Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sorption of Diclofenac from Aqueous Solution on an Organobentonite and Adsorption of Cadmium on Organobentonite Saturated with Diclofenac

Toxic pollutants such as diclofenac (DCF) and cadmium(II) have been detected together in various water sources; these compounds have adverse effects on human health. The objective of the present study was to investigate the sorption of DCF and Cd(II) from aqueous solutions on an organobentonite. The organobentonite was synthesized by adsorbing the surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) on bentonite; this was designated OBHDTMA. The sorption of DCF and Cd(II) on OBHDTMA and of Cd(II) on OBHDTMA saturated with DCF (OBHDTMA-DCF) were then studied. The bentonite, OBHDTMA, and OBHDTMA-DCF were characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The capacity of OBHDTMA for adsorbing DCF depended on the solution pH, ionic strength, and temperature. The effect of pH on the adsorption capacity of OBHDTMA was anomalous because, depending on the concentration of DCF at equilibrium, the adsorption capacity increased or decreased by raising the pH. The capacity of OBHDTMA was enhanced by increasing the temperature from 15 to 35°C and by reducing the ionic strength from 1 to 0.01 N. The dependence of the adsorption capacity on the operating conditions was explained by considering the interactions between the DCF in solution and the surface of OBHDTMA. The maximum sorption capacity of the OBHDTMA for DCF was 388 mg/g at T = 25°C and at pH = 7 and was comparable to those of carbon materials. The adsorption of DCF on OBHDTMA was scarcely reversible, but the desorption percentage increased with pH. The adsorption of DCF on OBHDTMA was due to partition and electrostatic attraction. More Cd(II) was adsorbed on OBHDTMA-DCF than on OBHDTMA and this was influenced by the loading of DCF on the OBHDTMA-DCF. The OBHDTMA-DCF may be used to remove Cd(II) from water solution.
Wilderness recreation in the United States: trends in use, users, and impacts

Recreation use of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) has increased sixfold since passage of The Wilderness Act in 1964. Use is currently increasing in most designated wilderness areas. However, the wilderness visitors of today, the trips they take, and their management preferences are not very different from those of a decade or two ago. Some of the impacts of recreation use are stable, while others are worsening. Impacts to a maintained wilderness trail system were found to be relatively stable over an 11-year period. Conditions on long-established campsites only deteriorated slightly over 5- to 11-year periods; However, aggregate campsite impact has increased greatly due to dramatic increases in the number of campsites (53 to 123% increases in the wilderness areas studied). These findings suggest that problems with wilderness recreation are pronounced and increasing. More investment by management and commitment to dealing with problems is needed to meet wilderness recreation management goals.
Transcutaneous auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Median Nerve Stimulation reduce acute stress in young healthy adults: a single-blind sham-controlled crossover study

Stress is a major determinant of health and wellbeing. Conventional stress management approaches do not account for the daily-living acute changes in stress that affect quality of life. The combination of physiological monitoring and non-invasive Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS) represents a promising technological approach to quantify stress-induced physiological manifestations and reduce stress during everyday life. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three well-established transcutaneous PNS modalities in reducing physiological manifestations of stress compared to a sham: auricular and cervical Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS and tcVNS), and Median Nerve Stimulation (tMNS). Using a single-blind sham-controlled crossover study with four visits, we compared the stress mitigation effectiveness of taVNS, tcVNS, and tMNS, quantified through physiological markers derived from five physiological signals peripherally measured on 19 young healthy volunteers. Participants underwent three acute mental and physiological stressors while receiving stimulation. Blinding effectiveness was assessed via subjective survey. taVNS and tMNS relative to sham resulted in significant changes that suggest a reduction in sympathetic outflow following the acute stressors: Left Ventricular Ejection Time Index (LVETI) shortening (tMNS: p = 0.007, taVNS: p = 0.015) and Pre-Ejection Period (PEP)-to-LVET ratio (PEP/LVET) increase (tMNS: p = 0.044, taVNS: p = 0.029). tMNS relative to sham also reduced Pulse Pressure (PP; p = 0.032) and tonic EDA activity (tonicMean; p = 0.025). The nonsignificant blinding survey results suggest these effects were not influenced by placebo. taVNS and tMNS effectively reduced stress-induced sympathetic arousal in wearable-compatible physiological signals, motivating their future use in novel personalized stress therapies to improve quality of life.
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves working memory in temporal lobe epilepsy: A randomized double‐blind study

