Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thermal management of concentrator photovoltaic systems using nano‐enhanced phase change materials‐based heat sink

Temperature regulation of concentrator photovoltaic systems is essential in reducing operating temperatures with higher system performance. A new nano‐enhanced phase change material, with multi‐cavity heat sinks, integrated with a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system is developed. The multi‐cavity heat sink includes a single‐, triple‐, and quintuple‐cavity configuration in both parallel and series pattern filled with n‐octadecane PCM and graphene nanoparticle additives with 2% and 5 wt%. Numerical simulations are performed using the developed two‐dimensional model for photovoltaic layers integrated with the nano‐enhanced phase change material‐based heat sink. The predicted results are compared with the available numerical results and measurements. Results indicate that increasing the number of parallel cavities, along with weight fraction of nanoparticles, significantly improves the thermal conductivity, and consequently attains better performance for the CPV system. Using a parallel quintuple‐cavity configuration, with 5 wt% NPCM, achieves maximum reduction in the solar cell mean temperature along with the best temperature uniformity compared to other configurations. At a concentration ratio of 20, the thermal efficiency is 65%, the electrical efficiency is about 10%, and the output electrical power of the system is 235 W per m width of the cell. On the contrary, using a series pattern of the heat sink has an unfavorable effect on the mean solar cell temperature, as well as on electrical efficiency and thermal performance of the CPV system. The obtained result can assist in identifying the best possible design of the heat sink in addition to the most appropriate selection of PCM and nanoparticle additives.
A desk study of the relationship between temperature and hatching time for the eggs of five species of salmonid fishes

SUMMARY. Information on temperature (T°C) and time from fertilization to 50% hatch (D days) for five species of salmonid fishes has been used to assess several mathematical models relating D and T. No single equation gave the best fit to all five data sets. The power law with temperature correction (α), log101D= log10a+b log10 (T- α) and the quadratic, log10D= log10a+bT+b1T2 (where a, b, b1, and α are constants), each accounted for over 97 % of the variance of D and were good fits to the observed data points for all five species. There was little difference between the predictions obtained from these two equations within the range of observed temperatures. Therefore, the simpler power-law model is preferred. However, there were substantial within-species differences between values of D predicted from extrapolations of the two models from 2 or 3°C down to 0°C. When more data for low temperatures become available it will be possible to make a more objective choice of model.
Corticosterone Induces Depressive-Like Behavior in Female Peri-Pubescent Rats, but Not in Pre-Pubescent Rats

Background There are no data on the effect of exogenous corticosterone on depressive-like behavior in juvenile rats. Furthermore, it has not been tested whether the effects of corticosterone in female rats is different before or after puberty. Objective We tested the effect of corticosterone treatment on female pre- and peri-pubescent juvenile rats on depressive-like behavior. Methods Female juvenile rats were divided into pre-pubescent (post-natal day 7–27) or peri-pubescent (post-natal day 28–48) groups and administered daily corticosterone (40 mg kg−1 day−1) for 21 days. Depressive-like behavior was assessed using a modified forced swim test and the sucrose preference test. After behavioral assessment, brains were analyzed to determine if there were changes in cell proliferation and newborn neuron survival in the dentate gyrus of the dorsal hippocampus. Results Chronic corticosterone treatment did not affect behavior or neurogenesis in female pre-pubescent juvenile rats. However, female peri-pubescent rats injected with corticosterone showed increased depressive-like behavior as well as a decrease in cell proliferation in the subgranular zone. Furthermore, there was an inverse correlation between time spent immobile in the forced swim test and cell proliferation in the granule cell layer in peri-pubescent rats. Conclusions Corticosterone induces depressive-like behavior in peri-pubescent, but not in pre-pubescent female rats. Finally, our results suggest that depressive-like behavior may be associated with a decrease in hippocampal cell proliferation in female peri-pubescent rats.
Bentos litorâneos do Nordeste Oriental do Brasil: II. Povoamentos dos subtratos duros

