Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Society Win or Lose as a Result of Privatization? The Case of Water Sector Privatization in Colombia

This paper evaluates the impact of water sector privatization in Colombia on access, price and water quality, as well as health outcomes using differences‐in‐differences methodology. The main findings of the impact of water privatization are: (i) an improvement in the quality of water and an increase in the frequency of the service in privatized urban municipalities for the lower quintiles; (ii) a positive effect on health outcomes in both urban and rural areas; (iii) a negative effect on payment for the lower quintiles; and (iv) strong negative effects on access to water in rural areas. Some of these effects appear in municipalities with better technical capacity.
Holocene permafrost history and cryostratigraphy in the High‐Arctic Adventdalen Valley, central Svalbard

This paper presents the history and cryostratigraphy of the upper permafrost in the High‐Arctic Adventdalen Valley, central Svalbard. Nineteen frozen sediment cores, up to 10.7 m long, obtained at five periglacial landforms, were analysed for cryostructures, ice, carbon and solute contents, and grain‐size distribution, and were 14C‐ and OSL‐dated. Spatial variability in ice and carbon contents is closely related to the sedimentary history and mode of permafrost aggradation. In the valley bottom, saline epigenetic permafrost with pore ice down to depths of 10.7 m depth formed in deltaic sediments since the mid‐Holocene; cryopegs were encountered below 6 m. In the top 1 to 5 m, syngenetic and quasi‐syngenetic permafrost with microlenticular, lenticular, suspended and organic‐matrix cryostructures developed due to loess and alluvial sedimentation since the colder late Holocene, which resulted in the burial of organic material. At the transition between deltaic sediments and loess, massive ice bodies occurred. A pingo developed where the deltaic sediments reached the surface. On hillslopes, suspended cryostructure on solifluction sheets indicates quasi‐syngenetic permafrost aggradation; lobes, in contrast, were ice‐poor. Suspended cryostructure in eluvial deposits reflects epigenetic or quasi‐syngenetic permafrost formation on a weathered bedrock plateau. Landform‐scale spatial variations in ground ice and carbon relate to variations in slope, sedimentation rate, moisture conditions and stratigraphy. Although the study reveals close links between Holocene landscape evolution and permafrost history, our results emphasize a large uncertainty in using terrain surface indicators to infer ground‐ice contents and upscale from core to landform scale in mountainous permafrost landscapes.
A STUDY OF SOME BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN RELATION TO OAT GLUME COLOUR ŠTÚDIUM VYBRANÝCH BIOCHEMICKÝCH PARAMETROV VO VZŤAHU K FARBE PLEVY OVSA SIATEHO

tent of monitored biochemical parameters. It indicates a markedly stable biosynthetic mechanism of the studied metabolites in the black oat varieties. Between the analysed parameters a low correlation was observed in relation to the glume colour. The highest correlation coefficient (0.888) was observed between the content of β -D-glucan and the index of fatty acid unsaturation in the black oat. The oat genotypes Arnold, Dagny, Neklan, Pendek, Poncho, and Unisignum with the highest level (> 4.0%) of β -D-glucan can be used in our breeding programmes as donors of health beneficial compound and in the food industry as a potential material by preparation of functional foods.
Inferring behaviour of grazing livestock: opportunities from GPS telemetry and activity sensors applied to animal husbandry

GPS technologies represent a valuable tool to study animal behaviour remotely. The research is aimed at evaluating the use of GPS collars equipped with activity sensors to infer behaviour in grazing cattle. Six cows from two breeds (Limousin, Chianina) were equipped for 8 months with GPS collars with built-in tri-axial accelerometers providing activity measurements every 152 seconds. Four behaviours (resting, rumination, feeding, walking) were directly observed in synchrony with collar measurements. Behaviours were classified with discriminant analysis (DA), considering a set of six predictors and their logarithm: movement rate (metres/hour), activity measurements on the X (forward/backward) and Y (sideways) axes and their difference, mean and variance. We tested several models and reported the ones with the highest rate of correct classifications. These were achieved by adopting separate models for the two breeds and, within breed, for two season-related periods (spring/summer and autumn). This suggests that the environmental effects (e.g., weather), as well as the breed-specific habits, have to be taken into account when inferring behaviour in grazing animals, since they produce significant alterations in intensity of activity. Walking activity was misclassified in more than 80 % of cases, while rumination and resting behaviour were mutually mistaken. Feeding and walking were thus merged to obtain active behaviours, and rumination and resting were classified as inactive behaviours. On average, DA correctly classified over 90 % of active intervals and 85 % of inactive behaviours. In conclusion, the simultaneous use of GPS and activity sensors represents a useful technique to track movements of grazing livestock and, at the same time, to discriminate between active and inactive behaviours. This information could provide benefits for rangeland management in terms of improving their efficiency of utilisation and enhancing the productive performances of animals.
Soil water repellency : comparison between individual particles and bulk properties

