Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early Origins of Later Life Psychological Well-Being? A Novel Application of Causal Mediation Analysis to Life Course Research

Objectives This study employs a novel approach to mediation analysis to clarify the influence of interrelated indicators of life course socioeconomic status (SES) on later life psychological well-being in India. Contrary to traditional approaches (i.e., use of product and difference-in-coefficients), we recognize the role of confounders in the estimation of total, direct, and indirect effects of parental education on respondents' psychological well-being. Method Drawing from the first wave (2007-2010) of the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) and adopting a counterfactual approach, we estimate both natural direct and indirect effects of parental education through individual educational attainment (secondarily, through household assets as an additional mediator) on respondents' life-satisfaction and quality of life (QOL). Results Findings document a statistically not significant positive total effect of parental education on life satisfaction and QOL. While lower for women, significant indirect effects suggest that the positive influence of parental education operates primarily through the individual's education. Notably, we found negative direct effect of parental education on psychological well-being outcomes. Discussion Contrary to prior literature, we found no positive direct influence of parental education on later life psychological well-being, but established its influence through socioeconomic positioning over the life course.
Supercomputer modeling of the ion beam sputtering process: full-atomistic level

A new method for supercomputer atomistic modeling of the ion beam sputtering process is presented allowing atomistic modeling of the systems consisting of 106 – 108 atoms. Deposition process is organized as a sequence of molecular dynamic cycles in which deposited atoms interact with the substrate with earlier deposited atoms and form new chemical bonds. The method is applied to the modeling of SiO2 thin optical films. For interatomic potential energy calculation the original DESIL force field with high computational efficiency has been developed. Atomistic modeling of the deposition processes with different Si atom energies is performed for the films with thicknesses up to 30 nm (about one million deposited atoms). Dependence of thin film density on film thickness is investigated. It is found that film densities depend on the energy of sputtered atoms and exceed the density of fused silica substrate by 0.1-0.2 g/cm3. In all experiments interface layers with the thicknesses of about 1-2 nm between thin film and substrate are observed.
FOMULATION AND EVALUATION OF GELATIN NANOPARTICLES FOR PULMONARY DRUG DELIVERY

Pulmonary drug delivery is a non-invasive, non-systemic delivery approach for both local and systemic drugs and a method to directly target disorders of lung. The gelatin nanoparticles were prepared by double desolvation method using different concentration of gelatin as biodegradable polymer for lungs. The prepared gelatin nanoparticles were evaluated for entrapment efficiency, particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy, in-vitro drug release, stability study and in-vivo study. The entrapment efficiency of all gelatin nanoparticles formulations were found to be in the range of 46.16 % - 58.60 %. The particle size of gelatin nanoparticle formulations(GNps1, GNps2, GNps3, GNps4) were found to be 1 17 79 9. 9 9 nm, 198.4 nm, 252.4 nm and 1545 nm,respectively. The gelatin nanoparticle formulation GNps3 was selected best formulation depending upon the particle size less then 500nm and higher entrapment efficiency as compared to GNps1 and GNps2. The zeta potential of gelatin nanoparticles found to exhibit stability due to positive charge on the surface. The transmission electron microscopy indicated the spherical surface of the gelatin nanoparticles. The in vitro release was found to follow higuchi plot as compared to zero order plot, first order plot and krosmeyer peppas plot. Stability studies showed that gelatin nanoparticle formulation GNps3 was stable when tested for particle size, entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release at refrigerated condition (5o±3oC), at room temperature (25o±2oC/65%±5% RH) and at
Visual Search for Human Gaze Direction by a Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Background Humans detect faces with direct gazes among those with averted gazes more efficiently than they detect faces with averted gazes among those with direct gazes. We examined whether this “stare-in-the-crowd” effect occurs in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), whose eye morphology differs from that of humans (i.e., low-contrast eyes, dark sclera). Methodology/Principal Findings An adult female chimpanzee was trained to search for an odd-item target (front view of a human face) among distractors that differed from the target only with respect to the direction of the eye gaze. During visual-search testing, she performed more efficiently when the target was a direct-gaze face than when it was an averted-gaze face. This direct-gaze superiority was maintained when the faces were inverted and when parts of the face were scrambled. Subsequent tests revealed that gaze perception in the chimpanzee was controlled by the contrast between iris and sclera, as in humans, but that the chimpanzee attended only to the position of the iris in the eye, irrespective of head direction. Conclusion/Significance These results suggest that the chimpanzee can discriminate among human gaze directions and are more sensitive to direct gazes. However, limitations in the perception of human gaze by the chimpanzee are suggested by her inability to completely transfer her performance to faces showing a three-quarter view.
mRNA Decapping and 5′-3′ Decay Contribute to the Regulation of ABA Signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana

