES IN ADJACENT HEADWATER AND DOWNSTREAM REACHES Robert Francis Smith, Master of Science, 2006 Directed By: Professor, Margaret A. Palmer, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and Department of Entomology Associate Professor, William O. Lamp, Department of Entomology Watershed urbanization causes decreased diversity in aquatic insect communities. Recent studies have focused on effects to aquatic life stages without consideration of impacts to adult terrestrial stages. Here, I review the potential impacts of urbanization on adult aquatic insects. The review suggests that urbanization may limit adult dispersal, limit taxa richness in urban headwaters, and increase similarity between communities in urban headwater and downstream reaches. Empirically, I compared communities in urban and rural headwater streams, compared community similarity between headwater and main-stem reaches in urban and rural watersheds, and examined longitudinal patterns of richness and community similarity along headwater streams in rural and urban watersheds. Diversity was lower for urban headwater communities. Similarity between headwater and main-stem communities was higher for urban watersheds. Longitudinal patterns of richness and similarity differed between urban and rural watersheds. These results support predictions that regional factors are partly controlling composition in urban headwater streams.
Active/Semi-Active Suspension System Control Based on Electromagnetic Damper

For the vibration control problem and potential energy harvesting performance of the suspension system, this paper proposes an active/semi-active vibration control strategy based on an electromagnetic damper (EMD). Therein, the three-vector-based model predictive current control (TV-MPCC) for the permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is developed to achieve the fast tracking of the given torque. Furthermore, the torque is converted to the actuator force by the drive of the ball screw. Based on the four-quadrant operation characteristic of the PMSM, the EMD energy flow state is analyzed to provide the basis for designing the energy harvesting control strategy. Under the maximum energy harvesting power objective, a moving horizon optimized state feedback H2/H∞ control strategy is designed to balance constraint satisfaction and performance optimization when dealing with complex and stochastic road excitation. The hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation platform is established based on the dSPACE and the DSP. Wherein the off-line optimized moving horizon strategy and the TV-MPCC are implemented on the DS1006 processor board and the DSP, respectively. The effectiveness of the designed active/semi-active suspension system for road excitation suppression and vibration energy harvesting is verified by the simulation and HIL test.
Evaluation of Biofloc-Based Probiotic Isolates on Growth Performance and Physiological Responses in Litopenaeus vannamei

A comparison of the growth performance of Penaeus vannamei was ascertained by supplementing the potential probiotics isolated from a biofloc system incorporated through feed. Post-larvae shrimp (0.045 ± 0.005 g) were stocked at a density of 500/m3 in FRP tanks (500 L) in triplicates for a period of 60 days. A total of 40 bacterial strains were isolated from previous biofloc culture trials and tested for their antimicrobial activity against the pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Among these, Bacillus megaterium, Exiguobacterium profundum, Pseudomonas balearica, and Pseudomonas stutzeri showed higher antimicrobial activity. The treatment groups included clear water with no probiotics (CW), clear water + isolated probiotic (CW + IP), biofloc alone (BFT), and biofloc + isolated probiotic (BFT + IP), in triplicates. Distillery spent wash was used as a carbon source for biofloc development and maintenance. A probiotic concentration of 1 × 109 cfu/g was supplemented throughout the trial. The recorded water quality parameters (pH, alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium) were observed to be significant among the experimental groups (p ≤ 0.05). The highest weight gain (2.43 g), SGR, PER, and lower FCR values were recorded in BFT + IP. The lowest values of total Vibrio were found in BFT. The histology analysis revealed that there was a mild increase in the B and R cell vacuoles in the hepatopancreas of CW and BFT + IP, whereas mild degeneration was found in the intestine of CW and CW + IP. Microbiome analysis of the shrimp gut revealed that Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum in all experimental groups. P. balearica, K. pneumoniae, P. stutzeri, and E. profundum were present in the gut of C, whereas P. balearica, K. pneumonia, and P. stutzeri were present in the gut of CW + IP and BFT + IP. The results proved that the probiotics isolated from biofloc colonized in shrimp gut could play a promising role in aquaculture.
Enhancing Retail Product Recognition: Fine-Grained Bottle Size Classification

