Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Autobiography a Pedagogical tool in Pharmacology: Traversing the Un-explored

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. In today’s era, medical teaching is becoming increasingly complex and challenging. Out of all subjects in the medical curriculum, Pharmacology is one of the major disciplines undergoing constant development and advancement. A strong foundation of pharmacological knowledge is needed to help students improve upon their understanding and thereby manage clinical conditions in a more effective manner. Unfortunately, Pharmacology is perceived as a dry and volatile subject by medical students. This calls for a need to explore various pedagogical tools at medical schools, so as to best identify methods effective for active learning. Efforts need to be directed towards the objective of making Pharmacology teaching interesting and learner-centered by formulating creative and innovative teaching-learning modules in and outside the classrooms. Learner-centered teaching can foster students’ interest in the subject and contribute to knowledge acquisition as well as future application. In context to this, the current piece explores and addresses the application of “Autobiography of drugs” as one of the pedagogical tools in the subject of Pharmacology.
Estimation of Mineral Abundance From Hyperspectral Data Using a New Supervised Neighbor-Band Ratio Unmixing Approach

This article compares the ability of nine unmixing models, including radiative transfer (RT) models as well as a new nonlinear unmixing approach called neighbor-band ratio unmixing (NBRU), to obtain mineralogical information from hyperspectral data. Their performance in estimating mineral abundances of 94 crafted mineral mixtures was first assessed. NBRU led to the best results among non-RT models with mean and median errors of 9.8% and 7.4%, respectively. Hapke’s and Shkuratov’s RT models obtained 6.5% and 5.6%, and 6.7% and 4.7%, respectively. In a second experiment, the mapping ability of six non-RT models and their robustness when facing endmember variability were evaluated. The assessment was performed on an AVIRIS hyperspectral image of the widely studied Cuprite area, NV, USA. Comparisons with validation maps showed that NBRU retrieved the best spatial distributions for seven of the nine minerals mapped.
Mind your Ps and Qs! An Experiment on Variable Allowance Supply in the US Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

Using an experimental approach, we investigate the new institutional design for the US Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The proposed scheme incorporates two allowance reserves that adjust the initial supply of allowances in the event of unexpectedly high or low allowance demand. In particular, allowance supply is increased when the initial clearing price is above a pre-determined upper trigger price, and decreased when the initial clearing price is below a pre-determined lower trigger price. We provide evidence that these two trigger prices act as focal points: the distribution of clearing prices is bimodal and aligns with the trigger prices. We also show that decreasing the range between the two trigger prices increases total revenue but decreases allocative efficiency. Importantly, we find the regulation is more sensitive to changes in trigger prices than reserve quantities.
Analysis of sea lamprey environmental DNA during lampricide treatment in a tributary of Lake Ontario

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a species of invasive parasitic fish in the Great Lakes region of North America. Accurate estimates of larval lamprey populations in lake tributaries are necessary for making control decisions regarding treatment of lake tributaries with 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), a piscicide toxic to lamprey larvae. Analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) isolated from water samples is a recent innovation under consideration for sea lamprey biomonitoring. eDNA analysis was performed before and at three time points after TFM treatment in a tributary of Lake Ontario (Ninemile Creek) to assess presence of invasive sea lamprey. Lamprey DNA was detected in four out of four sample locations before TFM treatment and three of four locations 72 hours following treatment. No lamprey DNA was detected in any of the locations 4 months or 12 months after TFM treatment of the creek. These results are consistent with known effectiveness of TFM treatment and provide evidence for the potential of eDNA analysis as a tool for monitoring decline of larval sea lamprey abundance due to TFM treatments.
Qualitative and Quantitative Transient Stability Assessment of Stand-Alone Hybrid Microgrids in a Cluster Environment

