Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Locusts and remote sensing: a review

Abstract A dozen species of locusts (Orthoptera: Acrididae) are a major threat to food security worldwide. Their outbreaks occur on every continent except Antarctica, threatening the livelihood of 10% of the world’s population. The locusts are infamous for their voracity, polyphagy, and capacity for long-distance migrations. Decades of research revealed very complex bio-ecology of locusts. They exist in two, inter-convertible and density-dependent states, or “phases. ” Despite the evident progress in understanding locust behavior, our ability to predict and manage locust outbreaks remains insufficient, as evidenced by locust plagues still occurring during the 21st century. One of the main reasons is that locusts typically inhabit remote and scarcely populated areas, and their distribution ranges often spread across continents. This creates tremendous obstacles for locust population monitoring and control. Traditional ground locust surveys are inadequate to address the enormous spatial scale of the locust problem in a limited window of time dictated by the pest’s development. Remote sensing (satellite information) appears a promising tool in locust monitoring. Satellite data are increasingly used for monitoring and forecasting two locust species, the desert and the Australian plague locust. However, applications of this geospatial technology to other locust species remain rare.
An energy-conservative DG-FEM approach for solid–liquid phase change

Abstract We present a discontinuous Galerkin method for melting/solidification problems based on the “linearized enthalpy approach,” which is derived from the conservative form of the energy transport equation and does not depend on the use of a so-called mushy zone. We use the symmetric interior penalty method and the Lax–Friedrichs flux to discretize diffusive and convective terms, respectively. Time is discretized with a second-order implicit backward differentiation formula, and two outer iterations with second-order extrapolation predictors are used for the coupling of the momentum and energy. The numerical method was validated with three different benchmark cases, i.e., the one-dimensional Stefan problem, octadecane melting in a square cavity and gallium melting in a rectangular cavity. The performance of the method was quantified based on the L 2 norm error and the number of iterations needed to convergence the energy equation at each time step. For all three validation cases, a mesh convergence rate of approximately O(h) was obtained, which is below the expected accuracy of the numerical method. Only for the gallium melting case, the use of a higher-order method proved to be beneficial. The results from the present numerical campaign demonstrate the promise of the discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for modeling certain solid–liquid phase change problems where large gradients in the flow field are present or the phase change is highly localized, however, further enhancement of the method is needed to fully benefit from the use of a higher-order numerical method when solving solid–liquid phase change problems.
Some properties of the general n-trailer

If some of the trailers of the so-called n-trailer system are connected via a kingpin hitch, the kinematic model of the system is more complicated that in the standard case. However, something can still be said about the structural properties of the system, like controllability. The more complicated equations can be interpreted in terms of virtual steering wheels placed on the off-axle joints with steering angle which is a non-linear feedback from the original configuration state. Quite remarkably, the extra singularities of the system have an explanation in terms of these virtual steering wheels. This is also sufficient to assert that the general n-trailer problem can be embedded into the corresponding multisteering n-trailer system. The multi-chained form available for this last system can be recovered also for the general n-trailer if we replace the extra steering inputs with the aforementioned feedback loops.
The Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Atrial Fibrillation: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology and Management

