Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Some aspects of biology and host range of Biscogniauxia mediterranea, one of the causal agent of oak charcoal disease

Field surveys in Zagros forests located in western Iran were done to study some aspects of biology and host range of Biscogniauxia mediterranea during 2014-2016. The ability of its conidia and ascospores to cause the disease was evaluated under greenhouse condition. Ascospore viability and development of anamorph and teleomorph were surveyed under different conditions. The pathogen host range was determined by field observations, laboratory and greenhouse tests. Results showed that ascospores unlike conidia produced colony and caused disease by inoculation into the lesion in Quercus brantii seedlings. Ascospore germination was decreased as much as 17.3% under forest conditions after one year. Extent necrosis in the inner bark and wood tissues of inoculated adult Q. brantii trees was induced however no fungal stroma has appeared for three years. Monopartite black stroma lacking teleomorph was formed beneath the outer bark of inoculated excised branches on which conidia were produced. Teleomorph was formed only on one Q. infectoria excised branch under natural-like condition. Teleomorph and anamorph have not produced on inoculated Q. brantii, Q. infectoria and Q. libani seedlings for 34 months. In the forest, the sign of charcoal disease was seen only on Q. brantii and Q. infectoria trees that the latter is a new host for it. Necrosis appeared in the inner bark of inoculated excised branches of Amygdalus sp. Acer monspessulanum, Cerasus microcarpa, Pistacia sp. and Rosa sp. but not in Crataegus sp. and Ulmus sp. Pathogenicity of B. mediterranea was demonstrated for the first time on seedlings of Q. infectoria and Q. libani.
Side Reactions in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries store energy through two electrochemical reactions. In addition to these main reactions, many side reactions are possible. The causes and effects of battery side reactions are usually detrimental, sometimes positive, and almost always very complicated. We investigate here both fundamental and applied aspects of several side reactions using experiments and theory. In Part I, we develop a new method to characterize the solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI), a passivating film that is the product of side reactions on the graphite electrode, using ferrocene, a redox shuttle. By comparing ferrocene kinetics in the presence and absence of passivating films, the shuttle functions as an electrochemical probe of the mechanism by which the SEI prevents reaction. We develop our method using a model system of a rotating-disk-electrode (RDE) and glassy carbon. Coupling experimental measurements with a physics-based model aids interpretation of the results. We develop both steady-state and transient methods in the model system before applying the methods to highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), which more closely resembles the carbon found in an actual battery. We study the effects of the relative fraction of edge and basal planes, the formation voltage, and the electrolyte anion. We also attempt in-situ atomic-force microscopy to validate our electrochemical measurements. In Part II, we treat several different overcharge reactions theoretically to explain empirical observations, predict system behavior, and suggest considerations for battery design. We develop a two-dimensional model to explain why lithium deposition occurs preferentially at the edges of electrodes and suggest mitigation techniques. In a separate model, we implement a redox shuttle for overcharge protection. We study how the presence of a redox shuttle affects the macroscale current-potential relations of the battery and optimize the redox potential of the shuttle while considering the tradeoffs between current efficiency and overcharge protection.
A Survey on Interference Avoiding Methods for Wireless Sensor Networks Working in the 2.4 GHz Frequency Band

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are a very important and relevant field of research for modern control and monitoring applications in today’s communications and information networks. The increased use of wireless devices across a variety of settings, from smart buildings to smart homes, energy consumption monitoring, healthcare applications, plus a myriad of mobile devices’ applications worldwide have multiplied the already crowded radio spectrum anywhere causing problems. Hence, interference among concurrent transmissions causes severe performance degradation due to the coexistence of different wireless networks working on the very same frequency band, something which has an impact on the different applications’ performance. The WSN working on the 2.4GHz frequency band experience interference from competing networks like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b/g) and also gets negatively influenced by applications like microwave oven and cordless phone. Because of said interference, the performance of the WSN is getting degraded. Furthermore, the operation of low power WSN is extremely vulnerable and unpredictable under interference conditions. Hence there is an increasing need for research on interference avoiding methods and on improving the coexistence mechanisms among different wireless devices operating on the same frequency band. This paper presents a comprehensive review on the important aspects of experimental analysis, estimation, modeling, and avoiding of interference for WSN and offers some insight in dealing with aforementioned problem.
Denoising of Fetal Phonocardiogram Signal by Wavelet Transformation

