Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validation of an Allometric Model to Predict Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Young adults from 20-M Shuttle Run Test Performance

Background and Objectives : The maximum aerobic power 2max ( ) VO  is an important predictor of endurance performance and is closely associated with an individual’s Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF). Being able to screen for changes in CRF cost effectively as well as identifying variables to provide accurate values for aerobic fitness has been identified by numerous studies. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether published models were valid predictors of CRF in young adults using previously unpublished 20 m SRT (shuttle run test) data. Methods : Estimated 2max VO  values from 20m SRT performance were compared across three published models using an independent data set of 178 participants (89 men; age 22.8 ± 4.2 years, height 1.80 ± 0.07 m, body mass 79.8 ± 12.4 kg and 89 women; age 21.3 ± 2.4 years, height 1.67 ± 0.06 m, body mass 62.6 ± 9.3 kg). Closeness-of-fit was assessed using means and standard deviation and bias. Results : An allometric model provided a superior fit, with less bias, compared with two published linear regression equations. Directly measured 2max VO  values were 51.2 ± 8.6 ml kg -1 min -1 compared with 49.8 ± 9.3 (allometric model) versus 46.8 ± 7.9 and 44.4 ± 9.1 ml kg -1 min -1 for the two linear models respectively. Conclusion : An allometric model provided more accurate predictions of CRF (ml kg -1 min -1 ) in young adults compared with two published linear models.
Removal of cadmium ions from polluted waters using low-cost adsorbents: process optimization study

In this study, attempts were made to optimize the sorption process of cadmium ions by a mix- ture of low-cost adsorbents such as poultry litter and char. The optimization study was performed using the response surface methodology and the central composite design (CCD). The parameters such as the initial concentration of cadmium ions ( c o ), the initial pH and the weight ratio of poultry litter to char were selected as variables in the CCD. The introduced data allowed the creation of a model of the dependence of the sorption capacity of cadmium ions with initial parameters. Thanks to the developed model, optimal values of the sorption process were obtained at the level of pH = 5.05, c o = 105 mg/L and a poultry litter/char ratio of 0.79 (w/w). The optimal sorption val- ues for the obtained parameters were tested for four types of samples: deionized water, river water and water extracts from waste and soil. The obtained results indicated high compliance of the cad- mium ion sorption predicted by the model in the case of the model sample (deionized water). In the remaining cases, the sorption capacity of the adsorbent decreased depending on the sample used, in the following order: soil water extract > river water > waste water extract. The research showed the potential of the mixture of poultry litter and char as a low-cost adsorbent.
Retrospective Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Induction of Childbirth in 4350 Women from a Single Center in Warsaw, Poland

Labor induction is one of the most common procedures performed during childbirth, on average in 20–30% of all pregnant women. The aim of this paper was to perform a retrospective analysis of the factors influencing the induction of childbirth. The data provide population-based evidence for Poland (Masovian Voivodeship). The electronic patient records of a hospital in Warsaw were used to create an anonymous retrospective database of all deliveries from 2015 to 2020. The study included an analysis of two groups of patients. The study group consisted of patients with labor induction—4350 cases, and the control group of patients with spontaneous contractions—20,345. The factors influencing the lower frequency of labor induction in the study group were previous cesarean section (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.64–0.84, p < 0.05) and a higher number of deliveries (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.68–0.80, p < 0.05). It is necessary to conduct further research about obstetric procedures used during childbirth, such as induction of childbirth, to reduce the risk of complications and improve the perinatal care of the mother and the neonate.
Uncovering a Phenomenon of Active Hormone Transcriptional Regulation during Early Somatic Embryogenesis in Medicago sativa

