Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engineering multiple levels of specificity in an RNA viral vector

Synthetic molecular circuits could provide powerful therapeutic capabilities, but delivering them to specific cell types and controlling them remains challenging. An ideal “smart” viral delivery system would enable controlled release of viral vectors from “sender” cells, conditional entry into target cells based on cell-surface proteins, conditional replication specifically in target cells based on their intracellular protein content, and an evolutionarily robust system that allows viral elimination with drugs. Here, combining diverse technologies and components, including pseudotyping, engineered bridge proteins, degrons, and proteases, we demonstrate each of these control modes in a model system based on the rabies virus. This work shows how viral and protein engineering can enable delivery systems with multiple levels of control to maximize therapeutic specificity.
Effect Bio-fertilizer of Bacillus, Azotobacter and Pseudomonas floresence in the Growth and Production of Corn Plant (Zea mays L.)

Abstract A field experiment was carried out with the use of complete randomized block design (CRBD) to study the effect of five bacterial inoculations (noninoculation, inoculation with phosphate soluble bacteria, inoculation with Azotobacter bacteria, inoculation with Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacterial mixture). Two levels of salinity of irrigation water 3 and 6 dS.m and four levels of phosphate fertilizer (0, 40, 80 and 120 kgP.ha). The results showed that the mixed inoculation of phosphate soluble bacteria, Azotobacter and P. fluorescens bacteria were superior to the rest of the single bacterial inoculation in plant height, dry weight of the shoot part, total grain yield, weight of 100 grains, grain weight in cop, leaf surface area, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium concentrations in the vegetative growth and grain with 33.08%, 31.90%, 61.07%, 44.99%, 62.06%, 36.94%, 12.8%, 31.5%, 156.5%, 272.3%, 39.5% and 75.1%, respectively, in comparison with the noninoculation and irrigated water treatment of 6 dS.m (T0S2P0), while the inoculation of phosphorus soluble bacteria did not differ significantly from the P.fluorescence inoculation in most of these traits. T3S2P3 was not significantly differ from T4S2P3 combined in the increase of plant height and total grain yield compared to the noninoculation and non-phosphorous treated at the salt level 3and6 dS.m. The single-dose T2S2P3 did not differ significantly from the combined T4S2P3 3 and 6 dS.m.
Peptide:MHC dependent activation of natural killer cells through KIR2DS2 generates anti-tumor responses

Natural killer (NK) cells are key components of the immune response to viral infections and cancer. Their functions are controlled by activating and inhibitory killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) which have MHC class I ligands. KIR2DS2 is an activating KIR, that binds conserved viral peptides in the context of HLA-C and has been associated with protective responses to both cancer and viral infections. We sought to investigate whether NK cells can be specifically activated in a peptide:MHC dependent manner to generate functional immune responses as a potential immunotherapeutic strategy. We developed a peptide-based KIR targeting DNA vaccine. Immunizing KIR-Tg mice with the vaccine construct generated in vivo peptide-specific activation of KIR2DS2-positive NK cells leading to canonical and cross-reactive peptide specific immune responses in vitro, and also in vivo inhibition of tumor growth. Using immunopeptidomics we identified that the nuclear export protein XPO1, which has been associated with a poor prognosis in many different human cancers, furnishes an HLA-C restricted cancer-associated peptide ligand for KIR2DS2-positive NK cells. We thus define a novel strategy to activate KIR in a peptide-specific manner and identify a rationale for its use in cancer immunotherapy. Significance statement Natural killer (NK) cells are known to have important roles in determining the outcomes of viral infections and cancer. The killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR), and in particular the activating receptor KIR2DS2, have been associated with the outcome of a number of different human cancers. Specific activation of NK cells through KIR2DS2 is challenging because it shares high (>98%) sequence homology with related inhibitory KIR. We have used a peptide:MHC targeting strategy to activate NK cells through KIR2DS2 and identified a novel cancer-associated ligand for this receptor. The work provides a proof-of-concept for targeting NK cells through activating KIR as a cancer immunotherapy strategy.
Aprovechamiento de la fauna y conocimiento ecológico local en una comunidad de la Reserva Estatal Sierra del Tentzo, Puebla, México

A study was conducted in an ejido in the Sierra del Tentzo State Reserve in the state of Puebla, Mexico, with the aim of identifying the level of use of forest resources, the attitude of ejidatarios (ejido members) towards wildlife, particularly the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and their knowledge about deer biology and management that they have developed in their relationship with forest resources. Sixty-six of the 96 ejidatarios with full rights were interviewed, using a questionnaire with open questions and statements with a Likert scale to obtain information on sociodemographic issues, use of natural resources, and perceptions and attitudes about wildlife and hunting. A field study was also conducted to determine the population density of deer and their population structure. Results indicate that ejidatarios make intensive use of forest resources and that hunting, although carried out by few community members, has a high impact on the deer population inhabiting the ejido’s lands, which is perceived by the ejidatarios and corroborated by field population density studies.
Decentralized, Community-Based Hepatitis C Point-of-Care Testing and Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment for People Who Inject Drugs and the General Population in Myanmar: Protocol for a Feasibility Study

