Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calcineurin Inhibitor CN585 Exhibits Off-Target Effects in the Human Fungal Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus

Calcineurin (CN) is an attractive antifungal target as it is critical for growth, stress response, drug resistance, and virulence in fungal pathogens. The immunosuppressive drugs, tacrolimus (FK506) and cyclosporin A (CsA), are fungistatic and specifically inhibit CN through binding to their respective immunophilins, FK506-binding protein (FKBP12), and cyclophilin (CypA). We are focused on CN structure-based approaches for the development of non-immunosuppressive FK506 analogs as antifungal therapeutics. Here, we examined the effect of the novel CN inhibitor, CN585, on the growth of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, the most common cause of invasive aspergillosis. Unexpectedly, in contrast to FK506, CN585 exhibited off-target effect on A. fumigatus wild-type and the azole- and echinocandin-resistant strains. Unlike with FK506 and CsA, the A. fumigatus CN, FKBP12, CypA mutants (ΔcnaA, Δfkbp12, ΔcypA) and various FK506-resistant mutants were all sensitive to CN585. Furthermore, in contrast to FK506 the cytosolic to nuclear translocation of the CN-dependent transcription factor (CrzA-GFP) was not inhibited by CN585. Molecular docking of CN585 onto human and A. fumigatus CN complexes revealed differential potential binding sites between human CN versus A. fumigatus CN. Our results indicate CN585 may be a non-specific inhibitor of CN with a yet undefined antifungal mechanism of activity.
Shallow donor muonium states in II-VI semiconductor compounds

Experimental data on shallow donor muonium states in the II-VI semiconductor compounds CdS, CdSe, CdTe, and ZnO are presented. These are characterized by very weak hyperfine interactions amounting to approximately 10{sup -4} of the free-atom value, and by donor levels with binding energies comparable to those calculated on the hydrogenic model of the shallow centers. The data are discussed in terms of a model generalizing the knowledge of muonium and hydrogen states in tetrahedrally bonded semiconductors. Within this model the shallow muonium state is attributed to muonium bound to the anion of the II-VI compound and located at the antibonding site or close to it in the bond direction.
Branched Poly(ε-caprolactone)-Based Copolyesters of Different Architectures and Their Use in the Preparation of Anticancer Drug-Loaded Nanoparticles

Limitations associated with the use of linear biodegradable polyesters in the preparation of anticancer nano-based drug delivery systems (nanoDDS) have turned scientific attention to the utilization of branched-chain (co-)polymers. In this context, the present study evaluates the use of novel branched poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-based copolymers of different architectures for the preparation of anticancer nanoparticle (NP)-based formulations, using paclitaxel (PTX) as a model drug. Specifically, three PCL-polyol branched polyesters, namely, a three-arm copolymer based on glycerol (PCL-GLY), a four-arm copolymer based on pentaerythritol (PCL-PE), and a five-arm copolymer based on xylitol (PCL-XYL), were synthesized via ring-opening polymerization and characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), intrinsic viscosity, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and cytotoxicity. Then, PTX-loaded NPs were prepared by an oil-in-water emulsion. The size of the obtained NPs varied from 200 to 300 nm, while the drug was dispersed in crystalline form in all formulations. High encapsulation efficiency and high yields were obtained in all cases, while FTIR analysis showed no molecular drug polymer. Finally, in vitro drug release studies showed that the studied nanocarriers significantly enhanced the dissolution rate and extent of the drug.
Consumers’ Attitudes towards Animal Suffering: A Systematic Review on Awareness, Willingness and Dietary Change