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a developmental process in which somatic cells undergo dedifferentiation to become plant stem cells, and redifferentiation to become a whole embryo. SE is a prerequisite for molecular breeding and is an excellent platform to study cell development in the majority of plant species. However, the molecular mechanism involved in M. sativa somatic embryonic induction, embryonic and maturation is unclear. This study was designed to examine the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNA roles during somatic embryonic induction, embryonic and maturation. The cut cotyledon (ICE), non-embryogenic callus (NEC), embryogenic callus (EC) and cotyledon embryo (CE) were selected for transcriptome and small RNA sequencing. The results showed that 17,251 DEGs, and 177 known and 110 novel miRNAs families were involved in embryonic induction (ICE to NEC), embryonic (NEC to EC), and maturation (EC to CE). Expression patterns and functional classification analysis showed several novel genes and miRNAs involved in SE. Moreover, embryonic induction is an active process of molecular regulation, and hormonal signal transduction related to pathways involved in the whole SE. Finally, a miRNA–target interaction network was proposed during M. sativa SE. This study provides novel perspectives to comprehend the molecular mechanisms in M. sativa SE.
Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste and Its Microbial Consortia: A Historical Review and Future Perspectives

Renewable energy source, such as food waste (FW), has drawn great attention globally due to the energy crisis and the environmental problem. Anaerobic digestion (AD) mediated by novel microbial consortia is widely used to convert FW to clean energy. Despite of the considerable progress on food waste and FWAD optimization condition in recent years, a comprehensive and predictive understanding of FWAD microbial consortia is absent and therefore represents a major research challenge in FWAD. The review begins with a global view on the FWAD status and is followed by an overview of the role of AD key conditions’ association with microbial community variation during the three main energy substances (hydrogen, organic acids, and methane) production by FWAD. The following topic is the historical understanding of the FWAD microorganism through the development of molecular biotechnology, from classic strain isolation to low-throughput sequencing technologies, to high-throughput sequencing technologies, and to the combination of high-throughput sequencing and isotope tracing. Finally, the integration of multi-omics for better understanding of the microbial community activity and the synthetic biology for the manipulation of the functioning microbial consortia during the FWAD process are proposed. Understanding microbial consortia in FWAD helps us to better manage the global renewable energy source.
Modification of Ozone Sensitivity in Seedlings by Ethylenediurea: Soil Application vs. Stem Injection

An anti-oxidant chemical, EDU, was applied in the greenhouse as a soil drench or by stem injection to 2-year-old containerized seedlings 7 days prior to fumigation with 0.35 or 0.95 ppm ozone (O3) for 3 hr. EDU treatment reduced the appearance of O3-induced symptoms (surface bleaching, bifacial necrosis, and chlorosis) on the foliage of red maple, Acer rubrum L. ; honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos L. ; sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua L. ; and pin oak, Quercus palustris Muenchh. Stem injection of EDU was significantly more effective than soil drench at the same concentration, although both treatments afforded some protection at the low O3 level (0.35 ppm). About 50 times more EDU was required for comparable levels of O3 protection using soil application as opposed to stem injection. Honeylocust showed the greatest physiological response to EDU as evidenced by changes in root, stem, and leaf dry weight of stem-injected seedlings. All 4 species showed some sensitivity to O3 at 0.95 ppm in the absence of EDU. Chemical name used: N-[2-(2-oxo-1-imidazolidinyl)ethyl]-N’-phenylurea (EDU).
Growth Conditions for Alpha-amylase-producing Bacterium PLS 75 Strain Isolated from a High Temperature and Saline Area

: Extreme habitat has been explored to find microorganisms that are capable of producing industrial enzymes with better activity and stability. Four thermo-halophilic bacteria strains isolated from undersea fumaroles were screened for their ability to produce extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. The most potent α-amylase producer was PLS 75 strain. The strain was Gram-negative with uniform basil-chained shaped. Homology analysis of the 16S rRNA gene fragments shows that the strain was closely related to an uncultured bacterium isolate, supporting the fact that the strain was difficult to culture. Fermentation study shows that PLS 75 produced the highest biomass (5.48 mg/ml) and α-amylase activity (4.43 U/ml) when incubated at 60 °C, pH 7 for 31 h. The results provided information on PLS 75 culture conditions that may be used to produce the enzyme for the study of its attributes and catalytic activity.
Eastern monarch larval performance may not be affected by shifts in phenological synchrony with milkweed