Background The advent of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) and point-of-care (POC) testing platforms for hepatitis C allow for the decentralization of care to primary care settings. In many countries, access to DAAs is generally limited to tertiary hospitals, with limited published research documenting decentralized models of care in low-and middle-income settings. Objective This study aims to assess the feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of decentralized community-based POC testing and DAA therapy for hepatitis C among people who inject drugs and the general population in Yangon, Myanmar. Methods Rapid diagnostic tests for anti-hepatitis C antibodies were carried out on-site and, if reactive, were followed by POC GeneXpert hepatitis C RNA polymerase chain reaction tests. External laboratory blood tests to exclude other major health issues were undertaken. Results were given to participants at their next appointment, with the participants commencing DAA therapy that day if a specialist review was not required. Standard clinical data were collected, and the participants completed behavioral questionnaires. The primary outcome measures are the proportion of participants receiving GeneXpert hepatitis C RNA test, the proportion of participants commencing DAA therapy, the proportion of participants completing DAA therapy, and the proportion of participants achieving sustained virological response 12 weeks after completing DAA therapy. Results Recruitment was completed on September 30, 2019. Monitoring visits and treatment outcome visits are scheduled to continue until June 2020. Conclusions This feasibility study in Myanmar contributes to the evidence gap for community-based hepatitis C care in low- and middle-income settings. Evidence from this study will inform the scale-up of hepatitis C treatment programs in Myanmar and globally.
Desert Rodents, Seed Consumption, and ConvergenceEvolutionary shuffling of adaptations

C onvergent evolution can be defined as the process by which two or more organisms with widely different genotypes evolve toward phenotypic similarity. At the broadest levels, one can compare such disparate organisms as fish and whales, which have developed numerous similarities in body form as an evolutionary response to life in an aquatic environment. Similarly, bats and birds have both developed wings and numerous other adaptations for flight, even though the evolution of flight proceeded quite differently within each group (Vaughan 1986). The fusiform bodies of whales and fish and the wings of bats and birds are examples where the pressures of natural selection have resulted in the evolution of similar functional solutions to similar evolutionary challenges. Certainly, the most evident form of convergent evolution is when two distantly related organisms occurring on different continents appear to be morphologically and/or ecologically alike, for example, the yellowthroated longclaw of Africa (a pipit, family Motacillidae) and the eastern meadowlark (a member of the black-
The effect of ambient temperature on body temperature and on ultrasonic behaviour in litters of albino laboratory mice deprived of their mothers

Litters of mouse pups of various ages when deprived of their mother and kept for one hour at ambient temperatures of 3°C, 12°C and 22°C lose heat less rapidly than pups isolated individually at similar temperatures. The litters are able to maintain constant body temperatures of 35–37°C by day 8 at 22°C, by day 19 at 12°C and by day 21 at 3°C. Very little ultrasound is detected from litters of any age up to 21 days at 22°C while at 12°C ultrasound is mainly detected from pups of 4 and 6 days; very few calls are produced by older pups at this temperature. Considerably more calls are emitted at 3°C than at either of the two higher temperatures. At 3°C the total number of calls emitted during the hour-long exposure period varied markedly with age. There were two peaks of calling, one on day 6 and the other on day 16. The temporal pattern of calling throughout the hour-long exposure period at 3°C was similar in pups of 4 and 6 days and in pups of 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 days, but differed between these two groups. In the younger group of pups the rate of calling rose to a peak and then decreased to zero as the pups became comatose; in the older pups the rate of calling was low initially then either rose throughout the rest of the hour or rose to a high level that was maintained. It is suggested that the various patterns of ultrasonic calling can be associated with the physiological development of mouse litters.
VapBC and MazEF toxin/antitoxin systems in the regulation of biofilm formation and antibiotic tolerance in nontuberculous mycobacteria

