Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Present Climate Evaluation and Added Value Analysis of Dynamically Downscaled Simulations of CORDEX—East Asia

In this study, we investigate the skills of the regional climate model Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling in Climate Mode (CCLM) in reproducing historical climatic features and their added value to the driving global climate models (GCMs) of the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment—East Asia (CORDEX-EA) domain. An ensemble of climate simulations, with a resolution of 0.44°, was conducted by downscaling four GCMs: CNRM-CM5, EC-EARTH, HadGEM2, and MPI-ESM-LR. The CCLM outputs were compared with different observations and reanalysis datasets. Results showed strong seasonal variability of CCLM’s ability in reproducing climatological means, variability, and extremes. The bias of the simulated summer temperatures is generally smaller than that of the winter temperatures; in addition, areas where CCLM adds value to the driving GCMs in simulating temperature are larger in the winter than in the summer. CCLM outperforms GCMs in terms of generating climatological precipitation means and daily precipitation distributions for most regions in the winter, but this is not always the case for the summer. It was found that CCLM biases are partly inherited from GCMs and are significantly shaped by structural biases of CCLM. Furthermore, downscaled simulations show added value in capturing features of consecutive wet days for the tropics and of consecutive dry days for areas to the north of 30°N. We found considerable uncertainty from reanalysis and observation datasets in temperatures and precipitation climatological means for some regions that rival bias values of GCMs and CCLM simulations. We recommend carefully selecting reference datasets when evaluating modeled climate means.
Characterizing networks formed by P. polycephalum

We present a systematic study of the characteristic vein networks formed by the slime mold P. polycephalum. Our study is based on an extensive set of graph representations of slime mold networks. We analyze a total of 1998 graphs capturing growth and network formation of P. polycephalum as observed in 36 independent, identical, wet-lab experiments. Relying on concepts from graph theory such as face cycles and cuts as well as ideas from percolation theory, we establish a broad collection of individual observables taking into account various complementary aspects of P. polycephalum networks. As a whole, the collection is intended to serve as a specialized knowledge-base providing a comprehensive characterization of P. polycephalum networks. To this end, it contains individual as well as cumulative results for all investigated observables across all available data series, down to the level of single P. polycephalum graphs. Furthermore we include the raw numerical data as well as various plotting and analysis tools to ensure reproducibility and increase the usefulness of the collection. All our results are publicly available in an organized fashion in the slime mold graph repository (Smgr).
Morphology and Mitochondrial Lineage Investigations Corroborate the Systematic Status and Pliocene Colonization of Suncus niger (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla) in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot of India

Simple Summary The current study reassesses the systematic status of Suncus niger from its original geographical distribution in Southern India. Both morphology and mitochondrial genetic data clearly distinguish S. niger (endemic to India) from Suncus montanus (endemic to Sri Lanka) and substantiate the prior hypothesis of a distinct species. Furthermore, the present study adds new range extension, elevation records, and Pliocene colonization for this small mammal in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. Given the matrilineal affinities between Indian and African lineages, and their recent transcontinental colonization, we believe that more in-depth genomic studies, including divergence time estimation, are crucial to clarify the global evolutionary trend of Soricomorphs. Abstract The Indian highland shrew, Suncus niger (Horsfield, 1851), is the least studied soricid species from its original range distribution in Southern India, with several systematics conundrums. Following its discovery in 1851, the species was synonymized with Suncus montanus (Kelaart, 1850) (endemic to Sri Lanka) and subsequently identified as a separate Indian population. However, the systematic status of S. niger from topotype specimens in Southern India has yet to be determined through an integrated approach. Both taxonomy and mitochondrial genetic data (Cytochrome b and 16S ribosomal RNA) were used to re-examine the systematics of S. niger. The mtCytb gene clearly distinguished topotypic S. niger from other Suncus species, with high genetic divergences varying from 8.49% to 26.29%. Further, the Bayesian and maximum likelihood topologies clearly segregated S. niger from other congeners and corroborated the sister relationship with S. stoliczkanus with expected divergence in the late Pliocene (2.62 MYA). The TimeTree analysis also exhibits a strong matrilineal affinity of S. dayi (endemic to India) toward the African species. The current study hypothesizes that the ancestor of the soricids evolved in Africa and that genetic lineages were subsequently shifted by plate tectonic events that subsequently colonized different continents as distinct species during the late Miocene (Tortonian) to the Holocene era. In addition to the new range expansion and elevation records of S. niger in the Central Western Ghats, we propose that additional sampling across its distribution, as well as the use of multiple genetic markers, may be useful in determining the genetic diversity and population structure of this endemic species. The present study also recommends that more molecular data on the Soricomorphs lineages, and estimates of their divergence times, will shed light on the evolution of these small mammals on Earth.
Design of Resilient Reliable Dissipativity Control for Systems With Actuator Faults and Probabilistic Time-Delay Signals via Sampled-Data Approach