Abstract Interacting species are experiencing disruptions in the relative timing of their key life‐history events due to climate change. These shifts can sometimes be detrimental to the fitness of the consumer in trophic interactions but not always. The potential consequences of phenological asynchrony for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and its host plant (Asclepias spp.) have not been well‐studied. Given that plants generally undergo seasonal declines in quality, if climate change delays the timing of the larval stage relative to the availability of younger milkweed plants, monarch performance could be negatively affected. Here, we explore the potential consequences for the eastern monarch population due to probable asynchrony with milkweed. We used field surveys around Ottawa, Canada, to determine monarch oviposition preference on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) plants and the seasonal availability of these plants. To determine the potential fitness consequences when females oviposit on nonpreferred plants, we conducted a field experiment to assess the effect of milkweed size on monarch larval performance (e.g., development time and final size). Preferred oviposition plants (earlier stages of development and better condition) were consistently available in large proportion over the summer season. We also found that declines in leaf quality (more latex and thicker leaves) with plant size did not translate into decreases in larval performance. Our results suggest that even if asynchrony of the monarch–milkweed interaction occurs due to climate change, the larval stage of the eastern monarch may not face negative consequences. Future studies should determine how the relative timing of the interaction will change in the region.
The Anti-obesity Agent d-norpseudoephedrine Protects Against Rotenone-induced Parkinson’s Disease in Mice

The effect of the ephedrine derivative D-norpseudoephedrine on rotenone-induced Parkinson’s disease in mice was studied. Mice received subcutaneous injections of rotenone (1.5 mg/kg, every other day for two weeks) and were treated with the vehicle, L-dopa (25 mg/kg) or pseudoephedrine at doses of 1.8, 5.4 and 10.8 mg/kg once daily orally. Brain levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and nitric oxide (NO) were determined and histopathological study of the brain was done. Motor testing included stair, wire hanging and wood walking tests. Results indicated that ompared with vehicle controls, rotenone caused significant increases in brain MDA and NO along with GSH depletion. Rotenone impaired neuromuscular strength, and motor balance and coordination. There were also marked decrease in size and number of substantia nigra pigmented cells and deeply stained neurons and karyorrhexis in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Treatment with pseudoephedrine reduced brain MDA, NO and increased GSH levels and improved motor performance. Furthermore, pseudoephedrine prevented substantia nigra dopaminergic cell death and neurodegeneration in the cortex and hippocampus brain regions in a dose-dependent manner. These data suggest that pseudoephedrine might prove of benefit adjunctive therapy of Parkinson’s disease.
Predictors of Nonprofit Ethno-Racial Diversity: Examining Local Community Demographics and Political Ideology

Although the practitioner and the academic literatures both note the importance of ethno-racial diversity in the nonprofit sector, we pursue a better understanding of this sector’s ethno-racial diversity dynamics by exploring the drivers of ethno-racial diversity at multiple organizational hierarchy levels—boards of directors, executive staff teams, and full-time staff. Using data from nonprofit organizations participating in Candid’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, we find evidence that upward mobility for ethno-racial minority group members remains limited. Our findings also indicate a positive relationship between ethno-racial diversity in a nonprofit’s local community and ethno-racial diversity at each organizational hierarchy level. This relationship is partially mediated by the political liberalness of the local community, with the strongest mediating effects at the board of directors and executive staff organizational levels. This partial mediation suggests that the local environment’s tolerance of societal hierarchies and unequal outcomes may be related to nonprofit organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Algorithm of Computer Mainboard Quality Detection for Real-Time Based on QD-YOLO

