Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification by Reverse Vaccinology of Three Virulence Factors in Burkholderia cenocepacia That May Represent Ideal Vaccine Antigens

The Burkholderia cepacia complex comprises environmental and clinical Gram-negative bacteria that infect particularly debilitated people, such as those with cystic fibrosis. Their high level of antibiotic resistance makes empirical treatments often ineffective, increasing the risk of worst outcomes and the diffusion of multi-drug resistance. However, the discovery of new antibiotics is not trivial, so an alternative can be the use of vaccination. Here, the reverse vaccinology approach has been used to identify antigen candidates, obtaining a short-list of 24 proteins. The localization and different aspects of virulence were investigated for three of them—BCAL1524, BCAM0949, and BCAS0335. The three antigens were localized in the outer membrane vesicles confirming that they are surface exposed. We showed that BCAL1524, a collagen-like protein, promotes bacteria auto-aggregation and plays an important role in virulence, in the Galleria mellonella model. BCAM0949, an extracellular lipase, mediates piperacillin resistance, biofilm formation in Luria Bertani and artificial sputum medium, rhamnolipid production, and swimming motility; its predicted lipolytic activity was also experimentally confirmed. BCAS0335, a trimeric adhesin, promotes minocycline resistance, biofilm organization in LB, and virulence in G. mellonella. Their important role in virulence necessitates further investigations to shed light on the usefulness of these proteins as antigen candidates.
CrossFit®: ‘Unknowable’ or Predictable?—A Systematic Review on Predictors of CrossFit® Performance

The functional fitness training program CrossFit® is experiencing fast-growing and widespread popularity with day-to-day varying ‘Workouts of the Day’ (WOD). Even among tactical athletes, the training program is widely applied. Nevertheless, there is a lack of data on which parameters influence CrossFit® performance. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature to identify and summarize predictors of CrossFit® performance and performance enhancement. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of the following databases was conducted in April 2022: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Web of Science. Using the keyword ‘CrossFit’, 1264 entries are found, and 21 articles are included based on the eligibility criteria. In summary, the studies show conflicting results, and no specific key parameter was found that predicts CrossFit® performance regardless of the type of WOD. In detail, the findings indicate that physiological parameters (in particular, body composition) and high-level competitive experience have a more consistent influence than specific performance variables. Nevertheless, in one-third of the studies, high total body strength (i.e., CrossFit® Total performance) and trunk strength (i.e., back squat performance) correlate with higher workout scores. For the first time, this review presents a summary of performance determinants in CrossFit®. From this, a guiding principle for training strategies may be derived, suggesting that a focus on body composition, body strength, and competition experience may be recommended for CrossFit® performance prediction and performance enhancement.
Bypass discharge, approach velocities and bar spacing: the three key-parameters to efficiently protect silver eels with inclined racks

Hydropower energy can contribute to achieve the carbon neutrality goals, but also needs to reach environmental sustainability. Hydropower plants (HPP) constitute barriers to fish migrations that are essential for accomplishing their complete biological cycle. Fish downstream passage solutions (FDPS) have to be implemented to maximize their survival, guiding them away from the turbine intakes towards a safe passage alternative. Recent telemetry studies confirmed the efficiency of 26° inclined low bar spacing (20 mm) rack associated to surface bypasses, installed upstream HPPs, to protect downstream migrating Atlantic salmon smolts. Here we tested the efficiency of such FDPS for eel protection using radiotelemetry at four successive HPPs (with intake capacities from 28 to 45 m3.s−1) in the Ariège River (southern France). Between 52 and 74 eels, longer than 550 mm, entered the HPP intakes and 100% of them were protected from turbine passage. All eels crossed the HPP water intake using the surface bypasses, and the great majority in few minutes from their first presentation in front of the rack. These results showed that in such rack configuration, it is not necessary to add a specific bottom bypass, usually recommended for eels. We also showed the importance of optimal hydraulic conditions, mainly tangential (parallel to the rack) velocity and bypass discharge, to efficiently guide the eels towards the surface bypasses, reducing their passage time. Overall, our study provided key elements to water managers for designing an efficient FDPS for eels.
Tunable four-channel wavelength division (De) multiplexer based on cascaded long-period waveguide gratings

