Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sharks on film: an analysis of how shark-human interactions are portrayed in films

ABSTRACT Sharks are often a focus of exaggerated news media coverage, with shark-human portrayals and the species typically involved in these interactions being discussed most frequently. This study advanced understanding of sharks in the media by analyzing 109 shark films to investigate how films portray shark-human interactions. Through analysis of the shark film storylines and posters on the online database IMDb, it was found that almost all of these films (96%) overtly portrayed shark-human interactions as being potentially threatening to humans, a few (3%) covertly portrayed shark-human interactions as being potentially threatening to humans, and only one film did not include potentially threatening interactions. These results showed that films portray sharks in a similar way to how the news media portrays sharks, and therefore future research should include shark films when investigating the influence of the media.
Comparing Machine Learning Methods for Classifying Plant Drought Stress from Leaf Reflectance Spectra in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plant breeders and plant physiologists are deeply committed to high throughput plant phenotyping for drought tolerance. A combination of artificial intelligence with reflectance spectroscopy was tested, as a non-invasive method, for the automatic classification of plant drought stress. Arabidopsis thaliana plants (ecotype Col-0) were subjected to different levels of slowly imposed dehydration (S0, control; S1, moderate stress; S2, severe stress). The reflectance spectra of fully expanded leaves were recorded with an Ocean Optics USB4000 spectrometer and the soil water content (SWC, %) of each pot was determined. The entire data set of the reflectance spectra (intensity vs. wavelength) was given to different machine learning (ML) algorithms, namely decision trees, random forests and extreme gradient boosting. The performance of different methods in classifying the plants in one of the three drought stress classes (S0, S1 and S2) was measured and compared. All algorithms produced very high evaluation scores (F1 > 90%) and agree on the features with the highest discriminative power (reflectance at ~670 nm). Random forests was the best performing method and the most robust to random sampling of training data, with an average F1-score of 0.96 ± 0.05. This classification method is a promising tool to detect plant physiological responses to drought using high-throughput pipelines.
Transfer Learning-Based Parallel Evolutionary Algorithm Framework for Bilevel Optimization

Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have been recognized as a promising approach for bilevel optimization. However, the population-based characteristic of EAs largely influences their efficiency and effectiveness due to the nested structure of the two levels of optimization problems. In this article, we propose a transfer learning-based parallel EA (TLEA) framework for bilevel optimization. In this framework, the task of optimizing a set of lower level problems parameterized by upper level variables is conducted in a parallel manner. In the meanwhile, a transfer learning strategy is developed to improve the effectiveness of each lower level search (LLS) process. In practice, we implement two versions of the TLEA: the first version uses the covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy and the second version uses the differential evolution as the evolutionary operator in lower level optimization. The experimental studies on two sets of widely used bilevel optimization benchmark problems are conducted, and the performance of the two TLEA implementations is compared to that of four well-established evolutionary bilevel optimization algorithms to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm framework.
Formation of Horizontally Deflected Slabs in the Mantle Transition Zone Caused by Spinel‐to‐Post‐Spinel Phase Transition, Its Associated Grainsize Reduction Effects, and Trench Retreat

Seismic observations indicate accumulation of subducted slabs in the mantle transition zone in many subduction zones. By systematically conducting 2‐D numerical experiments, we demonstrate that a weak layer or zone beneath the spinel‐to‐post‐spinel phase transition leads to horizontally deflected (stagnant) slab structures in the mantle transition zone, which is consistent with recent studies of 3‐D global mantle convection models. Trench retreat velocity, Clapeyron slope and the viscosity contrast between the lower mantle and mantle transition zone also affect horizontally deflected slab formation. By considering grain size dependent viscosity and grainsize evolution for slabs going through the phase change in the lower mantle, our models with a dynamically generated weak zone beneath the phase boundary indicate that the geometry and viscosity reduction of the weak zone is strongly affected by grain growth rate. A smaller grain growth rate results in a thicker and wider weak zone that promotes deflected slab formation.
Crosslinked Low-Density Polyethylene/Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes Composites: Effects of Crosslinker Concentration on the Mechanical, Thermal, Rheological, and Shape Memory Properties