Automated industrial quality detection (QD) boosts quality-detection efficiency and reduces costs. However, current quality-detection algorithms have drawbacks such as low efficiency, easily missed detections, and false detections. We propose QD-YOLO, an attention-based method to enhance quality-detection efficiency on computer mainboards. Firstly, we propose a composite attention module for the network’s backbone to highlight appropriate feature channels and improve the feature fusion structure, allowing the network to concentrate on the crucial information in the feature map. Secondly, we employ the Meta-ACON activation function to dynamically learn whether the activation function is linear or non-linear for various input data and adapt it to varied input scenarios with varying linearity. Additionally, we adopt Ghost convolution instead of ordinary convolution, using linear operations as possible to reduce the number of parameters and speed up detection. Experimental results show that our method can achieve improved real-time performance and accuracy on the self-created mainboard quality defect dataset, with a mean average precision (mAP) of 98.85% and a detection speed of 31.25 Frames Per Second (FPS). Compared with the original YOLOv5s model, the improved method improves mAP@0.5 by 2.09% and detection speed by 2.67 FPS.
Automated Recognition of Hand Gestures for Crane Rigging using Data Gloves in Virtual Reality

– Construction safety training through Virtual Reality (VR) environments offers workers an interactive and immersive experience. Many complex interactions and realistic scenarios are possible in VR using accessories such as data gloves and trackers which allow data recording on incidents. For example, misinterpretation of hand signals construction workers give during operations may result in severe accidents on construction sites. This study proposes automatic gesture recognition to identify hand signals for crane rigging operations in VR training. The developed gesture recognition algorithm tracks information from a data glove and a tracker. Preliminary data on movements and orientation of hands and fingers were recorded. Mathematical models of hand gestures were created based on finger movement data. Gesture rules were created based on the rotation and orientation of the hand. The gesture models were combined with the gesture rules to develop the algorithm for automated gesture recognition. Final experiments estimated the efficacy of the proposed method in automatically recognizing crane rigging signals in real-time. The performance is evaluated by comparing the identified hand gestures with independently created ground truth labels. The proposed method identified static hand gestures with an average accuracy of 96.55 percent. This method recognizes the gestures along with the hand movements and displays the results in real-time equivalent to dynamic gesture recognition. More refined dynamic gesture recognition based on this method is in progress.
Specific Bifunctionalization on the Surface of Phosphorus Dendrimers Syntheses and Properties

Dendrimers are highly branched macromolecules possessing, in most cases, identical terminal functions. However, it is sometimes desirable to have two types of surface functions in order to fulfil specific properties. The stochastic functionalization is frequently used for such purposes, but the presence of an uncontrolled number of each type of terminal function, albeit acceptable for research purposes, has no practical use. Thus, it is highly desirable to find strategies suitable for the precise grafting of two different functional groups on the surface of dendrimers. The easiest way, and the most widely used, consists in using a bifunctional monomer to be grafted to all of the surface functions of the dendrimers. Two other strategies are known but are rarely used: the modification of an existing function, to generate two functions, and the sequential grafting of one function then of a second function. The three methods are illustrated in this review with polyphosphorhydrazone (PPH) dendrimers, together with their properties as catalysts, for materials, and as biological tools.
The Effectiveness of Using Digital School Applications in Management of Online Civics Learning

Covid-19 has hit the whole world, even Indonesia, which requires to be online learning. Schools need facilities to support online learning. This research aims to describe the effectiveness of digital school applications in the management of online learning. This research is a qualitative descriptive study in which the technique data collection uses 3 techniques, the first is observation, the second is interviews with 1 teacher PPKn, and the third is distributed questionnaires to 36 students of class X TSM 1. Data analysis techniques carried out by means of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. Based on the research results, digital schools are effective in managing online learning in class X TSM 1. Digital schools effective because it contains six aspects, namely information quality, system quality, service quality, level of use, user satisfaction, and benefits obtained. The results of the questionnaire show that the 6 aspects obtained an average of 78.17%. With the fulfillment of the aspects therefore, digital schools are effectively used as a means that can support online learning.
Spectral & Timing analysis of Be/X-ray binary EXO 2030+375 during its giant 2021 outburst

