Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Metaxenia on Stone Cell Formation in Pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) Based on Transcriptomic Analysis and Functional Characterization of the Lignin-Related Gene PbC4H2

The deposition of lignin in flesh parenchyma cells for pear stone cells, and excessive stone cells reduce the taste and quality of the fruit. The effect of metaxenia on the quality of fruit has been heavily studied, but the effect of metaxenia on stone cell formation has not been fully elucidated to date. This study used P. bretschneideri (Chinese white pear) cv. ‘Yali’ (high-stone cell content) and P. pyrifolia (Sand pear) cv. ‘Cuiguan’ (low-stone cell content) as pollination trees to pollinate P. bretschneideri cv. ‘Lianglizaosu’ separately to fill this gap in the literature. The results of quantitative determination, histochemical staining and electron microscopy indicated that the content of stone cells and lignin in YL fruit (‘Yali’ (pollen parent) × ‘Lianglizaosu’ (seed parent)) was significantly higher than that in CL fruit (‘Cuiguan’ (pollen parent) × ‘Lianglizaosu’ (seed parent)). The transcriptome sequencing results that were obtained from the three developmental stages of the two types of hybrid fruits indicated that a large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to auxin signal transduction (AUX/IAAs and ARFs), lignin biosynthesis, and lignin metabolism regulation (MYBs, LIMs, and KNOXs) between the CL and YL fruits at the early stage of fruit development. Therefore, metaxenia might change the signal transduction process of auxin in pear fruit, thereby regulating the expression of transcription factors (TFs) related to lignin metabolism, and ultimately affecting lignin deposition and stone cell development. In addition, we performed functional verification of a differentially expressed gene, PbC4H2 (cinnamate 4-hydroxylase). Heterologous expression of PbC4H2 in the c4h mutant not only restored its collapsed cell wall, but also significantly increased the lignin content in the inflorescence stem. The results of our research help to elucidate the metaxenia-mediated regulation of pear stone cell development and clarify the function of PbC4H2 in cell wall development and lignin synthesis, which establishes a foundation for subsequent molecular breeding.
Effect of preoperative prostate volume on the improvement of lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia undergoing transurethral resection of prostate

Introduction: Benign prostate hyperplasia, pathophysiology contributes to bladder outlet obstruction due to functional obstruction caused by gland size enlargement resulting in the lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Objectives: To determine the correlation of the prostate volume with surgical outcomes and postoperative LUTS in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Patients and Methods: Patients with BPH who were refractory for medical treatment enrolled in the study. Patients divided into three groups with attention to their prostate volume conducted by transabdominal ultrasonography. To evaluate patients’ LUTS, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire was filled for all patients preoperatively and during the first and third months follow up sessions. Results: In the current study, mean age of the patients was 66.92 ± 1.08 years. Of 111 patients, eight patients (7.2%) had prostate volume less than 30 cc, 59 patients (53.2%) had prostate volume between 30-60 cc, and 44 patients (39.6%) had prostate volume more than 60 cc. During first month postoperative, mean decrease in IPSS scores in patients with prostate volume less than 30 cc, prostate volume between 30–60 cc and prostate volume more than 30 cc were 27.72 ± 3.53, 27.32 ± 3.37 and 27.45 ± 2.87, respectively. The ANOVA test showed no significant difference between the groups (P= 0.93). Mean decrease in IPSS score during third month postoperative, had no significant difference between the three groups, too (P=0.71). Symptoms alleviation observed in 94.6% and 95.5% of the patients, during first and third months follow-up, respectively. Conclusion: There was no correlation between the IPSS scores decrease and patients’ symptoms recovery and preoperative prostate volume in patients with BPH who underwent TRUP.
Mobile App Squatting