Two different methods for probing soil particle surfaces were tested and applied to particles from natural soils to examine soil water repellency arising from organic coatings on their surfaces. The applicability of laser scanning confocal microscopy to the characterisation of organic soil particle surface coatings was examined. Individual particle fluorescence showed a correlation with organic matter present in the corresponding soil, although not all organic material in soil fluoresces. This indicates that fluorescence could be used to probe soil particle surfaces. Other parameters such as the extent of coverage with fluorescent material, number of fluorescent areas and their size gave no consistent results, but seemed to be strongly dependent on sample origin and possibly factors such as the surface roughness of the particles. Another new method for investigating soil particle surfaces involved measurement of the height of a water lamella pulled up by an individual particle. Good agreement was found between lamella height and the contact angle of bulk soil materials of various but known water repellencies. Soil samples generally contained particles with a wide distribution of individual water repellencies. However, particles from water repellent soils showed more variation in lamella height than those from wettable soils, indicating a non-uniform distribution of hydrophobic surfaces within soil. The influence of pH on soil water repellency was examined by changing soil pH using gases rather than liquid reagents. Addition of base led to a decrease in water repellency confirming observations that soils of high pH are seldom water repellent. Using these methods it was not possible to unravel all the characteristics and effects of organic particle coatings on soil water repellency. However, the results indicate that these coatings, and their chemistry, may not be the only factor involved. Physical properties, such as surface roughness, may interact with the chemistry.
A hospital-based cross-sectional study on parental self‑medication among children in a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata

Introduction: Self-medication/self-prescription, the practice of using measures to treat and handle diseases, without consulting appropriate authority, has been significantly inculcated in modern society. Parental self-medication is today a significant paediatric public health problem contributing to global rise of antimicrobial resistance.Objectives: To assess the magnitude and determinants of parental self-medication among children attending a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on parents of 105 children attending the paediatric clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata. Universal sampling was employed. Parents were surveyed by face-to-face interview using a pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule validated by subject experts. Information on pattern, reasons, and perception of parental self-medication were elicited from the schedule. Microsoft Excel and STATA MP16 were used for statistical analysis. Results: Mean ages of the parents and their children were 31.79±5.6 years, and 5.3±2.9 years respectively. Prevalence of parental self-medication was 78.1% (95% CI: 69-85%). Analgesic-antipyretics were the most common type of medicine used during self-medication (77.1%), whereas prior experience in dealing with similar illness was the most common reason (42%) for practising self-medication. Higher educational levelof respondent parent and increased age of child (>3 years) were significantly associated with the practice of self-medication in bivariate analysis.Conclusions: Prevalence of parental self-medication was 78.1%. Analgesic-antipyretics were used during self-medication in 77.1% cases. Prior experience in dealing with similar illness was the reason for practising self-medication in 42% cases. Higher educational level of the respondent parent and increased age of child (>3 years) were significantly associated with the practice of self-medication.
Measuring the Cost of Congestion in Highly Congested City: Bogotá

We provide a novel approach to estimate the deadweight loss of congestion. We implement it for road travel in the city of Bogota using information from a travel survey and counterfactual travel data generated from Google Maps. For the supply of travel, we find that the elasticity of the time cost of travel per unit of distance with respect to the number of travelers is on average about 0.06. It is close to zero at low levels of traffic, then reaches a maximum magnitude of about 0.20 as traffic builds up and becomes small again at high levels of traffic. This finding is in sharp contrast with extant results for specific road segments. We explain it by the existence of local streets which remain relatively uncongested and put a floor on the time cost of travel. On the demand side, we estimate an elasticity of the number of travelers with respect to the time cost of travel of 0.40. Although road travel is costly in Bogota, these findings imply a small daily deadweight loss from congestion, equal to less than 1% of a day’s wage.
Synthesis and Characterization of Tripodal Tetradentate Ligand Type NS3 and its Complexes with Re(V), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II)

