Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Direct Temporal Cascade of Temperature Variance in Eddy-Permitting Simulations of Multidecadal Variability

The North Atlantic is characterized by basin-scale multidecadal fluctuations of the sea surface temperature with periods ranging from 20 to 70 years. One candidate for such a variability is a large-scale baroclinic instability of the temperature gradients across the Atlantic associated with the North Atlantic Current. Because of the long time scales involved, most of the studies devoted to this problem are based on low-resolution numerical models leaving aside the effect of explicit mesoscale eddies. How high-frequency motions associated with the mesoscale eddy field affect the basin-scale low-frequency variability is the central question of this study. This issue is addressed using an idealized configuration of an ocean general circulation model at eddy-permitting resolution (20 km). A new diagnostic allowing the calculation of nonlinear fluxes of temperature variance in frequency space is presented. Using this diagnostic, we show that the primary effect of mesoscale eddies is to damp low-frequency temperature variance and to transfer it to high frequencies.
Do differentiated macrophages display distinct metabolic profiles reflecting their different functions

Macrophages are key players in both regulatory and inflammatory immune responses. They are implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) where they accumulate in the synovium and produce pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNFα and IL-6. The rheumatoid synovium is metabolically distinctive, with low oxygen perfusion and high concentrations of lactate and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Macrophages are known to respond to metabolic signals, therefore we wanted to explore whether metabolic phenotypes of differentiated macrophages could play a role in the persistence of RA. We used an in vitro model of pro-inflammatory “classically activated” and “alternatively activated” macrophages to study macrophage behaviour using metabolomic and transcriptomic techniques. Differentiation with GMCSF and M-CSF produced macrophages with distinctive profiles. GM-CSF macrophages were metabolically active, metabolising glucose, glutamine and fatty acids, while M-CSF macrophages utilised fatty acid β-oxidation alone. Activation of macrophages with LPS, LPS+IFNγ or IL-4 produced metabolic changes, however, differences between MCSF groups were modest. LPS activation of GM-CSF macrophages drove both depletion of intracellular metabolites and transcriptional downregulation. In contrast, IL-4 activation of M-CSF macrophages was metabolically activating. We propose that the metabolic adaptability of GM-CSF macrophages may put them at an energetic advantage in the hypoxic, ROS-enriched rheumatoid synovium.
Gremios y diversidad de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) en tres usos del suelo de un paisaje cafetero del Cauca-Colombia.

En los ultimos 50 anos, la produccion cafetera colombiana ha sufrido una gran transformacion de los cultivos tradicionales crecidos a la sombra de los bosques, para derivarlos en vastas extensiones de cafetales de libre exposicion al sol. Estos sistemas reducen la biodiversidad nativa y sus servicios ecosistemicos asociados. A su vez, los cafetales de sombrio operan como potenciales refugios de dicha biodiversidad, favoreciendo su dispersion en el paisaje dado que ofrecen habitat de alta calidad para que los organismos silvestres se muevan a traves de los relictos de vegetacion natural, es por tanto importante documentar su valor biologico. En Colombia, el departamento del Cauca es el cuarto productor de cafe y aunque sus cosechas estaban principalmente basadas en el modelo de uso de sombra de arboles sobre cafetos, en los ultimos 10 anos los cafetales de sol han doblado su extension en este departamento y casi han equiparado la extension de los cafetales de sombra. Por lo tanto, es necesario documentar si estos cambios de uso de suelo a escala de paisaje pueden derivar en consecuencias para la biota silvestre que habita estos sistemas productivos. Dadas las anteriores consideraciones, y para probar la importancia biologica de las plantaciones de cafe, el presente estudio compara el efecto de tres usos del suelo (cafetales de sol, cafetales de sombra y parches de vegetacion natural) en terminos de la riqueza de especies de hormigas y la abundancia de sus gremios troficos en el municipio de Caldono entre agosto de 2015 y enero de 2016. Las capturas fueron realizadas con trampas de caida, sacos mini-Winkler y colecta directa. Encontramos que la riqueza de hormigas fue mayor en parches de vegetacion natural, seguidos de cafetales de sombra y cafetales de sol, en estos ultimos, las hormigas omnivoras generalistas fueron mas abundantes, y las hormigas arboreas que forrajean en el suelo fueron menos abundantes. Finalmente, encontramos que los cafetales de sombra, pese a pertenecer a un uso del suelo transformado, guardan similitud con algunos parches de vegetacion natural. Usando solo hormigas del estrato mas bajo (suelo y sotobosque), nuestros hallazgos confirman que los cafetales de sombra mantienen una parte importante de la diversidad de hormigas de la localidad, mientras que los cafetales de sol ofrecen menor calidad de habitat para la misma. Por otro lado, pese a que los parches de vegetacion natural son tan pequenos y degradados, su conservacion representa un valioso patrimonio para la proteccion de la fauna de hormigas local, albergando una gran cantidad de especies exclusivas.
Improving drought tolerance in maize by foliar application of boron: water status, antioxidative defense and photosynthetic capacity

