Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Latch-based control of energy output in spring actuated systems

The inherent force–velocity trade-off of muscles and motors can be overcome by instead loading and releasing energy in springs to power extreme movements. A key component of this paradigm is the latch that mediates the release of spring energy to power the motion. Latches have traditionally been considered as switches; they maintain spring compression in one state and allow the spring to release energy without constraint in the other. Using a mathematical model of a simplified contact latch, we reproduce this instantaneous release behaviour and also demonstrate that changing latch parameters (latch release velocity and radius) can reduce and delay the energy released by the spring. We identify a critical threshold between instantaneous and delayed release that depends on the latch, spring, and mass of the system. Systems with stiff springs and small mass can attain a wide range of output performance, including instantaneous behaviour, by changing latch release velocity. We validate this model in both a physical experiment as well as with data from the Dracula ant, Mystrium camillae, and propose that latch release velocity can be used in both engineering and biological systems to control energy output.
Isolamento de Salmonella sp e Staphylococcus aureus no processo do abate suíno como subsídio ao sistema de Análise de Perigos e Pontos Críticos de Controle - APPCC

O presente estudo foi realizado para avaliar a presenca de Salmonella sp e o numero de Staphylococcus aureus na superficie de carcacas suinas e caracterizar os perigos microbiologicos em diferentes etapas do abate e pontos criticos de controle (PCCs), atraves da quantificacao de riscos (odds ratio). Um total de 120 esfregacos superficiais de carcaca suina foi coletado em um matadouro-frigorifico, apos o escaldamento/depilacao (ponto A), antes da evisceracao (B), apos evisceracao e serragem da carcaca (C) e apos 24 horas de refrigeracao (D). Salmonella sp foi encontrada com uma frequencia media de 11,7% (14) nas carcacas, enquanto o numero de S. aureus variou entre 1,2 e 1,5 log UFC/cm2 em 11,7% das carcacas amostradas, sem evidenciar diferenca estatistica entre os pontos A, B, C e D. Pode-se concluir que os riscos de contaminacao por Salmonella sp e S. aureus foram os mesmos nas etapas do abate de suinos consideradas neste estudo.
Genetic growth potential, rather than phenotypic size, predicts migration phenotype in Atlantic salmon

Knowledge of the relative importance of genetic versus environmental determinants of major developmental transitions is pertinent to understanding phenotypic evolution. In salmonid fishes, a major developmental transition enables a risky seaward migration that provides access to feed resources. In Atlantic salmon, initiation of the migrant phenotype, and thus age of migrants, is presumably controlled via thresholds of a quantitative liability, approximated by body size expressed long before the migration. However, how well size approximates liability, both genetically and environmentally, remains uncertain. We studied 32 Atlantic salmon families in two temperatures and feeding regimes (fully fed, temporarily restricted) to completion of migration status at age 1 year. We detected a lower migrant probability in the cold (0.42) than the warm environment (0.76), but no effects of male maturation status or feed restriction. By contrast, body length in late summer predicted migrant probability and its control reduced migrant probability heritability by 50–70%. Furthermore, migrant probability and length showed high heritabilities and between-environment genetic correlations, and were phenotypically highly correlated with stronger genetic than environmental contributions. Altogether, quantitative estimates for the genetic and environmental effects predicting the migrant phenotype indicate, for a given temperature, a larger importance of genetic than environmental size effects.
Co-adaptation enhances the resilience of mutualistic networks

Mutualistic networks, which describe the ecological interactions between multiple types of species such as plants and pollinators, play a paramount role in the generation of Earth’s biodiversity. The resilience of a mutualistic network denotes its ability to retain basic functionality when errors and failures threaten the persistence of the community. Under the disturbances of mass extinctions and human-induced disasters, it is crucial to understand how mutualistic networks respond to changes, which enables the system to increase resilience and tolerate further damages. Despite recent advances in the modelling of the structure-based adaptation, we lack mathematical and computational models to describe and capture the co-adaptation between the structure and dynamics of mutualistic networks. In this paper, we incorporate dynamic features into the adaptation of structure and propose a co-adaptation model that drastically enhances the resilience of non-adaptive and structure-based adaptation models. Surprisingly, the reason for the enhancement is that the co-adaptation mechanism simultaneously increases the heterogeneity of the mutualistic network significantly without changing its connectance. Owing to the broad applications of mutualistic networks, our findings offer new ways to design mechanisms that enhance the resilience of many other systems, such as smart infrastructures and social–economical systems.
MAVPro: ADS-B message verification for aviation security with minimal numbers of on-ground sensors

Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) centrally contributes to aircraft traffic control in the US and Europe since 2020. ADS-B messages contain information about aircraft location and tracks to provide better real-time traceability of aircraft in space. However, the lack of security mechanisms will be an obstacle for trusting the ADS-B technology. Thus, countermeasures should be integrated to secure the communication and evaluate the integrity and trustworthiness of received messages. In this paper, we design a message verification protocol called MAVPro to evaluate the trustworthiness of received ADS-B messages whose authenticity and integrity could otherwise not be verified. The main idea behind MAVPro is to compare location claims in received ADS-B messages with expected aircraft locations, which are computed using predicted trajectory information (e. g., velocity, elapsed time, aircraft acceleration, heading information) and a set of pre-trusted, continuously updated anchors. Our protocol is able to evaluate the trustworthiness of received messages if as little as one ADS-B receiver obtains a message --- as opposed to four receivers required for using multilateration-based techniques to verify position claims. Thus we are able to considerably extend the coverage area where security checks can be applied compared to existing solutions. We evaluate MAVPro based on real-time data from the OpenSky network, analyze its performance, and verify its applicability to address ADS-B security concerns. MAVPro is backwards compatible and does not require changes to the ADS-B infrastructure.
Properdin Is a Key Player in Lysis of Red Blood Cells and Complement Activation on Endothelial Cells in Hemolytic Anemias Caused by Complement Dysregulation

The complement system alternative pathway (AP) can be activated excessively in inflammatory diseases, particularly when there is defective complement regulation. For instance, deficiency in complement regulators CD55 and CD59, leads to paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), whereas Factor H mutations predispose to atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), both causing severe thrombohemolysis. Despite eculizumab being the treatment for these diseases, benefits vary considerably among patients. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in complement regulation is essential for developing new treatments. Properdin, the positive AP regulator, is essential for complement amplification by stabilizing enzymatic convertases. In this study, the role of properdin in red blood cell (RBC) lysis and endothelial cell opsonization in these AP-mediated diseases was addressed by developing in vitro assays using PNH patient RBCs and human primary endothelial cells, where the effects of inhibiting properdin, using novel monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) that we generated and characterized, were compared to other complement inhibitors. In in vitro models of PNH, properdin inhibition prevented hemolysis of patient PNH type II and III RBCs more than inhibition of Factor B, C3, and C5 (>17-fold, or >81-fold, or >12-fold lower molar IC90 values, respectively). When tested in an in vitro aHUS hemolysis model, the anti-properdin MoAbs had 11-fold, and 86-fold lower molar IC90 values than inhibition of Factor B, or C3, respectively (P < 0.0001). When comparing target/inhibitor ratios in all hemolysis assays, inhibiting properdin was at least as efficient as the other complement inhibitors in most cases. In addition, using in vitro endothelial cell assays, the data indicate a critical novel role for properdin in promoting complement activation on human endothelial cells exposed to heme (a hemolysis by-product) and rH19-20 (to inhibit Factor H cell-surface protection), as occurs in aHUS. Inhibition of properdin or C3 in this system significantly reduced C3 fragment deposition by 75%. Altogether, the data indicate properdin is key in promoting RBC lysis and complement activation on human endothelial cells, contributing to the understanding of PNH and aHUS pathogenesis. Further studies to determine therapeutic values of inhibiting properdin in complement-mediated diseases, in particular those that are characterized by AP dysregulation, are warranted.
Immunomodulatory Effects of Diet and Nutrients in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): A Systematic Review

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by multiple organ involvement, including the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, central nervous system and the haematopoietic system, with a large number of complications. Despite years of study, the etiology of SLE remains unclear; thus, safe and specifically targeted therapies are lacking. In the last 20 years, researchers have explored the potential of nutritional factors on SLE and have suggested complementary treatment options through diet. This study systematically reviews and evaluates the clinical and preclinical scientific evidence of diet and dietary supplementation that either alleviate or exacerbate the symptoms of SLE. For this review, a systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases only for articles written in the English language. Based on the currently published literature, it was observed that a low-calorie and low-protein diet with high contents of fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and polyphenols contain sufficient potential macronutrients and micronutrients to regulate the activity of the overall disease by modulating the inflammation and immune functions of SLE.
FIB-4 Regression With Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy in Patients With Hepatitis C Infection: A Safety-Net Hospital Experience

