Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meta-genomic Analysis of Parasites of Hyalomma Ticks of Cattle

Introduction: Ticks are the obligate blood-feeding parasites responsible for transmitting various pathogens to domestic animals and humans. Ticks and tick-borne diseases are a continuous threat to livestock development in tropical and subtropical areas of the globe. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study on the microbiome population of Hyalomma spp. infesting livestock in Pakistan. Methods: Ticks were collected from hemo-parasite-positive cattle and were identified using standard entomological keys. Then, selected ticks were kept in the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) incubator for egg laying and hatching at optimum temperature and humidity. A total of 16 (saliva and gut) samples were amplified through the reverse line blotting (RLB) primer of which 9 out of 16 were positive. Out of 9 positive samples, 4 samples of saliva and 5 samples of gut showed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product of 390 bp on 1.5% agarose gel stained with cyber green safe gel dye. Similarly, all 16 samples were amplified through the PCR by applying primers specific to the genus Anaplasma. Out of 16 amplified samples (8 saliva and 8 gut), 9 samples exhibited a positive amplification of 345 bp on 1.5% Agarose gel. After the identification of the genus, all 16 samples were subjected to species identification through PCR by applying primers specific to Theileria annulata, Babesia bovis, and Babesia bigemina. Results: The results indicated that 9 out of 16 samples are positive for Theileria, showing a PCR product of 460 bp on Agarose gel, while none of the single samples was positive for B. bovis and B. bigemina, respectively. Overall, 16 samples were subjected to metagenomics analysis within the saliva and gut of Hyalomma ticks, and consequently, Anaplasma and T. annulata were identified. Hence, it was found that the Hyalomma tick reported in Pakistan is responsible for the transmission of T. annulata and Anaplasma spp. , and both parasites are responsible for causing theileriosis and anaplasmosis in cattle. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Hyalomma anatolicum transmits both T. annulata and Anaplasma species but not Babesia species in cattle. Thus, H. anatolicum ticks are potent vectors for T. annulata and Anaplasma species.
Non-Woven Fibrous Polylactic Acid/Hydroxyapatite Nanocomposites Obtained via Solution Blow Spinning: Morphology, Thermal and Mechanical Behavior

Polylactic acid (PLA) is widely used in tissue engineering and other biomedical applications. PLA can be modified with appropriate biocompatible ceramic materials since this would allow tailoring the mechanical properties of the tissues to be engineered. In this study, PLA-based non-woven fibrillar nanocomposites containing nanoparticles of hydroxyapatite (HA), a bioceramic commonly used in bone tissue engineering, were prepared via solution blow spinning (SBS). The compositions of the final materials were selected to study the influence of HA concentration on the structure, morphology, and thermal and mechanical properties. The resulting materials were highly porous and mainly constituted fibers. FTIR analysis did not reveal any specific interactions. The diameters of the fibers varied very little with the composition. For example, slightly thinner fibers were obtained for pure PLA and PLA + 10% HA, with fiber diameters of less than 400 nm, while the thicker fibers were found for PLA + 1% HA, with average diameters of 427 ± 170 nm. The crystallinity and stiffness of the PLA/HA composite increased with the HA content. Further, composites containing PLA fibers with slightly larger diameters were more ductile. Thus, with an appropriate balance between factors, such as the diameter of the solution-blow-spun PLA fibers, HA particle content, and degree of crystallinity, PLA/HA composites may be effectively used in tissue engineering applications.
Bromodomain-Containing Protein 9 Regulates Signaling Pathways and Reprograms the Epigenome in Immortalized Human Uterine Fibroid Cells