The studied area is limited by Sao Francisco River mouth, to the South, and by Coroa das Lavadeiras, State of Rio Grande do Norte, to the North. This area presents only two seasons, summer and winter. During the summer, the freshwater inflow is smaller, the southeast winds are dominant, the temperature, the salinity and the transparence of water are high. The winter is characterized by greater freshwater inflow, east winds, smaller temperature and low salinity and transparence only in coastal and estuarine waters. Off Sao Francisco River mouth the water conditions are inverted and the salinity and transparence variations affect all continental shelf. In the soft bottoms are found the following communities: a) Supralittoral beach; 2) Mediolittoral beach; 3) Infralittoral beach; 4) Circalittoral mud (Sao Francisco mouth); 5) Circalittoral gravel mud (Sao Francisco mouth).
Open-ended cumulative cultural evolution of Hollywood film crews

Abstract Abstract Are there large-scale trends in art history that surpass individual creativity or relatively short artistic movements? Many theories describe art history as a process similar to a change of fashions, while others suggest that art can be progressive – getting better, in some sense, over time. We approach this question anew with the theory of cumulative cultural evolution, which describes cultural accomplishments in terms of innovations that are maintained across generations and accumulated to support ever greater creative potential. In this paper, we empirically test the possibility for cumulative evolution in the techniques used to make an artistic product. Specifically, we measure the size and structure of the production crews in American films in 1910–2010 based on a dataset of 1000 popular films across the century. We find that film crews become exponentially more complex, with a growing set of core jobs, and more innovative in creating new jobs in filmmaking. Our study shows that art history can be cumulative, showing the progressive maintenance of innovative techniques, and thus providing an alternative to the widespread view of art history as a mere fluctuation of trends and fashions.
Cadmium Pollution From Zinc‐Smelters up to Fourfold Higher Than Expected in Western Europe in the 1980s as Revealed by Alpine Ice

Estimates of past emission inventories suggest that toxic heavy metal pollution in Europe was highest in the mid‐1970s for lead and in the mid‐1960s for cadmium, but these previous estimates have not been compared to observations. Here, alpine ice‐cores were used to document cadmium and lead pollution in western Europe between 1890 and 2000. The ice‐core trends show that while lead pollution largely from leaded gasoline reached a maximum in ~1975 as expected, cadmium pollution primarily from zinc smelters peaked in the early‐1980s rather than in ~1965 and was up to fourfold higher than estimated after 1975. Comparisons between ice‐core trends, estimated past emissions, and state‐of‐the‐art atmospheric aerosol transport and deposition modeling suggest that the estimated decreases in cadmium emissions after 1970 were based on overly optimistic emissions reductions from the introduction of pollution control devices and other technological improvements.
Isolated Milk Fat Globules as Substrate for Lipoprotein Lipase: Study of Factors Relevant to Spontaneous Lipolysis in Milk

Abstract Fat globules isolated from normal and from spontaneous milk samples were compared as substrates for purified lipoprotein lipase. Only slight differences were observed. Fat globules isolated from fresh warm milk were almost resistant to lipolysis. This included globules from milk prone to spontaneous lipolysis. Cooling made the globules accessible to rapid lipolysis even if they were from normal milk. Rewarming the fat globules did not reverse the process. Maximum rate of lipolysis (after rewarming) required fat globules be stored at 10°C or below for 5 to 10h. Lipolysis at 4°C usually started after a lag time of 3 to 5h, but with fat globules from spontaneous milk the lag time was shorter. Fat globules isolated from cold milk were a poor substrate at 4°C but were lipolyzed when warmed. When 125 I-labeled lipase was added to fresh warm milk, some of the lipase bound to the milk fat globules but it caused little lipolysis. Binding increased after cooling, as did lipolysis. Both binding of lipase and lipolysis were impeded by the presence of skim milk. Another way to make fat globules isolated from fresh warm milk susceptible to lipolysis was to treat them with chemicals known to remove proteins.
Anti-mite activity of Polygonum hydropiper L. (Polygonaceae) extracts against tea red spider mite, Oligonychus coffeae Nietner (Tetranychidae: Acarina)