ABSTRACT Boron (B) plays a vital role in cell division and elongation in apical meristem. Drought stress (DS) severely reduced the B-uptake and thus growth and crop-productivity of plants. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether foliar application of B corrects physiological-disorders under DS in two contrasting maize genotypes i.e. Dekalb-6525 (drought-tolerant) and Yousafwala-hybrid (drought-sensitive). Initially, foliar rate of B (0, 2, 4 and 6 mg L−1) was optimized in terms of improved plant growth under drought-stress. Then, optimized rate of B (4 mg L−1) was applied to assess the physiological and biochemical basis of B-induced improved growth of maize under deficit-moisture supply. Drought-stress reduced the growth of plants by lowering in water-status (leaf water-relations), photosynthetic capacity (gas-exchange aspects, photosynthetic-pigments), membrane permeability, imbalance in redox potential (oxidative-stress, antioxidant-defense system) and tissue-B concentration. Application of B considerably improved maize growth by improving water-status, photosynthetic capacity, tissue-B concentration as well as up-regulation of antioxidative defense-system. Moreover, ameliorative effects of B on maize was also evident from stress relieving indicators such as slight decrease in accumulation of proline, total free amino-acids, total soluble-sugars and MDA content under water-deficit conditions. In addition, cultivar Dekalb-6525 showed considerable improving response to B application over Yousafwala-hybrid.
Ensemble models of GLM, FDA, MARS, and RF for flood and erosion susceptibility mapping: a priority assessment of sub-basins

Abstract The mountainous watersheds are increasingly challenged with extreme erosions and devastating floods due to climate change and human interventions. Hazard mapping is essential for local policymaking for prevention, planning the mitigation actions, and also adaptation to extremes. This study proposes novel predictive models for susceptibility mapping for flood and erosion. Furthermore, this study elaborates on prioritizing the existing sub-basins in terms of erosion and flood susceptibility. A comparative analysis of generalized linear model (GLM), flexible discriminate analyses (FDA), multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), random forest (RF), and their ensemble is performed to ensure highest predictive performance. Furthermore, the priority of the sub-basins in terms of sensitivity to erosion and flood was determined based on the best model. The results showed that the GLM, FDA, MARS, RF, and ensemble models had an area under curve (AUC) 0.91, 0.92, 0.89, 0.93 and 0.94, respectively, in modeling the flood susceptibility. Also, the GLM, FDA, MARS, RF, and ensemble models had an AUC of 0.93, 0.92, 0.89, 0.96, and 0.97, respectively, in determining erosion susceptibility. Priority assessment based on the best model, the ensemble approach, indicated that the sub-basins SW3 and SW5 were found to have high sensitivity to the flood and soil erosion, respectively.
Bats and their endoparasites : characterising pipistrelle infections and toll-like receptor (TLR2 and TLR4) gene variations