Bromodomain-containing proteins (BRDs) are involved in many biological processes, most notably epigenetic regulation of transcription, and BRD dysfunction has been linked to many diseases, including tumorigenesis. However, the role of BRDs in the pathogenesis of uterine fibroids (UFs) is entirely unknown. The present study aimed to determine the expression pattern of BRD9 in UFs and matched myometrium and further assess the impact of a BRD9 inhibitor on UF phenotype and epigenetic/epitranscriptomic changes. Our studies demonstrated that the levels of BRD9 were significantly upregulated in UFs compared to matched myometrium, suggesting that the aberrant BRD expression may contribute to the pathogenesis of UFs. We then evaluated the potential roles of BRD9 using its specific inhibitor, I-BRD9. Targeted inhibition of BRD9 suppressed UF tumorigenesis with increased apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, decreased cell proliferation, and extracellular matrix deposition in UF cells. The latter is the key hallmark of UFs. Unbiased transcriptomic profiling coupled with downstream bioinformatics analysis further and extensively demonstrated that targeted inhibition of BRD9 impacted the cell cycle- and ECM-related biological pathways and reprogrammed the UF cell epigenome and epitranscriptome in UFs. Taken together, our studies support the critical role of BRD9 in UF cells and the strong interconnection between BRD9 and other pathways controlling the UF progression. Targeted inhibition of BRDs might provide a non-hormonal treatment option for this most common benign tumor in women of reproductive age.
A distributed, multi‐hop, adaptive, tree‐based energy‐balanced routing approach

To accomplish the primary objective of data sensing and collection of wireless sensor networks (WSN), the design of an energy efficient routing algorithm is very important. However, the energy constrained sensing nodes along with the intrinsic properties of the (WSN) environment makes the routing a challenging task. To overcome this routing dilemma, an improved distributed, multi‐hop, adaptive, tree‐based energy‐balanced (DMATEB) routing scheme is proposed in this paper. In this scheme, a relay node is selected in view of minimum distance and high energy from a current sensing node. Further, the parent node is chosen among the selected relay nodes on the basis of high residual energy and less power consumption with due consideration of its associated child nodes. As each sensing node itself selects its parent among the available alternatives, the proposed scheme offers a distributive and adaptive approach. Moreover, the proposed system does not overload any selected parent of a particular branch as it starts acting as a child whenever its energy lowers among the other available relay nodes. This leads to uniform energy utilization of nodes that offers a better energy balance mechanism and improves the network lifespan by 20% to 30% as compared with its predecessors.
Shannon Entropy for Measuring Spatial Complexity Associated with Mean Annual Runoff of Tertiary Catchments of the Middle Vaal Basin in South Africa

This study evaluates essentially mean annual runoff (MAR) information gain/loss for tertiary catchments (TCs) in the Middle Vaal basin. Data sets from surface water resources (WR) of South Africa 1990 (WR90), 2005 (WR2005) and 2012 (WR2012) referred in this study as hydrological phases, are used in this evaluation. The spatial complexity level or information redundancy associated with MAR of TCs is derived as well as the relative change in entropy of TCs between hydrological phases. Redundancy and relative change in entropy are shown to coincide under specific conditions. Finally, the spatial distributions of MAR iso-information transmission (i.e., gain or loss) and MAR iso-information redundancy are established for the Middle Vaal basin.
EXAMINING THE ROLE OF MARKETING RESEARCH ON INCREASED PROFITABILITY IN NICON INSURANCE COMPANY KADUNA STATE NIGERIA

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of marketing research on the profitability of NICON insurance in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research sampling the opinion of 14 staff of NICON Insurance, composed of senior management staff, administrative staff, and marketing staff. Their opinion was collected using a structured questionnaire. The data obtained was analyzed by tabulation and percentages, and the formulated hypotheses were tested using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient method. The findings revealed that marketing research exerts a statistically significant effect on NICON insurance profitability. More so, the study found that marketing research has a statistically significant effect on NICON insurance total premium. The study concluded that for insurance firms to maximize profit at an optimum level, they have to expand the scope of marketing research and development in order to eliminate the risk involved in today’s marketing trend. The study therefore recommended that NICON Insurance Kaduna State should fully embrace the marketing research tasks, and establish departments or units dedicated to this crucial task, staffing them with qualified and experienced personnel. They should also step up their research to deliver timely information on the development of insurance products and other aspects of their business. Furthermore, through market scenario research, they have to make a consistent effort to track the level of client satisfaction with their offerings.
Non-Curative Treatment Choices in Colorectal Cancer: Predictors and Between-Hospital Variations in Denmark: A Population-Based Register Study

