Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Data assimilation of volcanic aerosol observations using FALL3D+PDAF

Abstract. Modelling atmospheric dispersal of volcanic ash and aerosols is becoming increasingly valuable for assessing the potential impacts of explosive volcanic eruptions on buildings, air quality, and aviation. Management of volcanic risk and reduction of aviation impacts can strongly benefit from quantitative forecasting of volcanic ash. However, an accurate prediction of volcanic aerosol concentrations using numerical modelling relies on proper estimations of multiple model parameters which are prone to errors. Uncertainties in key parameters such as eruption column height and physical properties of particles or meteorological fields represent a major source of error affecting the forecast quality. The availability of near-real-time geostationary satellite observations with high spatial and temporal resolutions provides the opportunity to improve forecasts in an operational context by incorporating observations into numerical models. Specifically, ensemble-based filters aim at converting a prior ensemble of system states into an analysis ensemble by assimilating a set of noisy observations. Previous studies dealing with volcanic ash transport have demonstrated that a significant improvement of forecast skill can be achieved by this approach. In this work, we present a new implementation of an ensemble-based data assimilation (DA) method coupling the FALL3D dispersal model and the Parallel Data Assimilation Framework (PDAF). The FALL3D+PDAF system runs in parallel, supports online-coupled DA, and can be efficiently integrated into operational workflows by exploiting high-performance computing (HPC) resources. Two numerical experiments are considered: (i) a twin experiment using an incomplete dataset of synthetic observations of volcanic ash and (ii) an experiment based on the 2019 Raikoke eruption using real observations of SO2 mass loading. An ensemble-based Kalman filtering technique based on the local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) is used to assimilate satellite-retrieved data of column mass loading. We show that this procedure may lead to nonphysical solutions and, consequently, conclude that LETKF is not the best approach for the assimilation of volcanic aerosols. However, we find that a truncated state constructed from the LETKF solution approaches the real solution after a few assimilation cycles, yielding a dramatic improvement of forecast quality when compared to simulations without assimilation.
Seasonality effect on ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) activity in an ecotonal environment in the state of Piauí, Brazil

This study aimed to compare the activity of ants during the rainy and dry seasons in a transitional environment (ecotone) at the interface of Cerrado and Caatinga biomes situated in the state of Piauí, where studies of local ant fauna are still incipient. The research was carried out at Floriano, state of Piauí, Brazil. Ants were sampled during the rainy season in December 2018 and during the dry season in June 2019. Three parallel transects were established at least 100 m apart. At each point, three sampling methods were used, with attractive baits placed on the trees and ground, and pitfall traps on the ground. Thirty-one ant species belonging to 14 genera and five subfamilies were collected, with 27 recorded in the rainy season and 17 in the dry season. The only species reported with the three collection methods and the two seasons was Camponotus crassus Mayr, 1862. Seven ant species sampled in this study are new reports for the state of Piauí. There was a significant difference in the average number of ants and the composition of the assemblages between the rainy and dry seasons. We demonstrate that the activity of ants is influenced by seasonality, corroborating our hypotheses. This is only the second study on ant diversity in the state of Piauí, and more studies are necessary to understand the processes and factors which regulate the activity patterns of ants in ecotonal situations like those observed in this region.
How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Migrant Populations in Lisbon, Portugal? A Study on Perceived Effects on Health and Economic Condition

Increasing evidence on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that its social and health impacts are being disproportionately shouldered by socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, including migrants. Knowledge of how these populations are experiencing the COVID-19 crisis is scarce. We examined the effects of the pandemic on the perceived individual financial situation and health condition of migrants in Lisbon, Portugal, and described the most affected subgroups. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a diverse community-based sample of 1126 migrants. A worsening of their financial situation since the pandemic was reported by 55.6% of the participants and a worsening of their health condition by 19.9%. A worsened financial situation was most often reported by those ≥45 years old and with a lower income (<EUR 650). Likewise, a worsened health condition was most often reported by older and lower-income migrants, as well as by women and those with a lower level of education. Migration-related factors such as length of stay and migration status were not associated with worsened health conditions. Socioeconomic characteristics appear to be more important when assessing differences in perceived effects of the pandemic among migrants. The social impact of the pandemic both exacerbates economic and gender inequalities and may lead to worse health conditions within the population in the medium and long terms.
The Role of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Obesity: A Review of Laboratory and Epidemiological Studies