Domain squatting, the adversarial tactic where attackers register domain names that mimic popular ones, has been observed for decades. However, there has been growing anecdotal evidence that this style of attack has spread to other domains. In this paper, we explore the presence of squatting attacks in the mobile app ecosystem. In “App Squatting”, attackers release apps with identifiers (e.g., app name or package name) that are confusingly similar to those of popular apps or well-known Internet brands. This paper presents the first in-depth measurement study of app squatting showing its prevalence and implications. We first identify 11 common deformation approaches of app squatters and propose “AppCrazy”, a tool for automatically generating variations of app identifiers. We have applied AppCrazy to the top-500 most popular apps in Google Play, generating 224,322 deformation keywords which we then use to test for app squatters on popular markets. Through this, we confirm the scale of the problem, identifying 10,553 squatting apps (an average of over 20 squatting apps for each legitimate one). Our investigation reveals that more than 51% of the squatting apps are malicious, with some being extremely popular (up to 10 million downloads). Meanwhile, we also find that mobile app markets have not been successful in identifying and eliminating squatting apps. Our findings demonstrate the urgency to identify and prevent app squatting abuses. To this end, we have publicly released all the identified squatting apps, as well as our tool AppCrazy.
Reactionsof bifunctionaladdition-fragmentationchain transferagentsfor synthesisof polymerbearing

Some a-(substituted methyl)acrylic esters have been knownaseffectivechaintransferagentsthrough anaddition fragmentation chain transfer(AFCT) mechanismto yield b-carboalkoxyallyl end groups depending on the type of the substituent. The same unsat urated end group can be obtainedby catalytic chain transferpolymerization of methylmethacrylate (MMA) usinga Co(II) complex. Theaddition of a PMMA radicalto thecarbomethoxyall yl group is not a fast reaction and the adduct radicalis known to readily fragment to regener atetheend groupandPMMA radical. Consequently, an oligomerof MMA bearing an unsaturat ed end group can be utilized as an AFCT agentand a mediator for block copolymer formation throughliving freeradical polymerization. 7] Biand dual functional a-(substi tuted methyl)acrylate typeAFCT agentshavebeenusedto synthesize branched MMA polymers,andMMA andstyrene(St) block copolymers utilizing almost quantitative bond formation between polymer chain end and the resulting end group. Whentwo a-(substituted methyl)acryloyl moieties are connectedby an ester linkage such as 1, the bondformation asa resultof AFCT could leadto PMMA bearing the unsat urated moiety at the middle and the othermoieties at both endsof the polymer chain. If the subsequent St polymerizationwascarriedout in the presenceof thePMMA, theaddition of PStradicalto double bond of the unsat uratedmoiety was feasible to yield a lessreactiveadduct radical which would readily couple with PStradicalleadingto a star-shapedpolymer consist ing of two PMMA chainsandup to four PStchains.
Optimal Portfolio Choice with Fat Tails

The recent financial crisis has highlighted the importance of modeling and managing extreme risk, especially retirement savings. Virtually all standard optimal stock-bond portfolio allocation models, however, assume that risk is normally distributed (bell shape). In reality, stock market risk exhibits “fat tails. " Allowing for “fat tails” can add considerable computational complexity to standard optimization framework, which is already quite complicated. This paper demonstrates how to model fat tails using a g-and-h distribution that allows for skewness and kurtosis of arbitrary degree. Unlike alternative extreme value and other coupla approaches, the g-and-h distribution has a well defined pdf, is smooth and satisfies certain regularity conditions that allow for tractable integration. It also appears to fit the data the best. We hope that our modeling approach will open the door for more realistic modeling of retirement income risk in the future. Our own SSA grant proposal for next year will extend the current research by adding a greater degree of fiscal policy institutions that materially can affect saving for retirement. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Number: G11.
Incidence and Mortality Rates: Breast, Cervix Uteri, Ovary and Corpus Uteri Cancers in Thiruvananthapuram