Simple Summary Despite universal free healthcare and national treatment guidelines, between-hospital variation in treatment choices for colorectal cancer has been reported in several countries. It is unknown whether this variation may be ascribed to simple variations in clinical case mix or to differences in socioeconomic status or even attitudes and traditions among patients and healthcare professionals. This study examined factors associated with non-curative treatment choices and with refraining from recommended chemotherapy in colorectal cancer in Denmark in 2009–2018. We found that non-curative surgical treatment was associated with being old and frail and having widespread cancer and low weight. Not having chemotherapy was also associated with previous treatment complications and living alone. Marked variations in non-curative treatment between hospitals were found, even after taking a wide range of plausible explanations into account. The reason for these variations is unknown and requires further examination. Abstract Background: Variations in treatment choices have been reported in colorectal cancer (CRC). In the context of national recommendations, we aimed to elucidate predictors and between-hospital variations in refraining from curatively intended surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in potentially curable colorectal cancer. Methods: A total of 34,116 patients diagnosed with CRC from 2009 to 2018 were included for analyses on non-curative treatment in this register-based study. Subsequently 8006 patients were included in analyses on adjuvant treatment. Possible predictors included patient-, disease-, socioeconomic- and perioperative-related factors. Logistic regressions were utilized to examine the predictors of a non-curative aim of treatment and no adjuvant chemotherapy. Results: The predictors of non-curative treatment were high age, poor performance, distant metastases and being underweight. Predictors for no adjuvant treatment were high age, poor performance, kidney disease, postoperative complications and living alone. For both outcomes we found between-hospital variations to be present. Conclusions: Non-curative overall treatment and refraining from adjuvant chemotherapy were associated with well-known risk factors, but the former was also associated with being underweight and the latter was also associated with living alone. Marked between-hospital variations were found and should be examined further.
Characteristics of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Isolated from Soy Sauce and Influence on Putrefaction of Processed Soy Sauce with Less Salt

Characteristics of the bacteria KP-991 and KP-992 strains isolated from soy sauce of which the bacterial spore was stable against heating for 10min at 100° C was investigated. The isolated bacteria were identified to be Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (Fukumoto) Priest et al. from the results of observation of morphology, physiological tests and analysis of 16S rDNA. The KP-991 and KP-992 strains were more stable against heating than the type strains of B. amyloliquefaciens, B. subtilis Cohn and B. megaterium de Bary. The KP-991 and KP-992 strains survived in a trial product of dilution-free seasoning because of the high thermostability and remarkably grew in two kinds of dilution-free seasoning on the market. It is suggested that the dilution-free seasoning made from the soy sauce contaminated by the KP-991 or KP992 strain putrefies.
Glassy Powder Derived from Waste Printed Circuit Boards for Methylene Blue Adsorption

Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world and Europe is classified as the first producer in terms of per capita amount. To reduce the environmental impact of e-waste, it is important to recycle it. This work shows the possibility of reusing glassy substrates, derived from the MW-assisted acidic leaching of Waste Printed Circuit Boards (WPCBs), as an adsorbent material. The results revealed an excellent adsorption capability against methylene blue (MB; aqueous solutions in the concentration range 10−5 M–2 × 10−5 M, at pH = 7.5). Comparisons were performed with reference samples such as activated carbons (ACs), the adsorbent mostly used at the industrial level; untreated PCB samples; and ground glass slides. The obtained results show that MW-treated WPCB powder outperformed both ground glass and ground untreated PCBs in MB adsorption, almost matching AC adsorption. The use of this new adsorbent obtained through the valorization of e-waste offers advantages not only in terms of cost but also in terms of environmental sustainability.
FSN-Swin: A Network for Freespace Detection in Unstructured Environments

