Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chest lesion CT radiological features and quantitative analysis in RT-PCR turned negative and clinical symptoms resolved COVID-19 patients.

Background Many studies have described lung lesion computed tomography (CT) features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients at the early and progressive stages. In this study, we aim to evaluate lung lesion CT radiological features along with quantitative analysis for the COVID-19 patients ready for discharge. Methods From February 10 to March 10, 2020, 125 COVID-19 patients (age: 16-67 years, 63 males) ready for discharge, with two consecutive negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and no clinical symptoms for more than 3 days, were included. The pre-discharge CT was performed on all patients 1-3 days after the second negative RT-PCR test, and the follow-up CTs were performed on 44 patients 2-13 days later. The imaging features and quantitative analysis were evaluated on both the pre-discharge and the follow-up CTs, by both radiologists and an artificial intelligence (AI) software. Results On the pre-discharge CT, the most common CT findings included ground-glass opacity (GGO) (99/125, 79.2%) with bilateral mixed distribution, and fibrosis (56/125, 44.8%) with bilateral subpleural distribution. Enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes were also commonly observed (45/125, 36.0%). AI enabled quantitative analysis showed the right lower lobe was mostly involved, and lesions most commonly had CT value of -570 to -470 HU consistent with GGO. Follow-up CT showed GGO decrease in size and density (40/40, 100%) and fibrosis reduction (17/26, 65.4%). Compared with the pre-discharge CT results, quantitative analysis shows the lung lesion volume regressed significantly at follow-up. Conclusions For COVID-19 patients ready for discharge, GGO and fibrosis are the main CT features and they further regress at follow-up.
Improved RSSI-Based Data Augmentation Technique for Fingerprint Indoor Localisation

Recently, deep-learning-based indoor localisation systems have attracted attention owing to their higher performance compared with traditional indoor localization systems. However, to achieve satisfactory performance, the former systems require large amounts of data to train deep learning models. Since obtaining the data is usually a tedious task, this requirement deters the use of deep learning approaches. To address this problem, we propose an improved data augmentation technique based on received signal strength indication (RSSI) values for fingerprint indoor positioning systems. The technique is implemented using available RSSI values at one reference point, and unlike existing techniques, it mimics the constantly varying RSSI signals. With this technique, the proposed method achieves a test accuracy of 95.26% in the laboratory simulation and 94.59% in a real-time environment, and the average location error is as low as 1.45 and 1.60 m, respectively. The method exhibits higher performance compared with an existing augmentation method. In particular, the data augmentation technique can be applied irrespective of the positioning algorithm used.
Molecular Identification and Diversity of Yeasts Associated with Apis cerana Foraging on Flowers of Jatropha integerrima

There are only a few reports from tropical countries, and none from Indonesia, on yeasts associated with the Asiatic honeybee, Apis cerana . Here we report on yeasts associated with A. cerana foraging on flowers of Jatropha integerrima in the campus of the Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia. Yeasts were isolated from guts of 30 individual pollen-collecting bees (PCB) and nectar-collecting bees (NCB), and identified by their internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of their rDNA sequences. Based on ITS regions sequence data, 14 representative yeast isolates obtained from A. cerana were found to be closely related to Aureobasidium pullulans , Dothioraceae sp. , Candida cf. apicola , C . cf . azyma , C. cellae , Metschnikowia sp. , Kodamaea ohmeri and Yarrowia lipolytica . Undescribed yeast of the genus of Metschnikowia was also discovered in this study. At present, we assume there is association between C . cf. apicola and species closely related to C. cellae with A. cerana . Yeasts species associated with PCB differ from those found in NCB, indicating that PCB and NCB possess different and specific yeasts communities. Some yeasts species isolated from A. cerana show a low degree of similarity to their closest related species. Our study sheds light on the detection of several new taxa of yeasts associated with A. cerana .
In situ synthesis, crystal structures, topology and photoluminescent properties of poly[di-μ-aqua-diaqua[μ3-4-(1H-tetrazol-1-id-5-yl)benzoato-κ4 O:O,O′:O′′]barium(II)] and poly[μ-aqua-diaqua[μ3-4-(1H-tetrazol-1-id-5-yl)benzoato-κ4 O:O,O′:O′]strontium(II)]