Incidence and Mortality Rates: Breast, Cervix Uteri, Ovary and Corpus Uteri Cancers in Thiruvananthapuram In this chapter, the data sources used for estimating incidence and mortality rates of breast, cervix, ovary and corpus uteri cancers in Thiruvananthapuram are provided (Section 3.1). In Section 3.2, incidence and mortality rates of the above four cancers are provided. In Section 3.3, the above results are compared with worldwide and Indian data. Section 3.4 provides the risk factors associated with the above four cancers.
Facebook ’Like’ as communicative acts: evidence from online and offline spaces

This talk explores how the transitive verb ’like’ has been given new meanings in both online and offline writing spaces ever since the introduction of the ’Like’ function on social network sites. My discussion is centred around the so-called ’Facebook Like’, a button or a link (often accompanied by a thumbs up symbol) for users to express positive reaction to a post or a comment, or to become a ’fan’ of a company, a celebrity or other special interests. Drawing on speech acts research and stance analysis, I first argue that clicking ’Like’ on Facebook, similar to writing ’haha’ or ’lol’, acts as a performative utterance which serves various communicative functions. The study presented in this talk first systematically analyzes a range of communicative acts that ’Like’ can perform on Facebook, such as agreeing, endorsing, and indicating that a post has been read. Empirical data come from personal Facebook walls and public fans pages and groups. These acts of ’liking’ are also multimodal in nature, involving users interacting with words (e.g. posts, comments), hyperlinks and images.
The Perceptions of Teachers in Rural Areas Towards Inclusive Education: A Case Study of Three Schools in Ibenga

The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers in rural with the focus on three schools in Ibenga. A case study was used aimed at ascertaining the extent to which the perceptions from teachers either hinder or progress the learning environment of learners with disabilities in inclusive settings. 50 teachers and 50 pupils participated in the study and a questionnaire and focus group discussion was used as data collection instruments respectively. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed in data analysis. The quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and was presented using figures and tables while the qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study revealed that teachers had negative attitudes and perceptions towards inclusion. Further, challenges were noted in the implementation of inclusive education include poor inclusive education policy implementation, lack of coordination or shared responsibility between NGOs and other stakeholders with the government, the absence of curriculum adaptations and modifications, poor support from the administration and lack of special education knowledge by some teachers which results into negative behaviours towards learnerss with disabilities. The study also found that despite inclusive education being implemented in schools of learning, there were several challenges like unadopted curriculum and inadequate human resource to enhance effective implementation of inclusive education. Hence, there is urgent need for continuous professional development if inclusive education is to achieve its intended purpose. Based on the findings of this study, the research proposes and recommends that the relevant authorities take keen interest in inclusive education and ensure that teachers are exposed to it. Keywords—perceptions; disabilities; learners; Inclusive Education
A Case Study of XAIP in a Model Acquisition Task for Dialogue Planning

Recently, the D3WA system was proposed as a paradigm shift in how complex goal-oriented dialogue agents can be speci-ﬁed by taking a declarative view of design. However, it turns out actual users of the system have a hard time evolving their mental model and grasping the imperative consequences of declarative design. In this paper, we adopt ideas from existing works in the ﬁeld of Explainable AI Planning (XAIP) to provide guidance to the dialogue designer during the model acquisition process. We will highlight in the course of this discussion how the setting presents unique challenges to the XAIP setting, including having to deal with a different user persona as the domain modeler rather than the end-user of the system, and consequently having to deal with the unsolvabil-ity of models in addition to explaining generated plans.
A Study on Knowledge and Awareness of Male Students of the College ofApplied Medical Science at Taif University

