Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate Change and Health in Urban Areas with a Mediterranean Climate: A Conceptual Framework with a Social and Climate Justice Approach

The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly evident and highlight the important interdependence between the well-being of people and ecosystems. Although climate change is a global phenomenon, its causes and consequences vary dramatically across territories and population groups. Among settings particularly susceptible to health impacts from climate change are cities with a Mediterranean climate. Here, impacts will put additional pressure on already-stressed ecosystems and vulnerable economies and societies, increasing health inequalities. Therefore, this article presents and discusses a conceptual framework for understanding the complex relationship between climate change and health in the context of cities with Mediterranean climate from a social and climate justice approach. The different elements that integrate the conceptual framework are: (1) the determinants of climate change; (2) its environmental and social consequences; (3) its direct and indirect impacts on health; and (4) the role of mitigation and adaptation policies. The model places special emphasis on the associated social and health inequalities through (1) the recognition of the role of systems of privilege and oppression; (2) the distinction between structural and intermediate determinants of climate change at the root of health inequalities; (3) the role of individual and collective vulnerability in mediating the effects of climate change on health; and (4) the need to act from a climate justice perspective to reverse health inequities.
THE RESOLVED NEAR-INFRARED EXTRAGALACTIC BACKGROUND

We present a current best estimate of the integrated near-infrared (NIR) extragalactic background light (EBL) attributable to resolved galaxies (Integrated Galaxy Light, IGL) in J, H, and Ks. Our results for measurements of νIν in units of nW m−2 sr−1 are 11.7+5.6−2.6 in J, 11.5+4.5−1.5 in H, and 10.0+2.8−0.8 in Ks. We derive these new limits by combining our deep wide-field NIR photometry from five widely separated fields with other studies from the literature to create a galaxy counts sample that is highly complete and has good counting statistics out to JHKs ∼ 27–28. As part of this effort we present new ultra-deep Ks-band galaxy counts from 22 hr of observations with the Multi Object Infrared Camera and Spectrograph (MOIRCS) instrument on the Subaru Telescope. We use this MOIRCS Ks-band mosaic to estimate the total missing flux from sources beyond our detection limits. Our new limits to the NIR EBL are in basic agreement with, but 10%–20% higher than, previous estimates, bringing them into better agreement with estimates of the total NIR EBL (resolved + unresolved sources) obtained from TeV γ-ray opacity measurements and recent direct measurements of the total NIR EBL as well as the modeled NIR IGL. We examine field-to-field variations in our photometry to show that the integrated light from galaxies is isotropic to within uncertainties, consistent with the expected large-scale isotropy of the EBL. Our data also allow for a robust estimate of the NIR light from Galactic stars, which we find to be 14.7 ± 2.4 in J, 10.1 ± 1.9 in H, and 7.6 ± 1.8 in Ks in units of nW m−2 sr−1.
Supporting Students' Academic Performance Using Explainable Machine Learning with Automated Prescriptive Analytics

Learning Analytics (LA) refers to the use of students’ interaction data within educational environments for enhancing teaching and learning environments. To date, the major focus in LA has been on descriptive and predictive analytics. Nevertheless, prescriptive analytics is now seen as a future area of development. Prescriptive analytics is the next step towards increasing LA maturity, leading to proactive decision-making for improving students’ performance. This aims to provide data-driven suggestions to students who are at risk of non-completions or other sub-optimal outcomes. These suggestions are based on what-if modeling, which leverages machine learning to model what the minimal changes to the students’ behavioral and performance patterns would be required to realize a more desirable outcome. The results of the what-if modeling lead to precise suggestions that can be converted into evidence-based advice to students. All existing studies in the educational domain have, until now, predicted students’ performance and have not undertaken further steps that either explain the predictive decisions or explore the generation of prescriptive modeling. Our proposed method extends much of the work performed in this field to date. Firstly, we demonstrate the use of model explainability using anchors to provide reasons and reasoning behind predictive models to enable the transparency of predictive models. Secondly, we show how prescriptive analytics based on what-if counterfactuals can be used to automate student feedback through prescriptive analytics.
All-Trans Retinoic Acid Effect on Candida albicans Growth and Biofilm Formation

