Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
UIST+CSCW: A Celebration of Systems Research in Collaborative and Social Computing

This joint panel between UIST and CSCW brings together leading researchers at the intersection of the conferences-systems researchers in collaborative and social computing-to engage in a discussion and retrospective. Pairs of panelists will represent each decade since the founding of the conferences, sharing a brief retrospective that surveys the most influential papers of that decade, the zeitgeist of the problems that were popular that decade and why, and what each decade's work has to say to the decades that came before and after. The panel is intended as a space to celebrate advances in the field, and reflect on the burdens and opportunities that it faces ahead.
Acustico: Surface Tap Detection and Localization using Wrist-based Acoustic TDOA Sensing

In this paper, we present Acustico, a passive acoustic sensing approach that enables tap detection and 2D tap localization on uninstrumented surfaces using a wrist-worn device. Our technique uses a novel application of acoustic time differences of arrival (TDOA) analysis. We adopt a sensor fusion approach by taking both 'surface waves' (i.e., vibrations through surface) and 'sound waves' (i.e., vibrations through air) into analysis to improve sensing resolution. We carefully design a sensor configuration to meet the constraints of a wristband form factor. We built a wristband prototype with four acoustic sensors, two accelerometers and two microphones. Through a 20-participant study, we evaluated the performance of our proposed sensing technique for tap detection and localization. Results show that our system reliably detects taps with an F1-score of 0.9987 across different environmental noises and yields high localization accuracies with root-mean-square-errors of 7.6mm (X-axis) and 4.6mm (Y-axis) across different surfaces and tapping techniques.
Lipid‐lowering mechanism of egg yolk in normal rats

Summary The ingestion of egg has been reported to lower blood cholesterol, but the mechanism is unclear. Here, the biochemical metabolic mechanism by which the oral administration of egg yolk affects blood lipid reduction was investigated using normal rats. Blood triglycerides and total cholesterol were lower and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was higher in an egg yolk-given group compared to other groups, while low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was increased in the pork belly oil-given group. HMG-CoA reductase activity was higher in the pork belly oil-given group, compared to an egg yolk-given group, a weekly alternating administration of pork belly oil and egg yolk-given group, and the saline-given normal control group. However, faecal excretions of total sterol, neutral sterol and acid sterol in an egg yolk-given group were higher compared to the pork belly oil-given group, a weekly alternating administration of pork belly oil and egg yolk-given group, and a normal control group. The results suggested that ingestion of egg decreased blood lipids.
Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of the Essential Oils of Cymbopogon citratus and Citrus sinensis

Aims: The use of essential oils from plants as natural antioxidant and antimicrobial is a field of growing interest. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the essential oils of Cymbopogon citratus L. (lemongrass) and Citrus sinensis (orange peels) independently. Methodology: Essential oils extracted by hydrodistillation from Cymbopogon citratus and Citrus sinensis were individually assayed for 1,1 –diphenyl2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, reducing power and metal chelating activity in relation to the total phenolic and total flavonoid content of each essential oil. Antimicrobial analyses were carried out using pour plate method for the determination of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the oils on pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus and non-pathogenic bacteria Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus brevis. Short Research Article Olaiya et al.; EJMP, 16(1): 1-10, 2016; Article no.EJMP. 28176 2 Results: The two essential oils possessed antioxidant and antibacterial activities. However, the essential oil of C. citratus showed a higher level of total phenolic (372.81±1.36 μg/ml) and total flavonoid (377.88±1.52 μg/ml) content when compared to the essential oil of C. sinensis which showed a lower total phenolic (262.81±2.66 μg/ml) and flavonoid (79.65±1.44 μg/ml) contents. These resulted in a higher level of DPPH radical scavenging and metal chelating activity of C. citratus compared to C. sinensis. MIC of 212.5 mg/ml oil concentration was obtained for C. citratus against S. epidermidis and less than 106.25 mg/ml against S. aureus while 210 mg/ml oil concentration was obtained for C. sinensis against S. aureus and 850 mg/ml oil concentration against S. epidermidis. MBC was observed for C. citratus at 425 mg/ml while C. sinensis showed MBC at 840 mg/ml oil concentration. None of the oils showed a significant inhibition against the non-pathogenic bacteria compared to the (Gentamycin) negative control. Conclusion: The essential oils of C. citratus and C. sinensis have potential for use as natural antioxidants and antibacterial agents.
Challenges and options for disease vector control

