Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing Genetic Diversity for Yield and quality Traits in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

An experiment was conducted in Rabi 2017-18 at wheat research farm, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur (Bihar) to study the nature and magnitude of genetic divergence in thirty-two genotypes of wheat used using Mahalanobis’s D 2 statistics as per ward minimum variance method. All the genotypes were grouped into six clusters revealed the presence of a considerable amount of genetic diversity for different yield and yield attributing traits. The cluster I
Reconsidering Optimistic Algorithms for Relational DBMS

At DBKDA 2019, we demonstrated that StrongDBMS with simple but rigorous optimistic algorithms, provides better performance in situations of high concurrency than major commercial database management systems (DBMS). The demonstration was convincing but the reasons for its success were not fully analysed. There is a brief account of the results below. In this short contribution, we wish to discuss the reasons for the results. The analysis leads to a strong criticism of all DBMS algorithms based on locking, and based on these results, it is not fanciful to suggest that it is time to re-engineer existing DBMS.
Inhibition of proteasomal degradation rescues a pathogenic variant of mitochondrial Respiratory chain assembly 1 factor

Nuclear and mitochondrial genome mutations lead to various mitochondrial diseases, many of which affect the mitochondrial respiratory chain. The proteome of the intermembrane space (IMS) of mitochondria consists of several important assembly factors that participate in the biogenesis of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes. The present study comprehensively analyzed a recently identified IMS protein, RESpiratory chain Assembly 1 (RESA1) factor, or cytochrome c oxidase assembly factor 7 (COA7) that is associated with a rare form of mitochondrial leukoencephalopathy and complex IV deficiency. We found that RESA1 requires the mitochondrial IMS import and assembly (MIA) pathway for efficient accumulation in the IMS. We also found that pathogenic mutant versions of RESA1 are imported slower than the wild type protein, and mislocalized mutant proteins are degraded in the cytosol by proteasome machinery. Interestingly, proteasome inhibition rescued both the mitochondrial localization of mutant RESA1 and complex IV activity in patient-derived fibroblasts. We propose that proteasome inhibition is a novel therapeutic approach for a broad range of mitochondrial pathologies that are associated with the excessive degradation of mitochondrial proteins that is caused by genetic mutations or biogenesis defects.
Rare and phylogenetically distinct plant species exhibit less diverse root‐associated pathogen communities

One of the central questions in ecology is why some species are abundant while others are rare. In plant communities, some studies show that rare plant species are rare because they suffer stronger negative density‐dependent effects from pathogens compared to abundant plant species. Moreover, such pathogen effects are also suggested to be related to phylogenetic distance among plant species. However, the importance of pathogens has been commonly inferred by treating the entire pathogen community as a “black box” without explicitly characterizing pathogen richness and community composition. Here, we test two predictions. First, if rare plant species are more susceptible to pathogens, we predict that rare plant species are associated with a higher richness of specialists (i.e., pathogens that attack only a single plant species) and/or the total pathogen community. If phylogenetically distinct plant species are less susceptible to pathogens, we predict that plant species with higher phylogenetic distinctiveness (i.e., a measure of how phylogenetically distant a species is from other co‐occurring species) are associated with a lower richness of phylogenetic specialists (i.e., pathogens that attack closely related plant species) and/or the total pathogen community. We conducted a survey of the root‐associated pathogen communities from 45 plant species in a subtropical forest. We showed that approximately 40% and 25% of the pathogens were specialists and phylogenetic specialists respectively. In contrast to our first prediction, the richness of the total pathogen community but not the richness of the specialists was found to be positively related to plant species abundance, indicating that rare plant species suffer less from pathogens. Consistent with our second prediction, both the richness of the phylogenetic specialists and the total pathogen community were found to be negatively related to plant species phylogenetic distinctiveness. Furthermore, these correlations were stronger at the earlier plant life stages examined. Synthesis. We found that the root‐associated pathogen communities were less diverse in rare plant species and plant species with few close relatives. These associations varied across multiple plant life stages, suggesting that the strength of the above‐ground–below‐ground interactions change dynamically across plant life span.
Solving Tall Dense SDPs in the Current Matrix Multiplication Time

