Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selection parameters for improvement of yield and quality in tomatillo

ABSTRACT The extended use of the same variety by farmers over successive generations and reuse of the “seeds” caused natural variability that can be a magnificent opportunity for genetic improvement of tomatillo. Two successive seasons were accomplished to select genotypes with good performance from a heterogeneous population of the local tomatillo “Balady”. The results revealed significant differences in early yield as fruit number and average fruit weight over the original population. Additionally, the results revealed a highly significant correlation between fruit set percentage and total soluble solids (TSS) at 60 days and the marketable yield with fruit length and TSS at 60 days. In conclusion, the path analysis along with heritability and selection genetic gain showed that early yield and fruit set are the two most critical component traits for fruit yield in tomatillo. In addition, the average fruit weight showed a low indirect effect on fruit yield per plant. Twenty promising genotypes were selected as a kernel for pure line development through further breeding programs.
EFFECTS OF PROGRESSED AND NON-PROGRESSED VOLUME-BASED OVERLOAD PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ON COMPONENTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND BODY COMPOSITION VARIABLES IN YOUTH MALE BASKETBALL PLAYERS Running head: Plyometric training in basketball players

This study examined the effect of six weeks of progressed and non-progressed volume-based overload plyometric training (PT) on components of physical fitness and body composition measures in young male basketball players, compared with an active control group. Participants were randomly assigned to a progressed PT (PPT, n=7; age=14.6±1.1 years), a non-progressed PT (NPPT, n=8, age=13.8±2.0 years), or a control group (CG, n=7, age=14.0±2.0 years). Before and after training, body composition measures (muscle-mass, fat-mass), countermovement-jump with (CMJA) and without arms (CMJ), horizontal bilateral (HCMJ) and unilateral jump with right (RJ) and left (LJ) legs, 20-cm drop-jump (DJ20), sprint speed (10 m sprint), and change-of-direction speed (CODS [i.e., T-test]) were tested. Results: Significant effects of time were observed for muscleand fat-mass, all jump measures, and CODS (all p<0.01; d=0.370.83). Significant training-group×time interactions were observed for all jump measures (all p<0.05; d=0.24-0.41). Post-hoc analyses revealed significant pre-post performance improvements for the PPT (RJ and LJ: ∆18.6%, d=0.8 and ∆22.7%, d=0.9, respectively; HCMJ: ∆16.4%, d=0.8; CMJ: ∆22.4%, d=0.7; CMJA: ∆23.3%, d=0.7; DJ20: ∆39.7%, d=1.1) and for the NPPT group (LJ: ∆14.1%, d=0.4; DJ20: ∆32.9%, d=0.8) with greater changes after PPT compared to NPPT for all jump measures (all p<0.05; d=0.21-0.81). The training efficiency was greater (p<0.05; d=0.22) after PPT (0.015% per-jump) compared to NPPT (0.0053% per-jump). The PPT induced larger performance improvements on measures of physical fitness as compared to NPPT. Therefore, in-season progressive volume-based overload PT in young male basketball players is recommended.
Psychometric Properties and measurement invariance by gender of the Teacher Competency Evaluation Scale for Physical Education in the Mexican Context

This is a study to obtain evidence of validity, whose purpose was to analyze the psychometric properties and the measurement invariance by gender of the Teacher Competency Evaluation Scale for Physical Education (EECD-EF, by it acronym in Spanish) for secondary schools in the Mexican context. Participants were 748 high school students with a mean age of 13.99 years, of whom 374 were female. The results from the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) support the unifactorial model. The EECD-EF meets the requirements for convergent validity. In addition, the correlation with the Satisfaction subscale of Intrinsic School Satisfaction Scale (ISDS) was positive and significant, providing evidence of validity of association with other variables. However, no discriminatory correlation was found with the Boredom subscale. It’s concluded that the EECD-EF serves as an efficient instrument to assess the measurement invariance of the teachers’ competency from the students’ point of view according to gender.
Bottom current accumulation and sediment fluxes on the Hebridean slope

