Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Less Than the Sum of Its Parts: Blade Clustering Reduces Drag in the Bull Kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana (Phaeophyceae)

Nereocystis luetkeana is a large, canopy‐forming kelp that is commonly found in nearshore waters between Alaska and California. Despite regularly reaching lengths in excess of 30 m, this alga demonstrates a remarkable ability to endure hydrodynamically stressful environments without being dislodged by waves or currents. While morphological aspects of this kelp, including its long flexible stipe, have been shown to reduce drag, blade clustering has never been directly tested. In this study, we examined how the distinctive multi‐bladed morphology of Nereocystis thalli limits drag in flow. We measured drag on whole kelps in a large recirculating flume and quantified how drag was affected by serial removal of blades. We then compared measured drag with predictions of “additive drag”, which we defined as the sum of the drag that each blade experiences in isolation. We found that, on average, intact thalli experience only 37% of the predicted additive drag when subjected to a flow rate of 0.40–0.50 m · s−1. Our results indicate that the subdivision of the photosynthetic area into multiple blades has a drag‐reducing effect on Nereocystis thalli. We found drag increases less than proportionally with the cumulative area, meaning the contribution of individual blades to overall drag decreases with increasing blade number. That is, as thalli develop, each additional blade incurs a reduced hydrodynamic cost, perhaps lending insight into how thalli can grow so large.
BRZ-INSENSITIVE-PALE GREEN 1 is encoded by chlorophyll biosynthesis enzyme gene that functions in the downstream of brassinosteroid signaling.

Brassinosteroids (BRs), a kind of phytohormone, have various biological activities such as promoting of plant growth, increasing of stress resistance, and chloroplast development. Though BRs have been known to have physiological effects on chloroplast, the detailed mechanism of chloroplast development and chlorophyll biosynthesis in BR signaling remains unknown. Here we identified a recessive pale green Arabidopsis mutant, Brz-insensitive-pale green1 (bpg1), which was insensitive to promoting of greening by BR biosynthesis-specific inhibitor Brz in the light. BPG1 gene encoded chlorophyll biosynthesis enzyme, 3, 8-divinyl protochlorophyllide a 8-vinyl reductase (DVR), and bpg1 accumulated divinyl chlorophylls. Chloroplast development was suppressed in bpg1. Brz dramatically increased the expression of chlorophyll biosynthesis enzyme genes, including BPG1. These results suggest that chlorophyll biosynthesis enzymes are regulated by BR signaling in the aspect of gene expression and BPG1 plays an important role in regulating of chloroplast development.
Human Monoclonal Antibodies to Escherichia coli Outer Membrane Protein A Porin Domain Cause Aggregation but Do Not Alter In Vivo Bacterial Burdens in a Murine Sepsis Model

Escherichia coli is one of the most frequent human pathogens, increasingly exhibits antimicrobial resistance, and has complex interactions with the host immune system. E. coli exposure or infection can result in the generation of antibodies specific for outer membrane protein A (OmpA), a multifunctional porin. We identified four OmpA-specific naturally occurring antibodies from healthy human donor B cells and assessed their interactions with E. coli and OmpA. ABSTRACT Escherichia coli is one of the most frequent human pathogens, increasingly exhibits antimicrobial resistance, and has complex interactions with the host immune system. E. coli exposure or infection can result in the generation of antibodies specific for outer membrane protein A (OmpA), a multifunctional porin. We identified four OmpA-specific naturally occurring antibodies from healthy human donor B cells and assessed their interactions with E. coli and OmpA. These antibodies are highly specific for OmpA, exhibiting no cross-reactivity to a strain lacking ompA and retaining binding to both laboratory and clinical isolates of E. coli in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunofluorescence assays. One monoclonal antibody (Mab), designated ECOL-11, is specific for the extracellular N-terminal porin domain of OmpA and induces growth phase-specific bacterial aggregation. This aggregation is not induced by the fragment antigen binding (Fab) form of the MAb, suggesting the importance of bivalency for this aggregating activity. ECOL-11 decreases adhesion and phagocytosis of E. coli by RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells, possibly by inhibiting the adhesion functions of OmpA. Despite this in vitro phenotype, organ E. coli burdens were not altered by antibody prophylaxis in a murine model of lethal E. coli septic shock. Our findings support the importance of OmpA at the host-pathogen interface and begin to explore the implications and utility of E. coli-specific antibodies in human hosts.
A double‐blind, Randomized controlled trial on glucose‐lowering EFfects and safety of adding 0.25 or 0.5 mg lobeglitazone in type 2 diabetes patients with INadequate control on metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor therapy: REFIND study