This work represents the preparation of the starting material, 3-chloro-2-oxo-1,4-dithiacyclohexane (S) using a new method. This material was reacted with, 4-phenylthiosemicarbazide to give (H3NS3) as a tetradentate ligand H3L. New complex of rhenium (V) with this ligand of the formula [ReO(L)] was prepared. New complexes of the general formula [M(HL)] of this ligand when reacted with some metal ions where: M = Ni(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Hg(II) have been reported. The ligand and the complexes were characterized by infrared, ultraviolet–visible, mass, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and atomic absorption spectroscopic techniques and by (HPLC), elemental analysis, and electrical conductivity. The proposed structure for H3L with Re (V) is square pyramidal, while Ni(II) complex was square planar geometry, and with the rest of metal ions are distorted tetrahedral.
Two-way NxP fertilisation experiment on barley (Hordeum vulgare) reveals shift from additive to synergistic N-P interactions at critical phosphorus fertilisation level

In a pot experiment, we investigated synergistic interaction of N and P fertilisation on barley biomass (Hordeum vulgare) on both shoot and root level with the aim to determine whether N-P interaction would be the same for all levels of N and P fertilisation. We further aimed to determine whether there was a critical level of N and/or P fertilisation rate, above which, a decrease in resource allocation to roots (as nutrient availability increased) could be demonstrated. Barley plants were grown from seed on a nutrient poor substrate and subjected to a two-way NxP fertilisation gradient using a modified Hoagland fertilisation solution. We observed N-P interactions in shoot and root biomass, and N and P use-efficiencies. A synergistic response in biomass was observed only above a critical level of P fertilisation when P was not limiting growth. Furthermore, we found that the same incremental increase in N:P ratio of applied fertiliser elicited different responses in shoot and root biomass depending on P treatment and concluded that barley plants were less able to cope with increasing stoichiometric imbalance when P was deficient. We provide, for the first time, stoichiometric evidence that critical levels for synergistic interactions between N-P may exist in crop plants.
An Analytical Framework for the Steady State Impact of Carbonate Compensation on Atmospheric CO2

The deep‐ocean carbonate ion concentration impacts the fraction of the marine calcium carbonate production that is buried in sediments. This gives rise to the carbonate compensation feedback, which is thought to restore the deep‐ocean carbonate ion concentration on multimillennial timescales. We formulate an analytical framework to investigate the impact of carbonate compensation under various changes in the carbon cycle relevant for anthropogenic change and glacial cycles. Using this framework, we show that carbonate compensation amplifies by 15–20% changes in atmospheric CO2 resulting from a redistribution of carbon between the atmosphere and ocean (e.g., due to changes in temperature, salinity, or nutrient utilization). A counterintuitive result emerges when the impact of organic matter burial in the ocean is examined. The organic matter burial first leads to a slight decrease in atmospheric CO2 and an increase in the deep‐ocean carbonate ion concentration. Subsequently, enhanced calcium carbonate burial leads to outgassing of carbon from the ocean to the atmosphere, which is quantified by our framework. Results from simulations with a multibox model including the minor acids and bases important for the ocean‐atmosphere exchange of carbon are consistent with our analytical predictions. We discuss the potential role of carbonate compensation in glacial‐interglacial cycles as an example of how our theoretical framework may be applied.
Analysis of the “Plan Fronteras” for Clean Cooking in Ecuador

The aim of this research is to analyze the introduction of the “Plan Fronteras” in Ecuador. The Plan Fronteras analyses the effects of introducing induction stoves in terms of electricity demand, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, previous to the implementation of the National Efficient Cooking Program (NECP), which is the first program of widespread access to clean cooking alternatives, which aims to introduce 3 million of induction stoves in the country. The impact of the induction stoves on Ecuador electric network has been analyzed by measuring electric grid parameters, energy and power consumption. The results of the study show that the electric grid parameters are within the permitted levels of the regulation of the country. Further on, a coincidence factor of 0.16 for induction stoves utilization has been registered when it was found. An estimation of the electric demand has been identified when implementing the NECP with this value. The results of the study show that when analyzing the highlands and coastal regions at the same time, the peak demand in the country occurs at 19:00, whit a power requirement of 2860 MW. Finally, a study on energy demand and liquid petroleum gas savings after the implementation of the NECP has been accomplished. The study has been evaluated and compared with future business as usual scenarios and new policies from 2016 until 2032. The results of the comparison reveal a reduction of the energy demand of 20 million GJ in 2032, and a reduction of 40.8 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, between 2016 and 2032.
The Expression and Functionality of CB1R-NMDAR Complexes Are Decreased in A Parkinson’s Disease Model

