Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological evolution of a macrotidal back‐barrier environment: The Amazon Coast

Coastal barriers provide sheltered, low‐energy settings for fine‐grained sediment deposition and retention, although the process of back‐barrier infilling and how tidal‐channel connectivity impacts this process is not well‐understood. Understanding how back‐barrier environments infill and evolve is necessary to predict how they will respond to future changes in sea‐level and sediment supply. With this motivation, in situ observations and sedimentary signatures from an Amazonian tidal‐channel system are interpreted to create a conceptual model of morphological evolution in a macrotidal back‐barrier environment that is rich in fine‐grained sediment, vegetated by mangroves and incised by tidal channels with multiple outlets. Results indicate that within a high‐connectivity back‐barrier channel, tidal processes dominate sedimentation and morphological development. Sediment cores (<60 cm) exhibited millimetre‐scale tidalites composed of sand and mud. High‐connectivity channels allow tidal propagation from multiple inlets, and in this case, the converging flood waves promote delivery of sediment fluxing through the system to the mangrove flats in the convergence zone. Sediment preferentially deposits in regions with adequate accommodation space and dense vegetation, and in these zones, sediment grain size is slightly finer than that transiting through the system. The greatest sediment‐accumulation rates (3 to 4 cm yr−1), calculated from steady‐state 210Pb profiles, were found in the convergence zone near the mangrove‐channel edge. As tidal flats aggrade vertically and prograde into the channels, accommodation space diminishes. In effect, the channel’s narrowest stretch is expected to migrate along the path of net‐sediment flux towards regions with more accommodation space until it reaches the tidal‐convergence zone. The location of recent preferential infilling is evidenced by relatively rapid sediment‐accumulation rates, finer sediment and significant clustering of small secondary tidal channels. These findings shed light on how sediment transported through vegetated back‐barrier environments is ultimately preserved and how evidence preserved in surface morphology and the geological record can be interpreted.
Dynamic of Lachancea thermotolerans Population in Monoculture and Mixed Fermentations: Impact on Wine Characteristics

Lachancea thermotolerans is a non-Saccharomyces yeast appreciated for its potential of acidification due to the production of lactic acid; however, this species also synthetizes other metabolites that modulate organoleptic wine properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the strain L. thermotolerans Lt93 to ferment ‘Treixadura’ and ‘Mencía’ musts and its impact on yeast population dynamics and wine characteristics. Fermentations using monocultures of L. thermotolerans Lt93 and S. cerevisiae strains, sequential inoculation and spontaneous process were performed. The dynamic of yeast population and wine composition were analyzed following standard methodology. L. thermotolerans Lt93 was unable to overgrow wild yeast population in ‘Treixadura’ white must; however, with ‘Mencía’ red must, Lt93 was the predominant yeast at the beginning of fermentation and remained at high frequency until the end. Lt93 Treixadura wines had slightly higher acidity and higher content of esters and acids than ScXG3 wines. Lt93 Mencía wines presented higher acidity (10.1 g/L) and 0.8% (v/v) lower ethanol content than Sc71B wines. The content of esters and fatty acids was 3.3 and 4.0 times lower, respectively, in Lt93 than in Sc71B Mencía wines. It was possible to increase wine acidity and modulate the chemical wine profile by using Lt93.
Specialized Olefin Metathesis Catalysts Featuring Unsymmetrical N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands Bearing N-(Fluoren-9-yl) Arm

Beneficial structural motifs from two known state-of-the-art olefin metathesis catalysts types, bearing unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbenes (uNHCs), were combined into a new hybridized design thereby translating the complementary beneficial reactivity demonstrated by their ‘parent’ complexes to the new N-fluorene derived olefin metathesis catalysts. Two chelating 2-iso-propoxy-benzylidene (Hoveyda-type) and two 3-phenyl-1H-inden-1-ylidene (indenylidene-type) complexes were successfully prepared by in situ generation of either the N′-mesityl (Mes) or N′-diisopropylphenyl (Dipp) derived uNHCs taking advantage of the thermal decomposition of the corresponding 2-(penta-fluorophenyl)-imidazolidines (NHC adducts). The new fluorene-derived catalysts mediate challenging olefin metathesis processes, such as α-olefin self-metathesis, with high selectivity and conversion.
A two-stage unrelated question randomized response model for estimating the rare sensitive parameter under Poisson distribution

Abstract In this paper, we propose a new two-stage unrelated question randomized response technique (RRT) model to estimate the mean of the number of persons possessing a rare sensitive attribute using the Poisson distribution. The utility of proposed two-stage unrelated question RRT model under stratification is also explored. Efficiency comparison between proposed two-stage unrelated question and Singh and Suman (2019) RRT model is carried out numerically under simple random sampling, and with Suman and Singh (2019) in stratified random sampling, respectively.
Long Memory in the Volatility of Selected Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple

