Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION USING THE BIOMARKER MORINGA OLEIFERA IN JEDDAH CITY, SAUDI ARABIA

Physiological processes, photosynthesis, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, osmotic adjustment and secondary metabolites are known to be affected by air and soil pollutants. The present study was designed to evaluate the impact of air and soil pollution in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia, on the physiological processes of Moringa oleifera. Four accessions differing in their pollution intensity were selected for this study (S1-S4). Elemental analysis revealed that Pd, Cu, Mn, Cr, Fe and Zn were the main soil pollutants in study accessions and trees growing in S2 have accumulated large quantities of these metals in their leaves. The physiological response to environmental pollution in M. oleifera tree was found to be dependent on pollution intensity. The heavily polluted accession showed a different response from the rest of accessions. As an adaptive strategy to environmental stress, this site has shown an increase in some metabolites such as lipids, flavonoids, free amino acids, alkaloids and saponins. However, some metabolites were decreased in response to pollution intensity such as soluble sugars and proteins, ascorbic acid, and terpenoids.
Evolution Mechanism of Metallic Dioxide MO2 (M = Mn, Ti) from Nanorods to Bulk Crystal: First-Principles Research

Using first-principle calculations, the surface energy, cohesive energy, and electronic properties of α-MnO2 and rutile TiO2 nanorods and microfacets were investigated and clarified to, in the first instance, determine the evolution mechanism. The results show that the surface energies of α-MnO2 nanorods and microfacets conform to function 1.0401 Jm−2 + N × 0.608 Jm−2, while the surface energies of the rutile TiO2 nanorods and microfacets are governed by a 1.0102 × 1.1997 rule. Their electronic properties, such as the Mulliken population and Mulliken charge, can only be normalized by their surface areas to attain a linear function. Meanwhile, the surface energy of α-MnO2 with the nanostructure closely conforms to the function for normalized Mulliken population and Mulliken charge as with an value of 0.995. Thus, our research into the evolution mechanism affecting the surface effect of nanometer materials will be useful for investigating the intrinsic mechanism of the nanometer effect and doping process of metallic dioxide catalysts.
Overhead spine arch analysis of dairy cows from three-dimensional video

We present a spine arch analysis method in dairy cows using overhead 3D video data. This method is aimed for early stage lameness detection. That is important in order to allow early treatment; and thus, reduce the animal suffering and minimize the high forecasted financial losses, caused by lameness. Our physical data collection setup is non-intrusive, covert and designed to allow full automation; therefore, it could be implemented on a large scale or daily basis with high accuracy. We track the animal’s spine using shape index and curvedness measure from the 3D surface as she walks freely under the 3D camera. Our spinal analysis focuses on the thoracic vertebrae region, where we found most of the arching caused by lameness. A cubic polynomial is fitted to analyze the arch and estimate the locomotion soundness. We have found more accurate results by eliminating the regular neck/head movements’ effect from the arch. Using 22-cow data set, we are able to achieve an early stage lameness detection accuracy of 95.4%.
Observations of OM/OC and specific attenuation coefficients (SAC) in ambient fine PM at a rural site in central Ontario, Canada

Abstract. Ambient particulate matter (PM) samples were collected on quartz filters at a rural site in central Ontario during an intensive study in 2007. The concentrations of organic carbon (OC), pyrolysis organic carbon (POC), and elemental carbon (EC) were determined by thermal analysis. The concentrations are compared to the organic aerosol mass concentration (OM) measured with an Aerodyne C-ToF Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and to the particle absorption coefficient (basp) obtained from a Radiance Research Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP). The total organic mass to organic carbon ratios (OM/OC) and specific attenuation coefficients (SAC=basp/EC) are derived. Proportionality of the POC mass with the oxygen mass in the aerosols estimated from the AMS offers a potential means to estimate OM/OC from thermal measurements only. The mean SAC for the study is 3.8±0.3 m2 g−1. It is found that the SAC is independent of or decrease with increasing particle mass loading, depending on whether or not the data are separated between aerosols dominated by more recent anthropogenic input and aerosols dominated by longer residence time or biogenic components. There is no evidence to support an enhancement of light absorption by the condensation of secondary material to particles, suggesting that present model simulations built on such an assumption may overestimate atmospheric warming by BC.
Structural health monitoring network system with wireless communications inside closed aerospace structures

