Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role and Regulation of p21 in Myelopoiesis

Elevated levels of the molecular adaptor protein p21waf1/cip1 (p21) and of the IL-3 receptor alpha chain are correlated with chemoresistance and poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). p21 is a core regulator of many biological functions including cell cycle control, apoptosis and differentiation. Our laboratory has demonstrated a decrease in p21 expression levels during cytokine-induced granulocytic differentiation, leading us to hypothesize that p21 antagonizes granulopoiesis. The proliferative cytokine IL-3 has been shown to prevent granulocytic differentiation of murine and human myeloid progenitor cells. We also hypothesized that IL-3 inhibition of differentiation is mediated in part by p21, and tested this in murine 32Dcl3 myeloblasts that are used to model granulopoiesis. Our findings demonstrated that p21 antagonized differentiation by promoting apoptosis of cells exposed to the differentiation inducer G-CSF. We also showed that p21 prevented premature expression of primary granule proteins and contributed to maintenance of the myeloblast phenotype. Furthermore, p21 knockdown accelerated morphologic differentiation of 32Dcl3 cells stimulated to differentiate with G-CSF. We then determined how IL-3 maintains p21 expression in myeloblast cells. We showed that IL-3 stabilized p21 mRNA in myeloblasts leading to high levels of p21 protein. This effect mapped to the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the p21 transcript. p21 transcript stabilization by IL-3 was independent of PI3-kinase and ERK pathway signaling. In vitro binding assays provided evidence that distinct sets of RNA:protein interactions occur within the proximal 303 nucleotides of the p21 3' UTR and are regulated by IL-3 and G-CSF signaling. Association of a 60-65 kDa protein with p21 riboprobes correlated with IL-3 mediated p21 mRNA stabilization, whereas binding by a 40-42 kDa protein was associated with destabilization of p21 transcripts in 32Dcl3 cells undergoing G-CSF-induced differentiation. These findings provide the first evidence for IL-3-mediated stabilization of mRNA transcripts in myeloid progenitor cells. The finding that p21 antagonized granulopoiesis is also novel. Because high levels of the IL-3 receptor and high p21 expression have separately been linked to poor outcomes in AML, IL-3 mediated p21 mRNA stabilization may contribute to differentiation blockade during AML pathogenesis.
DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY AND PSYCHO EDUCATION THERAPY ON KHAT CHEWING BEHAVIOR AND ASSOCIATED MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

Objective: To compare the differential effectiveness of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Psycho-Education Therapy (PET) on minimizing Khat chewing behavior and associated mental health problems. Methodology: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 40 regular Khat consumer men selected through consecutive sampling technique. The participants were randomly allocated to either CBT group or Psycho-education group by lottery method. The CBT group received seven sessions of manualized CBT for substance abuse and the psycho-education group received three sessions on addiction-related educations. Both therapies were carried out in group format. Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) was used for assessing both groups before and after the administration of the therapies. Chi square and t-test were used to calculate the difference between the groups. Results: The age of participants of CBT and PET groups ranged from 18-25 years (mean 22.15 ±2.32 and 22.30 ±2.20 years respectively). A significant decrease was found in the Khat chewing behavior in CBT group as compared to the psycho-education group. Similarly other mental health problems in the CBT group were significantly reduced. Conclusion: CBT was effective in decreasing Khat chewing behavior and associated mental health problems.
Acceptance and use of ADAS

This study was designed to investigate how many Finnish drivers with new cars have ADAS in their vehicles, and how frequently and in which context they use those systems, ACC and Lane Keeping (LKA) in particular. In addition, the impacts of these systems were to be assessed. Moreover, limitations of the current systems, willingness to have the systems in the future, and willingness to pay for such systems or higher automation levels were of interest. The data was collected with an online survey of 1,005 drivers who drive regularly and have purchased their vehicle in 2016 or later. The selection of driver sample seemed to be successful and allowed collecting versatile quantitative data of the usage of the systems in various contexts and self-reported benefits of the systems. This paper concentrates into the results concerning longitudinal support systems, cruise control and adaptive cruise control.
Reducing stranded assets through early action in the Indian power sector

Cost-effective achievement of the Paris Agreement’s long-term goals requires the unanimous phase-out of coal power generation by mid-century. However, continued investments in coal power plants will make this transition difficult. India is one of the major countries with significant under construction and planned increase in coal power capacity. To ascertain the likelihood and consequences of the continued expansion of coal power for India’s future mitigation options, we use harmonised scenario results from national and global models along with projections from various government reports. Both these approaches estimate that coal capacity is expected to increase until 2030, along with rapid developments in wind and solar power. However, coal capacity stranding of the order of 133–237 GW needs to occur after 2030 if India were to pursue an ambitious climate policy in line with a well-below 2 °C target. Earlier policy strengthening starting after 2020 can reduce stranded assets (14–159 GW) but brings with it political economy and renewable expansion challenges. We conclude that a policy limiting coal plants to those under construction combined with higher solar targets could be politically feasible, prevent significant stranded capacity, and allow higher mitigation ambition in the future.
Automated Vehicles are Expected to Increase Driving and Emissions Without Policy Intervention