Detailed sedimentological and geophysical analyses have been undertaken on the Barra Fan region of the Hebridean continental margin, NW of Scotland. These analyses have revealed good morphological evidence for both downslope and alongslope sedimentary processes on a typical high latitude slope-front fan. The diversity of sedimentary and seismic facies on this composite slope-front fan shows the variable nature of sedimentation styles and processes across the region. The distribution of surficial and subsurface sediment facies since the last glacial period from 30 000 yrs BP show three discrete episodes of development during which different processes and process combinations have been dominant. Bottom current activity was suppressed during the last Glacial period resulting in the deposition of hemipelagites, glaciomarine deposits and minor turbidites in a completely or partially open sea environment. Deglaciation and an increase in global temperature led to the increment of bottom current activity and the deposition of muddy and silty contourites across the region. A mid-slope sandy contourite sheet illustrates the long-term timeintegrated signature of processes since deglaciation and represents the dominant processes during interglacial conditions. Modern textural distributions of surficial sediments on the shelf and slope reveal a distinct three-fold oceanward fining sequence. The sandline and mudline mark the approximate boundaries between three texturally distinct groups on the margin and represent a combined physiographically/hydrographically controlled boundary on the upper slope and hydrographically controlled boundaries lower slope. High-resolution seismic facies mapping of the margin demonstrates the complexity of facies and processes that have moulded and re-moulded the Barra slope-front fan system. The outer-shelf upper slope is characterised by a smooth to deeply scoured glaciomarine surface coated by gravelrich sediments. The upper to mid-slope in the central and southern parts of the Fan are dominated by episodic mass-wasting events. The upper and mid-slope on northern part of the Fan is incised by steep-sided erosive canyons and channels, which in some cases coalesce to form low-relief levee on the lower slope. The lower slope is dominated by hemipelagites interbedded with minor turbidites and contourites.
Automated ChIPmentation procedure on limited biological material of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni

Automated ChIPmentation procedure is a convenient alternative to native chromatin immunoprecipitation (N-ChIP). It is now routinely used for ChIP-Seq. Using the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni, whose production requires scarifying animals and should therefore kept to a minimum, we show here that the automated ChIPmentation is suitable for limited biological material. We define as operational limit ≥20,000 cells. We also present a streamlined protocol for the preparation of ChIP input libraries.
Collision-constrained deformable image registration framework for discontinuity management

Topological changes like sliding motion, sources and sinks are a significant challenge in image registration. This work proposes the use of the alternating direction method of multipliers as a general framework for constraining the registration of separate objects with individual deformation fields from overlapping in image registration. This constraint is enforced by introducing a collision detection algorithm from the field of computer graphics which results in a robust divide and conquer optimization strategy using Free-Form Deformations. A series of experiments demonstrate that the proposed framework performs superior with regards to the combination of intersection prevention and image registration including synthetic examples containing complex displacement patterns. The results show compliance with the non-intersection constraints while simultaneously preventing a decrease in registration accuracy. Furthermore, the application of the proposed algorithm to the DIR-Lab data set demonstrates that the framework generalizes to real data by validating it on a lung registration problem.
Cervical, liver and stomach cancer incidence and mortality in non-Western immigrant women: a retrospective cohort study from four Nordic countries

