Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Narrative and Gaming Experience Interact to Affect Presence and Cybersickness in Virtual Reality

Research has established a link between presence and cybersickness in virtual environments, but there is significant disagreement regarding the directionality of the relationship (positive or negative) between the two factors, and if the relationship is modulated by other top-down influences. Several studies have revealed a negative association between the factors, highlighting the prospect that manipulating one factor might affect the other. Here we examined if a top-down factor (narrative context) enhances presence, and whether this effect is associated with a decrease in cybersickness. We analyzed the association between responses to questionnaire measures of cybersickness and presence, as well as the degree to which their relationship was affected by the administration of an ‘enriched’ or ‘minimal’ verbal narrative context. The results of the first experiment, conducted in a controlled laboratory environment, revealed that enriched narrative was associated with increased presence, but that the reductive effect of narrative on cybersickness depended on video gaming experience. We also observed the expected negative association between presence and cybersickness, but only in the enriched narrative group. In a second experiment, conducted with a diverse sample at a public museum, we confirmed our previous finding that presence and cybersickness are negatively correlated, specifically when participants experienced an enriched narrative. We also confirmed the interaction between narrative and gaming experience with respect to cybersickness. These results highlight the complexity of the presence-cybersickness relationship, and confirm that both factors can be modulated in a beneficial manner for virtual reality users by means of top-down interventions.
DEVELOPMENT OF A MEASURING INSTRUMENT FOR RAPID DETECTION OF CADMIUM IONS IN WATER ENVIRONMENT

In this study, heavy metal cadmium ions (Cd) in water environment were studied, and the existing Cd colorimetric system was simplified. Based on colorimetry and spectroscopy, a portable analyzer for rapid detection of Cd was developed. This study simplifies the tedious and complex preprocessing and completes the colorimetric experiment. The measuring instrument is mainly divided into an optical path module and a circuit module. The optical path module converts the concentration of cadmium ions into an optical signal, and the circuit module realizes functions of converting, amplifying, data processing, viewing management data, and uploading data of the optical signal. After the detector was completed, several system performance analyses were performed, and low power consumption, antiinterference, and repeatability tests were taken to verify the accuracy of the measurement. The experimental results show that the determination coefficient of the model and the chemical value of the colorimetric reaction is R = 0.934, the detection limit is 0.1047 mg/L, the detection range is 0.1~1 mg/L, and the variation coefficient of cadmium content index is less than 1.0%. The test results show that the tester has good accuracy and repeatability. At the same time, compared with other related instruments, the meter also has the advantages of multiple functions, small size, portability, convenient use, and low
The WIPE assay for selection and elimination of HIV-1 provirus in vitro using latency-reversing agents

Persistence of HIV-1 latent reservoir cells during antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a major obstacle for curing HIV-1. Latency-reversing agents (LRAs) are under intensive development to reactivate and eradicate latently infected cells; however, there are a few useful models for evaluating LRA activity in vitro. Here, we established a chronically HIV-1-infected culture system harboring thousands of different HIV-1-infected cell clones with a wide distribution of HIV-1 provirus similar to that observed in vivo. A combination of an LRA and an anti-HIV-1 drug successfully inhibited viral re-emergence after drug discontinuation, demonstrating “experimental cure” in the in vitro model. We demonstrated that the epigenetic environment of the integrated provirus plays a role in determining drug susceptibility. Our widely distributed intact provirus elimination (WIPE) assay will be useful for optimizing therapeutics against HIV-1 latency and provides mechanistic insights into the selection of heterogeneous HIV-1-infected clones during drug treatment.
Response of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) leaves to different leaf fertilizers under a semi-arid condition