Abstract Aims This study investigated the impact of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on working memory (WM) in refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (rTLE) and the underlying mechanisms. Methods In this randomized double‐blind study, 28 rTLE patients were subjected to an active or sham taVNS (a/s‐taVNS) protocol for 20 weeks (a‐taVNS group, n = 19; s‐ta VNS group, n = 9). Patients performed visual WM tasks during stimulation and neural oscillations were simultaneously recorded by 19‐channel electroencephalography. Results Compared with the baseline state, reaction time was significantly shorter after 20 weeks of taVNS in the a‐taVNS group (p = 0.010), whereas no difference was observed in the s‐taVNS group (p > 0.05). The power spectral density (PSD) of the theta frequency band in the Fz channel decreased significantly after a‐taVNS during WM‐encoding (p = 0.020), maintenance (p = 0.038), and retrieval (p = 0.039) phases, but not in the s‐taVNS group (all p > 0.05). Conclusion Neural oscillations during WM were altered by taVNS and WM performance was improved. Alterations in frontal midline theta oscillations may be a marker for the effect of taVNS on cognitive regulation.
Topside correction of IRI by global modeling of ionospheric scale height using COSMIC radio occultation data

The ionosphere scale height is one of the most significant ionospheric parameters, which contains information about the ion and electron temperatures and dynamics in upper ionosphere. In this paper, an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis method is applied to process all the ionospheric radio occultations of GPS/COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) from the year 2007 to 2011 to reconstruct a global ionospheric scale height model. This monthly medium model has spatial resolution of 5° in geomagnetic latitude (−87.5° ~ 87.5°) and temporal resolution of 2 h in local time. EOF analysis preserves the characteristics of scale height quite well in the geomagnetic latitudinal, anural, seasonal, and diurnal variations. In comparison with COSMIC measurements of the year of 2012, the reconstructed model indicates a reasonable accuracy. In order to improve the topside model of International Reference Ionosphere (IRI), we attempted to adopt the scale height model in the Bent topside model by applying a scale factor q as an additional constraint. With the factor q functioning in the exponent profile of topside ionosphere, the IRI scale height should be forced equal to the precise COSMIC measurements. In this way, the IRI topside profile can be improved to get closer to the realistic density profiles. Internal quality check of this approach is carried out by comparing COSMIC realistic measurements and IRI with or without correction, respectively. In general, the initial IRI model overestimates the topside electron density to some extent, and with the correction introduced by COSMIC scale height model, the deviation of vertical total electron content (VTEC) between them is reduced. Furthermore, independent validation with Global Ionospheric Maps VTEC implies a reasonable improvement in the IRI VTEC with the topside model correction.
Geospatial modeling in marine recreational fisheries science

espanolEl presente trabajo de tesis doctoral propone diferentes enfoques geoespaciales destinados al analisis de la dimension espacial de las pesquerias recreativas costeras utilizando metodos cuantitativos y herramientas computacionales. Diferentes tipos de informacion espacial,relativas a los habitats bentonicos asi como a la movilidad y a la calidad de las capturas, han sido combinadas para estimar el esfuerzo de pesca y las capturas totales, utilizando un enfoque original y espacialmente explicito. El objetivo es el de progresar en la comprension del comportamiento espacial del pescador a traves de un enfoque holistico basado en datos empiricos y modelos estadisticos. La modalidad de pesca del 'roquer', una de las pesquerias recreativas costeras mas populares en el Mediterraneo, ha sido utilizada como caso de estudio en la bahia de Palma (en el Mediterraneo noroccidental) EnglishThis thesis proposes different geospatial approaches for assessing the spatial dimension of the coastal recreational fisheries using quantitative methods and computational tools. Spatial information on benthic habitats, fish mobility and fishing quality were combined for estimating fishing effort and harvest using an original spatially-explicit approach. The aim is to advance in our understanding of angler spatial behaviour using a holistic approach based on empirical data and statistical models. In order to illustrate the proposed framework, the ‘roquer’ modality, one of the most popular coastal recreational fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea, was used as case study at Palma Bay (NW Mediterranean)
Protection and Restoration of Mangroves Along the Coast of Xiamen

Mangrove ecosystems play irreplaceable and important roles for the stabilization and equilibrium of coastal estuary.The mangrove areas of Xiamen have been severely reduced from 320 hm2 to 21 hm2 in the past tens years for destroying mangroves as agricultural fields,aquaculture ponds,urban construction and so on.It’s an important task to protect and restore mangroves along coast of Xiamen nowadays.This paper deals with the problems of protection and restoration of mangroves in Xiamen.Base on the studies of introducing and planting mangrove species,and the status of intertidal zones along coast of Xiamen,we summed up a series of standards for selecting intertidal zones suitable for planting mangroves,and we also put forward the main factors that influenced the afforestation of mangroves in Xiamen.
Selected ‘Starter Kit’ energy system modelling data for Libya (#CCG)

