Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Small molecule mediated targeting of haematopoietic stem/progenitor cell and leukaemic stem cell function

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are a rare population of cells that have the ability to self-renew and differentiate giving rise to various blood lineages, thereby reconstituting the whole haematopoietic system. This is an essential characteristic, exploited in bone marrow transplantation therapy in response to myeloablative treatment. Due to their rarity, the lack of sufficient HSC numbers for transplantation has proved to be a major clinical issue. Separately, in the development of leukaemia, acquired mutations in HSCs give rise to malignant cells. These cells, like HSCs, have the ability to self-renew and differentiate forming immature blasts and are termed cancer (leukaemic) stem cells. They are thought to remain in a quiescent state and are therefore not targeted by standard chemotherapy, inducing relapse in haematopoietic malignancies. In this study, a cross species stem cell based screen was conducted on a 12,000 small molecule library across a range of adult and embryonic tissue types with a view to identifying compounds that would (i) expand HSCs ex vivo and in vivo for transplantation and (ii) eradicate cancer stem cells in leukaemia. A number of small molecules were identified as lead compounds and were assessed in our investigation. We found that Yohimbine, an alpha-2 adrenergic receptor (adra-2) antagonist, and Oxa-22, cis-2-Methyl-5-trimethylammoniummethyl-1,3-oxathiolane iodide (M3 Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist) elicited a 2- and 1.5- fold increase in HSC frequency (respectively) in vivo. Further competitive transplantation studies showed that Yohimbine and Oxa-22 treated cells also enhanced the reconstitution of B cells and T cells respectively. In parallel, we also assessed Oxa-22 and a third compound, Phthalylsulfathiazole- an antibacterial sulphonamide, in the leukaemic setting to ascertain whether compounds could target leukaemic stem cells (LSCs). We found that these compounds promoted proliferation in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cell lines. Furthermore, when Oxa-22 and Phthalylsulfathiazole were administered in vivo models of AML, they accelerated disease progression by increasing the number of LSCs. Collectively, these results show that using small molecules we can target neuronal related pathways to enhance HSC number and function. Further investigation is required to elucidate the exact mechanisms of the compounds however, these data may prove to be influential in directing new methods of stem cell expansion for transplantation therapies. Small molecules targeting neuronal or antibacterial related pathways were also found to target malignant LSCs and alter their behaviour. By driving LSCs out of their dormant state, these small molecules may pave the way for potential targeting of LSCs in conjuction with standard current chemotherapies that incorporate and kill proliferating cancer cells.
Vocal plasticity in mallards: multiple signal changes in noise and the evolution of the Lombard effect in birds

Signal plasticity is a building block of complex animal communication systems. A particular form of signal plasticity is the Lombard effect, in which a signaler increases its vocal amplitude in response to an increase in the background noise. The Lombard effect is a basic mechanism for communication in noise that is well-studied in human speech and which has also been reported in other mammals and several bird species. Sometimes, but not always, the Lombard effect is accompanied by additional changes in signal parameters. However, the evolution of the Lombard effect and other related vocal adjustments in birds are still unclear because so far only three major avian clades have been studied. We report the first evidence for the Lombard effect in an anseriform bird, the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). In association with the Lombard effect, the fifteen ducklings in our experiment also increased the peak frequency of their calls in noise. However, they did not change the duration of call syllables or their call rates as has been found in other bird species. Our findings support the notion that all extant birds use the Lombard effect to solve the common problem of maintaining communication in noise, i.e. it is an ancestral trait shared among all living avian taxa, which means that it has evolved more than 70 million years ago within that group. At the same time, our data suggest that parameter changes associated with the Lombard effect follow more complex patterns, with marked differences between taxa, some of which might be related to proximate constraints. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Association between Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing Enzyme Catalytic Polypeptide-Like 3B (APOBEC3B) Deletion with HIV-1 Acquisition and AIDS among North Indian Population