Bats are unique mammals since they are able to fly and due to their crucial ecosystem roles, they are designated as keystone species. However, in many parts of the world, it is difficult to study bats due to the existence of protective legislation caused by their threatened status. Consequently, bat endoparasite studies are limited and even less is known about the bat immune system. To address this paucity of knowledge, this study was conducted using 99 pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus, n=93 and P. pygmaeus, n=6 bats) that were obtained opportunistically from the Greater Manchester and Lancashire region between September 2005 and September 2008. These bats were infected with several species of helminths and protozoan parasites as previously described (Lord, 2010; Dodd et al., 2014). The data within this thesis describes further characterisation of the protozoan infections in this pipistrelle population through development of PCR-based molecular typing tools. This approach has allowed the molecular differentiation between Trypanosoma dionisii and T. vespertilionis infections, confirmed that all eimerian infections were caused by Eimeria rioarribaensis and also confirmed that Bartonella sp. infection is most likely to be non-zoonotic. In addition, Cryptosporidium sp. and Borrelia sp. infection data is presented; the former being the first report in a UK bat. Analysis of the infection profiles with respect to bat genotyping data (Dodd et al., 2014) shows that the parasites are randomly distributed with the exception of the E. rioarribaensis infections which appear to cluster in a sub-population of pipistrelles that are genetically more homogeneous. Since Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are an important element of the mammalian innate immune system, a PCR strategy was developed to isolate TLR4 and TLR2 genes from the pipistrelle bats (n=59). The TLR4 sequences were highly variable at the amino acid level (haplotypes, n=42), and a phylogenetic analysis of the protein sequences showed that they clustered into 7 major groups. Analysis of infection profiles in these bats showed that two TLR4 clusters appeared to correlate with susceptibility to trypanosomes (cluster 6) and Toxoplasma gondii (cluster 3). In addition, bats in TLR4 cluster 6 had a significantly reduced helminth burden. The TLR2 sequences were more conserved at the amino acid level (haplotypes, n=5); however, 7 bats were heterozygous at the TLR2 locus and interestingly, these correlated with a significantly reduced helminth burden. Overall, this thesis highlights the difficulty of studying bat endoparasites and this is often confounded by the lack, or absence, of parasitic material to assist developing molecular-based tools. Despite this difficulty, interesting data have been generated with respect to the pipistrelle genetics, including Toll-like receptor variations, and eimerian, trypanosome, T. gondii and helminth infection profiles, and this is worthy of further detailed investigations.
Evolution of the antagonistic tumor necrosis factor receptor one-specific antibody ATROSAB

Evolution of the Antagonistic TNF Receptor One-Specific Antibody ATROSAB 14 Fabian Richter Furthermore, the decreased inhibitory potential of ATROSAB, compared with its parental mouse antibody H398, could be attributed to an increased dissociation rate constant. Using the scFv format, affinity/off-rate maturation was subsequently performed by phage display. In addition, exchange of the light chain framework regions by alternative germline sequences (scFvFRK13.7) resulted in better TNFR1 binding and higher thermal stability. The corresponding Fab13.7 exhibited improved monovalent TNFR1 binding and, compared with ATROSAB, superior inhibition of TNF-mediated TNFR1 activation. Moreover, Fab13.7 did not reveal any detectable activating effect on TNFR1, even in the presence of anti-Fab serum antibodies, while the related IgG13.7 induced a strong TNFR1 response. Finally, the gained insights into TNFR1 biology were implemented into a mechanistic model of TNFR1 activation, suggesting a change in the conformation or orientation of interacting TNFR1 molecules between inactive and active state, which is in contradiction to former hypotheses postulating TNFR1-activation by ligand-induced receptor trimerization. Evolution of the Antagonistic TNF Receptor One-Specific Antibody ATROSAB Introduction 15 Fabian Richter
Show me the real world: reactions of American female consumers to more realistic and diverse human models in e-commerce

