Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of CGA-92194 on the Chemical Reactivity of Metolachlor with Glutathione and Metabolism of Metolachlor in Grain Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

In laboratory experiments, the safener CGA-92194 {α-[(1,3-dioxolan-2-yl-methoxy)imino] benzeneacetonitrile} increased the in vitro chemical reactivity of the herbicide metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide] for glutathione (GSH) when tested at 1, 50, and 100 μM. Pretreatment of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. cv. ‘G623’] seeds with the safener CGA-92194 (1.25 g ai/kg of seeds) enhanced significantly the amount of 14C-metolachlor absorbed by the roots and translocated to the shoots and leaves of grain sorghum seedlings grown hydroponically in a nutrient solution. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis of methanol-soluble extracts from roots or shoots and leaves of sorghum seedlings treated with 14C-metolachlor revealed the detection of 8 to 10 metabolites of this herbicide. One of the major metabolites detected was tentatively identified as the conjugate of metolachlor with GSH. A safener-induced stimulation of metolachlor metabolism via conjugation to GSH was observed in sorghum seedlings grown from seeds pretreated with CGA-92194. Addition of tridiphane [2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-(2,2,2-trichloroethyl)oxirane], a potent inhibitor of plant GSH-S-transferase enzymes, to the nutrient solution of hydroponically grown sorghum seedlings reduced the formation of GS-metolachlor in both control and safener-treated seedlings and minimized the stimulatory effect of the safener CGA-92194 on the conjugation of metolachlor to GSH. It is suggested that the safener CGA-92194 may protect grain sorghum against injury from the herbicide metolachlor by stimulating the spontaneous and enzymatic conjugation of this herbicide with GSH.
Nanomaterials in membrane water desalination

Reverse osmosis (RO) is currently the most important desalination technology and it is experiencing significant growth. This paper reviews the historical and current development of RO membrane materials which are the key determinants of separation performance and water productivity, and hence to define performance targets for those who are developing new RO membrane materials. Given their unique structural and morphological features, nanomaterials have gained considerable attention for their applications in membrane desalination. The emergence of nanotechnology in membrane materials science could offer an attractive alternative to polymeric materials. Hence nanostructured membranes are discussed in this review including zeolite membranes, carbon nanotube, graphene and graphene oxide membranes in their free-standing and composite forms. It is proposed that these novel materials represent the most likely opportunities for enhanced RO desalination performance in the future, but that a number of challenges remain with regard to their practical implementation.
Adsorption and protonation of peptides and proteins in pH responsive gels

To describe the non-trivial features of the equilibrium protonation and physical adsorption of peptides/proteins in pH-responsive hydrogels, we summarize our recent theoretical work on the subject. In these systems, molecular confinement in nanometer-sized environments modifies the balance between chemical state, physical interactions and molecular organization, which results in a behavior that is qualitatively different from what is expected from assuming the bulk solution protonation. To enhance adsorption, the pH-dependent deprotonation curves of all amino acids of adsorbed proteins are adequately shifted and deformed, which depends, in a complex fashion, on the specific amino acid. This possibility of modifying different acid–base equilibriums gives the adsorbed protein degrees of freedom to regulate charge and enhance electrostatic attractions under a wide range of experimental conditions. Protein adsorption modifies the microenvironment inside the hydrogel, particularly the gel pH. As a result, the state of protonation of the network is different before and after adsorption. The physicochemical considerations described in this review can be useful in the design of functional materials involving protein adsorption.
Applying Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique and Support Vector Machine to Develop a Classifier for Parkinson’s disease

As the number of Parkinson’s disease patients increases in the elderly population, it has become a critical issue to understand the early characteristics of Parkinson’s disease and to detect Parkinson’s disease as soon as possible during normal aging. This study minimized the imbalance issue by employing Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE), developed eight Support Vector Machine (SVM) models for predicting Parkinson’s disease using different kernel types {(C-SVM or Nu-SVM)×(Gaussian kernel, linear, polynomial, or sigmoid algorithm)}, and compared the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the developed models. This study evaluated 76 senior citizens with Parkinson’s disease (32 males and 44 females) and 285 healthy senior citizens without Parkinson’s disease (148 males and 137 females). The analysis results showed that the liner kernel-based Nu-SVM had the highest sensitivity (62.0%), specificity (81.6%), and overall accuracy (71.3%). The major negative relationship factors of the Parkinson’s disease prediction model were MMSE-K, Stroop Test, Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT), verbal memory test, ADL, IADL, 70 years old or older, middle school graduation or below, and women. When the influence of variables was compared using “functional weight”, RCFT was identified as the most influential variable in the model for distinguishing Parkinson’s disease from healthy elderly. The results of this study implied that developing a prediction model by using linear kernel-based Nu-SVM would be more accurate than other kernel-based SVM models for handling imbalanced disease data.
Characterization of hypothalamic Nuclei in Indian Fresh Water Spiny Eel Mastacembelusarmatus (Lacepede)

