Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Human Motor Cortex Contributes to Gravity Compensation to Maintain Posture and During Reaching

How the neural motor system recruits muscles to support the arm against gravity is a matter of active debate. It is unknown how the neural motor system compensates for the changing gravity-related joint moments either when holding a steady-state posture or during movement between postural steady states, e.g., during reaching. Here we used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to compare the roles that the human primary motor cortex plays in the muscle recruitment to compensate for gravity. We hypothesized that the motor cortex contributes to muscle recruitment to both maintain posture and to compensate for changes in gravitational passive joint moments during movement. To test this hypothesis, we used visual targets in virtual reality to instruct five postures and three movements with or against gravity. We then measured the amplitude and gain of motor evoked potentials in multiple muscles of the arm at several phases of the reaching motion and during posture maintenance. Stimulation below the resting motor threshold, calibrated to the biceps muscle, caused motor evoked potentials in all muscles during all postural and reaching tasks. The amplitude of motor evoked potentials was proportional to the motoneuronal excitability measured as muscle activity. The coefficient of proportionality was positively correlated with the postural component of muscle moment during posture and movement. Altogether our results support the hypothesis. The observed contribution of the motor cortex to the recruitment of multiple antagonistic muscles suggests a whole-limb strategy for overcoming passive gravity-related moments with both active muscle moments and muscle co-activation that modulates limb impedance. New & Noteworthy Maintaining static posture and producing motion appear to be contradictory tasks for the nervous system. In contrast to this seeming dichotomy, our results show that the motorcortical control signals play the same role in both tasks when it is framed in biomechanical terms, i.e., muscle contractions needed to compensate for gravity.
Cluster cleaned HOPG by XPS

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to characterize a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) sample. The HOPG was freshly cleaved using Scotch tape prior in the entry lock of the spectrometer and subsequently cleaned using an argon cluster source. This method of cleaning has led to an improved definition of the C KLL Auger signal used for differentiation in the determination of sp2/sp3 ratios according to the method of Lascovich et al. [Appl. Surf. Sci. 78, 17 (1994)].
Conserved roles of Distal-less and spalt in regulating butterfly melanic patterns

Simple spot patterns are proposed to be ancestral to more complex eyespot patterns found on the wings of butterflies. Two genes, Distal-less (Dll) and spalt (sal), are known to be involved in two separate functions in establishing nymphalid butterfly eyespots: in the differentiation of their central signaling cells, or foci, necessary for eyespot ring formation, and in scale melanisation. However, little is known about the functions of these genes in the development of more primitive spot patterns. Here, we study the roles of Dll and sal in the development of spots and other melanic wing patterns of the Indian cabbage white, Pieris canidia, a pierid butterfly. We examined the expression pattern of both genes in developing larval and pupal wings and explored their functions using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. In P. canidia, both Dll and sal are expressed in the tips and along the margin of pupal wings, areas of future scale melanisation. Additionally, sal alone, is expressed in the future black spot patterns. CRISPR knockouts of Dll and sal showed that both genes are required for promoting melanic scales in the areas where they are expressed. Both Dll and sal also function as repressors of the pteridine pigment pathway. We conclude that both genes share a conserved role in promoting scale melanisation, across pierid and nymphalid butterflies, but are unlikely to be involved in differentiating spot centers. The genetic and developmental mechanisms that set up the location of spots and eyespots are likely distinct and independently evolved in each lineage.
MicroRNAs as Indicators into the Causes and Consequences of Whole-Genome Duplication Events

Whole genome duplications (WGDs) have long been considered the causal mechanism underlying the dramatic increase in vertebrate morphological complexity relative to invertebrates. This is due to the retention and neo-functionalization of paralogues generated during these events, evolving new regulatory circuits, and ultimately morphological novelty. Nonetheless, an alternative hypothesis suggests that behind the retention of most paralogues is not neo-functionalization, but instead the degree of the inter-connectivity of the intended gene product, as well as the mode of the WGD itself. Here, we explore both the causes and consequences of WGD by examining the distribution, expression, and molecular evolution of microRNAs (miRNAs) in both gnathostome vertebrates as well as chelicerate arthropods. We find that although the number of miRNA paralogues tracks the number of WGDs experienced within the lineage, few of these paralogues experienced changes to the seed sequence, and thus are functionally equivalent relative to their mRNA targets. Nonetheless, the paralogues generated by the gnathostome 2R allotetraploidization event are retained in higher numbers on one sub-genome relative the second, with the miRNAs found on the preferred set of paralogons showing both higher expression of mature miRNA transcripts and slower molecular evolution of the precursor miRNA sequences. Importantly, WGDs do not result in the creation of miRNA novelty, nor do WGDs correlate to increases in complexity. Instead, it is the number of miRNA seed sequences in the genome itself that not only better correlate to instances in complexification, but also mechanistically explain why complexity increases when new miRNA families are established.
Advancing Genetic Selection and Behavioral Genomics of Working Dogs Through Collaborative Science