This paper introduces a new interior point method algorithm that solves semideﬁnite programming (SDP) with variable size n × n and m constraints in the (current) matrix multiplication time m ω when m ≥ Ω( n 2 ) . Our algorithm is optimal because even ﬁnding a feasible matrix that satisﬁes all the constraints requires solving an linear system in m ω time. Our work improves the state-of-the-art SDP solver [Jiang, Kathuria, Lee, Padmanabhan and Song, FOCS 2020], and it is the ﬁrst result that SDP can be solved in the optimal running time. Our algorithm is based on two novel techniques:
Acetate and hypertonic stress stimulate organelle membrane fission using distinct phosphatidylinositol signals

Organelle morphology reflects an equilibrium between membrane fusion and fission that determines size, shape and copy number. By studying the yeast vacuole as a model, the conserved molecular mechanisms responsible for organelle fusion have been revealed. However, a detailed understanding of vacuole fission and how these opposing processes respond to the cell cycle, osmoregulation or metabolism to change morphology remain elusive. Thus, herein we describe a new fluorometric assay to measure vacuole fission in vitro. For proof-of-concept, we use this assay to confirm that acetate, a key intermediary metabolite, triggers vacuole fission in vitro and show that it also blocks homotypic vacuole fusion. The basis of this effect is distinct from hypertonic stress, a known trigger of fission and inhibitor of fusion that inactivates the Rab-GTPase Ypt7: Treatment with the phosphatidylinositol-kinase inhibitor wortmannin or the catalytic domain of the Rab-GAP (GTPase Activating Protein) Gyp1 reveal that fission can be triggered by Ypt7 inactivation alone in absence of hypertonic stress, placing it upstream of PI-3,5-P2 synthesis and osmosis required for membrane scission. Whereas acetate seems to block PI-4-kinase to possibly increase the pool of PI on vacuole membranes needed to synthesize sufficient PI-3,5-P2 for fission. Thus, we speculate that both PI-4-P and PI-3-P arms of PI-P signaling drive changes in membrane fission and fusion responsible altering vacuole morphology in response to cellular metabolism or osmoregulation. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
The heat capacity of lipid membranes in finite reservoirs and the relation to the frequency dependence

Membranes are two-dimensional structures embedded in a three-dimensional heat reservoir. At constant temperature, the heat capacity is proportional to the enthalpy fluctuations. However, when the membrane is embedded in a finite aqueous reservoir, the enthalpy and temperature fluctuations of the reservoir are intimately coupled to the enthalpy fluctuations of the membrane. Employing Monte Carlo simulations, we show that membranes embedded in water reservoirs of various sizes display different enthalpy fluctuations and fluctuation time scales. In particular, larger water reservoirs result in a larger enthalpy fluctuations of the membrane and in slower fluctuation time scales (relaxation times). In periodic processes such as sound propagation in membranes, the membrane has only a finite time available to exchange heat with the medium. A larger frequency therefore reduces the accessible volume of the reservoir. We discuss the relevance of these considerations for the frequency dependence of the compressibility and the heat capacity, the velocity of sound in membranes, and the natural timescale of some dynamic processes such as the propagation of electromechanical pulses during the action potential of nerves.
Fonctionnalisation des minéraux argileux d'origine marocaine par TiO2 en vue de l'élimination par photocatalyse de micropolluants organiques des milieux aqueux