The issue of resilient reliable dissipativity performance index for systems including actuator faults and probabilistic time-delay signals via sampled-data control approach is investigated. Specifically, random variables governed by the Bernoulli distribution are examined in detail for the random time-delay signals. By using the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals together with the Wirtinger double integral inequality approach and reciprocally convex combination technique, which reflects complete information on the certain random sampling; as a result, a new set of sufficient criterion is launched to ensure that the proposed closed-loop system is strictly <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${(\mathbb {Q},\mathbb {S},\mathbb {R})}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\gamma }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-dissipative. The proposed criterion for dissipativity-based resilient reliable controller is expressed in the form of linear matrix inequalities. The major contributions of this paper is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${(\mathbb {Q},\mathbb {S},\mathbb {R})}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\gamma }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-dissipativity concept can be adopted to analyze more dynamical performances simultaneously, such as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\mathcal {H}_\infty }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, passivity, mixed <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\mathcal {H}_\infty }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and passivity performance for the proposed system model by choosing the weighting matrices <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${(\mathbb {Q},\mathbb {S},\mathbb {R})}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Finally, an interesting simulation example is demonstrated to showing the applicability and effectiveness of the theoretical results together with proposed control law by taking the experimental values of the high-incidence research model and rotary servo system.
Patient participation in surgical site infection prevention: perceptions of nurses, physicians and patients

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the perception of patients and health professionals regarding patients’ participation in surgical site infection prevention. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in two hospitals in the city of São Paulo, with a convenience sample of 123 patients in the postoperative period of elective surgeries and 92 health professionals (physicians and nurses) acting in direct care of surgical patients. Results: Patients (78.9%) and professionals (79.4%) fully agreed with the importance of patient participation to prevent surgical site infection. The impact of patient participation on infection rates was significant for those undergoing previous surgery (p = 0.021). Patients and professionals disagreed about the best time to prepare the patient about the topic (p<0.001). The participation strategies considered most effective by patients and professionals were, respectively, oral presentation (47.2% and 75%), videos (40.7% and 58.7%) and leaflets (30.9% and 58.7%). Conclusion: Patients and health professionals believe that patient participation in surgical site infection prevention is important.
A Pork Industry in the Backyard: An Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Serbia’s Pigs

As pork is an important source for Toxoplasma gondii infection, we have analyzed T. gondii genotypes and toxoplasmosis prevalence in pigs in Serbia in the context of production statistics and economics to assess the specific risk to public health. Genotyping was performed using MnPCR-RFLP; T. gondii-specific IgG antibodies were detected using a modified agglutination test (MAT); and statistical data were extracted from official records and provided by government authorities. The results indicate that, from 2006 to 2021, the median number of annually slaughtered pigs was 5.6 million, yet only 36.1% were processed by abattoirs. The remainder were “backyard pigs” slaughtered on family farms and homesteads. Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in market-weight (MW) pigs prior to 2006 was 15.2%, and was 15.1% in 2019. The seroprevalence in owned city cats, likely infected by livestock meat, was 33.2%. ToxoDB#1 was identified in pig tissues. The results indicate that backyard pigs are the backbone of the industry and provide as much as 60% of the pork in Serbia. The seroprevalence in pigs and city cats shows that farms are reservoirs for the parasite. Thus, innovative means of reducing T. gondii infection designed with backyard farmers in mind are needed to reduce the risk to public health.
Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography and Laboratory Parameters as Non-Invasive Diagnostic Markers of Pancreatic Fibrosis