Auscultation is still one of the most basic analytical tools used to determine the fetal heart’s functional state as well as the first fetal well-being measure. It is called fetal phonocardiography (fPCG) in its modern form. The technique of fPCG is passive and can be used to track long-term. Robust signal processing techniques are required to denoise the signals in order to improve the diagnostic capabilities of fPCG. A linear filter is used to eliminate distortion and interference from the fPCG signals through conventional denoising techniques. This paper searched for optimal configuration of the wavelet based denoising system. Based on the experimental results, can be conclude that the signal should be decomposed on six levels. From this it can be seen that the lowest MSE (mean square error) value is the use of coiflets three with SURE threshold algorithm with hard threshold parameters.
Factors Affecting The Advancement Of Atherosclerotic Plaques

ii PUBLICATIONS . iv PRESENTATIONS AND AWARDS . v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . vi TABLE OF CONTENTS . x LIST OF TABLES . xiii LIST OF FIGURES . xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1. Cardiovascular Disease and Atherosclerosis . 1 1.2. Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis . 2 1.2.1. The Healthy Artery . 2 1.2.2. Atherogenesis-plaque formation . 5 1.2.3. Plaque calcification . 8 1.3. Animal Models of Atherosclerosis . 11 1.3. 1. Murine models of atherosclerosis . 12 1.3. 2. ApoE mice . 13 1.4. Estrogens in ASCVD . 16 1.4. 1. Estrogens in vascular physiology . 16 1.4. 2. Anti-atherogenic effects of E2 . 17 1.4. 3. Atherogenic effects of E2 . 19 1.5. Calcium/calmodulin Dependent Protein Kinase II (CaMKII) . 21 1.5. 1. CaMKII structure . 21 1.5. 2. CaMKII function/activation . 22 1.5. 3. CaMKII in Vascular Physiology . 25 1.5. 4. CaMKII in immune health . 26 1.5. 5. CaMKII in vascular disease . 27 1.6. Summary . 28 1.7. Aims and Hypotheses . 29 CHAPTER 2: GENERAL METHODS AND MATERIALS . 31 2.1. Animals . 31 2.2. Genotype . 33 2.2.1 DNA extraction . 33 2.2.2 PCR genotyping . 33 2.3. Tissue Collection . 36 2.4. Histological Processing . 38
Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) for Brand Logos

This thesis explores the problem of automatically detecting the presence of logos in general images. Brand logos carry the goodwill of a company and are considered to be of high value in the corporate world, and thus automatically determining whether or not a logo is present in an image can be of interest for companies that wish to protect their brand. The problem of automated logo detection is inherently complex, but is further complicated through intentional obfuscation of logo images, for example by color shifting or other slight image modifications that leave the logo intact and easily recognizable by a human, but difficult to determine through automated techniques. For our use case, we are interested in leveraging the basic Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) approach to determine whether or not a brand logo is present within a larger image. CBIR systems retrieve images based on their similarity to a given query image/images. For example, this enables a user to retrieve images that contain dogs by entering an image with a dog in it. Of the multitude works done in this field, most use supervised and only a few use self-supervised machine learning techniques. For our approach presented in this thesis, we utilize an Autoencoder, which is one of the self-supervised techniques. It is able to generate compressed representations of the original image and its variant exposed to simple transformations such as Gaussian noise and near to zero degree rotations. It, however, is not able to do so for complex transformations/noises. This thesis addresses this problem by introducing a novel autoencoder based architecture
Response to Low pH Impacts the Fatty Acid Composition and the Thiol Content of Bifidobacterium

Inducing at sublethal pHs can strengthen the survival rate of Bifidobacterium at the lethal pH. In this study, we determined the optimal inducing condition of Bifidobacterium and analyzed the effect of a low pH environment on fatty acid (FA) composition and thiol content in Bifidobacterium. The result indicates that inducing at pH 4.5 significantly improved the survival rate of Bifidobacterium at pH 3,5 and 3.0. After being induced at pH 4.5, the percentage of C18:1 increased significantly, while the percentage of C16:0 decreased significantly. The results suggest inducing treatment strengthened the membrane fluidity of Bifidobacterium. After being stressed at the lethal pH, the percentage of saturated FA increased significantly in both the control and induced cells, while the percentage of unsaturated FA decreased significantly. The results suggested that, to survive at the lethal pH, the cells strengthened the membrane rigidity and weakened the membrane fluidity to block the entrance of H + by changing the FA composition in Bifidobacterium. In addition, after being stressed, the thiol content of the control cells was significantly lower than that of the induced cells. This study provided the first data proof that showed FA and thiol participated in response to low pH in Bifidobacterium.
Development and application of an LC-MS/MS method for determining methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) levels in human plasma

