Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A simple null model predicts fruit‐frugivore interactions in a temperate rainforest

Studies of seed dispersal mutualisms typically test for adaptive relationships between fruits and frugivores. Here, I take the opposite approach, and ask what relationships would be expected based on chance encounters between mutualists. 1 derived a simple null model to predict pair-wise relationships between fruit and frugivore species. I assumed that all frugivores had identical fruit preferences, but allowed for interspecific variation in plant abundances, frugivore abundances and fruit phenologies. Under these conditions, the number of visits each frugivore species makes to each plant species results from the product of plant abundances and frugivore abundances when each plant species produces fruit. I then tested null model predictions with observations in a temperate rainforest in British Columbia, Canada. I measured the abundance and phenology of seven bird-dispersed plant species, seasonal changes in the abundances of six avian frugivore species and 212 interactions between them. Empirical results were generally consistent with predictions, suggesting that relationships between birds and fruits are structured randomly. However, some variation in relationships between observations and predictions was observed, suggesting deterministic processes may also be important. Overall results illustrate that predictable relationships between fruit and frugivore species can result from random encounters between mutualists.
Self-assembly of arsenic nanoparticles into magnetic nanotubules and their SERS activity

Nano-arsenic are synthesized using Bergenia ciliata root extracts in water from arsenic trioxide. The synthesized As nanoparticles, with an average diameter of 13(1) nm, self-assemble into nanotubules with average Feret diameter of 530(20) nm. These As nanotubules/nanoparticles have direct bandgap of 2.737 eV and incorporate multiple defect-related states within the gap. The presence of weak ferromagnetism in these nanotubules/nanoparticles are attributed to the dipolar interactions amongst the charges on the defect sites. Owing to van der Waals interactions between nanotubules and smaller nanoparticles, nanotubules present surface roughness and are utilized as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrate for probing methylene blue dye with an enhancement factor $$>10^3$$ > 10 3 .
Estudo de FEF1, uma F-box do Complexo SCF envolvida com a Proliferação Celular no Pistilo de Nicotiana tabacum L.

Angiosperms vegetative and flowering organs development depends on a combined influence of finely regulated events of cell proliferation and expansion. The study of genes involved with the regulation of this processes allows the expansion of our knowledge about the flower and its organs development, of the reproductive process and allows the production of modifications of economic interest. One gene coding for an F-box family protein was identified in the TOBEST stigma/style cDNA library of N. tabacum (Quiapim et al., 2009; Abbad, 2012). The majority of F-box proteins belong to the SCF (mainly composed of the SKP1, CUL1 and F-box proteins) complex, participating in the signalization of target proteins for degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. The gene identified on TOBEST presented preferential expression on the floral organs and was named FEF1 (Flower Expressed F-box 1). Transgenic plants silencing and overexpressing this gene indicated alteration of the floral organs, including the pistil, the main focus of study in our laboratory (Abbad, 2012). A yeast two-hybrid screening of a N. tabacum stigma/style cDNA library revealed the interaction with a SKP1 protein, indicating that FEF1 possibly functions with the SCF complex (Abbad, 2012). In the present work macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the pistils of T1 generation of transgenic plants were performed, which allowed us to: 1) Confirm the transgene and phenotypic stability through generations; 2) Quantify and statistically analyze the size alterations on the pistils; 3) Analyze the cellular modifications that produced the pistils size alterations observed in the transgenic plants. The plants silencing FEF1 presented a statistically significant reduction of the pistil length and ovary width. Histological analysis allowed the observation that a reduction in cell proliferation occurred in the secretory zone of the stigma and in the ovary parenchyma. On the other hand,
A Study of Population Dynamics of Normal and Immune Cells in Presence of Tumor Cells

This paper deals with the population dynamics of normal, tumor and immune cells at cellular level. The competition model at cellular level has been evolved in equations which defines the dynamics of tumor growth or decay. Qualitative analysis of the nonlinear differential equations has been looked upon to see the behaviour of tumor cells with respect to normal and immune cells. The numerical analysis is one of the tools to see the effect of time.
Implementing Virtual Reality for Teleoperation of a Humanoid Robot