Candida albicans (C. albicans) is the most common fungal pathogen causing recurrent mucosal and life-threatening systemic infections. The ability to switch from yeast to hyphae and produce biofilm are the key virulence determinants of this fungus. In fact, Candida biofilms on medical devices represent the major risk factor for nosocomial bloodstream infections. Novel antifungal strategies are required given the severity of systemic candidiasis, especially in immunocompromised patients, and the lack of effective anti-biofilm treatments. Retinoids have gained attention recently due to their antifungal properties. Material and methods: The present study aimed at evaluating the in vitro effects of different concentrations (300 to 18.75 µg/mL) of All-trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA), a vitamin A metabolite, on Candida growth and biofilm formation. Results: ATRA completely inhibited the fungal growth, by acting as both fungicidal (at 300 µg/mL) and fungistatic (at 150 µg/mL) agent. Furthermore, ATRA was found to negatively affect Candida biofilm formation in terms of biomass, metabolic activity and morphology, in a dose-dependent manner, and intriguingly, its efficacy was as that of amphotericin B (AmB) (2–0.12 μg/mL). Additionally, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that at 300 μg/mL ATRA induced plasma membrane damage in Candida cells, confirming its direct toxic effect against the fungus. Conclusion: Altogether, the results suggest that ATRA has a potential for novel antifungal strategies aimed at preventing and controlling biofilm-associated Candida infections.
SPECTROSCOPIC CONFIRMATION OF UV-BRIGHT WHITE DWARFS FROM THE SANDAGE TWO-COLOR SURVEY OF THE GALACTIC PLANE

We present spectroscopic observations confirming the identification of hot white dwarfs among UV-bright sources from the Sandage Two-color Survey of the Galactic Plane and listed in the Lanning (Lan) catalog of such sources. A subsample of 213 UV-bright Lan sources have been identified as candidate white dwarfs based on the detection of a significant proper motion. Spectroscopic observations of 46 candidates with the KPNO 2.1 m telescope confirm 30 sources to be hydrogen white dwarfs with subtypes in the DA1–DA6 range, and with one of the stars (Lan 161) having an unresolved M dwarf as a companion. Five more sources are confirmed to be helium white dwarfs, with subtypes from DB3 to DB6. One source (Lan 364) is identified as a DZ 3 white dwarf, with strong lines of calcium. Three more stars are found to have featureless spectra (to within detection limits) and are thus classified as DC white dwarfs. In addition, three sources are found to be hot subdwarfs: Lan 20 and Lan 480 are classified as sdOB, and Lan 432 is classified sdB. The remaining four objects are found to be field F star interlopers. Physical parameters of the DA and DB white dwarfs are derived from model fits.
COMPARISON STUDY BETWEEN DIFFERENT METHODS OF TRAVELLING WAVE INDUCTION HEATER ANALYSIS

The travelling wave induction heater (T.W.I.H) is a new and promising tool the field of heating rectangular workpieces. This heater has many advantages when compared with the existing techniques of heating such workpieces. But there is no available method or procedure to analyses this type of heaters In this paper different theories are adopted to study the and a novel equivalent circuit is introduced to predict the performance of this device A completely mathematıcal procedure is used in the construction of this equivalent circuit and no empirical factors were implemented.
S0025315422000303jra 69..75

Marine ectotherms have evolved a range of physiological strategies to cope with temperature changes that persist across generations. For example, metabolic rates are expected to increase following an acute exposure to temperature, with potential detrimental impacts for fitness. However, they may be downregulated in the following generation if offspring experience the thermal conditions of their parents, with a resulting decrease in maintenance costs and fitness maximization. Yet, trans-generational studies on metabolic rates are few in marine ectotherms, thus limiting our ability to accurately predict longer-term implications of ocean warming on organisms’ performance, metabolic rates being the fundamental pacemaker for all biological processes. This is particularly true for small-size organisms, for which the determination of individual metabolic rates has been historically challenging, and for many groups of marine invertebrates, such as annelids, which are under-represented in physiological investigations. Here, we exposed the subtidal annelid Ophryotrocha labronica (body length: ∼4 mm) to a thermal gradient (21, 24, 26, 29°C) and measured, for the first time in this species, the temperature dependence of metabolic rates across two generations. We found that metabolic rates were positively related to temperature, but this relationship did not differ between generations. Our study provides additional evidence for the diversity of temperature-associated physiological responses of marine ectotherms and offers a number of methodological recommendations for unveiling the mechanisms underpinning the observed trans-generational responses of metabolic rates in marine annelid species.
Emerging Applications of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy in Tear Film Analysis

