Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictive kappa (κ) models for Turkey: Regional effects and uncertainty analysis

High-frequency attenuation of ground motions is commonly characterized by the κ parameter. κ and its value at zero distance, κ 0 , are critical parameters for site characterization, ground motion simulations, and adjustment of ground motion models for different site conditions. In this study, we derive regional κ models for Eastern, Western, and Northwestern Turkey, using a ground motion data set of 3212 strong ground motion records with 9636 components from 1053 earthquakes, recorded at 178 stations with varying site conditions. Initially, models with linear functional forms are derived with distance and site conditions as predictor variables. Residual analyses showed that these models have non-normal residuals with heterogeneous variances (heteroscedasticity). Box–Cox transformations on κ values are performed to address these two issues. Models using these transformations resulted in normal residuals with homogeneous variances (homoscedasticity). Effects of earthquake magnitude on the κ value are also investigated, and a linear adjustment for magnitudes is proposed. A constant vertical-to-horizontal ratio of 0.78 is proposed to estimate the vertical κ values instead of deriving separate models for the vertical component. This approach does not result in significant decreases in accuracy and is preferred due to its simplicity. Next, the physical implications of logarithmic transformations for the κ values are discussed. Finally, regional differences in κ models are highlighted.
Neurophysiologic monitoring during cervical traction in a pediatric patient with severe cognitive disability and atlantoaxial instability

Background: Surgical management of atlantoaxial instability (AAI) in pediatric patients with Down syndrome is associated with high neurological morbidity. Moreover, Down syndrome cognitive impairment coupled to AAI removes traditional verbal communication to relay evolving symptoms and aid in neurologic examination. It is not clear whether surgical adjuncts can alter clinical outcomes in this vulnerable population. Case Description: Herein, we report the case of a 6-year-old patient with significant developmental delay and severe AAI that was successfully managed by stabilization with guidance of neurophysiologic investigations in the perioperative phase. Conclusion: Perioperative neurophysiologic monitoring is safe, useful, and reliable in pediatric patients with trisomy 21 undergoing cervical traction and occipitocervical instrumented fusion for AAI.
Radial Deformations and Cavitation in Riemannian Manifolds with Applications to Membrane Shells

This study is a geometric version of Ball's work, Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. London Ser. A 306 (1982), no. 1496, 557-611. Radial deformations in Riemannian manifolds are singular solutions to some nonlinear equations given by constitutive functions and radial curvatures. A geodesic spherical cavity forms at the center of a geodesic ball in tension by means of given surface tractions or displacements. The ex- istence of such solutions depends on the growth properties of the constitutive functions and the radial curvatures. Some close relationships are shown among radial curvature, the constitutive functions, and the behavior of bifurcation of a singular solution from a trivial solution. In the incompressible case the bifurcation depends on the local properties of the radial curvature near the geodesic ball center but the bifurcation in compressible case is determined by the global properties of the radial curvatures. A cavity forms at the center of a membrane shell of isotropic material placed in tension by means of given boundary tractions or displacements when the Riemannian mani- fold under question is a surface of IR 3 with the induced metric. In addition, cavitation at the center of ellipsoids of IR n is also described if the Riemannian manifold under question is (IR n g) where g(x) are symmetric, positive matrices for x ∈ IR n .
Consistency Analysis in Medical Empathy Intervention Research

Various studies have examined the effectiveness of interventions to increase empathy in medical professionals. However, inconsistencies may exist in the definitions, interventions, and assessments of empathy. Inconsistencies jeopardize the internal validity and generalization of the research findings. The main purpose of this study was to examine the internal consistency among the definitions, interventions, and assessments of empathy in medical empathy intervention studies. We also examined the interventions and assessments in terms of the knowledge–attitude–behavior aspects. We conducted a literature search for medical empathy intervention studies with a design of randomized controlled trials and categorized each study according to the dimensions of empathy and knowledge–attitude–behavior aspects. The consistencies among the definitions, interventions, and assessments were calculated. A total of 13 studies were included in this study. No studies were fully consistent in their definitions, interventions, and assessments of empathy. Only four studies were partially consistent. In terms of knowledge–attitude–behavior aspects, four studies were fully consistent, two studies were partially consistent, and seven studies were inconsistent. Most medical empathy intervention studies are inconsistent in their definitions, interventions, and assessments of empathy, as well as the knowledge–attitude–behavior aspects between interventions and assessments. These inconsistencies may have affected the internal validity and generalization of the research results.
Analysis of the properties of weather regressors for econometric modelling: Example of weather stations in Poland