Researchers at UC Davis explored what an automated vehicle future in the San Francisco Bay Area might look like by simulating: 1) A 100% personal automated vehicle future and its effects on travel and greenhouse emissions. 2) The introduction of an automated taxi service with plausible per-mile fares and its effects on conventional personal vehicle and transit travel. The researchers used the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s activity-based travel demand model (MTC-ABM) and MATSim, an agent-based transportation model, to carry out the simulations. This policy brief summarizes the results, which provide insight into the relative benefits of each service and automated vehicle technology and the potential market for these services. View the NCST Project Webpage
Destruction of Listeria monocytogenes during Frankfurter processing.

The thermal resistance of Listeria monocytogenes during the processing of frankfurters was studied. Frankfurter emulsion was prepared, inoculated with L. monocytogenes Scott A stuffed into casings, and heat-processed in a smokehouse according to a standard step-heating schedule. The viable Listeria were determined by surface plating on Tryptose agar. A plot of log viable L. monocytogenes vs. deg-min was linear
The Impact of the Colonization of the Invasive American Artemia franciscana (Crustacea: Anostraca) on Genetic Differentiation in the United Arab Emirates (Asia)

Artemia franciscana, native to America, has recently colonized non-indigenous populations in Eurasia, Mediterranean regions and Australia. In present we sought to evaluate the potential effects of colonization of A. franciscana on genetic differentiation in the new environments in UAE. We used the COI marker to determine population genetic structure and identify the origins of exotic populations in UAE. Our findings have confirmed the colonization of both localities by A. franciscana. Genetic variation of invasive A. franciscana were exclusively lower than native population in Great Salt Lake and San Francisco Bay. Results have showed the studied population could not possibly have colonized directly from natural American localities, perhaps resulting from secondary introduction events from other non-indigenous populations. Genetic analysis have yielded different demographic patterns for invasive studied populations. Al Wathba Wetland Reserve (AWWR) population have represented demographic expansion. In contrast, Godolphin Lakes (GL) population was at demographic equilibrium. Neutrality tests have documented the excess of both recent and historical mutations in the COI gene pool of invasive AWWR Artemia throughout establishment in the new environment.
A Review of Deep Learning Based Methods for Acoustic Scene Classification

The number of publications on acoustic scene classification (ASC) in environmental audio recordings has constantly increased over the last few years. This was mainly stimulated by the annual Detection and Classification of Acoustic Scenes and Events (DCASE) competition with its first edition in 2013. All competitions so far involved one or multiple ASC tasks. With a focus on deep learning based ASC algorithms, this article summarizes and groups existing approaches for data preparation, i.e., feature representations, feature pre-processing, and data augmentation, and for data modeling, i.e., neural network architectures and learning paradigms. Finally, the paper discusses current algorithmic limitations and open challenges in order to preview possible future developments towards the real-life application of ASC systems.
Population status and genetic diversity of Nymphoides peltata in Japan.

To evaluate the condition of populations of the threatened aquatic plant Nymphoides peltata in Japan, we investigated the vegetation area, composition of floral morphs (long-, short-, or homo-styled morphs), and genetic diversity using ten microsatellite loci for all known subpopulations. Sixty-four subpopulations were identified in 27 river systems. Only 1 of the 33 subpopulations where flowers were detected had both longand short-styled morphs and a relatively high potential for sexual reproduction; it was located in Lake Kasumigaura. Using microsatellites, 61 genets were detected in the subpopulations. The genetic data suggest that each N. peltata subpopulation in Japan is at high risk of extinction because of the low genet diversity and low sexual productivity. The subpopulation that had both floral morphs consisted of ten genets, which suggests the importance of sexual reproduction to the preservation of genet diversity. In an amendment of the Japanese Red List in 2007, this species was reclassified from vulnerable to near-threatened. However, our study suggested that the species should be conserved as a vulnerable species.
How Fluoride Protects Dental Enamel from Demineralization