Abstract Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality worldwide. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as a systemic inflammatory disease, affecting 0.5–1.0% of the adult population, is associated with increased incidence of cardiac arrhythmias such as AF. Several epidemiologic studies find that the risk of AF is increased in RA when compared with the general population. Other studies are inconsistent. Considering that inflammation plays an important role in AF, RA may be involved in the occurrence and development of AF. This review summarizes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of AF in patients with RA.
In Vitro Effect of the Cell-Free Supernatant of the Lactobacillus casei Strain IMAU60214 against the Different Pathogenic Properties of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) are E. coli pathotypes associated with unmanageable diarrhea in children and adults. An alternative to the treatment of infections caused by these microorganisms is the use of the bacteria of the Lactobacillus genus; however, the beneficial effects on the intestinal mucosa are specific to the strain and species. The interest of this study consisted of analyzing the coaggregation properties of Lactobacillus casei IMAU60214, as well as the effect of cell-free supernatant (CSF) on growth and anti-cytotoxic activity in a cell model of the human intestinal epithelium for an agar diffusion assay (HT-29) and the inhibition of biofilm formation on plates of DEC strains of the EAEC and EHEC pathotypes. The results showed that L. casei IMAU60214 exhibits time-dependent coaggregation (35–40%) against EAEC and EHEC that is similar to the control E. coli ATCC 25922. The CSF showed antimicrobial activity (20–80%) against EAEC and EHEC depending on the concentration. In addition, the formation and dispersion of biofilms of the same strains decrease, and the proteolytic pre-treatment with catalase and/or proteinase K (1 mg/mL) of CSF reduces the antimicrobial effect. When evaluating the effect in HT-29 cells pre-treated with CFS on the toxic activity induced by the EAEC and EHEC strains, a reduction of between 30 and 40% was observed. The results show that L. casei IMAU60214 and its CSF have properties that interfere with some properties associated with the virulence of the EAEC and EHEC strains that cause intestinal infection, which supports their use for the control and prevention of infections caused by these bacteria.
Cascadia Subduction Zone Fault Heterogeneities From Newly Detected Small Magnitude Earthquakes

The Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) is known to host M9 megathrust ruptures; however, no such event has occurred in historical observation. The distribution and characteristics of small‐ to moderate‐sized earthquakes can be used to determine the behavior of the megathrust fault but are notably absent offshore the CSZ due to the distance from onshore seismometers. We use automated subspace detection coupled with an onshore‐offshore seismic deployment to find small‐magnitude earthquakes in the offshore seismogenic zone and analyze their locations in the context of interseismic locking and seismogenic zone extent. We detected and located 5,282 earthquakes, 4,096 of which had been previously undetected. We find that the downdip extent of the seismogenic zone as defined by interplate seismicity agrees with the 20% locking contour of the Schmalzle et al. (2014, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GC005172) geodetic model and extends deeper than predicted by previous thermal models. We cannot determine the updip extent of the seismogenic zone; this may be due to a lack of templates for detection in the updip source area, stress shadows updip of asperity loading, and/or strong locking to the trench. We present a map of possible asperities determined by the small earthquakes in this study. Our asperity locations and extents show some, but not complete, agreement with the asperities modeled from the 1700 M9 rupture and geodetic locking models, and good agreement with the paleo‐rupture extents determined from offshore turbidites and forearc basin‐based asperity estimates. This highlights the need of continued offshore observations over time, and to elucidate fine‐scale variation in locking.
Supplementing sodium butyrate to limit-fed heifers: Effects on growth, coccidiosis, urinary purine derivatives and apparent total tract nutrient digestibility.

The objective of this study was to assess the growth, apparent total-tract digestibility of nutrients, the prevalence of coccidia, and purine derivatives (PD) in post-weaned heifers when limit-fed a diet supplemented with sodium butyrate (SB). A 12 wk randomized complete block experiment was conducted using 24 Holstein heifers [92.8 d ± 1.9 d of age and initial body weight (BW) of 99.6 ± 15.2 kg (mean ± SD)]. Treatments were 100 g soybean meal (control; CON) and 0.75 g of SB/kg of BW + 100g soybean meal (SB). Diets were formulated to contain 16.4% crude protein (CP), 2.27 Mcal/kg metabolizable energy (ME), and fed at a feed out rate of 2.15% of BW on a dry matter basis. Intakes were recorded daily while growth measurements and BW were recorded weekly. Urine and fecal samples were taken biweekly. On d 42 through d 49 an apparent total-tract digestibility phase took place using acid detergent insoluble ash as a marker. Growth measurements were similar among treatments except CON heifers grew longer and tended to be taller at the withers. A trend was observed for CON animals to have lower levels of coccidian oocytes by week. Heifers fed SB had lower blood glucose levels and higher levels of ketones in their blood. Urinary volume was greater for heifers fed SB throughout the 12 wk study. Total purine derivatives (PD) were greater in CON heifers. Dry matter, organic matter and acid detergent fiber digestibilities were greater for heifers fed SB compared with CON heifers. Crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and ash digestibilities tended to be greater in heifers fed SB than in CON heifers. These results suggested no growth benefit of supplementing SB to limit-fed heifers, however apparent total-tract fiber, ash and crude protein digestibilities were improved in the SB fed heifers likely due to improved ruminal and intestinal development.
Multiscale mapping of local climate zones in Tokyo using airborne LiDAR data, GIS vectors, and Sentinel-2 imagery