Abstract The aim of this study was to produce crosslinked low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composites using peroxide and octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OvPOSS) and to examine the shape memory behavior. The strategy was to use OvPOSS as a coagent to increase the crosslinking density and crosslinking efficiency while improving the mechanical and shape memory properties as well. The peroxide concentration, from 0.5 phr to 3.0 phr, was taken as the experimental parameter, with 4 phr OvPOSS added to all composites. The melt mixing route was applied similar to that which would be used industrially. The thermo-responsive shape memory properties near the melting point were examined in tension mode. The dispersion of OvPOSS in the LDPE matrix was observed via scanning electron microscopy and Si-mapping. In addition, the thermal, mechanical, structural, and rheological features of the novel LDPE/OvPOSS and LDPE/peroxide/OvPOSS systems were investigated. It was observed that the crosslinking density of LDPE increased in the presence of OvPOSS, which affected the mechanical, rheological and thermal properties and increased the shape recovery ratio of the LDPE.
Genetic Risk Score for Predicting Schizophrenia Using Human Chromosomal-Scale Length Variation.

IntroductionSchizophrenia is a neurological disorder that often manifests itself as a combination of psychotic symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized cognitive functions. Several lines of evidence indicate that schizophrenia has a genetic component, however it cannot be isolated to a single gene. We set out to determine how well one could predict that a person will develop schizophrenia based on their germ line DNA.MethodsWe compared 1129 people from the UK Biobank dataset who had a diagnosis of schizophrenia to an equal number of age matched people drawn from the general UK Biobank population. For each person, we constructed a profile consisting of a sequence of numbers. Each number characterized the length of a segment of one of their chromosomes. We tested several machine learning algorithms using the h2o.ai framework to determine which was most effective in predicting schizophrenia. We also tested whether there was any improvement in prediction by breaking the chromosomes into smaller chunks. We used SHAP values to better understand features important to the predictive model.ResultsWe found that the stacked ensemble, a combination of four different machine learning algorithms, performed best with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.583 (95% CI 0.581-0.586). We noted an increase in the AUC by breaking the chromosomes into smaller chunks for analysis. Using SHAP values, we identified the X chromosome as the most important contributor to the predictive model. ConclusionWe conclude that germ line chromosomal scale length variation data can provide an effective genetic risk score for schizophrenia. Length variations of several regions of the X Chromosome are the greatest contributing factor.
Formulation and Evaluation of Mucoadhesive Buccal Tablets of Curcumin and its Bioavailability Study

Aim: The main objective of the present work is to improve the bioavailability of curcumin by buccal route and to study in-vitro and in-vivo drug release. Materials and Methods: The mucoadhesive buccal tablets were formulated by direct compression method using hydrophilic polymers such as guar gum, xanthan gum, HPMC E15 in different concentration and piperine as permeation enhancers (1%). Ethylcellulose is used as backing layer to promote the unidirectional flow of drug in the buccal region. Curcumin has a number of beneficial activities, such as potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-rheumatic and anti-diabetic. When Curcumin is administered orally it has low bioavailability because of poor absorption, rapid GIT metabolism and hepatic first pass metabolism. Curcumin has poor aqueous solubility and better lipid solubility, and buccal region consist of lipid, so the absorption of curcumin can be increased by this route. Results and Discussion: The FT-IR spectra of pure drug with different polymers showed no shift in peak, indicating absence of interaction. The prepared formulations were evaluated for pre-compression studies such as bulk density, tapped density, angle of repose. The post-compressions studies such as weight variation, thickness, friability, hardness, mucoadhesive strength, drug content, swelling studies, in-vitro diffusion studies and in-vitro dissolution studies. Conclusion: All the prepared formulations were within the standard Pharmacopoeial limit. The formulation (FX2) containing xanthan gum showed the best dissolution (97.75%) within 4.0 hours and it follows higuchi model. The in-vivo animal study showed the better bioavailability by buccal route when compare to oral route.
A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Academy Socialization on Police Integrity