Mastacembelus armatus, an indigenous fish species of southern Asia, also resides in Indian subcontinent. This fish species is facing an alarming declining in their number in the last decade. Due to its moderate cost, it is mainly taken by the lower income group of people of the society. Reproductive care, by artificial breeding, has been taken for those fish species having a high cost in the market or becoming less in number in nature for business purposes or preserving the biodiversity, respectively. The present study was undertaken to understand the structure of hypothalamic nulceiof M. armatus, because these are ultimately responsible for the maintenance of pituitary-gonadal endocrine cascade. This work had been done purely on histological techniques.Hypothalamic region with the brain was first dissected out then followed by fixation, embedding in paraffin wax, sectioning, staining and microphotography. In the present investigation the nucleus preopticus (NPO) are paired, eachnuclear area being situated on either side of the third ventricle. The NPO iselongated in structure and the differentiated zones, the pars magnocellularis andpars parvocellularis. The neurosecretory nuclei ofnucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT) are very prominent and occupy a position nearer to the pituitary gland. The cells of the NLT aredivided into two subgroups. The comparatively larger a – cells are located anterior end of lateral wall of the hypothalamus and the b – cells are located above the pituitary gland. Understanding the hypothalamic architecture and cell types for this fish species is of immense importance to save this indigenous variety by artificial breeding.
Rapid Homogenization Method For Synthesis Of Core/shell ZnO/CdS Nanoparticles And Their Photocatalytic Evaluation

ZnO/CdS core-shell hetero nanostructures with different shell thickness have been successfully developed by a solution chemistry method employing rapid homogenization concept. The obtained core/shell nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), FTIR, Raman, photoluminescence (PL), and UV-visible spectroscopy. All analytical and spectroscopic tools supported the formation of CdS shell over ZnO core. ZnO/CdS core-shell nanostructures were evaluated for their photocatalytic activity against methylene blue (MB), a common industrial water pollutant. It was observed that the ZnO/CdS core-shell nanostructures can effectively function as a photocatalyst under both UV and sunlight for degradation of MB. It was also observed that the degradation of MB was higher from core/shell nanostructures than the physical mixture of ZnO-CdS which was prepared separately. Copyright © 2016 VBRI Press.
Performance Evaluation of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Operating in General Regime with Shortage of Maintenance Facilities

We consider a real-world problem of military intelligence unit equipped with multiple identical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) responsible for several regions (with requests of real-time jobs arriving from independent sources). We suppose that there are no ample maintenance facilities, allowing simultaneous treatment of all vehicles if necessary. Under certain assumptions, these real-time systems can be treated using a queueing theory methodology and/or as Markov chains. We show how to compute steady-state probabilities of these systems, their performance effectiveness, and various performance parameters (for exponentially distributed service and maintenance times of UAVs, as well as tasks duration and their arrival pattern).
A promising marker in patients with coronary artery ectasia: Uric acid / HDL ratio

Aim: Elevated levels of uric acid and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are associated with cardiovascular events and mortality. We investigated a novel marker, uric acid/HDLratio (UHR), in coronary artery ectasia patients (CAE). Materials and Methods: The present study included 104 patients (58 male, 46 female; mean age, 61±12 years) diagnosed as having isolated CAE and 110 controls (44 male, 66 female; mean age, 60±12 years) whose coronary artery findings were normal as revealed by coronary angiography. Medical records of all the patients were reviewed and the data were collected retrospectively. Baseline characteristics, hematologic and biochemistry parameters were recorded, and we calculated the value of UHR Results: The CAE group had significantly higher values of uric acid (6.48±1.62 vs. 5.37±1.12; p<0.001) and UHR (0.15±0.05 vs. 0.11±0.05; p<0.001). Spearman’s correlation test showed a significant association of uric acid and UHR with CAE (r=0.40, p<0.001 and r=0.51, p<0.001, respectively). On the other hand, HDL had a negative correlation with the presence of CAE (r=0.44, p<0.001). A receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis revealed that a cut-off>0.120 UHR (%) values had a sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 68% for the determination of CEA. Conclusion: We observed in our study the finding in which the uric acid and UHR values were higher in individuals with CAE compared to non-CAE subjects. There was an association between UHR and CAE.
Grazing intensity and environmental factors effects on species composition and diversity in rangelands of Iran

