Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intermediate filaments EXC-2 and IFA-4 Maintain Luminal Structure of the Tubular Excretory Canals in Caenorhabditis elegans

The excretory canals of Caenorhabditis elegans are a model for understanding the maintenance of apical morphology in narrow single-celled tubes. Light and electron microscopy shows that mutants in exc-2 start to form canals normally, but these swell to develop large fluid-filled cysts that lack a complete terminal web at the apical surface, and accumulate filamentous material in the canal lumen. Here, whole-genome sequencing and gene rescue show that exc-2 encodes intermediate filament protein IFC-2. EXC-2/IFC-2 protein, fluorescently tagged via CRISPR/Cas9, is located at the apical surface of the canals independently of other intermediate filament proteins. EXC-2 is also located in several other tissues, though the tagged isoforms are not seen in the larger intestinal tube. Tagged EXC-2 binds via pulldown to intermediate filament protein IFA-4, which is also shown to line the canal apical surface. Overexpression of either protein results in narrow but shortened canals. These results are consistent with a model whereby three intermediate filaments in the canals, EXC-2, IFA-4, and IFB-1, restrain swelling of narrow tubules in concert with actin filaments that guide the extension and direction of tubule outgrowth, while allowing the tube to bend as the animal moves. Article Summary The C. elegans excretory canals form a useful model for understanding formation of narrow tubes. exc-2 mutants start to form normal canals that then swell into fluid-filled cysts. We show that exc-2 encodes a large intermediate filament (IF) protein previously not thought to be located in the canals. EXC-2 is located at the apical (luminal) membrane, binds to another IF protein, and appears to be one of three IF proteins that form a flexible meshwork to maintain the thin canal diameter. This work provides a genetically useful model for understanding the interactions of IF proteins with other cytoskeletal elements to regulate tube size and growth.
Does routine uniportal thoracoscopy during rib fixation identify more injuries and impact outcomes?

Background Flail chest and severely displaced rib fractures due to blunt trauma can be associated with intrathoracic injuries. At our institution, two thoracic surgeons perform all surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF): one performs routine uniportal thoracoscopy (R-VATS) at the time of SSRF and the other for only select cases (S-VATS). In this pilot study, we hypothesized that R-VATS at the time of SSRF identifies and addresses intrathoracic injuries not seen on imaging and may impact patient outcomes. Methods A retrospective review of all patients who underwent SSRF from 2013–2019 at our institution was performed for severely displaced rib fractures or flail chest. Data collected included demographics, imaging results, treatment strategy, and operative findings. Results Ninety-nine patients underwent SSRF. Uniportal thoracoscopy was performed on 69% of these patients. When thoracoscopy was performed, 31 additional injuries were identified. R-VATS identified 23 additional intrathoracic findings at time of thoracoscopy not seen on CT scan compared to 8 findings in the S-VATS group (P=0.367). At 3 months follow-up, one empyema and one diaphragmatic hernia required reoperation—neither of which underwent thoracoscopy at time of SSRF. There were no differences in LOS, operative times, and overall mortality between the SSRF/thoracoscopy and SSRF only groups. Conclusions R-VATS at the time of SSRF did not identify a statistically significant greater number of occult intrathoracic injuries compared to S-VATS. R-VATS was not associated with increased operative time, LOS, and mortality. Further study is needed to determine if there is benefit to R-VATS in patients meeting requirements for rib fracture repair.
Impacts of Political Connections on Private Enterprise Performance in China and the Analysis of Mediating Effects

Based on data of Chinese Private Enterprises Survey (CPES) from 2006-2014, this paper uses OLS model and other empirical methods to estimate the impacts of political connections on private enterprise performance in China, as well as heterogeneous effects and mediating effects of different types of political connections on tax burden and non-productive activities expense. The results show that, political connections contribute significantly to private enterprises. Compared with previous political connections, like working experiences in state-owned enterprises and government-affiliated institutions, current political connections, like deputies to the NPC or members of CPPCC, have played better and further roles in enterprise performance. Tax burden and non-productive activities expense have a mediation effect in the relationship between political connections and enterprise performance. This study replenishes new evidence to describe how political connections affect private enterprise performance in China, and partly explains why private enterprises are keen on setting up political connections, which may provide valuable tips to foster a new type of cordial and clean relationship between government and business in China.
Raising College Access and Completion: How Much Can Free College Help?