Objective: Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-Like 3B (APOBEC3B) is involved in innate immune response, exhibiting insertion–deletion polymorphism across the world in human population. A naturally occurring 29.5 kb deletion removes complete APOBEC3B gene. Human APOBEC3B family of proteins restricts HIV- 1 replication. Very few studies have been conducted on this subject and the deductions regarding the effects of APOBEC3B deletion on HIV-1 susceptibility and pathogenesis have been largely inconsistent. Therefore, we studied the association of APOBEC3B deletion with HIV-1 in the North Indian population. Methods: Insertion (I)/Deletion (D) APOBEC3B polymorphism was analyzed using Polymerase chain reaction. Infection rates as wells as stages of HIV were compared among the three genotypes: deletion-homozygous (D/D), Insertionhomozygous (I/I) and hemizygous (I/D) in 150 HIV-1 seropositive (HSP) and 250 HIV-1 seronegative (HSN) subjects. Results and discussion: The genotypic analysis revealed insignificant associations among homozygous deletion (D/D) genotype (P=0.130, OR=1.93, 95% CI=0.95–4.30) and moderate associations among hemizygous (I/D) genotypes (P=0.057, OR=1.56, 95% CI-1.03–2.44) with HIV-1 susceptibility and also the single copy of variant allele was more susceptible to HIV-1 infection. The severity of HIV-1 infection on the basis of CD4 count was not associated significantly with the disease progression to AIDS. Conclusion: In conclusion, we found that the deletion genotype of APOBEC3B gene polymorphism does not play any significant role on HIV-1 susceptibility. Hence, further studies with the expansion of sample size are needed to validate the results.
Sociocultural Integration of Bilingualism and Biliteracy of Emiratis: Exploratory Study in a Group of Fifth-Grade Students

This study explores the sociocultural integration of bilingualism and biliteracy practices of a group of Emirati fifth-grade students, who were learning English and Arabic and using English as the medium of instruction for math and science. The explanatory, mixed methodology study examines how sociocultural aspects of language learning are integrated in the learners’ bilingualism and biliteracy practices by using both quantitative and qualitative means. In the first phase, a group of fifth-grade students (n = 350), selected for the transitional nature of their grade cycle, and their Arabic and English teachers (n = 350) were surveyed on their bilingualism and biliteracy practices, with a particular focus on sociocultural factors. The second qualitative phase featured a more in-depth investigation of these practices through interviews with two English teachers, two Arabic teachers, and three students. The results revealed that the fifth-grade students did not possess adequate bilingualism and biliteracy abilities in English or, to a lesser degree, in Arabic, for their expected grade level. The reasons included lack of continuous bilingual/biliteracy interactions, lack of parental involvement and absence of a rich school context. Further, there have been no orchestrated efforts to engage the students with the sociocultural aspect of language learning. Thus, integrating the multifaceted aspects of bilingualism and biliteracy contexts and practices is strongly recommended in order to enrich these linguistic approaches to enable fifth graders excel in both languages, and to improve cross-linguistic transfer. Keywords: ESL; Emirati Education; bilingualism; biliteracy; sociocultural aspects
Taxonomy of southern California Erebidae and Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) with descriptions of twenty one new species