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of grazing, precipitation and temperature factors on plant species dynamics (diversity and composition) in the semi-steppe of Isfahan semi-arid rangelands, Iran. The effects of Sheep grazing were studied in a controlled experiment along grazing gradient with seven intensities (from very heavily grazed to nongrazed) during six consecutive years (2006–2011). The results show that plant species dynamics varied among years, but were only slightly affected by grazing intensity. Since the experimental years were much dryer than the long term average, the abiotic constraints may have overridden any grazing effect. The differences among the years were predominantly determined by the abiotic factors of temperature and precipitation. Most of the variations in species dynamics and coexistence between the C4 and C3 species were explained by seasonal weather conditions, i.e., temperature and precipitation regimes during the early season (March-June). The dominant C3 species, Poa bulbosa, was highly competitive in March-June at low and high temperature and rainfall levels, respectively. In contrast, the most common C4 species Cynodon dactylon benefited from high and low early season temperature and rainfall levels, respectively. However, biomass of P. bulbosa was positively correlated with temperature in March, when effective mean temperature ranges from 0 to 5°C and thus promotes vernalization and vegetative sprouting. Our results suggest that, over a six-year period, it is temporal variability in temperature and precipitation rather than grazing that determines vegetation dynamics and species distributions in grazed semi-steppe ecosystems. Our results also support that the variability in the dominant species biomass, rather than diversity, determine ecosystem functioning. This study provides fundamental knowledge on the complex interaction of climate, vegetation, and grazing.
Incipient Interturn Fault Detection and Severity Evaluation in Electric Drive System Using Hybrid HCNN-SVM Based Model

The importance of induction motor (IM) drives in industrial applications, especially in the renewable energy sector is unarguable due to their fast-dynamic response. Their monitoring is key to avoid downtime and economic losses. Even though a lot of research has been focused on incipient fault diagnosis in induction machines, early diagnosis in power electronic drive-fed machines is still a challenge. In this article, a novel two-level hybrid hierarchical convolution neural network with support vector machine (HCNN-SVM) is proposed for incipient interturn fault diagnosis of drive-fed machines. The first level of the proposed structure is intended to recognize the pattern of interturn fault in drive-fed IM, while the second level is developed to identify the fault severity. First, the effective features are extracted automatically using the shared layers of HCNN for fault diagnosis and fault severity evaluation at the same time. The features obtained using the HCNN are suitably used to train SVM for classification. Comparison of the results with the existing architectures, namely, HCNN and SVM, show the effectiveness of proposed hybrid method. The experimental results show that the hybrid HCNN-SVM is fast and highly accurate in identifying the interturn fault pattern and evaluating its severity.
Assessment to 2100 of the effects of reef formation on increased wave heights due to intensified tropical cyclones and sea level rise at Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan

ABSTRACT Tropical cyclones (TCs) cause enormous damage to unprotected coastal areas. Healthy coral reefs can reduce this damage and are low cost and maintenance free. We use a wave simulation model to estimate changes that will occur by 2100 in wave height on a coral reef for a healthy reef and a degraded reef under variable TC wave conditions and sea level rise at Ishigaki Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Moreover, we estimate the potential reef production rate based on analysis of a Holocene reef core, and indicate possible reef restoration and conservation strategies, including a selection of appropriate coral communities for transplantation, if the future reef is degraded. Our findings indicate that the significant wave height at the reef flat will increase from 1.69 m at present to a maximum of 3.00 m for degraded reefs and a maximum of 2.63 m for healthy reefs under intensified TCs by 2100. The value of potential reef production rate required for healthy reefs by 2100 is 3–10 kg CaCO3/m2/y. If the reef is degraded by global and local impacts, planning for reef restoration and conservation such as direct coral transplantation of Acropora digitifera and Acropora hyacinthus may be considered.
Species diversity of freshwater shrimp in Henan Province, China, based on morphological characters and COI mitochondrial gene

