Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global Food Security Support Analysis Data at Nominal 1 km (GFSAD1km) Derived from Remote Sensing in Support of Food Security in the Twenty-First Century: Current Achievements and Future Possibilities

The precise estimation of the global agricultural cropland— extents, areas, geographic locations, crop types, cropping intensities, and their watering methods (irrigated or rain-fed; type of irrigation)—provides a critical scientific basis for the development of water and food security policies (Thenkabail et al., 2010, 2011, 2012). By year 2100, the global human population is expected to grow to 10.4 billion under median fertility variants or higher under constant or higher fertility variants (Table 6.1) with over three-quarters living in developing countries and in regions that already lack the capacity to produce enough food. With current agricultural practices, the increased demand for food and nutrition would require about 2 billion hectares of additional cropland, about twice the equivalent to the land area of the United States, and lead to significant increases in greenhouse gas productions associated with agricultural practices and activities (Tillman et al., 2011). For example, during 1960–2010, world population more than doubled from 3 to 7 billion. The nutritional demand of the population also grew swiftly during this period from an average of about 2000 calories per day per person in 1960 to nearly 3000 calories per day per person in 2010. The food demand of increased population along with increased nutritional demand during this period was met by the “green revolution,” which more than tripled the food production, even though croplands decreased from about 0.43 ha per capita to 0.26 ha per capita (FAO, 2009). The increase in food production during the green revolution was the result of factors such as: (1) expansion of irrigated croplands, which had increased in 2000 from 130 Mha in the 1960s to between 278 Mha (Siebert et al., 2006) and 467 Mha (Thenkabail et al., 2009a,b,c), with the larger estimate due to consideration of cropping intensity; (2) increase in yield and per capita production of food (e.g., cereal production from 280 to 380 kg/person and meat from 22 to 34 kg/person (McIntyre, 2008); (3) new cultivar types (e.g., hybrid varieties of wheat and rice, biotechnology); and (4) modern agronomic and crop management practices (e.g., fertilizers, herbicide, pesticide applications).
Effect of casting speed on solidification structure and central macrosegregation during continuous casting of high-carbon rectangular billet

IntroductIon Solidification structure and macrosegregation have great influence on the quality of high carbon steels. Center segregation in high carbon steel results in a high concentrations of chemical components especially carbon element and has a great influence on the quality of wire rod [1-3]. Wire rod with center cementite network resulting from severe segregation not only shows low ductility in the center portion, but also exhibits cup fracture during drawing [4]. A fundamental task of high carbon steel continuous casting is to optimize the processing parameters to minimize the formation of carbon macrosegregation. The optimization of the process variables may provide a simple low cost solution to controlling macrosegregation [5]. Product quality and production efficiency depend essentially on the appropriate casting speed. The effect of casting speed on the middle size of 180 mm×240 mm rectangular billets in continuous casting has not been researched before. As is known, different billet sizes require different casting speeds in order to reduce the center macrosegregation and increase the production efficiency. Generally, the billet size less than 160 mm ×160 mm needs high casting speeds to increases the production efficiency by using intensive cooling intensity in secondary cooling zone. Intensive cooling intensity can achieve a rapid temperature drop at the surface corresponding to the temperature drop at the center when the latter solidifies and, consequently decreases the grain size and prevents V-segregation formation [6]. The blooms generally need small casting speeds in continuous casting by using softer cooling intensity. It is known that “soft” cooling intensity can minimizes alloy components segregation intensity and increases equiaxed grain ratio [4]. So, to the middle size rectangular billet, it is of great importance to study the casting speed on macrostructure and center segregation. The solidification structures including the total grain number and the dendrite morphology can affect the center macrosegregation. The grain number can be used to evaluate the mean grain size in the whole cross section and large grain number in the cross section means that the mean grain size is small. The liquid flow comes from interdendritic areas and therefore, is highly enriched, which causes the central macrosegregation. This liquid flow from the interdendritic region can be effectively influenced by the grain size [7]. Besides, center macrosegregation is closely related Effect of casting speed on solidification structure and central macrosegregation during continuous casting of high-carbon rectangular billet
Source inversion of the 1570 Ferrara earthquake and definitive diversion of the Po River (Italy)