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) isan organosulfur phytochemical widely used as a dietary supplement carrying structure/function claims that includethe promotion of joint health. Untargeted metabolomics studies using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have identified MSM in plasma and urine. However, MS-based methodology is more suitable for pharmacokinetic studies designed to explore MSM’s concentration-effect relationship for purposes of establishing dosing guidelines. To address this deficiency, an LC-MS/MS method using MSM, deuterated MSM (MSM-d6, internal standard), and liquid-liquid extraction was developed and validated in accordance with international guidelines. The method proved well-suited for determining MSM levels in human plasma following chronic oral administration (1, 2, or 3 grams daily) for four weeks. The availability of a robust LC-MS/MS method and MSM dose linearity data provides a framework for exploring MSM’s concentration-effect relationship to support various structure/function claims.
Global Seasonality of Human Coronaviruses: A Systematic Review

Abstract In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, we aimed to systematically address the global seasonal patterns of human coronavirus (HCoV) infections. We identified relevant articles from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL Plus as of May 11, 2020. The main outcomes were the peak months of HCoV infections each year and the months during which more than 5% of positive respiratory specimen tests were attributable to HCoV. Of 707 articles reviewed, 22 met the inclusion criteria. The annual percentage of HCoV infections reached a peak in February globally. We found a higher HCoV positivity rate among studies that tested only children (median: 5.9%, range: 0.9%–18.4%), compared with other studies of adults alone (median: 5.2%, range: 3.3%–7.1%) or the entire population (median: 1.9%, range: 0.2%–8.1%). We found the largest global peak of HCoV during the winter season, with the highest rate of positivity among children.
REVISITING BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS CONSTRAINED GROWTH 70 YEARS AFTER ECALC’S MANIFESTO: THE CASE OF SOUTH AMERICA

ABSTRACT In the period 2014-2018, South American economies experienced a low growth rate in a historical perspective and compared with other developing regions. The paper discusses the structural sources of recent macroeconomic performance in these countries, associated with their specialization on natural resources, inspired by Raúl Prebisch 1949 “Manifesto”. It also poses that the increasing dependence on external borrowing as in the 2014-2018 period derived from the deepening of current account deficits could worsen growth constraints in the coming years, insofar as these financial flows do not contribute to a change in the productive structure, shifting the focus from export weakness to debt sustainability issues.
Fine Tuning of Histone Demethylase KDM6A/B Improves the Development of Nuclear Transfer Embryo

Despite the success of the production of animals by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in many species, the method is limited by a low efficiency. After zygotic genome activation (ZGA), a large number of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are expressed, including the murine endogenous retrovirus-L (MuERVL/MERVL). In this study, we generated a series of MERVL-reporter mouse strains to detect the ZGA event in embryos. We found that the majority of SCNT embryos exhibited ZGA failure, and histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) prevented SCNT reprogramming. Overexpression of the H3K27me3-specific demethylase KDM6A, but not KDM6B, improved the efficiency of SCNT. Conversely, knockdown KDM6B not only facilitate ZGA, but also impede ectopic Xist expression in SCNT reprogramming. Furthermore, the knockdown of KDM6B increased the rate of SCNT-derived Duchenne muscular dystrophy embryonic stem cell establishment, indicate that these results not only provide insight into the mechanisms underlying failures of SCNT, but also may extend the applications of SCNT.
Estratégias para antecipação da puberdade em novilhas Bos taurus indicus pré-púberes

Brazilian cattle breeding is one of the largest world powers in the production of animal protein, but it is a production characterized by low efficiency when compared to first world countries. The national herd is predominantly Bos taurus indicus, with most of the animals presenting low reproductive response due to the seasonality of the forages, the inadequate pasture management and the absence of supplementation during the growth period. New reproductive biotechnologies have emerged in recent decades and some improvements in reproductive rates have taken place. However, the sexual precocity of heifers continues to be lacking, since most become pubescent at an age greater than would be ideal from the economic point of view, resulting in advanced age at first calving, lower calf production during useful productive life, fewer females for replacement, etc. In order to solve this problem, researchers have studied the factors that influence the manifestation of puberty in these females as well as strategies for the anticipation of this event, which
Morphological characteristics and immunophenotype of clear cell renal cell carcinomas

Results. Based on the morphological analysis and immunohistochemical assay, the tumors were divided into 4 groups as follows: renal cystic tumors with low nuclear grading (n=65; 25%); tumors of a kidney of a solid and/or tubulo-papillary structure with low nuclear grading (n=98; 37%); renal tumors with high nuclear grading (n=94; 36%); and polyphase renal cell carcinomas (n=7; 2.7%). Conclusion. The results obtained suggest that there is a direct link between the degree of nuclear grading and the histological pattern of the tumor among the morphological forms of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Multi-dimensional mycelia interactions