Abstract Acaricidal, antiovipositional and ovicidal activities of Polygonum hydropiper (Polygonaceae) against tea red spider mite, Oligonychus coffeae (Nietner) (Tetranychidae: Acarina) were studied under laboratory conditions. Essential chemicals of P. hydropiper obtained from crude extracts of both water and petroleum ether/acetone/methanol fractions by following cold percolation and sequential extraction methods on the basis of solvents' polarity. Ovicidal activity of P. hydropiper was observed only in petroleum ether and acetone fractions. High acaricidal activity were observed in acetone followed by petroleum ether fraction, methanol and finally by water fractions. The effect was stronger with increasing concentrations. Antiovipositional property was evident only at higher concentrations of P. hydropiper. Availability and distribution of this weed (P. hydropiper) in and around tea growing areas of sub-Himalayan region, along with its processing for the feasibility of including P. hydropiper extracts in the current integrated pest management program of tea red spider mite, are discussed. The name and address of the institution where the work was done: Entomology Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of North Bengal, Darjeeling-734 430, West Bengal, India.
Calmodulin: a versatile calcium mediator protein

The level of intracellular calcium is strictly regulated in all cells. In a resting cell, the [Ca2+] is < or = 10(-7) M and during activation it rises to approximately 10(-6) M. Calmodulin (CaM) is the secondary messenger protein that has to translate this modest rise in intracellular calcium into a physiological response in all eukaryotic cells. CaM can activate almost 30 different target systems, including smooth muscle contraction, protein kinases and phosphatases, nitric oxide synthases, and calcium-extruding pumps. It is an acidic protein of 148 amino acids with four helix-loop-helix calcium-binding domains and it has a characteristic dumbbell shape in the crystal structure. In this review I discuss which features of CaM allow it to be such a universal and versatile calcium regulator. First of all, the positive cooperative calcium binding to all four binding sites of CaM in the presence of a target protein allows the protein to act effectively during a calcium transient. Secondly, the high Met content of two hydrophobic surface patches on the two domains of CaM creates a flexible and pliable, yet sticky, interaction surface that does not place high demands on the specificity of the interaction. Consequently, calcium-CaM can bind effectively to the CaM-binding domains of all its target proteins, despite their lack of amino acid sequence homology; their only common feature is that they are hydrophobic basic peptides that have a propensity to form an alpha-helix. CaM's capacity to recognize its CaM-binding domains is further enhanced by its third crucial feature, the intrinsic flexibility of the central linker region; this allows the two domains of CaM to slide over the surface of the alpha-helical bound peptide, to find their most favourable binding orientation. In this review I have also presented selected examples of a variety of experimental techniques that have contributed to our understanding of this unique multitasking protein. These include studies with well-established techniques such as site-directed mutagenesis, chemical modification, limited proteolysis, circular dichroism, and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), as well as novel or less common approaches involving the use of unnatural amino acids, metal-ion NMR, lysine pKa determinations, and isotope-edited Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In combination with available structural information, these studies have provided considerable detail in our understanding of this versatile calcium regulatory protein.
Giants' shoulders 15 years later: lessons, challenges and guidelines in fisheries meta‐analysis

Meta-analysis has been an integral tool for fisheries researchers since the late 1990s. However, there remain few guidelines for the design, implementation or interpretation of meta-analyses in the field of fisheries. Here, we provide the necessary background for readers, authors and reviewers, including a brief history of the use of meta-analysis in fisheries, an overview of common model types and distinctions, and examples of different goals that can be achieved using meta-analysis. We outline the primary challenges in implementing meta-analyses, including difficulties in discriminating between alternative hypotheses that can explain the data with equal plausibility, the importance of validating results using multiple lines of evidence, the trade-off between complexity and sample size and problems associated with the use of model output. For each of these challenges, we also provide suggestions, such as the use of propensity scores for dealing with selection bias and the use of covariates to control for confounding effects. These challenges are then illustrated with examples from diverse subfields of fisheries, including (i) the analysis of the stock–recruit relationship, (ii) fisheries management, rebuilding and population viability, (iii) habitat-specific vital rates, (iv) life-history theory and (v) the evaluation of marine reserves. We conclude with our reasons for believing that meta-analysis will continue to grow in importance for these and many other research goals in fisheries science and argue that standards of practice are therefore essential.
Three New Species of Syphacia (Syphacia) (Oxyurida: Oxyuridae) from Queensland, Australia, and a Key to the Species Present in the Australian Bioregion