Background: Liver fibrosis stage determines the risk of morbidity and mortality from chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The majority of HCV-infected patients are underserved and have other comorbid conditions that lead to more progressive liver disease such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Safety net hospitals are the prime location to treat these patients. Direct acting antiviral (DAA) agents are highly effective in virus eradication. Aim: We aimed to evaluate the effect of treatment with DAAs on FIB-4 index. Methods: We identified 343 patients who initiated HCV treatment with DAAs from 2016 to 2018 and achieved a sustained virologic response (SVR) in Metrohealth Medical Center, a safety net hospital system. We compared the severity of hepatic fibrosis before and 1 year after SVR was attained. We evaluated whether the presence of other comorbid conditions influenced liver fibrosis regression. All analyses were performed using SAS software. Results: There was a statistically significant drop in mean FIB-4 score from baseline to post-SVR (3.47 ± 2.84 vs. 2.28 ± 1.60, P < 0.001). One hundred seventeen patients had baseline FIB-4 scores ≥3.25, 56% had FIB-4 scores <3.25 after SVR. Alcohol use disorder was associated with a higher baseline FIB-4 score compared to low level drinking (3.85 ± 0.20 vs. 3.15 ± 0.16). These patients showed greater improvement in FIB-4 scores after treatment when compared to those without alcohol use disorder (1.44 ± 0.15 vs. 0.97 ± 0.13, P = 0.02). Conclusion: FIB-4 index is a useful non-invasive tool for monitoring fibrosis regression after antiviral therapy. Patients with a history of alcohol abuse had the greatest reduction in FIB-4 score post-SVR.
4th KidRec workshop - "what does good look like?": from design, research, and practice to policy

Data about people are constantly collected and stored to help understand patterns which can then be leveraged by information retrieval systems (IRS), such as search engines or recommender systems, to identify and rank resources that respond to diverse users' needs. As a significant group of technology users, children's data are also collected for IRS. In the 4th edition of our proposed workshop, we seek to continue to build professional community connected to children's IRS and expand on the framework identified in the 3rd KidRec that outlines how to evaluate good IRS. This time, we are particularly interested in exploring how design, research, and practice perspectives can cohesively define policy in this area.
A Molecular Approach to the Circumscription and Evaluation of Some Genera Segregated from Parmelia S. Lat

Abstract New sequences have been produced of the ITS rDNA region of twenty-nine species of Parmeliaceae and analysed by neighbour-joining maximum likelihood distance analysis, and maximum parsimony analysis. Twelve monophyletic groups have been identified, most of which correspond to proposed generic segregated from Parmelia s. lat. Parmelia and Parmelina, Melanelia, and Punctelia appear as independent monophyletic groups; the type species of the two latter genera were, however, not included in the analysis. The parsimony analysis does not support Xanthoparmelia as a monophyletic group separate from Neofuscelia, and Rimelia reticulate is nested within Parmotrema. Parmelinopsis horrescens is more closely related to Hypotrachyna revolute than to Parmelina. Genetic distance values suggest that Flavoparmelia caperata is closer to Parmotrema than to other taxa included, and that Platismatia glauca and Hypogymnia tubulosa are closer to Parmelia s. lat. than to the Physciaceae. However, there is no conclusive support for any of thelatter groupings in the parsimony analysis. We conclude that the ITS region contains valuable information for studying generic delimitations within the family Parmeliaceae, but our study suggests that this region will not conclusively resolve within-family relationships in this group.
Comparison of the prolonged swimming performances of closely related, morphologically distinct three‐spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus spp.

Prolonged swimming performances of two as yet unnamed species of three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus spp. , were compared. The two fishes (not yet formally described, referred to here as benthic and limnetic) inhabit different niches within Paxton Lake, Texada Island, British Columbia, Canada, and are recent, morphologically distinct species. Limnetics had longer endurance during prolonged swimming than did benthics. The mean regression of the log10 of fatigue time (Ft, s) on swimming speed (U, standard length, LS s−1) for limnetics (log10Ft = 7·03 − 0·46U) had a similar slope, but a significantly higher intercept than that for benthics (log10Ft = 5·55 − 0·43U). Adult benthics were larger, heavier and deeper-bodied fish than limnetics. Limnetics, however, had a significantly greater pectoral fin edge:base ratio (mean ± s.e.: limnetics, 4·58 ± 0·43; benthics, 3·63 ± 0·27). In addition, limnetics had significantly lower drag coefficients (CD) than benthics (limnetics, log10CD = −0·49log10Re + 0·66; benthics, log10CD = −0·26log10Re − 0·30) where Re is the Reynolds number [(LSU (ν−1), where U and ν are swimming velocity and the kinematic viscosity of the water, respectively]. Compared to their ancestral form, the anadromous three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus L. , limnetics and benthics had significantly longer and shorter endurance times, respectively. In addition, both these fishes had significantly higher fast-start velocities than their ancestral form. Selection due to differential resource use may have lead to divergence of body form, and, therefore, of steady swimming performance. Therefore predation may be the selective force for the similar high escape performance in these two fishes.
Impact of exergames and game elements on cerebral palsy children: resistance and sound