Background: Mycobacterium smegmatis and other nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are widely distributed in the environment, but a significant increase of NTM infections has taken place in the last few decades. The objective of this study was to determine the role of toxin–antitoxin (TA) vapBC and mazEF systems that act as effectors of persistence in the stress response of NTM. Methods: The growth ability and the biofilm formation of NTM were evaluated by conventional methods. Bacterial cell viability was determined using MTT staining, agar plating, or the method of limiting dilutions. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of antibiotics were estimated using broth and agar dilution methods. Results: Despite a comparable growth dynamics and biofilm formation on solid/liquid interface with the wild type, a M. smegmatis vapBC, mazEF, and vapBC × mazEF deletion mutant produced more abundant pellicle and were more susceptible to heat shock. Significant differences were also found in the resistance wild type of NTM to isoniazid and ciprofloxacin reflected by higher MBC/MIC ratios. The proposed method of cultivation of agar blocks without visible growth after MIC determination into a liquid medium allows us to detect transition of all wild type of NTM strains to a dormant state in the presence of subMICs of isoniazid and ciprofloxacin while all deletion mutants failed to form dormant cells. Conclusion: Our data suggest that both vapBC and mazEF TA systems putatively involved in the heat and antibiotic stress response of NTM via their key role in transition to the dormant state.
Effects of essential oil formulations on Ceratitis capitata Wied. (Dipt., Tephritidae) adult flies

The effects on adult Ceratitis capitata of the ingestion of formulations containing different concentrations of some essential oils were examined. The bioassays were carried out using groups of C. capitata adults fed for 3 days with formulations containing a known concentration (0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0%) of essential oils. The oils, of different chemical composition, were obtained by steam distillation from aromatic plants collected during the balmy period. The essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis and Salvia officinalis, which are rich in monoterpenic hydrocarbons and monoterpenic ketones, respectively, showed poor activity, whereas the oils of Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Thymus sp. showed a marked toxic effects (over 90% mortality after 72 h). This could be explained by the activity of cinnamic aldehyde (about 80% of the Cinnamomum oil) and carvacrol (68% of Th. capitatus oil and about 45% of Th. herba barona oil). The first consequence of ingesting even small quantities of essential oils was a depressive effect on the nervous system. Dissection of dead flies showed marked differences compared with the controls and microscopic examination revealed anomalies in the gut region.
A Convolutional Neural Networks-based Model for Sales Prediction

Big data is a term used to describe information assets which feature high volume, variety, velocity, and veracity, and which require specific technology and methods for conversion to value. A new generation of scalable-data technologies is needed to collect, store, manage and reveal the insights and meaning of big data. One of the ways companies can use their "big data" is applying prediction algorithms to their past sales numbers to make future sales predictions and then act accordingly to increase their business value. In this research, a convolutional neural networks-based model is presented. The model is used to predict future sales for a pharmaceutical company using their real large-scale sales data. The prediction results are evaluated based on the mean absolute error and mean absolute percent error metrics, which are used to determine the accuracy and show the effectiveness of our model.
Vulnerabilities and Attacks of UAV Cyber Physical Systems

The purpose of this paper is to outline and summarize the latest technology on UAV security. This is driven by the growing market share represented by the technology. A silent yet vital revolution is happening: UAVs are becoming cheaper and more widely used. Unfortunately, the security and safety aspects were overlooked by manufacturers who eliminated potential threats and considered small UAVs as toys. To demonstrate the importance of UAV security once again, real examples of vulnerabilities and dangerous attacks are shown.
Canopy shade and the successional replacement of tamarisk by native box elder

Summary 1. Tamarisk species (Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb., T. chinensis Lour., T. galilea L. and hybrids) have invaded riparian areas throughout western North America, resulting in expansive control efforts. Tamarisk is a relatively recent addition to North American plant communities, and competitive and successional processes are still developing. Box elder (Acer negundo L. var. interius (Britt.) Sarg. ) is a native competitor found in canyons throughout western North America. We investigated the establishment chronology, competition and comparative shade tolerances of tamarisk and box elder to determine the superior competitor and to predict successional trajectories in mixed stands. 2. Competition was studied through neighbourhood analysis, and successional trends were analysed through dendrochronology in the canyons of Dinosaur National Monument, CO, USA. The shade tolerance of mature tamarisk was studied by enclosing individual plants in shade cloth for two growing seasons. The comparative shade tolerances of juvenile tamarisk and box elder were studied using five levels of shading in a glasshouse experiment. 3. Box elder and tamarisk established concurrently, or tamarisk establishment preceded box elder establishment. Box elder was the superior competitor; the presence of canopy box elders within 1 and 2 m was significantly related to tamarisk mortality but not box elder mortality. The presence of canopy tamarisk trees was not related to box elder or tamarisk mortality. 4. In the field-based experiment, mature tamarisks were killed when subjected to one to two growing seasons of 98% shade. In the greenhouse-based experiment, box elder had superior shade tolerance to tamarisk, maintained positive growth and survived under higher shade than tamarisk. 5. Synthesis and applications. Box elder is a superior competitor to tamarisk, and is capable of establishing under dense tamarisk canopies, overtopping and eventually killing tamarisk. Superior shade tolerance appears to be the mechanism for the successional replacement of tamarisk by box elder. The manipulation of competitive and successional processes through the promotion of box
Uptake of self-secreted flavins as bound cofactors for extracellular electron transfer in Geobacter species

