Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capsidiol, a defensive sesquiterpene produced by wild tobacco in response to attack from the fungal pathogen Alternaria alternata, is regulated by an ERF2-like transcription factor

Capsidiol is a sesquiterpenoid phytoalexin produced in Nicotiana and Capsicum species in response to pathogen attack. Whether capsidiol plays a defensive role and how its biosynthesis is regulated in the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata when the plant is attacked by Alternaria alternata (tobacco pathotype), a notorious necrotrophic fungus causing brown spot disease, is unknown. Transcriptome analysis indicated that a metabolic switch to sesquiterpene biosynthesis occurred in young leaves of N. attenuata after A. alternata inoculation: many genes leading to sesquiterpene production were strongly up-regulated, including the capsidiol biosynthetic genes, 5-epi-aristolochene synthase (EAS) and 5-epi-aristolochene hydroxylase (EAH). Consistently, the level of capsidiol was increased dramatically in young leaves after fungal inoculation, from not detectable in mock control to 50.68 ± 3.10 µg/g fresh leaves at 3 days post inoculation. Capsidiol-reduced or capsidiol-depleted plants, which were generated by silencing EAHs or EASs by virus-induced gene silencing, were more susceptible to the fungus. In addition, this sesquiterpene exhibited strong anti-fungal activities against A. alternata in vitro when purified from infected plants and applied to fungal growth. Furthermore, an ERF2-like transcription factor was found to positively regulate capsidiol production and plant resistance through the direct transactivation of a capsidiol biosynthetic gene EAS12. Taken together, our results demonstrate that capsidiol, a phytoalexin highly accumulated in N. attenuata plants in response to A. alternata infection, plays an important role in pathogen resistance independent of JA and ethylene signaling pathways, and its biosynthesis is transcriptionally regulated by an ERF2-like transcription factor. Highlight Our results demonstrate that capsidiol, a phytoalexin highly accumulated in Nicotiana attenuata plants in response to Alternaria alternata attack, plays an important role in pathogen resistance, and its biosynthesis is transcriptionally regulated by an ERF2-like transcription factor.
Occurrence of Virulent and Antibiotic-resistant Enteropathogenic and Shiga toxin- producing Escherichia coli in some Milk Products Sold in Assiut City, Egypt

This study was undertaken to detect the enteropathogenic and shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (EPEC and STEC) in 120 milk products samples (soft cheese, hard cheese, yoghurt and ice cream). All samples were submitted for bacteriological examination, serological and molecular identification of virulent and antibiotic resistant genes using eaeA, hylA, blaTEM, blaCTX-M1, blaOXA and blaSHV primers. The bacteriological examination revealed that the incidence of occurrence of EPEC was 3.33% in ice cream samples, while it could not isolated from other types of milk products. In addition, STEC failed to detect in all examined milk products. The isolated EPEC strain following E. coli O18 serotyping. Moreover, the molecular identification of the isolated strain revealed that the strain contains eaeA, blaTEM and blaCTX-M1 genes.
Crop-Livestock Interaction Effect on Soil Quality and Maize Yield in Northern Ghana

Keeping livestock overnight on fallow arable lands (Corralling) is a traditional method of soil fertility amendment in West Africa. However, there is limited quantitative data on the interaction effects of stocking density of sheep and goats corralling (SDSG), maize plant density (MPD) and nitrogen fertilizer rate (NFR) on soil quality and yield of maize. A 2-yr study was conducted to determine the interaction effects of three SDSG (0, 70, and 140 head ha–¹), three MPD (66,667, 100,000, and 133,333 plants ha–¹) and three NFR (0, 60, and 90 kg ha–¹ N) on soil quality index (SQI) and maize yield in northern Ghana. The study was conducted using a split-split plot experiment replicated on eight farms. An adult sheep or goat was corralled in an area of 4 m² and 1 m² for the 70 and 140 head ha–¹ SDSG respectively for five nights during the dry seasons of 2014 and 2015 cropping seasons. Principal component and correlation matrix analysis were used to select minimum data set for SQI. The SQI for sheep and goats corralling increased by 51% compared with the control. The SDSG×MPD, SDSG×NFR and MPD×NFR interactions were significant on maize grain and biomass yields. The results suggest that, small-scale maize-livestock farmers could use either SDSG of 70 head ha–¹ with 90 kg ha–¹ NFR or SDSG of 140 head ha–¹ with 60 kg ha–¹ NFR and MPD at 133,333 plants ha–¹ to increase grain yield on Ferric lixisols in northern Ghana and similar ecologies in West Africa.
Preparation of CuO Hollow Spheres by Oxidation of Cu Microspheres