Abstract Three new species of Syphacia Seurat 1916 (Oxyurida: Oxyuridae) are described from rodents (Rodentia: Muridae) in Queensland, Australia. Syphacia (Syphacia) helidonensis n. sp. from Pseudomys gracilicaudatus (Gould 1845) can be distinguished from all other species by a suite of characters including an oval-shaped cephalic plate, elongated laterally with dorso-ventral constriction at the level of laterally placed amphids and cephalic papillae, lateral but not cervical alae, and a single pair of postanal papillae. Syphacia (Syphacia) boodjamullaensis n. sp. from Zyzomys argurus (Thomas, 1889) also has an oval-shaped cephalic plate, elongated laterally with dorso-ventral constriction at the level of laterally placed amphids and cephalic papillae, a single pair of postanal papillae, neither cervical nor lateral alae, and spicule 77 µm long. Syphacia (Syphacia) carnarvonensis n. sp. from Pseudomys delicatulus (Gould, 1842) with an oval-shaped cephalic plate, elongated laterally with dorso-ventral constriction at level of laterally placed amphids and cephalic papillae and a single pair of postanal papillae, also has both cervical and lateral alae, small body size, males 690–865 µm, and eggs 77–86 µm long, 24–29 µm wide. A key to the species of Syphacia from the Australian Bioregion is given, and the potential for as yet undiscovered species in the region is discussed.
Polymerase chain reaction assays for the detection of Stagonospora nodorum and Septoria tritici in wheat

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers have been developed that can distinguish important wheat pathogenic fungal species and detect their DNA in infected wheat leaf tissues. Septoria tritici (teleomorph Mycosphaerella graminicola) and Stagonospora nodorum = Septoria nodorum (teleomorph Phaeosphaeria nodorum), are agronomically significant pathogens of wheat, causing wheat leaf and glume blotch, respectively. Primers made to conserved sequences of the ribosomal DNA were used to PCR amplify and clone the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions from S. nodorum and S. tritici. The ITS regions were sequenced, the sequences were aligned, and species-specific PCR primers were designed to the polymorphic regions. These ITS-derived primers were used to amplify specific fragments from the fungi from which they were designed, thus allowing the detection of the pathogens. The primers also successfully amplified similar-sized fragments from wheat tissues infected with the respective fungi
A new karyotype and chromosomal banding pattern in Nannospalax ehrenbergi (Nehring, 1898) (Rodentia: Spalacidae) from southeast Anatolia, Turkey

This paper presents new data on chromosomes of the Palestine mole rat, Nannospalax ehrenbergi, from southeast Anatolia, Turkey. A new chromosomal form, 2n = 56, NF = 62 and NFa = 58, is determined from the region. C-banding revealed pericentromeric constitutive heterochromatin in one submetacentric and seven acrocentric autosome pairs. Two acrocentric autosome pairs and an acrocentric chromosome with a secondary constriction showed interstitial C-positive bands on their long arms. A secondary constriction was detected in the Y chromosome. The NORs were observed in one medium-sized metacentric autosome pair, and in four acrocentric pairs of autosomes.
The linamarase of Mucor circinelloides LU M40 and its detoxifying activity on cassava

Mucor circinelloides LU M40 produced 12·2 mU ml−1 of linamarase activity when grown in a 3 l fermenter in the following optimized medium (g l−1 deionized water): pectin, 10·0; (NH4)2SO4,
Grade 9 Mathematics Learners’ Strategies in Solving Number-Pattern Problems