Energy system modelling can be used to assess the implications of different scenarios and support improved policymaking. However, access to data is often a barrier to starting energy system modelling in developing countries, thereby causing delays. This article therefore provides data that can be used to create a simple zero order energy system model for Libya, which can act as a starting point for further model development and scenario analysis. The data are collected entirely from publicly available and accessible sources, including the websites and databases of international organizations, journal articles, and existing modelling studies. This means that the dataset can be easily updated based on the latest available information or more detailed and accurate local data. These data were also used to calibrate a simple energy system model using the Open Source Energy Modelling System (OSeMOSYS) and three stylized scenarios (Fossil Future, Least Cost and Net Zero by 2050) for 2020–2050. The assumptions used and results of these scenarios are presented in the appendix as an illustrative example of what can be done with these data. This simple model can be adapted and further developed by in-country analysts and academics, providing a platform for future work.
Selected ‘Starter Kit’ energy system modelling data for Somalia (#CCG)

Energy system modelling can be used to assess the implications of different scenarios and support improved policymaking. However, access to data is often a barrier to starting energy system modelling in developing countries, thereby causing delays. Therefore, this article provides data that can be used to create a simple zero order energy system model for Somalia, which can act as a starting point for further model development and scenario analysis. The data are collected entirely from publicly available and accessible sources, including the websites and databases of international organizations, journal articles, and existing modelling studies. This means that the dataset can be easily updated based on the latest available information or more detailed and accurate local data. These data were also used to calibrate a simple energy system model using the Open Source Energy Modelling System (OSeMOSYS) and two stylized scenarios (Fossil Future and Least Cost) for 2020–2050. The assumptions used and results of these scenarios are presented in the appendix as an illustrative example of what can be done with these data. This simple model can be adapted and further developed by in-country analysts and academics, providing a platform for future work.
Selected ‘Starter Kit’ energy system modelling data for Ghana (#CCG)

Energy system modelling can be used to assess the implications of different scenarios and support improved policymaking. However, access to data is often a barrier to starting energy system modelling in developing countries, thereby causing delays. Therefore, this article provides data that can be used to create a simple zero order energy system model for Ghana, which can act as a starting point for further model development and scenario analysis. The data are collected entirely from publicly available and accessible sources, including the websites and databases of international organizations, journal articles, and existing modelling studies. This means that the dataset can be easily updated based on the latest available information or more detailed and accurate local data. These data were also used to calibrate a simple energy system model using the Open Source Energy Modelling System (OSeMOSYS) and three stylized scenarios (Fossil Future, Least Cost and Net Zero by 2050) for 2020-2050. The assumptions used and results of these scenarios are presented in the appendix as an illustrative example of what can be done with these data. This simple model can be adapted and further developed by in-country analysts and academics, providing a platform for future work.
A comparison of lipid and glycemic effects of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone in patients with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia.

OBJECTIVE Published reports suggest that pioglitazone and rosiglitazone have different effects on lipids in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, these previous studies were either retrospective chart reviews or clinical trials not rigorously controlled for concomitant glucose- and lipid-lowering therapies. This study examines the lipid and glycemic effects of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We enrolled subjects with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (treated with diet alone or oral monotherapy) and dyslipidemia (not treated with any lipid-lowering agents). After a 4-week placebo washout period, subjects randomly assigned to the pioglitazone arm (n = 400) were treated with 30 mg once daily for 12 weeks followed by 45 mg once daily for an additional 12 weeks, whereas subjects randomly assigned to rosiglitazone (n = 402) were treated with 4 mg once daily followed by 4 mg twice daily for the same intervals. RESULTS Triglyceride levels were reduced by 51.9 +/- 7.8 mg/dl with pioglitazone, but were increased by 13.1 +/- 7.8 mg/dl with rosiglitazone (P < 0.001 between treatments). Additionally, the increase in HDL cholesterol was greater (5.2 +/- 0.5 vs. 2.4 +/- 0.5 mg/dl; P < 0.001) and the increase in LDL cholesterol was less (12.3 +/- 1.6 vs. 21.3 +/- 1.6 mg/dl; P < 0.001) for pioglitazone compared with rosiglitazone, respectively. LDL particle concentration was reduced with pioglitazone and increased with rosiglitazone (P < 0.001). LDL particle size increased more with pioglitazone (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS Pioglitazone and rosiglitazone have significantly different effects on plasma lipids independent of glycemic control or concomitant lipid-lowering or other antihyperglycemic therapy. Pioglitazone compared with rosiglitazone is associated with significant improvements in triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL particle concentration, and LDL particle size.
Detection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Using Nanoparticle Amplified Immuno-PCR