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are considered as potential obesogens that may affect adipose tissue development and functioning, thus promoting obesity. However, various POPs may have different mechanisms of action. The objective of the present review is to discuss the key mechanisms linking exposure to POPs to adipose tissue dysfunction and obesity. Laboratory data clearly demonstrate that the mechanisms associated with the interference of exposure to POPs with obesity include: (a) dysregulation of adipogenesis regulators (PPARγ and C/EBPα); (b) affinity and binding to nuclear receptors; (c) epigenetic effects; and/or (d) proinflammatory activity. Although in vivo data are generally corroborative of the in vitro results, studies in living organisms have shown that the impact of POPs on adipogenesis is affected by biological factors such as sex, age, and period of exposure. Epidemiological data demonstrate a significant association between exposure to POPs and obesity and obesity-associated metabolic disturbances (e.g., type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome), although the existing data are considered insufficient. In conclusion, both laboratory and epidemiological data underline the significant role of POPs as environmental obesogens. However, further studies are required to better characterize both the mechanisms and the dose/concentration-response effects of exposure to POPs in the development of obesity and other metabolic diseases.
Language Development in the Second Year of Life: The Case of Children with Sex Chromosome Trisomies Diagnosed before Birth

Many individual factors, such as early communicative skills, could play a role in explaining later linguistic outcomes. The detection of predictive variables is fundamental to identifying early the children who need intervention. The present study focuses on children with sex chromosome trisomies (SCTs), genetic conditions with an increased risk of developing language delays or impairments. The aims are to analyse their communicative skills at 18 months of age, and identify significant predictors of their later vocabulary size. Participants were 76 18-month-old children (38 with SCTs, and 38 typically-developing (TD) children). Their communicative skills were assessed during a parent–child play session, and parents filled in a report on their vocabulary development at 18 and 24 months. Children with SCTs showed significantly poorer linguistic skills at 18 months in both preverbal (babbling and gestures) and verbal abilities. A high percentage (nearly 70%) of toddlers with SCTs were late-talking children at 24 months, and those toddlers showed a lower frequency of babbling utterances at 18 months. Early lexical skills, children’s developmental quotient, and being part of the group of toddlers with SCTs were significant predictors of children’s vocabulary size six months later. These variables should be considered when assessing the linguistic competence of a child with SCTs to detect possible early risk factors of future language impairment.
Effects of Management Curriculum on the Implementation of TPAD Policy in Public Secondary Schools in Trans Nzoia County

Aims: The major purpose of this study was to assess the effect of management of curriculum on the implementation of TPAD Policy. Study Design: The study utilized the concurrent triangulation design. Place and Duration of Study: The study was undertaken in in Public Secondary Schools in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya between January 2020 to April 2020. Methodology: Stratified and simple random sampling was used to sample 280 respondents. The study included 280 respondents of which 152 were males and 128 females with an age range of 35 – 56 years. Results: This study targeted 242 Principals and teachers, who were associated with secondary schools. From the total sample size of 285, 98.2% representing 280 questionnaires for trainers were positively responded to the case request. Findings from the linear regression model, (R2 = .021) indicated that management of curriculum account for 2.1% variation in implementation of TPAD policy. There was a positive significant effect of management of curriculum (β4 = 0.094, P< 0.001) on implementation of TPAD policy. Conclusion: The present study rejected the null hypothesis and concludes that the relationship is statistically significant. The sample data support the notion that the relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable exists in the population of public secondary schools in Transnzoia Kenya. Thus the hypothesis (Ho1) was rejected. This implies that effective management of curriculum influence implementation of TPAD policy.
Planck Speed: the Missing Speed of Physics? Absolute Still Without Breaking Lorentz Symmetry!