Twenty-two new taxa of owlet moths (families Erebidae and Noctuidae) are described along with three status changes from subspecies to species, eleven new synonymies, and twenty-one new combinations. Of the new taxa, one is a new tribe, Annaphilini Mustelin, n. tribe, and twenty-one are new species from southern California: Drasteria convergens Mustelin, n.sp. , Tarachidia nigra Mustelin, n.sp. , Oncocnemis duplex Troubridge and Mustelin, n.sp. , O. helena Mustelin, n.sp. , O. sala Mustelin, n.sp. , O. kelsoensis Robertson and Mustelin, n.sp. , Annaphila scurlockorum Sala and Mustelin, n.sp. , Cryphia flavipuncta Mustelin, n.sp. , Protoperigea umbricata Mustelin, n.sp. , P. subterminata Mustelin, n.sp. , P. parvulata Mustelin, n.sp. , P. calientensis Mustelin, n.sp. , Aseptis fanatica Mustelin, n.sp. , Aseptis torreyana Mustelin, n.sp. , Apamea robertsoni Mikkola and Mustelin, n.sp. , A. digitula Mustelin and Mikkola, n.sp. , Photedes sofiae Mustelin, n.sp. , Mammifrontia sarae Mustelin, n.sp. , Lasionycta sala Troubridge and Mustelin, n.sp. , Trichocerapoda harbisoni Mustelin, n.sp. , and T. oceanis Robertson and Mustelin, n.sp. The relationship of these new species to their closest relatives is discussed. The following new combinations are proposed to maintain consistency in generic concepts between the European and North American faunas: Agrochola decipiens (Grote, 1881), n. comb. , Anarta chartaria (Grote, 1873), n. comb. , Anarta trifolii (Hufnagel, 1766), n. comb. , Anarta mutata (Dod, 1913), n. comb. , Anarta fulgora (Barnes & McDunnough, 1918), n. comb. , Anarta castrae (Barnes & McDunnough, 1912), n. comb. , Anarta hamata (McDunnough, 1930), n. comb. , Anarta oregonica (Grote, 1881), n. comb. , Anarta montanica (McDunnough, 1930), n. comb. , Anarta columbica (McDunnough, 1930), n. comb. , Anarta alta (Barnes & Benjamin, 1924), n. comb. , Anarta subalbida (Barnes & Benjamin, 1924), n. comb. , Anarta obesula (Smith, 1904), n. comb. , Anarta farnhami (Grote, 1873), n. comb. , Anarta crotchi (Grote, 1880), n. comb. , Anarta oaklandiae (McDunnough, 1937), n. comb. , Anarta projecta (McDunnough, 1938), n. comb. , Anarta edwardsii (Smith, 1888), n. comb. , Anarta florida (Smith, 1900), n. comb. , Anarta antica (Smith, 1891), n. comb. , and Anarta decepta (Grote, 1883), n. comb.
A Method for Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using 1-Amino-2-Naphthol-4-Sulphonic Acid as Reducing Agent

The present communication describes the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using 1-amino-2naphthol-4-sulphonic acid (ANSA) with enhanced stability. The method of preparation is similar to the conventional method using sodium citrate as reducing agent. Briefly, ANSA was quickly added to a boiled solution of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate under stirring, resulting in the synthesis of deep red-coloured AuNPs. The AuNPs prepared by ANSA (AuNPs–ANSA) exhibit twofold increase in stability towards sodium chloride over those prepared by sodium citrate. AuNPs–ANSA are 35.1 nm in size and particles has various shapes, viz. hexagonal, pentagonal, spherical, etc. AuNPs–ANSA can be functionalized with immunoglobulins and functionalized nanoparticles exhibit flow properties in lateral-flow assay.
A Hybrid Electromagnetic and Tendon-Driven Actuator for Minimally Invasive Surgery

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a surgical technique that facilitates access to the internal tissues and organs of a patient’s body via a limited number of small incisions or natural orifice of the patients. Such a technique requires specialized slender surgical instruments with a high levels of dexterity and functionality. However, the currently available MIS instruments are rigid and could offer only limited degrees of freedom (DOFs) that hampers the surgeon’s effort to perform the required operation accurately. In this study, we have developed a hybrid electromagnetic and tendon-driven actuator as an integral part of MIS surgical instruments to provide them with optimum angulation. The design uses a novel electromagnetic structure to lock the position of individual joints, and a tendon-driven structure for the articulation of the surgical instrument. The finite element method (FEM) was utilized to predict the performance of the actuator, which was experimentally validated. Subsequently, a prototype was assembled, and corresponding kinematics analysis was presented to visualize the improvement of the developed mechanism on the functional workspace of the MIS instruments. It was concluded that the developed mechanism could offer three additional DOFs for the surgical instrument and angulation of 180° for each articulated joint.
Questing Business Cycle Synchronization among South Asia in Pre and Post SAARC Establishment: An Empirical Investigation