The ancient partnership between people and dogs is struggling to meet modern day needs, with demand exceeding our capacity to safely breed high-performing and healthy dogs. New statistical genetic approaches and genomic technology have the potential to revolutionize dog breeding, by transitioning from problematic phenotypic selection to methods that can preserve genetic diversity while increasing the proportion of successful dogs. To fully utilize this technology will require ultra large datasets, with hundreds of thousands of dogs. Today, dog breeders struggle to apply even the tools available now, stymied by the need for sophisticated data storage infrastructure and expertise in statistical genetics. Here, we review recent advances in animal breeding, and how a new approach to dog breeding would address the needs of working dog breeders today while also providing them with a path to realizing the next generation of technology. We provide a step-by-step guide for dog breeders to start implementing estimated breeding value selection in their programs now, and we describe how genotyping and DNA sequencing data, as it becomes more widely available, can be integrated into this approach. Finally, we call for data sharing among dog breeding programs as a path to achieving a future that can benefit all dogs, and their human partners too.
ON PROBLEMS OF CF -CONNECTED GRAPHS FOR Km,n

A connected graph G is CF -connected if there is a path between every pair of vertices with no crossing on its edges for each optimal drawing of G. We conjecture that a complete bipartite graph Km,n is CF -connected if and only if it does not contain a subgraph of K3,6 or K4,4. We establish the validity of this conjecture for all complete bipartite graphs Km,n for any m, n with min{m, n} ≤ 6, and conditionally for m, n ≥ 7 on the assumption of Zarankiewicz’s conjecture that cr(Km,n) = ⌊m 2 ⌋⌊m−1 2 ⌋⌊ n 2 ⌋⌊ n−1 2 ⌋ . 2020 Mathematics subject classification: primary 05E30; secondary 68R10.
Demo: Publishing Desktop Data with semiBlog

This demo proposal brieﬂy presents the semiBlog editing platform for Semantic Blogging. semiBlog allows a blog author to reference objects from other desktop applications — addressbook entries, events, publications, etc. — and annotate blog posts with these objects. The annotations are realized as RDF resources generated from the referenced desktop objects.
Impacts of COVID on University’s Finances A Vector Autoregressive Analysis in Quebec, Canada

Did universities benefit from the pandemic? Some did receive more funding than usual. We use vector autoregressive models to forecast both enrollment and public subsidies in a jurisdiction where public funding depends mostly on enrollment. Using unemployment as an established proxy for the impact of recessions on enrollment, we show that the recent COVID pandemic increases pressure on public subsidies. Further, we use our forecasts to decompose the current subsidies between long-term subsidies, recession induced subsidies, and additional funding. We find that the subsidies given during the pandemic were higher than what a typical recession would command for 8 universities out of 18.
HOW PORN AFFECTS THE BRAIN LIKE A DRUG

In case you’re not a neurosurgeon, here’s a crash course in how the brain works. Deep inside your brain, there’s something called a “reward pathway. ” You’ve got one. Your cat’s got one. For mammals, it comes standard. The reward pathway’s job is to help keep you alive by doing exactly what its name promises: rewards you, or more specifically, rewards you when you do something that promotes life, such as eating food or achieving something you’ve worked hard for. And the way it rewards you is by releasing chemicals in your brain— mainly one called dopamine, but also others like oxytocin.
At the Interface of Marine Disciplines: Use of Autonomous Seafloor Equipment for Studies of Biofouling Below the Shallow-Water Zone

AIMS AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY The expansion of human activities into deep sea areas is leading to an increase in the number of manmade structures on the seafloor below the shallowwater zone (<50 m depth; Jouffray et al., 2020). These structures provide a new type of habitat— hard substrate on or above the soft, sedimented bottom (e.g., Degraer et al., 2020). The development, composition, and abundance of biofouling organisms on these structures are much less studied than those in the shallow waters (Cowie, 2010). Only patchy observations exist on the temporal scale of the biofouling process on hard substrates below 50 m depth (e.g., Apolinario and Coutinho, 2009; Cowie, 2010; Bellou et al., 2012; Degraer et al., 2020). Thus, our understanding of biofouling temporal and spatial scales, and its variation with depth, is limited. One way to increase the amount of data available for addressing the development of fouling communities is collection of long-term observations using replicates of different duration (e.g., Hutchison et al., 2020). These timeand effortconsuming studies are usually based on specially designed installations mounted at different depths (e.g., Railkin, 2004). Here, we propose a simple approach for collecting biofouling observations along with primary hydrological and geophysical data. The small addition of test panels to standard oceanographic instrumentation can help to fill the gaps in our understanding of the development of biofouling communities in lesser-known areas. Here, we first present a literature review of the state of knowledge of marine biofouling to introduce the field’s terms, concepts, and knowledge gaps. We then present two case studies that support our proposed approach to collecting biofouling information, followed by identification of further steps, recommendations, and research opportunities that will improve our understanding of biofouling with increasing water depth in the ocean.
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern is driven by episodic acceleration of the genomic rate of molecular evolution

Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. *email: sduchene@unimelb.edu. au Abstract The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has seen an unprecedented amount of rapidly generated genome data. These data have revealed the emergence of lineages with mutations associated to transmissibility and antigenicity, known as variants of concern (VOCs). A striking aspect of VOCs is that many of them involve a high number of defining mutations. Current phylogenetic estimates of the evolutionary rate of SARSCoV-2 suggest that its genome accrues around 2 mutations per month. However, VOCs can have around 15 defining mutations and it is hypothesised that they emerged over the course of a few months, implying that the evolutionary rate would be several fold higher. A plausible scenario that is difficult to demonstrate empirically is that such rapid evolution has occurred within immunocompromised patients over a short period of time. We analysed genome sequence data from the GISAID database to assess whether the emergence of VOCs can be attributed to changes in the evolutionary rate of the virus and whether this pattern can be detected at a phylogenetic level using genome data. We fit a range of molecular clock models and assessed their statistical fit. Our analyses indicate that the emergence of VOCs is driven by an episodic increase in the evolutionary rate of around 6-fold the background phylogenetic rate estimate. Our results underscore the importance of monitoring the molecular evolution of the virus as a means of understanding the circumstances under which VOCs may emerge.
Does Racial Bias Distort Neighborhood Choice? The Impacts of Discrimination on Welfare and Revealed Preference in the Rental Housing Market

By constraining an individual’s choice during a search, housing discrimination distorts sorting decisions away from true preferences and results in a ceteris paribus reduction in buyer welfare. This study combines a large-scale field experiment with a residential sorting model to derive utility-theoretic measures of renter welfare loss associated with the constraints imposed by discrimination in the rental housing market. In the five major metropolitan markets we study, we find that key amenities such as lower air toxicity and better schools are associated with higher levels of discrimination. We estimate welfare costs to renters from discriminatory constraints during the first phase of a search in these cities to be equivalent to 4.6% and 4.7% of the annual incomes for the average African American and Hispanic/LatinX households, respectively. For African American renters, these costs increase substantially at higher levels of income due to systematic exclusion from high amenity neighborhoods. African American renters face damages greater than 7% of income at income levels above $100,000 per year. We then study the effects of discrimination on revealed preferences for urban amenities. We find that discrimination drives a wedge between true preferences for key neighborhood amenities and those estimated without accounting for discriminatory constraints. A naive model that ignores those constraints understates the marginal willingness to pay of renters of color for a variety of neighborhood amenities by 2.2% to 5.2% relative to White renters.
Impact factor and citation metrics in phase III cancer trials

Purpose: Journal impact factor (IF) is often used to measure research quality and importance. We assessed trial factors associated with the publication of cancer trials in journals with higher IF and publications receiving higher citations. Materials and Methods: Cancer-specific phase III RCTs were screened through https://clinicaltrials.gov. We identified trials with published primary endpoints, along with their corresponding journal IF and relative citation ratio (RCR). Results: Seven-hundred ninety manuscripts were included in our study. Trials that met their primary endpoint were more commonly published in journals with higher IF (Median IF: positive trials 35.4 vs. negative trials 26.3, P < 0.001). Furthermore, trials that led to subsequent FDA drug approvals were also published in journals with higher IF (Median IF: 59.1 vs. 26.3 in trials not leading to FDA approvals, P < 0.001). When analyzing RCR, trial positivity (meeting primary endpoint) was not associated with increased citations on multivariable analysis (P = 0.56). Lastly, publications of trials leading to FDA approvals (P < 0.001), and publications of trials in journals with higher IF (P < 0.001) were associated with increased RCR. Conclusions: Positive trials are commonly published in journals with high IF, but do not necessarily lead to increased citations. Moreover, trials published in journals with higher IF are more likely to receive increased citations.
Automation system for Smart City to collect and Address Civic Issues Using Social Media