Today, the speed of light is one of the cornerstones of modern physics. It is the maximum speed limit for transferring information, and plays a very central role in relativity theory. It also seems to be the same as the assumed and measured speed of gravity (gravitons and/or gravitational waves). We are not questioning the speed of light, as we indeed think it is the maximum speed limit and that it is identical to the speed ofgravity, but we also think photons lead us to a second speed limit, which we will term the Planck speed. Photon-photon collisions are part of modern physics, but what is not discussed is the speed of two photons during the very moment of a photon-photon collision. How can photons move during a collision? Or, assumea photon is reflected by a mirror; to do so it must collide with the building blocks of the mirror, yet how can it be moving during the very collision point? Also, modern physics assumes mass can be created in a photon-photon collision. We suggest this mass is the Planck mass particle and that it only lasts one Planck time, so when two photons collide, we will claim they must stand still for the direct observer. That is, we suggest thatthe speed of the Planck mass particle is always zero, but that this zero-velocity can only last for one Planck time. That it only lasts one Planck time means it will not break with the relativity principle or Lorenz symmetry, or at least what we can call weak Lorentz symmetry. We will show that the missing Plank mass particle is the very collision point between two photons, and that this is fully in line with predictions in other researchers’ findings in relation to the possible photon mass. This new view seems to solve the missing mass-gap, and seems able to unify gravity with quantum mechanics. This again seems to unify photons with mass, because one of the long-outstanding questions in physics is whether photons have mass or not. In addition, we showhow to find, in a very simple way directly from gravitational observations, lp/tp= cg = c, which is the upper speed limit (the speed of light and gravity) independent of any knowledge of G or ~ or c.
Herbal Infusions and Women’s Health: A Review of Findings with a Focus on Human Studies on Specific Infusions with Studies on Extracts to Evaluate Mechanisms

Aim: The popularity of herbal infusions, particularly amongst women, is increasing. Whilst many herbal infusions are associated with health and wellness, some in particular are associated with women’s health outcomes. This review gathers evidence on three specific herbal infusions-German chamomile, rose hip and spearmint. Methods: This review focused on clinical trials investigating health outcomes of importance to women for German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L. Asteraceae), rose hip (Rosa canina L. Rosaceae) and spearmint (Mentha spicata L. Lamiaceae) infusions. Additional data collected was derived from human studies involving the extract of these herbs and from laboratory studies to gain an insight into potential mechanisms. Findings: This review identified five human trials for German chamomile infusion, one for rose hip infusion and three for spearmint infusion. All nine clinical trials included women in the study group whilst some, which looked specifically at women’s health issues, such as menstrual cycle related issues included only women. In a study involving postnatal women, German chamomile was found to improve aspects of sleep. In a further study, involving women German chamomile had a beneficial impact on Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS), whilst in another study chamomile tea significantly reduced scores of menstrual pain, anxiety and stress compared with control. In two studies including both women and men in the study population, German chamomile was associated with improved metabolic control (glucose, insulin, blood lipids). In women, rose hip was associated with improved symptoms of menstrual pain and spearmint with improved hormone control. In a study involving both women and men, spearmint improved pain and stiffness in osteoarthritis. These infusions contain a range of phytochemicals, including flavonoids, which help to explain their health outcomes. Most of the human studies indicated that 1-3 cups daily with brewing times of 5-15 minutes provided the health benefit in question. Conclusions: From the evidence gathered for this review, these three herbal infusions could provide important specific health benefits for women. More clinical research in women is needed, specifically looking at individual ingredient infusions and amounts that could benefit women with specific brewing times. Journal of Nursing and Women’s Health Jenkins G, et al. J Nurs Women’s Health 6: 178. www.doi. org/10.29011/2577-1450.100078. www.gavinpublishers. com Citation: Jenkins G, Etheridge CJ, Mason P (2022) Herbal Infusions and Women’s Health: A Review of Findings with a Focus on Human Studies on Specific Infusions with Studies on Extracts to Evaluate Mechanisms. J Nurs Women’s Health 6: 178. DOI: 10.29011/2577-1450.100078 2 Volume 6; Issue 01 J Nurs Womens Health, an open access journal ISSN: 2577-1450
Metabolic Reprogramming in Response to Alterations of Mitochondrial DNA and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Gastric Adenocarcinoma