Neighboring stand-alone hybrid microgrids with diesel generators (DGs) as well as grid-feeding photovoltaics (PV) and grid-forming battery storage systems (BSS) can be coupled to reduce fuel costs and emissions as well as to enhance the security of supply. In contrast to the research in control and small-signal rotor angle stability of microgrids, there is a significant lack of knowledge regarding the transient stability of off-grid hybrid microgrids in a cluster environment. Therefore, the large-signal rotor angle stability of pooled microgrids was assessed qualitatively and also quantitatively in this research work. Quantitative transient stability assessment (TSA) was carried out with the help of the—recently developed and validated—micro-hybrid method by combining time-domain simulations and transient energy function analyses. For this purpose, three realistic dynamic microgrids were modelled regarding three operating modes (island, interconnection, and cluster) as well as the conventional scenario “classical” and four hybrid scenarios (“storage”, “sun”, “sun & storage”, and “night”) regarding different instants of time on a tropical partly sunny day. It can be inferred that, coupling hybrid microgrids is feasible from the voltage, frequency, and also transient stability point of view. However, the risk of large-signal rotor angle instability in pooled microgrids is relatively higher than in islanded microgrids. Along with critical clearing times, new stability-related indicators such as system stability degree and corrected critical clearing times should be taken into account in the planning phase and in the operation of microgrids. In principle, a general conclusion concerning the best operating mode and scenario of the investigated microgrids cannot be drawn. TSA of pooled hybrid microgrids should be performed—on a regular basis especially in the grid operation—for different loading conditions, tie-line power flows, topologies, operating modes, and scenarios.
Fiber optic Fabry–Pérot acoustic sensor using PVC and GO diaphragms

Here, a low cost high sensitive fiber optic Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) acoustic sensor is developed. A novel polyvinyl chloride (PVC) diaphragm-based fiber-tip FPI is implemented for the sake of acoustic sensing with high sensitivity. The PVC diaphragm has been coated to the pigtail of a standard single-mode fiber (SMF). Subsequently, the multilayer graphene oxide (GO) is deposited on the PVC cavity. The configuration of (SMF + PVC + GO) attests a sensitivity higher than (SMF + PVC). In fact, GO acts as the acoustic membrane and PVC features as the cavity to demonstrate a sensitive FPI acoustic sensor. The results also give out the acoustic sensitivity of the (SMF + PVC + GO) sensor equivalent to 685 mV/Pa (19.9 rad/Pa) at 1 kHz and a 100 mPa pressure with a frequency response ranging 0.1–10 kHz.
Mass Spectroscopic Analysis, MNDO Quantum Chemical Studies and Antifungal Activity of Essential and Recovered Oil Constituents of Lemon-Scented Gum against Three Common Molds

The present study described the possibility of using wood-treated oil-fungicide of lemon-scented gum (Corymbia citriodora) from newly emerged leaves and unripened fruits against the infestation of Fusarium culmorum, Rhizoctonia solani and Penicillium chrysogenum. Air-dried wood samples of Melia azedarach were treated with the extracted oils from leaves and unripened fruits from C. citriodora. The main chemical constituents identified in the essential oil (EO) from leaves were citronellal (55.31%), citronellol (21.03%) and isopulegol (10.79%), while in unripened fruits were α-pinene (17.86%), eudesmol (13.9%), limonene (9.19%), γ-terpinen (8.21%), and guaiol (7.88%). For recovered oils (ROs), the major components from leaves were D-limonene (70.23%), γ-terpinene (13.58%), β-pinene (2.40%) and isopregol (2.23%), while, 4-terpineol (21.35%), cis-β-terpineol, (19.33%), D-limonene (14.75%), and γ-terpinene (7.42%) represented the main components in fruits. EOs from leaves and fruits at the amounts of 100, 50 and 25 µL showed the highest inhibition percentage (IP) of 100% against F. culmorum and P. chrysogenum compared to control treatment, while at the amounts of 100, and 50 µL showed 100% IP of R. solani. Wood treated with ROs from leaves and fruits showed IPs of 96.66% and 93.33%, respectively, against the growth of R. solani. The mass spectra of the main components of C. citriodora leaves and fruits’ EOs have been recorded in electron ionization mode at 70 eV and fragmentation has been reported and discussed. On the other hand, different quantum parameters such as the heat of formation, ionization energy total energy, binding energy, electronic energy and dipole moment using the modified neglect of diatomic overlap (MNDO) semi-empirical method have been calculated.
An Experimental Approach to Understanding the Impacts of Monitoring Methods on Use Intentions for Autonomous Vehicle Services: Survey Evidence from Japan