To compare the efficacy and safety of adding low‐dose lobeglitazone (0.25 mg/day) or standard‐dose lobeglitazone (0.5 mg/day) to patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with inadequate glucose control on metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP4) inhibitor therapy.
Parallel recolonizations generate distinct genomic sectors in kelp following high‐magnitude earthquake disturbance

Large‐scale disturbance events have the potential to drastically reshape biodiversity patterns. Notably, newly vacant habitat space cleared by disturbance can be colonized by multiple lineages, which can lead to the evolution of distinct spatial “sectors” of genetic diversity within a species. We test for disturbance‐driven sectoring of genetic diversity in intertidal southern bull kelp, Durvillaea antarctica (Chamisso) Hariot, following the high‐magnitude 1855 Wairarapa earthquake in New Zealand. Specifically, we use genotyping‐by‐sequencing (GBS) to analyse fine‐scale population structure across the uplift zone and apply machine learning to assess the fit of alternative recolonizaton models. Our analysis reveals that specimens from the uplift zone carry distinctive genomic signatures potentially linked to post‐earthquake recolonization processes. Specifically, our analysis identifies two parapatric spatial‐genomic sectors of D. antarctica at Turakirae Head, which experienced the most dramatic uplift. Based on phylogeographical modelling, we infer that bull kelp in the Wellington region was probably a source for recolonization of the heavily uplifted Turakirae Head coastline, via two parallel, eastward recolonization events. By identifying multiple parapatric genotypic sectors within a recently recolonized coastal region, the current study provides support for the hypothesis that competing lineage expansions can generate striking spatial structuring of genetic diversity, even in highly dispersive taxa.
Why Antibias Interventions (Need Not) Fail

There is a critical disconnect between scientific knowledge about the nature of bias and how this knowledge gets translated into organizational debiasing efforts. Conceptual confusion around what implicit bias is contributes to misunderstanding. Bridging these gaps is the key to understanding when and why antibias interventions will succeed or fail. Notably, there are multiple distinct pathways to biased behavior, each of which requires different types of interventions. To bridge the gap between public understanding and psychological research, we introduce a visual typology of bias that summarizes the process by which group-relevant cognitions are expressed as biased behavior. Our typology spotlights cognitive, motivational, and situational variables that affect the expression and inhibition of biases while aiming to reduce the ambiguity of what constitutes implicit bias. We also address how norms modulate how biases unfold and are perceived by targets. Using this typology as a framework, we identify theoretically distinct entry points for antibias interventions. A key insight is that changing associations, increasing motivation, raising awareness, and changing norms are distinct goals that require different types of interventions targeting individual, interpersonal, and institutional structures. We close with recommendations for antibias training grounded in the science of prejudice and stereotyping.
Dual nature of mouse periderm structure, function and fate