The objective of this study was to examine changes in American recruits’ perceptions of the seriousness of behaviors related to police integrity from the beginning to the end of their academy training. Using a sample of 655 recruits from multiple academies in the United States, multilevel growth models were used. The results showed that the recruits rated scales related to misconduct, code of silence, and a noble cause less seriously at the end than at the beginning of their training. The results also showed that ethics training mitigated the effects of socialization, while organizational injustice intensified the effects of socialization. Female recruits rated the behaviors more seriously at the beginning and the end of training compared to male recruits. The results confirm the role of the academy in socializing officers into the negative aspects of the traditional police culture and highlight important avenues for police reform.
Prediction of Methane, Water and Ice Properties for Numerical Gas Hydrate Simulations

Gas hydrates are considered as near-future potential energy resources. Due to the lack of gas production data from gas hydrate reservoirs, numerical simulations are very important to make production predictions for both experimental studies and field production trials. Methane and water flow together when gas hydrates dissociate inside the sediments. Hence, many parameters of methane and water such as density, viscosity, enthalpy, internal energy and thermal conductivity should be calculated at different pressure and temperature values during non-isothermal numerical gas production simulations from gas hydrate reservoirs. As a solid phase, ice might exist in the pores due to the endothermic dissociation of gas hydrates. For this reason, water, methane, ice properties as a function of temperature and pressure are estimated by the Matlab codes written in this study: waterprop.m, gasprop.m, and iceprop.m. Density, viscosity, enthalpy, internal energy and thermal conductivity of water and methane calculated with the Matlab codes in this study, National Institute of Standards and Technology were compared, and the reliability of waterprop.m, gasprop.m and iceprop.m was proved.
Preoperative Transcatheter Arterial Embolization and En-Bloc Resection for Giant Non-Functioning Left Adrenocortical Carcinoma: A Case Report

Objective: To demonstrate efficacy and relative safety of compartment surgery in a case of large sized adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), whenever associated with preoperative transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and adjuvant treatment with mitotane. Introduction: ACC is a rare illness; non-functioning lesions account for 40-55% of patients, may reach a large size, and show a clear attitude to infiltrate neighbouring organs. Case Report: Middle aged male visited for a huge left abdominal mass; contrast CT scan showed origin from the left adrenal lodge and possible extension of the tumor to surrounding structures. Preoperative adrenal work-up confirmed non-functioning nature of the adrenal mass. In order to allow a safe compartment excision and to decrease blood loss, preoperative angiography and TAE was performed. Patient underwent en-bloc resection of the mass, together with nephrectomy and distal splenopancreasectomy. No postoperative transfusions were required. Patient received adjuvant therapy with mitotane for 36 months since surgery, without any sign of tumor recurrence. Conclusion: An aggressive surgical approach seems justified also in locally advanced and infiltrating ACC; compartment resection is mandatory in order to obtain adequate resection margins. Preoperative TAE decreases intraoperative blood loss and need for transfusions. Adjuvant treatment with mitotane may contribute to reach remarkable disease-free survival.
Perceived Authenticity and Place Attachment: New Findings from Chinese World Heritage Sites

Building on previous research that claims tourists’ perceived authenticity is an antecedent to place attachment, this study explored the relationship between the two theoretical constructs. Specifically, the mechanism between perceived authenticity, place attachment, and loyalty was empirically tested. The data were collected at Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, and the Old Town of Lijiang, two UNESCO heritage sites in southern China. Contrary to previous studies, the findings indicate that (1) perceived authenticity can be an antecedent to place attachment, (2) across both sites, tourists’ perceived authenticity of architecture or intangible heritage exhibited various effects on different components of place attachment, (3) the constituents of place attachment significantly influence loyalty, and (4) place attachment mediates between perceived authenticity and loyalty. This study provided a refined understanding of the dynamics between perceived authenticity and place attachment and offered practical implications for heritage management and marketing.
Performing the Cold War through the ‘The Best Board Game on the Planet’: The Ludic Geopolitics of Twilight Struggle