Human tear film, with a flow rate of 1–3 µL/min, is a rich bodily fluid that transmits a variety of metabolites and hormones containing proteins, lipids and electrolytes that provide clues about ocular and systemic diseases. Analysis of disease biomarkers such as proteins, mRNA, enzymes and cytokines in the tear film, collected by noninvasive methods, can provide significant results for sustaining a predictive, preventive and personalized medicine regarding various diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, keratoconus, dry eye, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and COVID-19. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) offers a powerful technique for analyzing these biomarkers. EIS detects electrical equivalent circuit parameters related to biorecognition of receptor–analyte interactions on the electrode surface. This method is advantageous as it performs a label-free detection and allows the detection of non-electroactive compounds that cannot be detected by direct electron transfer, such as hormones and some proteins. Here, we review the opportunities regarding the integration of EIS into tear fluid sampling approaches.
Zero-shot Script Parsing

Script knowledge is useful to a variety of NLP tasks. However, existing resources only cover a small number of activities, limiting its practical usefulness. In this work, we propose a zero-shot learning approach to script parsing, the task of tagging texts with scenario-specific event and participant types, which enables us to acquire script knowledge without domain-specific annotations. We (1) learn representations of potential event and participant mentions by promoting cluster consistency according to the annotated data; (2) perform clustering on the event / participant candidates from unannotated texts that belongs to an unseen scenario. The model achieves 68.1/74.4 average F1 for event / participant parsing, respectively, outperforming a previous CRF model that, in contrast, has access to scenario-specific supervision. We also evaluate the model by testing on a different corpus, where it achieved 55.5/54.0 average F1 for event / participant parsing.
Study on the Impact of Government Health Expenditure Equity on Residents’ Health Level in the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle of China

Background: When the global COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread, residents pay more attention to their health. This paper studies the relationship between the equity of government health expenditure and the health level of residents. Methods: The Theil index and a principal component analysis were used to measure the equity of government health expenditure and the health level of residents in the Chengdu–Chongqing economic circle. Then, an empirical study on the relationship between the equity of government health expenditure and the health level of residents in this region was conducted with the System GMM model. Results: 1. The Theil index rose from 0.0115 in 2015 to 0.0231 in 2017 and gradually decreased to 0.0106 in 2020. 2. The overall health level of residents showed an upward trend, rising from 1.95 in 2015 to 2.33 in 2017, then remained high and fluctuated slightly. 3. There was a positive correlation between the Theil index and the health level of residents at a significance level of 1% (β = 0.903, p < 0.01). Conclusions: 1. The Theil index was close to 0, indicating that the equity of government health expenditure in the Chengdu–Chongqing economic circle was generally good. 2. The health level of residents in the Chengdu–Chongqing economic circle had improved compared to before. 3. The fairer the government’s health expenditure, the higher the residents’ health level.
Natural Resource Managers Adapt to Disturbance: Understanding and strengthening public land management and civic stewardship across both rural and urban forests during the COVID-19 pandemic

In addition to the devastating impacts on human health and the economy, COVID-19 is changing the way people interact with public lands such as forests, parks, and green spaces. Land managers have adapted practices in real-time to a changing reality. Establishing new field protocols, managing workforce capacity issues, responding to unprecedented demand, and reimagining the way the public is served through events and programs are some of the adaptations managers are making to ensure use and access to public lands. Many community-based partners have managed to adapt during this time of crisis to support public lands in cities, towns, and rural areas. These ‘ green responders’ are known to be effective and adaptive across geographies and cultures; yet capaci ty to respond can be uneven and inequitable. To better understand what drives adaptation and ‘green response’ to disturbance, we pose the question: How do public land managers, civic environmental groups, and governance networks adapt to the COVID-19 disturbance in their environmental stewardship? Drawing upon semi-structured interviews (n=70) with USDA Forest Service managers in the northeastern United States, municipal park managers at the New York City Parks Department, and civic stewardship groups in New York City, we advance policy-relevant knowledge about networks and adaptation. We 1) identify the emergence of new groups, the transformation of partnerships, and the shifts in flows of information and resources across networks, and 2) share best practices and creative solutions during the pandemic. By documenting how natural resource managers responded to the first six months of the pandemic starting in March 2020, this study builds understanding of how adaptation can strengthen resilience to future disturbances. This work builds upon scholarship that has examined stewardship in the wake of acute and chronic disturbances including terrorism, hurricanes, wildfires, and pest invasions.
Migration of massive black hole binaries in self-gravitating accretion discs: Retrograde versus prograde