An 11‐parameter, kinematic‐function (KF) model was used to retrieve the approximate geometrical and kinematic characteristics of the fault source of the 1570 Mw 5.8 Ferrara earthquake in the Po Plain, including the double‐couple orientation (strike angle 127 ± 16°, dip 28 ± 7°, and rake 77 ± 16°). These results are compatible with either the outermost thrust fronts of the northern Apennines, which are buried beneath the Po Plain's alluvial deposits, or the blind crustal‐scale thrust. The 1570 event developed to the ENE of the two main shocks on 20 May 2012 (M 6.1) and 29 May 2012 (M 5.9). The three earthquakes had similar kinematics and are found 20–30 km from each other en echelon in the buried chain. Geomorphological and historical evidence exist which suggest the following: (i) the long‐lasting uplift of the buried Apenninic front shifted the central part of the course of the Po River approximately 20 km northward in historical times and (ii) the 1570 earthquake marked the definitive diversion of the final part of the Po River away from Ferrara and the closure of the Po delta 40 km south of its present position.
COST Action 272 “Packet-Oriented Service Delivery via Satellite” Stratospheric Optical Inter-Platform Links (OIPLs) for High Altitude Platforms TD-02-021-S

Optical propagation simulations for the case of a laser optical link between two stratospheric High Altitude Platforms have been performed. The simulations, together with communications link budget calculations, show that high data rate communications between such platforms is feasible, at data rates up to several hundred Mbps, and optical transmit-power levels of less than 1W for a 500 km long inter platform path. Such data rates and power levels are close to the capabilities of current technology. The simulations have included use of known parameters of the optical properties of the upper atmosphere, in particular absorption by atmospheric aerosols, and atmospheric turbulence.
Attention, Musicality, and Familiarity Shape Cortical Speech Tracking at the Musical Cocktail Party

The “cocktail party problem” challenges our ability to understand speech in noisy environments, which often include background music. Here, we explored the role of background music in speech-in-noise listening. Participants listened to an audiobook in familiar and unfamiliar music while tracking keywords in either speech or song lyrics. We used EEG to measure neural tracking of the audiobook. When speech was masked by music, the modeled peak latency at 50 ms (P1TRF) was prolonged compared to unmasked. Additionally, P1TRF amplitude was larger in unfamiliar background music, suggesting improved speech tracking. We observed prolonged latencies at 100 ms (N1TRF) when speech was not the attended stimulus, though only in less musical listeners. Our results suggest early neural representations of speech are enhanced with both attention and concurrent unfamiliar music, indicating familiar music is more distracting. One’s ability to perceptually filter “musical noise” at the cocktail party depends on objective musical abilities.
Observations of Elemental Composition of Enceladus Consistent with Generalized Models of Theoretical Ecosystems

Recent analysis of data from the Cassini Cosmic Dust Analyzer confirm geochemical modeling work that shows that the ocean of Enceladus contains considerable quantities of inorganic phosphorus as well as ammonium [55]. Technological advancement in flight instrumentation will continue to yield increasingly detailed data about the relative elemental and molecular composition of life detection candidates. Apart from speculating about threshold concentrations of bioactive compounds to support ecosystems, metabolic and ecological theory can provide a powerful interpretative lens to assess whether extraterrestrial environments are compatible with living ecosystems. Using multiple levels of ecological analysis, spanning from assuming strictly Earth-like organismal physiology to more agnostic understandings of putative biochemistries, we compare the proposed N:P stoichiometries of the Enceledus ocean to possible ecologies. We use chemostat models to predict potentially supportable biomass concentrations under different energy and matter flux regimes, macromolecular allometric theory to compare hypothetical biomass N:P ratios to possible environmental N:P supply ratios, and finally take a data-driven biogeochemical approach to predict possible biomass N:P ratios from the observed dissolved ratios. All three of our modeling approaches suggest marginal compatibility of an ecosystem with the ranges of dissolved N and P concentrations in the Enceledean ocean. Based on our analysis, we suggest two main priorities for further research into terrestrial analogs to improve our ability to interpret geochemical ratios as a life detection instrument.
ProA and ProB repeat sequences shape genome organization, and enhancers open domains