The ongoing Zika virus outbreak, which briefly threatened to put a stop to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, has again focused attention on the threat of vector‐borne diseases. One efficient strategy to battle such diseases, now underway in Brazil to fight the Zika virus, is to kill the insects that carry the pathogen. Vector control has been practised with varying effectiveness for at least half a century, especially for malaria; the Brazil outbreak again highlights the need for integrating existing methods including the use of insecticides, vaccines, drugs and low technology such as sanitation to keep insect vectors at bay. In addition, new approaches are being developed based on sophisticated methods such as genome editing of the insect vector and deliberate infection of mosquitoes with the Wolbachia bacteria. However, attempts to scale up these new methods from field trials to deployment have been slowed down or halted by environmental concerns or public resistance against genetically modified organisms. The Zika outbreak in South America has stimulated cross‐border collaboration of public health authorities and increased pressure to use new integrative approaches that are essential for combatting vector‐borne diseases. The irony is that the Zika virus itself has a minimal global impact compared with other insect‐borne pathogens, but it has attracted enormous publicity because of the risk of causing microcephaly in unborn children, combined with the coincidence of the outbreak during the Olympic year. The exact risk for the foetus is as yet unknown [1], but it is clear that Zika is otherwise a relatively mild disease with no symptoms in the majority of cases (http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/index.html). By contrast, other mosquito‐borne diseases, including malaria, yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya (CHIKV), are major causes of both mortality and morbidity, responsible for hundreds of millions of cases each year and millions of deaths …
General combining ability and heterosis regarding the phytochemical properties in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) hybrids

Strawberries are a common and important fruit in human diet because of their high content of essential nutrients and beneficial phytochemicals, which have relevant biological activity in human health. In this study, six cultivars and 15 selected F1 hybrids between S4 inbred lines and tester (cv. ‘Dukat’) were evaluated in a field trial over a period of two consecutive years. The amounts of total anthocyanin, phenolics and vitamin C in fruits and antiradical activity were analysed. General combining ability (GCA) and mid-parent heterosis were also determined for those characteristics. Among all the genotypes tested, the inbred lines of ‘Senga Sengana’ 17 showed the highest breeding value based on GCA for all studied traits. Estimated heterosis varied among genotypes tested. The highest heterosis in terms of vitamin C occurred in the offspring of clone 1387 18-15 × ‘Dukat’, but with regard to phenols and antiradical activity in hybrid ‘Teresa’ 18-15 with cv. ‘Dukat’. This study revealed that the differentiation in chemical composition of strawberry fruits between genotypes is clearly dependent on individual genotype combinations and demonstrated the presence of heterosis in phytochemical contents in some specific genotypic combinations.
Obesity and intestinal microbiota

Recent publications highlight the possibility that the composition of the intestinal microflora constitutes an environmental factor for weight control. The objective of this study was to review systematically the literature of articles indexed in PubMed, Scielo, Lilacs, and Cochrane, between 2003 and 2014, on this subject. Some articles were excluded after analysis, totaling 25 used as a reference for the preparation of this study. Studies involving rats, pregnant women, children, and adults were analyzed. Recent studies report that the microbiota affects both the acquisition of nutrients and regulation of acquired energy questioning the role of microbiota composition in weight regulation. Most research showed an increase of Firmicutes bacteria compared to Bacteroids in the obese. Thus, further studies are in progress to clarify this relationship and in the future, the modulation of intestinal microbiota could be a therapeutic option for obesity.
Endophytes in commercial micropropagation - friend or foe?

Medicinal and aromatic plants are superorganisms like all plant species- naturally colonized by bacteria, fungi and protists. Micropropagated plants are facing different challenges under in vitro and ex vitro conditions: Mixotrophic growth under low light conditions on artificial nutrient media, poor gas exchange in small vessels, abiotic stress, bad rooting, transplanting stress, low survival rate during acclimatization in greenhouse. The use of endophytes in micropropagation can improve plant growth, yield, and health and induce tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress. A tool for the use of competent endophytes in micropropagation under in vitro and ex vitro conditions is “biotization” of plantlets with useful bacterial and fungal inocula. Fungal inocula which are used commercially are e.g. arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) in form of spores and extraradical mycelium on different carrier materials like expanded clay, vermiculite, sand or peat. Furthermore representatives of the root fungal genus Trichoderma are applied as spores formulated in powder. Plantgrowth promoting rhizobacteria of the important genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Azospirillum and Azotobacter in form of lyophilised endospores/bacterial cells in powder or liquid formulation are also available on the market.
Potentiel évolutif de l'hirondelle bicolore (Tachycineta bicolor) : plasticité phénotypique et variation génétique dans un contexte d'hétérogénéité environnementale