Safety guidelines for autonomous vehicles (AVs) in many regions or countries require AV service providers to have the means to communicate with vehicles and the ability to stop them safely in case of emergencies. The transition to full deployment of AV services is dependent on more advanced monitoring methods. This study uses a survey of approximately 2000 residents of Japanese cities to investigate how monitoring methods affect their intentions to use these services. In particular, the survey is designed to understand how individuals react to unattended operations and remote monitoring in road passenger services including buses and taxis; the survey includes direct questions about intentions to use autonomous buses and taxis and a stated choice experiment based on the respondents’ preferences over their current mode of transportation and autonomous taxis. The results show that monitoring methods have mixed impacts. On one hand, monitoring could affect the general acceptance of AV services. The difference in the overall resistance to using these services is particularly large between the onboard human and remote monitoring options. Individuals tend to express stronger resistance to more advanced remote monitoring. On the other hand, the stated choice results show that the effects of these monitoring factors could be less significant in the actual settings of transportation mode choices; the effects of travel cost and time factors are likely to be more significant. These results suggest that when individuals consider AVs in the context of real-world decisions, their resistance to new technologies is diminished in comparison to their responses to abstract questions.
Assessing Transparency, Accuracy, and Consistency of Relative Importance of Cow-Calf Profitability Drivers Using Neural Networks versus Regression

Abstract Using both multivariate regression and artificial neural networks, the relative impact of variables affecting cow-calf profitability was examined over two cattle cycles for spring- and fall-calving herds that varied in size by time period analyzed when using different fertility management affecting forage yields with and without weather uncertainty. Neural networks had greater predictive accuracy than regression but at the cost of lesser transparency and predictive consistency. Explaining profitability, price, and quantity of cattle sold were consistently and respectively ranked first and second using both approaches. Importance rankings for hay sold and fertilizer were low and less consistent across techniques employed.
Six-week grit training course reduces school bullying: A quasi-experimental study

Objective To investigate the effectiveness of intervention programs in reducing school bullying, a 6-week series of grit training courses was designed and developed. Methods Using a quasi-experimental design, 163 middle school students were selected as the experimental group and 201 middle school students as the control group to test the implementation effect of the grit training course. Results The intervention program significantly reduced the traditional bullying behavior of the bullies and the traditional victimization of victims. Conclusion The 6-week grit course has produced positive results in reducing school bullying. In the future, school-based courses with the theme of grit can be designed to achieve the purpose of preventing school bullying by improving the positive qualities of individuals.
Detecting Outlier Patterns With Query-Based Artificially Generated Searching Conditions

In the age of social computing, finding interesting network patterns or motifs is significant and critical for various areas, such as decision intelligence, intrusion detection, medical diagnosis, social network analysis, fake news identification, and national security. However, subgraph matching remains a computationally challenging problem, let alone identifying special motifs among them. This is especially the case in large heterogeneous real-world networks. In this article, we propose an efficient solution for discovering and ranking human behavior patterns based on network motifs by exploring a user’s query in an intelligent way. Our method takes advantage of the semantics provided by a user’s query, which in turn provides the mathematical constraint that is crucial for faster detection. We propose an approach to generate query conditions based on the user’s query. In particular, we use meta paths between the nodes to define target patterns as well as their similarities, leading to efficient motif discovery and ranking at the same time. The proposed method is examined in a real-world academic network using different similarity measures between the nodes. The experiment result demonstrates that our method can identify interesting motifs and is robust to the choice of similarity measures.
Power and Frequency Control of Active Generator used for Smart Grid Applications