We used gastric cancer cell line AGS and clinical samples to investigate the roles of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) alterations and mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). A total of 131 clinical samples, including 17 normal gastric mucosa (N-GM) from overweight patients who had received sleeve gastrectomy and 57 paired non-cancerous gastric mucosae (NC-GM) and GAC from GAC patients who had undergone partial/subtotal/total gastrectomy, were recruited to examine the copy number and D310 sequences of mtDNA. The gastric cancer cell line AGS was used with knockdown (KD) mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) to achieve mitochondrial dysfunction through a decrease of mtDNA copy number. Parental (PT), null-target (NT), and TFAM-KD-(A/B/C) represented the parental, control, and TFAM knocked-down AGS cells, respectively. These cells were used to compare the parameters reflecting mitochondrial biogenesis, glycolysis, and cell migration activity. The median mtDNA copy numbers of 17 N-GM, 57 NC-GM, and 57 GAC were 0.058, 0.055, and 0.045, respectively. The trend of decrease was significant (p = 0.030). In addition, GAC had a lower mean mtDNA copy number of 0.055 as compared with the paired NC-GM of 0.078 (p < 0.001). The mean mtDNA copy number ratio (mtDNA copy number of GAC/mtDNA copy number of paired NC-GM) was 0.891. A total of 35 (61.4%) GAC samples had an mtDNA copy number ratio ≤0.804 (p = 0.017) and 27 (47.4%) harbored a D310 mutation (p = 0.047), and these patients had shorter survival time and poorer prognosis. After effective knockdown of TFAM, TFAM-KD-B/C cells expressed higher levels of hexokinase II (HK-II) and v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 gene (AKT)-encoded AKT, but lower levels of phosphorylated pyruvate dehydrogenase (p-PDH) than did the NT/PT AGS cells. Except for a higher level of p-PDH, the expression levels of these proteins remained unchanged in TFAM-KD-A, which had a mild knockdown of TFAM. Compared to those of NT, TFAM-KD-C had not only a lower mtDNA copy number (p = 0.050), but also lower oxygen consumption rates (OCR), including basal respiration (OCRBR), ATP-coupled respiration (OCRATP), reserve capacity (OCRRC), and proton leak (OCRPL)(all with p = 0.050). In contrast, TFAM-KD-C expressed a higher extracellular acidification rate (ECAR)/OCRBR ratio (p = 0.050) and a faster wound healing migration at 6, 12, and 18 h, respectively (all with p = 0.050). Beyond a threshold, the decrease in mtDNA copy number, the mtDNA D310 mutation, and mitochondrial dysfunction were involved in the carcinogenesis and progression of GACs. Activation of PDH might be considered as compensation for the mitochondrial dysfunction in response to glucose metabolic reprogramming or to adjust mitochondrial plasticity in GAC.
The Effects of Step Excrescences on Swept-Wing Boundary-Layer Transition