ABSTRACT Product presentation on apparel webstores usually involves human models. Given the growing trend toward body realism, this research studies the impact of a female model’s body size and its interaction with her pose and ethnicity on purchase intention in apparel e-retailing. The model’s impact is explained by e-consumers’ actual and ideal self-congruence. Two experimental studies show the willingness of American female e-consumers to purchase garments presented by more realistic and diversified models, challenging the White and thin Western stereotype. Thus, plus-size and naturally posed models increase purchase intention. Furthermore, White models do not guarantee better outcomes than nonwhite models.
Australian men’s experiences of leave provisions and workplace support following pregnancy loss or neonatal death

ABSTRACT This research note reports survey responses of Australian men (N = 220) gathered as part of a larger study exploring men’s grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death. We explore the types of workplace leave offered to men and how men perceived leave and support provided by their employers. Almost all men (91%) informed their workplace of their loss, and 74% were offered some form of leave. The most common types of leave offered were compassionate/bereavement leave, and sick/carers leave. Supports included Employee Assistance Programs, referral to counselling, and flexible working arrangements. Open-ended responses highlighted five themes: Emotional toll of returning to work, Need to be with and support partner, Recognition and understanding, Helpful distraction, and Pressure to return. Not all men wished to take extended (or any) paid leave following pregnancy loss or neonatal death, though they believed leave should be available. It is essential that employers recognise men’s bereavement following pregnancy loss and neonatal death, and that healthcare professionals support men’s decisions about work.
An implicit-explicit examination of differences in CSR practices between the USA and Europe

The purpose of this study is to validate the Matten and Moon (2008) implicit-explicit corporate social responsibility (CSR) model by examining whether the respective differences in CSR practices between Europe and the USA reflect their respective societal expectations. ,The principal component analysis is used to develop an innovative societal expectations index (SEI). This study tests the relationship between SEI and CSR through panel data and t-tests. ,The empirical findings show a significant association between the SEI and all forms of CSR, which provides empirical support for Matten’s and Moon’s implicit-explicit framework. ,This study is the first to develop an SEI to validate the Matten and Moon (2008) model that predicts implicit countries would adopt and conform to broader societal expectations for CSR, and therefore be more likely to embrace CSR activities than their counterparts in explicit countries.
The selective effect of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on murine Th1 and Th2 cell development

The Selective Effect of Dietary n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Murine Th1 and Th2 Cell Development. (August 2005) Ping Zhang, B.S., M.S., Renmin University of China, Beijing; M.S., Lund University, Sweden Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Robert S. Chapkin Dr. David N. McMurray To examine how dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids affect Th2 cell development, female C57BL/6 mice were fed a washout corn oil (CO) diet for 1 wk followed by 2 wk of either the same CO diet or a fish oil (FO) diet. CD4 T cells were isolated from spleens and cultured under both neutral (anti-CD3 and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)) and Th2 polarizing conditions (anti-CD3 and PMA, in presence of rIL-4, rIL-2, and anti-IFN-γ) in the presence of homologous mouse serum (HMS) or fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 2 d. Dietary n-3 PUFA significantly enhanced Th2 cell development and suppressed Th1 development under neutral conditions as assessed by intracellular cytokine staining for IL-4 and IFN-γ as the two prototypic Th2 and Th1 cytokines, respectively. However, under Th2 polarizing conditions, while the suppression of Th1 cells was maintained in FO-fed mice, no dietary effect was observed in Th2 cells. Dietary FO increased the Th2/Th1 ratio under both neutral and Th2 polarizing conditions with HMS in the cultures. To examine the effect of dietary n-3 PUFA on Th1 development, DO11.10 Rag2 mice expressing transgenic T cell receptor specific for ovalbumin (OVA) peptide were used. CD4 T cells were isolated from
An electrothermal current prediction method for overload protection of miniature circuit breakers

Traditional miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) cannot meet the requirement for the intelligence of distributing apparatuses in a smart grid. The intellectualization of MCBs is restricted due to the lack of appropriate current measurement methods. Thus, an electrothermal current prediction method is proposed based on the derived relationship between root-mean-square (RMS) current and steady-state temperature rise. A fast acquisition algorithm is used to obtain the required temperature rise before thermal equilibrium to highly reduce the total time consumption. The presented prediction method is found immunized against the ambient temperature. The theory is validated with experiments using a thermostat. The tested steady-state accuracy and transient performance could meet the overload protection requirements without being affected by the environmental temperature.
On the ergodic capacities of decode‐and‐forward MIMO relay network with simultaneous wireless information and power transfer