ABSTRACT Scholarly study of the popular geopolitics of boardgames has lagged behind that of other ludic artefacts, such as toys and videogames. This article examines the boardgame Twilight Struggle as a premiere example of a historically-structured boardgame (HSBG). HSBGs are distinct for their tight and intentional integration of narrative, gameplay, and in-game freedoms consistent with historical events, processes, and actors. Although not requiring players to follow a pre-set script, HSBGs are structured so that their available options, incentives, and victory conditions ensure that players act in a historically accurate manner. The effect is that players re-enact or perform a version of this history, even if they are unfamiliar with it. By focusing on what HSBGs make players do, rather than the representations embedded within them, this study contributes to our understanding of the performative agency of popular geopolitical objects.
Epidemiological features for primary lymphoma of the female genital tract patients and development of a nomogram to predict survival

Abstract Background Primary lymphoma of the female genital tract (PLFGT) is a sporadic extranodal lymphoma. Its epidemiology and prognosis are not fully recognized. Our study aimed to construct and validate prognostic nomograms for predicting survival for patients with PLFGT. Methods Incidence rate from 1975 to 2017 and patients with PLFGT from 1975 to 2011 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were retrospectively reviewed. The nomograms of overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were established according to the multivariate Cox regression analyses. The concordance index (C-index) and calibration plots were used to demonstrate its robustness and accuracy. Results A total of 617 PLFGT patients were identified. The overall incidence of PLFGT is 0.437/1,000,000 (adjusted to the US standard population in 2000) from 1975 to 2017. Age, histological subtype, Ann Arbor Stage, and therapeutic strategy were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS and DSS by multivariate Cox regression (p < .05). Nomograms to predict 1-, 5-, and 10-year OS and DSS were established. The C-index and calibration plots showed a good discriminative ability and an optimal accuracy of the nomograms. Patients were divided into three risk groups according to the model of OS. Conclusions The incidence of PLFGT has increased in the past 40 years, and the nomograms were developed and validated as an individualized tool to predict OS and DSS for all PLFGT patients and DLBCL patients. All patients are divided into three risk groups to assist clinicians to identify patients at high-risk and choose the optimal individualized treatments for patients. Highlights The incident of PLFGT and its subtypes were calculated and compared. Nomograms were constructed to predict the 1-, 5-, and 10-year OS and DSS. Patients are divided into the low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk according total score of the nomogram.
Nitrogen management for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) intercropped with variable aged poplar (Populus deltoides Bartr.) plantations in North-Western India

Abstract Agroforestry system (AFS) is considered to be sustainable agricultural practice delivering wide range of ecosystem services. Nutrients and light are principal limiting resources for understorey crops. To optimize productivity, recommendation is to use well adapted tree–crop–fertilizer combinations. Nitrogen (N) management for wheat poplar is essential for maximizing synergies but the data is scarce. Therefore, current study addressed the issue by monitoring wheat performance fertilized with N: control (N1), 60 (N2), 90 (N3), 120 (N4), 150 (N5), 180 (N6) and leaf color chart (LCC) based-115 (N7) kg ha−1 under 2-, 3-, 5- and 6-year poplar. Tree age and N levels were key determinants of yield with reduction in growth (number of tillers m−1, plant height, ear length), yield parameters (1000-grain weight, number of grains ear−1), yield and NUE of wheat with advancing tree age, maximum reduction under 6-year plantation. However, fertilization with N7 −115 kg N ha−1 showed highest increase in grain yield (95.1%), harvest index (20.1%), NUE (agronomic efficiency (AE) 53.5% and recovery efficiency (RE)-91.1%). Nutrient uptake by grains showed maximum decrease of 32.1 (N), 13.6 (P) and 22.8 (K)%, respectively under 6-year-poplar. Averaged over poplar age, the N fertilizer treatment N7 lead to maximum increase of 2.3-, 2.9- and 2.3-folds in N, P, K uptake by grains, respectively. Therefore, the N management of wheat with N7 −115 kg N ha−1 (LCC-based treatment) under poplar tree canopies show the potential to mitigate the risk of poor crop yield and contribute to food security.
Combustion Characteristics of a Methane Jet Flame in Hot Oxidant Coflow Diluted by H2O versus the Case by N2