Ce travail est consacre a l'elaboration par voie humide (pontage, solvothermale et colloidale) de photocatalyseur TiO2 supporte sur trois types de mineraux argileux d'origine marocaine: la stevensite, la beidellite et la palygorskite, a leurs caracterisations et finalement a l'evaluation de leurs activites photocatalytiques vis-a-vis de l'elimination en milieu aqueux du colorant anionique l'Orange G (OG) tres utilise en industrie textile. La stevensite et la beidellite sont toutes les deux des smectites de types magnesien trioctaedrique et aluminifere dioctaedrique respectivement. En revanche, la palygorskite est un mineral fibreux riche en Al dote d'un caractere dioctaedrique tres marque. Les materiaux photocatalyseurs supportes developpes par le pontage de la stevensite ou de la beidellite ne revelent pas de formation de piliers interlamellaires de TiO2, mais plutot l'obtention dans les deux cas de matrice de TiO2 amorphe dans laquelle sont eparpillees quelques rares particules indemnes de phyllosilicates. De meme, ceux a base de stevensite elabores par la methode solvothermale revelent des particules du phyllosilicate desintegrees au sein d'une matrice de TiO2 toutefois cristallisee sous forme d'anatase. Neanmoins, la fonctionnalisation selon la voie colloidale a permis d'immobiliser avec succes des nanoparticules d'anatase (10 nm) sur aussi bien des feuillets plus ou moins exfolies de stevensite ou de beidellite que sur des fibres de palygorskite. L'anatase attachee aux particules de ces mineraux argileux demeure extraordinairement stable jusqu'a 900 °C alors que celle formee en absence de ces phyllosilicates se convertit completement en rutile vers 650 °C. Cette stabilite remarquable de l'anatase supportee est due a l'empechement de la croissance, par coalescence a haute temperature, de la taille de ses particules au-dela de la taille critique (30 nm) requise pour sa conversion en rutile relativement moins photoactive. Les essais de photocatalyse revelent que l'activite catalytique des differents materiaux elabores croit selon la methode de fonctionnalisation: pontage - methode solvothermale - voie colloidale et aussi selon la nature du mineral argileux : stevensite - beidellite - palygorskite. En outre, les materiaux photocatalyseurs supportes, a base de beidellite ou de palygorskite, developpes par la voie colloidale, manifestent une activite deux fois superieure a celle de la poudre commerciale TiO2 Degussa P25. Leurs particules floculent aisement, ce qui facilite leur elimination du milieu aqueux sans recourir a la microfilitration requise dans le cas de la Degussa P25.
A deep learning algorithm for 3D cell detection in whole mouse brain image datasets

Understanding the function of the nervous system necessitates mapping the spatial distributions of its constituent cells defined by function, anatomy or gene expression. Recently, developments in tissue preparation and microscopy allow cellular populations to be imaged throughout the entire rodent brain. However, mapping these neurons manually is prone to bias and is often impractically time consuming. Here we present an open-source algorithm for fully automated 3D detection of neuronal somata in mouse whole-brain microscopy images using standard desktop computer hardware. We demonstrate the applicability and power of our approach by mapping the brain-wide locations of large populations of cells labeled with cytoplasmic fluorescent proteins expressed via retrograde trans-synaptic viral infection.
Political sectarianism in America

A poisonous cocktail of othering, aversion, and moralization poses a threat to democracy Political polarization, a concern in many countries, is especially acrimonious in the United States (see the first box). For decades, scholars have studied polarization as an ideological matter—how strongly Democrats and Republicans diverge vis-à-vis political ideals and policy goals. Such competition among groups in the marketplace of ideas is a hallmark of a healthy democracy. But more recently, researchers have identified a second type of polarization, one focusing less on triumphs of ideas than on dominating the abhorrent supporters of the opposing party (1). This literature has produced a proliferation of insights and constructs but few interdisciplinary efforts to integrate them. We offer such an integration, pinpointing the superordinate construct of political sectarianism and identifying its three core ingredients: othering, aversion, and moralization. We then consider the causes of political sectarianism and its consequences for U.S. society—especially the threat it poses to democracy. Finally, we propose interventions for minimizing its most corrosive aspects.
A systems-level analysis highlights microglial activation as a modifying factor in common forms of human epilepsy