Our research explores the potential of a humanoid robot for work in unpredictable environments, but controlling a humanoid robot remains a very difficult problem. In our previous work, we designed a prototype virtual reality (VR) interface to allow an operator to command a humanoid robot. However, while usable, the initial interface was not sufficient for commanding the robot to perform the tasks; for example, in some cases, there was a lack of precision available for robot control. The interface was overly cumbersome in some areas as well. In this paper, we discuss numerous additions, inspired by traditional interfaces and virtual reality video games, to our prior implementation, providing additional ways to visualize and command a humanoid robot to perform difficult tasks within a virtual world.
Methylene Blue and Malachite Green Removal From Aqueous Solution Using Waste Activated Carbon

In the present investigation, Waste Activated Carbon (WAC) collected from domestic water filter has been used for the removal of two cationic dyes methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG) from synthetic solution. The surface of WAC is characterized to know the mechanism of adsorption reaction and the effect of different adsorption parameters like pH, temperature, contact period, adsorbate and adsorbent doses are also studied for the said adsorption study. The optimum contact times for MB and MG adsorption on WAC are 60 and 120 minutes respectively, whereas pH is having no significant effect on adsorption. However, % adsorption increases slowly with the increase of pH from 2.5 to 7. Adsorption of both the dyes on WAC is exothermic, spontaneous, and favorable in nature. Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics are obeyed well. Langmuir’s maximum monolayer adsorption capacities are found to be 15.38 and 18.87mg/g for MB and MG, respectively. Temkin isotherm, and Morris-Weber equations are also obeyed well. Temkin’s isotherm concludes the physicochemical nature of adsorption, and Morris Weber equation indicates possibilities of intraparticle diffusion. The interaction between these two cationic dyes and WAC can be explained through electrostatic force of attraction or by hydrogen bonding.
Spatio-temporal visual analytics: a vision for 2020s

Visual analytics is a research discipline that is based on acknowledging the power and the necessity of the human vision, understanding, and reasoning in data analysis and problem solving. Visual analytics develops methods, analytical workflows, and software tools for analysing data of various types, particularly, spatio-temporal data, which can describe the processes going on in the environment, society, and economy. We briefly overview the achievements of the visual analytics research concerning spatio-temporal data analysis and discuss the major open problems.
Free-floating Ulva in the southwest Netherlands: species or morphotypes? A morphological, molecular and ecological comparison

Free-floating Ulva L. biomass in the eutrophic brackish ‘Veerse Meer’ lagoon (southwest Netherlands) consists of four morphologically identified species: U. curvata (Kutzing) De Toni, U. lactuca L. , U. rigida C. Agardh and U. scandinavica Bliding. U. curvata could be recognized easily because of the characteristic central cavity in the holdfast of the attached plants, the arrangement of cells in rows and the single pyrenoid in each cell. U. rigida was distinguished by the thick thallus and the large number of pyrenoids. The Veerse Meer isolate, however, was slightly different from the isolate from the Oosterschelde estuary (the Netherlands). U. lactuca and U. scandinavica showed a high degree of overlap in thallus thickness and cell size, but U. scandinavica usually possessed more pyrenoids. However, doubts have frequently been expressed about the use of some morphological characters in Ulva taxonomy. To determine the validity of such characters in the identification of Ulva species, the morphological var.
Technical Report: An Overview of Data Integration and Preparation