The immense fuel savings and environmental benefits of reducing aircraft skin-friction drag through laminar flow is well known. However, obtaining substantial laminar flow on an aircraft in an operational environment has proven to be a difficult challenge due to surface imperfections. One controllable imperfection is a 2-D step through requiring certain manufacturing tolerances between adjacent wing panels. This research aims at giving designers more realistic manufacturing tolerances for a typical, swept-wing transport aircraft. A 30° swept-wing model with a movable leading-edge extending to x/c = 0.15 is used in the flight environment and in a low-disturbance wind-tunnel to study the effect of 2-D step excrescences in a three-dimensional boundary layer. Pressure measurements are compared with computational results, infrared thermography is used to globally detect boundary-layer transition, and hotwire measurements provide details of the boundary-layer profiles in the vicinity of the steps. An analysis of the results is provided including comparisons of both the wind tunnel and flight environment, and from experimental studies of an unswept model of similar 2-D pressure gradient. The crossflow instability is believed to dominate the transition process up to the critical step height, while the shear-layer instability dominates after the critical step height. Also, the addition of leading-edge sweep with a similar 2-D pressure gradient substantially lowers the local Reynolds-based critical step height for forward-facing steps, while it is similar for the aft-facing steps. However, a substantial increase in the overly-tight conventional laminar-flow tolerances can be made confidently. Glen Duncan is a PhD candidate in the Aerospace Engineering Department working under the supervision of Professor William Saric. His research interests are in the areas of flight and wind-tunnel experimentation, boundary-layer stability and transition, and laminar-flow control. He is currently seeking employment opportunities.
Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus in Lung Cancer Vaccines

Therapeutic cancer vaccines represent a promising therapeutic modality via the induction of long-term immune response and reduction in adverse effects by specifically targeting tumor-associated antigens. Oncolytic virus, especially vaccinia virus (VV) is a promising cancer treatment option for effective cancer immunotherapy and thus can also be utilized in cancer vaccines. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is likely to respond to immunotherapy, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors or cancer vaccines, since it has a high tumor mutational burden. In this review, we will summarize recent applications of VV in lung cancer treatment and discuss the potential and direction of VV-based therapeutic vaccines.
Mechanical and Thermal Behaviours of Weft-Knitted Spacer Fabric Structure with Inlays for Insole Applications

Insoles provide resistance to ground reaction forces and comfort during walking. In this study, a novel weft-knitted spacer fabric structure with inlays for insoles is proposed which not only absorbs shock and resists pressure, but also allows heat dissipation for enhanced thermal comfort. The results show that the inlay density and spacer yarn increase compression resistance and reduce impact forces. The increased spacer yarn density provides better air permeability but reduces thermal resistance, while a lower inlay density with a random orientation reduces the evaporative resistance. The proposed structure has significantly positive implications for insole applications.
Intravenous Arginine Administration Attenuates the Inflammatory Response and Improves Metabolic Profiles in Diet-Induced Obese Mice after Sleeve Gastrectomy

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is a bariatric surgery that can effectively reduce weight and improve obesity-associated comorbidities. However, surgical stress intensifies inflammation and imbalanced metabolic profiles. Arginine (Arg) is a nutrient with immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. This study evaluated the short-term effects of Arg administration on adipocyte inflammation and metabolic alterations in obese mice after SG. Mice were assigned to normal and high-fat diet (HFD) groups. After 16 weeks, the HFD group were divided to sham (SH), SG with saline (SS), or Arg (SA) groups. SS and SA groups were postoperatively injected with saline or Arg via the tail vein and sacrificed at day 1 or 3 after the SG, respectively. Results showed that obesity caused elevated plasma glucose and leptin levels. The SG operation enhanced the expression of inflammatory cytokines and macrophage infiltration in adipose tissues, whereas hepatocyte gene expressions associated with lipid β-oxidation were downregulated. Arg treatment reversed the expressions of β-oxidation-associated genes and reduced lipid peroxide production in the liver. Additionally, adipose tissue expressions of inflammatory chemokines were reduced, while the M2 macrophage marker increased after surgery. The findings suggest that postoperative Arg administration elicited more balanced hepatic lipid metabolism, polarized macrophages toward the anti-inflammatory type, and attenuated adipocyte inflammation shortly after SG.