Many recent works indicate the existence of a significant relationship between weather factors such as pressure, humidity, windspeed, sum of falls or sunshine and rates of return for stocks quoted on stock exchange. A properly conducted econometric study requires a careful analysis of the properties of the factors that will be used in the econometric model to explain the development of the dependent variable. The aim of the research is to check if the weather factors could be used as econometric regressors by verifying their statistical propensities. The analysis was held on the weather stations located in eight cities in Poland: Poznan, Kolo, Plock, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Opole, Katowice and Rzeszow. These cities host registered offices of the biggest companies of the energy sector in Poland. The research methods were focused around basic statistics and normality tests of distributions of weather factors' (four types), as well as the autocorrelation of regressors.
Brassinosteroid Supplementation Alleviates Chromium Toxicity in Soybean (Glycine max L.) via Reducing Its Translocation

Chromium (Cr) phytotoxicity severely inhibits plant growth and development which makes it a prerequisite to developing techniques that prevent Cr accumulation in food chains. However, little is explored related to the protective role of brassinosteroids (BRs) against Cr-induced stress in soybean plants. Herein, the morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of soybean cultivars with/without foliar application of BRs under Cr toxicity were intensely investigated. Our outcomes deliberated that BRs application noticeably reduced Cr-induced phytotoxicity by lowering Cr uptake (37.7/43.63%), accumulation (63.92/81.73%), and translocation (26.23/38.14%) in XD-18/HD-19, plant tissues, respectively; besides, improved seed germination ratio, photosynthetic attributes, plant growth, and biomass, as well as prevented nutrient uptake inhibition under Cr stress, especially in HD-19 cultivar. Furthermore, BRs stimulated antioxidative defense systems, both enzymatic and non-enzymatic, the compartmentalization of ion chelation, diminished extra production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and electrolyte leakage in response to Cr-induced toxicity, specifically in HD-19. In addition, BRs improved Cr stress tolerance in soybean seedlings by regulating the expression of stress-related genes involved in Cr accumulation, and translocation. Inclusively, by considering the above-mentioned biomarkers, foliar spray of BRs might be considered an effective inhibitor of Cr-induced damages in soybean cultivars, even in Cr polluted soil.
Reconstruction and control laws for multi-conjugate adaptive optics in astronomy

The optical resolution of ground-based astronomical telescopes is in principle limited by the atmospheric turbulence. Adaptive optics is a technique that enables high-resolution imaging from the ground by compensating in real-time for the phase perturbations introduced by atmospheric turbulence. One of the major limitations of single-conjugate adaptive optics (SCAO) is the fact that compensation is only attainable in a small field of view due to anisoplanatism. Multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) is a technique that was conceived to overcome this limitation. This is achieved by the use of several wavefront sensors (WFSs) to probe the atmospheric volume in different directions, and several deformable mirrors (DMs) optically conjugated at different altitudes to compensate for the phase perturbations introduced by the atmospheric volume. Spatial reconstruction in MCAO refers to the problem of estimating from the WFSs measurements the three-dimensional distribution of the atmospheric-turbulence phase perturbations. We present a review of the deterministic and the statistical estimation methods to solve the reconstruction problem in MCAO by describing the problem within the formalism of inverse problems. Then, we have used this formalism to study and fully characterize the propagation of the remaining error —also known as generalized aliasing— in MCAO. We have also studied the application of modal gain optimization in MCAO, and we have shown that the generalized aliasing in MCAO poses a shortcoming to the generalization of this control technique to MCAO. In the framework of the Multi-conjugate Adaptive optics Demonstrator (MAD) project, we have participated in the experimental validation of the MCAO concept in the laboratory. We present the high-flux optimization of the MAD system and a comparison of simulation and experimental results.
Comparative efficacy of a spider knottin insecticide, GS‐omega/kappa‐Hxtx‐Hv1a, against four species of invasive tropical tephritids

Invasive tephritid fruit flies collectively pose a significant economic challenge to agricultural pest management globally. Insecticide resistance to a number of previously effective chemical classes has increased the risk these pests pose as management options become limited. We evaluated the efficacy of a peptide‐based biorational insecticide with a unique mode of action, containing the active ingredient, GS‐omega/kappa‐Hxtx‐Hv1a (GS‐Hv1a), against four of tephritid species, oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis), melon fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae), Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata, ‘Medfly’), and Malaysian fruit fly (Bactrocera latrifrons). This assessment aimed to determine whether GS‐Hv1a has the potential for effective management of tropical tephritids, particularly in regions where insecticide resistance has developed to other products. We conducted two sets of screening assays with different methods of exposure, oral and topical and compared survival over time in response to increasing concentrations of GS‐Hv1a up to 3.86 mg/ml. We found that efficacy was species dependent: Ceratitis capitata was susceptible following topical exposure, while the other species of fruit fly were not. While Medfly survival decreased following oral ingestion as well, the amount required to achieve this was greater than the concentration used in the topical bioassay. We observed that survival continued to decline up to 72 h after exposure, indicating a delayed effect similar to other reduced‐risk insecticidal products such as fipronil. For this reason, GS‐Hv1a may be useful as a horizontal transfer tool in conjunction with C. capitata male pheromone lures.
Immunological characteristics of IgG4-related Kuttner tumors