AI application developers typically begin with a dataset of interest and a vision of the end analytic or insight they wish to gain from the data at hand. Although these are two very important components of an AI workflow, one often spends the first few weeks (sometimes months) in the phase we refer to as data conditioning. This step typically includes tasks such as figuring out how to prepare data for analytics, dealing with inconsistencies in the dataset, and determining which algorithm (or set of algorithms) will be best suited for the application. Larger, faster, and messier datasets such as those from Internet of Things sensors, medical devices or autonomous vehicles only amplify these issues. These challenges, often referred to as the three Vs (volume, velocity, variety) of Big Data, require low-level tools for data management, preparation and integration. In most applications, data can come from structured and/or unstructured sources and often includes inconsistencies, formatting differences, and a lack of ground-truth labels. In this report, we highlight a number of tools that can be used to simplify data integration and preparation steps. Specifically, we focus on data integration tools and techniques, a deep dive into an exemplar data integration tool, and a deep-dive in the evolving field of knowledge graphs. Finally, we provide readers with a list of practical steps and considerations that they can use to simplify the data integration challenge. The goal of this report is to provide readers with a view of state-of-the-art as well as practical tips that can be used by data creators that make data integration more seamless.
Predicting outcomes of cross-sex hormone therapy in gender dysphoria based on pre-therapy resting-state brain connectivity

Individuals with gender dysphoria experience life-threatening distress due to incongruence between their gender identity and birth-assigned sex. Hormone therapy can be effective for reducing body incongruence, but responses vary, and there is no reliable way to predict therapeutic outcomes. We use clinical and MRI data before cross-sex hormone therapy as features to train a machine learning model to predict individuals' post-therapy body congruence (the degree to which photos of their bodies match their self-identities). Twenty-five transwomen and transmen with gender dysphoria participated. The model significantly predicted post-therapy body congruence. This study provides evidence that hormone therapy efficacy can be predicted from information collected before therapy and that patterns of connectivity within fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular networks may provide insights into body-brain effects of hormones, affecting one's sense of body congruence. Results could help identify the need for personalized therapies in individuals predicted to have low body-self congruence after standard therapy.
A Confidence-Based Decision Rule and Ambiguity Attitudes

We propose a decision rule — a procedure that maps incomplete judgements of an agent into final choices — that allows us to link confidence in decision-making under uncertainty to the ambiguity attitude displayed in the choice behavior. If this decision rule is applied to an affine graded preference relation (Minardi and Savochkin, 2013), the emerging choice behavior exhibits sensitivity to ambiguity and it is consistent with the generalized Hurwicz α-pessimism model studied by Ghirardato, Maccheroni, and Marinacci (2004); its famous special case of maxmin preferences of Gilboa and Schmeidler (1989) is obtained by imposing certain additional assumptions. We provide two comparative statics results: First, if the level of tolerance for the lack of confidence in comparisons decreases, the agent becomes more ambiguity averse. Second, a more decisive decision maker displays less ambiguity aversion.
Genetic Sensitivity to the Environment: The Case of the Serotonin Transporter Gene and Its Implications for Studying Complex Diseases and Traits

Evidence of marked variability in response among people exposed to the same environmental risk implies that individual differences in genetic susceptibility might be at work. The study of such Gene-by-Environment (GxE) interactions has gained momentum. In this article, the authors review research about one of the most extensive areas of inquiry: variation in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4; also known as 5-HTT) and its contribution to stress sensitivity. Research in this area has both advanced basic science and generated broader lessons for studying complex diseases and traits. The authors evaluate four lines of evidence about the 5-HTT stress-sensitivity hypothesis: 1) observational studies about the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), stress sensitivity, and depression in humans; 2) experimental neuroscience studies about the 5-HTTLPR and biological phenotypes relevant to the human stress response; 3) studies of 5-HTT variation and stress sensitivity.
Association between Socioeconomic Status and One-Month Mortality after Surgery in 20 Primary Solid Tumors: a Pan-Cancer Analysis