In this paper, we propose two innovative approaches to tackle the key challenges in product size classification, with a specific focus on bottles. Our research is particularly interesting as we leverage the bottle cap as a reference object, which allows bottle size classification to overcome challenges in the distance between the capturing device and the retail shelf, viewing angle, and arrangement of bottles on the shelves. We showcase the usage of the reference object in explicit and implicit novel approaches and discuss the benefits and limitations of the proposed methods.
DC-link Capacitance Estimation based on Discharge Profile of Inverter for EV Application

This paper proposes a non-invasive DC-link capacitance estimation method based on capacitor discharging profile during the turning-off transition of a three-phase inverter. The proposed method relies on existing signals without the need for additional sensors or an upgrade of existing sensors. The presented study aims for Electric Vehicle (EV) traction inverter application due to its frequent parking activities during the use. It minimizes the new risk because the estimation procedure can be implemented after vehicles are parked. The influences of different discharging loading scenarios and constraints in sampling frequency and sensor accuracy are analyzed. The proof-of-concept experiments based on a scaled-down inverter prototype verify the feasibility of the proposed method.
Carbon storage in forests and peatlands of Russia

Contains information about carbon storage in the vegetation, soils, and peatlands of Russia. Estimates of carbon storage in forests are derived from statistical data from the 1988 national forest inventory of Russia and from other sources. Methods are presented for converting data on timber stock into phytomass of tree stands, and for estimating carbon storage in forest soils and peatlands in Russia's administrative territories and natural ecoregions. Also included is information on the timber stock of Russia's primary tree species and phytomass of forest vegetation, mortmass, and peat.
Short-Term Caloric Restriction and Subsequent Re-Feeding Compromise Liver Health and Associated Lipid Mediator Signaling in Aged Mice

Aging is characterized by alterations in the inflammatory microenvironment, which is tightly regulated by a complex network of inflammatory mediators. Excessive calorie consumption contributes to age- and lifestyle-associated diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer, while limited nutrient availability may lead to systemic health-promoting adaptations. Geroprotective effects of short-term caloric restriction (CR) can beneficially regulate innate immune receptors and interferon signaling in the liver of aged mice, but how CR impacts the hepatic release of immunomodulatory mediators like cytokines and lipid mediators (LM) is elusive. Here, we investigated the impact of aging on the inflammatory microenvironment in the liver and its linkage to calorie consumption. The livers of female young and aged C57BL/6JRj mice, as well as of aged mice after caloric restriction (CR) up to 28 days, with and without subsequent re-feeding (2 days), were evaluated. Surprisingly, despite differences in the hepatic proteome of young and old mice, aging did not promote a pro-inflammatory environment in the liver, but it reduced lipoxygenase-mediated formation of LM from polyunsaturated fatty acids without affecting the expression of the involved lipoxygenases and related oxygenases. Moreover, CR failed to ameliorate the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines but shifted the LM production to the formation of monohydroxylated LM with inflammation-resolving features. Unexpectedly, re-feeding after CR even further decreased the inflammatory response as LM species were markedly downregulated. Our findings raise the question of how short-term CR is indeed beneficial as a nutritional intervention for healthy elderly subjects and further stress the necessity to address tissue-specific inflammatory states.
An Efficient ATPG Technology Based On Time Division Multiplexing Method

As IC complexity increases, test is emerging as large expenses in VLSI Circuits manufacturing, which affects the efficiency of chip shipments. In the traditional ATPG (Automatic Test Pattern Generation) process, the test efficiency of each pattern is related to the parallelism of the clocks at the capture stage while only the clocks without cross-talk that are considered to be the synchronous clock can be pulsed at the same time in the ATPG tool. It is obvious that the efficiency of the test pattern will reach the highest when all clocks work together in one pattern, which meas the parallelism reaches the maximum. In this paper, an efficient ATPG method named Capture Clock Time Division Mutiplexing Pseudosynchronization Control is presented, which can improve the working parallelism of test clocks in a single pattern and significantly reduce the test application time and test data volume.
Student Collaboration in Student Active Learning