This paper reports the impact of exergame augmented physiotherapy along with varied gaming and therapy elements for the habilitation of the children with Cerebral Palsy. The gaming environment creates a platform for children to engage physically with exergames. The lower provided via a Kinect sensor, and game theory maps input to the visual game avatar. We tested the performance of seven children with cerebral palsy while playing exergames and recorded the mixed method data. The overall gaming experience was enjoyable for the children. Six out of seven children initially found it enthusiastic to cope with the challenges of exergames with gradually increasing speed and constant resistance thus improving their involved muscle strength but lost attention when they started to get tired. Our results indicate that children were willing to play the game they liked for increased time-period and time taken to complete each game decreased over the passage of sessions.
Primate viability in a fragmented landscape: genetic diversity and parasite burden of long-tailed macaques and proboscis monkeys in the lower Kinabatangan floodplain, Sabah, Malaysia

This study investigates the genetic and parasite diversity of two primate species living in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS), Sabah, Malaysia. Based on non-invasive samples (faeces), the effects of forest fragmentation and geographical barriers, especially the Kinabatangan River, on these two species of primates with different social systems and dispersal abilities were examined. While the proboscis monkey is an endangered primate, the long-tailed macaque is considered one of the most successful invasive alien species. The genetic diversity and the potential effect of the Kinabatangan River on the population structure were examined using microsatellites and a microsatellite library specific for the proboscis monkey was developed during this study. High and moderate levels of genetic diversity were found for the long-tailed macaque and the proboscis monkey respectively. As predicted from the dispersal pattern of these primates, microsatellite analysis revealed low genetic differentiation among sites, suggesting high levels of gene flow as well as regional admixture with one genetically-based cluster inferred from Bayesian analyses. In addition to the neutral genetic marker, as a preliminary approach to study adaptive genetic variation in these populations, Mhc-DRB loci were identified in both species using generalist -DRB primers. High levels of diversity and evidence of positive selection were found in the long-tailed macaque sequences, which included representatives of several -DRB loci/lineages according to phylogenetic analyses. In contrast, only five -DRB sequences were detected in the proboscis monkey, all belonging to a single -DRB locus although few, these are the first MHC reported sequences for this species. MHC variability is believed to be maintained by pathogen-driven selection, mediated either through heterozygote advantage or frequency- dependent selection. Using the same samples as for the genetic analysis, a survey of the gastrointestinal parasite fauna of both primates revealed 14 taxa. Parasite richness was higher in proboscis monkeys, and prevalence of particular parasites differed between the primates. Potential effects of natural and anthropomorphic mediated habitat fragmentation on parasite species richness, proportion of individuals with mixed infections and the prevalence of particular parasites between the two primate species were explored. Natural fragmentation (the Kinabatangan River) did not affect parasite distribution. Although it was expected that areas with high rates of human-non-human primate contact would have a positive correlation with the assessed parameters this was not always the case as host-parasite dynamics are likely to be affected by complex interactions between environmental, and host demographic, behavioural and genetic factors. The results of this study can be used as a baseline for conservation and management measures for the proboscis monkeys and long-tailed macaques of the LKWS.
Reciprocal pilferage and the evolution of food-hoarding behavior

Current theories of food-hoarding behavior maintain that hoarding can be adaptive if a hoarder is more likely than any other animal to retrieve its own caches. A survey of the literature indicated that the hoarder often has a recovery advantage when searching for items it has stored, but levels of cache pilferage are often so high (2--30% per day) that at least for some long-term food hoarders, the caching animal is unlikely to recover a significant amount of its stored food. Except in a few cases (acorn woodpeckers and beavers), kin selection cannot explain the high levels of pilferage observed. We suggest that some small solitary animals with overlapping home ranges (e.g., most rodents, chickadees, and tits) are able to tolerate high levels of cache pilferage. Pilferage is not as damaging to these animals as it might otherwise be because many interspecific and all intraspecific cache pilferers also cache food. These or similar food caches can be pilfered later by the original food hoarder. In other words, pilfering in these species is often reciprocal, and because it is reciprocal, it can be tolerated. We argue that caching systems based on reciprocal pilfering can be stable and are not necessarily susceptible to "cheaters," animals that pilfer food but do not scatter hoard food themselves, and we introduce a model of food hoarding to support this argument. These food-caching systems based on reciprocal pilfering resemble cooperative behavior, but the behavior is actually driven by the selfish interests of individuals. This theory of scatter-hoarding behavior based on reciprocity has important implications for the ways that food-hoarding animals interact with inter- and intraspecific competitors. Copyright 2003.