Copper oxide (CuO) is a p-type semiconductor with narrow band-gap of 1.2 eV and is widely used as a photoconductive material, and in gas sensors and heterogeneous catalysts. Various morphologies of CuO, such as rods, wires, ribbons, spheres, and even dandelions have been obtained via different synthesis routes. Hollow microparticle CuO structures are probably of most interest due to their potential applications as catalysts, because of their low densities and large surface areas. Hardand soft-templates are commonly used to fabricate hollow copper oxides structures. Hollow CuO microspheres have been prepared hydrothermally from copper acetate as a precursor, and by a hydrothermal reaction using a coppercomplex, in which hexamethyltriethylenetetramine (HMTA) was used as a complexing reagent. Dandelion-like CuO hollow microparticles were also produced, via a donut-like intermediate assembly that consisted of equatorial stacks of rhombic CuO strips, by hydrothermal reaction between copper nitrate and NaOH. The simplest method of making CuO is by the direct oxidation of copper metal in air. Many research groups have prepared CuO nanowires and nanotubes by oxidizing copper nanowires and foils. However, it is difficult to obtain copper metal microspheres for the preparation of hollow CuO microspheres by direct thermal oxidation. Here, we describe a straightforward method for preparing hollow CuO microspheres with radially projecting surface nanorods via the direct thermal oxidation of copper metal microspheres. The morphologies of CuO microspheres and the mechanism of their formation are discussed.
Effects of "chained" study on spontaneous relational discovery

Prior knowledge of relational structure allows people to quickly make sense of and respond to new experiences. When awareness of such structure is not necessary to support learning, however, it is unclear when and why individuals “spontaneously discover” an underlying relational schema. The present study examines the determinants of such discovery in discrimination-based transitive inference (TI), whereby people learn about a hierarchy of interrelated premises and are tested on their ability to draw inferences that bridge studied associations. Experiencing “chained” sequences of overlapping premises during training was predicted to facilitate the discovery of relational structure. Among individuals without prior knowledge of the hierarchy, chaining improved relational learning and was most likely to result in explicit awareness of the underlying relations between items. These findings add to growing evidence that the temporal dynamics of training, including successive presentation of overlapping associations, are key to understanding spontaneous relational discovery during learning.
ATS Statement

This statement provides practical guidelines for the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Specifically, it reviews indications, details factors that influence results, presents a brief step-by-step protocol, outlines safety measures, describes proper patient preparation and procedures, and offers guidelines for clinical interpretation of results. These recommendations are not intended to limit the use of alternative protocols for research studies. We do not discuss the general topic of clinical exercise testing. As with other American Thoracic Society statements on pulmonary function testing, these guidelines come out of a consensus conference. Drafts were prepared by two members (P.L.E. and R.J.Z.) and were based on a comprehensive Medline literature search from 1970 through 2001, augmented by suggestions from other committee members. Each draft responded to comments from the working committee. The guidelines follow previously published methods as closely as possible and provide a rationale for each specific recommendation. The final recommendations represent a consensus of the committee. The committee recommends that these guidelines be reviewed in five years and in the meantime encourages further research in areas of controversy.
The Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidative Effects of Selenium Supplementation on Critical Post-surgical Pediatric Patients