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) requires integrated "all in one" electronic devices capable of performing analysis of structural integrity and on-board damage detection in aircraft? s structures. PAMELA III (Phased Array Monitoring for Enhanced Life Assessment, version III) SHM embedded system is an example of this device type. This equipment is capable of generating excitation signals to be applied to an array of integrated piezoelectric Phased Array (PhA) transducers stuck to aircraft structure, acquiring the response signals, and carrying out the advanced signal processing to obtain SHM maps. PAMELA III is connected with a host computer in order to receive the configuration parameters and sending the obtained SHM maps, alarms and so on. This host can communicate with PAMELA III through an Ethernet interface. To avoid the use of wires where necessary, it is possible to add Wi-Fi capabilities to PAMELA III, connecting a Wi-Fi node working as a bridge, and to establish a wireless communication between PAMELA III and the host. However, in a real aircraft scenario, several PAMELA III devices must work together inside closed structures. In this situation, it is not possible for all PAMELA III devices to establish a wireless communication directly with the host, due to the signal attenuation caused by the different obstacles of the aircraft structure. To provide communication among all PAMELA III devices and the host, a wireless mesh network (WMN) system has been implemented inside a closed aluminum wingbox. In a WMN, as long as a node is connected to at least one other node, it will have full connectivity to the entire network because each mesh node forwards packets to other nodes in the network as required. Mesh protocols automatically determine the best route through the network and can dynamically reconfigure the network if a link drops out. The advantages and disadvantages on the use of a wireless mesh network system inside closed aerospace structures are discussed.
CloudNeg: An autonomous multi issue negotiation system, with preference elicitation component, for trading cloud services

Cloud services provide its users with flexible resource provisioning. But in the current market, a user has to choose from a limited set of configurations at a fixed price. This paper presents an autonomous negotiation system termed CloudNeg for negotiating cloud services. CloudNeg provides buyers and sellers of cloud services with autonomous agents to negotiate on the specifications of a cloud instance, including price, on their behalf. These agents elicit their buyers’ time preferences and use them in negotiations. Further, this paper presents two artifacts: a negotiation algorithm and a prototype which together form CloudNeg.
Fine-scale temporal and spatial patterns of larval supply to a fringing reef in Western Australia

The abundance and diversity of larval fish entering the lagoon of Ningaloo Reef, West- ern Australia, was monitored every day over a 4 to 5 mo period for each of 2 consecutive summers. This was done by deploying reef crest nets in the surf zone to capture the larvae making the transi- tion from the pelagic environment to the lagoon. In the first summer, 2 nets 500 m apart were deployed for 94 nights. In the second summer, these same nets were redeployed in the same location along with an additional pair located 5 km to the south. These 4 nets were deployed for 101 nights. At otal of 89 598 presettlement fish from 65 families/groups was caught over both years with most fish coming from the Gobiidae, Blennidae, Labridae, Apogonidae and Lutjanidae families. Fewer larvae were caught in the second summer compared to the first. For both summers, the majority of the catch arrived during November and December, with abundance declining gradually as the season pro- gressed. To examine periodicity in arrival, time series analysis was performed on 25 of the most abun- dant families/taxa. Larvae from different families and with entirely different morphologies arrived on a semi-lunar basis, such as the leptocephali, labrids and scorpaenids, whilst others arrived during cycles of less than 30 d (soles), approximately 28 d (leptocephali), greater than 30 d (Omobranchini blennies) and stochastically (some gobies, apogonids and labrids). Cross-correlation techniques were used to compare differences in abundance at 2 spatial scales: 5 km and 500 m. I found multi-specific patches of larvae at least 5 km wide crossing the reef crest into the lagoon habitat. The timing of these patches was often chaotic and rarely lasted longer than 24 h. I found that reef crest nets were an appropriate sampling tool for Ningaloo Reef, catching a rich assemblage of presettlement fish rarely seen on Australian coral reefs. I compare larval replenishment patterns at Ningaloo with other stud- ies from the Caribbean, Central Pacific, Bahamas and eastern Australia, and discuss the importance of continuing to monitor larval assemblages at new locations preferably using modified, fixed plank- ton nets.
Translocation of Coumarin Across a Graft Union in Sweetclover 1

