Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Novel Gene Regulatory Networks for Dystrophin Protein in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells by Single-Nuclear Transcriptome Analysis

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an X-linked recessive disease caused by mutations in dystrophin proteins that lead to heart failure and respiratory failure. Dystrophin (DMD) is not only expressed in cardiomyocytes and skeletal muscle cells, but also in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Patients with DMD have been reported to have hypotension. Single nuclear RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) is a state-of-the-art technology capable of identifying niche-specific gene programs of tissue-specific cell subpopulations. To determine whether DMD mutation alters blood pressure, we compared systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure levels in mdx mice (a mouse model of DMD carrying a nonsense mutation in DMD gene) and the wide-type control mice. We found that mdx mice showed significantly lower systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure than control mice. To understand how DMD mutation changes gene expression profiles from VSMCs, we analyzed an snRNA-seq dataset from the muscle nucleus of DMD mutant (DMDmut) mice and control (Ctrl) mice. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that the most significantly activated pathways in DMDmut-VSMCs are involved in ion channel function (potassium channel activity, cation channel complex, and cation channel activity). Notably, we discovered that the DMDmut-VSMCs showed significantly upregulated expression of KCNQ5 and RYR2, whereas the most suppressed pathways were transmembrane transporter activity (such as anion transmembrane transporter activity, inorganic anion transmembrane transporter activity, import into cell, and import across plasma membrane). Moreover, we analyzed metabolic pathways from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) using “scMetabolism” R package. DMDmut-VSMCs exhibited dysregulation of pyruvate metabolism and nuclear acid metabolism. In conclusion, via the application of snRNA-seq, we (for the first time) identify the potential molecular regulation by DMD in the upregulation of the expression of KCNQ5 genes in VSMCs, which helps us to understand the mechanism of hypotension in DMD patients. Our study potentially offers new possibilities for therapeutic interventions in systemic hypotension in DMD patients with pharmacological inhibition of KCNQ5.
Epidemiology of turbot bacterial diseases in China between October 2016 and December 2019

Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) is an important commercial fish in China that can be infected by a series of bacterial pathogens, leading to great economic losses. In this study we focused on the epidemiology of turbot bacterial diseases in the major farming areas in China for three years. A total of 155 cases with 446 diseased turbots were investigated, and dominant bacterial pathogens were isolated from 137 cases (344 turbots). Thus, bacteria are the major threat to farming turbot in China. Edwardsiella piscicida was the major pathogen, which isolated as the dominant colony in 62 cases (40.00%) with 151 turbots (33.85%). Aeromonas salmonicida was isolated in 57 cases (36.77%) with 116 turbots (26.01%). Vibrio anguillarum was isolated in nine cases (5.81%), and Streptococcus parauberis in five cases (3.23%). Photobacterium damselae and Mycobacterium marinum were also isolated from one or two diseased fish. Other Vibrio spp. were isolated in 15 cases (9.68%). Two species of pathogen were isolated in 13 cases, and three species (E. piscicida, A. salmonicida, and S. parauberis) in one case. In 19 cases, no bacteria were isolated. Based on the annual disease analysis, we found that the E. piscicida infection proportion of total cases was greatly decreased, which may be caused by the attenuated vaccine inoculated in 2018. The antibiotic resistance of E. piscicida strains isolated in Weifang city was also determined. We found that the resistance to ceftriaxone, doxycycline, and SMZ/TMP were significantly increased from October 2016 to June 2018, and all the E. piscicida isolates exhibited resistance to SMZ/TMP in June 2018. These results indicated that E. piscicida is the major threat to turbot farming in China, and the attenuated E. piscicida vaccine exhibits effective protection. The usage of antibiotics may induce resistance quickly. Thus, development of vaccines is an important work for sustainable development of turbot farming in the future.
Occupational Therapy Education in Saudi Arabia: Barriers and Solutions From a Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Objective Occupational therapy (OT) is an important healthcare profession in Saudi Arabia (SA). Yet, no studies have explored the status of OT education in SA. The current study aims to investigate the status of OT education in SA, as well as the barriers and solutions. Methods A cross-sectional-based survey was conducted. Institutions that offered OT programs were identified and an electronic survey was sent to OT program directors across SA that agreed to participate. The survey included items that focused on the number of students in programs, current faculty members, and their characteristics, as well as barriers and solutions to advancing the OT profession and education in SA. Results Out of 74 institutions, eight offered OT programs and all responded to the survey. Among all programs, one was inactive, seven (87.5%) were governmental institutions, and none were nationally accredited. There was a total of 538 currently enrolled students and 76 full-time faculty members. There are no current OT postgraduate programs. Staff shortages and ineffective communication between institutions (87.5%), financial barriers, and lack of knowledge/awareness of the OT profession (75%) were the most common barriers reported. Conclusion OT education is growing in SA but is still not well-represented throughout the different regions of the country. Initiatives to advance the profession are urgently needed by establishing new OT programs and departments as well as introducing OT to more diverse scopes of practice and in more clinical settings. Further research exploring OT education including curriculum content, teaching methods, and assessment strategies of OT programs. Addressing the barriers identified in the current study and methods to overcome them is needed.
Wideband Waveform Design for Distributed Precision Jamming