Abstract Background Cervical, liver and stomach cancers are the most common infection-associated malignancies and the leading cause of morbidity in non-Western regions. We compared the incidence and mortality of these cancers between non-Western immigrant and non-immigrant Nordic female populations. We also analysed the effect of age at immigration, duration of residence and education on cancer burden. Material and Methods Study population consisted of women residents in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway in 1973–2020. Non-Western women contributed 3.1% of the total 260 million person-years at risk. All women were followed from their 20th birthday, or from the date of immigration if after, until the date of their first primary cancer diagnosis, death, emigration, or the end of the country-specific study period. All data were adjusted for 10-year age groups and calendar periods, and immigrant data was further broken down by region of birth, age at immigration and education level. Country-specific estimates were produced by multivariable Poisson regression and pooled in Finland with a random effects model. Results Altogether, there were 60 982 cases of cervical, liver and stomach cancer in the study population, causing 36 582 deaths. The immigrant women had significantly higher liver (rate ratio [RR] 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–3.06) and stomach cancer incidence (RR 1.68, CI 1.29–2.18), and stomach cancer mortality (RR 1.49, CI 1.17–1.92) than non-immigrant women. In the immigrant population, high education was related to lower incidence and mortality of studied cancers. The rate ratio of cervical cancer decreased with duration of residence and increased with rising age at immigration. Conclusion Due to the increased incidence and mortality of infection-related cancers and changes in cancer patterns by age at immigration and duration of residence, attention should be paid to targeted health care services for immigrants. Special efforts should be given to women who have spent their youth in high-risk areas.
Transcription factor module NLP–NIGT1 fine-tunes NITRATE TRANSPORTER2.1 expression

Abstract Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) high-affinity NITRATE TRANSPORTER2.1 (NRT2.1) plays a dominant role in the uptake of nitrate, the most important nitrogen (N) source for most terrestrial plants. The nitrate-inducible expression of NRT2.1 is regulated by NIN-LIKE PROTEIN (NLP) family transcriptional activators and NITRATE-INDUCIBLE GARP-TYPE TRANSCRIPTIONAL REPRESSOR1 (NIGT1) family transcriptional repressors. Phosphorus (P) availability also affects the expression of NRT2.1 because the PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSE1 transcriptional activator activates NIGT1 genes in P-deficient environments. Here, we show a biology-based mathematical understanding of the complex regulation of NRT2.1 expression by multiple transcription factors using 2 different approaches: a microplate-based assay for the real-time measurement of temporal changes in NRT2.1 promoter activity under different nutritional conditions, and an ordinary differential equation (ODE)-based mathematical modeling of the NLP- and NIGT1-regulated expression patterns of NRT2.1. Both approaches consistently reveal that NIGT1 stabilizes the amplitude of NRT2.1 expression under a wide range of nitrate concentrations. Furthermore, the ODE model suggests that parameters such as the synthesis rate of NIGT1 mRNA and NIGT1 proteins and the affinity of NIGT1 proteins for the NRT2.1 promoter substantially influence the temporal expression patterns of NRT2.1 in response to nitrate. These results suggest that the NLP–NIGT1 feedforward loop allows a precise control of nitrate uptake. Hence, this study paves the way for understanding the complex regulation of nutrient acquisition in plants, thus facilitating engineered nutrient uptake and plant response patterns using synthetic biology approaches.
Assessing the carbon dynamics in natural and human-perturbed boreal aquatic systems

Most lakes and reservoirs worldwide are supersaturated with respect to water concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and methane (CH 4 ), two potent greenhouse gases (GHG). Although surface water GHG concentrations have been measured for more than three decades in lakes and reservoirs around the globe, the mechanisms leading to GHG supersaturation are still obscure, with the relative contributions of the different GHG producing processes hotly debated. In this study, we evaluated the terrestrial organic matter (OM) exports from land to aquatic systems, followed by its degradation and contribution to the surface freshwaters GHG concentrations. Natural lakes, reservoirs as well as lakes and reservoirs with a wood harvested watershed were sampled in the summer of 2007 and analyzed for a broad variety of bulk water chemical parameters and OM molecular proxies. In order to collect sufficient quantities of OM for the amino acid (AA) and lipid molecular analyses, a tangential flow filtration reverse osmosis systems (TFF-RO) was used following the evaluation of its performance for total OM possible molecular fractionation and recoveries using FTIR, stable carbon isotope signatures (e 13 C) and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations. No significant sample fractionation or carry over was obtained with recoveries ranging between 94.6 and 106.9 % using the TFF-RO system. All lakes and reservoirs sampled in this study were supersaturated in CO2 and CH4 , with wood harvested water bodies and the reservoir having significantly higher water surface CO2 concentrations and emissions to the atmosphere compared to the natural lakes. The bulk water and OM chemical and isotopic analyses showed that the increase in terrestrial dissolved organic carbon and total nitrogen concentrations positively influenced bacterial OM degradation, which drove CO 2 production. Molecular analyses showed a direct relationship between the increases in bacterial biomarker abundances in the dissolved and sedimentary OM fractions, and higher water CO2 concentrations. This result suggests that OM bacterial oxidation is the most important process leading to GHG production in freshwater aquatic systems
Robust Data Alignment and its Application in an Integrated Multi-Sensor Surveillance System Consisting of UAVs and Fixed Platforms. The Current and Future Phase of the RASER Project