For last few decades, regional integration has been increased among several countries. Like other blocs Asian countries also made regional bloc in order to establish economic integration. This study is an attempt to empirically investigate the impacts of business cycle synchronization among South Asia in pre and post SAARC establishment. Panel data set of SAARC countries from 1960 to 2019 has been utilized using structural VAR technique. On the basis of these results it is concluded that Business Cycles across SAARC countries are not synchronous. Inter-regional and intra-regional trade requires to be strengthened among member countries in addition to integration related factors.
Climate Changes and Adaptation of Some Marine Organisms – Persian Gulf Study Case

Abstract Data records since from 2008 to 2012 show the occurrence of the coral reef bleaching, an increase in population of jellyfish and a decreasing presence of some migratory marine mammals in the Persian Gulf has increased. Results of our biometric methods on jellyfish of the Persian Gulf (Aurelia aurata), show a significant increase in size during the last four years (p < 0.05). Our studies in the area showed that in the sampling areas in close proximity to superhot wastewater of industries cooled in terrestrial pools and then emptied into the sea, the abundance of the Aurelia aurata was significantly lower than in regions where superhot water was directly emptied into the seawater. This paper will review the effects of global warming, especially in the Persian Gulf.
Effect of different doses of ethanolic extract of date palm pollen grains on serum gonadotropin and total Glutathione in mature female rats

This study was focused on the effect of different doses of DPP on antioxidant status and gonadotropin hormones of adult female Wister rats, sixty male rats were randomized into 6 groups (A-F). Group A received distilled water (control group). while groups B-F were administration 50, 100 , 150 , 200 and 250 mg/kg of DPP extract respectively for twenty eight (28) days. Blood samples were drawn prior to administration (day zero) and every fourteen days for the estimation of serum FSH,LH and Glutathione concentration. 28-day daily oral administration of ethanol crude extraction of date palm pollen to female rats is associated with high circulating GSH concentration. And an elevation in serum FSH and LH concentrations in groups received 100mg/kg of DPP extract . Conclusions: Data from this study identified that in a dose more than 100mg/kg there were no dose related effects.
Plant/pathogen interactions observed during host range testing of the rust fungus Uromyces pencanus, a classical biological control agent for Chilean needle grass (Nassella neesiana) in Australia and New Zealand

ABSTRACT Nassella neesiana (Chilean needle grass) is a South American grass species that is a serious weed in Australia and New Zealand. The rust fungus Uromyces pencanus is a promising biocontrol agent that could be used to control the weed in both countries. Extensive host range testing has been conducted to explore the specificity of the rust. In this paper we discuss the different degrees of invasion by the rust of the tissues of target and non-target species; the plant defences elicited by such invasion at the cellular level; and their relevance to the biological control of Chilean needle grass.
Optimized Convolutional Neural Networks for Video Intra Prediction

Based on a previously published neural network-based video intra prediction approach, this paper proposes and evaluates several extensions of both the training process as well as the network architectures. In particular, the influence of coding artifacts in the training samples as well as the effect of using different approximations of the residual coding costs as loss functions are investigated. In addition, the architecture is optimized and extended by final deconvolutional layers. Combined with the use of network pruning, it was not only possible to increase the achieved compression gain in comparison to the previous work, but also to decrease the needed number of floating point operations per pixel by more than 72% at the same time.
Clustered tabu search optimization for reservation-based shared autonomous vehicles

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the optimization of Reservation-based Autonomous Car Sharing (RACS) systems, aiming at minimizing the total vehicle travel time and customer waiting time. Thus, the RACS system and its routing are formulated with a consideration for system efficiency and passengers’ concerns. A meta-heuristic Tabu search method is investigated as a solution approach, in combination with K–Means (KMN–Tabu) or K–Medoids (KMD–Tabu) clustering algorithms. The proposed solution algorithms are tested in two different networks of varying complexity, and the performance of the algorithms is evaluated. The evaluation results show that the TS method is more suitable for small-scale problems, while KMD–Tabu is suitable for large-scale problems. However, KMN-Tabu has the least computation time, although the solution quality is lower.
CHARACTERIZATION OF HIGH ACTIVITY DRUG-STIMULATED ATPase OF MULTIDRUG RESISTANT LEISHMANIA DONOVANI AMASTIGOTE CELLS