The crystal structures of two alkaline-earth-based coordination compounds containing bifunctional tetrazolecarboxylate ligands reveal a one-dimensional chain structure with the carboxylate-tetrazole anionic ligand. The structures of both compounds are dominated by hydrogen bonds involving water coordination ligands, with an underlying 3.6 − c network.
Chromosomal Aberrations (CA), Sister Chromatid Exchanges (SCE), and High-Frequency Cells (HFC) Frequencies in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes of Tunisian Gasoline Truck Loaders

ABSTRACT Gasoline constitutes a mixture of chemicals that contain well-known genotoxicants. Thus, chronic occupational exposure to gasoline may be considered to possess genotoxic risk. In this study, the frequencies of total chromosomal aberrations (TCA), aberrant cells (Ab.c.), sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), high-frequency cells (HFC), and high-frequency cell individual (HFI) were investigated in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 17 gasoline-exposed workers (10 smokers and 7 non-smokers) and 22 unexposed reference subjects (12 smokers and 10 non-smokers). The exposed subjects were gasoline truck loaders at a gasoline company from Tunis City, north of Tunisia. The results indicate multiple CA, such as dicentrics (DIC), chromatid breaks (SB), and chromosome breaks (DB). A significant difference was observed in TCA and Ab.c. frequencies between exposed and unexposed groups (p < 0.01). A significant difference was found in frequencies of SCE (p < 0.01) and HFI (p < 0.05) between exposed and unexposed groups. SCE and TCA frequencies of smokers were found to be significantly higher than those of non-smokers in both groups. There was an interaction between gasoline exposure and smoking habit for TCA (p = 0.020), but not for SCE. Our findings indicate that gasoline truck loaders were under risk of significant cytogenetic damage that was enhanced by their smoking habit.
Effects of stump removal on soil decomposer communities in undisturbed patches of the forest floor

Abstract Soil preparation after clear-cutting leads to fragmentation of forest floor and, consequently, changes the habitat of decomposers. Stump removal for bioenergy is further increasing the disturbance in the soil. We studied responses of decomposers to stump removal in boreal spruce forests during the first 4 years after clear felling in relation to mounding. Samples for each decomposer organism group were taken from undisturbed forest floor patches that are the main habitat for decomposers after forest regeneration and whose amount and size obviously differ between the treatments. Microbial biomasses and community structure, and the abundance of enchytraeids, were not found to be affected by the stump removal. The abundance of nematodes and the total numbers of collembolans were lower in the stump harvesting plots compared with the mounded plots 3 years after the regeneration. In addition, microbivorous macroarthropods had higher abundances in the mounded plots. Together, decomposer community in the fragments of undisturbed forest floor only slightly differed between the mounded and stump removal areas. However, more data are urgently needed to also find out the longer-term effects of stump removal on the forest soil decomposers and their functioning and the development of decomposer community in exposed mineral soil.
Male-Female Wage Differential in the West Bank: A Gender-Based Analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

ABSTRACT This paper studies the gender wage differential in the Palestinian labor market of the West Bank before, during, and in the aftermath of the second Intifada. We combine data on the Palestinian labor force, politically motivated fatalities of Palestinians, and movement restrictions in the West Bank, in order to quantify the effect of political violence on the gender wage gap. We find that political violence during the second Intifada decreased the gender wage gap. We also observe a long-term trend of more women entering the labor force, especially in middle-income occupations where there is an existing large share of female employees. Political violence did not seem to reverse or hurt that trend. We provide suggestive evidence that the reduction in the wage gap is due to the increased supply of low-skilled men, who previously worked in Israel and entered the local labor market due to the Intifada.
Real-time maritime anomaly detection: detecting intentional AIS switch-off

