Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Insight into Cotton Leaf Curl Multan Betasatellite, the Most Important Component of Cotton Leaf Curl Disease Complex

Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is one of the most economically important diseases and is a constraint to cotton production in major producers, Pakistan and India. CLCuD is caused by monopartite plant viruses belonging to the family Geminiviridae (genus Begomovirus), in association with an essential, disease-specific satellite, Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB) belonging to a newly-established family Tolecusatellitidae (genus Betasatellite). CLCuMuB has a small genome (ca. 1350 nt) with a satellite conserved region, an adenine-rich region and a single gene that encodes for a multifunctional βC1 protein. CLCuMuB βC1 protein has a major role in pathogenicity and symptom determination, and alters several host cellular functions like autophagy, ubiquitination, and suppression of gene silencing, to assist CLCuD infectivity. Efficient trans-replication ability of CLCuMuB with several monopartite and bipartite begomoviruses, is also associated with the rapid evolution and spread of CLCuMuB. In this article we comprehensively reviewed the role of CLCuMuB in CLCuD, focusing on the βC1 functions and its interactions with host proteins.
“Going episodic”: collaborative inhibition and facilitation when long-married couples remember together

ABSTRACT Two complementary approaches to the study of collaborative remembering have produced contrasting results. In the experimental “collaborative recall” approach within cognitive psychology, collaborative remembering typically results in “collaborative inhibition”: laboratory groups recall fewer items than their estimated potential. In the cognitive ageing approach, collaborative remembering with a partner or spouse may provide cueing and support to benefit older adults’ performance on everyday memory tasks. To combine the value of experimental and cognitive ageing approaches, we tested the effects of collaborative remembering in older, long-married couples who recalled a non-personal word list and a personal semantic list of shared trips. We scored amount recalled as well as the kinds of details remembered. We found evidence for collaborative inhibition across both tasks when scored strictly as number of list items recalled. However, we found collaborative facilitation of specific episodic details on the personal semantic list, details which were not strictly required for the completion of the task. In fact, there was a trade-off between recall of specific episodic details and number of trips recalled during collaboration. We discuss these results in terms of the functions of shared remembering and what constitutes memory success, particularly for intimate groups and for older adults.
Why Do I Have to Drive Now? Post Hoc Explanations of Takeover Requests

Objective: It was investigated whether providing an explanation for a takeover request in automated driving influences trust in automation and acceptance. Background: Takeover requests will be recurring events in conditionally automated driving that could undermine trust as well as acceptance and, therefore, the successful introduction of automated vehicles. Method: Forty participants were equally assigned to either an experimental group provided with an explanation of the reason for a takeover request or a control group without explanations. In a simulator drive, both groups experienced three takeover scenarios that varied in the obviousness of their causation. Participants rated their acceptance before and after the drive and rated their trust before and after each takeover situation. Results: All participants rated acceptance on the same high level before and after the drive, independent of the condition. The control group’s trust ratings remained unchanged by takeover requests in all situations, but the experimental group showed decreased trust after experiencing a takeover caused by roadwork. Participants provided with explanation felt more strongly that they had understood the system and the reasons for the takeovers. Conclusion: A takeover request did not lower trust or acceptance. Providing an explanation for a takeover request had no impact on trust or acceptance but increased the perceived understanding of the system. Application: The results provide insights into users’ perception of automated vehicles, takeover situations, and a fundament for future interface design for automated vehicles.
Automated construction of arterial and venous trees in retinal images

Abstract. While many approaches exist to segment retinal vessels in fundus photographs, only a limited number focus on the construction and disambiguation of arterial and venous trees. Previous approaches are local and/or greedy in nature, making them susceptible to errors or limiting their applicability to large vessels. We propose a more global framework to generate arteriovenous trees in retinal images, given a vessel segmentation. In particular, our approach consists of three stages. The first stage is to generate an overconnected vessel network, named the vessel potential connectivity map (VPCM), consisting of vessel segments and the potential connectivity between them. The second stage is to disambiguate the VPCM into multiple anatomical trees, using a graph-based metaheuristic algorithm. The third stage is to classify these trees into arterial or venous (A/V) trees. We evaluated our approach with a ground truth built based on a public database, showing a pixel-wise classification accuracy of 88.15% using a manual vessel segmentation as input, and 86.11% using an automatic vessel segmentation as input.
Determination of Active Phagocytosis of Unopsonized Porphyromonas gingivalis by Macrophages and Neutrophils Using the pH-Sensitive Fluorescent Dye pHrodo