To match the growing demand for data transmission capacities, silicon photonic tunable multichannel filters with architectures like ring resonators or Bragg gratings are the leading technology. However, their performance, especially the channel count, is often limited by the free spectral range or fabrication difficulties due to small size grating teeth (~ 150 nm). The long-period waveguide gratings (LPWGs) with periodicity ~ μm can be a promising alternative to overcome these limitations. In this context, we propose a four-channel wavelength division (de) multiplexer (WDM) based on cascaded LPWG geometry, operating in the C-band of telecommunication. The proposed structure consists of four cascaded LPWGs in which each LPWG comprises two parallel waveguides made of silicon and titanium dioxide (TiO2) with apodized gratings placed in between having a length of 720 μm. The 3-dB bandwidth of each channel is found to be 1.59 nm with a small insertion loss of -0.1 to -0.6 dB owing to the unique spectral property of LPWG. The channel spacing is decided through the efficient tuning with the metallic heaters placed on top of each grating due to the high and opposite thermo-optic coefficient of silicon and TiO2. A minimum spacing of 268 GHz between two consecutive channels is achieved with a power consumption of 30 mW. The cross-talk between the channels is found to be < -20 dB even with ± 10 nm random errors in the waveguide’s width along the propagation direction. The proposed structure possesses great potential towards dense WDM application.
Spatial resolution and depth-of-interaction studies with a PET detector module composed of LSO and an APD array

Detailed results are given for the study of the spatial resolution obtained with different configurations of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) scintillation crystals read out by a Hamamatsu 2 /spl times/ 8 avalanche photodiode (APD) array. Block detectors as well as small-sized individual LSO crystals have been coupled to the APD matrix. Both one-to-one coupling and light-sharing schemes were investigated. The spatial resolution is derived for each configuration. Two different configurations with two layers of LSO crystals shifted by half a crystal size with respect to each other are used for investigations on the depth-of-interaction information. Prior to the spatial resolution measurements, a comparison of the light output for various crystal surface treatments and different optical coupling materials has been made.
Challenges and Prospects of Islamic Education Institutions and Sustainability in The Digital Era

Educational institutions are places for educational activities that aim to change lives for the better. The development of digital technology requires educational institutions to establish and develop the education system continuously. This article explores the challenges and prospects of Islamic educational institutions and their sustainability in the digital technology era. The method used for this article is the qualitative inductive content analysis method. The findings are 1) Political changes, economic changes, and socio-cultural changes in society require Islamic education institutions to upgrade the institutional system and control all institution's activities. 2) Islamic education institutions' prospects include improving human resources and service quality, effectiveness and efficiency of financial management, and emphasizing promotion costs. 3) The future of Islamic education institutions, namely the sustainability of the institution's existence, the sustainability of the quality level of the institution, and the sustainability of invested resources.
Study of climbing ability for two closely related mouse species

Abstract We tested the climbing ability of two native Hungarian rodent species under laboratory conditions. One mouse species is the mound-building mouse (Mus spicilegus), which is associated with flat, arable environments; the other is the house mouse (Mus musculus), which occurs in many natural and artificial environments following human settlements. We sought answers to the following questions, whether each of these species can use the vertical dimension and whether there is a difference in climbing ability between individuals of different ages of the two species. From our results, we concluded that the climbing ability of mound-building mice is much lower than that of house mice, but young mound-building mice show a much greater inclination towards climbing than adult mound-building mice.
Improvement of Error Correction in Nonequilibrium Information Dynamics

Errors are inevitable in information processing and transfer. While error correction is widely studied in engineering, the underlying physics is not fully understood. Due to the complexity and energy exchange involved, information transmission should be considered as a nonequilibrium process. In this study, we investigate the effects of nonequilibrium dynamics on error correction using a memoryless channel model. Our findings suggest that error correction improves as nonequilibrium increases, and the thermodynamic cost can be utilized to improve the correction quality. Our results inspire new approaches to error correction that incorporate nonequilibrium dynamics and thermodynamics, and highlight the importance of the nonequilibrium effects in error correction design, particularly in biological systems.
Physicochemical Properties and Tissue Structure of High Kernel Elongation Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Varieties as Affected by Heat Treatment