One of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the alteration in the expression and function of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) and cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R). The presence of CB1R-NMDAR complexes has been described in neuronal primary cultures. The activation of CB1R in CB1R-NMDAR complexes was suggested to counteract the detrimental NMDAR overactivation in an AD mice model. Thus, we aimed to explore the role of this receptor complex in PD. By using Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET) assay, it was demonstrated that α-synuclein induces a reorganization of the CB1R-NMDAR complex in transfected HEK-293T cells. Moreover, α-synuclein treatment induced a decrease in the cAMP and MAP kinase (MAPK) signaling of both CB1R and NMDAR not only in transfected cells but also in neuronal primary cultures. Finally, the interaction between CB1R and NMDAR was studied by Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA) in neuronal primary cultures, where it was observed that the expression of CB1R-NMDAR complexes was decreased upon α-synuclein treatment. These results point to a role of CB1R-NMDAR complexes as a new therapeutic target in Parkinson’s disease.
On Identification of Intrusive Applications: A Step Toward Heuristics-Based Adaptive Security Policy

Android is widely recognized as one of the leading mobile operating systems globally. As the popularity and usage of Android OS and third-party application stores continue to soar, the process of developing and publishing applications has become increasingly accessible. However, the absence of a robust filtering mechanism to ensure that applications only request appropriate and secure permissions poses a significant concern. While extensive research has been conducted on malware analysis, the realm of intrusive applications remains largely unexplored. The lack of defensive measures to promptly identify invasive applications tilts the balance in favor of malicious actors and developers who may embed intrusive behavior within their products. It is imperative to develop new monitoring tools and techniques that address these privacy gaps. In light of this, we propose a Continuous Threat Monitoring Framework (CTMF) designed to safeguard mobile users from intrusive apps both before and after installation. Our framework, implemented and evaluated in the Android environment, offers practical deployability without imposing excessive overhead. It fills the void by considering the changes occurring within an app while it remains on a user’s device, setting it apart from existing anti-intrusiveness solutions primarily focusing on app installation.
Efficacy of Definitive Radiotherapy for Patients with Clinical Stage IIIB or IIIC Lung Adenocarcinoma and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Mutations Treated Using First- or Second-Generation EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

Background The effectiveness of definitive radiotherapy (RT) for patients with clinical stage IIIB or IIIC lung adenocarcinoma and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations who received first- or second-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is unclear. Methods Taiwan Cancer Registry data were used in this retrospective cohort study to identify adult patients diagnosed with EGFR-mutated stage IIIB or IIIC lung adenocarcinoma between 2011 and 2020. Patients treated with first- or second-generation EGFR TKIs were classified into RT and non-RT groups. Propensity score (PS) weighting was applied to balance covariates between groups. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), and the incidence of lung cancer mortality (ILCM) was considered as a supplementary outcome. Additional supplementary analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the findings. Results Among 270 eligible patients, 41 received RT and 229 did not. After a median follow-up of 46 months, PS-weighted analysis showed the PS-weighted hazard ratio of death for the RT group compared to the non-RT group was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.61–1.45, p = 0.78). ILCM rates did not differ significantly between the two groups. Supplementary analyses yielded consistent results. Conclusion The addition of definitive RT to first- or second-generation EGFR TKI treatment does not significantly improve OS of patients with EGFR-mutated stage IIIB or IIIC lung adenocarcinoma. NCT03521154NCT05167851.
Correcting the Cognitive Bias for Commuting Time to Relieve the Driving Stress Level in Snow Weather Condition: A Naturalistic Driving Study in Harbin, China

As a negative emotion, professional drivers’ stress levels significantly affected driving behavior and thus were related to driving safety issues. Nevertheless, current evidence fell considerably short of explaining whether and why private drivers’ stress levels might be influenced while commuting driving in a specific scenario and how to relieve their stress levels. This study aimed to identify and analyze the contributing factors of the drivers’ stress levels while commuting driving in various scenarios (clear or snow weather conditions). On weekdays between 1st October 2020 and 31st January 2022, the questionnaire data from a sample of 985 private drivers were collected from six different locations of business districts in Harbin, China. Based on the naturalistic driving study (NDS) database, a 7-item questionnaire was designed for participants to self-report their driving stress levels in various scenarios, which was generated from the shortened and adapted version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The results showed that participants’ stress levels had significantly increased in snow weather conditions, especially nervous and stressed feeling, and unable to control the arrival time, which indicated that participants’ highly increased cognitive bias for commuting time could be the critical reason. The results of hierarchical linear regression models indicated that overall stress scores could be predicted through participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, driving experience, commuting driving, and cognitive bias for commuting time. Such an association was significantly strongest with commuting time gaps, especially in snow weather conditions. In addition, a recommendation was derived from these results that correcting the cognitive bias for commuting time could relieve participants’ stress levels. The implication of the reminder message supported this recommendation. The participants’ stress levels were reduced significantly after providing a reminder message every 10 mins while commuting driving in clear weather conditions and every 5 mins in snow weather conditions.