— Due to wide spread area of the city and huge population, it becomes very difficult to reach the problems of the society 1 , the busy schedule of the citizens makes them to not submit the problem details to respected authorities. Intern the authority will not know about the problems faced by the citizens. With the popularization of smartphones, universal coverage of the Internet and advancement of technology, social media 2 hits the main stream in citizens’ daily life, and responsively the citizens’ express their emotions about the civic-issues 3 that they encounter. It becomes important to connect to social media to get the civic problems of any area in the city. In this paper we are proposing an idea and the methods to measure the public emotions regarding the civic-issues 3 .
E cacy of Manual Acupuncture Versus Placebo Acupuncture for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Gad) in Perimenopause Women : Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is common among perimenopause women. Drug treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy have their pros and cons. Acupuncture may be an effective treatment for GAD, but evidence is limited. The pathogenesis of GAD is not yet clear, but it is related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and its excretion, cortisol (CORT) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The object of this study is to assess the efficacy of manual acupuncture (MA) versus placebo acupuncture (PA) for perimenopause women with GAD. Methods: This study is a single center, randomized, double blind clinical trial that will be conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. A total of 112 eligible GAD patients will be randomly assigned (1:1) to receive MA (n=56) or PA (n=56) three times per week for four weeks. The primary outcome measure will be the score of GAD-7. The secondary outcome measures will be the score of HAMA and PSQI, and the level of CORT and ACTH. The evaluation will execute at baseline, 2 weeks, the end of the treatment and a follow-up period. All main analyses will be carried out based on the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle. Discussion: This study intends to conduct to compare the efficacy between MA and PA in the treatment of perimenopause woman with GAD, and to further study the mechanisms of effect. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ID: ChiCTR2100046604. Registered on 22 May 2021. URL: http://www.chictr. org.cn.
JPPE 23권5호_5차편집(1030).hwp

Background and objective: Artemisia argyi has a long history as an effective treatment for various diseases. The detection of environmental pollutant benzo(a)pyrene, a known human carcinogen, in the leaves of Artemisia argyi is cause for concern. For medicinal plant extracts, both a reduction of benzo(a)pyrene as well as the maintained effectiveness of the compound are important. Therefore, in this study, we propose an optimized process for the addition and filtration of activated carbon to reduce benzo(a)pyrene and change the contents of the indicating substance(jaceosidine and eupatilin). Methods: Artemisia argyi EtOH extract containing 36 ppb of benzo(a)pyrene was added to 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% (w/w) of activated carbon for 120 min and filtered using an activated carbon filter 1, 2, 3, and 5 times respectively. The content of benzo(a)pyrene and indicating substances in Artemisia argyi extract were then measured with high performance liquid chromatography (fluorescence and UV detectors). Results: As the amounts of activated carbon powder and filtering cycles increased, the content of benzo(a)pyrene in the Artemisia argyi extract decreased. However, when activated carbon powder 1.5% was added to the extract, and when the activated carbon filter was filtered five times, the results were reduced by 15% and 30~40% respectively. The optimal extraction condition for reducing benzo(a)pyrene was adding 1.5% of activated carbon powder. This resulted in reducing benzo(a)pyrene by 83% and indicating substances by about 4%. Conclusions: Here we present a process for reducing benzo(a)pyrene in Artemisia argyi extract using activated carbon to reduce toxicity and minimize the loss of active ingredients. This approach has potential application within a manufacturing process of various medicinal plant extracts.
Applying resilience thinking in BRACED – how resilience is interpreted in consortia projects and processes

Strengthening the resilience of rural households to climate extremes and disasters has been the focus of the Christian Aid-led DFID-funded BRACED programme in Ethiopia (CIARE) and Burkina Faso (Zaman Lebidi). Faced with droughts and flooding of increasing frequency and intensity due to the effects of climate variability and global environmental changes, the projects in both countries have adopted a consortium approach to address multiple elements of vulnerability, with diverse partners working to strengthen climate information services, risk communication, behavioural change, skills and technology, governance issues and access to livelihood assets. In both projects, researchers at King’s College London (KCL) lead on learning and resilience research.
Empirical Research on the Influence of Export Market Diversification on Total Factor Productivity: Based on the Perspective of Trade Pro- tection

Article history Received: 24 September 2020 Revised: 30 September 2020 Accepted: 9 October 2020 Published Online: 16 October 2020 This paper mainly explores the impact of export market diversification as an important measure to deal with trade friction on firms total factor productivity. Firstly, this article focuses on the theoretical analysis of the impact mechanism, including risk diversification, reversal effect and spillover effect. Based on the sample data of Chinese manufacturing export enterprises from 2000 to 2007, this paper conducts an empirical test on the relationship between export market diversification and total factor productivity. The result indicates that export market diversification has a significant positive effect on the total factor productivity of enterprises. After considering the endogenous problem, by controlling the fixed effects, using the two-stage least square method and changing the duration of the sample for robustness analysis, the results are still consistent. In addition, the role of diversification policy in total factor productivity presents heterogeneous characteristics in terms of different types of enterprise ownership, export intensity, industry competition, trade methods, and the development degree of exporting market. Accordingly, this paper puts forward corresponding policy recommendations.