Student active learning refers to instructional approaches that actively engage students in the learning process through collaboration and discussion. However, the role and benefits of collaboration are described in different ways in the literature. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of collaboration in student active learning by exploring how students experience collaboration. The findings are based on reflection notes from a total of 54 students attending a course at the Master’s degree level. They wrote reflection notes on their individual learning outcomes and on how group collaboration supported their learning. Their experiences of collaboration in active learning were also collected through semi-structured grou interviews. The data material was analyzed through a pragmatic approach inspired by both thematic analysis and constant comparative analysis. The students report that the active learning brought them into close and binding collaboration with fellow students and their teachers. Categories such as COntract, COntextualization, COnstruction, and COnnection describe in detail how the students experienced collaboration in student active learning, and how they described the role and benefits of collaboration. To communicate to educators how such knowledge may support them when planning and implementing student active learning, we also present a conceptual framework that can guide educators and students through the phases of planning, implementing, and assessing student active learning. The framework shows how student active learning may open for student engagement, student reflection, and student influence.
Simultaneous editing of two DMR6 genes in grapevine results in reduced susceptibility to downy mildew

The reduction of pesticide treatments is of paramount importance for the sustainability of viticulture, and it can be achieved through a combination of strategies, including the cultivation of vines (Vitis vinifera) that are resistant or tolerant to diseases such as downy mildew (DM). In many crops, the knock-out of Downy Mildew Resistant 6 (DMR6) proved successful in controlling DM-resistance, but the effect of mutations in DMR6 genes is not yet known in grapevine. Today, gene editing serves crop improvement with small and specific mutations while maintaining the genetic background of commercially important clones. Moreover, recent technological advances allowed to produce non-transgenic grapevine clones by regeneration of protoplasts edited with the CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein. This approach may revolutionize the production of new grapevine varieties and clones, but it requires knowledge about the targets and the impact of editing on plant phenotype and fitness in different cultivars. In this work we generated single and double knock-out mutants by editing DMR6 susceptibility (S) genes using CRISPR/Cas9, and showed that only the combined mutations in VviDMR6-1 and VviDMR6-2 are effective in reducing susceptibility to DM in two table-grape cultivars by increasing the levels of endogenous salicylic acid. Therefore, editing both genes may be necessary for effective DM control in real-world agricultural settings, which could potentially lead to unwanted phenotypes. Additional research, including trials conducted in experimental vineyards, is required to gain a deeper understanding of DMR6-based resistance.
Comparison of two anastomosis techniques in terms of postoperative pancreatic fistula development: A retrospective cohort study

Background/Aim: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) development is a common complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Various surgical anastomosis techniques have been proposed to mitigate this risk. This study compares two techniques: the two-layer duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy (TLPJ) and the modified layer-to-layer end-to-side duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy with jejunal serosa resection (MLLPJ). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between January 2012 and December 2020. The primary outcome was the rate of biochemical leak and clinically relevant POPF (grades B and C POPFs). Results: The rate of biochemical leak was significantly higher in the TLPJ group than in the MLLPJ group (54.5% vs. 4.0%, P<0.001). Clinically relevant POPFs developed in 5.2% of all patients, with rates of 6.1% in the TLPJ group and 4.0% in the MLLPJ group. Patients with longer surgery durations, increased bleeding, and a soft pancreas texture had significantly higher risk of developing clinically relevant POPFs (P=0.009, P=0.039, and P=0.022, respectively). Conclusion: The MLLPJ anastomosis technique demonstrated a significant reduction in biochemical leak rates. However, the choice between TLPJ and MLLPJ did not significantly impact the rates of clinically relevant POPFs. Other factors, such as surgery duration, bleeding volume, and pancreas texture, were identified as significant risk factors for the development of these fistulas.