We study the interplay between mass transfer, accretion and gravitational torques onto a black hole binary migrating in a self-gravitating, retrograde circumbinary disc. A direct comparison with an identical prograde disc shows that: (i) because of the absence of resonances, the cavity size is a factor a(1+e) smaller for retrograde discs; (ii) nonetheless the shrinkage of a circular binary semi–major axis a is identical in both cases; (iii) a circular binary in a retrograde disc remains circular while eccentric binaries grow more eccentric. For non-circular binaries, we measure the orbital decay rates and the eccentricity growth rates to be exponential as long as the binary orbits in the plane of its disc. Additionally, for these co-planar systems, we find that interaction (� non–zero torque) stems only from the cavity edge plus a(1+e) in the disc, i.e. for dynamical purposes, the disc can be treated as a annulus of small radial extent. We find that simple ’dust’ models in which the binary- disc interaction is purely gravitational can account for all main numerical results, both for prograde and retrograde discs. Furthermore, we discuss the possibility of an instability occurring for highly eccentric binaries causing it to leave the disc plane, secularly tilt and converge to a prograde system. Our results suggest that there are two stable configurations for binaries in self-gravitating discs: the special circular retrograde case and an eccentric (e� 0.6) prograde configuration as a stable attractor.
Single line noise cancellation using derivative of normalized least mean square algorithm

Suppression of noise in noisy speech signal is required in many speech enhancement applications like signal recording and transmission from one place to other. In this paper a novel single line noise cancellation system is proposed using derivative of normalized least mean spare algorithm. The proposed system has two phases. The first phase is generation of secondary reference signal from incoming primary signal itself at initial silence period and pause between two words, which is essential while adaptive filter using as noise canceller. Second phase is noise cancellation using proposed modified error data normalized step size algorithm. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with normalized least mean square (NLMS) algorithm and original error data normalized step size (EDNSS) algorithm using standard IEEE sentence (SP23) of Noizeus data base with different types of real world noise at different level of signal to noise ratio (SNR). The output of proposed, NLMS and EDNSS algorithm are measured with output SNR, excessive mean square error (EMSE) and misadjustment (M). The results clearly illustrates that the proposed algorithm gives improved result over conventional NLMS and EDNSS algorithm. The speed of convergence is also maintained as same conventional NLMS algorithm.
INTRODUCING A NEWER DENTAL ANXIETY SCALE: DEEPAK VISWANATH’S NEWER DENTAL ANXIETY SCALE BASED ON CHILD’S PERCEPTIONS [Deepak Viswanath’s Child’s Perceptions Dental Anxiety Questionnaire (DV-CPDAQ)]

: Dental anxiety is a multi-system reaction to a perceived threat or risk. It is a particular, subjective experience that varies from person to person. It is a typical occurrence that ranks fifth among the most generally feared circumstances for humans. In the absence of diagnosis and management, dental anxiety is likely to begin in childhood and grow with time. Understanding the level of anxiety prior to treatment and the variables that contribute to it will enable the dentist to recognise the anxious child and give better anxiety management and a more enjoyable experience. This paper focuses on the development of a new self-reported scale for the assessment of dental anxiety in children.
The strongest gravitational lenses - II. Is the large Einstein radius of MACS J0717.5+3745 in conflict with ΛCDM?

Context. With the amount and quality of galaxy cluster data increasing, the question arises whether or not the standard cosmological model can be questioned on the basis of a single observed extreme galaxy cluster. Usually, the word extreme refers directly to cluster mass, which is not a direct observable and thus subject to substantial uncertainty. Hence, it is desirable to extend studies of extreme clusters to direct observables, such as the Einstein radius. Aims. We aim to evaluate the occurrence probability of the large observed Einstein radius of MACS J0717.5+3745 within the standard ΛCDM cosmology. In particular, we want to model the distribution function of the single largest Einstein radius in a given cosmological volume and to study which underlying assumptions and effects have the strongest impact on the results. Methods. We obtain this distribution by a Monte Carlo approach, based on the semi-analytic modelling of the halo population on the past lightcone. After sampling the distribution, we fit the results with the general extreme value (GEV) distribution which we use for the subsequent analysis. Results. We find that the distribution of the maximum Einstein radius is particularly sensitive to the precise choice of the halo mass function, lens triaxiality, the inner slope of the halo density profile and the mass-concentration relation. Using the distributions so obtained, we study the occurrence probability of the large Einstein radius of MACS J0717.5+3745, finding that this system is not in tension with ΛCDM. We also find that the GEV distribution can be used to fit very accurately the sampled distributions and that all of them can be described by a (type-II) Frechet distribution. Conclusions. With a multitude of effects that strongly influence the distribution of the single largest Einstein radius, it is more than doubtful that the standard ΛCDM cosmology can be ruled out on the basis of a single observation. If, despite the large uncertainties in the underlying assumptions, one wanted to do so, a much larger Einstein radius (>100 �� ) than that of MACS J0717.5+3745 would have to be observed.