Article type: Review article Oxidative stress after major surgeries is associated with poor clinical outcomes, such as delayed wound healing and increased length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit. Due to the growth and development phase in childhood, changes in the levels of oxidative stress and inflammation are of paramount importance in pediatric patients. Acute metabolic stress is correlated with the rate of oxidative stress and is believed to increase after major surgeries in pediatric patients. Therefore, it has been suggested that the presence of selenium in various selenoenzymes and selenoproteins may be largely involved in the antioxidative defense system in surgical inflammation through the regulation of glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, insulin transport pathways, gene expression of inflammatory mediators, and other functions of lymphocytes B and T, natural killer, and lymphokine activated killer cells. In acute metabolic stress, selenium requirement following major surgeries is considered essential in pediatric patients, and selenium supplementation in these patients may be helpful and cost-effective in the long run. Further clinical studies are required to clarify the potential beneficial effects of selenium supplementation, as well as its dose safety and efficacy rate. Article History: Received: 13 Aug 2019 Accepted: 17 Sep 2019 Published: 05 Apr 2020
Solar Panel Obscuration in the Dusty Atmosphere of Mars

There are strong indications that dust is of great importance on Mars. Dust appears to have both long-term effects on the surface geologic evolution as well as on the aeolian processes in the present climate conditions. Early spacecraft missions [1] confirmed hypotheses from telescopic work that changes observed in the planet’s surface markings are caused by wind-driven redistribution of dust. Suspended dust is known to alter the atmospheric thermal structure and circulation as well as to obscure our ability for remote observation of the planet’s surface, especially during the occasional development of larger, planetencircling dust storms which occur on average once every three Martian years. Because of the possible high electrostatic charge of the dust and its strong adhesion properties, its deposition onto life support equipment could damage or degrade equipment, reducing the mission duration and endangering personnel. The inhalation of electrostatically charged airborne dust is also a health hazard to astronauts inside the habitat. In this paper, we discuss the obscuration of solar panels by: (1) a dust cloud over the panels, causing extinction of light reaching the solar cells even when the panels are relatively clean; (2) extinction of light due to dust deposition on the surface of the panel in a relatively clear sky; and (3) extinction caused by both high density particle cloud and a significant dust deposition on panels, conditions expected in dust storms on Mars. Electrostatic adhesion of charged particles on the panel surface is analyzed as a function of charge and size distributions to analyze possible dust removal processes.
Advances in Textile Engineering

Several common applications for polymer composite laminates reinforced in the through-thickness direction made by the textile processes of 3D weaving, stitching, Z-pinning and tufting are reviewed in this paper. An overview of these reinforcement technologies is given to illustrate their processing principles, benefits, drawbacks and practical applications. On the other hand, preforming is a significant step in the manufacturing of textile-reinforced composites with resin infusion processes. It is important to investigate the various forming behaviors for the through-thickness composite reinforcements in order to control the forming defects which would reduce the mechanical properties of the final composite part. Therefore, the definition of each forming behavior, the measurement approaches and some experimental characterizations for certain Through-Thickness Reinforcements (TTR) are also described. Abstract
Suicidal behavior among Iranian psychiatric patients