Most phenological traits are extremely sensitive to current climate change and advances in the timing of important life-history events have been observed in many species. In birds, phenotypic plasticity in response to temperature is thought to be the main mechanism underlying yearly adjustment in the timing of breeding. However, other factors could be important and interact to affect the levels of plastic responses between and/or withinindividuals. Here we use long-term individual-based data on Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) to identify the spatial and environmental drivers affecting plasticity in laying date and to assess their importance at both population and individual levels. We found that laying date has advanced by 4.2 days over 10 years, and that it was mainly influenced by latitude and an interaction between spring temperature and breeder density. Analyses of individual plasticity showed that increases in temperature, but not in breeder density, resulted in within-individual advances in laying date. Our results suggest that females can adjust their laying date as a function of temperature, but that this adjustment will be partly constrained in habitats with lower breeder densities. Such potential constraint is especially worrying for the broad array of species already declining as a result of climate change.
Molecular tuning of telomerase activity in senescent human T cells

Telomerase, a RNA-dependent DNA polymerase that adds telomeric DNA at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, is essential for the lifelong preservation of the proliferative potential of antigen specific T lymphocytes. However, senescent T cells that have low telomerase activity, short telomeres and lack of replicative capacity accumulate in old humans, patients with chronic viral infections and cancer. The mechanisms inhibiting telomerase in these cells are poorly understood. Here I investigated the molecular pathways causing telomerase dysfunction and defined an unrecognized mode of p38 MAPK activation in T cells. To identify mechanisms involved in telomerase down-regulation, I activated T cells in the presence of IFN-α, an inflammatory cytokine that inhibits telomerase. Telomerase down-regulation was mediated in part by p38 activation. I further investigated the upstream regulatory network of p38 MAPK in senescent T cells. Unexpectedly, spontaneous p38 activation in these cells was not regulated by either the ‘canonical’ MAPK cascade or the ‘alternative’ pathway downstream of the T cell receptor, in contrast to the current paradigm of how this pathway is activated in T cells. Instead, the senescence-related DNA damage response pathway activates the low nutrient sensor AMPK, which in turn induces p38 auto-phosphorylation through the scaffold molecule TAB1. These findings establish a third, ‘intrasensory’ pathway for p38 activation in T cells in which low nutrient and genotoxic signalling converge to inhibit proliferative responses. This can be reversed by blocking AMPK/TAB1 mediated activation of p38, which may represent a selective way for boosting T cell activity during ageing.
THE RESISTANCE AND ACCLIMATIZATION OF MARINE FISHES TO TEMPERATURE CHANGES. II. EXPERIMENTS WITH FUNDULUS AND ATHERINOPS

The resistance of the hardy marine fish Fundulus parvipinnis and of the delicate Atherinops affinis to low and high temperatures is examined in relation to temperatures of previous acclimatization and to temperature conditions in the natural habitats of the fishes.The relationships between the time (duration) of exposure to test temperatures and the average (median) limits of temperature tolerance indicate the value of prolonged tests in the study of resistance to cold and heat.Marked susceptibility of marine fishes to chilling (i.e., injury at non-freezing low temperatures) and the influence of acclimatization upon temperature tolerance are confirmed.The death of Fundulus at slowly lethal low temperatures, but not at rapidly lethal temperatures, is preceded in the normal medium (sea water) by evident dehydration of the tissues and is delayed by dilution of the medium. Osmoregulative failure is indicated as one of the causes of slow death at low temperatures in sea water, but not of rapid death at more ex.
An overview of the recent findings in the cultivation of Leishmania

The cultivation of parasites of the genus Leishmania has been a subject of much interest due to the necessity of performing biochemical and immunological studies with isolated parasites in an effort to develop future therapeutic and preventive tools. Foetal calf serum (FCS) as the main part of Leishmania spp. cultivation media is highly expensive, and reliable supply of it is very difficult to obtain. Here, we take an overview of the new replacements for FCS in the cultivation process of Leishmania spp. and probability of optimizing them for parasites culture procedure. A precise review was conducted based on the database resources, and no restrictions were placed on date, design or language of publications and literature search was performed using Cochrane library, PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar and IranMedex. All considerable information about new replacements for FCS in the cultivation process of Leishmania parasites was searched, evaluated and discussed. The aim of this article was to introduce and discuss new replacements for FCS in the cultivation process of Leishmania parasites to give an overview about these candidates. According to this review, several novel replacements such as human and animal urine, animals’ milk, hydatid cyst fluid, chicken, sheep and lyophilized rabbit serum have been evaluated for cultivation of Leishmania spp. , and efficiency of some of them were confirmed and established and resulted in new formulation of media. We could conclude that future research will be done to study about effective elements of those suitable replacements to find new commercial culture media.
Predicting nuisance fly outbreaks on cattle feedlots in subtropical Australia