Nowadays, renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic and active generators are utilized frequently in modern power systems especially micro-grid. By providing electrical energy using micro-grid systems, the reliability and quality of the system can be improved. A micro-grid connected to the network depends on the main grid and consequently assessing the power quality during independent functioning (islanded mode) is important. The aim of the present work is to perform active, reactive power distribution strategies (control) for active generators used in smart grids. The proposed control method is the sliding mode which controls the active as well as reactive power and frequency. Here, based on sliding mode control method, droop control is developed for active generator. This controller is simulated for active generator by MATLAB/SIMULINK and simulation results are given. Based on the obtained simulation results, efficiency of sliding mode in regulating active and reactive power and controlling domain voltage and frequency are shown.
Pollinator-mediated interactions between native plants and the invasive alien Himalayan balsam

Invasive alien species threaten global biodiversity and can impose severe economic costs. Some invasive alien plants can be strong competitors for pollinators due to a high abundance of attractive flowers, which can disrupt native plant-pollinator interactions and reduce native plant reproductive success. This thesis explores pollinator-mediated competition between native plants and the invasive alien Impatiens glandulifera, Himalayan balsam. Previous studies have found conflicting effects of I. glandulifera on native plant-pollinator interactions. This study aimed, using a combination of direct field observations and controlled experiments, to explore the reasons behind these differences by examining the relationship between impact and the abundance of I. glandulifera at multiple spatial scales, and the responses of a wide range of cooccurring species. Chapters two and three tested the hypothesis that the composition of plant and pollinator communities and bumblebee-flower visitation vary in response to I. glandulifera abundance and spatial scale of invasion. Chapter four tested the hypothesis that I. glandulifera pollen will reduce the reproductive success of the native Lamium album. Chapter five tested the hypothesis that pollinator-mediated competition will alter the genetic quality of pollen received by co-flowering L. album. I found a relationship between the plant and pollinator community composition and the abundance of I. glandulifera, which was generally stronger at a broad scale. Responses to invasion differed according to pollinator taxa and plant traits, which could be useful for identifying and protecting potentially vulnerable native species. Impacts differed according to the mechanism used to examine its effects: bumblebee-flower visitation patterns changed, and L. album experienced reduced seed set and disruption to its mating system; however alien pollen did not prevent L. album from setting seed. In conclusion, the direction and magnitude of pollinator-mediated effects varied with I. glandulifera abundance, spatial scale, and the way in which impact was assessed. A wide range of approaches are necessary to understand the impact of invasive alien plants.
The Influence of Sport Sponsorship on Brand Equity in South Africa

Abstract This study scrutinizes the influence of sport sponsorship on brand equity in South Africa. It examines the impact and contribution of brand awareness, brand image, brand loyalty and perceived quality resulting from sports sponsorship. The objective was also to understand the influence of sponsorship fit between event and sponsor on brand awareness and brand image. To date, extant research has been conducted in the developed world, mainly in the United States, Europe and Asia. Investigations of sports sponsorship in Africa are sparse. Marshaling the sports sponsorship and brand equity literature, the results show that sponsorship has a major role to play in building brand awareness and brand image. An important and unexpected finding is that the perceived appropriate fit between the sponsor and the sport event has a negative influence on brand awareness and brand image. The implications and recommendations are then discussed.
EFFECTS OF COLOURED PLASTIC MULCH ON SOIL HYDROTHERMAL CHARACTERISTICS, GROWTH AND WATER PRODUCTIVITY OF RAINFED SOYBEAN

Soil thermal regime, a crucial factor in plant growth and development, is influenced by the colour of plastic mulch. The effects of black plastic mulch (BPM), silver plastic mulch (SPM), transparent plastic mulch (TPM) and bare soil on the soil temperature regime as well as on the growth and yield of rainfed soybean were evaluated in a field experiment. The results revealed a strong correlation (r2 = 0.85) between air and soil‐surface temperatures in the case of bare soil, but no correlation (r2 = 0.03) in the case of TPM. The coloured plastic mulching raised soil temperature by 3–7 °C compared to bare soil, with a daily fluctuation of 6–17 °C at the early growth stage, while the soil temperature increased by 1–2 °C, with a daily fluctuation of 4–8 °C in later growth stages. BPM provided 1–4 °C more temperature than SPM and TPM at 5, 15 and 25 cm depths that augmented heat accumulation by 23% and 6% compared to bare soil and TPM, respectively. The coloured mulching significantly (p < 0.05) increased soybean growth attributes and thus augmented seed yield by 31–34% compared to bare soil. However, BPM, by maintaining the highest soil temperature, provided the highest seed yield of soybean. Therefore, BPM is recommended as a suitable mulch in the central Japan area. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Eggshell membrane powder lowers plasma triglyceride and liver total cholesterol by modulating gut microbiota and accelerating lipid metabolism in high‐fat diet‐fed mice