Defects in RNA processing and degradation pathways often lead to developmental abnormalities, impaired hormonal signaling and altered resistance to abiotic and biotic stress. Here we report that components of the 5′-3′ mRNA decay pathway, DCP5, LSM1-7 and XRN4, contribute to a proper response to a key plant hormone abscisc acid (ABA), albeit in a different manner. Plants lacking DCP5 are more sensitive to ABA during germination, whereas lsm1a lsm1b and xrn4-5 mutants are affected at the early stages of vegetative growth. In addition, we show that DCP5 and LSM1 regulate mRNA stability and act in translational repression of the main components of the early ABA signaling, PYR/PYL ABA receptors and SnRK2s protein kinases. mRNA decapping DCP and LSM1-7 complexes also appear to modulate ABA-dependent expression of stress related transcription factors from the AP2/ERF/DREB family that in turn affect the level of genes regulated by the PYL/PYR/RCAR-PP2C-SnRK2 pathway. These observations suggest that ABA signaling through PYL/PYR/RCAR receptors and SnRK2s kinases is regulated directly and indirectly by the cytoplasmic mRNA decay pathway.
When is a Dar a Car ? Effects of Mispronunciation and Referential Context on Sound-Meaning Mappings

Infants exhibit a remarkable capacity for speech sound discrimination early in life, including sensitivity to the dimensions that define phonemic categories of human languages (e.g. Eimas, 1974; Eimas & Miller, 1980; Eimas, Siqueland, Jusczyk, & Vigorito, 1971; Miller & Eimas, 1983). Over the first year of life, infants’ perceptual sensitivities are refined to reflect the phonological structure of the ambient language (e.g. Kuhl et al., 1992; Werker & Tees, 1984). Such early knowledge of language-specific phonological structure should be beneficial to infants beginning the complicated task of building a lexicon. Word learning requires not only that phonological word forms be stored in memory with appropriate specificity, but also that mappings between these phonological forms and meaning be learned. In the real world this is a daunting task: Every time a word is spoken, the learner has to decide onto which lexical entry it should be mapped or whether the new token is indeed an exemplar of an existing lexical entry. Knowledge about phonological categories at the onset of word learning should enable learners to focus on the linguistic detail critical for making such determinations. Moreover, advance knowledge of important phonological dimensions might free resources, facilitating the task of mapping between phonological form and meaning. However, there has been considerable debate about whether older infants and young children are able to apply this phonological knowledge in tasks that require attention to meaning. Older infants and young children often fail to discriminate even familiar speech sound contrasts in certain word recognition and word learning tasks (for a review, see Barton, 1980). Recently, evidence has accumulated that older infants are able to use phonological information in some referential tasks (Fennell & Werker, 2003; Swingley & Aslin, 2000, 2002; Werker, Corcoran, Fennell & Stager, 2002). Studies using variants of the Preferential Looking Paradigm (Golinkoff, Hirsh-Pasek, Cauley & Gordon, 1987), in particular, have painted a much rosier picture of older infants’ phonological competence during word learning and recognition. There are two advantages to using this type of procedure to assess infants’ phonological
Modelling particulate fouling in heat exchanger with high solid content liquid suspension