In this paper, we propose an unstructured road-free space detection method that integrates distance imaging information in the Transformer framework. The proposed network is FNS-Swin, which innovatively supplements features through data fusion to reduce the dependence of Transformer networks applied to computer vision on RGB image data volume while improving the accuracy of segmentation algorithms. Regarding the network framework, we adopted Swin Transformer’s sliding window structure. We reset the number of layers of the network model to better adapt to learning fused features. It dynamically fuses distance and image geometric features by adding a cross-attention mechanism, enhancing the data correlation between the two representations. In the depth information extraction section, we used the SNE model to extract the depth features of depth images and convert them into surface normal vector maps, enhancing the correlation between depth information and road plane prediction. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, we conducted testing experiments on unstructured ORFD datasets and KITTI-Road datasets, respectively. The experimental results show that our algorithm outperforms others in multiple metrics, achieving the best overall performance.
Self-Supervised Object Detection from Egocentric Videos

Understanding the visual world from human perspectives has been a long-standing challenge in computer vision. Egocentric videos exhibit high scene complexity and irregular motion flows compared to typical video understanding tasks. With the egocentric domain in mind, we address the problem of self-supervised, class-agnostic object detection, aiming to locate all objects in a given view, without any annotations or pre-trained weights. Our method, self-supervised object detection from egocentric videos (DEVI), generalizes appearance-based methods to learn features end-to-end that are category-specific and invariant to viewing angle and illumination. Our approach leverages natural human behavior in egocentric perception to sample diverse views of objects for our multi-view and scale-regression losses, and our cluster residual module learns multi-category patches for complex scene understanding. DEVI results in gains up to 4.11% AP50, 0.11% AR1, 1.32% AR10, and 5.03% AR100 on recent egocentric datasets, while significantly reducing model complexity. We also demonstrate competitive performance on out-of-domain datasets without additional training or fine-tuning.
Online Condition Monitoring Methodology for Power Electronics Package Reliability Assessment

This article introduces an online condition monitoring strategy that utilizes a transient heat pulse to detect package thermal performance degradation. The metric employed is the temperature-dependent transient thermal impedance “${{Z}}_{\text {{th}}}{(t,{T}_\text {amb})}$. ” The proposed methodology offers quantitative insights into package thermal performance degradation and effectively pinpoints the presence of multiple failure mechanisms. A thermal test chip assembled in a power quad flat no-lead package is used in this study to demonstrate the methodology. The packaged devices are first characterized to determine the transient pulse duration, a critical parameter to monitor a specific region of interest. Subsequently, package thermal performance degradation is continuously monitored online during thermomechanical cycling lifetime experiments. The validity of the measurement results is later confirmed through acoustic imaging and cross-sectional analysis. The changes observed in ${Z}_{\text {th}} (t,{T}_\text {amb}$) over thermal cycling correspond to the delamination of the active metal layers on the die and cohesive failure on the die attach. This article further includes a comparative summary, highlighting the distinctions between the proposed and industry-standard test methods. In conclusion, the importance of online condition monitoring to detect early signs of failure is emphasized, and the proposed methodology's practical applicability in real-life scenarios is briefly discussed.
Model evidence for low‐level cloud feedback driving persistent changes in atmospheric circulation and regional hydroclimate

Recent studies suggest that low clouds in the Pacific play an important role in the observed decadal climate variability and future climate change. In this study, we implement a novel modeling experiment designed to isolate how interactions between local and remote feedbacks associated with low cloud, SSTs, and the large‐scale circulation play a significant role in the observed persistence of tropical Pacific SST and associated North American drought. The modeling approach involves the incorporation of observed patterns of satellite‐derived shortwave cloud radiative effect (SWCRE) into the coupled model framework and is ideally suited for examining the role of local and large‐scale coupled feedbacks and ocean heat transport in Pacific decadal variability. We show that changes in SWCRE forcing in eastern subtropical Pacific alone reproduces much of the observed changes in SST and atmospheric circulation over the past 16 years, including the observed changes in precipitation over much of the Western Hemisphere.
Multi-Omics Analyses Unravel Genetic Relationship of Chinese Coffee Germplasm Resources