Abstract Obesity is a major global lifestyle disorder associated with gut microbiota. The health benefits of eggshell membrane (ESM) have been shown in previous reports, particularly as regards gut microbiota composition. Here, we investigated whether ESM improves lipid metabolism and alters gut microbiota in high‐fat diet‐fed mice. A total of 20 C57BL/6J mice aged 6 weeks were given either a control diet (CON), high‐fat diet (HFD), or high‐fat diet + 8% ESM powder (HESM) for 20 weeks. ESM supplementation in HFD‐fed mice reduced plasma triglycerides (TG) and liver total cholesterol (TC) and upregulated the expression of lipid metabolism genes carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A and suppressor of cytokine signaling 2. Microbiota analysis showed increased relative abundance of the anti‐obesity bacterium, Lactobacillus reuteri, at 4, 12, and 16 weeks and reduced the abundance of inflammation‐related Blautia hydrogenotrophica, Roseburia faecis, and Ruminococcus callidus at 12 and 20 weeks. ESM‐supplemented mice had increased cecal isobutyrate, negatively correlated with B. hydrogenotrophica and Parabacteroides goldsteinii abundance. The results indicate that ESM supplementation in HFD‐fed mice reduced plasma TG and liver TC, possibly through alteration of lipid metabolism gene expression and gut microbiota composition, suggesting that ESM may be effective in obesity management.
The Effect of Coastal City Development on Flood Damage in South Korea

Flood damage continues to be an issue in coastal cities. Impervious areas that contribute to flood damage are increasing due to the continuous development of ports in cities. However, previous research has not explored development in port hinterlands and in the coastal flood risk areas of coastal cities. Therefore, this study analyzed the impact of coastal city development on flood damage in Korea. A panel Tobit analysis was conducted on 58 coastal cities between 2002 and 2018. The results revealed that a 1% increase in impervious surfaces and one coastal development permit would increase damage costs by 1.29% and 2%, respectively. The analysis revealed that the increasing development of coastal cities had a significant impact on flood damage. The findings suggest that land-use plans highlight a conflict between port development and safety. This article provides insight that can be used by policy makers to manage risk areas near ports.
AVALIAÇÃO DA ADAPTABILIDADE DE CAPRINOS AO SEMIÁRIDO ATRAVÉS DE PARÂMETROS FISIOLÓGICOS E ESTRUTURAS DO TEGUMENTO

O experimento foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de avaliar a adaptabilidade de racas caprinas ao Semiarido atraves dos parâmetros fisiologicos: temperatura retal, frequencia respiratoria e temperatura superficial e estruturas do tegumento: glândulas sudoriparas, glândulas sebaceas e foliculos pilosos. Foram utilizadas 40 femeas caprinas das racas Anglo-Nubiana, Savana, Boer e Moxoto, sendo dez animais de cada raca, com idade media de cinco meses. Para os parâmetros fisiologicos, foi utilizado um delineamento inteiramente casualizado em parcelas subdivididas no tempo, com os tratamentos principais constituidos pelas racas e os secundarios pelos turnos. Para o estudo estereologico do tegumento foi utilizado um delineamento inteiramente casualizado com quatro tratamentos e tres repeticoes. Houve interacao significativa (P 0,05) da raca Boer. A raca Anglo-Nubiana apresentou maior numero de glândulas sudoriparas (P<0,05) e a raca Savana apresentou a maior media de glândulas sebaceas (P<0,05). As racas estudadas demonstraram estar fisiologicamente bem adaptadas e com caracteristicas do tegumento favoraveis as condicoes climaticas do Semiarido.