Ever-increasing shortage in global agricultural water sources urged the researchers to investigate sustainable strategies for alleviating the negative effects of drought on plants in semi arid or arid regions. In this sense, foliar fertilization gained particular significance as it supports the plant to cope with water shortage. This study was conducted to investigate the leaf physiological response of the grapevine ‘Narince’ to various organic leaf fertilizers. Leaf protein content was also determined to compare treatment effects on nutritional value of grape leaves since the leaves of this cultivar are consumed in various ways. Both stomatal conductance, leaf chlorophyll and protein content increased in response to leaf fertilizers in varying degrees according to the products used. To illustrate, Herbagreen pulverization resulted in the highest stomatal conductance (gs) (324.7 mmol H2O m s), and was followed by Cropset (323.5 mmol H2O m s) while the lowest gs value was obtained from control vines (295.4 mmol H2O m s). The highest chlorophyll and protein contents were obtained from ISR 2000 (32.9 mg kg) and Maxicrop (21.5%) treatments, respectively. Leaf chlorophyll content had a significant positive correlation with leaf protein content when all the observations were pooled. Therefore, the organic leaf fertilizers can be considered as a safe, sustainable and innovative strategies to support plants to cope with drought.
Bird's nest ferns promote resource sharing by centipedes

Bird's nest ferns (Asplenium spp.) support large numbers of invertebrates, including centipedes. As top invertebrate predators, centipedes drive ecosystem function, for example, by regulating decomposer populations, but we know little of their ecology in forest canopies. We provide the first detailed observations of the diversity and structure of the centipede communities of bird's nest ferns, revealing the importance of these epiphytes as nurseries for centipedes. We collected 305 centipedes equating to ˜11,300 mg of centipede biomass from 44 bird's nest ferns (22 of which were from the high canopy and 22 from the low canopy) in primary tropical rainforest in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Most abundant were the Scolopendromorpha (n = 227 individuals), followed by the Geophilomorpha (n = 59), Lithobiomorpha (n = 14), and Scutigeromorpha (n = 5). Although we observed very little overlap in species between the forest strata, scolopendromorph centipedes dominated throughout the canopy. Null model analysis revealed no significant competitive interactions; on the contrary, we observed centipedes sharing nest sites within the ferns on three of the ten occasions that we found nests. All nests belonged to centipedes of the family Scolopendridae, which are typically aggressive, and usually show negative spatial association. This study reveals a diverse community of canopy centipedes, providing further evidence of the importance of bird's nest ferns to a wide range of animals, many of which use the ferns at critical life stages. Future conservation strategies should regard these ubiquitous epiphytes as umbrella species and protect them accordingly in landscape management decisions.
¿QUÉ IMPLICACIONES ECOFISIOLÓGICAS TIENE LA ACTIVIDAD NOCTURNA EN REPTILES “DIURNOS”?: UNA REVISIÓN

En esta revisión se resumen por primera vez los estudios publicados que documentan los eventos de actividad nocturna en reptiles considerados exclusivamente como diurnos. Asimismo, se describen y discuten sus implicaciones ecofisiológicas en ambientes tropicales y de altas latitudes desde la perspectiva de los intervalos óptimos de temperatura de actividad, umbrales de tolerancia, periodo de actividad, catemeralidad, hipotermia voluntaria y su importancia ante el cambio climático global. Finalmente, se identifican los aspectos que aún no han sido estudiados a profundidad en este campo de estudio y se proponen nuevas líneas de investigación.
In vitro Propagation of Citrus Species through Callus Induction and Regeneration: A Review

ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 10 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com Citrus, one of the most important group of fruit crops around the world, are propagated at large scale with many difficulties. Propagation through seeds is challenging because of Phytophthora foot rot together with recalcitrance of citrus seeds. Vegetative propagation of Citrus species is mainly performed now-a-days by budding on seedling rootstocks. As heavy losses are experienced among the susceptible seedlings due to Phytophthora and Citrus tristeza virus (CTV), the interest in resistant rootstocks has greatly increased. The potential of conventional methods of citrus plant breeding of rootstocks are limited by physiological factors such as heterozygosity, inbreeding depression, nucellar polyembryony and juvenility. Under such conditions advanced tissue culture techniques provide best possible alternative for producing large number of resistant progenies from elite citrus genotypes. Plant tissue culture provides reliable and economical method of maintaining pathogen free plants that allows rapid multiplication and international exchange of germplasm. Generally, when in vitro propagation protocols are developed for any specific plant species, specialized conditions for individual genotypes, elite species and even various developmental stages of the explants plants are selected via error-andtrial experiments. Because large diversity is observed in Citrus plant family, it takes many months to develop protocols for most suitable culture medium, best concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators and other supplements for better development of explant cultures. Therefore, in this review, we tried to put together results from difficultto-find literatures and listed all the identified findings, in which callus induction or somatic organogenesis was used to develop citrus plants. Successful protocols of surface sterilization method, culture establishment, shoot regeneration, in vitro rooting and acclimatization are presented systematically. K e y w o r d s Tissue culture, Micropropagation, Callus, Regeneration, Rooting, Acclimatization Accepted: 17 September 2019
Climate change and deforestation boost post-fire grass invasion of Amazonian forests

Interactions among climate change, deforestation and fires are changing the stability of the Amazon forest, and may promote transitions to degraded grassy ecosystem states. However, our ability to predict the locations in the Amazon that are most vulnerable to these transitions is limited. In this study we used a dynamic carbon model to evaluate how drought, climate change and deforestation could affect the probability of post-fire grass invasion across the Amazon, and identify where grass-fire feedbacks may promote the persistence of species-poor degraded forests with savanna-like structure. Our results suggest that, under current climatic conditions, post-fire grass invasion could affect 11% of the Amazon, with the south-eastern Amazon at highest risk of invasion. We forecast that under business as usual climate change, by the end of the century areas with a high probability of post-fire grass invasion will increase to 20% of the Amazon. In 10% of the Amazon fire return interval will be shorter than the time required for canopy recovery, implying high risk of irreversible shifts to a fire-maintained degraded ecosystem state. Although resilience in canopy regeneration is evident in areas with low fire frequency, increased fire frequency could inhibit regeneration even in forests where grass is currently excluded, and push the Amazon forests towards a tipping point causing large areas of forest to transition to low tree cover state.
Using structural connectivity to augment community structure in EEG functional connectivity

Recently, EEG recording techniques (high-density EEG) as well as source analysis have improved markedly. Yet, analyzing whole-cortex EEG signals in source space is not standard, partly because EEG signals suffer from volume conduction, introducing spurious functional connections (statistical dependencies) between nearby sources. Genuine functional connectivity (FC) reflecting functional relationships is impossible to disentangle from spurious FC, impairing the applicability of network neuroscience to EEG. Here, we use information from white matter structural connectivity (SC) to attenuate the impact of volume conduction on EEG-FC. We confirm that FC (power envelope correlations) is predicted by the SC beyond the impact of Euclidean distance. We then smooth the EEG signal in the space spanned by graphs derived from SC. Thereby, FC between nearby, structurally connected brain regions is increased while FC between non-connected regions remains unchanged. We hypothesize that this results in an increase in genuine relative to spurious FC. We analyze changes in FC due to smoothing by assessing the resemblance between EEG- and fMRI-FC, and find that smoothing increases resemblance, both in terms of overall correlation and community structure. This suggests that information from the SC can indeed be used to attenuate the effect of volume conduction on EEG source signals. Author summary In this study, we combine high-density EEG recorded during resting state with white matter connectivity obtained from diffusion MRI and fiber tracking. We leverage the additional information contained in the structural connectome towards augmenting the source level EEG functional connectivity. In particular, it is known - and confirmed in this study - that the activity of brain regions that possess a direct anatomical connection is, on average, more strongly correlated than that of regions that have no such direct link. We use the structural connectome to define a graph and smooth the source reconstructed EEG signal in the space spanned by this graph. We compare the resulting “filtered” signal correlation matrices to those obtained from fMRI and find that such “graph filtering” improves the agreement between EEG and fMRI functional connectivity structure. Thus suggests that structural connectivity can be used to attenuate some of the limitations imposed by volume conduction.
Seasonal fluctuation on infestation of several hosts by the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Buenos Aires Province