The genetic relationships between Coffea arabica resources were analyzed via specific length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) and transcriptome sequencing to provide the theoretical basis for breeding new varieties. Twenty C. arabica accessions were used to analyze genetic diversity on the basis of SNPs identified in SLAFs and the transcriptome data. For the SLAF-seq analysis of 20 C. arabica accessions, two Coffea canephora accessions, one Coffea liberica accession, and one Coffea racemosa accession, the number of reads ranged from 2,665,424 to 7,210,310, with a GC content of 38.49%–40.91% and a Q30 value of 94.99%–96.36%. A total of 3,347,069 SLAF tags were obtained, with an average sequencing depth of 13.90×. Moreover, the 1,048,575 SNPs identified in the polymorphic SLAFs were filtered, then the remaining 198,955 SNPs were used to construct a phylogenetic tree, perform a principal component analysis, and characterize the population structure. For the transcriptome analysis, 128.50 Gb clean reads were generated for the 20 C. arabica accessions, with a GC content of 44.36%–51.09% and a Q30 value of 94.55%–95.40%. Furthermore, 25,872 genes’ expression levels were used for the correlation analysis. The phylogenetic relationships as well as the results of the principal component analysis, population structure analysis, and correlation analysis clearly distinguished C. arabica Typica-type accessions from the C. arabica Bourbon-type accessions. Notably, several C. arabica local selections with unknown genetic backgrounds were classified according to all four clustering results.
From dry-land to the water: training and testing practices of strength and conditioning coaches in high level French sprint swimmers

Introduction The aim of this study was to explore training and testing practices from Strength & Conditioning (S&C) coaches who manage groups of high-level French swimmers in elite training centers. The transfer of abilities from dry-land to in situ condition was also investigated. Methods 24 French S&C coaches completed a survey via an online platform. Frequency analyses were made for quantitative and qualitative responses, the level of significance set for this study was p ≤ 0.05. Results Core stability, Strength & Power were the three most targeted qualities. Core strengthening in all its forms, Bench Press & Squat were the three most prescribed exercises. 79% of S&C coaches adapted exercises according to different parameters. Most of the coaches indicated that dry-land S&C sessions were preferentially placed before in-water sessions. Very varied exercises were used in-water to make the transfer from dry-land more effective. 87% of participants monitored the training load and 38% assessed the force and velocity parameters for some S&C exercises. Discussion Dry-land training practices of S&C coaches were mostly in line with scientific recommendations. In the light of results of the questionnaire, it would appear that testing procedures might be a key issue for transferring qualities from dry-land to in situ.
A preliminary study on linear perturbation for a non-minimal derivative coupling scalar-tensor theory

The Cisterna-Delsate-Rinaldi (CDR) model is a variant of scalar-tensor theory that modify gravity by including a term of non-minimal derivative coupling. This model gives interesting aspects in the properties of compact objects, specifically neutron stars. By adjusting one of its parameters, the maximum possible mass of neutron stars can be increased. The authors of the model had also did a perturbation analysis using odd-parity perturbation and following that they also did analysis on the slowly-rotating neutron stars. In this paper, we report our ongoing research on the linear perturbation for the Cisterna model to see its dynamical properties. More precisely, we work on the polar perturbation that affected both the metric and the scalar field, which is different from the axial perturbation used in the slow rotation case. We use higher-dimensional spacetimes to see if the obtained equations will be dimensionally dependent. To simplify calculations for this metric form, we use tetrad method. Currently, we have not succeeded in obtaining the equations of motions in the form of Regge-Wheeler-Zerilli wave equation. The reason is the metric functions cannot be easily decoupled and we find no second derivatives with respect to both time t and radius r in the equations of motion. Only the scalar field can give a wave equation. Further investigation is undergoing.