Heat treatment could affect the structure and properties of rice varieties. The present study was conducted in order to determine the effects of heat treatment on the physicochemical properties and tissue structure of Mahsuri Mutan, Basmati 370 and MR219 rice varieties. The three rice varieties were subjected to heat treatment (ageing) at 90 °C, using an oven, for 3 h. After the heat treatment, the samples were cooled at room temperature (25 °C) for 1 h. Physicochemical properties, such as alkali digestion value, water uptake ratio, solids in cooking water, high kernel elongation ratio and amylose contents, were determined. The procedure used in determining both apparent and absolute amylose involved measuring the iodine affinity of defatted whole starch. Ahigh-performance anion-exchange chromatograph was used to analyse branch chain length distribution of amylopectin quantitatively. The starch structure of the rice samples was observed under a scanning electron microscope. Data collected on physicochemical traits, heat treatment and control (ageing and non-ageing) were subjected to an analysis of variance using SAS software version 9.4. In this study, Mahsuri Mutan and Basmati 370 showed superior high kernel elongation as compared to their respective rice progenies. This study also found that heat treatment directly affected the increasingly high kernel elongation for both populations. The phenotypic correlation co-efficient indicated that there was a high positive correlation between high kernel elongation and water uptake ratio, implying that selection for water uptake ratio would increase the high kernel elongation characteristic. The heat treatment showed significant difference in all the physicochemical traits of the varieties studied. Heat treatment also affected the very long branch chains of starch, such as amylose. Observation under an electron microscope showed that the samples subjected to heat treatment had more cracks on the tissue structure compared to normal rice samples. The hexagon structure in Mahsuri Mutan produced a greater elongation effect on its kernel. The findings from this study could be useful to breeders in the selection and development of a new high kernel elongation rice variety.
Distribution, conservation, and vulnerability to climate change of the Ecuadorian Brown-headed Spider Monkey (Primates: Atelidae)

The Ecuadorian Brown-headed Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps fusciceps) is one of the most threatened primates globally; recently, it was recorded in areas where it had been considered locally extinct. We used ecological niche models to generate potential suitable areas within its current distribution and assess its potential adaptation to future climate change scenarios by 2050. The potential suitable areas for its distribution total 9556 km2. Habitat loss has divided the current range of the species in two large areas (north and south), and the effects of climate change will likely divide the section in several ecological units by 2050. Under the influence of climate change, the environmentally suitable area will contract between 26 and 46%. This contraction affects landscapes outside protected areas where A. f. fusciceps is currently present. Our results show a high fragility of ecosystems where the species is present, and current conditions pose a high risk for the species in the short term. We recommend focusing conservation efforts in northern protected areas while improving connectivity between southern forest remnants, where ecological conditions will remain steady in the medium term.
MHD Mixed Convection of Non-Newtonian Bingham Nanofluid in a Wavy Enclosure with Temperature-Dependent Thermophysical Properties: A Sensitivity Analysis by Response Surface Methodology

The numerical investigation of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection flow and entropy formation of non-Newtonian Bingham fluid in a lid-driven wavy square cavity filled with nanofluid was investigated by the finite volume method (FVM). The numerical data-based temperature and nanoparticle size-dependent correlations for the Al2O3-water nanofluids are used here. The physical model is a two-dimensional wavy square cavity with thermally adiabatic horizontal boundaries, while the right and left vertical walls maintain a temperature of TC and TH, respectively. The top wall has a steady speed of u=u0. Pertinent non-dimensional parameters such as Reynolds number (Re=10,100,200,400), Hartmann number (Ha=0,10,20), Bingham number (Bn=0,2,5,10,50,100,200), nanoparticle volume fraction (ϕ=0,0.02,0.04), and Prandtl number (Pr=6.2) have been simulated numerically. The Richardson number Ri is calculated by combining the values of Re with a fixed value of Gr, which is the governing factor for the mixed convective flow. Using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) method, the correlation equations are obtained using the input parameters for the average Nusselt number (Nu¯), total entropy generation (Es)t, and Bejan number (Beavg). The interactive effects of the pertinent parameters on the heat transfer rate are presented by plotting the response surfaces and the contours obtained from the RSM. The sensitivity of the output response to the input parameters is also tested. According to the findings, the mean Nusselt numbers (Nu¯) drop when Ha and Bn are increased and grow when Re and ϕ are augmented. It is found that (Es)t is reduced by raising Ha, but (Es)t rises with the augmentation of ϕ and Re. It is also found that the ϕ and Re numbers have a positive sensitivity to the Nu¯, while the sensitivity of the Ha and Bn numbers is negative.
Winner Strategies in a Simulated Stock Market

In this study, we explore the dynamics of the stock market using an agent-based simulation platform. Our approach involves creating a multi-strategy market where each agent considers both fundamental and technical factors when determining their strategy. The agents vary in their approach to these factors and the time interval they use for technical analysis. Our findings indicate that investing heavily in reducing the value–price gap was a successful strategy, even in markets where there were no trading forces to reduce this gap. Furthermore, our results remain consistent across various modifications to the simulation’s structure.
Multi‐Year Controls on Groundwater Storage in Seasonally Snow‐Covered Headwater Catchments