Objective: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was identified in 1981, among homosexuals in the United State of America, since that time more than 60 million individuals were living with this disorder. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of AIDS that has no cure at present. The level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and the attitudes toward patients are crucial factors in eradicating the disease. Methods: A cross-sectional study has been conducted for a period of two months and 155 undergraduate male students in the College of Applied Medical Sciences at Taif University participated in the study. The study aimed to assess their scientific knowledge, awareness and attitude. Results: the survey results showed that more than half of the participants did not know the relation between AIDS and HIV and low awareness level toward the modes of HIV transmission was observed. For example 54% of students were not aware that coughing and spitting could not transmit the infection. However, many students were aware of the link between toilet seat used by a person with AIDS and HIV infection and between sharing cloths with AIDS patients and HIV with 81% and 83% respectively. Negative attitude towards HIV/AIDS persons was seen in the majority of participants. Conclusion: This study is the first of its kind to be conducted among undergraduate male students at Taif University, and brought into limelight some important issues in relation to AIDS. This study concluded that, these students need to be more aware about HIV transmission modes and protection methods, which can be achieved by enhancing their knowledge about HIV.
CD86+/CD206+ tumor-associated macrophages predict prognosis of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Background As the main cellular ingredients of tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a vital role in tumor development and progression. Recent studies have suggested that TAMs are sensitive and specific prognostic factors in numerous cancers. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the prognostic significance of TAMs in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Methods Immunohistochemical staining of CD68, CD86 and CD206 were performed in tissue microarrays containing 322 patients, who underwent surgical resection and were pathologically diagnosed with ICC. The prognostic value of CD68, CD86 and CD206 were evaluated by Kaplan–Meier analysis (log-rank test) and nomogram models. Results We demonstrated that the CD86+/CD206+ TAMs model was an independent prognostic index for ICC patients. Patients with low CD86+ TAMs and high CD206+ TAMs infiltration had a markedly worse prognosis and increased risk of post-operative recurrence when compared to high CD86+ TAMs and low CD206+ TAMs intratumoral infiltration. Furthermore, subgroup analysis indicated that the CD86+/CD206+ TAMs model predicted prognosis of ICC patients more powerfully than single macrophage immunomarker. Interestingly, the CD86+/CD206+ TAMs model could further distinguish prognosis of CA-199 negative ICC patients, who were generally presumed to have a more favorable outcome. In order to further perfect the prognostic value of the CD86+/CD206+ TAMs model, we constructed and validated a postoperative nomogram to predict overall survival and recurrence-free survival time in ICC patients. Conclusions These findings indicate that the CD86+/CD206+ TAMs model possess potential value as a novel prognostic indicator for ICC patients.
Text based Markov Models Using a Sequence Alignment Algorithm

Random text generation is a feature common among recreational computer applications. One common implementation of the feature involves the use of n-gram Markov models . Given a similar sample string of tokens, such implementations determine the probably a token will follow a string of tokens of size n, known as an n-gram. n-gram models have met success in random text generation, but suffer flaws. Here, a potential improvement upon n-gram models is described, in which new n-grams are built upon a similar n-gram already within the model. Similarity is determined using a sequence alignment algorithm. Results produced by the algorithm seem promising – the model generates text that is arguably more convincing than the output of standard Markov models, and the model is capable of generating novel output when given sample text that is typically too short for standard n-gram models. Complexity of the algorithm is analyzed, and future improvements are proposed.
Adaptive Function Projective Synchronization of Two Different Hyperchaotic Systems with Unknown Parameters