ABSTRACT Multisource remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) data have contributed powerfully to the large-scale automated mapping of local climate zones (LCZs). However, the accessibility of high-resolution height data, the applicability of standard thresholds to local contexts, and the dependence of mapping scales have limited LCZ classification studies. In this study, we combined airborne LiDAR data, Sentinel-2 imagery, and GIS vector (buildings and roads) data to develop a multiscale automated LCZ classification scheme in the 23 special wards of Tokyo. Based on the optimized thresholds of seven LCZ properties, GIS-based LCZ mapping was implemented using fuzzy logic classifiers at the block scale and at different grid-cell scales (100 m–1000 m). In addition to assessing accuracy using reference samples, multidate thermal infrared data (Landsat-8 and ASTER data) were used to understand the LCZ-LST (land surface temperature) relationship at multiple scales. The results showed that the overall accuracies of LCZs could be significantly increased by threshold optimization at all scales. Significant differences in LCZs and LSTs among different mapping units were observed. The highest overall accuracy was greater than 80% at the 100-m grid-cell scale. As the size of grid cells increased, the overall accuracy of LCZ classification decreased. For each LCZ, the mean daytime/nighttime LST exhibited more variation by date than by scale. This study provides a promising picture of GIS-based LCZ mapping and LCZ-LST relationships at multiple scales.
Measurements of the arctic turbopause

We use estimates of turbulent intensity determined by the joint University of Saskatchewan / University of Tromso MF radar near Tromso, Norway (69°N 19°E) to estimate the height of the turbopause as a function of season. Here we present the deduced trend in the turbopause during the transition from winter to early summer. Since the radar operates continually, progressively more information is becoming available which will eventually show seasonal and inter-annual variation; however, we deem these preliminary results to be already of interest to the community.
New Trends in Separation Techniques of Lithium Isotopes: A Review of Chemical Separation Methods

In terms of isotopic technologies, it is essential to be able to produce materials with an enriched isotopic abundance (i.e., a compound isotopic labelled with 2H, 13C, 6Li, 18O or 37Cl), which is one that differs from natural abundance. The isotopic-labelled compounds can be used to study different natural processes (like compounds labelled with 2H, 13C, or 18O), or they can be used to produce other isotopes as in the case of 6Li, which can be used to produce 3H, or to produce LiH that acts like a protection shield against fast neutrons. At the same time, 7Li isotope can be used as a pH controller in nuclear reactors. The COLEX process, which is currently the only technology available to produce 6Li at industrial scale, has environmental drawbacks due to generation of Hg waste and vapours. Therefore, there is a need for new eco-friendly technologies for separation of 6Li. The separation factor of 6Li/7Li with chemical extraction methods in two liquid phases using crown ethers is comparable to that of COLEX method, but has the disadvantages of low distribution coefficient of Li and the loss of crown ethers during the extraction. Electrochemical separation of lithium isotopes through the difference in migration rates between 6Li and 7Li is one of the green and promising alternatives for the separation of lithium isotopes, but this methodology requires complicated experimental setup and optimisation. Displacement chromatography methods like ion exchange in different experimental configurations have been also applied to enrich 6Li with promising results. Besides separation methods, there is also a need for development of new analysis methods (ICP-MS, MC-ICP-MS, TIMS) for reliable determination of Li isotope ratios upon enrichment. Considering all the above-mentioned facts, this paper will try to emphasize the current trends in separation techniques of lithium isotopes by exposing all the chemical separation and spectrometric analysis methods, and highlighting their advantages and disadvantages.
Peptide-Functionalized and Drug-Loaded Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus Nanoparticles Counteract Tumor Growth in a Mouse Model of Shh-Dependent Medulloblastoma

Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma (SHH-MB) accounts for 25–30% of all MBs, and conventional therapy results in severe long-term side effects. New targeted therapeutic approaches are urgently needed, drawing also on the fields of nanoparticles (NPs). Among these, plant viruses are very promising, and we previously demonstrated that tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), functionalized on the surface with CooP peptide, specifically targets MB cells. Here, we tested the hypothesis that TBSV-CooP can specifically deliver a conventional chemotherapeutic drug (i.e., doxorubicin, DOX) to MB in vivo. To this aim, a preclinical study was designed to verify, by histological and molecular methods, if multiple doses of DOX-TBSV-CooP were able to inhibit tumor progression of MB pre-neoplastic lesions, and if a single dose was able to modulate pro-apoptotic/anti-proliferative molecular signaling in full-blown MBs. Our results demonstrate that when DOX is encapsulated in TBSV-CooP, its effects on cell proliferation and cell death are similar to those obtained with a five-fold higher dose of non-encapsulated DOX, both in early and late MB stages. In conclusion, these results confirm that CooP-functionalized TBSV NPs are efficient carriers for the targeted delivery of therapeutics to brain tumors.
Human Papillomavirus Prevalence and Associated Factors in Indigenous Women in Ecuador: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study

Cervical cancer (CC) is the second leading cause of death from malignancy in women in Ecuador. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main causative agent of CC. Although several studies have been conducted on HPV detection in Ecuador, there are limited data on indigenous women. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the prevalence of HPV and associated factors in women from the indigenous communities of Quilloac, Saraguro and Sevilla Don Bosco. The study included 396 sexually active women belonging to the aforementioned ethnicities. A validated questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data, and real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests were used to detect HPV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). These communities are located in the southern region of Ecuador and face geographical and cultural barriers to accessing health services. The results showed that 28.35% of women tested positive for both types of HPV, 23.48% for high-risk (HR) HPV, and 10.35% for low-risk (LR) HPV. Statistically significant associations were found between HR HPV and having more than three sexual partners (OR 1.99, CI 1.03–3.85) and Chlamydia trachomatis infection (OR 2.54, CI 1.08–5.99). This study suggests that HPV infection and other sexually transmitted pathogens are common among indigenous women, highlighting the need for control measures and timely diagnosis in this population.
Photons as a Signal of Deconfinement in Hadronic Matter under Extreme Conditions

The photon production by conversion of gluons gg→γ via quark loop in the framework of the mean-field approach to the QCD (quantunm chromodynamics) vacuum is studied here. According to the domain model of QCD vacuum, the confinement phase is dominated by Abelian (anti-)self-dual gluon fields, while the deconfinement phase is characterized by a strong chromomagnetic field. In the confinement phase, photon production is impossible due to the random spacial orientation of the statistical ensemble of vacuum fields. However, the conditions of Furry theorem are not satisfied in the deconfinement phase, the conversion of gluons is nonzero and, in addition, photon distribution has a strong angular anisotropy. Thus, the photon production in the discussed process acts as one of the important features of transition in quark-gluon plasma to the deconfinement phase.
The synergistic effects of lignin and cellulose nanofibers on the properties of starch/zein blends