Flies are important arthropod pests in intensive animal facilities such as cattle feedlots, with the potential to cause production loss, transmit disease and cause nuisance to surrounding communities. In the present study, seasonal population dynamics of three important nuisance flies, namely house flies (Musca domestica L.), bush flies (M. vetustissima Walker) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), were monitored on cattle feedlots in south-eastern Queensland, Australia, over 7 years. Musca domestica was by far the dominant species, comprising 67% of the total flies trapped. Models were developed to assess the relationship between weather parameters and fly abundance and to determine whether population trends could be predicted to improve the timing of control measures. For all three species, there were two main effects, namely time-of-year (mainly reflected by minimum temperatures and solar radiation) and rainfall. The abundance of all three species increased with increasing temperature and rainfall, reaching a peak in summer, before decreasing again. Rainfall events resulted in significantly elevated numbers of M. domestica for up to 5 weeks, and for 1 week for M. vetustissima. Peak fly numbers were predicted by the model to occur in spring and summer, following 85–90-mm weekly rainfall. The population dynamics of S. calcitrans were least influenced by rainfall and it was concluded that weather variables were of limited use for forecasting stable fly numbers in this environment and production system. The models provide a useful tool for optimising the timing of fly-control measures, such as insecticide or biopesticide applications, adding to the efficiency of integrated control programs.
Maize replacement with sorghum and a combination of protease, xylanase, and phytase on performance, nutrient utilization, litter moisture, and digestive organ size in broiler chicken

Abstract We investigated the effects of a combination of protease, xylanase, and phytase in maize- or sorghum-based diets for broilers. Two experiments were conducted with male chicks randomly distributed in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement with three replacement levels of maize with sorghum (0%, 50%, and 100%) with or without enzymes. In the first trial, 1152 chicks were allotted to 36 floor pens to determine performance, relative organ weight, and litter moisture. A second trial was performed with 150 and 120 chicks allotted in 30 cages with five and four broilers per cage to determine nutrient and energy utilization from 11 to 21 d and from 25 to 35 d, respectively. Enzyme supplementation improved body-weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Total maize replacement with sorghum compromised body-weight gain from 1 to 14 d and from 1 to 35 d. Nitrogen retention was reduced by partial and total maize replacement with sorghum at starter phase and by total replacement at grower phase. Enzyme supplementation improved nitrogen retention at starter phase and apparent metabolizable energy at starter and grower phases. Therefore, partial maize replacement with sorghum is viable and on top application of an enzyme blend containing protease, xylanase, and phytase improves performance and nutrient retention of broilers.
Developments in the evolutionary theory of social interactions

Rautiala, Petri Developments in the evolutionary theory of social interactions Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2016, 25 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Biological and Environmental Science ISSN 1456-9701; 320) ISBN 978-951-39-6723-9 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-6724-6 (PDF) Yhteenveto: Sosiaalisten vuorovaikutusten evolutiivista teoriaa Diss. Altruistic behaviour, which benefits others but harms the actor, can evolve when copies of the underlying genes are transmitted to future generations by related beneficiaries. While we know that the mechanism of ‘kin selection’ answers to how altruism can evolve, the answers to why and when it can evolve are still obscure. The first aim of this thesis is to shed light to the evolution of altruism by identifying factors that facilitate or promote it. I find that the conditions under which altruism can evolve follow surprisingly simple principles that are independent of the taxon-specific traits such as fecundity. Further, by analysing the unique aspects of haplodiploid sex determination system (where males are born from unfertilized eggs and females from fertilized eggs) I find that its role in the evolution of altruism might have been prematurely dismissed by recent studies. The second aim is to contribute a new dimension to studies which link mating behaviour with the evolution of altruism. I find that virginity can be an adaptive mating strategy in haplodiploid taxa, and that adaptive virginity affects, and is affected by, the evolution of altruism. According to my analysis haplodiploidy offers a unique adaptive pathway to sociality. The third aim is to predict patterns of genomic imprinting in female soldier development in polyembryonic parasitoid wasps. The function of these soldiers is unknown, and it has been argued that their primary function is either altruistically protect their siblings, or spitefully kill their brothers to make room for sisters. I find that contrasting patterns of genomic imprinting are expected to be found depending on the function of the soldiers. These are empirically testable prediction, which can not only help find the function of these soldiers, but also help test social-evolution theory. The models built in this thesis highlight the need for better incorporation of future expectations, population parameters, and possible epigenetic changes to kin selection models.