Many Grade 9 mathematics learners face difficulties in solving number-pattern problems due to insufficient exposure to strategies in solving such problems. The aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate Grade 9 mathematics learners’ strategies in solving number-pattern problems. The problem-solving conceptual framework of Singer and Voica (2013) highlighting four indicators, namely decoding, representing, processing and implementing, underpinned the study. Ninety Grade 9 learners were purposively selected from three rural schools (30 from each school) to participate. Qualitative data were collected through a written activity and semi-structured one-on-one interviews. The study found that learners utilise four main strategies to solve number-pattern problems, namely (1) direct counting; (2) direct proportion; (3) recursive strategy; and (4) mental image representation. Knowledge about learners’ strategies can assist teachers in their pedagogies to teach number-pattern problems. The study adds to the research on problem solving, specifically pertaining to number patterns.
Chronic Response of Three Different Cyanobacterial Species on Growth, Pigment, and Metabolic Variations to the High Molecular Weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon – Pyrene

A study was carried out to investigate the chronic response of three different cyanobacterial species namely Anabaena fertilissima, Synechocystis sp. , and Nostoc muscorum to Pyrene, a high molecular weight (HMW) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Organisms were treated based upon LC50 (lethal concentration at which 50% reduction in growth) concentrations, i.e., 3.0 ppm for Anabaena fertilissima, 3.0 ppm for Synechocystis sp. , and 0.5 ppm for Nostoc muscorum as well as finalized one lower and one higher dose to LC50. The influence of pyrene on growth, pigments, release of metabolites, such as carbohydrates, protein, amino acid, and phenols, was carried out. The test doses caused a concentration dependent decrease in carotenoids and phycobilliproteins and showed more sensitivity for pyrene. Depletion of carbohydrate by 47–98% and proteins by 39–81% was encountered with rise in pyrene concentrations after 16th day of exposure in case of high tolerant strain Synechocystis sp. However, phenols were found to rise by 64–93% with increased pyrene concentrations on the contrary, amino acids were reported to decline by 59–93%. The order for the sensitivity of the test species is as follows: Nostoc muscorum > Anabaena fertillissima > Synechocystis sp.
The osteoporosis knowledge, belief and calcium intake behaviour among students in a medical sciences university

Objective: This study determines the association between osteoporosis knowledge, health belief and calcium intake behaviour among students in a medical sciences university.Methods: This study was conducted using cross sectional design. Malaysian students, aged 18 to 40 were selected using stratified randomisation method. The osteoporosis knowledge, health belief and calcium intake behaviour of participants were obtained through a validated questionnaire.Results: The response rate of the study was 93.0% (n=333). More than 80% of participants had been exposed to information related to osteoporosis knowledge and calcium-rich foods. The mean score of osteoporosis knowledge test (OKT)= 50.46. 48, perceived susceptibility= 14.2±4.02, perceived seriousness= 20.4±4.67, perceived benefits of calcium= 23.1±3.94, perceived barriers to calcium= 14.4±3.99 and health motivation= 21.6±3.79. Only 37.8% of participants consumed adequate dairy products. There were significant correlations between OKT and perceived benefits of calcium (r=0.127, p=0.020), perceived barriers to calcium (r=-0.208, p<0.001) and health motivation (r=0.173, p=0.002). Perceived seriousness to osteoporosis, health motivation and OKT significantly predicted intake of dairy products (p<0.001). Discussion: The osteoporosis knowledge was moderate, health belief was moderate and consumption of dairy products was low. The osteoporosis knowledge and health belief were correlated but not the behaviour of dairy products consumption.Conclusion: Young adults had moderate osteoporosis knowledge and consumption of dairy products was low. Future educational programme should focus on osteoporosis knowledge, health belief as well as determining factors that influence behaviour of consumption of dairy products.Keywords: Osteoporosis knowledge - Osteoporosis health belief - Consumption of dairy products - Young adults