This paper examines the volatility of cryptocurrencies, with particular attention to their potential long memory properties. Using daily data for the three major cryptocurrencies, namely Ripple, Ethereum, and Bitcoin, we test for the long memory property using, Rescaled Range Statistics (R/S), Gaussian Semi Parametric (GSP) and the Geweke and Porter-Hudak (GPH) Model Method. Our findings show that squared returns of three cryptocurrencies have a significant long memory, supporting the use of fractional Generalized Auto Regressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) extensions as suitable modelling technique. Our findings indicate that the Hyperbolic GARCH (HYGARCH) model appears to be the best fitted model for Bitcoin. On the other hand, the Fractional Integrated GARCH (FIGARCH) model with skewed student distribution produces better estimations for Ethereum. Finally, FIGARCH model with student distribution appears to give a good fit for Ripple return. Based on Kupieck’s tests for Value at Risk (VaR) back-testing and expected shortfalls we can conclude that our models perform correctly in most of the cases for both the negative and positive returns.
Sarcomere lengths in wooden breast broiler chickens

Abstract The present study aims to measure the sarcomere lengths in normal broiler muscles and in non-lesion sites of breast muscles focally affected by Wooden Breast (WB). For this purpose, twenty Pectoralis major muscles (10 unaffected and 10 WB-focally affected cases) were sampled and used to measure sarcomere length by laser diffraction method. When compared with their unaffected counterpart, WB cases exhibited 13% longer sarcomeres (1.91 vs. 1.69 μm; p < .001) measured within the non-lesioned site of the muscle. Although it is not simple to draw conclusions about the lesion properties based on the non-lesion area, but as the fibres are bound to each other, it may be reasonable to anticipate that the hardened consistency observed in WB is not ascribable to a more intense contraction of the sarcomeres. In addition, considering the current knowledge concerning this condition, it might be assumed that the longer sarcomeres observed in WB are not triggering the development of this condition but are rather a consequence of the profound alteration in the muscular structure resulting from it. Indeed, despite the outstanding improvements in the live and slaughtering traits, the selection programmes carried out in the past years have resulted in a reduced capillarization and impaired oxygen supply to the Pectoralis major of fast-growing hybrids thus affecting the physiology of its constituting fibres as well as maybe impairing their ability to synthetise new sarcomeres. This may result in a skeletal muscle injury, which would ultimately lead to necrosis and fibrosis. HIGHLIGHTS Wooden Breast is not likely associated to muscle hypercontraction but likely a result of an increased muscular strain; Similar traits observed in myopathic muscles in human support the hypothesis of a similar underlying mechanism.
Agro-Industrial By-Products and Their Bioactive Compounds—An Ally against Oxidative Stress and Skin Aging

The increased consumer awareness towards hazards related with sun exposure has given a boost in the cosmetics industry and particularly the sun care market. Human skin is continually being threatened by the UV irradiation present in sunlight and acute UV exposure leads to skin photoaging. Cosmetic and/or dermatological applications include several bioactive compounds that contribute to the regulation of epidermal homeostasis by providing protection against solar radiation and improving the antioxidant activity of epidermis. Plant extracts are sources of active ingredients with intense therapeutic properties, and the topical application or oral intake of these compounds could ameliorate skin condition. Nowadays, there is a growing demand for the application of the bioactive agents contained in agro-industrial byproducts in sun care products, since many of them have shown promising properties as skin photoprotectants. However, well-conducted clinical studies are required to prove their safety and efficacy before they could be regularly used. Environmentally friendly extraction and sustainable techniques are therefore under examination for recovering such compounds from agro-industrial byproducts and converting them into innovative high-value natural ingredients used in cosmetic formulations.
An Improved Crow Search Algorithm Applied to Energy Problems

The efficient use of energy in electrical systems has become a relevant topic due to its environmental impact. Parameter identification in induction motors and capacitor allocation in distribution networks are two representative problems that have strong implications in the massive use of energy. From an optimization perspective, both problems are considered extremely complex due to their non-linearity, discontinuity, and high multi-modality. These characteristics make difficult to solve them by using standard optimization techniques. On the other hand, metaheuristic methods have been widely used as alternative optimization algorithms to solve complex engineering problems. The Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) is a recent metaheuristic method based on the intelligent group behavior of crows. Although CSA presents interesting characteristics, its search strategy presents great difficulties when it faces high multi-modal formulations. In this paper, an improved version of the CSA method is presented to solve complex optimization problems of energy. In the new algorithm, two features of the original CSA are modified: (I) the awareness probability (AP) and (II) the random perturbation. With such adaptations, the new approach preserves solution diversity and improves the convergence to difficult high multi-modal optima. In order to evaluate its performance, the proposed algorithm has been tested in a set of four optimization problems which involve induction motors and distribution networks. The results demonstrate the high performance of the proposed method when it is compared with other popular approaches.
Deep Functional and Molecular Characterization of a High-Risk Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma

Nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a class of 50+ cancers arising in muscle and soft tissues of children, adolescents, and adults. Rarity of each subtype often precludes subtype-specific preclinical research, leaving many STS patients with limited treatment options should frontline therapy be insufficient. When clinical options are exhausted, personalized therapy assignment approaches may help direct patient care. Here, we report the results of an adult female STS patient with relapsed undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) who self-drove exploration of a wide array of personalized Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIAs) level and research-level diagnostics, including state of the art genomic, proteomic, ex vivo live cell chemosensitivity testing, a patient-derived xenograft model, and immunoscoring. Her therapeutic choices were also diverse, including neoadjuvant chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgeries. Adjuvant and recurrence strategies included off-label and natural medicines, several immunotherapies, and N-of-1 approaches. Identified treatment options, especially those validated during the in vivo study, were not introduced into the course of clinical treatment but did provide plausible treatment regimens based on FDA-approved clinical agents.
IR Features of Hydrous Mg2SiO4-Ringwoodite, Unannealed and Annealed at 200–600 °C and 1 atm, with Implications to Hydrogen Defects and Water-Coupled Cation Disorder

Three batches of Mg2SiO4-ringwoodites (Mg-Rw) with different water contents (CH2O = ~1019(238), 5500(229) and 16,307(1219) ppm) were synthesized by using conventional high-P experimental techniques. Thirteen thin sections with different thicknesses (~14–113 μm) were prepared from them and examined for water-related IR peaks using unpolarized infrared spectra at ambient P-T conditions, leading to the observation of 15 IR peaks at ~3682, 3407, 3348, 3278, 3100, 2849, 2660, 2556, 2448, 1352, 1347, 1307, 1282, 1194 and 1186 cm−1. These IR peaks suggest multiple types of hydrogen defects in hydrous Mg-Rw. We have attributed the IR peaks at ~3680, 3650–3000 and 3000–2000 cm−1, respectively, to the hydrogen defects [VSi(OH)4], [VMg(OH)2MgSiSiMg] and [VMg(OH)2]. Combining these IR features with the chemical characteristics of hydrous Rw, we have revealed that the hydrogen defects [VMg(OH)2MgSiSiMg] are dominant in hydrous Rw at high P-T conditions, and the defects [VSi(OH)4] and [VMg(OH)2] play negligible roles. Extensive IR measurements were performed on seven thin sections annealed for several times at T of 200–600 °C and quickly quenched to room T. They display many significant variations, including an absorption enhancement of the peak at ~3680 cm−1, two new peaks occurring at ~3510 and 3461 cm−1, remarkable intensifications of the peaks at ~3405 and 3345 cm−1 and significant absorption reductions of the peaks at ~2500 cm−1. These phenomena imply significant hydrogen migration among different crystallographic sites and rearrangement of the O-H dipoles in hydrous Mg-Rw at high T. From the IR spectra obtained for hydrous Rw both unannealed and annealed at high T, we further infer that substantial amounts of cation disorder should be present in hydrous Rw at the P-T conditions of the mantle transition zone, as required by the formation of the hydrogen defects [VMg(OH)2MgSiSiMg]. The Mg-Si disorder may have very large effects on the physical and chemical properties of Rw, as exampled by its disproportional effects on the unit-cell volume and thermal expansivity.
What is European Integration Really About ? A Political Guide for Economists

Despite interest in the impact of land use regulations on housing construction and housing prices, little is known about the drivers of these policies. The conventional wisdom holds that homeowners have an influence on restrictive local zoning. In this paper, we contend that the party controlling local government might make a major difference. We draw on data from a large sample of Spanish cities for the 2003-2007 political term and employ a regression discontinuity design to document that cities controlled by left-wing parties convert much less land from rural to urban uses than is the case in similar cities controlled by the right. The differences between governments on the two sides of the political spectrum are more pronounced in places with greater population heterogeneity and in those facing higher housing demand. We also present some results suggesting these partisan differences might ultimately impact on housing construction and housing price growth. JEL-Code: R520.
The interaction between academia and industry and its impact on national innovation capacity: The case of Algeria

The role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing the innovative capacity of societies is well recognised. That role is accomplished through the creation and dissemination of knowledge, the success of which is dependent on the types and extent of interactions that can exist between HEIs and industry. Yet this topic remains insufficiently explored in African countries. This paper investigates the extent of the role of Algerian HEIs in cooperating with industry. The main enablers and inhibitors of such activity are also examined.
Flood Flow Frequency Analysis to Estimate Potential Floodplain Nitrogen Treatment during Overbank Flow Events in Urban Stream Restoration Projects