ABSTRACT Phagocytosis of pathogens is an important component of the innate immune system that is responsible for the removal and degradation of bacteria as well as their presentation via the major histocompatibility complexes to the adaptive immune system. The periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis exhibits strain heterogeneity, which may affect a phagocyte's ability to recognize and phagocytose the bacterium. In addition, P. gingivalis is reported to avoid phagocytosis by antibody and complement degradation and by invading phagocytic cells. Previous studies examining phagocytosis have been confounded by both the techniques employed and the potential of the bacteria to invade the cells. In this study, we used a novel, pH-sensitive dye, pHrodo, to label live P. gingivalis strains and examine unopsonized phagocytosis by murine macrophages and neutrophils and human monocytic cells. All host cells examined were able to recognize and phagocytose unopsonized P. gingivalis strains. Macrophages had a preference to phagocytose P. gingivalis strain ATCC 33277 over other strains and clinical isolates in the study, whereas neutrophils favored P. gingivalis W50, ATCC 33277, and one clinical isolate over the other strains. This study revealed that all P. gingivalis strains were capable of being phagocytosed without prior opsonization with antibody or complement.
Small Molecule Inhibitors of Protein Arginine Methyltransferases

ABSTRACT Introduction: Arginine methylation is an abundant posttranslational modification occurring in mammalian cells and catalyzed by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs). Misregulation and aberrant expression of PRMTs are associated with various disease states, notably cancer. PRMTs are prominent therapeutic targets in drug discovery. Areas covered: The authors provide an updated review of the research on the development of chemical modulators for PRMTs. Great efforts are seen in screening and designing potent and selective PRMT inhibitors, and a number of micromolar and submicromolar inhibitors have been obtained for key PRMT enzymes such as PRMT1, CARM1, and PRMT5. The authors provide a focus on their chemical structures, mechanism of action, and pharmacological activities. Pros and cons of each type of inhibitors are also discussed. Expert opinion: Several key challenging issues exist in PRMT inhibitor discovery. Structural mechanisms of many PRMT inhibitors remain unclear. There lacks consistency in potency data due to divergence of assay methods and conditions. Physiologically relevant cellular assays are warranted. Substantial engagements are needed to investigate pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the new PRMT inhibitors in pertinent disease models. Discovery and evaluation of potent, isoform-selective, cell-permeable and in vivo-active PRMT modulators will continue to be an active arena of research in years ahead.
Purification of Legiobactin and Importance of This Siderophore in Lung Infection by Legionella pneumophila

ABSTRACT When cultured in a low-iron medium, Legionella pneumophila secretes a siderophore (legiobactin) that is both reactive in the chrome azurol S (CAS) assay and capable of stimulating the growth of iron-starved legionellae. Using anion-exchange high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), we purified legiobactin from culture supernatants of a virulent strain of L. pneumophila. In the process, we detected the ferrated form of legiobactin as well as other CAS-reactive substances. Purified legiobactin had a yellow-gold color and absorbed primarily from 220 nm and below. In accordance, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that legiobactin lacks aromatic carbons, and among the 13 aliphatics present, there were 3 carbonyls. When examined by HPLC, supernatants from L. pneumophila mutants inactivated for lbtA and lbtB completely lacked legiobactin, indicating that the LbtA and LbtB proteins are absolutely required for siderophore activity. Independently derived lbtA mutants, but not a complemented derivative, displayed a reduced ability to infect the lungs of A/J mice after intratracheal inoculation, indicating that legiobactin is required for optimal intrapulmonary survival by L. pneumophila. This defect, however, was not evident when the lbtA mutant and its parental strain were coinoculated into the lung, indicating that legiobactin secreted by the wild type can promote growth of the mutant in trans. Legiobactin mutants grew normally in murine lung macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells, suggesting that legiobactin promotes something other than intracellular infection of resident lung cells. Overall, these data represent the first documentation of a role for siderophore expression in the virulence of L. pneumophila.
Effects of forest harvesting on soil amorphous aluminosilicates (imogolite-type material) and implications for water quality

Forest harvesting is a major threat to environmental quality in the Puget Sound Georgia Basin area. One of the impacts of logging is increased aluminum levels in soil and water. The classic study of Likens et al. (1970) showed a ten-fold increase in stream aluminum concentration as a result of clear-cut logging with vegetation re-growth suppressed for two years by herbicides. High levels of dissolved aluminum in streams have been shown to cause mortality in fish and aquatic invertebrates. Dissolved aluminum precipitates as aluminum hydroxide in fish gills and causes respiratory problems. Aluminum is also toxic to aquatic and terrestrial plants (Gensemer and Playle, 1999). The mechanism by which aluminum is released into soil and water following harvesting is still unclear. Aluminum pools that may be mobilized by logging include (1) exchangeable aluminum, which could be displaced into solution following soil acidification, (2) organically-complexed aluminum, which could be released due to increased organic matter decomposition, and (3) poorly crystalline aluminosilicate minerals, which could be dissolved due to geochemical changes. This study focuses on the last hypothesis. Poorly crystalline aluminosilicates are often referred to as imogolite-type material (ITM). They comprise (1) imogolite, a mineral of fixed composition with a structural formula (OH)3Al2O3Si OH, and (2) allophane, a group name for non-crystalline clay minerals consisting of variable amounts of O 2- , OH - , Al 3+ , and Si 4+ (Sumner, 2000). Both
Successful implementation of radar monitoring system and increased intelligence capacity on Congo River