Planetary and human health depend on Westerners’ ability to reduce meat consumption. Meat production degrades the environment while excessive meat intake is associated with cancer and cardiovascular disease, among others. Effective reasons and motivations are needed for consumers to change their diet. The fact that modern animal agriculture inflicts a great deal of pain on animals from their birth to their slaughter, animal welfare/suffering may drive consumers to curtail their meat consumption. This systematic review examined a total of 90 papers to ascertain consumers’ awareness of the pain animals experience in animal agriculture, as well as consumer attitudes towards meat reduction due to animal welfare. Results show that consumers have low awareness of animal agriculture. Awareness of animal agricultural practices and animal sentience is associated with increased negative attitudes towards animal suffering. Animal suffering due to farming practices, transportation, slaughter, and animal sentience are factors that may encourage a reduction in meat consumption, and even dietary change in the short term. There is also evidence that animal suffering may be a more compelling motivation for consumers’ willingness to change their diet than for health or environmental reasons. Therefore, increasing consumers’ awareness of animal suffering in meat production is paramount to contributing to reduced pressure on the environment and improved human health.
A Baseline Assessment of the Total Quality Management Pillars of Commitment to Quality, Customer Satisfaction and Continuous Improvement in a Manufacturing Concern

The study intends to contribute to the field of TQM by exploring the relationship between commitment to quality and continuous improvement and giving emphasis on customer satisfaction on how it acts as a mediator. A survey instrument was adopted from Goh (2000) and used to obtain required information on the independent and dependent variables in assessing the level of TQM implementation in a manufacturing company at Quezon City, Philippines as primary respondents in which data were collected using the online platform. Data were analyzed using Factor analysis and a Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using the SmartPLS 3.0 software for the hypothesis testing and measurement of model fit for the structural model. The questionnaire measures the respondents’ perception on rating the company’s performance against each pillar with a total of 23 scale items that are rated on a 5-point Likert scale. As a whole, the constructs on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement have a significant relationship. Further research is needed to explore other mediating factors, components, and segments under each construct that are restricted on the instrument. Additionally, management direction in shaping organizational values and establishing a framework to bring about change will encourage all employees to participate in this process and may impact the outcome of TQM success are restricted on the instrument.
Deep Learning based Attacks Detection of DNP3 Protocol

- SCADA systems contain many important components that communicate with each other through communication protocols designed for SCADA systems. This paper concerns distributed network protocol 3 (DNP3), which is considered a sufficient, trustworthy, and standard protocol for improving communications between multiple vendors. The vulnerabilities of this protocol form a disaster threat over the whole system, so this paper mentions these weakness points of this protocol. Also, the paper mentions the different types of attacks that exploit these vulnerabilities. So, it is necessary for researchers to continuously study mitigating these attacks without affecting the efficiency of the system. This goal is introduced in deep learning model algorithms dependent on neural networks. This paper introduces an ensemble deep learning algorithm (autoencoders) with decision tree (DT) multiple classification and support vector machine (SVM) multiple classification. After that, applying these two classifications models to a dataset to study the efficiency of each model and compares the results between each of them using performance metrics of deep learning algorithms and confusion matrixes which show the accuracy of each classifier.
Cardiovascular Risk Profiles and Pre-Existing Health Conditions of Trekkers in the Solu-Khumbu Region, Nepal

