Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pepper-Mediated Green Synthesis of Selenium and Tellurium Nanoparticles with Antibacterial and Anticancer Potential

The production of nanoparticles for biomedical applications (namely with antimicrobial and anticancer properties) has been significantly hampered using traditional physicochemical approaches, which often produce nanostructures with poor biocompatibility properties requiring post-synthesis functionalization to implement features that such biomedical applications require. As an alternative, green nanotechnology and the synthesis of environmentally friendly nanomaterials have been gaining attention over the last few decades, using living organisms or biomolecules derived from them, as the main raw materials to produce cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and ready-to-be-used nanomaterials. In this article and building upon previous knowledge, we have designed and implemented the synthesis of selenium and tellurium nanoparticles using extracts from fresh jalapeño and habanero peppers. After characterization, in this study, the nanoparticles were tested for both their antimicrobial and anticancer features against isolates of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains and skin cancer cell lines, respectively. The nanosystems produced nanoparticles via a fast, eco-friendly, and cost-effective method showing different antimicrobial profiles between elements. While selenium nanoparticles lacked an antimicrobial effect at the concentrations tested, those made of tellurium produced a significant antibacterial effect even at the lowest concentration tested. These effects were correlated when the nanoparticles were tested for their cytocompatibility and anticancer properties. While selenium nanoparticles were biocompatible and had a dose-dependent anticancer effect, tellurium-based nanoparticles lacked such biocompatibility while exerting a powerful anti-cancer effect. Further, this study demonstrated a suitable mechanism of action for killing bacteria and cancer cells involving reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In summary, this study introduces a new green nanomedicine synthesis approach to create novel selenium and tellurium nanoparticles with attractive properties for numerous biomedical applications.
Links between crime and economic development: EU classification

Research background: Although some authors propose that economic growth should reduce crime rates as wider opportunities to earn money in a legal way diminish the incentives to commit illegal activities and lead to rising costs of the latter, the results of many studies indicate that an increase in crime rates is also possible under the conditions of economic growth. There are also differing views on the relationship between various economic indicators and crime rates as well as the nature of the relationship between the above-mentioned phenomena in the long and short run. Purpose of the article: After classifying the EU member states by their crime and economic indicators, the main objective of the article is to assess the relationship between the crime and economic development and identify the causes of this relationship. Methods: Systematic and comparative literature analysis, the Promethee and Entropy methods, Spearman? s correlation coefficient. Findings & value added: The Promethee method, together with the Entropy method, were used to estimate the weights of the EU member states with respect to their crime and economic development indicators. The most pronounced differences were recorded in Portugal, Spain, and the Slovak Republic. The rankings estimated for the EU member states revealed that although economic situation affects crime rate, it can also be affected by the differences in cultural and political development. Scientific novelty lies in complementing the theory of the shadow economy with the results showing that compared to other crimes, corruption has the greatest weight when examining the relationship between economic development and crime. The practical significance of the research lies in classifying the EU member states into 4 groups with consideration of the relationship between crime and economic development, which may help public authorities to devise the target measures for the effective fight against crime given the nature of the relationship between crime and economic development.
Contour dynamics of tornado-like vortices

Abstract Contour dynamics (CD) is applied to study the mechanism responsible for the breakup of an isolated tornado-like vortex into multiple vortices, the nonlinear interaction between a tornado and its parent storm, and the impact of tornadoes, which are subgrid features in any existing prediction model, on the more resolvable storm-scale motion.The genesis of the multiple vortex via the linear and eventually nonlinear barotropic/inertial instability of an observed tornado's mean tangential wind profile is studied in unprecedented detail using a high-resolution CD model. The most unstable eigenmodes obtained from the linear stability analyses were used as the initial perturbations to initialize the CD model. Despite that multiple vortices at the fully nonlinear stage bear little resemblance to the linear eigenmode structure, it is found that normal-mode barotropic/inertial instability can, indeed, trigger the formation of these vortices. In addition, the number of the secondary vortices identified in th.
Two Important Cautions in the Use of Allometric Scaling: The Common Exponent and Group Difference Principles

Allometric scaling (AS), used to model relations between physiological traits and body size, has proved useful for both individual and group comparisons. Several recent studies, however, have violated key measurement principles of AS, contributing to erroneous conclusions. The objective of this article is to demonstrate the correct use and interpretation of two of these principles, the common exponent (CE) and group difference (GD) principles. Multivariate AS was applied to a data set of 60 and 51 college-age men and women, respectively, to model the relation between body mass (BM), gender (G), and maximal total work done on a cycle ergometer in 10 min (TW10) as TW10 α BM-b middot; G-c. Results indicate that the men's and women's BM exponents were not statistically significantly different, so the CE principle was not violated. This allowed group comparison which, when done according to the GD principle, indicated that TW10 · BM-. 67 is the proper scaled index of BM-adjusted TW10 for men and women. Failure .
Far-ultraviolet spectroscopy of the hot DA white dwarf WD 2218 706 (DeHt5) with STIS