We report the X-ray spectral and timing analysis of the high mass X-ray binary EXO 2030+375 during the 2021 type II outburst. We have incorporated NuSTAR, NICER, Swift/BAT & Fermi/GBM observations to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the source. Pulse profiles in different energy ranges and time intervals have been generated and analyzed. We have performed a brief comparison of the observations amidst the peak outburst condition and also during the decaying state of the outburst. Pulse profiles are found to evolve with time and energy. An iron emission line at (6–7) keV is observed in the X-ray continuum. Distinct absorption features were observed in the spectra corresponding to the peak outburst state while such features were not detected during the later decaying phase of the outburst. We have estimated the characteristic spin-up time scale to be ∽ 60 years. The continuum flux of the system and the varying luminosities covering the entire outburst period have been used to interpret the characteristics of the source. We have summarized the variability of various parameters along with their underlying physical implications.
Sustentabilidad de fincas agroecológicas en Toacaso, Cotopaxi-Ecuador

El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar las consecuencias de la adopción en términos de sustentabilidad social, ambiental, económica y general de sistemas de producción agroecológicos de la parroquia de Toacaso. Para determinar los indicadores se utilizó la metodología propuesta por Sarandón (2002), considerando las dimensiones económica, social, cultural y ambiental y se adaptó la metodología propuesta por Ortiz y Pradel (2009) en la evaluación de impactos en programas de Manejo Integrado de Plagas, se realizó encuestas con preguntas alusivas a las consecuencias sociales, económicas y ambientales, dirigida a 44 agricultores agroecológicos y 44 a productores convencionales en la parroquia Toacaso. Adicionalmente, se identificó como tratamiento “control” a una muestra de 44 productores convencionales tomados en la parroquia Mulaló, lo que permitió realizar una comparación con y sin adopción de prácticas agroecológicas. De las 44 unidades productivas que implementaron el sistema de producción agroecológica el 27,27% alcanzaron sustentabilidad general, el índice promedio de sustentabilidad general fue de 2,16, 86,36% alcanzo sustentabilidad ambiental, el 47,72% sustentabilidad económica, y el 47,73% tienen sustentabilidad social.
Carotenoid Synthesis in Tissue Cultures of Daucus carota L.1

Carotenoid synthesis was studied in tissue cultures derived from different carrot phenotypes of red, dark orange, orange, light orange, yellow and white root colors. Cultures derived from a single genetic source or even from a single root often differed in color. Yellow, pink, orange-red and red cultures were derived from red roots; yellow and orange cultures from dark orange and light orange roots; and yellow cultures from the roots of the other genetic sources. The total carotenoid content in tissue cultures partly reflected that of the parent root, but was generally lower than in the intact root. Cultures derived from white roots were exceptions to this; the carotenoid contents in these cultures sometimes exceeded the contents of the parent roots. Carotenes predominated in cultures and roots of the red and orange sources; xanthophylls were the main components in cultures and roots of the yellow and white sources. Individual cultures from one root differed in quantities of carotenes, but the main carotene was the same as in the root, lycopene for the red sources and B-carotene for the orange sources. The effects of kinetin, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and gibberellic acid3 (GA3) on growth and pigmentation were tested in 13 selected cultures. Kinetin inhibited and 2,4-D enhanced carotenoid synthesis in several of the cultures. GA had no effect on pigment formation. Kinetin and 2,4-D affected the relative quantities of carotenoid components in one orange-red culture, R 1-1, but little in the orange-red culture R 1-2. Low total carotenoid content was associated with a relatively high xanthophyll content and a low lycopene to B-carotene ratio. Variation in culture pigmentation due to mutations was not confirmed. Plants regenerated from tissue cultures which had been derived from a single root had the same phenotype even though the colors and carotenoid contents of the callus cultures differed widely. If plantlet regeneration is limited only to cells with a diploid chromosome number, aneuploidy, which is very common in callus cultures, may have contributed to the observed pigmentation differences in the cultures.