Today, most of the maritime surveillance systems rely on the automatic identification system (AIS), which is compulsory for vessels of specific categories to carry. Anomaly detection typically refers to the problem of finding patterns in data that do not conform to expected behaviour. AIS switch-off is such a pattern that refers to the fact that many vessels turn off their AIS transponder in order to hide their whereabouts when travelling in waters with frequent piracy attacks or potential illegal activity, thus deceiving either the authorities or other piracy vessels. Furthermore, fishing vessels switch off their AIS transponders so as other fishing vessels do not fish in the same area. To the best of our knowledge limited work has focused on AIS switch-off in real-time. We present a system that detects such cases in real-time and can handle high velocity, large volume of streams of AIS messages received from terrestrial base stations. We evaluate the proposed system in a real-world dataset collected from AIS receivers and show the achieved detection accuracy.
Puccinia striiformis in Australia: a review of the incursion, evolution, and adaptation of stripe rust in the period 1979–2006

The wheat stripe rust pathogen (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici; Pst) was first detected in Australia in 1979. The features of the initial pathotype suggested that it was of European origin, and later work provided evidence that it was most likely transmitted as adherent spores on travellers' clothing. Despite long-held views that this cool temperature pathogen would not adapt to Australian conditions, Pst became endemic and progressively adapted to commercial wheat production through step-wise mutation. Several of these mutant pathotypes became frequent in the Pst population, causing widespread infection and significant costs to production (yield and quality losses; chemical control expenditure) in certain cultivars and seasons. Pathotype evolution, including adaptation to native barley grass (Hordeum spp.) populations, is described. The occurrence of an exotic pathotype of Pst in Western Australia in 2002, and its subsequent spread to eastern Australia, represented a major shift in the pathogen population. This pathotype dominated pathogen populations throughout Australia from 2003, with chemical control expenditure estimated at AUS40-90 million annually. Another exotic introduction was detected in 1998. Initial data indicated that certain isolates collected from barley grass were highly avirulent to wheat differentials, with the exception of partial virulence to Chinese 166. Further seedling tests revealed that these isolates, tentatively designated barley grass stripe rust (BGYR), were virulent on several Australian barleys, notably those of Skiff parentage. Data, including molecular studies, suggest that BGYR is a new forma specialis of P. striiformis. Field nurseries indicate that BGYR is likely to have little impact on commercial barley, although this may change with further pathotype evolution or the release of susceptible cultivars.
Whole-tree harvesting at clear-felling: Impact on soil chemistry, needle nutrient concentrations and growth of Scots pine

Abstract The effects of logging residue removal on soil chemical properties and the needle nutrient concentrations and growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were studied after clear-felling on two sites of different fertility in eastern Finland. Harvesting was carried out either conventionally, i.e. harvesting only the stems [conventional harvesting (CH)], or totally, i.e. harvesting all of the above-ground tree biomass [whole-tree harvesting (WTH)]. The seedlings were planted in ploughing tilts on 50×50 m sample plots. The number of replications was 24 on the more fertile site and 12 on the less fertile site. Compared with CH, WTH had no effects on either the survival or growth of Scots pine trees during the first 22 years. Apart from the statistically significant increase in needle nitrogen concentration in the WTH treatment on the less fertile site, the needle concentrations were not affected by the harvesting intensity. On the more fertile site, the total amounts of carbon, nitrogen and calcium, as well as exchangeable calcium and extractable phosphorus in the organic layer, were significantly lower on the WTH than on the CH plots. Although the pH remained unchanged, the exchangeable aluminium concentrations increased on the more fertile site, and on both sites the calcium/aluminium ratio was significantly lower on the WTH plots than on the CH plots.
Coping with the COVID‐19 crisis: force majeure and gender performativity