We report a study of the photospheric composition of the hot DA white dwarf WD 2218+706, which is also the central star of the old planetary nebula DeHt5. Helium is detected in the far-UV spectrum. In addition, the star clearly contains significant quantities of elements heavier than He at abundances generally a factor of 2 to 10 higher than those found in the archetypal heavy element-rich DA G191−B2B. This is the first detection of trace He using the He iiλ1640 line in an isolated DA white dwarf, but the low surface gravity is more indicative of a binary evolution route from the red giant branch rather than a path along the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) as a single star. However, the absence of any evidence for a companion star and the uncertainty in the measured mass for WD 2218+706 still allow the possibility of an origin along an AGB evolutionary track. We reanalyse the existing optical spectra of WD 2218+706 using our latest pure H and heavy element-rich model atmospheres, obtaining a good match between the observed and synthetic spectra with either set of models. We find little evidence of any inconsistency in the temperature required to fit individual Balmer lines, as reported elsewhere for this star. Any discrepancies we see are confined to the Hα line and the core of Hβ but they do not compromise our analysis.
Spurious Correlation and the Fallacy of the Ratio Standard Revisited

Spurious correlation refers to the correlation between indices that have a common component. A ‘per ratio’ standard is based on a biological measurement adjusted for some physical measurement by division. Renowned statisticians and biologists (Pearson, Neyman and Tanner) have warned about the problems in interpretation that ratios cause. This warning has been largely ignored. The consequences of using a single ratio as either the dependent or one of the independent variables in a multiple‐regression analysis are described. It is shown that the use of ratios in regression analyses can lead to incorrect or misleading inferences. A recommendation is made that the use of ratios in regression analyses be avoided.
Development of a Low-Cost Electronic Nose with an Open Sensor Chamber: Application to Detection of Ciboria batschiana

In the construction of electronic nose devices, two groups of measurement setups could be distinguished when we take into account the design of electronic nose chambers. The simpler one consists of placing the sensors directly in the environment of the measured gas, which has an important advantage, in that the composition of the gas is not changed as the gas is not diluted. However, that has an important drawback in that it is difficult to clean sensors between measurement cycles. The second, more advanced construction, contains a pneumatic system transporting the gas inside a specially designed sensor chamber. A new design of an electronic nose gas sensor chamber is proposed, which consists of a sensor chamber with a sliding chamber shutter, equipped with a simple pneumatic system for cleaning the air. The proposal combines the advantages of both approaches to the sensor chamber designs. The sensors can be effectively cleared by the flow of clean air, while the measurements are performed in the open state when the sensors are directly exposed to the measured gas. Airflow simulations were performed to confirm the efficiency of clean air transport used for sensors’ cleaning. The demonstrated electronic nose applies eight Figaro Co. MOS TGS series sensors, in which a transient response caused by a change of the exposition to measured gas, and change of heater voltage, was collected. The new electronic nose was tested as applied to the differentiation between the samples of Ciboria batschiana fungi, which is one of the most harmful pathogens of stored acorns. The samples with various coverage, thus various concentrations of the studied odor, were measured. The tested device demonstrated low noise and a good level of repetition of the measurements, with stable results during several hours of repetitive measurements during an experiment lasting five consecutive days. The obtained data allowed complete differentiation between healthy and infected samples.
Coral-Focused Climate Change Adaptation and Restoration Based on Accelerating Natural Processes: Launching the “Reefs of Hope” Paradigm

The widespread demise of coral reefs due to climate change is now a certainty, and investing in restoration without facing this stark reality risks failure. The 50 Reefs Initiative, the dominant adaptation model for coral reefs is examined, and a new coral-focused paradigm is proposed, based on helping coral reefs adapt to rising temperature, to ensure that as many coral species as possible survive locally over time. With pilot sites established in six Pacific Island nations, genebank nurseries of bleaching resistant corals are secured in cooler waters, to help prevent their demise as heat stress increases. Unbleached corals selected during bleaching events are included. From these nurseries corals are harvested to create nucleation patches of genetically diverse pre-adapted corals, which become reproductively, ecologically and biologically viable at reef scale, spreading out over time. This “Reefs of Hope” paradigm, modelled on tropical forest restoration, creates dense coral patches, using larger transplants or multiple small fragments elevated on structures, forming fish habitat immediately. The fish help increase coral and substratum health, which presumably will enhance natural larval-based recovery processes. We also hypothesize that incoming coral recruits, attracted to the patch, are inoculated by heat adapted algal symbionts, facilitating adaptation of the wider reef. With global emissions out of control, the most we can hope for is to buy precious time for coral reefs by saving coral species and coral diversity that will not likely survive unassisted.
The Waldmeier Effect: An Artifact of the Definition of Wolf Sunspot Number?