Introduction: How fluoride (F–) protects dental enamel from caries is here conveyed to dental health-care providers by making simplifying approximations that accurately convey the essential principles, without obscuring them in a myriad of qualifications. Materials and Methods: We approximate that dental enamel is composed of calcium hydroxyapatite (HAP), a sparingly soluble ionic solid with the chemical formula Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2. Results: The electrostatic forces binding ionic solids together are described by Coulomb’s law, which shows that attractions between opposite charges increase greatly as their separation decreases. Relatively large phosphate ions (PO43–) dominate the structure of HAP, which approximates a hexagonal close-packed structure. The smaller Ca2+ and OH– ions fit into the small spaces (interstices) between phosphates, slightly expanding the close-packed structure. F– ions are smaller than OH– ions, so substituting F– for OH– allows packing the same number of ions into a smaller volume, increasing their forces of attraction. Dental decay results from tipping the solubility equilibrium Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 (s) ⇔ 10Ca2+ (aq) + 6PO42– (aq) + 2OH– (aq) toward dissolution. HAP dissolves when the product of its ion concentrations, [Ca2+]10×[PO43–]6×[OH–]2, falls below the solubility product constant (Ksp) for HAP. Conclusion: Because of its more compact crystal structure, the Ksp for fluorapatite (FAP) is lower than the Ksp for HAP, so its ion product, [Ca2+]10×[PO43–]6×[F–]2, must fall further before demineralization can occur. Lowering the pH of the fluid surrounding enamel greatly reduces [PO43–] (lowering the ion products of HAP and FAP equally), but [OH–] falls much more rapidly than [F–], so FAP better resists acid attack.
Exploiting Thermal Transients With Deterministic Turbo Clock Frequency

Modern microprocessors feature turbo mechanisms that adjust the clock frequency dynamically so as to maximize processor performance under power and temperature limits. However, the documentation for commercial chips rarely provides more than a superficial description of how turbo works. This letter highlights certains aspects of turbo that are not well known outside the industry and that distinguish it from dynamic thermal management. A plausible open-source turbo is proposed and described, extrapolating from the scarce and sparse information that has been disclosed so far.
Some Notes on the Formation of a Pair in Pairs Trading

The main goal of the paper is to introduce different models to calculate the amount of money that must be allocated to each stock in a statistical arbitrage technique known as pairs trading. The traditional allocation strategy is based on an equal weight methodology. However, we will show how, with an optimal allocation, the performance of pairs trading increases significantly. Four methodologies are proposed to set up the optimal allocation. These methodologies are based on distance, correlation, cointegration and Hurst exponent (mean reversion). It is showed that the new methodologies provide an improvement in the obtained results with respect to an equal weighted strategy.
Exogenous proline and hormone in combination with compost improves growth and tolerance of maize under heavy metal stress

Abiotic stress such as heavy metal contamination of agricultural soil limits crop production by disrupting plant’s physiological activities and seed germination. Exogenous proline, hormone and compost have been used to induce growth and stress tolerance in crop but little is known about their interactive and anti-oxidative roles in crop exposed to heavy metal stress. This study assessed the effects of pre-sowing seed soaking with exogenous proline (P) and hormones (Gibberellic acid; GA and Indole-acetic acid; IAA) on the Pb accumulation, osmolytes (P, phenolics; PH and Glycine betaine; GB), Photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoids) and stress indexes (H2O2 and malonialdehyde; MDA) of maize grown on compost amended Pb (23,959 mg kg -1 Pb) contaminated soil. Compost was applied at 20 t ha and 40 t ha, P, GA and IAA were applied at 10 mM and 5 mM solely and in combinations to give a total of 34 treatments including control (Distilled water only) and replicated 3 times. Except in IAA treatment, seed pre-treatments with exogenous P and GA and soil amendment with compost generally enhanced chlorophyll production in maize and reduced GB, carotenoids, H2O2 and MDA in treated seeds compared to control. With regards to stress indexes G2+C1 gave the lowest values. Sole application of P1, P2, C2, G1 and I2 enhanced the production of proline in treated plants compared to combined application. Combination with compost was better than hormonal combination. A combination of P2 with C (40 t ha) (P2C2) gave the maximum chlorophyll content and reduced the endogenous GB and P. Treatment with P2C2 also reduced Pb accumulation in plant. In conclusion, exogenous application of hormones and proline in combination with organic amendment induces heavy metal tolerance in maize and increased protection against oxidative stress compared to contaminated control. The technique that can enhance crop growth on contaminated soil, reduce metal uptake and provide osmo-protection could be a promising approach.
Age-of-onset information helps identify 76 genetic variants associated with allergic disease