Free college proposals have become increasingly popular in many countries of the world. To evaluate their potential effects, we develop and estimate a dynamic model of college enrollment, performance, and graduation. A central piece of the model, student effort, has a direct effect on class completion, and an indirect effect in mitigating the risk of not completing a class or not remaining in college. We estimate the model using rich, student-level administrative data from Colombia, and use the estimates to simulate free college programs that differ in eligibility requirements. Among these, universal free college expands enrollment the most, but it does not affect graduation rates and has the highest per-graduate cost. Performance-based free college, in contrast, delivers a slightly lower enrollment expansion yet a greater graduation rate at a lower per-graduate cost. Relative to universal free college, performance-based free college places a greater risk on students but is precisely this feature that delivers better outcomes. Nonetheless, the modest increase in graduation rates suggests that additional, complementary policies might be required to elicit the large effort increase needed to raise graduation rates.
Income Volatility Increases Financial Impatience

Using a multi-method approach, we investigate whether income volatility is associated with financial impatience—the preference to receive a small sum of money immediately over a larger sum of money later. We find that experiencing more income volatility—including a higher frequency of either income dips or spikes – is associated with greater financial impatience. Using longitudinal data on biannual income, Study 1 demonstrates that this effect operates above and beyond individual differences in income risk preferences and wealth. Study 2 conceptually replicates these correlational findings with recent month-to-month income volatility and finds that this effect occurs primarily among people who report having little control over their finances. Using a longitudinal field experimental with low-income working women, Study 3 tests for a causal effect of an externally-induced spike in monthly income on changes in financial impatience. In a pre-post test experimental design, participants randomly assigned to receive cash transfers amounting to a median monthly income spike of 29% exhibit significantly greater financial impatience compared to a control condition in which participants receive no cash transfers. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for employers and policymakers.
EFFECTS OF BAC-TRAT® PROBIOTIC COMPLEX ON GROWTH, HEMATOLOGICAL AND INTESTINAL PARAMETERS OF NILE TILAPIA, REARED AT LOW TEMPERATURES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the BAC-TRAT® probiotic complex applied on diet and in the rearing water of Nile tilapia, maintained at low temperatures. Three treatments were evaluated: control (absence of the probiotic: T0), probiotic applied to the water (T1) and a diet with probiotic (T2). Productive performance of Nile tilapia was not affected by the probiotic inclusion (p>0.05). The hematological parameters were influenced by treatments, with leukocytes and lymphocytes presenting lower concentrations in T2. Regarding to the whole-fish body composition, the inclusion of the probiotic in the water led to significant increases in the ether extract concentration, whilst the ash contents was higher in the treatments T1 and T2. Regarding histomorphometry parameters of the intestine, was observed that villi height and thickness of the muscle tunic were higher in T1 in comparison to T0. For the hepatic tissue, T2 determined the lowest values of perimeter, area and volume, and the qualitative evaluation revealed little and intermediate vacuolization in all treatments. It was concluded that despite contributing for the increase of intestinal villi area, the use of BAC-TRAT® probiotic complex at low temperatures does not have beneficial effects on Nile tilapia growth.
1,2,3-Triazoles: Synthesis and Biological Application

Among nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, 1,2,3-triazoles are privileged structure motif and received a great deal of attention in academics and industry. Even though absent in nature, 1,2,3-triazoles have found broad applications in drug discovery, organic synthesis, polymer chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, bioconjugation, chemical biology, fluorescent imaging, and materials science. Therefore, the development of facile and straightforward methodology for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles is of noteworthy interest. In this study, emphasis will be given to numerous synthetic approaches for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles, especially the popular click chemistry approach. Furthermore, several biological activities of this promising heterocycle will also be discussed.
The effects of a physical exercise program on fetal well-being and intrauterine safety.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a supervised physical exercise program on fetal well-being and intrauterine safety. Physical activity is recommended for healthy pregnant women. However, constant evaluation of fetal condition and development is recommended to ensure the safety of the exercise program. MATERIAL AND METHODS Randomized control trial study design. Sixty-six healthy pregnant women (age 24-35) with singleton gestation were randomly assigned to either an exercise group (EG, n = 34) or a non-active control group (CG, n = 32). The exercise program included 81 sessions (moderate intensity, 3 times per week, 50-60 min/session from weeks 13 to weeks 40/41 of pregnancy). Fetal well-being was assessed in weeks 32 and 37 of pregnancy. The cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) was calculated to evaluate the safety of the exercise program for the fetus. RESULTS The differences in the CPR ratio measurements between EG and CG groups in week 37 (p < 0.05) were observed. The increase in the CPR ratio was also shown in week 37 of pregnancy in comparison to week 32 (p < 0.01). Moreover, maternal heart rate was significantly lower in the exercise group as measured at 37 weeks (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study confirm that regular and supervised exercise program throughout pregnancy does not affect fetal well-being and is safe for the fetus. Additionally, regular physical activity improves maternal physical fitness and cardiac efficiency which might aid at preparing pregnant women for natural labor.
Tobacco TGA7 mediates gene expression dependent and independent of salicylic acid