Background: The emergence of drug resistance and the limited knowledge of the mechanisms by which the parasites acquire resistance are the major obstracle for the control of leishmaniasis. Methods: The present investigation is aimed to study multidrug resistance related ATPase activity in in vitro generated sodium stibogluconate (SSG) and paramomycin (PMM) resistant Leishmania donovani amastigote permeablized by digitonin. Results: The results of the multidrug resistance related ATPase activity in SSG and PMM resistant L.donovani amastigotes revealed that ATPase activities were strongly stimulated by resistance causing drugs, and these ATPase stimulation activities had broad specificities. Conclusion: Generation of drug resistance in L. donovani amastigotes leads to concurrent development of drug-stimulated ATPase activity.
Assessment of MME methods for seasonal prediction using WMO LC‐LRFMME hindcast dataset

Different multi‐model ensemble (MME) methods were investigated for their potential to improve the skill of 1‐month lead seasonal forecast products, based on six models from Global Producing Centers (GPCs) for long‐range forecasts (LRFs) designated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). We first compared the hindcast performance of seven MME methods (simple composite method, SCM; simple linear regression, SLR; multiple linear regression, MLR; best selection anomaly, BSA; multilayer perceptron, MLP; radial basis function, RBF; genetic algorithm, GA) for the global 2‐m temperature and precipitation for 1983–2009. The reference datasets for 2‐m temperature and precipitation are the ERA‐Interim from European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) for hindcast verification. For real‐time verification, the data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis 1 for 2‐m temperature and climate anomaly monitoring system and outgoing longwave radiation precipitation index (CAMS OPI) for precipitation are used. According to our analysis, GA was the most successful MME method in predicting both the global 2‐m temperature and precipitation for all four seasons. GA also showed good performance in predicting the 2‐m temperature and precipitation over the 13 regional climate outlook forum (RCOF) regions in all four seasons, but the range in performance among the RCOF regions varied significantly. In a real‐time forecast period (MAM 2012‐DJF 2015/16), GA outperformed in terms of time‐averaged anomaly pattern correlation coefficient (ACC) and root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) of the 2‐m temperature, although the forecast skill difference (0.02) between GA and SCM was not statistically significant. For the precipitation, both SCM and GA also reveal better performance than other MME methods. During the very strong El Niño event in 2015, individual models show better performance than other years. Nonetheless, these two MME methods outperform all the individual models.
Sphenopalatine Ganglion Stimulation Upregulates Transport of Temozolomide across the Blood-Brain Barrier

Sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) stimulation has been shown to reversibly alter blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. It is widely used for the treatment of cluster headaches in Europe and is well tolerated in humans. The therapeutic potential for SPG stimulation in other central nervous system (CNS) diseases has yet to be explored. Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) remains one of the most difficult primary CNS neoplasms to treat, with an average survival of approximately 18 months at the time of diagnosis. Since 2004, the gold standard of treatment for GBM in the United States includes surgery followed by treatment with temozolomide (TMZ) and radiation. We sought to determine if SPG stimulation could increase chemotherapy concentrations in rodent brains with an intact BBB. Here, we show a statistically significant (p = 0.0006), five-fold upregulation of TMZ crossing the BBB and reaching brain parenchyma in rats receiving low-frequency (LF, 10 Hz) SPG stimulation. All the measurements were performed using a highly sensitive liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS) method that was developed for quantitation of TMZ in plasma and brain tissue. Our treatment paradigm shows novel delivery route by which we could more effectively and safely deliver TMZ in a targeted manner, to minimize systemic toxicity and maximize action at the target tissue.