Stream restoration for mitigation purposes has grown rapidly since the 1980s. As the science advances, some organizations (Chesapeake Bay Program, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality) have approved or are considering providing nutrient credits for stream restoration projects. Nutrient treatment on floodplains during overbank events is one of the least understood processes that have been considered as part of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Stream Restoration Nutrient Crediting program. This study analyzed ten years of streamflow and water quality data from five stations in the Piedmont of North Carolina to evaluate proposed procedures for estimating nitrogen removal on the floodplain during overbank flow events. The volume of floodplain flow, the volume of floodplain flow potentially treated, and the nitrogen load retained on the floodplain were calculated for each overbank event, and a sensitivity analysis was completed. On average, 9% to 15% of the total annual streamflow volume accessed the floodplain. The percentage of the average annual volume of streamflow potentially treated ranged from 1.0% to 5.1%. Annually, this equates to 0.2% to 1.0% of the total N load retained/removed on the floodplain following restoration. The relatively low nitrogen retention/removal rates were due to a majority of floodplain flow occurring during a few large events each year that exceeded the treatment capacity of the floodplain. On an annual basis, 90% of total floodplain flow occurred during half of all overbank events and 50% of total floodplain flow occurred during two to three events each year. Findings suggest that evaluating only overbank events may lead to undervaluing stream restoration because treatment is limited by hydrologic controls that restrict floodplain retention time. Treatment is further governed by floodplain and channel size.
New genus of chondrichthyans from the Silurian – Devonian boundary deposits of Tuva (Russia)

A new genus of Chondrichthyes from the uppermost Silurian–lowermost Devonian deposits of central Tuva (Russia) is described on the basis of the microremains (scales). A sample from the Khondergei Formation of the Bazhyn-Alaak locality in the Tchadan region contained scales of a new chondrichthyan, Tuvalepis schultzei gen. et sp. nov., together with another chondrichthyan, Elegestolepis grossi KARATAJŪTĖ-TALIMAA, 1973, as well as numerous scales of the thelodont Helenolepis navicularis KARATAJŪTĖ-TALIMAA, 1978. The scales of T. schultzei display significant morphological variation and are characterized by a very fine, comparatively wide and flat crown with longitudinal ribs and a small and short neck. The growth pattern of T. schultzei scales is very different from that of elegestolepids described so far – the scales grew by appositional addition of layers towards the distal side of the crown, in contrast to the scales of Elegestolepis grossi which lack any kind of concentric growth lines.
Culinary and nutritional quality of common bean lines with Carioca grain type and interaction with environments

The objectives of this work were to study the genetic variability and the interaction between genotypes and environments for cooking time and protein content of bean grains as well as to identify elite lines of Carioca grain type with short cooking time, high protein content and high adaptability and stability for these two traits. Sixteen experiments were conducted in a complete randomized block design with three replications during the rainy, dry and winter seasons, in Goias, Distrito Federal, Pernambuco, Sergipe, Bahia and Parana States, in 2009 and 2010. Each trial was composed by 16 elite lines of Carioca grain type and the data of cooking time and protein content were obtained. Data were submitted to analysis of variance and to stability and adaptability analysis, according to the methodology proposed by Annichiarico. Genetic variability was found for cooking time and for protein content among Carioca common bean elite lines; however, for protein content this variability is lower. The environmental effect is important for the expression of these traits and is larger than the genetic effect. The interaction between genotypes and environments is important for cooking time and for protein content of common beans. The lines CNFC 11951 and CNFC 11962 presents short cooking time, high protein content and high stability and adaptability for both traits.
The mechanics of a saturated silty loess with a transitional mode

Problems of identifying unique normal compression and critical state lines have been found in gapgraded soils and also some silty soils, a mode of behaviour sometimes known as ‘transitional’. Loess is a typical silty soil that covers up to 631 000 km in China and is of great significance as a result of the large number of engineering projects under construction. To examine the potential transitional behaviour in loess, an extensive series of carefully controlled oedometer tests and triaxial tests on intact and reconstituted specimens were carried out. Loess specimens with a wide range of initial void ratios were reconstituted using different preparation methods. Intact specimens were taken from two depths, but their natural variabilities were not significant and could be neglected, apart from their difference in the initial void ratios. The results have highlighted the features of transitional behaviour in this loess, not only in reconstituted but also intact states, and in particular that there is an influence of the initial density of this loess on its normal compression and critical state lines. Two factors,m and P, as proposed by earlier research, were used to quantify the degree of transitional behaviour. These indicate that this silty loess has a significant degree of transitional behaviour. The intact specimens possibly have an even more pronounced transitional degree than the reconstituted ones, although this is difficult to confirm because of the limited range of initial specific volumes of the intact specimens. The effects of structure on the mechanics of the intact silty loess have also been identified by comparing the behaviour of the intact and reconstituted soils, and the paper discusses the difficulties of doing this for a soil without a unique intrinsic behaviour.