Se realizo un relevamiento de 11 especies frutales hospedadoras de Ceratitis capitata presentes en un area experimental de San Pedro (Buenos Aires, Argentina), con una extension aproximada de 115 ha. Se comparo la abundancia de la poblaciUn de insectos adultos y el nivel de infestacion de las especies frutales (inferido a partir del porcentaje de fruta infestada y del numero de puparios/kg de fruta) a lo largo de una temporada calida, y se analizo el efecto de algunas variables bioticas y abioticas sobre las fluctuaciones poblacionales. El estudio comprendio muestreos quincenales realizados entre noviembre de 1999 y mayo de 2000. En los mismos se recolectaron frutos maduros de 20 plantas tomadas al azar. Los periodos de fructificacion de las especies presentes ocurrieron en forma escalonada a lo largo de la temporada reproductiva, asegurando a los individuos un suministro de recurso casi ininterrumpido. No obstante, la disponibilidad global de hospedadores no estuvo asociada con las fluctuaciones poblacionales. Probablemente el efecto restrictivo de las bajas temperaturas de invierno impide que la poblacion alcance los niveles necesarios para explotar el recurso en forma proporcional a su disponibilidad. Se encontro un alto grado de asociacion entre la abundancia de adultos y los niveles de infestacion. En el area de estudio, el unico factor climatico que parece tener un efecto sobre estas variables es la temperatura. Las correlaciones de la abundancia de adultos y de los niveles de infestacion con la temperatura del periodo precedente resultaron mas altas que con las temperaturas del periodo corriente, indicando que este factor climatico probablemente afecta en forma mas intensa a los estadios inmaduros que a los adultos.
Forced expression of Mdmyb10, a myb transcription factor gene from apple, enhances tolerance to osmotic stress in transgenic Arabidopsis

In plants, anthocyanins often appear at specific developmental stages, but are also induced by a number of environmental factors. The coordinated expression of genes encoding the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway enzymes is controlled at the transcriptional level usually by an R2R3Myb transcription factor. However, little is known about the effects of R2R3-Myb on plant resistance to environmental stresses. In this study, we introduced an R2R3Myb transcription factor gene Mdmyb10, a regulatory gene of anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple fruit, into Ara- bidopsis and analyzed its function to osmotic stress in transgenic plants. Under high osmotic stress, the Mdmyb10 over-expressing plants exhibited growth better than wild- type plants. The elevated tolerance of the transgenic plants to osmotic stress was confirmed by the changes of flavo- noids, chlorophyll, malondialdehyde and proline contents. These results preliminarily showed that the Mdmyb10 can possibly be used to enhance the high osmotic-tolerant ability of plants.
Applications of RNA characterisation in circulating tumour cells

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are shed into the bloodstream from both primary and secondary tumours and provide a non-invasive means to study tumor progression and response to treatment. Assessment of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and monitoring dynamic changes in gene expression profiles of CTCs extends their clinical and prognostic power and establish their role in guiding treatment. Among these methods, droplet digital (RT-ddPCR) technique provides a high sensitivity and detectibility of CTCs. RNA-sequencing (RNAseq) is the most comprehensive method, that would allow the simultaneous measurement of a large number of genes and theoretically the whole transcriptome. Since CTCs are heterogeneous in nature, single cell RNAseq methods are very valuable in assessing population dynamics and functional states of CTCs. While RNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) is used relatively less frequently, it also allows for the assessment of expression of multiple genes within individual CTCs. Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a major contributor to metastasis, providing a mechanism to allow cells to become migratory and invasive, and to survive in the bloodstream. Monitoring CTCs undergoing EMT may lead to improvement in their prognostic and predictive power. Here, we review various RNA analysis of CTCs and those that undergo EMT and their application in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of cancers.
An allosteric hot spot in the tandem-SH2 domain of ZAP-70 regulates T-cell signaling