The periderm is the outer layer of embryonic skin, which is essential for the development of the epidermis and the establishment of its barrier function. In humans, the periderm is a monolayer and is shed prenatally. The structure and fate of the mouse periderm remain puzzling. Using electron microscopy of mouse skin between the embryonic day 14.5 and the postnatal Day 2, we have assessed the periderm structure and its shedding patterns. In contrast to human periderm, the mouse periderm appears to be bilayered, comprising a presumably absorptive outer periderm with numerous microvilli and an inner periderm packed with specific (glycogen‐containing? ) granules. The desmosomes between the inner periderm and the underlying epidermis are scarce, and they are totally absent between the inner and the outer periderm. The inner and outer periderms in mice are shed at different stages of development: the outer periderm is shed in utero in conjunction with barrier acquisition (E16‐18), while the inner periderm is retained postnatally. We assume that the bilayered structure of the mouse periderm and the postnatal retention of its inner layer represent the evolutionary adaptations in ancestral rodents which helps altricial newborns of their extant descendants to cope with acute dehydration right after birth and/or provides a substrate for proper bacterial colonization of newborn skin.
Self-Adhesive and Antioxidant Poly(vinylpyrrolidone)/Alginate-Based Bilayer Films Loaded with Malva sylvestris Extracts as Potential Skin Dressings

Malva sylvestris (MS) is a medicinal herb known worldwide for its beneficial effects due to the several active molecules present in its leaves and flowers. These compounds have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and thus can be helpful in treatments of burns and chronic wounds, characterized mainly by high levels of free radicals and impairments of the inflammatory response. In this work, we propose bilayer films as wound dressings, based on poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and sodium alginate loaded with M. sylvestris extracts from leaves and flowers and fabricated by combining solvent-casting and rod-coating methods. The top layer is produced in two different PVP/alginate ratios and loaded with the MS flowers’ extract, while the bottom layer is composed of PVP and MS leaves’ extract. The bilayers were characterized morphologically, chemically, and mechanically, while they showed superior self-adhesive properties on human skin compared to a commercial skin patch. The materials showed antioxidant activity, release of the bioactive compounds, and water uptake property. Moreover, the anthocyanin content of the flower extract provided the films with the ability to change color when immersed in buffers of different pH levels. In vitro tests using primary keratinocytes demonstrated the biocompatibility of the MS bilayer materials and their capacity to enhance the proliferation of the cells in a wound scratch model. Finally, the best performing MS bilayer sample with a PVP/alginate ratio of 70:30 was evaluated in mice models, showing suitable resorption properties and the capacity to reduce the level of inflammatory mediators in UVB-induced burns when applied to an open wound. These outcomes suggest that the fabricated bilayer films loaded with M. sylvestris extracts are promising formulations as active and multifunctional dressings for treating skin disorders.
Are There Bidirectional Influences Between Screen Time Exposure and Social Behavioral Traits in Young Children?

This article has supplementary material on the web site: www.jdbp. org. ABSTRACT: Objective: Screen time in early childhood has been associated with children's prosocial and behavioral skills; however, the directionality of this relationship is unclear. We aimed to determine the direction of the relationship between screen time, social skills, and nonsocial behavioral traits in young children. Methods: This was a population-based, prospective cohort study with data across 5 time points. We examined the reciprocal relationships between caregiver-reported children's screen time at 12, 18, 24, 36, and 54 months and social behaviors collected using the Infant-Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment at 12 months; the Quantitative Checklist for Autism at 18, 24, and 36 months; and the Social Responsiveness Scale at 54 months. Cross-lagged path models were used for analysis. Results: A multiple imputation data set and complete data from 229 participants were included in the analyses. Screen time at 12, 18, and 36 months predicted nonsocial behavioral traits at 54 months. Cross-lagged path models showed a clear direction from increased screen time at earlier time points to both poorer social skills and atypical behaviors at later time points (Akaike information criterion 18936.55, Bayesian information criterion 19210.73, root mean square error of approximation 0.037, and comparative fit index 0.943). Social skills or behavioral traits at a younger age did not predict later screen time at any of the time points. Conclusion: Screen time in early childhood has lagged influences on social skills and nonsocial behaviors; the reverse relationship is not found. Close monitoring of social behaviors may be warranted in the setting of excessive screen time during early childhood.
Project Report Exhibition Fish