Precision electronic warfare is a hot direction for future jamming technology development, and distributed precision jamming (DIPJ) is one of its typical application scenarios. The task objective of DIPJ is to design jamming waveforms so that the jamming energy generated by a set of ultra-sparse array transmitters can be focused in the jamming region of interest while being suppressed in other specific protected regions, which can be viewed as a distributed multiple-input and multiple-output system waveform design problem under a three-dimensional scenario. This paper extends the jamming signal model in DIPJ from narrowband to wideband based on previous work to address a broader range of jamming tasks. After extending the model to wideband signals, a method based on the traditional maximum total energy difference optimization objective is first given for comparison. A wideband jamming waveform design method based on the majorization minimization algorithm with the desired power spectrum matching as the optimization target is designed for the problem that the maximum energy difference method cannot focus energy well in the jamming region. The simulation results show that the presented method can make the jamming energy well concentrated in the target region and evenly distributed over the whole bandwidth, while the energy in the whole bandwidth is suppressed in the protected region.
Extracts of Brocchia cinerea (Delile) Vis Exhibit In Vivo Wound Healing, Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Activities, and Other In Vitro Therapeutic Effects

The plant Brocchia cinerea (Delile) (B. cinerea) has many uses in traditional pharmacology. Aqueous (BCAE) and ethanolic extracts (BCEE) obtained from the aerial parts can be used as an alternative to some synthetic drugs. In vitro, DPPH, FRAP and TAC are three tests used to measure antioxidant efficacy. Antibacterial activities were determined against one Gram positive and two Gram negative strains of bacteria. The analgesic power was evaluated in vivo using the abdominal contortion model in mice, while carrageenan-induced edema in rats was the model chosen for the anti-inflammatory test; wound healing was evaluated in an experimental second degree burn model. The results of the phytochemical analysis showed that BCEE had the greatest content of polyphenols (21.06 mg AGE/g extract), flavonoids (10.43 mg QE/g extract) and tannins (24.05 mg TAE/g extract). HPLC-DAD reveals the high content of gallic acid, quercetin and caffeic acid in extracts. BCEE has a strong antiradical potency against DPPH (IC50 = 0.14 mg/mL) and a medium iron reducing activity (EC50 = 0.24 mg/mL), while BCAE inhibited the growth of the antibiotic resistant bacterium, P. aeruginosa (MIC = 10 mg/mL). BCAE also exhibited significant pharmacological effects and analgesic efficacy (55.81% inhibition 55.64% for the standard used) and the re-epithelialization of wounds, with 96.91% against 98.60% for the standard. These results confirm the validity of the traditional applications of this plant and its potential as a model to develop analogous drugs.
Influence of System Parameters on the Hysteresis Characteristics of a Horizontal Rijke Tube

The influence of system parameters such as heater power, heater location and mass flow rate on the hysteresis characteristics of a horizontal Rijke tube is presented in this paper. It is observed that a hysteresis zone is present for all the mass flow rates considered in the present study. A power law relation is established between the non-dimensional hysteresis width and the Strouhal number, defined as the ratio between convective time scale and acoustic time scale. The transition to instability in a horizontal Rijke tube is found to be subcritical in all the experiments performed in this study. When heater location is chosen as the control parameter, period-2 oscillations are found for specific values of mass flow rate and heater power
The influence of possible definitions of a reference environment to determine the exergy of air in buildings

This paper critically analyses the influence of possible definitions of the standard state of air to determine the exergy of air in buildings. Three different contributions are considered related to differences in temperature, pressure, and humidity of air inside and outside the building envelope. The possibility to calculate the exergy of air in buildings, based on only one or two of these contributions, for example expressed by a characteristic air temperature and/or air as dry air, is explored for three different locations on earth. These values are compared to those calculated using hourly statistical climate data during one year.
Tabletop x-ray microscope using 8 keV zone plates