Abstract : This report introduces a new algorithm called Robust Data Alignment (RDA) for persistent sensing in multi-layered sensor network. Invariant features collected from a set of images are used for image registration. Information-theoretic cost models a functional structure where an optimal transformation can be recovered from feature representations of different but related images. By using a cooperative search strategy, we believe that RDA can help to understand and deal with many situations in persistent sensor networks by solving problems such as Layered sensing, Multi-modal data fusion, Multi-UAV sensing. In addition, we provide Georegistration for CLIF 2007 dataset. SIFT algorithm after georeferencing recovers a correspondence for data registration.
“It’s Their Consent You Have to Wait For”: Intimate Partner Violence and BDSM Among Gender and Sexual Minority Youth

Gender and sexual minoritized (GSM) youth are more likely than their cisgender heterosexual peers to experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and practice bondage and discipline, domination and submission, sadism, and masochism (BDSM). Although IPV and BDSM are vastly different phenomena, superficial similarities (e.g., violent behaviors) can lead to misidentification in both practice and research. This study explores how GSM youth (a) experience and understand the differences between IPV and BDSM and (b) report consensual violent and controlling behaviors when answering items on IPV measures. Nine demographically diverse GSM youth (mean age 21.2) were drawn from a GSM youth-serving organization in the Northeast United States. Participants were interviewed about their experiences with IPV, BDSM, and consent. Participants also were asked to describe the process of completing two standardized measures of IPV. Interviews were coded using conventional and directed content analysis. Eight of nine participants reported IPV victimization, and seven reported BDSM interest or experiences. Four themes emerged: (a) GSM youth experience a spectrum of IPV victimization, often related to their gender and sexual identity; (b) interest in BDSM does not imply an acceptance of IPV; (c) GSM youth have a nuanced understanding of consent and strategies to communicate consent with their partners; and (d) Consent is the organizing framework by which GSM youth distinguish IPV from BDSM. Participants reported various degrees of certainty that they would include BDSM behaviors when answering questions about violent behaviors. Findings underscore the importance of conceptually and operationally differentiating IPV and BDSM. Programs that serve GSM youth should address IPV victimization, offer sex-positive education regarding healthy relationships and BDSM, and assist GSM youth in differentiating abusive behaviors from consensual BDSM. Standardized measures that do not conflate BDSM with IPV are crucial for studying IPV among GSM youth.
GPS Tracking and Time-Geography: Applications for Activity Modeling and Microsimulation, Final Report

Using as motivation the recently collected large amounts of GPS data from a variety of transportation studies in the United States and Europe, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funded a Peer Exchange meeting in Santa Barbara, CA (10-11 October 2005). The intent of this Peer Exchange was to assemble experts to discuss potential approaches on using GPS vehicle traces for defining space-time paths and prisms to be used in activity modeling and microsimulation for transportation analysis. This Peer Exchange brought together travel demand forecasters, experts in travel behavior and GPS data collection, and geographers to discuss different approaches to analyzing space-time prisms for transportation forecasting needs. This report documents the discussions and recommendations from the Peer Exchange.
Activated Akt expression is associated with the recurrence of primary melanomas and further refines the prognostic and predictive values for relapse in acral melanomas