Big Data has brought important technological advances in several fields such as medicine, engineering or natural sciences. Together with these advantages, data comes with numerous risks and challenges that affect society in a wide range of aspects, and which raise several concerns on the part of digital users regarding their private data. In this report, we explore the concept of the Privacy Paradox, which describes the contradiction between data privacy concerns and the actual private behaviors of users. In particular, we want to explore to what extent the Privacy Paradox is present among students in Munich, as well as understand some of the factors that could explain this phenomenon. We performed a quantitative analysis in the form of a questionnaire to determine if the Privacy Paradox is indeed present in our target group and if providing a prior bias towards the topic affected the result of the questionnaire. Additionally, we performed a qualitative analysis in the form of interviews, to determine how and if the contextualization of privacy affects behavior towards data disclosure. We found from the quantitative questionnaire that the Privacy Paradox is indeed present among students in Munich and that the prior bias does not have an effect on actual privacy behavior. Additionally, from the qualitative interview, we observed the dependence of the context on the notion of privacy as well as the presence of a coerced participation on the data-requiring platforms. These results give some insights into possible approaches or solutions to the Privacy Paradox.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: GlobalDNA SIMULATION FOR TEACHING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COURSES

The use of simulations in business education started in 1957, since then, hundreds of simulations have been developed and/or introduced in the classroom. In this paper, we present a literature review of the impact that business simulations have in developing decision-making skills, integrative, experiential learning, and teamwork skills. Building on the generative learning theory, experiential learning theory and bloom? s taxonomy, we tested the simulation GlobalDNA with a sample of undergraduate students divided into 4 groups. The objective was to obtain feedback of the applicability and benefit of using this software to teach decision-making in international business courses from a student and instructor experience perspectives. Results showed GlobalDNA being applicable to senior level or capstone international business strategy courses and appropriate as an experiential learning tool. Students we asked, at the end of the class to submit introspective summaries regarding the software program. We found supporting evidence and student perceived benefits for implementing simulations into the international business curricula to represent the experiential learning prong, and GlobalDNA provided a relevant backdrop for it.
First double stage heat transformer (DSHT) in latinamerica

1 Engineering and Applied Science Research Centre, Autonomous University of Morelos State. Av. Universidad 1001, Chamilpa (62209), Cuernavaca, Morelos 2 Engineering and Applied Science Postgraduate School, Autonomous University of Morelos State. Av. Universidad 1001, Chamilpa (62209), Cuernavaca, Morelos 3 Centro de Estudio de las Energias Renovables, Instituto de Ingenieria, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Calle de la Normal s/n, Col. Insurgentes Este, 21280 Mexicali, B.C., Mexico
Hand Segmentation for Hand Gesture Recognition

Hand gesture recognition system has received great attention in the recent few years because of its manifoldness applications and the ability to interact with machine efficiently through human computer interaction. In this work Hand segmentation using color models is introduced for obtaining hand gestures or detecting user's hand by color segmentation technique for faster, better, robust, accurate and real-time applications. There are many such color models available for human hand and human skin detection with relative advantages and disadvantages in the field of Image Processing. For the purpose of hand Segmentation mix model approach has been adopted for best results. For detection of Hand from an image. The proposed approach is found to be accurate and effective for multiple conditions.
Enhancing Current Collection for Blue Band InGaN-Based Photovoltaic Devices with Shallow Mesa

InGaN-based photovoltaic devices that incorporate a p-i-n design with GaN/InGaN superlattice absorption layers epitaxially grown on sapphire substrates by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy techniques are produced. The stacked superlattice structure with thin barrier and well layers is applied and used as the absorption layer. Since the carrier lifetime can dramatically dominate the current collection’s efficiency of a photovoltaic device, the devices are designed in this study to have different mesa heights for evaluating the effect of effective thickness of n + -GaN layer with high-density defects (i.e., short diffusion length of carriers) on device performance. The conversion efficiency of the devices with a mesa height as low as 300 nm can be improved by
A Game Theoretic Analysis of the Utility of Reputation Management

