Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A modular framework for object-based saccadic decisions in dynamic scenes

Visually exploring the world around us is not a passive process. Instead, we actively explore the world and acquire visual information over time. Here, we present a new model for simulating human eye-movement behavior in dynamic real-world scenes. We model this active scene exploration as a sequential decision making process. We adapt the popular drift-diffusion model (DDM) for perceptual decision making and extend it towards multiple options, defined by objects present in the scene. For each possible choice, the model integrates evidence over time and a decision (saccadic eye movement) is triggered as soon as evidence crosses a decision threshold. Drawing this explicit connection between decision making and object-based scene perception is highly relevant in the context of active viewing, where decisions are made continuously while interacting with an external environment. We validate our model with a carefully designed ablation study and explore influences of our model parameters. A comparison on the VidCom dataset supports the plausibility of the proposed approach.
A novel method for efficient face recognition based on illumination invariant elastic bunch graph matching

Making recognition more reliable under uncontrolled lighting conditions is one of the most important challenges for practical face recognition systems This paper proposes a system which can handle illumination problem of face recognition systems by using “Retinex and color constancy” algorithm. The Retinex and color constancy approach has been plugged with Elastic Bunch Graph Matching (EBGM). The proposed system has been tested on FERET database having more than 1000 face images. The experimental results demonstrate that performance of the proposed system is superior to the known systems with the increase in accuracy.
Household Food Insecurity and Dietary Diversity Among Kenyan Households During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives This study compares 1) household food insecurity and 2) household dietary diversity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 3) examines self-reported coping strategies among three communities around Lake Victoria, Kenya. Methods We conducted in-person home interviews with 90 randomly selected households in March 2020 prior to the first reported case of COVID-19 in Kenya and followed up with 88 of these same households by phone in June 2020 during COVID-19. We assessed household food insecurity status using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and assessed dietary diversity using the Household Dietary Diversity Score. We compared differences in household food insecurity scores and prevalence across time using the paired T-test and McNemar’s test, respectively. We compared household dietary diversity scores and the proportion of households consuming each food group across time using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and McNemar’s test for paired samples, respectively. Results The prevalence of severe food insecurity increased from 82% before COVID-19 to 91% during COVID-19 (P = 0.03) and household dietary diversity scores fell from 9.5 ± 1.5 to 8.6 ± 1.5 (P < 0.001). Households coped by reducing their food intake at mealtimes, borrowing money from family and friends, and purchasing food on credit. Conclusions These findings demonstrate a high and growing level of vulnerability faced by these communities. Strategies to address food insecurity and access to diverse foods during the COVID-19 pandemic are urgently needed. Funding Sources Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability
Chloride channel accessory 1 integrates chloride channel activity and mTORC1 in aging‐related kidney injury

The mechanism of kidney injury in aging are not well understood. In order to identify hitherto unknown pathways of aging‐related kidney injury, we performed RNA‐Seq on kidney extracts of young and aged mice. Expression of chloride (Cl) channel accessory 1 (CLCA1) mRNA and protein was increased in the kidneys of aged mice. Immunostaining showed a marked increase in CLCLA1 expression in the proximal tubules of the kidney from aged mice. Increased kidney CLCA1 gene expression also correlated with aging in marmosets and in a human cohort. In aging mice, increased renal cortical CLCA1 content was associated with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) deficiency, which was ameliorated by administering sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a source of H2S. In order to study whether increased CLCA1 expression leads to injury phenotype and the mechanisms involved, stable transfection of proximal tubule epithelial cells overexpressing human CLCA1 (hCLCA1) was performed. Overexpression of hCLCA1 augmented Cl− current via the Ca++‐dependent Cl− channel TMEM16A (anoctamin‐1) by patch‐clamp studies. hCLCA1 overexpression also increased the expression of fibronectin, a matrix protein, and induced the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Mechanistic studies underlying these changes showed that hCLCA1 overexpression leads to inhibition of AMPK activity and stimulation of mTORC1 as cellular signaling determinants of injury. Both TMEM16A inhibitor and NaHS reversed these signaling events and prevented changes in fibronectin and SASP. We conclude that CLCA1‐TMEM16A‐Cl− current pathway is a novel mediator of kidney injury in aging that is regulated by endogenous H2S.
Boosting the lithium storage performance of MoS2 with graphene quantum dots

MoS2 has been nano-engineered with graphene quantum dots (GQDs) via a solvothermal treatment process to boost its electrochemical lithium storage properties. The doping with GQDs simultaneously endows MoS2 with structural and compositional advantages for high-performance lithium storage, including expanded interlayer distances between layers, fast electrochemical kinetics, and additional stability to buffer the volume variation. When evaluated as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, GQDs/MoS2 delivers high capacity, improved cyclic performance and excellent rate capability. The composition dependent lithium storage performance has also been revealed for GQDs/MoS2. More importantly, the present nanoengineering could be used to boost the properties of other two-dimensional nanostructures for applications in energy storage and transit, catalysis, sensors and others.
Factors Affecting Customer Loyalty and Impact on Organizational Growth