Basic region leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors of the TGA family control gene expression in response to diverse stimuli. Arabidopsis clade II and clade III TGA factors mediate salicylic acid (SA)-induced expression of PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE1 (PR-1) via interplay with NONEXPRESSOR OF PR GENES1 (NPR1, a.k.a. NIM1). Interaction with TGA factors occurs through the central ankyrin repeat domain of NPR1. In a yeast two-hybrid screen with the NPR1 bait, we identified TGA7, a novel member of the tobacco (Nt) TGA family grouping to clade III. TGA7 is most similar to NtTGA1a, and, like NtTGA1a, TGA7 displays transcription activity in yeast. Unexpectedly, TGA7 preferentially and uniquely interacts with the SA-sensitive C-terminal region of NtNPR1, demonstrating that NtNPR1 harbors multiple distinct TGA factor binding sites. Interaction with NPR1 impairs TGA7 transcription activity in yeast. Furthermore, TGA7 binding to the NtNPR1 C-terminus is outcompeted by SA-induced type 2 NIM1-INTERACTING (NIMIN) proteins. In tobacco plants, a TGA7–Gal4 DNA-binding domain chimeric protein (TGA7GBD) mediates SA-responsive reporter gene expression in young leaf tissue and spontaneous reporter activation in older leaves displaying PR-1 gene expression. Astonishingly, TGA7GBD is also able to activate the reporter independent from PR-1 gene expression in noninduced cotyledons of tobacco seedlings. Together, our findings support a model in which TGA7 mediates both SA-dependent and SA-independent gene activation controlled by the plant’s developmental stage and by the C-terminal region of constitutively accumulating NtNPR1.
A Minimax Optimal Ridge-Type Set Test for Global Hypothesis With Applications in Whole Genome Sequencing Association Studies

Abstract Testing a global hypothesis for a set of variables is a fundamental problem in statistics with a wide range of applications. A few well-known classical tests include the Hotelling’s T 2 test, the F-test, and the empirical Bayes based score test. These classical tests, however, are not robust to the signal strength and could have a substantial loss of power when signals are weak or moderate, a situation we commonly encounter in contemporary applications. In this article, we propose a minimax optimal ridge-type set test (MORST), a simple and generic method for testing a global hypothesis. The power of MORST is robust and considerably higher than that of the classical tests when the strength of signals is weak or moderate. In the meantime, MORST only requires a slight increase in computation compared to these existing tests, making it applicable to the analysis of massive genome-wide data. We also provide the generalizations of MORST that are parallel to the traditional Wald test and Rao’s score test in asymptotic settings. Extensive simulations demonstrated the robust power of MORST and that the Type I error of MORST was well controlled. We applied MORST to the analysis of the whole-genome sequencing data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, where MORST detected 20%–250% more signal regions than the classical tests. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Ground‐penetrating radar reflections and their archaeological significances at two ancient necropolis tombs in Kharga Oasis, Egypt

ABSTRACT This study presents results of ground‐penetrating radar surveys conducted for the exploration of unexcavated tombs at the Kharga Oasis. These surveys were carried out on two ancient tombs. The first site, located in Labakha, is already excavated, while the second site, located in Gebel El‐Siwa, is still unexcavated. The goal of this study was to investigate the possibility of the existence of unexcavated tombs in Labakha, as well as the depth, extension and constituents of an unexcavated tomb in Gebel El‐Siwa. Ground‐penetrating radar measurements were carried out using a single‐channel system and the common offset approach. Based on the results obtained from our measurements using 200‐ and 400‐MHz antennae in Labakha, a detailed survey was carried out on the unexcavated tomb in Gebel El‐Siwa using a cart‐mounted 400‐MHz antenna system. 2D ground‐penetrating radar profiles were acquired and subsequently processed and interpreted. Isolated reflections could be identified. Lateral continuity of the reflections could be observed only through comparative analyses of the adjacent scans. By doing so, the remnants of the two tombs became easier to correlate. Two ground‐penetrating radar anomalies could be detected in the archaeological site of Gebel El‐Siwa; these anomalies are probably caused by a nearby tomb. By correlating the obtained data with the archaeological knowledge of the discoveries made in the surrounding areas, it was possible to interpret the linear reflectors as to be caused by the tomb. This study has been useful in providing archaeologists with information on the expression of this type of ancient Egyptian necropolis tombs at Kharga.
Dynamic Scheduling Framework of the Flexible Mixed-Model Assembly Line Based on the Internet of Manufacturing Things