The common human epilepsies are associated with distinct patterns of reduced cortical thickness, detectable on neuroimaging, with important clinical consequences. To explore underlying mechanisms, we layered MRI-based cortical structural maps from a large-scale epilepsy neuroimaging study onto highly spatially-resolved human brain gene expression data, identifying >2,500 genes overexpressed in regions of reduced cortical thickness, compared to relatively-protected regions. The resulting set of differentially-expressed genes shows enrichment for microglial markers, and in particular, activated microglial states. Parallel analyses of cell-specific eQTLs show enrichment in human genetic signatures of epilepsy severity, but not epilepsy causation. Post mortem brain tissue from humans with epilepsy shows excess activated microglia. In an experimental model, depletion of activated microglia prevents cortical thinning, but not the development of chronic seizures. These convergent data strongly implicate activated microglia in cortical thinning, representing a new dimension for concern and disease modification in the epilepsies, potentially distinct from seizure control.
Olfactory Mucosa Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alleviate Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Via Golgi Apparatus Secretory Pathway Ca2+ -ATPase Isoform1

Olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem cells (OM-MSCs) have exhibited their effectiveness in central nervous system diseases and provided an appealing candidate for the treatment of ischemic stroke. Previous evidence have shown that Golgi apparatus (GA) secretory pathway Ca2+-ATPase isoform1 (SPCA1) was a potential therapeutic target for ischemic stroke. In this study, we explored the neuroprotective mechanism of OM-MSCs and its effect on the expression and function of SPCA1 during cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. Based on in vitro and in vivo experiments, we discovered that OM-MSCs attenuated apoptosis and oxidative stress in ischemic stroke models, reduced the cerebral infarction volume, and improved the neurologic deficits of rats. OM-MSCs also upregulated SPCA1 expression and alleviated Ca2+ overload and decreased the edema and dissolution of the GA in neurons. Moreover, we discovered that SPCA1 depletion in oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R)-treated N2a cells mitigated the protective effects of OM-MSCs. Altogether, OM-MSCs exerted neuroprotective effects in ischemic stroke probably via modulating SPCA1 and reducing the edema and dissolution of the GA in neurons.
Alocação de Tópicos Latentes — Um Modelo para Segmentação de Dados de Auditoria do Governo de PE.

The public management modernization brought a challenge to Government entities: to adjust their auditing and inspection processes to better apply the information available in databases. Techniques of patterns identification to discover or prevent misconducting acts of public agents have become indispensable. Due to the significant amount of data is presented in unstructured textual format requires intelligent text mining techniques to meet the demands of State Internal Control. This paper presents a case study of the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) technique applied to a data set composed of more than 65,000 records of items purchased by the State Government between 2008 and 2017. The objective was to segment the items bringing them closer to the features extracted from their descriptions and provide useful information to control actions. The technique showed effective in detecting topics at a higher granularity than human classification. Key-words: Government Audit; Internal Control; Text Mining; LDA; Topic Modeling. Alocação de Tópicos Latentes — Um Modelo para Segmentação de Dados de Auditoria do Governo de PE
Cortical subnetworks encode context of visual stimulus

Cortical processing of sensory events is significantly influenced by context. For instance, a repetitive or redundant visual stimulus elicits attenuated cortical responses, but if the same stimulus is unexpected or “deviant”, responses are augmented. This contextual modulation of sensory processing is likely a fundamental function of neural circuits, yet an understanding of how it is computed is still missing. Using holographic two-photon calcium imaging in awake animals, here we identify three distinct, spatially intermixed ensembles of neurons in mouse primary visual cortex which differentially respond to the same stimulus under separate contexts, including a subnetwork which selectively responds to deviant events. These non-overlapping ensembles are distributed across layers 2-5, though deviance detection is more common in superficial layers. Contextual preferences likely arise locally since they are not present in bottom up inputs from the thalamus or top-down inputs from prefrontal cortex. The functional parcellation of cortical circuits into independent ensembles that encode stimulus context provides a circuit basis underlying cortically based perception of novel or redundant stimuli, a key deficit in many psychiatric disorders. One Sentence Summary Visual cortex represents deviant and redundant stimuli with separate subnetworks.
Modelling plastic zones and the brittle-ductile transition