Reputation-management is gaining credibility as a technique that augments conventional cryptographic approaches to securing wireless sensor networks, since these tend to be heavyweight and rely on central control, both of which do not necessarily fit well with such an application domain. The proposed role of reputation management is to provide analysis of the behaviour of nodes/agents and to distribute this information so that nodes/agents judged to be acting against the interests of a community can be caught in time and their effects limited. In this paper, we question some of the assumptions made about the suitability of reputation-management as a decision making tool and highlight its limitations with regard to the incentives required to realise the benefits that are claimed for it. Moreover, we show that these benefits may not be realisable in reality without enforcing tight constraints on the behaviour of agents and on environmental features of systems.
Touchable: Adapting a Haptic Feedback Glove for Use in Rehabilitation Contexts

With the increasing miniaturisation of computing and sensor technology, it is becoming common for electronics of all kinds to be integrated into clothing and other wearable items. Motion sensing technologies in particular have been used for a variety of consumer fitness and virtual reality applications for able-bodied people. This research explores the potential for affordable motion capture and haptic feedback technologies to be utilised in a rehabilitation context, with a specific focus on the hand. An iterative development process was used to adapt and improve an existing prototype haptic feedback glove in response to the unique challenges facing wearable device users in a rehabilitation context. Collaboration with physiotherapists provided valuable feedback throughout the design process. The result is a significantly different prototype device with major design improvements, and insights into how iterative development processes can be utilised for hardware development.
RANDOM TREES HAVE HEIGHT

We obtain new non-asymptotic tail bounds for the height of uniformly random trees with a given degree sequence, simply generated trees and conditioned Bienaymé trees (the family trees of branching processes). In particular, we settle two conjectures of Janson [10], two conjectures of Addario-Berry, Devroye and Janson [2], and a conjecture of Addario-Berry [1]. Moreover, we deﬁne a partial ordering on degree sequences and show that it induces a stochastic ordering on the heights of uniformly random trees with given degree sequences. The latter result settles a conjecture of Addario-Berry, Donderwinkel, Maazoun and Martin [4], and can also be used to show that sub-binary random trees are stochastically the tallest trees with a given number of vertices and leaves. Our proofs are based in part on a bijection introduced by Addario-Berry, Donderwinkel, Maazoun and Martin [4], which can be recast to provide a line-breaking construction of random trees with given vertex degrees.
Implementation of an Air Supply Unit Control Scheme for the UC2AV (Unmanned Circulation Control Aerial Vehicle)

The expanded prevalence of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in recent years has created many opportunities to research novel applications for their use, enabled by the reduced cost, mission flexibility, and reduced risk that small-scale unmanned platforms provide in comparison to larger aircraft. Despite the versatility of unmanned aviation, limitations on payload size and weight, fuel and power capacity, and takeoff and landing infrastructure can restrict UAV applications, and have created a need for lift augmenting technologies that can reduce the impact of these limitations. Circulation Control (CC) is an active flow technique that has been proven as a method for augmenting the lift of fixed-wing aircraft. To enhance the performance and reduce the energy impact of a CC system on a UAV, a control system is required. This thesis summarizes research to develop, implement, and test both a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller and a Fuzzy Logic (FL) controller to regulate the behavior of the CC system on the Unmanned Circulation Control Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). Time domain frequency data in conjunction with system identification techniques are applied to model the dynamics of the system. A mathematical plant consisting of a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) input and RPM, air velocity (Vj), and power consumption outputs is presented as a framework for controller development and testing prior to implementation on the physical CC system. Performance evaluation of the PID and FL controllers is conducted throughout a simulated flight envelope consisting of takeoff, cruise, and landing phases. Response characteristics and power consumption during each phase is evaluated. Results obtained from experimentation validate the applicability