Inland water ways are significant component of the nation's marine transportation systems. Congo River Basin plays an active role in the economy of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other surrounding countries such as Central Africa Republic (CAR) and Congo Republic (RC). This inter-countries waterway carries approximately two third of the national's cargo volume to and fro hinterland. Up till now there is little or no regulation on the management of marine traffic on this important inland waterway. The problem of traffic management on Congo River is becoming an increasing threat to the transportation of goods by the ships, barges and safety of passenger lives. Marine radar systems has been deemed as possible solution that will monitor and track traffic situation on this important inland water way. A radar system provides a surveillance system that increases intelligent capacity of what transpires on this great waterway. It also provides real-time information and stored captured radar images which will be applied to solve traffic problems. To investigate this, radar simulation model will be setup to depict the traffic flow and the consequences of the presence or absence of surveillance radar. The goal of this research is to improve traffic coordination, safety, management and improve intelligent capability with the use of Marine Radar monitoring system to control and alleviate traffic management bottleneck experienced on Congo River. It will further demonstrate economic efficiency of the radar surveillance system on Congo River Basin. The proposed traffic model which will be based upon research findings will describe in details the operational approach of alleviating traffic management problem on Congo River Basin.
Computational Model for Webpage Aesthetics using SVM

Computational model for webpage aesthetics prediction helps designer to determine usability and to improve it. It has been reported that positional geometry of the webpage objects are primarily important for aesthetics computation. In this paper, we propose a computational model for predicting webpage aesthetics based on the positional geometry features of webpage objects. We have considered the best known 13 features that affect aesthetics. By varying these 13 features, we have designed 52 interfaces and rated them by 100 users in a 5 point Likerts scale. Our 1 dimensional ANOVA study on users rating shows, 9 out of the 13 features are important for webpage aesthetics. Based on these 9 features, we created a computational model for webpage aesthetics prediction. Our computational model works based on Support Vector Machine (SVM). To judge the efficacy of our model, we considered 10 popular webpages, and got them rated by 80 users. Experimental results show that our computational model can predict webpage aesthetics with an accuracy of 90%.
Bacterial and Clinical Characteristics of Health Care- and Community-Acquired Bloodstream Infections Due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT Health care-associated infections, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infection, have been linked to delays in appropriate antibiotic therapy and an increased mortality rate. The objective of this study was to evaluate intrinsic virulence, bacterial resistance, and clinical outcomes of health care-associated bloodstream infections (HCABSIs) in comparison with those of community-acquired bloodstream infections (CABSIs) caused by P. aeruginosa. We conducted a retrospective multicenter study of consecutive P. aeruginosa bacteremia patients at two university-affiliated hospitals. Demographic, clinical, and treatment data were collected. Microbiologic analyses included in vitro susceptibility profiles and type III secretory (TTS) phenotypes. Sixty CABSI and 90 HCABSI episodes were analyzed. Patients with HCABSIs had more organ dysfunction at the time of bacteremia (P = 0.05) and were more likely to have been exposed to antimicrobial therapy (P < 0.001) than those with CABSIs. Ninety-two percent of the carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa infections were characterized as HCABSIs. The 30-day mortality rate for CABSIs was 26% versus 36% for HCABSIs (P = 0.38). The sequential organ failure assessment score at the time of bacteremia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 1.3) and the TTS phenotype (HR 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.9) were found to be independent predictors of the 30-day mortality rate. No mortality rate difference was observed between CABSIs and HCABSIs caused by P. aeruginosa. Severity of illness and expression of TTS proteins were the strongest predictors of the 30-day mortality rate due to P. aeruginosa bacteremia. Future P. aeruginosa bacteremia trials designed to neutralize TTS proteins are warranted.
A high‐resolution GIS‐based inventory of the west Siberian peat carbon pool