thesis of coumarin and related compounds in sweetclover (1, 7, 8, 12), little is known of the site or sites within the plant at which coumarin is formed. Weygand and Wendt (12) reported coumarin formation in root cultures of Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lain. when suitable precursors were supplied. Mothes and Kala (9) concluded that scopoletin and umbelliferone, compounds closely related to coumarin, can be synthesized by root cultures of Atropa belladonna L. The experiments cited (9, 12) gave no indication that the roots are the preferred site of synthesis or that synthesis takes place at all in the roots of intact plants. Neither of the studies excluded the possibility of synthesis in other organs. If one assumes that coumarin is not translocated within the plant and that the use or destruction of the compound proceeds at relatively equal rates in all organs, the coumarin contents of the various plant parts might then be used as an indication of amounts of synthesis occurring at the respective sites. The distribution of coumarin in leaves, stems, and roots of ungrafted plants of sweetclover has been investigated by Brink, a Goplen et al. (4), Schaeffer et al. (11), and Akeson. ~ In this paper, data on the coumarin content of grafted sweetclover plants are presented and the significance of this information is discussed. The term coumar~n, as used in this paper, needs some clarification since recent work (6, 10) has disclosed that intact sweetclover plants contain little or no coumarin in the free, molecular form. On the other hand, it is now clear that glycosides of both o-coumaric acid (trans-o-hydroxycinnamic acid) and coumarinic acid (cis-o-hydroxycinnamic acid) are present in sweetclover tissue (7, 8, 10). Hydrolysis of these glycosides releases coumaric and coumarinic acids, both of which contribute to coumarin equivalence values in the fluorometric procedure used. The term coumarin is retained in this paper for convenience and because standards of pure coumarin were used in the assay procedure. It should be emphasized, however, that the glycosides of o-hydroxycinnarnic acid, not molecular coumarin, are present in the intact plant.
LEARNING MALICIOUSNESS IN CYBERSECURITY GRAPHS

Systems and methods for utilizing statistical relational learning techniques in order to predict factors for nodes of a node graph, such as a node graph that represents attacks and incidents to a computing system, are described. In some embodiments, the systems and methods identify certain nodes (of a node graph) as representing malicious attributes of an email or other threat artifact received by a computing system or network and utilize relational learning to predict the maliciousness of attributes represented by other nodes (of the node graph).
Efectos de los R NAm maternos sobre la maduración del ovocito y el desarrollo embrionario temprano en mamíferos. Revisión Effects of the maternal mRNA on the maturation of the oocyte and early embryonic development in mammals. Review