We describe the implementation of an 8 keV microscope that operates with a conventional x-ray source in our lab. Samples are scanned pixel-by-pixel through a focused x-ray spot produced by a phase-modulating zone plate fabricated with the sputtered-sliced technique. The micro- focused x-ray source uses a Cu target and produces 8 keV photons that are detected with a Si(Li) spectroscopy system. The microscope currently achieves 10 µm resolution.
Challenges of Work-Life Balance for Women Academics: A Case Study of Universities in Lahore, Pakistan

To maintain a balance between personal and professional life is important for professionals including academics. Work-life balance helps in achieving and sustaining a healthy work routine that enhances an academic’s effectiveness and satisfaction. In traditional societies, working women often have responsibilities both at their work place and homes. The present study explored that how female academics balance their personal and professional life and what challenges they face in Lahore, Pakistan. The sample consisted of ten female academics selected from two universities in Lahore, Pakistan. Data was collected by using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data The findings revealed that women academics faced several problems at their homes as well as their workplace. These problems include lack of departmental support in performing tasks and completing assignments. Also, additional duties are assigned to the women academics, other than their teaching jobs. Women academics were also found to have insufficient time for themselves, leaving an adverse impact on their physical and mental wellbeing. The positive aspect found is that women academics have the courage and potential to cope with these challenges by using different strategies. These strategies include not doing work related tasks at home, sharing problems with family members, and remaining calm and determined.
Tackling Issues Observed during the Development of a Liquid Chromatography Method for Small Molecule Quantification in Antibody-Chelator Conjugate

In the context of targeted radionuclide therapy, antibody-chelator conjugates (ACCs) are an evolving class of antibody-related drugs with promising applications as tumor-targeted pharmaceuticals. Generally, a typical ACC consists of a recombinant monoclonal antibody (mAb) coupled to radionuclide via a chelating agent. Characterizing the ACC structure represents an analytical challenge since various impurities must be constantly monitored in the presence of formulation components during the quality control (QC) process. In this contribution, a reliable method devoted to the monitoring of an ACC sample, and its small molecule-related synthesis impurities, has been developed via liquid chromatography (LC). A problem-solving approach of common analytical issues was used to highlight some major issues encountered during method development. This included separation of poorly retained impurities (issue #1); interferences from the formulation components (issue #2); analysis of impurities in presence of ACC at high concentration (issue #3); and recovery of impurities during the whole analytical procedure (issue #4). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a chromatographic method for the analysis of ACC synthesis impurities is presented. In addition, the developed approach has the potential to be more widely applied to the characterization of similar ACCs and other antibody-related drugs.
Independent reliability assessment of the laser transmitter for the ESA-NASA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Program (Conference Presentation)

As part of the laser development process, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) requested support from the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) to independently assess the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the LISA Laser System (LS). The independent assessment included the following tasks: (a) assess the design for weaknesses and suggest improvements to mitigate risks, (b) assess the laser reliability plan for weaknesses and suggest improvements to mitigate risks and improve effectiveness, and (c) assess the current redundancy plan on laser subsystems for weaknesses and suggest improvements to mitigate risks and improve effectiveness. The presentation will focus on the assessment findings and the current development progress of the LISA laser to meet the mission requirements with a delivery of a form, fit, and functional TRL6 laser to the LISA mission by late 2023.
Discussion on the transport processes in electrons with non-Maxwellian energy distribution function in partially-ionized plasmas

In a previous work (Alvarez Laguna et al 2022 Phys. Plasmas 29 083507), we have developed a non-linear moment model for electrons that self-consistently captures non-Maxwellian electron energy distribution function effects. The model does not rely in the local approximation and the transport coefficients are calculated by expanding the distribution function into Hermite polynomials and by taking moments of the Boltzmann equation, including the collision operator for elastic and inelastic collisions with arbitrary cross sections. This model captures the classical Fick’s, Fourier’s, and Ohm’s law as well as Soret, Dufour, and Peltier effects. In addition, novel non-local transport phenomena appear as a result of spatial gradients of the kurtosis of the distribution function. In this paper, we discuss on the transport effects by analyzing two collisional models: constant collision frequency and constant cross section. We estimate the order of magnitude of the transport processes in non-equilibrium electrons by analyzing the Langmuir probe measurements of a low-pressure argon inductively-coupled discharge. The results show that, under these conditions, the transport produced by the spatial gradients in the kurtosis of the distribution function produces a heat-flux contribution that is of the same order of magnitude as the Fourier and Dufour’s effects. These transport effects are beyond the local field or the electron gradient expansions, commonly used in the low-temperature plasma modeling.
Criteria for Stability and Stabilization of Variable Fractional-Order Uncertain Neutral Systems With Time-Varying Delay: Delay-Dependent Analysis