Background: Surgery is the main therapy for primary solid tumors. One-month postoperative mortality remains an important criterion for assessing the quality of surgery. Socioeconomic status (SES) plays an important role in the biopsychosocial medical model. We performed a pan-cancer analysis to explore the relationship between SES and one-month mortality after surgery in 20 primary solid tumors. Methods: Eight SES factors and the top 20 common cancer sites were selected between 2007 and 2014 based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The primary outcome was that patients died within one month after surgery. The control group survived beyond one month. Multivariable logistic regression model, propensity score matching and subgroup analysis were used to detect the association. Results: There were 15980 (1.4%) patients who died within one month after surgery among 1132666 patients with primary solid cancers. Patients with unmarried status (aOR 1.516, 95% CI 1.462-1.573, P < 0.001), Medicaid/uninsured status (aOR 1.610, 95% CI 1.534-1.689, P < 0.001), low income (aOR 1.122, 95% CI 1.053-1.196, P < 0.001), low education (aOR 1.088, 95% CI 1.033-1.146, P = 0.001), or high poverty (aOR 1.085, 95% CI 1.026-1.147, P = 0.004) had high risks of one-month postoperative mortality. After propensity score matching and subgroup analysis, the effects of marriage and insurance on mortality were almost consistent with overall. Conclusions: There was a strong association between SES status and one-month postoperative mortality in primary solid tumors. Socioeconomically disadvantaged people had high risks of dying within one month after surgery. Unmarried or Medicaid/uninsured status were associated with much higher risks than other factors.
AN EVALUATION OF MODIS GLOBAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION PRODUCT (MOD16A2) AS TERRESTRIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION STUDY IN MANOKWARI-WEST PAPUA-INDONESIA

MODIS global evapotranspiration was used widely in the world as terrestrial evapotranspiration for agriculture. This research aimed to evaluate the performance of MODIS global evapotranspiration product as terrestrial evapotranspiration in West Papua. A total of 32 MODIS global evapotranspiration image recording from 2016 to2018 were used. Four (4) statistical parameters, i.e., mean error (ME), root mean square error (RMSE), relative bias (RBIAS), and mean bias factor (MBIAS) are used to compare value from MODIS Global evapotranspiration product and value of evapotranspiration calculated by climatological data. The results show that MODIS global evapotranspiration value tends to overestimate and have lower deviation than climate data analysis. Statistical analysis present the ME = 0.43 mm/day, RMSE = 0.57 mm/day, RBIAS = 0.18, and MBIAS = 0.85. Based on statistical performance, MODIS global evapotranspiration can estimate evapotranspiration in Manokwari West Papua with reasonable accuracy.
Time course of phosphorylated-tau181 in blood across the Alzheimer’s disease spectrum

Tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (p-tau181) measured in blood plasma has recently been proposed as an accessible, scalable, and highly specific biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. Longitudinal studies, however, investigating the temporal dynamics of this novel biomarker are lacking. It is therefore unclear when in the disease process plasma p-tau181 increases above physiological levels and how it relates to the spatiotemporal progression of Alzheimer's disease-characteristic pathologies. We aimed to establish the natural time course of plasma p-tau181 across the sporadic Alzheimer's disease spectrum in comparison to those of established imaging- and fluid-derived biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. We examined longitudinal data from a large prospective cohort of elderly individuals enrolled in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) (n=1067) covering a wide clinical spectrum from normal cognition to dementia, and with measures of plasma p-tau181 and an [18F]florbetapir amyloid-{beta} (A{beta}) positron emission tomography (PET) scan at baseline. A subset of participants (n=864) also had measures of A{beta}1-42 and p-tau181 levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and another subset (n=298) had undergone an [18F]flortaucipir tau PET scan six years later. We performed brain-wide analyses to investigate the associations of plasma p-tau181 baseline levels and longitudinal change with progression of regional A{beta} pathology and tau burden six years later, and estimated the time course of changes in plasma p-tau181 and other Alzheimer's disease biomarkers employing a previously developed method for the construction of long-term biomarker temporal trajectories using shorter-term longitudinal data. Spline regressions demonstrated that earliest plasma p-tau181 changes occurred even before A{beta}-markers reached abnormal levels, with greater rates of change correlating with increased A{beta} pathology. Voxel-wise PET analyses yielded relatively weak, yet significant, associations of plasma p-tau181 with A{beta} pathology in early-accumulating brain regions in cognitively healthy individuals, while the strongest associations with A{beta} were observed in late-accumulating regions in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Cross-sectional and particularly longitudinal measures of plasma p-tau181 were associated with widespread cortical tau aggregation six years later, covering temporo-parietal regions typical for neurofibrillary tangle distribution in Alzheimer's disease. Finally, we estimated that plasma p-tau181 reaches abnormal levels approximately 6.5 and 5.7 years after CSF- and PET-measures of A{beta}, respectively, following similar dynamics as CSF p-tau181. Our findings suggest that plasma p-tau181 increases are associated with the presence of widespread cortical A{beta} pathology and with prospective Alzheimer's disease-typical tau aggregation, providing clear implications for the use of this novel blood biomarker as a diagnostic and screening tool for Alzheimer's disease.
Pilot Study of Chinese Medicine in Relieving Insomnia and Fatigue of Methamphetamine Addicts