There is a growing awareness that repeat sequences (RepSeq) - the main constituents of the human genome - are also prime players in its organization. Here we propose that the genome should be envisioned as a supersystem with three main subsystems, each composed of functionally redundant, cooperating elements. We define herein ProA and ProB RepSeqs as sequences that promote either the A/euchromatin or the B/heterochromatin compartment. ProA and ProB RepSeqs shape A/B partitioning, such that the relative proportions of ProA and ProB RepSeqs determine the propensity of a chromosome segment to adopt either an A or a B configuration. In human, core ProA RepSeqs are essentially made of Alu elements, whereas core ProB RepSeqs consist of young L1 and some Endogenous Retroviruses (ERVs) as well as a panel of AT-rich microsatellites and pericentromeric and telomeric satellites. Additionally, RepSeqs with more indefinite character and, importantly, their derivatives known as “transcriptional enhancers”, can shift between ProA and ProB functions and thus act to open or close specific chromatin domains depending on the cellular context. In this framework, genes and their promoters appear as a special class of RepSeqs that, in their active, transcribed state, reinforce the openness of their surroundings. Molecular mechanisms involve cooperativity between ProB elements, presumably underpinned by the condensate-like properties of heterochromatin, which ProA elements oppose in several ways. We provide strong arguments that altered CpG methylation patterns in cancer including a marked loss in the B compartment, result primarily from a global imbalance in the process of CpG methylation and its erasure. Our results suggest that the resulting altered methylation and impaired function of ProB RepSeqs globally weaken the B compartment, rendering it more plastic, which in turn may confer fate plasticity to the cancer cell.
FAK family proteins regulate in vivo breast cancer metastasis via distinct mechanisms

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the major leading cause of tumor-related deaths in women. It is estimated that the majority of breast tumor-related deaths are a consequence of metastasis, to which no cure exists at present. The FAK family proteins Proline-rich tyrosine kinase (PYK2) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) are highly expressed in breast cancer, but the exact cellular and signaling mechanisms by which they regulate in vivo tumor cell invasiveness and consequent metastatic dissemination are mostly unknown. Using a PYK2 and FAK knockdown xenograft model we show here, for the first time, that ablation of either PYK2 or FAK decreases primary tumor size and significantly reduces Tumor MicroEnvironment of Metastasis (TMEM) doorway activation, leading to decreased intravasation and reduced spontaneous lung metastasis. Intravital imaging analysis further demonstrates that PYK2, but not FAK, regulates a motility phenotype switch between focal adhesion-mediated fast motility and invadopodia-dependent, ECM-degradation associated slow motility within the primary tumor. Furthermore, we validate our in vivo and intravital imaging results with integrated transcriptomic and proteomic data analysis from xenograft knockdown tumors and reveal new and distinct pathways by which these two homologous kinases regulate breast tumor cell invasiveness and consequent metastatic dissemination. Our findings identify PYK2 and FAK as novel mediators of mammary tumor progression and metastasis and as candidate therapeutic targets for breast cancer metastasis.
The core microbiome of cultured Pacific oyster spat develops with age but not mortality

The Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas, also known as Crassostrea gigas) is the most widely cultured shellfish worldwide, but production has been affected by mortality events. This includes mortality events in hatcheries that can threaten the seed supply for growers. There are several pathogens that cause disease in oysters, but in many cases mortality events cannot be attributed to a single agent, and appear to be multifactorial and involve a combination of environmental variables, microbial interactions and disbiosis. In many organisms, a mature microbiome provides resilience against pathogens and environmental stressors. In this study we investigated the microbiomes of cohorts of freshly settled oyster spat, some of which experienced notable mortality. Deep sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments did not show a significant difference among the microbiomes of cohorts experiencing different levels of mortality, but revealed a characteristic core microbiome with 74 taxa. Irrespective of mortality, the spat core microbiomes changed significantly in the relative abundance of taxa as the spat aged; yet, remained distinct from the microbial community in the surrounding water. The core microbiome was dominated by bacteria in the families Rhodobacteraceae, Nitrosomonadaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, Pirellulaeceae and Saprospiraceae. Of these, 14 taxa were indicative for the change in the core microbiome, which we designated as the “Hard-Core Microbiome”. The variability in diversity and richess of members of the core taxa decreased with oyster-spat aging, implying niche occupation. The study further accounts for the exchange of microbes with surrounding water during the core microbiome development. The observed shifts in the core microbiome with ageing oyster spat implies a crucial developmental period for the core microbiome of rearing spat. Importance The Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas, also known as Crassostrea gigas) is the most widely cultivated shellfish and is important to the economy of many coastal communities. However, high mortality of spat during the first few days following metamorphosis can affect the seed supply to oyster growers. Here, we show that the microbiome composition of recently settled oyster spat experiencing low or high mortality were not significantly different. Instead, development of the core microbiome were associated with spat aging and was partially driven by dispersal through the water. These findings imply the importance of early stage rearing conditons for spat microbiome development in aquaculture facilities. Furthermore, shellfish growers could gain information about the developmental state of the oyster spat microbiome by assessing key taxa. Additionally, the study provides a baseline micriobiome for future hypothesis testing on developing spat.
Fibrinogen and complement factor H: The two crucial markers of Parkinson’s disease with cognitive impairment

Animal model-assisted validation is vital for biomarker studies. It provides better means for understanding disease pathogenesis and opens avenues for addressing therapeutics. Our earlier non-targeted label free proteomics-based biomarker study on CSF of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with cognitive impairment (PDCI), revealed the presence of elevated levels of fibrinogen and complement factor H (CFAH) in PDCI-CSF. In the present study, we aimed to determine if these proteins harbor a pathogenic potential, when present above physiological levels. Native fibrinogen and recombinant CFAH were intraperitoneally injected in adult C57BL/6J mice and 48h later, motor and cognitive behavioral deficits as well as their neuroanatomical correlates were noted. The reduction in stride length in fibrinogen and CFAH injected mice indicate shuffling gait, often seen in PD patients. Motor deficit was complemented by the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in SNpc, compensatory hypertrophy of the surviving neurons, and reduction in TH expression in striatum, thus reminiscing PD pathology. The low discrimination index in (novel object recognition) NOR test complemented by morphological alterations in Nissl-stained CA-1 and subiculum neurons in the fibrinogen-injected mice imply recognition memory deficits. Thus, our study provides objective evidence that fibrinogen and CFAH harbor the potential to induce motor deficits and cognitive impairments in mice, akin to the PDCI-associated neuro-pathological deficits, and thus are potential biomarkers.
Cell surface architecture of the cultivated DPANN archaeon Nanobdella aerobiophila