In traditional immuno-PCR a single antibody recognition event is associated with one to three DNA tags, which are subsequently amplified by PCR. Here, we describe a nanoparticle amplified immuno-PCR (NPA-IPCR) assay that combines antibody recognition of ELISA with a 50-fold nanoparticle valence amplification step prior to tag amplification by PCR. The assay detects a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surface protein using an antibody bound to a 15 nm gold nanoparticle co-functionalized with thiolated DNA complementary to a hybridized to 76-base tag DNA with a tag DNA to antibody ratio of 50 to 1. The presence of virus particles triggers the formation of a “sandwich” complex comprised of the gold nanoparticle construct, virus and an antibody functionalized magnetic particle used for extraction. After extraction, DNA tags are released by heating to 95°C and detected via real-time PCR. The limit of detection of the assay was compared to ELISA and RT-PCR using RSV infected HEp-2 cell extracts. NPA-IPCR showed a ~4000-fold improvement in the limit of detection compared to ELISA and a 4-fold improvement compared to viral RNA extraction followed by traditional RTPCR. NPA-IPCR offers a viable platform for the development of an early-stage diagnostics requiring an exceptionally low limit of detection.
THE MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ITS APPLICATION PROSPECT OF BERYL IN PINGWU,SICHUAN

The color of beryl found in Pingwu is from light green to colorless, and its transparence is from transparence to semi-transparent. Its shape is plate. Its special and beautiful co-existant compositions have been developed as the stones for people's admiration and enjoyment. The berylis prized as a gem when clear and free from flows. This unique characteristic and other characteristics have drawn wide attention among the mineralogists. Based on electron probe analysis and x-ray analysis, the crystallogy of Pingwu beryl was studied. Its application prospects was discussed.
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Suppressing the truth as a mechanism of deception: Delta plots reveal the role of response inhibition in lying

Lying takes more time than telling the truth. Because lying involves withholding the truth, this ‘‘lie effect” has been related to response inhibition. We investigated the response inhibition hypothesis of lying using the delta-plot method: A leveling-off of the standard increase of the lie effect with slower reaction times would be indicative of successful response inhibition. Participants performed a reaction-time task that required them to alternate between lying and truth telling in response to autobiographical questions. In two experiments, we found that the delta plot of the lie effect leveled off with longer response latencies, but only in a group of participants who had better inhibitory skills as indexed by relatively small lie effects. This ﬁnding supports the role of response inhibition in lying. We elaborate on repercussions for cognitive models of deception and the data analysis of reaction-time based lie tests.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Suppressing sensorimotor activity modulates the discrimination of auditory emotions but not speaker identity Banissy

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Effects of axial compression and confining pressure on energy dissipation of sandstone under cyclic impact loads

Cyclic impact tests on sandstone under different axial and confining pressures are conducted with a modified three-dimensional split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB). The main research contents are change property of energy absorption per unit volume, relationship between energy absorption per unit volume and average strain rate, effects of axial compression and confining pressure on energy dissipation of sandstone under cyclic impact loads. Confining pressures are set as 4, 8, 10 and 12 MPa;and four levels of axial stresses are 49, 84, 105 and 125 MPa respectively. Incident waves in input bar are approximately equal and incident energy is equal to 230 J. The results show that energy absorption per unit volume increases with the increasing number of cyclic impacts, when the cyclic impact loadings are a constant. Energy absorption per unit volume has a good linear increasing relationship with average strain rate. The linear-fitted slope K of average strain rate and energy absorption per unit volume indicates a trend of "increase, constant, then decrease" with the increasing axial stress. When the axial stress is smaller, K increases and then becomes lower with the increasing of confining pressure. The smaller axial stress is, the bigger the confining pressure corresponding to slope's turning point is. After the axial stress reaches to 125 MPa, K continually reduces with the increase of confining pressure.The conclusions may provide the theoretical basis for blastingdesign of rock mass engineering under different in-situ stress conditions.
Australian Triassic lungfish skulls

Skull bones of Gosfordia truncata Woodward, 1891, from the Lower Triassic Hawkesbury Sandstone of New South Wales, Australia, are described for the first time. The skull roofing pattern suggests possible affinities between G. truncata and Paraceratodus germaini (Triassic, southwest Madagascar). A three-dimensional reconstruction of the skull of Ceratodus formosus Wade, 1935, based on the holotype, found in a Lower Triassic deposit at Brookvale in New South Wales, is included. This reconstruction indicates that this species is not closely related either to the recent Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, or to the Triassic Ceratodus (Tellerodus) sturii from Nord Alpen in Austria, and it has no close affinities with G. truncata. A new genus, Ariguna, is therefore proposed to receive Ceratodus formosus Wade, 1935. Without associated tooth plate material, G. truncata and A. formosa cannot be defined more precisely.