Object: To relieve Methamphetamine addicts from withdrawal symptoms of intense fatigue and insomnia by using herbal medicine in an innovative approach of integrated collaboration between the Psychiatrist and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner. Methods: 56 Methamphetamine addicts willing to withdraw from their dependence on the drug were recruited in a Pilot Study Program of Integrated Treatment given by the Psychiatrist and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner. For the first three weeks of management, the TCM Practitioner freely prescribed herbal medication according to his observations on symptoms and syndrome related to unbalanced “kidney function”. This was followed by five weeks of treatment using a simple uniform herbal formula targeting towards promotion of better sleep. Vital responses were designed by the Psychiatrist according to international testified principles, using Fatigue Severity Scale; Anxiety Score; Insomnia Severity and Epworth Sleepiness Scale; Craving Scale and Motivation for Withdrawal. Results: Comparing pretreatment and post treatment (8 weeks) data, Insomnia was much improved (p<0.01); feelings of fatigue depression and anxiety were also improved (< 0.01). Craving for drug was lessened and determination to continue withdrawal was felt. Conclusion: Using TCM treatment to help Methamphetamine addicts to overcome fatigue, anxiety, depression and insomnia during their withdrawal exercise gave promising results. The special collaborative, integrative arrangement between the Psychiatrist and the TCM Practitioner was proven to be a practical approach to ensure mutual respect and to get the best out of the two different systems of medical care.
Molecular Assay for Fraud Identification of Handmade Hamburgers

Background: Meat products could be sources of enter pathogens. Identification of meat species in different foods could help us in molecular epidemiological studies of pathogens transmitted by meat. Objectives: In this study, we targeted cytochrome b for identification of beef in handmade hamburgers. Patients and Methods: A total of 110 raw handmade hamburgers were collected from different areas of Yazd city, Iran, during spring of 2013. Genomic DNA was extracted using the salting out method. The beef cytochrome b gene was amplified using specific primers. Analysis of the amplicons was done with agarose gel electrophoresis usinga100 base pair (bp) DNA ladder. Results: The results showed that among the 110 handmade hamburger samples, 10 (9.09%) samples did not containany cow meat while 100 samples contained cow meat. Conclusions: We used an appropriate molecular method for controlling raw and processed products. Therefore, this study would be useful for control of correct labeling and protection of consumer’s rights.
Movement analytics for sustainable mobility

Mobility is central to urbanity, and urbanity is central to our common future as the world’s population crowds into urban areas. This is creating a global urban mobility crisis due to the unsustainability of our 20th century transportation systems for an urban world. Fortunately, the science and planning of urban mobility is transforming away from infrastructure as the solution towards a sustainable mobility paradigm that manages rather than encourages travel, diminishes mobility and accessibility inequities, and reduces the harms of mobility to people and environments. In this essay, I discuss the contributions over the past decade of movement analytics to sustainable mobility science and planning. I also highlight two major challenges to sustainable mobility that should be addressed over the next decade.