In this article, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) has been studied for point‐to‐point decode‐and‐forward (DF) based multiple‐input‐multiple‐output (MIMO) relay network with an energy‐constrained relay. This relay is capable of harvesting energy from the wireless signals received from the source terminal. In particular, three different SWIPT schemes, that is, time switching, power splitting, and antenna switching are considered for EH at relay. New closed‐form approximations for the sum ergodic capacity of a DF MIMO relay network have been derived with spatial multiplexing at source, zero‐forcing receivers at relay and destination. Based on the sum capacity approximations, optimal splitting coefficients for aforementioned SWIPT schemes that maximize the sum capacity are presented. Moreover, the impact of system parameters on these optimal coefficients has been studied. In addition to this, first optimization problems for the number of antennas at relay have been formulated and then these problems are transformed into concave form by relaxing constraints to be defined over positive real numbers instead of taking only discrete values. New closed‐form solutions for the optimum number of antennas at relay have been derived. Furthermore, new closed‐form approximations for the ergodic capacities in the presence of an external co‐channel interference are also presented. Numerical results show that approximations for the sum capacity match well with the exact ones obtained through Monte‐Carlo simulations, particularly when the channel hardening effect kicks in, that is, for large degrees of freedom. Finally, the solutions for the optimization problems have also been validated by the numerical examples.
Microalgal potential for nutrient-energy-wastewater nexus: Innovations, current trends and future directions

Agricultural, domestic and industrial activities contribute in releasing several organic and inorganic substances into the water streams that result in environmental pollution. Biological treatment of industrial and domestic wastewater using Activated Sludge Nutrient Removal (ASNR), the conventional process, is well known; however, it is relatively expensive due to the requirement for high energy inputs. Microalgal applications have been gaining interest as they offer potential cost-effective measures for the treatment of wastewater in the peri-urban and rural areas. Such systems provide an interesting tertiary biological treatment method where valuable biomass is produced with simultaneous uptake of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous with reduction in coliform bacteria, heavy metals, chemical and biochemical oxygen demand (COD & BOD) and the removal/degradation of xenobiotic compounds etc. This paper provides a systematic review on the current microalgal applications (phycoremediation) for wastewater treatment with advanced information on their role towards nutrient recovery and energy (biogas) production under the third generation biorefinery concept. The use of advanced algal pond systems for wastewater treatment including pollutant degradation, microalgal cultivation and employing such facilities for biogas production in view of technology applications is emphasized. This inter-linked network indicating microalgal role into the Nutrient-Energy-Wastewater nexus with future directions and concluding remarks are discussed.
Early gonadal maturation and vitellogenin mRNA expression in Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii cultured in a semi-closed water recirculating system in Korea

Changes of gonadal morphology and mRNA expression patterns of vitellogenin were investigated in Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii (Chondrostei) during its early gonadal maturation period. Early differentiations and morphological transitions of both ovaries and testes appeared to occur actively until the age of 3 years, however from then on, the maturation patterns to full maturity were largely gender-dependent, in which males showed a faster progression of maturation than did females while females experienced a steady-state progress with a lagged interval before entering the final maturation. Expression of vitellogenin mRNAs are closely correlated with transitional patterns of gonadal appearances. In both females and males, hepatic mRNA levels of vitellogenin exponentially increased in the earliest interval (up to 1-year-old). However, in subsequent periods, vitellogenin expression in females continued to increase with age, whereas in males, the expression stabilized at a younger age. Nevertheless, at the age older than or equal to 7-year-old, fully matured individuals showed a quite low level of vitellogenin expression in both females and males. Collectively, results from this study could be useful as a fundamental guideline to address the gonad maturation of this sturgeon species, which is helpful for making practical decisions about farming practices and management for caviar production on local sturgeon farms.