Pancreatic fibrosis (PF) is a part of the pathogenesis in most pancreatic disorders and plays a crucial role in chronic pancreatitis development. The aim of our study was to investigate a relationship between PF grade and signs in resected pancreatic specimens, and the results of both multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) post-processing parameters and fibronectin (FN), hyaluronic acid (HA), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, and MMP-9 serum levels. The examination results of 74 patients were analyzed. The unenhanced pancreas density (UPD) value and contrast enhancement ratio (CER) showed statistically significant differences in groups with peri- and intralobular fibrosis grades, an integrative index of fibrosis, inflammation in pancreatic tissue, and pancreatic duct epithelium metaplasia, while the normalized contrast enhancement ratio in the venous phase (NCER VP) significantly differed with the perilobular fibrosis grade, integrative fibrosis index, and inflammation (p < 0.05). The blood FN level showed a weak positive correlation with the intralobular fibrosis grade (rho = 0.32, p = 0.008). The blood level of HA positively correlated with the presence of prominent and enlarged peripheral nerves (rho = 0.28, p = 0.02) and negatively correlated with the unenhanced pancreas density value (rho = −0.42, p = 0.0001). MMP-1 and MMP-9 values’ intergroup analysis and correlation did not show any statistical significance. The UPD value, NCER VP, and CER, as well as blood levels of FN and HA, could be used in non-invasive PF diagnosis.
Adsorption/Desorption of Cationic-Hydrophobic Peptides on Zwitterionic Lipid Bilayer Is Associated with the Possibility of Proton Transfer

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short peptides built up from dominantly cationic and hydrophobic amino acid residues with a distinguished ability to pass through the cell membrane. Due to the possibility of linking and delivering the appropriate cargo at the desired location, CPPs are considered an economic and less invasive alternative to antibiotics. Besides knowing that their membrane passage mechanism is a complex function of CPP chemical composition, the ionic strength of the solution, and the membrane composition, all other details on how they penetrate cell membranes are rather vague. The aim of this study is to elucidate the ad(de)sorption of arginine-/lysine- and phenylalanine-rich peptides on a lipid membrane composed of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) lipids. DSC and temperature-dependent UV-Vis measurements confirmed the impact of the adsorbed peptides on thermotropic properties of DPPC, but in an inconclusive way. On the other hand, FTIR spectra acquired at 30 °C and 50 °C (when DPPC lipids are found in the gel and fluid phase, respectively) unambiguously confirmed the proton transfer between particular titratable functional groups of R5F2/K5F2 that highly depend on their immediate surroundings (DPPC or a phosphate buffer). Molecular dynamic simulations showed that both peptides may adsorb onto the bilayer, but K5F2 desorbs more easily and favors the solvent, while R5F2 remains attached. The results obtained in this work highlight the importance of proton transfer in the design of CPPs with their desired cargo, as its charge and composition dictates the possibility of entering the cell.
Quality of Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum) haylage in relation to plant dry matter content

This study aimed to evaluate the quality of Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum) haylage with varying contents of dry matter (DM) and stored for 90 days. The quality of this grass was evaluated through the lens of a variety of physiochemical properties (e.g., chemical composition, aerobic stability, pH, microbial profile, etc.). A completely randomized design was used with four treatments (in natura, 400, 500, and 600 g kg-1 DM) and five replicates. Treatment with 600 g kg-1 DM yielded the highest DM haylage (p < 0.01) and soluble carbohydrate content (p < 0.01). Treatment in natura resulted in the highest O2concentration inside the bales (p < 0.01), whereas treatments with 500 and 600 g kg-1 DM resulted in the highest CO2 values. The highest acetic acid concentrations of 36.4 ± 1.6, 38.2±1.6, and 48.9 ± 1.6 g kg-1 DM (p < 0.01) were observed post the in natura, 500 g kg-1 DM, and 600 g kg-1 DM treatments, respectively. Treatment with 600 g kg-1 DM yielded the highest pH value at hour zero (p < 0.01). Tanzania grass with 500 and 600 g kg-1 DM produced the highest quality haylage. Highlights: Haylage can be defined as stored pre-dried forage with a dry matter (DM) content of approximately 400 to 800 g/kg. Aerobic stability was affected by the interaction between the different plant DM contents and hours of exposure of the Tanzania grass haylage to air after opening the bales. Haylage surface temperature has a linear relationship with the length of time the materials are exposed to air. Higher plant DM yields Tanzania grass haylage of high quality. Tanzania grass with 500 and 600 g kg-1 DM for haylage production is indicated.
Free motion of a body in a boundary layer or channel flow

Coupling is considered between fluid flow and a freely moving body shorter than the development length in an oncoming boundary layer or channel flow but longer than the flow thickness. The body lies within the core of the flow. The coupling occurs between the inviscid-dominated displacement and the viscous–inviscid pressure, the latter acting to move the body. This interaction can be unstable. It is found however that three factors serve to stabilise the interaction as each one alters the decisive balance of angular momentum. One is a 10 % shift forward in the position of the centre of mass. The second is a degree of flexibility in the body shape by means of its response to the induced pressure force. Third is a slight streamwise movement of the body which is sufficient to modify the viscous–inviscid pressure response and again produce stabilisation. The effects are largely independent of the lateral position of the body.
Solving matrix factorization from lower dimensional projections : applications in collaborative filtering and magnetic resonance imaging