The activities of competing wood decay fungi bring about the decomposition of deadwood. The rate of decomposition is determined by the community composition, which is shaped by competitive interactions. Fungi compete with one another for territory and resources within 3 dimensional space via the production of an arsenal of inhibitory chemical compounds, yet interspecific interactions and chemical warfare within communities have never before been studied in 3 dimensional resources. This thesis, therefore, aims to determine how interactions cause metabolic processes to change, and, by the use of novel 3 dimensional systems, how those processes are affected by increased species diversity and spatial heterogeneity. Overarching hypotheses which have driven investigations are: (1) secondary metabolism and interaction outcome are inherently linked, both of which are affected by environmental conditions, (2) changes to spatial distributions and increased species diversity cause interaction outcomes and community dynamics to alter, and (3) changes to metabolic strategies for antagonism and resource utilisation will reflect alterations to community dynamics. Transitive interactions in pair wise 2 dimensional systems often became intransitive in species richer 3 dimensional systems, and the extent of patch fragmentation determined the length of coexistence of individuals within communities. Production of secondary metabolites comprising the fungal chemical weaponry, namely extracellular lignocellulolytic enzymes and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), was significantly different between 2 and 3 dimensional systems, between systems of varied species diversity, and between different spatial distributions of fungi, reflecting the observed changes to community dynamics. Furthermore, the production of intracellular metabolites which function in the biosynthesis pathways of antimicrobial compounds and agents of decay, was affected by species diversity, spatial distributions and territory fragmentation. Additionally, secondary metabolism and interaction outcome were found to be inherently linked, and affected by abiotic conditions. Specifically, interaction outcomes changed under different temperatures, and when wood was pre colonised for different lengths of time. Changes to the production of both enzymes and VOCs reflected the different outcomes, as either the cause or effect of outcome changes. These conclusions not only confirm the thesis hypotheses, but also demonstrate the importance of environmental conditions, species diversity and spatial dynamics to fungal community dynamics and forest ecosystem functioning.
ESTRATEGIAS VOLITIVAS EN ESTUDIANTES DE BACHILLERATO: CONSIDERACIONES PARA LA PRÁCTICA EDUCATIVA

En el ámbito académico, los aspectos motivacionales y emocionales han cobrado relevancia, al ser fundamentales para que los estudiantes autorregulen su aprendizaje y para un mejor rendimiento académico. Sin embargo, la investigación sobre cómo los estudiantes adquieren y usan las estrategias involucradas en estos procesos, y cómo las transfieren a diferentes contextos académicos es escasa. Este estudio describe cómo los estudiantes de bachillerato generan y emplean estrategias volitivas ante distractores y dificultades, las cuales han contribuido a sus logros académicos. El diseño se estableció como fenomenológico hermenéutico. La técnica de indagación utilizada fue la entrevista semi-estructurada, sometida a revisión por cuatro expertos internacionales y aplicada a seis jóvenes de entre 17 y 18 años. A partir de nuestros hallazgos se enfatiza la importancia de que los docentes consideren los aspectos motivacionales y emocionales, además de los cognitivos, en los procesos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes. De manera específica fortalecer las estrategias volitivas en el aula, que permitan mantener la persistencia y regular el esfuerzo, puede facilitar la autorregulación del aprendizaje en estudiantes de bachillerato.
Quality Analysis of Earnings Reported by Banks in Dynamic and Less Dynamic Financial Markets by Applying IAS 39 for Measuring Financial Instruments-Case Study: Mozambique and Portugal

The present study aimed to analyse the quality of the earnings reported by banks inserted in dynamic and less dynamic financial markets, associated with IAS 39 as measurement standard of financial instruments, from 2013 to 2017. The study consisted of the analysis discretionary accruals of banks operating in different markets, namely Mozambican and Portuguese. Discretionary accruals were estimated based on the modified Jones (1991) model. The study results indicate that there is evidence of discretionary behaviour in the reported earnings, and is high to the dynamic markets context. On account of the previous finding, the study has drawn the differences in the use of financial instruments. It was found out that Mozambican banks use few instruments; however, the difference is meaningless. A gross part of Financial Instruments Available-for-Sale and used by Mozambican banks are made up of treasure obligations, which may partly explain the reduced discretionary behaviour compared to Portuguese banks.
Theoretical Model and Design Considerations of U-Shaped Fiber Optic Sensors: A Review

A wide range of geometrical deformations of fiber optic sensors (FOSs) have been explored to improve their performance. In particular, fiber optics bent into a U-shape present various advantages over other approaches and considerably improved performance in terms of sensitivity. The improvement in sensitivity can be understood as a result of the enhanced penetration depth of the evanescent field and higher evanescent power in the cladding or surrounding medium. Consequently, a larger portion of the propagating light experiences changes due to variations in the local refractive index (RI). In view of their significant benefits, U-shaped FOSs deserve a thorough investigation. This review outlines the theoretical model and design considerations along with the fabrication process of U-shaped FOSs. In addition, this paper aims to provide researchers with guidelines on the factors to consider in designing and optimizing U-shaped FOSs.