We show that the well-known “Waldmeier effect,” or anticorrelation between the peak in sunspot number of a cycle and the time from minimum to reach that peak, is not present in sunspot area data averaged in the same way. With a 13-rotation Gaussian running average applied to both sunspot number and sunspot area, we find the correlation between cycle rise time and cycle peak is r = − 0.71 for sunspot number and r = 10−4 for sunspot area. Hathaway et al. previously showed that the Waldmeier effect is much weaker (r = − 0.34) in sunspot group number. Thus the Waldmeier effect may be specific to only Wolf sunspot number.
Global and Local Skill Forecasts

Abstract A skill forecast gives the probability distribution for the error in a forecast. Statistically, Well-founded skill forecasting methods have so far only been applied within the context of simple models. In this paper, the growth of analysis errors is studied. This means that errors that are already present in the estimate of the initial state can grow only in accordance with the dynamics of a model. Errors in the description of the model itself are neglected. This paper uses a three-level quasigeotrophic spectral model of the atmospheric circulation, truncated at T21. It is shown that a linear theory for the evolution of errors can be used for the first three days of a forecast. For the description of the global error, Monte Carlo methods are more efficient that methods based on the use of the adjoint of the tangent linear equations. The limitation to spatially local errors dramatically reduces the dimension of the error vector. In that case, adjoins methods are the most efficient ones. Local skil.
Star formation in NGC 5253

Evidence on star formation in the nearby galaxy NGC 5253 obtained from star clusters and diffuse halo light is examined. The data include UBV CCD imaging, in which over 100 clusters in the halo are studied. The cluster system may be considered to be at an early stage of what is now seen in the LMC, in that there are clusters of ages from 10 million to a billion years, but no clear evidence for a significant number of old clusters. The halo light comes from a composite population, most likely an old underlying population and a younger one. If the younger one is the result of a burst, then its age is between 100 million and a billion years. It is concluded that the recent episode of star formation did begin throughout the galaxy, but became violent in the nucleus only recently. Surface photometry and stellar kinematic data are presented that point to a dwarf elliptical as the likely progenitor galaxy. 64 references.
Invariant co‐ordinate selection

Summary. A general method for exploring multivariate data by comparing different estimates of multivariate scatter is presented. The method is based on the eigenvalue–eigenvector decomposition of one scatter matrix relative to another. In particular, it is shown that the eigenvectors can be used to generate an affine invariant co‐ordinate system for the multivariate data. Consequently, we view this method as a method for invariant co‐ordinate selection. By plotting the data with respect to this new invariant co‐ordinate system, various data structures can be revealed. For example, under certain independent components models, it is shown that the invariant co‐ ordinates correspond to the independent components. Another example pertains to mixtures of elliptical distributions. In this case, it is shown that a subset of the invariant co‐ordinates corresponds to Fisher's linear discriminant subspace, even though the class identifications of the data points are unknown. Some illustrative examples are given.
Electronic and optical properties of nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Highly nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (${\mathrm{CN}}_{x}\mathrm{NT}$, $x=12\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{at.}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}%$) was synthesized by the pyrolysis of acetonitrile on Co-Mo catalysts. The electronic structures and chemical bondings of ${\mathrm{CN}}_{x}\mathrm{NT}$ were studied using various spectroscopic techniques: Raman, photoelectron and x-ray absorption spectroscopies. The ultrafast pump-probe measurements of ${\mathrm{CN}}_{x}\mathrm{NT}$ exhibited a larger third-order susceptibility ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{(3)}$, a relaxation time of ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2}=1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ps}$ and improved saturable absorption, as compared with undoped multiple-walled carbon nanotubes, which indicate that N-doping can improve all-optical switching properties of carbon nanotubes.
Maturity Status, Relative Age and Constituent Year Effects in Young Iberian Kayakers

Like in other sports systems, in kayaking, young athletes are commonly grouped by their birth years. This study analyzed maturity status, relative age, and constituent age effects in young Under 14 (U14) and 16 (U16) Iberian male kayakers. One hundred and thirty (U14: n =80; U16: n = 50) young kayakers aged 14.10 ± 1.06 years were assessed for anthropometry, performance, maturity, and sport experience. The year was divided into four birth quarters (BQ). There were no significant differences in the kayaker’s distribution by BQ in both categories (U14, p = 0.348; U16, p = 0.709) or total sample (p = 0.783). Six of the ten best kayakers in the U14 category were born in the year’s first half, and eight were among the U16 kayakers. Talent detection and selection systems based solely on the young kayakers’ performances may imply some bias. One of the ways to get around this situation would be to adopt a grouping system similar to bio-banding, allowing the maximum number of practitioners to experience the possibility of obtaining competitive success.
Continuity properties of Gaussian processes with multidimensional time parameter