Abstract Freshwater shrimp are a rich species group, with a long and problematic taxonomic history attributed to their wide distribution and similar morphological characteristics. Shrimp diversity and species identification are important cornerstones for fisheries management. However, identification based on morphological characteristics is a difficult task for a nonspecialist. Abundant freshwater shrimp species are distributed in the waters of Henan Province, but investigations of freshwater shrimp are limited in this region, especially concerning molecular features. Here, we combined morphology and DNA barcodes to reveal the species diversity of freshwater shrimp in Henan province. A total of 1,200 freshwater shrimp samples were collected from 46 sampling sites, and 222 samples were chosen for further microscopic examination and molecular delimitation. We used tree‐based methods (NJ, ML, and bPTP) and distance‐based methods (estimation of the paired genetic distances and ABGD) to delimit species. The results showed that there were nine morphospecies based on morphological characteristics; all could effectively be defined by molecular methods, among which bPTP and ABGD defined 13 and 8 MOTUs, respectively. The estimation of the paired genetic distances of K2P and the p‐distances had similar results. Mean K2P distances and p‐distances within species were both equal to 1.2%. The maximum intraspecific genetic distances of all species were less than 2%, with the exception of Palaemon modestus and M. maculatum. Various analyses have shown that P. modestus and M. maculatum have a large genetic differentiation, which may indicate the existence of cryptic species. By contrast, DNA barcoding could unambiguously discriminate 13 species and detect cryptic diversity. Our results demonstrate the high efficiency of DNA barcoding to delimit freshwater shrimp diversity and detect the presence of cryptic species.
Initial results from a simplified sub-sampling approach for Distributed Acoustic Sensing

Recently, interest has risen in the use of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) to monitor the condition of sub-sea cables connecting off-shore windfarms. Certain failure modes of these cables develop gradually, over the course of weeks to months, in response to external environmental factors. DAS provides a wealth of information on physical processes occurring over a long linear length. A significant challenge in acquiring all this information is in managing the volume of data captured (in excess of 1TB a day). This paper presents results from an investigation into an approach to adapt the way the data is acquired and stored, whilst not inherently biasing the process. The approach combines a range of traditional techniques, as well as a simplified implementation of the already well established sparse sampling technique. This approach is applied to the collection of data from a windfarm export cable over a period of 876 hours. Analysis of this data demonstrates the systems capability to practicably capture long term trends in the data due to environmental factors.
Seismic Ambient Noise Analyses Reveal Changing Temperature and Water Signals to 10s of Meters Depth in the Critical Zone

The critical zone sustains terrestrial life, but we have few tools to explore it efficiently beyond the first few meters of the subsurface. Using analyses of high‐frequency ambient seismic noise from densely spaced seismometers deployed in the forested Shale Hills subcatchment of the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHCZO), we show that temporal changes in seismic velocities at depths from ∼1 m to tens of m can be detected. These changes are driven by variations at the land surface. The Moving‐Window Cross‐Spectral (MWCS) method was employed to measure seismic‐velocity changes in coda waves at hourly resolution in 10 different frequency bands. We observed a diurnal signal, a seasonal signal, and a meteorological‐event‐based signal. These signals were compared to time‐series measurements of precipitation, well water levels, soil moisture, soil temperature, air temperature, latent heat flux, and air pressure in the heavily instrumented catchment. Most of the velocity changes can be explained by variations in temperature that result in thermoelastic strains that propagate to depth. But some double minima in seismic velocity time‐series observed after large rain events were attributed in part to the effects of water infiltration. These results show that high‐frequency ambient noise data may in some locations be used to detect changes in the critical zone from ∼1 to ∼100 m or greater depth with hourly resolution. But interpretation of such data requires multiple environmental data sets to deconvolve the complex interrelationships among thermoelastic and hydrological effects in the subsurface critical zone.
Impact of organic and “protected designation of origin” labels in the perception of olive oil sensory quality

PurposeInvestigate the behaviour and the habits of the consumers from central-southern Italy in relation to extra olive oil consumption, focussing on the impact of protected designation of origin (PDO) and EU–organic certification on purchase intention and quality perception.Design/methodology/approachA specific questionnaire was submitted to 160 consumers; a subsample of ten experts, ten semi-experts and ten habitual consumers of olive oil tested, through a blind test first and a normal one then, three Italian samples: an extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) without certification, an organic EVOO and a PDO EVOO, which were characterised also from a chemical-physical point of view. The answers provided during the tastings were statistically analysed and compared.FindingsPeople interviewed prefer local olive oils; they are positively influenced by PDO/organic certification, while price is not a decisive factor on the purchasing choices. According to tasting panel results: experts gave consistent answers preferring organic olive oil, semi-experts are positively influenced by the PDO brand contrary to what they claimed; non-experts would buy EVOO, although they are positively influenced by the PDO brand and negatively by the organic certification.Practical implicationsOnly knowledge and experience can aid consumers make consistent and aware choices. Information campaigns could help them to distinguish products, correctly identify food attributes and overcome their scepticism towards quality of organic products.Originality/valueFew works investigated the impact of quality and sustainability labelling on perception of olive oils, valuing the consistency between answers provided before and after sensory assessments.