This article examines the coping strategies of individuals during the confinement in France using a sensemaking lens. We draw on two studies consisting of 85 qualitative surveys followed by a diary in which 20 individuals wrote about their experiences during the first three weeks of the confinement. We employ an interpretative phenomenological approach to analyse the data. The findings reveal two patterns in the ways men and women cope with their experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The first pattern shows intensification of gender performativity manifested in the reproduction of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ reactions to the crisis. The second pattern detects a tendency towards a gradual deflection from gender performances through mental improvisations that foster new awareness of the crisis presenting an opportunity to transcend traditional gender roles. Our study highlights some potential emancipatory implications the COVID‐19 crisis may have for the practices of ‘doing gender’ and perceptions of work–life balance therefore instigating a transition towards more egalitarian households.
Identification of a Novel NF-κB-binding Site with Regulation of the Murine α2(I) Collagen Promoter*

Hepatic fibrosis is due to the increased synthesis and deposition of type I collagen. Acetaldehyde activates type I collagen promoters. Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) was previously shown to inhibit expression of murine α1(I) and human α2(I) collagen promoters. The present study identifies binding of NF-κB, present in nuclear extracts of stellate cells, to a region between -553 and -537 of the murine α2(I) collagen promoter. The NF-κB (p65) expression vector inhibited promoter activity. Mutation of the promoter at the NF-κB-binding site increased basal promoter activity and abrogated the activating and inhibitory effects of transforming growth factor β and tumor necrosis factor α, respectively, on promoter activity. Acetaldehyde increased IκB-α kinase activity and phosphorylated IκB-α, NF-κB nuclear protein, and its binding to the promoter. However, the activating effect of acetaldehyde was not affected by the mutation of the promoter. In conclusion, although acetaldehyde increases the binding of NF-κB to the murine α2(I) collagen promoter, this binding does not mediate the activating effect of acetaldehyde on promoter activity. The effects of acetaldehyde in increasing the translocation of NF-κB to the nucleus with increased DNA binding activity may be important in mediating the effects of acetaldehyde on other genes.
Polymer Drag Reduction for Single-Phase Water Flow in and around 180° Bends

This paper presents an investigation into the influence of drag-reducing polymer (DRP) on the flow of water inside and around U-bends. The DRPs tested were partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and two different molecular weight polyethylene oxides (PEO). The Reynolds number and in-situ concentration ranges of water and DRP were 5000 < Re < 40000 and 1 ≤ C ≤ 20 ppm respectively. The test section was made up of clear polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) pipes that contained two U-bends with radii of curvature (R) of 100 and 200 mm as well as straight sections of 19-mm ID. Higher pressure gradient was recorded in the under-developed flow section after the bend. Drag reduction (DR) increased with in-situ concentration of the DRP and the flowrate up to some threshold values. The concentration and flowrate thresholds were about 20 ppm and 1.07 m/s respectively. DR differed among the different sections considered with the highest values recorded for developed flows upstream of the bend and the least values recorded in the bend. DR at station 1 (immediately after the bend) was generally lower than that at station 2 (further downstream). P-K Plots showed that, the DR envelop for developed flow in straight pipes did not apply to the bend and the under-developed flow section. DR increased with polymer molecular weight and ionic strength in straight sections. However, molecular weight (and polymer shearing) had limited effect on DR in the bends. DR characteristics at the bend suggested that there was a different or additional mechanism. The effect of bend curvature ratio on DR was predominant after the U-bend. The larger the ratio of pipe diameter to bend diameter, the lower the DR in the redeveloping sections after the bend. For R = 100 mm, the highest DR recorded for fully developed flows before bend, in the bend, at stations 1 and 2 were 57, 31, 36 and 33% respectively while that for R = 200 mm were 64, 28, 42 and 49% respectively.
Influence of Parasites on Two Populations of Choristoneura pinus(Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Michigan