Introduction: Suicidal behavior is seen in the context of a variety of mental disorders and while many believe that, in general, first episode psychosis is a particularly high-risk period for suicide, no general agreement regarding higher prevalence of suicide in first episode psychosis is achievable. In the present Study, suicides and suicide attempts among psychiatric in-patients has been evaluated to assess the general profile of suicidal behavior among native psychiatric inpatients and probing any relationship between serum cholesterol level and suicidal behavior. Methods: five acute academic wards, which have been specified for admission of first episode adult psychiatric patients, and five acute non-academic wards, which have been specified for admission of recurrent episode adult psychiatric patients, had been selected for current study. All inpatients with suicidal behavior (successful suicide and attempted suicide, in total), during the last five years (2013-2018), had been included in the present investigation. Also, assessment of serum lipids, including triglyceride, cholesterol, low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein, had been accomplished, for comparing the suicidal subjects with non-suicidal ones. Results: Among 19160 psychiatric patients hospitalized in Razi psychiatric hospital during a sixty months period, 63 suicidal behaviors, including one successful suicide and sixty two suicide attempts, had been recorded by the safety board of hospital. The most frequent mental illness was bipolar I disorder, which was significantly more prevalent in comparison with other mental disorders ( p <0.04, p <0.02, p <0.007, and p <0.003 in comparison with schizophrenia, depression, personality disorders and substance abuse, respectively). Self-mutilation, self-poisoning and hanging were the preferred methods of suicide among 61.11%, 19.44% and 19.44% of cases, respectively. In addition, no significant difference was evident between the first admission and recurrent admission inpatients, totally and separately, particularly with respect to psychotic disorders. Besides, with respect to different components of serum lipids, no specific or significant pattern was evident. Conclusion: While in the present study the suicidal behavior was significantly more evident in bipolar disorder in comparison with other psychotic or no-psychotic disorders, no significant difference was evident between first admission and recurrent admission psychiatric inpatients. Moreover, no significant relationship between suicidal behavior and serum lipids was palpable.
“A Review on Distributed Generation Control and Power Sharing In Islanded Microgrid”

The micro-grid in islanded operation is unable to share reactive power accurately due to variation/mismatch in line impedance. This paper includes various approaches for implementing distributed power generation and power sharing in islanded Microgrid. It also includes the methodology for automatic recovery of system frequency. Most of the methods are mainly dependent on two important operations: error identification and voltage recovery operation. The increase in sharing accuracy is enhanced by sharing the error reduction operation. The activation of error reduction operation is done by synchronization signals of lower bandwidth. Since the output voltage amplitude is decreased by error reduction operation thus in order to compensate the decreased voltage amplitude a voltage recovery operation is implemented. The conventional dropped control method can be more effective in controlling the inverters in microgrid when the microgrid is disconnected from main grid but bears certain lacuna in transient response. This paper presents various controlling strategies and comparative approach between various methods of power sharing in islanded Microgrid.
A Native 51 kDa Leishmania Membrane Protein Revealed as a Novel Antigenic Candidate for Immuno-Diagnosis of Human VL and PKDL diseases

Visceral leishmaniasis, a life threatening protozoan parasitic disease, is mainly caused by Leishmania donovani complex and is prevalent in the Indian subcontinent, East Africa and Brazil. VL patients even after successful treatment might show other clinical revelations of skin called post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) [1]. Although there is substantial decline in the incidence of VL in some areas, the disease is still prevalent in most of the endemic regions with newer areas of infection being continuously reported [1]. Classical VL diagnosis relies on microscopic observation of the parasite from splenic and bone marrow aspirates [2,3]. For PKDL, slit-skin smear or biopsy specimens derived from skin lesions are examined for presence of the parasite [4,5]. These procedures Abstract
Noninvasive Viscoelasticity Estimation of Heart Wall Using Ultrasound

This presentation proposes a novel method to noninvasively measure the myocardial viscoelasticity in vivo to evaluate the heart diastolic properties. By the ultrasonic measurement of the myocardial motion, we have already found that some pulsive waves are spontaneously excited by aorticvalve closure (AVC) at end-systole (T0). In this study, a sparse sector scan at a sufficiently high frame rate clearly reveals wave propagation along the heart wall. The propagation time of the wave along the heart wall is very small, namely, several milliseconds, and cannot be measured by conventional equipment. From the measured phase velocity, we estimate the myocardial viscoelasticity in vivo. In in vivo experiments applied to 6 healthy subjects, the propagation of the pulsive wave was clearly visible in all subjects. For the frequency component up to 90 Hz, the typical propagation speed is about several m/s and rapidly decreased around the time of AVC. For the healthy subject, the typical value of elasticity was about 24-30 kPa and did not change around the time of AVC. The typical transient values of viscosity decreased rapidly from 400 Pa•s to 70 Pa•s around the time of AVC. The measured shear elasticity and viscosity in this study are comparable to those obtained for the human tissues using audio frequency in in vitro experiments reported in the literature. This method offers potential for in vivo imaging of the spatial distribution of the passive mechanical properties of the myocardium, which cannot be obtained by conventional echocardiography, CT, or MRI
INTERCOMPARISON OF QUASI-OPTICAL AND WAVEGUIDE TECHNIQUES FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF THE COMPLEX DIELECTRIC CONSTANTS OF SOLID MATERIALS