This numerical study investigates combustion characteristics of a CH4 jet flame in hot oxidant coflow (JHC) diluted by H2O versus the case by N2. Both MILD oxy–fuel combustion and traditional combustion are generated by varying the coflow oxygen level from 3% to 85% in volume. To distinguish physical and chemical effects of changing the diluent from N2 to H2O, the JHC flame diluted by XH2O (artificial H2O without reactivity) is also simulated. It is demonstrated that both the temperature and the dimension of the JHC flame reduce substantially when changing the diluent from N2 to H2O. Such reductions derive primarily from different fluid properties of N2 and H2O, i.e., H2O has a lower fluid density and a higher thermal capacity. The change from N2 to H2O is also found to have an impact more chemically on formation of the main intermediate species (i.e., H, O, CO, OH) and simultaneously to increase the flame lift-off distance due to longer ignition delay. Hence, the MILD combustion is expected to occur more.
Preparation of Poly O-Toluidine/Titanium Dioxide by In situ Chemical Oxidation Polymerization and Application for Solar Cell.

Various treatments on the PEDOT:PSS films were carried out to investigate it’s influence on the conductivity, morphology, transmittance and the corresponding impact of the performance of the organic photovoltaic devices based on the PCPDTBT:PCBM and P3HT:PCBM blends. These processing including doping PEDOT:PSS with DMF and ME solvents and exposing these films to the vapor of DMF and ME solvents, separately. A considerable enhancement of the conductivity and transmittance of PEDOT:PSS was observed after doping solvent into the PEDOT;PSS solution followed by solvent treatment through exposing these films to solvents environment. The best organic PV doped devices based on either PCPDTBT:PCBM or based on P3HT:PCBM with power conversion efficiency were 2.93% compared to 1.87% for the pristine PV devices or 2.79% compared to 1.77% for the pristine devices, respectively. The conductivity improvement was highly influenced by solvent treatment.
Chitosan-Phenylalanine Nanoparticles (Cs-Phe Nps) Extend the Postharvest Life of Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) Fruits under Chilling Stress

There are high levels of damage imposed on persimmon fruit postharvest, especially after storing it in cold storage, which causes chilling injury (CI). To reduce this stress on the fruit, the conventional way is to use chemical treatments. Since there is a limitation in the use of chemical materials, it is necessary to apply non-harmful treatments to decrease chilling injury and maintain the quality of persimmon in cold storage. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of chitosan-loaded phenylalanine nanoparticles (Cs-Phe NPs) (2.5 and 5 mM) on physiochemical and quality factors of persimmon (Diospyros kaki) during 45 days of storage at 4 °C (38 °F) and evaluate the impact of Cs-Phe NPs on the preserving quality in order to reduce the chilling injury of this fruit. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments were applied at 15, 30, and 45 days after storage at 4 °C with ≥90% relative humidity. The size of Cs-Phe NPs was less than 100 nm, approximately. The results showed that application of 5 mM of Cs-Phe NPs delayed the negative effects of chilling stress and enhanced antioxidant capacity, firmness, and total soluble solids of persimmon fruit. Lower H2O2 and malonaldehyde (MDA) accumulation along with higher soluble tannin and total carotenoid accumulation in persimmon fruit treated with 5 mM Cs-Phe NPs was also observed. Fruit coated using Cs-Phe NPs in both concentrations (2.5 and 5 mM) showed the highest antioxidant enzyme activity for superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and the lowest for polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and chilling injury during storage. According to our results, 5 mM of Cs-Phe NPs could be considered as the best treatment under chilling-stress conditions.