Chaos control and synchronization has been extensively and intensively studied since Pecora and Carroll [1] introduced a method for synchronizing two identical chaotic systems with different initial conditions. Especially in recent decades, synchronization in chaotic dynamic systems has received a great deal of attention among scientists in various research fields, including secure communication, chemical reactions, biological systems, information science, and plasma technologies. In the past two decades a variety of approaches have been proposed for the synchronization of chaotic systems, such as linear and nonlinear feedback synchronization [2–3], coupled synchronization [4], impulsive synchronization [5], adaptive synchronization [6–8], and generalized synchronization(GS) [9–10]. In recent years projective synchronization, which was first reported by Mainieri and Rehacek [11] in partially linear systems and developed by many authors [12–14], is the most noticeable one. Recently, a new synchronization method called ‘modified projective synchronization’ (MPS) was proposed in [15–17], where the chaotic systems can synchronize up to a constant scaling matrix. More recently, Chen et al. [18] extended the modified projective synchronization and exhibited a new projective synchronization called function projective synchronization, where the response of the synchronized dynamical states synchronizes up to a scaling function factor. To the best of our knowledge, most of those works were concerned mainly about low-dimensional attractors with only one positive Lyapunov exponent. However, hyperchaotic systems possessing at least two positive Lyapunov exponents have more complex behavior and abundant dynamics than chaotic systems. Therefore, how to realize the synchronization of hyperchaotic systems is an interesting and challenging endeavor. In this paper, we mainly study the function projective synchronization of two different hyperchaotic systems with unknown parameters. An adaptive control law is proposed
MBL Microbial Diverstity Course 2012 A mat gone mad – Metagenomics of a microbial mat

Microbial mats are widely occurring ecosystems of distinct bacterial populations forming different layers in a stacked manner. Within and among these layers, a tight coupling of different metabolic pathways, namely photosynthesis, sulfur metabolism, methane metabolism and nitrogen metabolism have been found. These pathways are tightly coupled over the diurnal cycle, leading to changes in chemical gradients during a days turn. By using chemical analyzes, like microsensor measurements and anion ion-exchange chromatography combined with molecular tools like 454 pyrosequencing and metagenomics, the metabolic pathways within an intertidal microbial mat from the Great Sippewisset Salt Marsh was investigated. Oxygenic photosynthesis was confirmed within the cyanobacterial layer of the mat, while hints for anoxygenic photosynthesis were found throughout the mat. Sulfate reduction as well as sulfite oxidation was predicted throughout the mat, while methane oxidation was only indicated for the uppermost layer (? ). In contrast, indications for methanogenesis were not found. Nitrogen fixation, ammonium assimilation, denitrification and DNRA were indicated throughout the microbial mat, while amoA, the marker gene for nitrification was only found in the two uppermost layers. In addition to the prediction of pathways, several marker genes could be assigned to taxonomic information and then compared to data retrieved from 454 pyrosequencing, linking functional features with identity. Thus some light was shed on the microbial communities of microbial mats from the Great Sippewisset Salt Marsh in context of their function in the ecosystem.These findings showed that metagenomics in combination with chemical measurements can be used to answer some of the major questions in microbial ecology.
Effects of Tomato Juice Intake on Salivary 8-Oxo-dG Levels as Oxidative Stress Biomarker after Extensive Physical Exercise

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) at a normal level are important molecules involved in several cellular processes including immune response and cell signalling. Overproduction of ROS may lead to elevated oxidative stress and consequently to age-related diseases. Most of the studies related to oxidative stress in humans have been done on blood samples. However, blood sampling might be painful, requires special qualified personnel, and has to be performed at medical centers. An alternative to blood is saliva. Saliva sampling is noninvasive and can be performed by the donor. Biomarker determination in saliva is becoming an important part of laboratory diagnosis, but method development is needed before it can be used in the clinics. In the present investigation, 16 donors performed extensive physical exercise by cycling and keeping their heart rate at 80% of maximum for 20 minutes. The physical activity was repeated 3 times: before tomato juice intake, after daily intake of 100 ml tomato juice during 3 weeks, and finally 3 weeks after finishing tomato juice intake (washout period). The level of the stress biomarker, salivary 8-oxo-dG, was determined before and after the physical activity. The results indicate that (a) 20 min extensive physical activity increases the level of 8-oxo-dG in saliva significantly (p = 0.0078) and (b) daily intake of 100 ml tomato juice may inhibit (p = 0.052) overproduction of salivary 8-oxo-dG by 20 min physical activity. We conclude that the 20 min extensive physical activity increases the level of salivary 8-oxo-dG in healthy donors and 100 ml daily intake of tomato juice may inhibit the increase of 8-oxo-dG in saliva.