ε Aεcomputationalεfluidεdynamicsε(CFD)εmodelεforεparticulateεfoulingεinεhighεsolidε contentεheatεexchangersεhasεbeenεdeveloped. εTheεmodelεisεapplicableεinε practicalεindustrialεheatεexchangers. ε Particulateεfoulingεisεgenerallyεconsideredεasεaεserialεprocessεofεtransportεofε particlesεintoεtheεvicinityεofεtheεwall,εadherenceεonεtheεsurfaceεandεpossibleεreentrainmentεfromεtheεsurface. εTheεCFDεfoulingεmodelεwasεfirstεimplementedεasεaε detailedεtwoεfluidεEulerianεmodel,εwhichεincludedεallεtheεrelevantεnear-wallεforcesε affectingεonεtheεcolloidalεparticlesεandεrequiringεanεextremelyεfineεmeshεnearεtheε foulingεsurface. εForεmodellingεparticleεtransport,εtheεgenerallyεacceptedεmodelsε wereεapplied. εParticleεadhesionεonεtheεsurfaceεwasεdescribedεbyεaεmassεtransferε coefficientεbasedεonεtheεXDLVOεtheory. ε Basedεonεtheεexperienceεgainedεfromεtheεdetailedεmodel,εaεwallεfunctionε approachεwasεdevelopedεforεcalculatingεtheεnear-wallεparticleεtransportεinεorderε toεavoidεtheεuseεofεexcessivelyεsmallεcomputationalεcells. εTheεwallεfunctionε modelεwasεcomparedεtoεaεdetailedεCFDεmodelεandεtoεexperimentalεresultsεfromε aεfoulingεtestεapparatus. εDepositionεofεsub-micronεcalciumεcarbonateε(CaCO3)ε particlesεonεaεheatedεstainlessεsteelεAISIε316Lεsurfaceεinεwaterεbasedεsuspensionε wasεusedεasεaεcaseεstudy. εComparisonsεwereεmadeεwithεseveralεheatεfluxesεandε massεflowεratesεapplyingεtwoεdifferentεhighεparticleεconcentrations. εAsεaεpracticalε case,εtheεwallεfunctionεapproachεwasεappliedεinεtheεmodellingεofεindustrialε corrugatedεheatεexchangerεequipmentεwithεliquidεofεveryεhighεparticleεcontent. ε Forεincludingεtheεnon-Newtonianεviscosityεbehaviourεofεtheεhighεsolidεcontentε slurry,εtheεmodelεforεviscosityεwasεderivedεfromεtheεexperiments. ε Theεre-entrainmentεofεtheεparticlesεfromεtheεsurfaceεtakesεplace,εifεtheε hydrodynamicεforcesεexceedεtheεadhesionεforcesεevenεtemporarily. εShearεstressε isεaεdominantεforceεaffectingεtheεre-entrainment. εForεevaluatingεtheεshearεstrassε inεdetail,εtheεtestεapparatusεwasεmodelledεusingεlargeεeddyεsimulationε(LES)ε methodεinεadditionεtoεtheεstandardεk-εεturbulenceεmodel. εTheεre-entrainmentε modelεpresentedεinεtheεliteratureεwasεappliedεinεorderεtoεevaluateεtheεeffectεofε surfaceεroughnessεandεsurfaceεenergyεonεtheεre-entrainment. εTheεmodelεwasε modifiedεforεCFDεapplication,εandεitεwasεappliedεinεfoulingεmodellingεofεtheε practicalεheatεexchanger. εTheεeffectεofεsurfaceεroughnessεonεadhesionεwasε studiedεbasedεonεtheεmodelsεpresentedεinεliterature. εInεaddition,εtheεeffectεofε particleεsizeεdistributionεonεtheεfoulingεrateεwasεexamined. ε ISBN,εISSNε ISBNε978-951-38-8250-1ε(Softεbackεed.)ε ISBNε978-951-38-8251-8ε(URL:εhttp://www.vtt.fi/publications/index.jsp)ε ISSN-Lε2242-119Xε ISSNε2242-119Xε(Print)ε ISSNε2242-1203ε(Online)ε
Sma3s: A Three-Step Modular Annotator for Large Sequence Datasets

Automatic sequence annotation is an essential component of modern ‘omics’ studies, which aim to extract information from large collections of sequence data. Most existing tools use sequence homology to establish evolutionary relationships and assign putative functions to sequences. However, it can be difficult to define a similarity threshold that achieves sufficient coverage without sacrificing annotation quality. Defining the correct configuration is critical and can be challenging for non-specialist users. Thus, the development of robust automatic annotation techniques that generate high-quality annotations without needing expert knowledge would be very valuable for the research community. We present Sma3s, a tool for automatically annotating very large collections of biological sequences from any kind of gene library or genome. Sma3s is composed of three modules that progressively annotate query sequences using either: (i) very similar homologues, (ii) orthologous sequences or (iii) terms enriched in groups of homologous sequences. We trained the system using several random sets of known sequences, demonstrating average sensitivity and specificity values of ∼85%. In conclusion, Sma3s is a versatile tool for high-throughput annotation of a wide variety of sequence datasets that outperforms the accuracy of other well-established annotation algorithms, and it can enrich existing database annotations and uncover previously hidden features. Importantly, Sma3s has already been used in the functional annotation of two published transcriptomes.
Synergistic Effects of the in cis T251I and P587L Mitochondrial DNA Polymerase γ Disease Mutations*

Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymerase γ (Pol γ) is the only polymerase known to replicate the mitochondrial genome. The Pol γ holoenzyme consists of the p140 catalytic subunit (POLG) and the p55 homodimeric accessory subunit (POLG2), which enhances binding of Pol γ to DNA and promotes processivity of the holoenzyme. Mutations within POLG impede maintenance of mtDNA and cause mitochondrial diseases. Two common POLG mutations usually found in cis in patients primarily with progressive external ophthalmoplegia generate T251I and P587L amino acid substitutions. To determine whether T251I or P587L is the primary pathogenic allele or whether both substitutions are required to cause disease, we overproduced and purified WT, T251I, P587L, and T251I + P587L double variant forms of recombinant Pol γ. Biochemical characterization of these variants revealed impaired DNA binding affinity, reduced thermostability, diminished exonuclease activity, defective catalytic activity, and compromised DNA processivity, even in the presence of the p55 accessory subunit. However, physical association with p55 was unperturbed, suggesting intersubunit affinities similar to WT. Notably, although the single mutants were similarly impaired, a dramatic synergistic effect was found for the double mutant across all parameters. In conclusion, our analyses suggest that individually both T251I and P587L substitutions functionally impair Pol γ, with greater pathogenicity predicted for the single P587L variant. Combining T251I and P587L induces extreme thermal lability and leads to synergistic nucleotide and DNA binding defects, which severely impair catalytic activity and correlate with presentation of disease in patients.
Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Episodic Memory Related to Emotional Visual Stimuli

The present study investigated emotional memory following bilateral transcranial electrical stimulation (direct current of 1 mA, for 20 minutes) over fronto-temporal cortical areas of healthy participants during the encoding of images that differed in affective arousal and valence. The main result was a significant interaction between the side of anodal stimulation and image emotional valence. Specifically, right anodal/left cathodal stimulation selectively facilitated the recall of pleasant images with respect to both unpleasant and neutral images whereas left anodal/right cathodal stimulation selectively facilitated the recall of unpleasant images with respect to both pleasant and neutral images. From a theoretical perspective, this double dissociation between the side of anodal stimulation and the advantage in the memory performance for a specific type of stimulus depending on its pleasantness supported the specific-valence hypothesis of emotional processes, which assumes a specialization of the right hemisphere in processing unpleasant stimuli and a specialization of the left hemisphere in processing pleasant stimuli. From a methodological point of view, first we found tDCS effects strictly dependent on the stimulus category, and second a pattern of results in line with an interfering and inhibitory account of anodal stimulation on memory performance. These findings need to be carefully considered in applied contexts, such as the rehabilitation of altered emotional processing or eye-witness memory, and deserve to be further investigated in order to understand their underlying mechanisms of action.
Fiber specklegram sensors sensitivities at high temperatures

In this work, the sensitivity of Fiber Specklegram Sensors to high temperatures (up to 800ºC) have been studied. Two multimode silica fibers have been introduced into a tubular furnace while a HeNe laser source was launched into a fiber edge, projecting speckle patterns to a commercial webcam. A computer generated different heating and cooling sweeps while the specklegram evolution was recorded. The achieved results exhibit a remarkably linearity in FSS’s sensitivity for temperatures under 800ºC, following the thermal expansion of fused silica.
A Nuclear Norm Based Matrix Regression Based Projections Method for Feature Extraction

In the traditional graph embedding framework, the graph is usually built by k-NN or r-ball. Since it is difficult to manually set the parameters k and r in the high-dimensional space, sparse representation-based methods are usually introduced to automatically build the graphs. In recent years, nuclear norm-based matrix regression (NMR) has been proposed for face recognition using the low rank structural information (i.e., the image matrix-based error model). Inspired by NMR, we give a NMR-based projections (NMRP) method for feature extraction and recognition. The experiments on FERET and extended Yale B face databases show that NMR can be used to build the graph while NMRP is an effective feature extraction method.
Genetic Basis of Chronotype in Humans: Insights From Three Landmark GWAS