The West Siberian Lowland (WSL) contains the world's most extensive peatlands and a substantial fraction of the global terrestrial carbon pool. Despite its recognition as a carbon reservoir of great significance, the extent, thickness, and carbon content of WSL peatlands have not been analyzed in detail. This paper compiles a wide array of data into a geographic information system (GIS) to create a high‐resolution, spatially explicit digital inventory of all WSL peatlands and their associated physical properties. Detailed measurements for nearly 10,000 individual peatlands (patches) are based on compilation of previously unpublished Russian field and ancillary map data, satellite imagery, previously published depth measurements, and our own field depth and core measurements taken throughout the region during field campaigns in 1999, 2000, and 2001. At the patch level, carbon storage is estimated as the product of peatland area, depth, and carbon content. Estimates of peatland area are validated from RESURS‐01 satellite images, and the quality of the Russian peatland depth and carbon content data is independently confirmed by laboratory analysis of core samples. Through GIS‐based spatial analysis of the peat areal extent, depth, and carbon content data, we conservatively estimate the total area of WSL peatlands at 592,440 km2, the total peat mass at 147.82 Pg, and the total carbon pool at 70.21 Pg C. Our analysis concludes that WSL peatlands are more extensive and represent a substantially larger carbon pool than previously thought: Previous studies report 9,440–273,440 km2 less peatland area and 15.11–30.19 Pg less carbon than found in this analysis. The complete digital database is freely available for scientific use at http://arcss.colorado. edu/data/arcss131.html.
Oxidized Regenerated Cellulose Can Reduce Hidden Blood Loss after Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Study

ABSTRACT Background: There is a large amount of hidden blood loss (HBL) after total hip arthroplasty (THA), but the effective and safe methods to reduce HBL are still controversial. Methods: Sixty-nine consecutive patients who underwent THA in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups, Group A (THA without oxidized regenerated cellulose) and Group B (THA with oxidized regenerated cellulose). Demographics, perioperative laboratory values, intraoperative data, blood loss, transfusion rate, transfusion reactions, and surgical complications were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 37 (54%) patients used oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) in operation. The total blood loss (TBL), postoperative blood loss (PBL), hemoglobin (Hb) loss, and hidden blood loss (HBL) in group B were significantly lower than in group A. Conclusions: The use of ORC to fill the bone surface and soft tissue gap before incision closure can effectively reduce HBL and may be a potential treatment for blood prevention after THA.
IPCC Expert Meeting on Assessing and Combining Multi Model Climate Projections

This meeting was agreed in advance as part of the IPCC workplan, but this does not imply working group or panel endorsement or approval of the proceedings or any recommendations or conclusions contained herein. Supporting material prepared for consideration by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This material has not been subjected to formal IPCC review processes.
The novel drug delivery to vascular wall using laser driven thermal balloon: basic study ex vivo

To enhance drug delivery performance of popular drug eluting balloon against re-stenosis after angioplasty, we have an idea regarding to adjacent use of our unique laser driven thermal balloon of which characteristics could realize short term and uniform temperature elevation to modify drug delivery characteristics. We have already reported a delivery enhancement effect using this idea, however, detailed characteristics have not been studied yet. We studied balloon dilatation in terms of vascular circumferential tension on the heating drug delivery performance using porcine carotid artery wall ex vivo. The extracted carotid artery was used and circumferential tension of 0-30 mN/mm2 was added. Heating drug delivery was performed on this carotid artery with the heated solution of hydrophobic fluorescent Rhodamine B with 3 μg/ml in concentration at 37 and 70°C. We obtained a defined drug delivery quantity as well as delivery depth by a microscopic fluorescence measurement on a cross section of the drug delivered vessel wall. In the cases of 70°C, we found the drug penetration increase against 3°C case. We predict that the collagen thermal denaturation of the vessel wall may play important role to this penetration. In the case of 3°C, we found the drug concentration on the intimal surface with 7 mN/mm2 was increased as 10-30 times as other tension values. We found surface grooves in this case using an electron micrography. Therefore, we think that the drug delivery enhancement might be related to the groove formations of the vessel wall.
Floating-Point Arithmetic Using GPGPU on FPGAs

This paper presents a new tool flow to realize algorithms in floating-point precision on FPGAs. A customizable multicore soft GPU architecture is used on the hardware side. Two solutions to perform floating-point arithmetic in IEEE-754 single precision are investigated: using standard function calls to GPU-friendly software implementations, or by hardware upgrades to the Processing Elements (PEs). An OpenCL compiler that supports both approaches has been developed. An IPython API is used to evaluate 15 benchmarks. The suggested tool flow has been compared to many other solutions including High Level Synthesis (HLS): on average, our architecture has 2.9x better compute density and 11.2x better energy efficiency than a single MicroBlaze processor, or any homogeneous Multi-Processor System On Chip (MPSoC) based on it. In addition, speedups up to 22x can be achieved over an ARM Cortex-A9 supported by a NEON vector coprocessor. For the most complex benchmarks, where software-similar implementations are used with HLS, the suggested approach performed always better. When some task parameters were not fixed at synthesis time, our architecture could provide better throughput per area and it consumed less energy than HLS in most cases.