In mass customization (MC), the assembly operations of modular products tend to be organized as the form of flexible mixed-model assembly line (FMMAL). The dynamic scheduling problem of FMMAL is quite complex with product sequencing, station allocation, material delivery, disruption events of station failure, product inserting and product reworking. To solve these problems, a comprehensive framework combining the architecture of Internet of Manufacturing Things (IoMT) with the dynamic scheduling algorithms is proposed. Firstly, the IoMT-based FMMAL are constructed via the multi-agent system (MAS) and ubiquitous environment. Secondly, a mathematical model of FMMAL is formulated with the decision variables, optimization objectives and constraint conditions. Thirdly, the IoMT-oriented algorithms for dynamic scheduling are proposed including the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) for normalization, weighted sum of properties-improved genetic algorithm (WSP-IGA) for prescheduling, priority weights search-simulated annealing (PWS-SA) for rescheduling. Lastly, a discrete event simulation of a numerical case is conducted to demonstrate the practicality and validity of proposed theories and algorithms. The results show that the proposed hyper-heuristics (WSP-IGA and PWS-SA) can respectively realize the prescheduling and rescheduling of FMMAL in four modes including the synthesized mode, time-efficient mode, just-in-time mode and energy-saving mode, which are superior to the four referenced meta-heuristics.
Variação gráfica em manuscritos oitocentistas da Câmara Municipal de Rio Pardo (RS)

Este trabalho pretende analisar a variacao grafica de hipossegmentacao em manuscritos oitocentistas, sob a perspectiva teorica da Sociolinguistica Historica. Acreditamos que a ocorrencia desse fenomeno tenha uma motivacao linguistica de ordem prosodica e socio-historica. Analisamos 410 ocorrencias de hipossegmentacoes e os resultados indicam que a motivacao linguistica e o fato de o escrevente perceber a existencia do hospedeiro e do clitico, mas assinalar a dependencia prosodica do clitico em relacao ao hospedeiro, registrando, assim, uma frase fonologica. A motivacao socio-historica e paleografica, pois a forma do elemento grafico, se possui ou nao tracado continuo, pode influenciar na formacao de hipossegmentacoes.
Similarity judgments and cortical visual responses reflect different properties of object and scene categories in naturalistic images

Numerous factors have been reported to underlie the representation of complex images in high-level human visual cortex, including categories (e.g. faces, objects, scenes), animacy, and real-world size, but the extent to which this organization is reflected in behavioral judgments of real-world stimuli is unclear. Here, we compared representations derived from explicit similarity judgments and ultra-high field (7T) fMRI of human visual cortex for multiple exemplars of a diverse set of naturalistic images from 48 object and scene categories. Behavioral judgements revealed a coarse division between man-made (including humans) and natural (including animals) images, with clear groupings of conceptually-related categories (e.g. transportation, animals), while these conceptual groupings were largely absent in the fMRI representations. Instead, fMRI responses tended to reflect a separation of both human and non-human faces/bodies from all other categories. This pattern yielded a statistically significant, but surprisingly limited correlation between the two representational spaces. Further, comparison of the behavioral and fMRI representational spaces with those derived from the layers of a deep neural network (DNN) showed a strong correspondence with behavior in the top-most layer and with fMRI in the mid-level layers. These results suggest that there is no simple mapping between responses in high-level visual cortex and behavior – each domain reflects different visual properties of the images and responses in high-level visual cortex may correspond to intermediate stages of processing between basic visual features and the conceptual categories that dominate the behavioral response. Significance Statement It is commonly assumed there is a correspondence between behavioral judgments of complex visual stimuli and the response of high-level visual cortex. We directly compared these representations across a diverse set of naturalistic object and scene categories and found a surprisingly and strikingly different representational structure. Further, both types of representation showed good correspondence with a deep neural network, but each correlated most strongly with different layers. These results show that behavioral judgments reflect more conceptual properties and visual cortical fMRI responses capture more general visual features. Collectively, our findings highlight that great care must be taken in mapping the response of visual cortex onto behavior, which clearly reflect different information.
Public and private investments for banana Xanthomonas Wilt control in Uganda: The economic feasibility for smallholder farmers

Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) poses a serious threat to livelihoods and food security for millions of households in Africa. Despite considerable investments in Uganda by the Government and other national and international stakeholders, the disease persists in the country after periods of significant resurgence. Building on the Agricultural Innovation Systems framework, this paper reviews the role of the major stakeholders involved in controlling the disease in Uganda. Next, using household survey data, it analyzes economic costs and benefits of adopting an integrated BXW control package for the Ugandan smallholder farmers. After 2015, there has been a significant reduction in both public and private investments in BXW management, which may contribute to future disease resurgence. Our analysis reveals a high level of partial adoption of BXW recommended practices, and just a third of farmers adopting a full control package. This means significant economic losses for non-adopters, as indicated by our findings that households adopting the full package registered a net balance of US$65 per acre higher than non-adopters. We find that disproportionally large costs need to be borne at the beginning of the process, while the benefits are distributed over time, which may present a barrier to adoption by resource-poor smallholders.