Seasonally snow‐covered catchments in the western United States supply water to growing populations as both annual snowmelt‐driven streamflow and multi‐year groundwater recharge. Although interannual variability in streamflow is driven largely by precipitation, runoff efficiency (the ratio of streamflow to precipitation) in individual catchments varies by 50% or more. Recent work suggests that interannual variability in groundwater storage, inferred from winter baseflow, is a primary control on runoff efficiency, highlighting a need to quantify both the time scales on which groundwater storage varies and the hydro‐climatic drivers of storage. Using over a century of daily stream discharge data from 10 seasonally snow‐covered catchments in northern Utah, we find that temporal variability in winter baseflow, an index of groundwater storage, measured from mean daily January discharge, exhibits a 2–5‐ and 12–15‐year periodicity, driven by regional precipitation patterns and snowmelt dynamics. Specifically, multiple linear regression (MLR) modeling using antecedent hydro‐climatic variables demonstrates that winter baseflow (groundwater storage) was positively related to 3–4 years of antecedent annual precipitation, negatively related to the previous year's mean annual temperature, and positively related to 1–4 antecedent years of snowmelt rate and duration. Because antecedent baseflow (groundwater storage) is strongly related to runoff efficiency, these results suggest that more frequent and longer droughts in a future climate will reduce surface water supplies faster than otherwise expected. More broadly, these results highlight the importance of including the influence of antecedent climate on groundwater storage when modeling and managing water supplies from seasonally snow‐covered catchments.
Compact Modeling of Process Variations in Nanosheet Complementary FET (CFET) and Circuit Performance Predictions

In this work, a semi-analytical compact model of random process fluctuations in nanosheet (NS) gate-all-around (GAA) complementary FET (CFET) is proposed, including work-function variation (WFV), line edge roughness (LER), and gate edge roughness (GER). Different from the conventional NS GAA FET, GER has a significantly different impact on NS GAA CFET, due to the additional p-type work-function (p-WF) liner for p-FET threshold voltage tuning as well as the common metal gate, and a negative correlation with p-WF thickness is introduced into GER model. The proposed model is embedded into Berkeley short-channel insulated-gate field-effect transistor model-common multi-gate (BSIM-CMG) to predict the device performance variability by HSPICE Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Excellent agreement between stochastic TCAD and HSPICE MC simulations is demonstrated. The effect of process variations on the power-performance-area (PPA) of standard cells (SDCs) and ring oscillator (RO) circuit is predicted by the proposed model. Most of the process variations make a more than −10% to +20% change in power consumption in NOR2. WFV has the greatest impact on RO PPA, making a −10% to +12.3% change in power consumption. The proposed model provides a helpful guideline for the random variation-aware CFET circuit design and related technology process development.
Application of nanomaterials for drug delivery

One of the most important trends in recent years has been the use of nanomaterials for drug delivery. Drug treatment and application have been considerably aided by drug delivery techniques. The relentless search of cutting-edge delivery systems and methods is essential to the quick development of the medication therapy profession. The development of nanomedicines, or drug-delivery particles of 1-100 nm in size manufactured from medications and excipients, is the result of the fusion of nanotechnology and pharmacy. The primary drug delivery techniques currently in use, the nanomaterials that can be used, and the actual applications of nano-delivery are briefly discussed in this research. The topic of this research is increasing the likelihood and precision of multi-armed bandit attacks. The purpose of this research is to improve understanding of the nanodrug delivery framework. The prevailing trends in the area of drug delivery is further analyzed, where several researches have demonstrated that nanomaterials are one of the good options for drug delivery. The reported research shows several applications of drug delivery in different research areas to demonstrate that nano-delivery holds good promise for use and development. In addition, this research helps one to understand, review and enhance the basic application and development framework of nanodrug delivery
ResNet18 Supported Inspection of Tuberculosis in Chest Radiographs With Integrated Deep, LBP, and DWT Features

The lung is a vital organ in human physiology and disease in lung causes various health issues. The acute disease in lung is a medical emergency and hence several methods are developed and implemented to detect the lung abnormality. Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the common lung disease and premature diagnosis and treatment is necessary to cure the disease with appropriate medication. Clinical level assessment of TB is commonly performed with chest radiographs (X-ray) and the recorded images are then examined to identify TB and its harshness. This research proposes a TB detection framework using integrated optimal deep and handcrafted features. The different stages of this work include (i) X-ray collection and processing, (ii) Pre-trained Deep-Learning (PDL) scheme-based feature mining, (iii) Feature extraction with Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), (iv) Feature optimization with Firefly-Algorithm, (v) Feature ranking and serial concatenation, and (vi) Classification by means of a 5-fold cross confirmation. The result of this study validates that, the ResNet18 scheme helps to achieve a better accuracy with SoftMax (95.2