This brief focuses on the stability and stabilization of variable fractional-order neutral systems (VFONS) with time-varying delays and time-varying structured uncertainties. Via the FO Lyapunov function, a new set of delay- and order-dependent criterion is proposed for both nominal and uncertain VFONS. The resultant criteria are formulated by designing a linear matrix inequality-based static output feedback control strategy in a set of linear matrix inequalities. The numerical simulations verify the theoretical formulation.
A Development of an Induction Heating Process for a Jewelry Factory: Experiments and Multiphysics

This article reports a successful development of the induction heating process (IHP) in a jewelry factory based on experiments and multiphysics consisting of electromagnetic and thermal simulations. First, two experiments were set to measure essential parameters for result validation and multiphysics boundary condition settings. Then, the essential parameters were applied to multiphysics, and both simulation results revealed heat transfer, magnetic flux density (B) generated by the coil, and temperature (T) of the product. B and T were consistent with the experimental results and theory, confirming the reliability of the multiphysics and methodology. After that, all simulation results were analyzed to assess and optimize IHP in terms of the number of coil turns (N), positional placement of the product (P), and coil thickness (Th). Multiphysics revealed that the current operating condition with N = 3 is proper; however, the IHP can be improved more with coil and operating condition optimizations. Finally, completing the optimizations, decreasing 40% of Th with N = 6, and the same P, increased B on the product by 21.62%, leading to IHP efficacy enhancement. The research findings are the optimum coil model and methodology for developing the IHP, which were practically employed in the jewelry factory.
Some products involving the fourth Greek letter family element \tilde{\delta}_s in the Adams spectral sequence

Let p be an odd prime and A be the mod p Steenrod algebra. For computing the stable homotopy groups of spheres with the classical Adams spectral sequence, we must compute the E2 -term of the Adams spectral sequence, Ext ∗,∗ A ( p, p) . In this paper we prove that in the cohomology of A , the product k0hn ˜ δs+4 ∈ Ext s +7,t(s,n)+s
Unsteady aerodynamics of dragonfly using a simple wing–wing model from the perspective of a force decomposition

Insects perform their multitude of flight skills at frequencies of tens to hundreds of Hertz, and the aerodynamics of these skills are fundamentally unsteady. Intuitively, unsteadiness may come from unsteady wing motion, unsteady surface vorticity or vorticity being shed into the rear and front wakes. In this study, we propose to investigate the aerodynamics of dragonfly using a simplified wing–wing model from the perspective of many-body force decomposition and the associated force elements. Insect flight usually operates at Reynolds numbers of the order of several hundreds, at which the surface vorticity is shown to play a substantial role. There are important cases where the added mass effect is non-negligible. Nevertheless, the major contribution to the forces comes from the vorticity within the flow. This study focused on the effects of mutual interactions due to phase differences between the fore- and hindwings in the translational as well as rotational motions. It is well known that the dynamic stall vortex is an important mechanism for an unsteady wing to gain lift. In analysing the life cycles of lift and thrust elements, we also associate some high lift and thrust with the mechanisms identified as ‘riding on’ lift elements, ‘driven by’ thrust elements and ‘sucked by’ thrust elements, by which a wing makes use of a shed or fused vortex below, in front of, and behind it, respectively. In addition, a shear layer attaching to each wing may also provide significant thrust elements.
Step-Index (Semi-Immersed) Model for Photonic Nanojet and Experimental Characterization via Near-Field Optical Microscopy with Microcylinder

Experimental limitations such as design complexity and low optical throughput have prevented photonic nanojet (PNJ) and photonic hook (PH) measurements from demonstrating and characterizing the implementation of narrow intense electromagnetic beams generated from dielectric microelements with circular symmetry. Near-fields optical microscopy can mitigate these limitations and still present a capability of detecting a highly localized electromagnetic beam for applications in step-index media. Here we model a localized PNJ and PH formation in step-index media. We show that despite negligible refractive index contrast between the water (nwater=1.33) and silica microcylinder (∼1.1), a formation of PNJ and PH is observed with equivalent performance compared to that of silica microcylinder embedded in air (nair=1). This model features a practical fiber source and silica microcylinder as an auxiliary structure. Simultaneously, we performed experimental characterization of a photonic nanojet generated from an optical fiber and studied the resulting near-fields. Our electromagnetic simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental ones, demonstrating a full width at half maximum (FHWM) with a relative error of 0.64%. This system will make fiber-based nanojet realization and characterization accessible and practical for optics and laser engineering applications, super-resolution imaging, and nanolithography.