Factors affecting customer loyalty have immense weightage in order to identify the reasons or the factors which are accountable to create loyalty among customers for a fastidious brand. The purpose of the study is to classify the role of customer loyalty in terms of sustaining continuous organizational growth in highly competitive Pakistani market and factor affecting customer loyalty and their impact on organization growth. The most recent and relevant studies contained by the literature have been included and summated in this paper. All results are based on the overview of previous studies.The review of previous studies and some research work about the factor affecting customer loyalty and their impact on organization growth and development. In these researches different service providers were embattled as the population whereas customer services and Price Fairness were taken as predicting variables towards criterion variable which is customer’s loyalty. The outcomes conclude that both the factors considerably contributed to explain customer’s satisfaction and loyalty but relatively price fairness had the bigger impact on customer loyalty than customer’s services and organizational growth. Results and implications of the study are also discussed based on the analysis and findings. © 2015 Elixir All rights reserved. ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received: 4 January 2015; Received in revised form: 25 May 2015; Accepted: 30 May 2015;
Analysis of Mineral Contents of Fresh ond Dried Tilapia Fish ( Oreochromis Niloticus ) from Mcaiver Market , Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State , Nigeria

The study of mineral contents of fresh and dried tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) from Mcaiver Market, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria were determined. The tilapia fishes were shared into two parts: one part was used to determine the mineral content of the fresh fish and the other part was oven dried before the analysis of mineral contents of both fishes. The minerals detected were in the order Na>Ca>K>Mg>Zn>Fe. It was observed that dried tilapia fish was more nutritional than the fresh tilapia fish. Dry tilapia fish should be consumed rather than fresh tilapia fish for proper nourishments. © 2020 Elixir All rights reserved. Elixir Aquaculture 146 (2020) 54736-54738 Aquaculture Available online at www.elixirpublishers. com (Elixir International Journal) Nkitikpor, K, and Jemerigbe, R. E/ Elixir Aquaculture 146(2020) 54736-54738 54737 Materials and Methods Area of Study The study area Mcaiver Market is in Warri-South Local Government Area of Delta State. It lies between Latitude 5°3’5.11”N and Longitude 5°40’44.11”E, altitude 13.5 – 17.5 m. The area is in oil rich Niger Delta-Nigeria and as such, the major activities are characterize by oil & gas exploration activities from Chevron Nigeria Limited, petrochemical refining from the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company, a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and allied companies. The economic activities of these companies has undoubtedly increased human population and thus, dumping of waste materials directly into the river, mainly from Delta Development Property Agency (DDPA). Others are aquaculture business along the river stretch, auto-mechanic workshops, woodlogging, cloth washing, bathing and swimming. Sample Collection Three fishes of each of each type of Tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) both fresh and dried were bought from Mcaiver market in Warri-South Local Government Area of Delta State Samples were collected in ice chests containing ice blocks and transported to the Biology laboratory of College of Education, Warri for analysis. The fish were identified using fish identification guide by FAO [6]. Sample preparations The fish samples were bought from traders at Mcaiver market. The fish samples were thoroughly washed and rinsed with de-ionized water to remove any adhering contaminants and then drained under fold of filter paper. The weights of the fresh fish samples were taken. The whole fish samples were oven dried for four days at a temperature between 95 to 105°C until a constant weight, the sample grinded and kept in a sample bottle prior analysis. Figure 1. Map of Warri-South L.G. A showing Sampling
Salivary oxytocin co-varies with parturition and nursing behavior in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus)

Domestic pigs produce twice as many offspring as wild boars, but little is known about the effects of selection pressures for increased productivity on pig behavior and welfare. From an evolutionary perspective, producing larger litters is expected to increase parent-offspring conflict, which may help to explain why piglets from larger litters are more likely to die by starvation or infant-crushing. Our goals were to identify behavioral and physiological correlates of variation in maternal care that may be useful as selection criteria in breeding programs to improve pig welfare. We observed eleven sows regularly during their lactational period and recorded their hourly postural changes and the proportion of time that piglets had contact with teats (nursing contact) or any physical contact with the sow (social contact). As a potential physiological indicator of maternal care, we measured oxytocin concentrations in 119 saliva samples from sows following observations. Samples were extracted and measured in an Enzyme Immunoassay. As a biological validation, we measured changes in salivary oxytocin during parturition in an additional eleven sows. Laboratory validations confirmed that the assay is suitable for measuring salivary oxytocin in pigs, and oxytocin increased almost three-fold during parturition. Sows’ nursing contact was positively correlated with social contact and negatively correlated with postural changes. Sow oxytocin concentrations were predicted by their nursing contact, but not by their overall social contact with piglets. We compare our results with current evidence regarding best practice methods for salivary oxytocin measurements and discuss the potential to use indicators of maternal care as selection criteria to improve pig welfare.
Elucidation of Structural Mechanism of ATP Inhibition at the AAA1 Subunit of Cytoplasmic Dynein 1 Using a Chemical “Toolkit”