Study Objectives: Chronotype, or diurnal preference, refers to behavioral manifestations of the endogenous circadian system that governs preferred timing of sleep and wake. As variations in circadian timing and system perturbations are linked to disease development, the fundamental biology of chronotype has received attention for its role in the regulation and dysregulation of sleep and related illnesses. Family studies indicate that chronotype is a heritable trait, thus directing attention toward its genetic basis. Although discoveries from molecular studies of candidate genes have shed light onto its genetic architecture, the contribution of genetic variation to chronotype has remained unclear with few related variants identified. In the advent of large‐scale genome‐wide association studies (GWAS), scientists now have the ability to discover novel common genetic variants associated with complex phenotypes. Three recent large‐scale GWASs of chronotype were conducted on subjects of European ancestry from the 23andMe cohort and the UK Biobank. This review discusses the findings of these landmark GWASs in the context of prior research. Methods: We systematically reviewed and compared methodological and analytical approaches and results across the three GWASs of chronotype. Results: A good deal of consistency was observed across studies with 9 genes identified in 2 of the 3 GWASs. Several genes previously unknown to influence chronotype were identified. Conclusions: GWAS is an important tool in identifying common variants associated with the complex chronotype phenotype, the findings of which can supplement and guide molecular science. Future directions in model systems and discovery of rare variants are discussed.
The Trypanosome Rab-Related Proteins RabX1 and RabX2 Play No Role in IntraCellular Trafficking but May Be Involved in Fly Infectivity

Background Rab GTPases constitute the largest subgroup of the Ras superfamily and are primarily involved in vesicle targeting. The full extent of Rab family function is unexplored. Several divergent Rab-like proteins are known but few have been characterized. In Trypanosoma brucei there are sixteen Rab genes, but RabX1, RabX2 and RabX3 are divergent within canonical sequence regions. Where known, trypanosome Rab functions are broadly conserved when orthologous relationships may be robustly established, but specific functions for RabX1, X2 and X3 have yet to be determined. RabX1 and RabX2 originated via tandem duplication and subcellular localization places RabX1 at the endoplasmic reticulum, while RabX2 is at the Golgi complex, suggesting distinct functions. We wished to determine whether RabX1 and RabX2 are involved in vesicle transport or other cellular processes. Methodology/Principal Findings Using comparative genomics we find that RabX1 and RabX2 are restricted to trypanosomatids. Gene knockout indicates that RabX1 and RabX2 are non-essential. Simultaneous RNAi knockdown of both RabX1 and RabX2, while partial, was also non-lethal and may suggest non-redundant function, consistent with the distinct locations of the proteins. Analysis of the knockout cell lines unexpectedly failed to uncover a defect in exocytosis, endocytosis or in the morphology or location of multiple markers for the endomembrane system, suggesting that neither RabX1 nor RabX2 has a major role in intracellular transport. However, it was apparent that RabX1 and RabX2 knockout cells displayed somewhat enhanced survival within flies. Conclusions/Significance RabX1 and RabX2, two members of the trypanosome Rab subfamily, were shown to have no major detectable role in intracellular transport, despite the localization of each gene product to highly specific endomembrane compartments. These data extend the functional scope of Rab proteins in trypanosomes to include non-canonical roles in differentiation-associated processes in protozoa.
Performance and electrical characteristics of hybrid carbon nanotube field effect transistors

The performance and electrical characteristics of hybrid carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNTFET) are studied. Hybrid CNTFET consists of heavily doped carbon nanotube (CNT) as a one contact connected to intrinsic CNT as a channel. The opposite side of the channel is connected to a metal as the other contact. If the source is the metal and the drain is the heavily doped, this type is called metal–semiconductor hybrid CNT or MSH-CNTFET. While when the source is the heavily doped and the drain is the metal, this is called semiconductor–metal hybrid CNT or SMH-CNTFET. The electrical characteristics of the device has been studied using a two-dimensional (2D) quantum mechanical simulator by solving 2D Poisson's equation self consistently with Non-equilibrium Green function (NEGF). The proposed devices are found to overcome the ambipolar conduction of Schottky barrier CNTFETs and improve frequency performance of metal–oxide–semiconductor CNTFETs.