Risk factors that contribute to inter-individual differences in the age-of-onset of allergic diseases are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify genetic risk variants associated with the age at which symptoms of allergic disease first develop, considering information from asthma, hay fever and eczema. Self-reported age-of-onset information was available for 117,130 genotyped individuals of European ancestry from the UK Biobank study. For each individual, we identified the earliest age at which asthma, hay fever and/or eczema was first diagnosed and performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of this combined age-of-onset phenotype. We identified 50 variants with a significant independent association (P<3x10-8) with age-of-onset. Forty-five variants had comparable effects on the onset of the three individual diseases and 38 were also associated with allergic disease case-control status in an independent study (n = 222,484). We observed a strong negative genetic correlation between age-of-onset and case-control status of allergic disease (rg = -0.63, P = 4.5x10-61), indicating that cases with early disease onset have a greater burden of allergy risk alleles than those with late disease onset. Subsequently, a multivariate GWAS of age-of-onset and case-control status identified a further 26 associations that were missed by the univariate analyses of age-of-onset or case-control status only. Collectively, of the 76 variants identified, 18 represent novel associations for allergic disease. We identified 81 likely target genes of the 76 associated variants based on information from expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and non-synonymous variants, of which we highlight ADAM15, FOSL2, TRIM8, BMPR2, CD200R1, PRKCQ, NOD2, SMAD4, ABCA7 and UBE2L3. Our results support the notion that early and late onset allergic disease have partly distinct genetic architectures, potentially explaining known differences in pathophysiology between individuals.
Development of a PM2.5 Forecasting System Integrating Low-cost Sensors for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

ABSTRACT Air pollution is a serious concern in urban areas, especially cities such as Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Because the air quality directly affects people’s health, air quality monitoring is urgently needed. In this study, the models of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF), Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emission (SMOKE), and Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) were integrated to develop an air quality forecasting system. Drawing input data from transportation and industrial emission inventories, the forecasting system was calibrated and configured using local parameters to deliver hourly forecasts for HCMC. To increase the accuracy of WRF and the meteorological forecasting, the global DEM and land use data were replaced by Lidar data, and land use data were also retrieved from MODIS. Output from the MOZART model served as the boundary conditions for CMAQ, and AOD values reported by the MODIS Aerosol Product were assimilated to enhance the accuracy of the results. A low-cost PM2.5 sensor connected to a LinkIt ONE, a development board for Internet of things (IoT) devices, was employed for calibration and verification. The strong correlation (R2 = 0.8) between the measured and predicted concentrations indicates that the estimates delivered by the proposed forecasting system are consistent with the values obtained via monitoring.
Removal of Pharmaceuticals, Toxicity and Natural Fluorescence by Ozonation in Biologically Pre-Treated Municipal Wastewater, in Comparison to Subsequent Polishing Biofilm Reactors

Ozonation followed by a polishing moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was implemented in pilot and laboratory to remove the residual pharmaceuticals and toxicity from wastewater effluent, which was from a pilot hybrid system of MBBR and activated sludge, receiving municipal wastewater. The delivered ozone dosages achieving 90% pharmaceutical removal were determined both in pilot and laboratory experiments and they were normalised to dissolved organic carbon (DOC), illustrating our findings were comparable with previously published literature. During wastewater ozonation, the intensity of natural fluorescence was found to be greatly associated with the concentrations of the studied pharmaceuticals. In pilot experiments, toxicity, measured by Vibrio fischeri, increased after ozonation at delivered ozone dosages at 0.38–0.47 mg O3/mg DOC and was completely removed by the subsequent polishing MBBR. Laboratory experiments verified that the polishing MBBR was able to remove the toxicity produced by the ozonation.
Active Humans, Inactive Carnivores, and Hiking Trails within a Suburban Preserve

As urban areas continue to proliferate, so does the demand for outdoor recreation. Hiking trails permeate almost all remaining forest fragments within highly urbanized areas. The effects of hiking trails on carnivores remain unclear, especially in the northeastern United States. Therefore, our objectives were to investigate the spatial and temporal activity patterns of mammalian carnivores in relation to distance from hiking trails. From 2011-2012, 236 camera stations were randomly deployed between trail and off-trail areas that covered an area of 4.8km2. A total of 3880 trap nights yielded 346 coyote (Canis latrans), 371 raccoon (Procyon lotor), 75 bobcat (Lynx rufus), and 78 red fox (Vulpes vulpes) detections. A consistent pattern of human avoidance by carnivores was observed in high human-use areas; although carnivores were detected more often on trails, detection was less likely during daytime than nighttime. We propose that within urban-forest fragments, trail-based recreation and habitat fragmentation may have similar impacts on carnivore spatio-temporal activity. Considering the top-down influence that coyotes have on ecosystem function (Henke and Bryant 1999), two approaches must be taken. First, efforts must be made to minimize the impacts of human recreation on carnivores through park management practices. Second, research and monitoring programs must be implemented to better understand the long-term effects that hiking trails have on carnivore activity and distribution.