Background: High-altitude tourist trekking continues to grow in popularity on the Everest Trek in Nepal. We examined which pre-existing cardiovascular and health conditions these global trekkers had and what health issues they encountered during the trek, be it exacerbations of pre-existing conditions, or new acute ones. Method: Trekkers (n = 350) were recruited from guesthouses along the Everest Trek, mostly at Tengboche (3860 m). After completing a questionnaire on their health and travel preparation, they underwent a basic physical examination with an interview. Results: Almost half (45%) had pre-existing conditions, mostly orthopaedic and cardiovascular diseases. The average age was 42.7 years (range 18–76). The average BMI was 23.4 kg/m2, but 21% were overweight. A third were smokers (30%), and 86% had at least one major cardiovascular risk factor. A quarter (25%) were suffering from manifest acute mountain sickness (AMS), and 72% had at least one symptom of AMS. Adequate pre-travel examination, consultation, and sufficient personal preparation were rarely found. In some cases, a distinct cardiovascular risk profile was assessed. Hypertensive patients showed moderately elevated blood pressure, and cholesterol levels were favourable in most cases. No cardiovascular emergencies were found, which was fortunate as timely, sufficient care was not available during the trek. Conclusion: The results of earlier studies in the Annapurna region should be revalidated. Every trekker to the Himalayas should consult a physician prior to departure, ideally a travel medicine specialist. Preventative measures and education on AMS warrant special attention. Travellers with heart disease or with a pronounced cardiovascular risk profile should be presented to an internal medicine professional. Travel plans must be adjusted individually, especially with respect to adequate acclimatisation time and no physical overloading. With these and other precautions, trekking at high altitudes is generally safe and possible, even with significant pre-existing health conditions. Trekking can lead to invaluable personal experiences. Since organized groups are limited in their flexibility to change their itinerary, individual trekking or guided tours in small groups should be preferred.
Assessing the stability of Gaussian mixture models for monthly returns of the S&P 500 index

The study analyses the unconditional distribution of monthly S&P 500 stock index returns for the long-run time period 1871–2004. The return distribution can be adequately described by a mixture of two Gaussian normal distributions. However, when analysing sub-samples of this long-time horizon, substantial deviations between the empirical and the estimated two-component distribution become evident. Formal tests clearly reject the hypothesis of random draws from the estimated distribution. A comprehensive analysis of ten-year windows within the framework of a rolling window strategy reveals that window-specific estimated two-component mixtures can adequately describe the empirical distributions in almost all windows. Nevertheless, the substantial variation in the weight of the mixtures as well as in the parameters of the mixed distributions suggests that there are severe difficulties involved in maintaining the notion of an underlying distribution being constant to a certain degree.
Complex rays for radiation from discretized aperture distributions

Many electromagnetic propagation problems require tracking of fields radiated by large actual or induced aperture distributions through complicated environments before reaching the observer. For a systematic approach to this problem area, it is desirable to represent the aperture field in terms of basis functions which are physically informative and well adapted to traversing the propagation path. At high frequencies, Ganssian beam-type basis functions meet these requirements. After referring to a rigorous aperture discretization scheme, various quasi-Gaussian basis field profiles are examined, with a special view toward expressing their radiation properties in terms of complex rays; complex ray tracing is promising for field tracking in complicated surroundings. By comparing reference solutions from numerical integration of radiation integrals with complex ray asymptotics, it is concluded that the true Gaussian has the most favorable attributes for matching aperture discretization, propagation requirements, and complex ray tracing. Thus, the analysis here may point the way toward systematic treatment of the above-noted class of propagation problems.
Fully distributed event‐driven cooperation with unknown parameters under directed graphs

In this article, a novel fully distributed dynamic event‐driven strategy is designed for linear multi‐agent systems (MASs) containing unknown parameters under general directed graphs. Each agent can achieve consensus asymptotically by communicating with its neighbors and does not need to use global information, so the proposed dynamic event‐driven algorithm can work in a fully distributed manner. Existing fully distributed event‐based consensus works rely on two or more event monitoring conditions. Too much event monitoring logic will put an extra computational burden on the MASs; instead, for the first time, this article proposes a fully distributed event‐driven strategy with a single event monitoring condition under directed graphs. In addition, the proposed strategy (adaptive control law and event monitoring condition) does not involve the dynamics parameters of MASs and provides better applicability. Finally, we rule out Zeno behavior by showing that any adjacent event interval for each agent is greater than zero. The simulations verify our results.
DO IMPROVED GROUNDNUT SEEDS MAKE AFRICAN FARMERS MORE FOOD SECURE? EVIDENCE FROM UGANDA