Get in vitro matured oocytes that could be competent for in vitro fertilization with a result of 50 % viable blastocysts, is one of the main problems in the in vitro development of bovine embryos. For these reason, is necessary to understand the cellular processes that lead to the maturation of the oocyte during folliculogenesis and subsequent transition to the embryo. The transition from oocyte to embryo is a complex process that involves genomic inactivation of the oocyte and embryonic genome activation. This process occurs in cattle in the stage of 8 to 16 cells where there are a selective degradation of maternal mRNA, which were stored during oogenesis and are the source of protein in the early stages of embry onic development. The action of maternal mRNA is a key for that embryonic genome activation takes place in form and time. Understanding the involvement of these transcripts in embryonic genome activation is essential to elucidate the cellular processes falling in oocyte maturation in vitro protocols. The aim of this review was to gather information from maternal genes that have been isolated both in the murine model and cattle, this in order to incorporate knowledge related to genomic processes that enable the development of the embryo in cattle, and to design also new strategies to improve in vitro fertilization protocols.
Localized field enhancements in two-dimensional V-groove metal arrays

We investigate field enhancements in two-dimensional 800 nm periodic arrays of (108–121 nm deep) V-grooves (opening angles 38°–75°) fabricated using focused ion beam milling in a 190 nm thick gold film on top of a fused silica substrate. Simulated and experimental reflection spectra, high-resolution two-photon luminescence (TPL) images, and microscopy of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) obtained from the V-groove metal arrays are compared and reveal good correspondence in the spectral dependences of reflection and local TPL as well as SERS measured at the groove bottom. We relate the obtained field intensity enhancements, reaching ∼85 with nanofocusing and resonant interference of counterpropagating plasmons by the periodic closed tapered groove gaps. The achieved reflection spectra and enhancements depend on the geometry of the V-groove arrays and can actually be tuned in the wavelength range from visible to infrared, making this configuration promising for a wide range of practical applications, e.g., within surface-enhanced spectroscopies.
Neuroticism Negatively Affects Multitasking Performance through State Anxiety

Abstract : Multitasking is on the rise, both at work and at home. As such, researchers have begun to focus attention on understanding and predicting multitasking performance. Though past research has demonstrated that cognitive predictors correlate positively with multitasking performance, there is reason to believe that non-cognitive factors are likely to predict such performance as well. This study tested for relationships between extraversion, neuroticism, Type A Behavior Pattern, polychronicity, and multitasking performance. Results supported the hypothesis that neuroticism, but not the other personality characteristics measured, significantly predicts performance at multitasking, and that this relationship is mediated by state anxiety experienced during multitasking. Implications for the impact of personality and anxiety on multitasking performance are discussed.
Does Market Structure Matter? Evidence from the Indian Cement Industry

The main objective of this paper is to answer the question; does the market structure explain the variation in profitability of Indian cement industry? If yes, which measure; if no, why not? To answer this question, we used the empirical technique, the Davidson-MacKinnon’s J test, to test the non-nested hypotheses to choose among the three competing measures of the market structure, CR4, HHI, and CV of market share. We found that none of the measures of market structure are able to explain the variation in profitability of the Indian cement industry. In other words, neither concentration (measured in terms of CR4 and HHI) nor efficiency of the firms (measured in terms of CV of market share) is able to explain the variation in profitability. This result is in line with our expectation since, unlike industry profitability, none of the measures of market structure changed significantly during the sample period. Since Competition Commission of India in June 2012 found 11 cement companies indulging in a price cartel, it is clear from the findings that market structure alone cannot explain the behavior of firms in certain market such as cement industry in India. To detect cartel in such market, more detailed examination is required both at industry as well as firm level.
ESTIMATING BRAZILIAN FDI MOTIVATIONS IN PORTUGAL BY STRUCTURAL EQUATIONS MODEL (SEM)

Portugal is a strategic regional location for multinational companies (MNEs) from various countries. This article, through a model based on structural equations (Structural Equations Model), will address the motivations of Brazilian companies to invest in this country compared with firms of other nationalities, which are represented by German companies, Italian, Spanish, American and Japanese. The structural equations allow to infer the safety test results and theoretical constructs. From a theoretical model (known as "structural") constructed from a measurement model (or measurement) is scanned a set of dependency relations, linking the constructs of the hypothesized model. The structural equation modeling is suggested by Hair Jr. et al. (2006) for three purposes: confirming models, evaluation of competing models and the development of new models. In this study, we opted for the development of models related to the first situation, namely the confirmation of a particular model from a theory of FDI. This arti
AN ESTIMATE OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM COMMON KENYAN COOKSTOVES UNDER CONDITIONS OF ACTUAL USE