Many crystalline solids fail by cleavage at low temperatures and by plastic processes at high temperatures. In the transition region, cleavage failure occurs at stresses increasing with increasing temperature, reflecting a decrease in yield stress and a consequent increase of plasticity around the crack tip. Crack tip plasticity blunts the crack and shields it through the compressive stresses in the plastic zone. This competition between cleavage and plastic flow can be modelled in terms of the generation (from a source), motion and interaction of dislocations moving on the slip plane containing the crack tip, obeying a velocity–stress–temperature law. Assumptions have to be made about the criterion for cleavage fracture and the density and strength of dislocation sources. While the temperature range and strain-rate sensitivity of the transition depend on the velocity law, the form of the transition (sharp or gradual) depends on spacing of the dislocation sources and thus the transition is structure sensitive. Static equilibrium arrays of discrete dislocations have also been modelled and these are compared with continuum plasticity models of the plastic zone.
Real-Time Voice Activity Detection Using Neck-Mounted Accelerometers for Controlling a Wearable Vibration Device to Treat Speech Impairment

Speech analysis using microphones can be problematic for Voice Activity Detection (VAD) in the presence of background noise. This study explored the use of wearable accelerometers instead of microphones. We assessed if accelerometers placed on the neck can be part of a VAD system embedded in a wearable collar-like device that delivers vibro-tactile stimulation (VTS) to the larynx during speech as a therapy for patients with the voice disorder spasmodic dysphonia. Specifically, we aimed to a) find the ideal location for placing accelerometers to the neck, and b) develop a VAD algorithm that detects the onset and offset of speech. Six healthy adult participants (M/F = 3/3, age = 26 (5.1)) vocalized 20 sample sentences with and without VTS at three neck locations: 1) thyroid cartilage, 2) sterno-cleidomastoid, and 3) posterior neck above C7. Based on time-synchronized acceleration and audio signals, VAD algorithm identified the Number of Onsets of Speech and Total Time Voiced. The thyroid cartilage attachment location had over 90% accuracy detecting speech in both measures. The average accuracy of the sternocleidomastoid and C7 locations were below 75% and 15% respectively. VAD accuracy decreased with the presence of VTS trials at all locations. We conclude that accelerometer signals due to tissue motion at thyroid cartilage are most suitable for real-time VAD. These findings support the feasibility of accelerometer-based voice detection for the use in medical devices that target speech and voice disorders.
A STUDY OF THE DIVERSITY OF ANTS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) IN TEAK MONOCULTURE IN MATO GROSSO STATE PANTANAL

The study aimed to perform a survey of the diversity of ants in monoculture of Tectona grandis . The collections took place in the period from May 2015 to May of 2016, in the stand, within the physiographic zone of Mato Grosso state Pantanal. The experiment was attended by 20 Pitfall traps, responsible for collecting 12,649 individuals, which were duly forwarded to the Laboratory of Forest Protection (UFMT) for sorting of specimens, resulting in five subfamilies, 16 genera and 26 species. The faunistic indexes were obtained through the ANAFAU program, the study of the diversity index was calculated according to the series of Hill numbers. The qualitative and quantitative studies demonstrated that the subfamilies Myrmicinae and Ponerinae were the most representative in numbers of genres, while pheidole and Camponotus were the most expressive genres in species richness. Thus, it was confirmed that the collection effort was sufficient for sampling performed in the teak planting for the period.