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) has recently been well recognized and Kuttner tumor is known to be a chronic sclerosing sialadenitis, representing the focal manifestation of IgG4-RD, in the submandibular gland (SMG). This study is to evaluate the immunologic features of IgG4-related Kuttner tumor in the SMG. We retrospectively chose 13 patients who were confirmed as having Kuttner tumor by surgical biopsy between May 2012 and January 2019. The fine-needle aspiration cytology, serum antibody levels (anti-Ro antibodies, anti-La antibodies), IgG serum levels (total IgG and IgG4), and immunohistochemical findings for IgG and IgG4-positive plasma cells were reviewed. The cytologic results found that 7 of the 9 cases were reported as chronic sialoadenitis, and the other 3 as benign lymphoproliferative lesion. The serum levels of autoantibodies, Sjögren-syndrome-related antigen A/Ro-Ab and Sjögren-syndrome-related antigen A/Ro-La, showed all normal values of serum level. The serum level of IgG was increased in only 4 among the cases. However, the IgG4 levels were significantly increased in 11 among the cases. In all the patients who received resection of SMG, immunohistochemical findings showed all positive for IgG4-RD, with elevated numbers of IgG and IgG4-positive plasma cells. The evaluation of IgG4 serum level should be very informative for the diagnosis of this tumor before surgery. Fine-needle aspiration cytology with ultrasound guidance are not conclusive in this study. The immunological study including IgG4 serum level should be required for proper diagnosis and treatment, with clinical features of the Kuttner tumor. The level of evidence was IV.
Valorization of Agro-Industrial Wastes by Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction as a Source of Proteins, Antioxidants and Cutin: A Cascade Approach

The use of agro-industrial wastes to obtain compounds with a high added-value is increasing in the last few years in accordance with the circular economy concept. In this work, a cascade extraction approach was developed based on ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for tomato, watermelon, and apple peel wastes. The protein and antioxidant compounds were obtained during the first extraction step (NaOH 3 wt.%, 98.6 W, 100% amplitude, 6.48 W/cm2, 6 min). The watermelon peels (WP) showed higher proteins and total phenolic contents (857 ± 1 mg BSA/g extract and 107.2 ± 0.2 mg GAE/100 g dm, respectively), whereas the highest antioxidant activity was obtained for apple peels (1559 ± 20 µmol TE/100 g dm, 1767 ± 5 µmol TE/100 g dm, and 902 ± 16 µmol TE/100 g dm for ABTS, FRAP and DPPH assays, respectively). The remaining residue obtained from the first extraction was subsequently extracted to obtain cutin (ethanol 40 wt.%, 58 W, 100% amplitude, 2 W/cm2, 17 min, 1/80 g/mL, pH 2.5). The morphological studies confirmed the great efficiency of UAE in damaging the vegetal cell walls. WP showed a higher non-hydrolysable cutin content (55 wt.% of the initial cutin). A different monomers’ profile was obtained for the cutin composition by GC-MS, with the cutin from tomato and apple peels being rich in polyhydroxy fatty acids whereas the cutin extracted from WP was mainly based on unsaturated fatty acids. All of the cutin samples showed an initial degradation temperature higher than 200 °C, presenting an excellent thermal stability. The strategy followed in this work has proved to be an effective valorization methodology with a high scaling-up potential for applications in the food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetics and biopolymer sectors.
Landfalling Tropical Cyclones: Forecast Problems and Associated Research Opportunities.

Abstract The Fifth Prospectus Development Team of the U.S. Weather Research Program was charged to identify and delineate emerging research opportunities relevant to the prediction of local weather, flooding, and coastal ocean currentsassociated with landfalling U.S. hurricanes specifically, and tropical cyclones in general. Central to this theme are basicand applied research topics, including rapid intensity change, initialization of and parameterization in dynamical models, coupling of atmospheric and oceanic models, quantitative use of satellite information, and mobile observing strategies to acquire observations to evaluate and validate predictive models. To improve the necessary understanding ofphysical processes and provide the initial conditions for realistic predictions, a focused, comprehensive mobile observing system in a translating storm-coordinate system is required. Given the development of proven instrumentation andimprovement of existing systems, three-dimensional atmospheric and oceanic d.
Analysis of the effects of fiscal policy shocks in the Baltic region