We report on greenhouse gas emissions from wood and charcoal cookstoves measured during actual conditions of use in 19 randomly selected rural Kenyan households. CO, particulate matter (PM10), mass of fuel, and the state of combustion were measured or recorded in realtime. Emissions of pollutants other than CO and particulates were estimated using data adapted from extant literature. We find the average daily emissions from charcoal stoves are lower than woodstoves when measured in terms of carbon released. However, when the emissions are weighted to account for global warming potential, charcoal stoves are much more polluting than wood stoves by any metric. Further, accounting for emissions from charcoal production increases the disparity between charcoal and firewood. However charcoal still carries potential health benefits at the household level because of reduced particulate emissions relative to firewood combustion. Some policy options are discussed in light of these potentially conflicting findings.
Energy Efficient System for Wireless Sensor Networks using Modified RECHS Protocol

— The area of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is one of the emerging and fast growing fields in the scientific world. This has brought about developing low cost, low-power and multi-function sensor nodes. Prolonged network lifetime, scalability, node mobility and load balancing are important requirements for many WSN applications. Clustering the sensor nodes is an effective technique to achieve these goals. Cluster-based routing protocol is currently a hot research in wireless sensor network. In this paper, we have added additional criteria for the selection of cluster heads in a Redundant and Energy-efficient Cluster head Selection Protocol (RECHS) and compared results with Energy Aware Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (EA-LEACH) protocol. This modified RECHS significantly increases the lifetime, reliability of the network. Simulation results show that comparison between two methods (Modified RECHS and EA-LEACH) for LEACH protocol on the basis of network lifetime (stability period), number of cluster heads are present per round, number of alive node are present per round and throughput of data transfer in the network.
Neural Substrates of Reserve Observed in a Non-Demented Aging Population

Cognitive decline in dementia does not correspond precisely to the amount of neurodegeneration in the brain. This discrepancy in brain damage and its clinical manifestation has been explicated by the concept of reserve. Brain reserve inferred from the brain size had moderate success in explaining the discrepancy, and numerous studies have reported the effects of education supporting cognitive reserve. Yet the neural substrates of reserve have been elusive. Utilizing optimized voxel-based morphometry, we have identified brain regions that were significantly smaller in individuals with low cognitive performance (LCP) compared to those with normal cognitive performance (NCP) in community-residing non-demented elderly people both with low educational attainment. It was assumed that the cognitive performance in this population reflected long-standing cognitive functioning of the individual, possibly the reserve, based on their stable follow-up performance and clinical interviews. Bilateral precuneus, right superior frontal gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus were smaller in individuals with LCP. Further, the LCP individuals had weaker correlation between the gray matter volume of those regions and the rest of the cortex. On the other hand, volume of these regions was more tightly correlated with the K-DRS Total score in these individuals. Finally, an outcome study of the community sample from which this study's participants were recruited from reported five times higher risk of dementia in the LCP group. Precuneus and prefrontal cortex are proposed as key sites comprising the neural substrates that underlie the reserve.
The Congruence Between College Students’ Twitter Identities And Self-Concepts

The theories of imagined audiences, attention to social comparison information, and self-concept have been researched and verified with respect to individuals and their behaviors. However, no research has been conducted regarding the relationship between these concepts and Twitter identities and behaviors. This study assesses possible relationships between these concepts and the Twitter identities and actions of the typical college student. Results indicate these relationships exist and that college students’ behaviors and identities on Twitter are impacted by these concepts. Additionally, gender and college class differences were found to be significant between certain concepts and the Twitter identities of college students. Limitations of the study are considered and suggestions for future research are given.