The study aimed to develop cornmeal-based thermoplastic composites by using corn starch and zein (the two major components of cornmeal) as the matrix and lignin as the compatibilizer, while cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) served as the reinforcement. The research examined the individual effects of lignin and CNFs on the mechanical properties of the composites. Two parts of lignin decreased the domain size of the blend and increased the strength and modulus by 31% and 44%, respectively. Six parts of CNFs led to a 137% and 399% increase in strength and modulus, respectively. The addition of two parts of powder lignin and six parts of CNFs resulted in the largest increases in strength (236%) and modulus (510%), suggesting a strong synergy between lignin and CNFs in reinforcing the corn-based thermoplastic. This study differentiates itself from previous research on thermoplastic starch composites by using a starch/zein blend as the matrix instead of pure starch. It demonstrates a novel method for producing cornmeal-based thermoplastics with significantly enhanced mechanical properties by separately controlling the contents of lignin and CNFs and optimizing the formulations to achieve desired composite properties. Furthermore, the research revealed the strong compatibilizing effect of lignin on the starch/zein blend. The results obtained in this research could facilitate the direct use of low-cost cornmeal as a feedstock for producing sustainable materials which could find application in the packaging and household plastic industries, among others. Graphical Abstract
Control of mechanical systems with classical nonholonomic constraints

A theoretical framework for the control of mechanical systems with m>or=1 classical nonholonomic constraints is established. In particular, the authors emphasize certain control properties for mechanical systems with nonholonomic constraints that have no counterpart in systems with holonomic constraints are emphasized. Conditions for smooth stabilization, of an m-dimensional equilibrium manifold are presented, and it is demonstrated that smooth stabilization of a single equilibrium solution is not possible. The development is illustrated using two physical examples: the control of a knife edge moving on a plane surface and the control of a wheel rolling without slipping on a plane surface. The physical significance of the theoretical results is described for these examples. <<ETX>>
Transition from AFM Spin Canting to Spin Glass–AFM Exchange as Particle Size Decreases in LaFeO3

In this work, we have studied structural and magnetic properties of LaFeO3 as a function of the particle size d, from bulk (d >> 1 µm) to nanoscale (d ≈ 30 nm). A large number of twins were observed for large particles that disappear for small particle sizes. This could be related to the softening of the FeO6 distortion as particle size decreases. It was observed that the bulk sample showed spin canting that disappeared for d ~ 125 nm and can be associated with the smoothening of the orthorhombic distortion. On the other hand, for d < 60 nm, the surface/volume ratio became high and, despite the high crystallinity of the nanoparticle, a notable exchange effect bias appeared, originated by two magnetic interactions: spin glass and antiferromagnetism. This exchange bias interaction was originated by the formation of a “magnetic core–shell”: the broken bonds at the surface atoms give place to a spin glass behavior, whereas the inner atoms maintain the antiferromagnetic G-type order. The LaFeO3 bulk material was synthesized by the ceramic method, whereas the LaFeO3 nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol-gel method; the particle size was varied by annealing the samples at different temperatures. The physical properties of the materials have been investigated by XRD, HRTEM, TGA, and AC and DC magnetometry.
A Simple Technique for Using Radar Data in the Dynamic Initialization of a Mesoscale Model

Abstract A simple technique for using radar reflectivity to improve model initialization is presented. Unlike previous techniques, the scheme described here does not infer rain rates and heating profiles from assumed relationships between remotely sensed variables and precipitation rates. Rather, the radar data are only used to tell the model when and where deep moist convection is occurring. This information is then used to activate the model’s convective parameterization scheme in the grid elements where convection is observed. This approach has the advantage that the convective precipitation rates and heating profiles generated by the convective parameterization are compatible with the local (grid element) environment. The premise is that if convection is forced to develop when and where it is observed during a data assimilation period, convectively forced modifications to the environment will be in the correct locations at the model initial forecast time and the resulting forecast will be more accurat.