Dynein is a cytoskeletal motor protein that carries organelles via retrograde transport in eukaryotic cells. The motor protein belongs to the ATPase family of proteins associated with diverse cellular activities and plays a critical role in transporting cargoes to the minus end of the microtubules. The motor domain of dynein possesses a hexameric head, where ATP hydrolysis occurs. The AAA1 binding site is the leading ATP hydrolytic site, followed by the AAA3 subsite. Small-molecule ATP competitive inhibitors of dynein are thought to target the AAA1 site. The presented work elucidates the structure-activity relationship of dynapyrazole A and B, ciliobrevin A and D in their various protonated states and their 46 analogs for their binding properties in the nucleotide-binding site of the AAA1 subunit and their effects on the functionally essential subsites of the motor domain of cytoplasmic dynein 1, as there is currently no similar experimental structural data available. Ciliobrevin and its analogs bind to the ATP motifs of the AAA1, namely the Walker-A or P-loop, the Walker-B, and the sensor I and II. Ciliobrevin A shows a better binding affinity to the AAA1 binding site of dynein 1 than its D analog. Although the double bond in ciliobrevin A and D was expected to decrease the ligand potency, they show a better affinity to the AAA1 binding site than dynapyrazole A and B, lacking the bond. Protonation of the nitrogen in ciliobrevin A, D, dynapyrazole A, and B at the N9 site of ciliobrevin, and the N7 of the latter increased their binding affinity. Exploring ciliobrevin A geometrical configuration suggests the E isomer has a superior binding profile over the Z due to binding at the critical ATP motifs. Utilizing the refined structure of the motor domain obtained through protein conformational search in this study exhibits that Arg1852 of the yeast cytoplasmic dynein could involve in the “glutamate switch” mechanism in cytoplasmic dynein 1 in lieu of the conserved Asn in AAA+ protein family, as the guanidine moiety of the Arg engages in an H-bond with the carboxylate moiety of Glu1849.
Autonomic and respiratory components of orienting behaviors are mediated by descending pathways originating from the superior colliculus

The ability to discriminate competing, external stimuli, and initiate contextually appropriate behaviors, is a key brain function. Neurons in the deep superior colliculus (dSC) integrate multisensory inputs and activate descending projections to premotor pathways responsible for orienting and attention, behaviors which involve adjustments to respiratory and cardiovascular parameters. However, the neural pathways that subserve the physiological components of orienting are poorly understood. We report that orienting responses to optogenetic dSC stimulation are accompanied by short-latency autonomic, respiratory and electroencephalographic effects in awake rats, closely mimicking those evoked by naturalistic alerting stimuli. Physiological responses were not accompanied by detectable aversion or fear and persisted under urethane anesthesia, indicating independence from emotional stress. Moreover, autonomic responses were replicated by selective stimulation of dSC inputs to a subregion in the ventromedial medulla containing spinally-projecting premotor neurons. This putative disynaptic pathway from the dSC represents a likely substrate for autonomic components of orienting.
A midbody component homolog, too much information/prc1-like, is required for microtubule reorganization during both cytokinesis and axis induction in the early zebrafish embryo

We show that the zebrafish maternal-effect mutation too much information (tmi) corresponds to zebrafish prc1-like (prc1l), which encodes a member of the MAP65/Ase1/PRC1family of microtubule-associated proteins. Embryos from tmi/prc1l homozygous mutant mothers display cytokinesis defects in meiotic and mitotic divisions in the early embryo, indicating that tmi/prc1l has a role in midbody formation during cell division at the egg-to-embryo transition. Unexpectedly, maternal tmi/prc1l function is also essential for the reorganization of vegetal pole microtubules required for embryonic axis induction. While Prc1 is widely regarded to crosslink microtubules in an antiparallel conformation, our studies provide evidence for an additional function of Prc1 in the bundling of parallel microtubules in the vegetal cortex of the early embryo during cortical rotation and prior to mitotic cycling. These findings highlight common yet distinct aspects of microtubule reorganization that occur during the egg-to-embryo transition, driven by maternal product for the midbody component Prc1l and required for embryonic cell division and pattern formation.
Chloroaluminate-Doped Conducting Polymers as Positive Electrodes in Rechargeable Aluminum Batteries