Parasites were reared from the eggs, early larvae, late larvae, and pupae of the jack-pine budworm, Choristoneurapinus Freeman. Host collections were made from the mid- and lower crown of 10 jack pine trees in each of 2 counties in Michigan for 2 generations of the budworm. Apparent parasitism by species, crown level, area, and stage of the host was determined. Twenty-six species of primary parasites and 4 species of hyperparasites were reared from the budworm. Nine species are new records for this host. The largest amount of parasitism occurred in the early larval stages and was attributed predominantly to 2 species, Apanteles fumiferanae Viereck and Glypta fumiferanae (Viereck). Mortality caused by them varied from 1.3 to 51.3%, and it was greatest at midcrown. Late-stage parasitism of budworm larvae was variable. Five species of tachinid flies accounted for most of this parasitism. The maximum parasitism obtained by this group was 17.9%. Itoplectis conquisitor (Say) was the most important parasite of budworm pupae; it killed as much as 24.5% of the pupae in 1 sample. The proportion of total mortality in a generation of C. pinus attributable to parasites of larvae and pupae was low and variable, ranging from 0.4 to 8.5%. Dirophanes banksianae Allen is reported to be a new synonym of Phacogenes hariolus (Cresson).
Assessing susceptibility of Hevea clones to Microcyclus ulei.

SUMMARY Leaf disks of 7-day-old Hevea leaves floating on water produced lesions of varying sizes following inoculation with conidia of Microcyclus ulei, the cause of South American leaf blight (SALB) of Hevea. The resistance ratings of 188 Hevea clones classified according to lesion size on leaf disks and to leaf area infected in the field were correlated. Lesion size varied little with small differences in leaf age or inoculum level. Leaves which had been treated with sodium hypochlorite and stored for 3 days could still be infected by desiccated conidia, suggesting that Hevea leaves from South East Asia and conidia of M. ulei from South America could be sent to a central laboratory for rapid screening for resistance to SALB.
Integrated Hydrologic and Hydrodynamic Models to Improve Flood Simulation Capability in the Data-Scarce Three Gorges Reservoir Region

One-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling approaches are useful for flood simulations; however, most studies often neglect intermediate discharges due to difficulties in obtaining the associated data. Herein, we produced the XAJ-H1DM model by coupling the Xinanjiang (XAJ) model, without the Muskingum module, with a one-dimensional hydrodynamic (H1DM) model, using regionalization approaches to test their practicality. Another model, named H1DM-XAJ, was also produced by orderly calibrating the H1DM and XAJ models to achieve improved flood simulations in poorly gauged catchments. The flood simulation capabilities of the four models (including the single XAJ and H1DM models) were investigated and compared at a daily time scale in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China. The results show that the regionalization approaches can be successfully used in the application of the integrated hydrologic and hydrodynamic model in ungauged intermediate catchments. Further, the coupled models produced markedly improved estimates of peak discharge and runoff volume compared to the single models. Moreover, the ability of the coupled models to simulate the peak water level and hydrograph, which hydrological models lack, is significantly better than that of the single H1DM model. The framework presented can be applied in other data-scarce catchments worldwide for better understanding of the hydrodynamic processes.
Effects of elevated CO2, water stress, and nitrogen level on competitive interactions of simulated loblolly pine and sweetgum stands

Loblolly pine (Pinustaeda L.) and sweetgum (Liquidambarstyraciflua L.) were grown in mixed stands and in monocultures at 2.54 × 2.54 cm spacing in controlled-environment chambers. Treatments consisted of present (ambient) and projected future (ambient + 400 ppm) carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, drought-stressed, and well-watered conditions, and low (20 kg N/ha) and high (474 kg N/ha) nitrogen application rates. After two accelerated growing cycles, total biomass of both species was significantly greater under elevated CO2. No significant interactions between CO2 concentration and water availability, nitrogen availability, or stand type were observed. Competitive interactions between loblolly pine and sweetgum were strongly influenced by water availability, but not CO2 concentration. Assessment of species response to CO2 was dependent upon growth in monoculture or mixture. Under low water availability, data from monocultures suggested that sweetgum had a stronger growth response to elevated CO2 concent.