Geobacter species are among the most efficient current-producing bacterial species, yet their electron-transfer mechanisms have been scarcely investigated at the molecular level. Here, we provide evidence that Geobacter cells secrete and utilize riboflavin as a bound-cofactor in outer-membrane c-type cytochromes. This finding highlights the potential roles of riboflavin as a major electron carrier in current production.
Genetic differentiation of three key anadromous fish populations of the Hudson River

Large, recreationally or commercially important populations of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus), American shad (Alosa sapidissima), and striped bass (Morone saxatilis) occur in the Hudson River. Members of the Hudson River populations of these fishes also occur over a broad range along the Atlantic coast where they mix with conspecifics from other anadromous populations. For management purposes, it is imperative to be able to discriminate among individual stocks so that weak stocks may be protected and harvest may be allocated equitably. Because of their sensitivity and resistance to environmentally-induced temporal variation, molecular approaches have been increasingly employed in stock identification studies. However, post-Pleistocene recolonization of the Hudson River must have occurred less than 10,000 years ago—a relatively brief period for genetic divergence among populations. We tested whether various measures of DNA variation between Hudson River populations and adjacent populations of Atlantic sturgeon, American shad, and striped bass were sufficient to discriminate among their conspecific populations. American shad populations surveyed for mtDNA variation were highly diverse genotypically, but genotypic frequencies among the populations of the Connecticut, Hudson, and Delaware rivers were statistically homogenous (p>0.05). In contrast, Atlantic sturgeon (surveyed for mtDNA variation) and striped bass (surveyed for mtDNA and nuclear DNA variation) populations of the Hudson River were not genotypically diverse, but they were differentiated from northern and southern populations. Our results suggest higher gene flow (and lesser homing fidelity) among American shad populations in comparison with the two other species.
A Time-space Efficient Algorithm for Parallel k-way In-place Merging based on Sequence Partitioning and Perfect Shuffle

The huge data volumes, big data, and the emergence of new parallel architectures lead to revisiting classic computer science topics. The motivation of the proposed work for revisiting the parallel k-way in-place merging is primarily related to the unsuitability of the current state-of-the-art parallel algorithms for multicore CPUs with shared memory. These architectures can be profitably employed to solve this problem in parallel. Recently, Intel introduced the parallel Standard Template Library (STL) implementation for multicore CPUs, but it has no in-place merge function with the in-place property. We propose Partition-Shuffle-merge (PS-merge) to address this problem. PS-merge includes combining sequence partitioning with the in-place perfect shuffle effect to address the k-way merge task. At first, each sequence is divided into t equal-sized partitions or ranges. Thus, each partition is spread over at most k sequences. Then, perfect shuffle is utilized as a replacement for the classic block rearrangement. Finally, range subpartitions are merged using a sequential in-place merging algorithm. To evaluate the proposed algorithm, as PS-merge produces the standard merging format, we compare this algorithm against the state-of-the-art methods, bitonic merge, a parallel binary merge tree, and lazy-merge. PS-merge shows a significant improvement in overall execution time.
Diagnostic dilemmas in Epstein-Barr virus hepatitis mimicking autoimmune hepatitis: A case report

We report a case of 55-year-old female with chief complaints of fever and deranged liver function tests, diagnosed as autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and under immunosuppressive therapy for two years. Following the failure in clinical improvement, she was started on anti-tubercular therapy (ATT). While investigating the underlying etiology, virological markers for Hepatitis A to E were found to be negative with plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral load of 5 log10 copies/ml. Additional investigation of the liver biopsy showed Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). The patient was initiated on chemotherapy but eventually succumbed to the illness. This case report underlines the dilemma in the initial diagnosis of AIH and the importance of considering hepatic involvement of EBV as one of the differential diagnosis among clinically suspected AIH cases not responding to immunosuppressive medications.
Learning Analytics in a Blended Computer Education Course

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been widely used and many institutions have invested considerable effort in developing, promoting and delivering such courses. Online educational pattern, both inside and outside of the campus community, have been become more popular. In recent years, a new research agenda has emerged, focusing on predicting and explaining dropouts and MOOCs with low completion rates. However, due to different problem specifications and evaluation metrics, performing learning analytics (LA) of online education is a challenging task. The online learner has a variety of purposes, such as complete learning courses, some knowledge points in work-based learning courses, selective learning for reviewing exams, certificate-based learning, and watching videos for interest. According to users'online behavior data, it is difficult to study why so many people drop out of MOOCs. Because users have many reasons, such as not understanding, bad network connection, other things to do, and so on. This paper study was performed to analyze data of students' online activity in a blended computer education course in Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) to identify quantitative markers that correlate with students' performance and might be used as early warning signs for possible data-driven measures. We applied the research methodology to three online courses offered generously by the Chinese University MOOC (CUMOOC) to evaluate the effectiveness.