An intercomparison has been made of quasi-optical and waveguide-based techniques for the measurement of the complex dielectric constants of solid materials in the frequency range 75 to 110 GHz. Plane parallel-sided samples are used in both systems, acting as Fabry-Perot etalons. Models based on ABCD matrices, and assuming no dispersion, are fitted to the interference patterns measured in transmission and reflection to determine the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant. An additional waveguide-based system is used to obtain further data in the frequency range 26.5 to 40 GHz. Good agreement has been found between the results from the quasi-optical and waveguidebased systems, and also between our results and published dielectric constant data. Typically, systematic errors in the refractive index results are less than 1%, although errors in the absorption index are around 15%.
Moderating effect of government regulations on the determinants of customer loyalty for cellular service providers in Pakistan

Customer loyalty has become essential for the survival/success of cellular service providers with the saturation and maturity of the cellular service sector of Pakistan. This research focuses on the direct determinants of customer loyalty of the prepaid segment in the cellular service sector of Pakistan. This study investigates the direct influence of perceived service quality, sales promotion and perceived corporate social responsibility on customer loyalty, and explores the role of government regulations as a moderator that affects the relationship between customer loyalty and its determinants (perceived service quality, sales promotions, perceived corporate social responsibility). This study also provides some valuable insights for the cellular service sector of Pakistan.
Genotype of Javanese backyard waterfowl based on antiviral myxovirus gene

Myxovirus (Mx) proteins are essential antiviral protein components induced by interferon in many species. This study aims to determine the genotype of 72 Javanese backyard waterfowl based on the Mx gene. Mx gene was amplified using PCRRFLP technique by primers NE-F2/F and NE-R2/R. The expected 100bp PCR product was visualized by 1.2% high-resolution MetaPhorTM Agarose. To determine the genotype of Mx gene, the PCR fragment was cut by RsaI. The results showed that all Mx samples generated 73bp and 27bp fragments, indicating that all waterfowl species were (GG genotype) and showed susceptibility to the avian influenza virus infection. The susceptible species are difficult to be identified based on its morphological appearance since waterfowl do not show any symptoms of illness. Therefore, Mx gene genotyping has the potential for breed selection to obtain healthy and resistant waterfowl both phenotype and genotype. Targeting the Mx gene is a potential approach for the development of avian influenza-resistant poultry.
MODELING AND SIMULATIONS OF AN UPPER LIMB EXOSKELETON DESIGNED FOR REHABILITATION AND TRAINING

The work presents a study of an upper limb exoskeleton designed for rehabilitation and training. While in the first stages of rehabilitation, when the patient is unable to move alone, the exoskeleton must be rigid, in the next stages it should be able to respond to any movement made by the patient. The key feature here is transparency: the robot must be able to “hide” if the patient is able to make the movement without assistance. The aim of the work is to identify and evaluate an appropriate solution of the upper limb exoskeleton that provides transparency and natural safety on the one hand, and force impact and performance on the other. In the paper, the mechanical model of the exoskeleton was shown. The mechanical structure is similar to the structure of the human arm. Through the kinematic model, the direct and inverse tasks of kinematics are solved using the Octave matrix software. The upper limb exoskeleton is designed as a haptic device that can perform tasks in virtual reality. Simulations of the interaction force between the patient and the exoskeleton were conducted also using the Octave software. Here, an assessment of the interaction force was made as a result of the exoskeleton passive impedance and the active control of the exoskeleton. Finally, conclusions and development recommendations are given.