The DPANN archaeal clade includes obligately ectosymbiotic species. Their cell surfaces potentially play an important role in the symbiotic interaction between the ectosymbionts and their hosts. However, little is known about the mechanism of the ectosymbiosis. Here, we show cell surface structures of the cultivated DPANN archaeon Nanobdella aerobiophila strain MJ1T and its host Metallosphaera sedula strain MJ1HA, using a variety of electron microscopy techniques, i.e., negative-staining transmission electron microscopy (TEM), quick-freeze deep-etch (QFDE) TEM, and 3D electron tomography. The thickness, unit size, and lattice symmetry of the S-layer of strain MJ1T were different from those of the host archaeon strain MJ1HA. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses highlighted the most highly expressed MJ1T gene for a putative S-layer protein with multiple glycosylation sites and immunoglobulin-like folds, which has no sequence homology to known S-layer proteins. In addition, genes for putative pectin lyase- or lectin-like extracellular proteins, which are potentially involved in symbiotic interaction, were found in the MJ1T genome based on in silico 3D protein structure prediction. Live cell imaging at the optimum growth temperature of 65°C indicated that cell complexes of strains MJ1T and MJ1HA were motile, but sole MJ1T cells were not. Taken together, we propose a model of the symbiotic interaction and cell cycle of Nanobdella aerobiophila. Importance DPANN archaea are widely distributed in a variety of natural and artificial environments, and may play a considerable role in the microbial ecosystem. All of the cultivated DPANN archaea so far need host organisms for their growth, i.e., obligately ectosymbiotic. However, the mechanism of the ectosymbiosis by DPANN archaea is largely unknown. To this end, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the cultivated DPANN archaeon, Nanobdella aerobiophila, using electron microscopy, live cell imaging, transcriptomics, and genomics including 3D protein structure prediction. Based on the results, we propose a reasonable model of the symbiotic interaction and cell cycle of Nanobdella aerobiophila, which will enhance our understanding of the enigmatic physiology and ecological significance of DPANN archaea.
Exploring Okra-Derived Compounds as Prospective Aromatase Inhibitors: A Computational Study for Enhanced Breast Cancer Therapy

Breast cancer with estrogen receptor positivity represents itself as the most prevalent malignancy among postmenopausal women. One of the promising therapeutic approach involves the use of Aromatase Inhibitors, which competitively bind to aromatase, reducing estrone and estradiol levels. While current drugs have improved survival rates, they are not without adverse effects. Consequently, this study explores the computational screening of medicinally relevant compounds derived from Okra for potential Aromatase Inhibition. Molecular Docking, employing AMDock v1.5. 2, was utilized to assess binding affinities with aromatase (PDB:3EQM). Subsequently, in-depth molecular interactions were examined using Discovery Studio Visualizer v4.5, and the stability of docked complexes was evaluated via Molecular Dynamics with the GROMACS package, focusing on RMSD, RMSF, H-bond count, and SASA. The pharmacokinetic properties of the Okra compounds were predicted using admetSAR v2.0. Our findings highlight Quercetin 3-gentiobioside as a standout candidate, demonstrating superior binding affinity (-10 kcal/mol) and an Estimated Ki of 46.77 nM compared to Letrozole and other Okra compounds. Molecular dynamics analysis confirms the stability of Quercetin 3-gentiobioside binding in terms of H-bonds and conformational integrity. In conclusion, our computational investigation identifies Quercetin 3-gentiobioside, along with Quercetin 3-O-rutinoside and Hyperin, as promising candidates for preclinical studies in the pursuit of potential Aromatase Inhibitors.
4D Crystallography Captures Transient IF1-Ribosome Dynamics in Translation Initiation

Initiation factor 1 (IF1) is one of multiple key ligands involved in the initiation of mRNA translation, a highly dynamic and carefully-orchestrated process. However, details surrounding IF1 transient interactions with the small 30S ribosomal subunit remain incompletely understood despite characterization of unbound and fully-bound 30S states. Improvements in X-ray light sources and crystallographic techniques are now enabling time-resolved structural studies at near-physiological temperature and near-atomic resolution and thus the structural investigation of such dynamic processes. Here, we employed time-resolved serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography (TR-SFX) to probe the binding of IF1 to the small 30S ribosomal subunit in real time. Our time-resolved structural data demonstrates transient cryptic short-, mid-, and long-range allostery among different regions of the small 30 ribosomal subunit during IF1 binding, revealing small- and large-scale protein-target interactions and dynamics within intermediate macromolecular states at unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. These data represent one of the first such 4D crystallographic studies assessing protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions and could serve as the basis for subsequent studies of the ribosome and of the multitudinous dynamic processes which underpin biology, and therefore, of life.