Low-rank matrix factorization finds applications in large number of problems in signal processing and machine learning. Stochastic gradient descent (SGD) is a standard technique for solving large scale matrix factorization problems. However, SGD can only solve the problem when the matrix is directly observed. There are several applications where the matrix is not directly observed but is only available via linear projections. In such a case the problem is to estimate the low-rank matrix from its projections. To solve such problems, we have derived an algorithm based on the majorization minimization approach – this effectively decouples the projection from the matrix factorization problem via Landweber iterations. After decoupling, the factorization problem can be solved efficiently using SGD. The original matrix factorization problem decomposed a matrix into two dense matrices. In recent times, several applications required being factored into a dense and sparse component. We recast such problems into the original low-rank matrix factorization framework via the Iterative Reweighted Least Squares technique. The proposed algorithm is applied to two problems. The first one is on collaborative filtering where the problem is to predict user’s choices on unrated items based on the user’s and other user’s choices on similar items. Traditionally this problem was to recast into a matrix factorization problem via latent factor modeling. However, we noticed that significantly better recovery is achieved when instead of factoring the matrix into two dense matrices; it is factored into a dense and a sparse matrix. In this thesis we have explained this phenomenon intuitively. The second problem we look at is a dynamic MRI recovery problem. Here the problem is to recover a sequence of dynamic MRI frames from the observed samples. This turns out to be a low-rank recovery problem owing to the spatial correlations among successive frames. However, upon closer look it turns out that the spatial correlation can be modeled as a smoothly varying function which in turn has a compact support in the Fourier domain. Thus, this too can be recast as a matrix factorization into sparse and dense components. Our approach does not improve the accuracy of recovery but helps achieve the goal in a more efficient fashion.
Traditional use and qualitative chemical composition of medicinal plants in the communities of Sardinata and Cúcuta in Norte de Santander - Colombia

Traditional medicine is part of the culture of the people, it is an expression of intangible cultural heritage that combines different traditional knowledge and practices. Medicinal plants have been used as an alternative method to conventional medicine, and their use in developing countries has been inherited generationally. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of use in traditional medicine and preliminary identification of secondary metabolites present in medicinal plants used for the treatment of ailments in two municipalities from Norte de Santander-Colombia. The research method used for the development of the project is qualitative and experimental. Interviews were conducted with 40 herbalists in the markets of the municipalities of Sardinata and Cúcuta. Experimentally, the ethanolic extract of 17 medicinal plants was obtained to identify the secondary metabolites present using the technique of thin layer chromatography (TLC). The results suggests that the secondary metabolites of higher prevalence in the most used medicinal plants are flavonoids and terpenes. Information gained from traditional and medicinal plants maintains an important cultural value and represents an alternative use for the management of ailments at low cost, highlighting the importance of phytotherapy for communities. The results of the study not only confirm the relevance of medicinal plants in the region, but also highlight the importance of continuing to research and document the applications and benefits of these plants in traditional and modern medicine.
Two sources of dayside intense, quasi‐coherent plasmaspheric hiss: A new mechanism for the slot region?

A study of dayside plasmaspheric hiss at frequencies from ~22 Hz to ~1.0 kHz was carried out by using 1 year of Polar data. It is shown that intense, dayside plasmaspheric hiss is correlated with solar wind pressure with P > 2.5 nPa. The dayside effect is most prominent in the ~300 to ~650 Hz range. Intense dayside waves are also present during SYM‐H < −5 nT. The latter is centered at local noon, with the greatest intensities in the L = 2 to 3 region. Assuming drift of ~25 keV electrons from midnight to the wave magnetic local time, plasmaspheric hiss is shown to be highly correlated with precursor AE* and SYM‐H* indices, indicating that the hiss is associated with substorms and small injection events. Our hypothesis is that both sets of waves originate as outer zone (L = 6 to 10) chorus and then propagate into the plasmasphere. Fourteen high‐intensity dayside plasmaspheric hiss events were analyzed to identify the wave k, polarization, and the degree of coherency. The waves are found to be obliquely propagating, elliptically polarized and quasi‐coherent (~0.5 to 0.8 correlation coefficient). It is hypothesized that the dayside plasmaspheric hiss is quasi‐coherent because the chorus has been recently generated in the outer magnetosphere and have propagated directly into the plasmasphere. It is possible that the quasi‐coherency of the dayside hiss at L = 2 to 3 may be an alternate explanation for the generation of the energetic particle slot region.