A PTEN deficiency leads to the activation of phospho‐Akt at serine 473 (p‐Akt) and promotes the tumorigenesis of melanomas by coupling with NUAK2 amplification. We tested the prognostic impact of p‐Akt and/or NUAK2 expression on the relapse‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) of melanoma patients. Primary tumors from patients with acral melanomas (112), Low‐cumulative sun damage (CSD) melanomas (38), and High‐CSD melanomas (18) were examined using immunohistochemistry and their prognostic significance was analyzed statistically. The expression of p‐Akt was found in 32.1%, 68.4%, and 55.6% of acral, Low‐CSD, and High‐CSD melanomas, while NUAK2 expression was found in 46.4%, 76.3%, and 50.0%, respectively. Either p‐Akt or NUAK2 expression was inversely correlated with the RFS of primary melanoma patients and acral melanoma patients (p‐Akt: p < .0001, p < .0001; NUAK2; p = .0005, p < .0001, respectively). Strikingly, multivariate analyses revealed that p‐Akt had a significant impact on RFS (Hazard ratio = 4.454; p < .0001), while NUAK2 did not. Further subset analyses revealed that p‐Akt expression had an inferior RFS of patients with acral melanomas (Hazard ratio = 4.036; p = .0005). We conclude that the expression of p‐Akt has a significant impact on RFS of patients with primary melanomas and can predict the relapse of patients with acral melanomas.
GDNF triggers proliferation of rat C6 glioma cells via the NF-κB/CXCL1 signaling pathway

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor that is characterized by its high proliferative and migratory potential, leading to a high invasiveness of this tumor type. However, the underlying mechanism of GBM proliferation and migration has not been fully elucidated. In this study, at first, we used RNA-seq together with bioinformatics technology to screen for C-X-C motif ligand 1 (CXCL1) as a proliferation-related gene. And exogenous glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) induced proliferation and up-regulated the level of CXCL1 in rat C6 glioma cells determined by sqPCR and ELISA. Then, we manipulated the CXCL1 expression by using a lentiviral vector (CXCL1-RNAi) approach. By this, the proliferation of C6 cells was decreased, suggesting that CXCL1 plays a key role in proliferation in these cells. We hypothesized that exogenous GDNF promoted NF-κB nuclear translocation and therefore, analyzed the interaction of CXCL1 with NF-κB by Western Blot and immunofluorescence. Additionally, we used BAY 11–7082, a phosphorylation inhibitor of NF-κB, to elucidate NF-κB mediated the effect of GDNF on CXCL1. These results demonstrated that GDNF enhanced the proliferation of rat C6 glioma cells through activating the NF-κB/CXCL1 signaling pathway. In summary, these studies not only revealed the mechanism of action of exogenous GDNF in promoting the proliferation of C6 glioma cells but may also provide a new biological target for the treatment of malignant glioma.
Optimal Temperature of Irrigation Fluid for Hemostasis in Neurosurgery: A Narrative Literature Review

Abstract Background Hemostasis in neurosurgery is crucial to patient and surgery outcomes, with many techniques developed for this. One area that is not appropriately characterized despite continuous anecdotal evidence the temperature of the irrigation fluid (IF) used and its effects on stemming hemorrhages. Given the ubiquitous use of IF in neurosurgery for clearing blood from the surgical field, it is important to explore its role as a hemostat and whether or not the temperature of the IF influences its hemostatic capacity. This review explored the literature for an optimal IF temperature for hemostasis in neurosurgery. Methods Database searches were conducted using MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL, with citation chaining occurring where applicable. Standard terms around neurosurgery, hemostasis, and irrigation were used. Results Seven articles were identified. No optimal temperature for hemostasis could be confidently synthesized from the literature owing to lack of primary investigation on the subject. After collating available information into common themes, it is suggested that that temperatures >38°C are preferred. Conclusion The literature in this area is limited. Despite a lack of applicable systematic investigation on the topic, by exploring the physiology of hemostasis and IF, best practice guidelines for IF, and the literature on the role of the temperature of IF in other surgical specialties, it is suggested that a temperature in the range of 38 to 40°C would be most applicable to a value optimal for neurosurgery.