Demonstrated here is the use of conducting polymers as active materials in the positive electrodes of rechargeable aluminum-based batteries operating at room temperature. The battery chemistry is based on chloroaluminate ionic liquid electrolytes, which allow reversible stripping and plating of aluminum metal at the negative electrode. Characterization of electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole films revealed doping of the polymers with chloroaluminate anions. Cycling of the conducting polymer electrodes occurred via the electrochemical insertion and removal of these anions. Stable galvanostatic cycling of polypyrrole and polythiophene cells was demonstrated, with electrode capacities at near-theoretical levels (30–100 mAh g–1) and Coulombic efficiencies approaching 100%. The energy density of a sealed sandwich-type cell with polythiophene at the positive electrode was estimated to be 44 Wh kg–1 relative to the total mass of active components. This energy density is competitive with state-of-the-art bat.
Spatial neglect in the digital age: Influence of presentation format on patients’ test behavior

Abstract Objective: Computerized neglect tests could significantly deepen our disorder-specific knowledge by effortlessly providing additional behavioral markers that are hardly or not extractable from existing paper-and-pencil versions. This study investigated how testing format (paper versus digital), and screen size (small, medium, large) affect the Center of cancelation (CoC) in right-hemispheric stroke patients in the Letters and the Bells cancelation task. Our second objective was to determine whether a machine learning approach could reliably classify patients with and without neglect based on their search speed, search distance, and search strategy. Method: We compared the CoC measure of right hemisphere stroke patients with neglect in two cancelation tasks across different formats and display sizes. In addition, we evaluated whether three additional parameters of search behavior that became available through digitization are neglect-specific behavioral markers. Results: Patients’ CoC was not affected by test format or screen size. Additional search parameters demonstrated lower search speed, increased search distance, and a more strategic search for neglect patients than for control patients without neglect. Conclusion: The CoC seems robust to both test digitization and display size adaptations. Machine learning classification based on the additional variables derived from computerized tests succeeded in distinguishing stroke patients with spatial neglect from those without. The investigated additional variables have the potential to aid in neglect diagnosis, in particular when the CoC cannot be validly assessed (e.g., when the test is not performed to completion).
Proximity-based labeling reveals DNA damage-induced N-terminal phosphorylation of fused in sarcoma (FUS) leads to distinct changes in the FUS protein interactome

Cytoplasmic accumulation of the RNA/DNA binding protein, fused in sarcoma (FUS), into inclusions is a common hallmark of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology. We have previously shown that DNA damage can trigger the cytoplasmic accumulation of an N-terminally phosphorylated FUS. However, the functional consequences of N-terminal FUS phosphorylation are unknown. To gain insight into this question, we utilized proximity-dependent biotin labeling via ascorbate peroxidase 2 (APEX2) paired with mass-spectrometry (MS) to investigate whether N-terminal phosphorylation shifts the FUS protein-protein interaction network (interactome), and subsequently, its function. We report the first comparative analysis of the interactomes for three FUS variants: homeostatic wild-type FUS (FUS WT), a phosphomimetic variant of FUS (a proxy for N-terminally phosphorylated FUS, FUS PM), and a toxic FUS P525L mutant (a mutation that causes juvenile ALS, FUS P525L). Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD026578. We demonstrate that compared to FUS WT and FUS P525L, the FUS PM interactome uniquely enriches for a set of cytoplasmic proteins that mediate mRNA metabolism and translation and nuclear proteins involved in spliceosome and DNA repair functions, respectively. We further identify and validate three proteins, VPS35, MOV10, and CLTA, as novel interacting partners of all three FUS variants. Lastly, we provide functional evidence that N-terminally phosphorylated FUS may disrupt homeostatic translation and steady state levels of specific mRNA transcripts. Taken together, these results highlight phosphorylation as a unique modulator of the FUS interactome and function.
Unraveling the functions of uncharacterized transcription factors in Escherichia coli using ChIP-exo

Bacteria regulate gene expression to adapt to changing environments through transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs). Although extensively studied, no TRN is fully characterized since the identity and activity of all the transcriptional regulators that comprise a TRN are not known. Here, we experimentally evaluate 40 uncharacterized proteins in Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655, which were computationally predicted to be transcription factors (TFs). First, we used a multiplexed ChIP-exo assay to characterize genome-wide binding sites for these candidate TFs; 34 of them were found to be DNA-binding protein. We then compared the relative location between binding sites and RNA polymerase (RNAP). We found 48% (283/588) overlap between the TFs and RNAP. Finally, we used these data to infer potential functions for 10 of the 34 TFs with validated DNA binding sites and consensus binding motifs. These TFs were found to have various roles in regulating primary cellular processes in E. coli. Taken together, this study: (1) significantly expands the number of confirmed TFs, close to the estimated total of about 280 TFs; (2) predicts the putative functions of the newly discovered TFs, and (3) confirms the functions of representative TFs through mutant phenotypes.