Abstract Groundnuts are an important crop for Ugandan smallholders because they are high in protein, resupply nutrients to the soil, and are a storable source of wealth once dried. Adoption of virus-resistant seeds that increase yield and reduce yield variance may improve household food security, but the complex relationship is an empirical question. This article considers the effect of improved groundnut seed on smallholder food security in eastern Uganda. Results indicate that adopters have significantly higher household food security after controlling for observed and unobserved household heterogeneity. The food consumption score index increases more than 15 points with improved seed adoption.
Vlasov-Poisson-Fokker-Planck in Fractional Sobolev-Lebesgue Spaces

In this paper, we are concerned with the local well-posedness of the Vlasov-Poisson-Fokker-Planck equation near vacuum in the fractional Sobolev-Lebesgue space for the large initial data. To achieve this goal, we mainly adopt the energy method. In order to obtain the energy estimate, we establish an L2-Lq estimate related to the electronic term, and take advantage of the commutator estimates as well.
A Reliable Strain Sensor Based on Bridging GaN Nanowires

A reliable piezoresistive strain sensor (PSS) was fabricated by using the directly bridging GaN nanowires (NWs). The bridging NWs were epitaxially grown over a deep trench on GaN-coated sapphire substrate, so homogeneous, solid, and robust connections between the electrode (GaN coating layer) and NWs can be realized without electrical contact barrier. The sensing properties of the GaN-NW PSS were investigated by measuring the deflection-induced resistance variation of NWs. The GaN-NW PSS demonstrates good repeatability, fast response speed, and a relatively high gauge factor (GF) of ~59. To our knowledge, it is the first time that the piezoresistive effect of GaN NW was investigated.
Effects of Groundwater Abstraction and Desalination Brine Injection on a Middle Miocene Aquifer of the El-Dabaa Area, Northern Coast of Egypt

: The lack of freshwater supplies in the El-Dabaa area on the northern coast of Egypt is a challenge to development plans, particularly concerning the groundwater aquifer limits. Saltwater desalination is a reliable solution to water shortages. This study was conducted to assess the environmental impact of the abstraction operations from the groundwater in the Middle Miocene aquifer and the effect of the rejected brine resulting from the desalination plant on groundwater using numerical modeling. The calibrated transient model was used to predict the impacts of rejected water discharge. The forecasting scenario results indicate the decline of the aquifer's potentiometric surface to reach its maximum value of 1.4 m at well 3 within the study area by 2040. The radius of the affected area by drawdown is about 550 m, and the drawdown is generally decreased far away from the location of extraction wells (feeding wells). The salinity of the aquifer in the future scenario is affected by the rejected water inflow due to the high coefficient of permeability of the aquifer in the study area. The salinity increases to reach its maximum value of 40919 ppm at each reject well site and its maximum value of 37860 ppm at feed well 2 sites within the study area by the 2040 year. In contrast, most of the study area, mainly feed well 3, wasn't affected by rejected water. The radius of the affected area by salinity is about 700 m around the reject wells site by 2040.
Comparative Anticancer Potentials of Taxifolin and Quercetin Methylated Derivatives against HCT-116 Cell Lines: Effects of O-Methylation on Taxifolin and Quercetin as Preliminary Natural Leads