The study aims to compare the effects of fiscal policy shocks in three Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - within SVAR framework, using the identification scheme proposed by Blanchard and Perotti (2002). The time sample covers quarterly data over the period of 2002q1-2019q4. The main idea of the study is to identify the effects of fiscal policy shocks in three euro area member states under a single monetary policy of the European Central Bank, but with country-specific fiscal policy shaped by the European fiscal framework. The results show that, generally, in the short term (up to four quarters), output reacts consistently with the Keynesian view, emphasizing the importance of using discretionary fiscal policy tools in stimulating economic activity in the Baltic region. However, in Estonia and Latvia, the calculated impact multipliers for net taxes are larger than spending multipliers. Although each country reacts differently to its country-specific fiscal shock, the response to the euro area money market interest rate innovation is quite similar with respect to the direction of the effect, which may indicate the robustness of the Baltic region in terms of the euro area shocks. Thus, the results emphasize the importance of conducting domestic fiscal policy adapted to the conditions of each of the analysed economies. Based on the assumptions and the methodology used in this study, the obtained findings show the limited effects of spending on Baltic economies in comparison with the effects caused by the shocks in net taxes. Moreover, due to the lack of large-scale analysis regarding the effectiveness of fiscal policy in Baltic states, the obtained results are a valuable contribution to the debate about the ‘appropriate’ size of the fiscal multipliers for the Baltic region.
Efficient Learning Strategies for Machine Learning-Based Characterization of Aging-Aware Cell Libraries

Machine learning (ML)-driven standard cell library characterization enables rapid, on-the-fly generation of cell libraries, opening the door for extensive design-space exploration and other, previously infeasible approaches. However, the benefits of ML-based cell library characterization are strongly limited by its high demand in training data and the costly SPICE simulation required to generate the training samples. Therefore, efficient learning strategies are needed to minimize the required training data for ML models while still sustaining high prediction accuracy. In this work, we explore multiple active and passive learning strategies for ML-based cell library characterization with focus on aging-induced degradation. While random sampling and greedy sampling strategies operate with low computational overhead, active learning considers the performance of ML models to find the most valuable samples for training. We also introduce a hybrid approach of active learning and greedy sampling to optimize the trade-off between reduction in training samples and computational overhead. Our experiments demonstrate an achievable training data reduction of up to 77% compared to the state of the art, depending on the targeted accuracy of the ML models.
The influence of consumer ethnocentrism on purchase of domestic fruits and vegetables: application of the extended theory of planned behaviour

PurposeWith the crescent globalisation together with economic and food crisis, consumers are increasingly confronted with food products from different origins and appeals to consume “national”. If many food products can be related to a specific region or country, many are sold as commodities with Portuguese origin indication. One factor influencing the purchase behaviour of domestic food products is the consumer ethnocentrism (CE) characteristic. The aim of this paper is to study consumers' purchase behaviour intention towards “produce in Portugal” fruits and vegetables applying a CE extended model of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was presented to random sample of 700 individuals older than 18 and responsible for the household food purchase by computer-assisted telephone interview (CAT) system. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted to examine direct and indirect effects of attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SuBNs), perceived behavioural controls (PBCNTRLs), intention and self-congruity on domestic fresh fruits and vegetables purchases.FindingsFindings suggest that TPB model is applicable in determining the consumers' intention to buy domestic fruits and vegetables in Portugal. CE has been shown to successfully influence purchase intention.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides the food industry and retail with informative basis about which mechanisms underlie the consumers' intention to buy domestic food. Also, this study provides useful insight into how different food categories and label affect the consumers' intentions, which can serve for communication strategies in order to increase purchase of domestic products as fruits and vegetables. New food categories should be studied.Originality/valueThis study gives a new approach on Portuguese consumer ethnocentric tendencies and opens a discussion on consumer purchase intention on Portuguese low value food products. This gives a first insight on Portuguese consumer ethnocentric behaviour.
A Review of Oxylipins in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD): Potential Therapeutic Targets for the Modulation of Vascular Tone and Inflammation

There is now a convincing body of evidence from observational studies that the majority of modifiable Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) risk factors are vascular in nature. In addition, the co-existence of cerebrovascular disease with AD is more common than AD alone, and conditions resulting in brain ischemia likely promote detrimental effects of AD pathology. Oxylipins are a class of bioactive lipid mediators derived from the oxidation of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) which act as modulators of both vascular tone and inflammation. In vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), there is emerging evidence that oxylipins may have both protective and detrimental effects on brain structure, cognitive performance, and disease progression. In this review, we focus on oxylipin relationships with vascular and inflammatory risk factors in human studies and animal models pertinent to ADRD. In addition, we discuss future research directions with the potential to impact the trajectory of ADRD risk and disease progression.