In this paper we shall present a strengthening and generalization to higher dimensions of the real variable lemma presented in [4]. As a consequence we shall obtain a criterion for the continuity of sample functions of Gaussian processes with a multidimensional time parameter. Remarkably enough, the difficulty ofthe arguments here is almost independent of dimensions, indeed the proofs in this paper are considerably simpler and yield stronger results than those in [4]. As in [4] our point of departure is a real variable lemma giving an a priori modulus of continuity for functions satisfying certain integral inequalities. As in [4], the basic ingredients are two functions p(u), defined in [-1, 1] and T(u), defined in (o, + oo). However here, in addition to the conditions
Valuation of Groundwater Contaminated with Nitrates and Human Health Risks (HHR) Between Villages of Sinjar and Tal Afar Districts, Iraq

Nitrates are one of the most common pollutants in groundwater. To assess the risk of exposure to nitrates in drinking water for age groups, we monitored the concentration of nitrates in the drinking water of the Al-Jazeera region. The climate of this region is characterized between dry and semi-arid, and its inhabitants depended on the water in the aquifers as a source of drinking for many years, without monitoring, treatment, or filtration system, as there is no public drinking water network. A model was also used to assess the risks of nitrate pollution in groundwater to human health. Samples were taken from 30 wells distributed equally over the three villages to collect water samples and measure the concentration of nitrate ions in groundwater. The concentration of nitrate ions in well water is less than 50 mg. L-1 and ranged between (4.2 – 48.1) mg. L-1 . The mathematical model results showed that the ages under 11 years and pregnant women have a higher hazard quotient of nitrate value (HQ) than one Except for wells No. 2 and 9, which are higher than the permissible limits for drinking. As for age groups above 11, well water was suitable for drinking, and the HQ value was mainly less than one. The reason for this age group's lower chronic daily intake (CDI). In other words, the groundwater was suitable for adults and not for children under 11 years and pregnant women.
Effect of Different Physical Therapy Interventions on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Patients: A Systematic Review

Objective: The main objectives of this review were, firstly, to study the effect of different physiotherapy interventions on BDNF levels, and, secondly, to analyze the influence of physiotherapy on pain levels to subsequently draw conclusions about its possible relationship with BDNF. Background: Based on the theory that neurotrophic factors such as BDNF play a fundamental role in the initiation and/or maintenance of hyperexcitability of central neurons in pain, it was hypothesized that the levels of this neurotrophic factor may be modified by the application of therapeutic interventions, favoring a reduction in pain intensity. Methods: A literature search of multiple electronic databases (Pubmed, PsycINFO, Medline (Ebsco), Scopus, WOS, Embase) was conducted to identify randomized control trials (RCTs) published without language restrictions up to and including March 2022. The search strategy was based on the combination of medical terms (Mesh) and keywords relating to the following concepts: “pain”, “chronic pain”, “brain derived neurotrophic factor”, “BDNF”, “physiotherapy”, and “physical therapy”. A total of seven papers were included. Results: There were two studies that showed statistically significant differences in pain intensity reduction and an increase in the BDNF levels that used therapies such as rTMS and EIMS in patients with chronic myofascial pain. However, the same conclusions cannot be drawn for the other physical therapies applied. Conclusions: rTMS and EIMS interventions achieved greater short-term reductions in pain intensity and increased BDNF over other types of interventions in chronic myofascial pain patients, as demonstrated by a moderate amount of evidence. In contrast, other types of physical therapy (PT) interventions did not appear to be more effective in decreasing pain intensity and increasing BDNF levels than placebo PT or minimal intervention, as a low amount of evidence was found.
Gender Differences in Risk and Communication Behavior: Responses to the New Madrid Earthquake Prediction

This study examines gender differences in communication behavior, risk perception, and preparedness in response to the highly publicized New Madrid earthquake prediction for a 6.5–7.5 Richter magnitude earthquake on December 2–3, 1990. A survey of 629 respondents in November and a follow-up survey of 496 respondents in Februaiy 1991 in the Cape Girardeau, Missouri, community provided the opportunity to assess public response to the false alarm. The analysis includes a panel survey of 290 respondents who agreed in November to a second interview. When compared with men, women were associated with higher levels of interpersonal discussion about the prediction and perceived higher levels of interpersonal and news media influence on their perceptions of the importance of the earthquake prediction. Contrary to previous studies reporting higher levels of news media use for men, no gender differences in news media use were found. A majority of studies of risk perception suggest higher levels of perceived risk for women than men. In this study men were associated with higher levels of risk and lower levels of preparedness.