Six flavonoids present in Pulicaria jaubertii, i.e., 7,3′-di-O-methyltaxifolin (1), 3′-O-methyltaxifolin (2), 7-O-methyltaxifolin (3), taxifolin (4), 3-O-methylquercetin (5), and quercetin (6), were tested for their anticancer activities. The methylated flavonoids, compounds 1–3 and 5, were evaluated for their anticancer activities in comparison to the non-methylated parent flavonoids taxifolin (4) and quercetin (6). The structures of the known compounds were reconfirmed by spectral analyses using 1H and 13C NMR data comparisons and HRMS spectrometry. The anticancer activity of these compounds was evaluated in colon cancer, HCT-116, and noncancerous, HEK-293, cell lines using the MTT antiproliferative assays. The caspase-3 and caspase-9 expressions and DAPI (4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining assays were used to evaluate the apoptotic activity. All the compounds exhibited antiproliferative activity against the HCT-116 cell line with IC50 values at 33 ± 1.25, 36 ± 2.25, 34 ± 2.15, 32 ± 2.35, 34 ± 2.65, and 36 ± 1.95 μg/mL for compounds 1 to 6, respectively. All the compounds produced a significant reduction in HCT-116 cell line proliferation, except compounds 2 and 6. The viability of the HEK-293 normal cells was found to be significantly higher than the viability of the cancerous cells at all of the tested concentrations, thus suggesting that all the compounds have better inhibitory activity on the cancer cell line. Apoptotic features such as chromatin condensation and nuclear shrinkage were also induced by the compounds. The expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 genes increased in HCT-116 cell lines after 48 h of treatment, suggesting cell death by the apoptotic pathways. The molecular docking studies showed favorable binding affinity against different pro- and antiapoptotic proteins by these compounds. The docking scores were minimum as compared to the caspase-9, caspase-3, Bcl-xl, and JAK2.
A deep-learning model of prescient ideas demonstrates that they emerge from the periphery

Abstract Where do prescient ideas—those that initially challenge conventional assumptions but later achieve widespread acceptance—come from? Although their outcomes in the form of technical innovation are readily observed, the underlying ideas that eventually change the world are often obscured. Here, we develop a novel method that uses deep learning to unearth the markers of prescient ideas from the language used by individuals and groups. Our language-based measure identifies prescient actors and documents that prevailing methods would fail to detect. Applying our model to corpora spanning the disparate worlds of politics, law, and business, we demonstrate that it reliably detects prescient ideas in each domain. Moreover, counter to many prevailing intuitions, prescient ideas emanate from each domain’s periphery rather than its core. These findings suggest that the propensity to generate far-sighted ideas may be as much a property of contexts as of individuals.
Pro-p groups with non-isomorphic discrete and continuous cohomology groups

Let G be a profinite group and let M be a discrete G-module, i.e. M has the discrete topology and G acts on M continuously. The continuous, or Galois, cohomology groups of G with coefficients in M can be defined via continuous cochains from G× q · · · ×G to M . General references for the continuous cohomology of profinite groups are the classical monograph of Serre [11], and some chapters of the recent books [10] and [13] on profinite groups. Of course, a profinite group G can also be regarded as an abstract group, and then the corresponding cohomology groups are obtained by considering all cochains, and not only the continuous ones. Topologists prefer to think of this as giving G the discrete topology, so we speak of discrete cohomology groups in this case. Thus for a discrete G-module M we can consider both the continuous and the discrete cohomology groups. In order to avoid confusion, we denote them by H cont(G,M) and H disc(G,M), respectively. Since the continuous cochains form a subgroup of the group of all cochains, it readily follows that there are natural homomorphisms φ : H cont(G,M)→ H q disc(G,M), which we call the comparison maps between the continuous and discrete cohomology groups. Our interest is focused on pro-p groups. If P is a pro-p group, then the trivial P -module Fp plays a prominent role in the study of the cohomology of P , since Fp is the only discrete simple p-torsion P -module. As a consequence, in order to determine the continuous cohomological dimension of P , one has to look only at the cohomology groups of P with coefficients in Fp. Let us write, for short, H cont(P ) and H disc(P ) instead of H q cont(P,Fp) and H q disc(P,Fp), respectively. The following question was posed to one of the authors by G. Mislin.
The Emission-Line Properties of Low-Redshift Quasi-stellar Objects

Spectra covering the region λλ4300-5700 have been obtained of all 87 QSOs in the BQS catalog having redshifts less than 0.5. An empirical technique which allows the measurement and subtraction of the many Fe II lines in this region has been developed and applied to these spectra. Measurements of the strengths of Hβ, [O III] λ5007, and He II λ4686, and a four-dimensional parameterization of the Hβ profile have been combined with optical, radio, and X-ray continuum information from the literature to try to understand how these properties are related