T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling is initiated by recruiting ZAP-70 to the cytosolic part of TCR. ZAP-70, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, is composed of an N-terminal tandem SH2 (tSH2) domain connected to the C-terminal kinase domain. The ZAP-70 is recruited to the membrane through binding of tSH2 domain and the doubly-phosphorylated ITAM motifs of CD3 chains in the TCR complex. Our results show that the tSH2 domain undergoes a biphasic structural transition while binding to the doubly-phosphorylated ITAM-ζ1 peptide. The C-terminal SH2 domain binds first to the phosphotyrosine residue of ITAM peptide to form an encounter complex leading to subsequent binding of second phosphotyrosine residue to the N-SH2 domain. We decipher a network of non-covalent interactions that allosterically couple the two SH2 domains during binding to doubly-phosphorylated ITAMs. Mutation in the allosteric network residues, for example, W165C, uncouples the formation of encounter complex to the subsequent ITAM binding thus explaining the altered recruitment of ZAP-70 to the plasma membrane causing autoimmune arthritis in mice. The proposed mechanism of allosteric coupling is unique to ZAP-70, which is fundamentally different from Syk, a close homolog of ZAP-70 expressed in B-cells. Significance T-cell and B-cell signaling is initiated by the same family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases, ZAP-70 and Syk, respectively. ZAP-70 and Syk share homologous sequence and similar structural architecture, yet the two kinases differ in their mode of ligand recognition. ZAP-70 binds cooperatively to its ligand, whereas Syk binds uncooperatively. Spontaneous mutation (W165C) in the regulatory module of ZAP-70 impairs T-cell signaling causes autoimmune arthritis in SKG mice, the mechanism of which is unknown. We showed that ZAP-70 regulatory module undergoes a biphasic structural transition while binding to its ligand, which is fundamentally different from Syk. We presented a molecular mechanism of cooperativity in ZAP-70 regulatory module that explains altered ligand binding by ZAP-70 mutant found in SKG mice.
Nanotechnology in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Nanotechnology refers to research and technology development at the atomic, molecular, and macromolecular scale, leading to the controlled manipulation and study of structures and devices with length scales in the 1-100 nanometers range. Objects at this scale, such as "nanoparticles," take on novel properties and functions that differ markedly from those seen in the bulk scale. The small size, surface tailor ability, improved solubility, and multifunctional of nanoparticles open many new research avenues for biologists. Nanoparticles are classified into inorganic nanoparticles such as gold nanoparticles and organic nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes and dendrimers. Different types of nanoparticals such as nanocrystals, liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, quantum dots and superparamagnetic nanoparticles illustrated different examples of promising nanoparticles for cancer treatment and imaging.
Response of Bt and Non-Bt Cottons to High Infestations of Bollworm (Helicoverpa zea Boddie) and Tobacco Budworm (Heliothis virescens (F.)) under Sprayed and Unsprayed Conditions

Early-maturing and full-season Bt and non-Bt cottons were exposed to high densities of tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens (F.)) and bollworm (Helicoverpa zea Boddie) in 0.04 ha field cages during the summers of 2011 and 2012 to measure the possible need for supplemental use of insecticides on Bt cotton. Fruit survival within-season and at-harvest was carefully mapped on individual plants within comparative plots of all cottons untreated and sprayed with lambda-cyhalothin (0.0448 kg a.i./ha) or chlorantraniliprole (0.1009 kg a.i./ha) following insect infestations. Differences in lint yields among cotton maturity groups were not always detected, but early-maturing Bt cottons were among the higher yielding experimental plots for both years. Depending on the insecticide treatment, average harvested fruit ranged from 0.3 to 7.1 open bolls per plant for non-Bt cotton plots, while Bt cotton plots ranged from 1.8 to 7.5 open bolls per plant during the two-year study. Bt cottons generally protected fruit from insect damage and resulted in final yields comparable to those of insecticide sprayed Bt and non-Bt cottons. Unsprayed non-Bt cottons were significantly damaged by insects in these high-infestation environments.