Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Species-Specific Differences in the Net Assimilation of Zinc, Cadmium, Lead, Copper and Iron by the Terrestrial Isopods Oniscus asellus and Porcellio scaber

SUMMARY (1) Specimens of the woodlice Oniscus asellus L. and Porcellio scaber Latreille (Crustacea: Isopoda) were collected from a contaminated deciduous woodland (Haw Wood) 3 km downwind of a primary zinc, lead and cadmium smelting works, and from a similar but uncontaminated site (Wetmoor Wood). They were maintained for 20 weeks in factorial combination on leaves of field maple (Acer campestre L.) collected from the litter layer at the two sites. (2) Twelve isopods were removed from each of the eight experimental tanks every 4 weeks and dissected into three 'tissue compartments' (hepatopancreas, gut and rest) in which the concentrations of zinc, cadmium, lead, copper and iron were determined by flame and flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. (3) There were considerable differences in the extent to which the two species accumulated or lost zinc, cadmium and lead during the experiment. For example, zinc was retained by contaminated P. scaber fed on uncontaminated leaf litter but was lost rapidly from the hepatopancreas of 0. asellus fed on the same diet. In contrast, cadmium and lead were accumulated to a much greater extent in 0. asellus than in P. scaber. By the end of the experiment, mean concentrations of cadmium and lead in the hepatopancreas of 0. asellus were at least five times higher than in the hepatopancreas of P. scaber in every case. (4) Copper was accumulated by the hepatopancreas of both species in all experimental situations. (5) Concentrations of iron increased in all the woodlice during the experiment but the metal was stored predominantly in the gut, not in the hepatopancreas. (6) The possible reasons for the differences in the net assimilation of zinc, cadmium and lead between the two species, and for the substantial increase in the concentration of copper in the hepatopancreas of isopods fed on leaf litter from their 'own' site are discussed. (7) Comparisons between the concentrations of metals in the tissues of healthy and moribund isopods suggested that death of individual woodlice in the laboratory was due to zinc poisoning. Critical concentrations of zinc in the hepatopancreas (on a dry weight
Composition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains in spontaneous fermentations of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

There is a lack of knowledge about the composition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains in spontaneous fermentations of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay cultivars. The objectives were to determine the relative abundance of indigenous and commercial S. cerevisiae strains in spontaneous fermentations at three wineries from the two cultivars and to compare the composition of the S. cerevisiae strains between cultivars and wineries. Three fermentation vessels were sampled at three stages of fermentation for each cultivar at each winery. Isolates were identified to the strain level using seven microsatellite loci. Commercial S. cerevisiae strains were isolated at a frequency higher than that of the indigenous strains at each winery for both cultivars. The composition of S. cerevisiae strains was different for each cultivar and at each winery. Our results illustrate the clear influence of inoculated commercial active dry yeast strains on the composition of S. cerevisiae strains in spontaneous fermentations at wineries conducting both inoculated and spontaneous fermentations.
The Plasma-Focus device at IFJ PAN Kraków: Status and Perspectives

The report presents the principle of operation of the Plasma Focus (PF) device and a description of the phenomena in the generation of hot, dense magnetized plasma. Here is a brief outline of its history and the current state of research conducted on these systems in various laboratories around the world. Against this background, the specification and operating parameters of PF-24, operating at the Laboratory of Neutron Sources (IFJ PAN) since 2014, have been described. The current state of the diagnostic systems used was presented as well as the main research objectives illustrated by the results obtained. Plans and perspectives for future experiments as well as related topics of doctoral dissertations were presented.
Current estimates of K1* and K2* appear inconsistent with measured CO2 system parameters in cold oceanic regions

Abstract. Seawater absorption of anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has led to a range of changes in carbonate chemistry, collectively referred to as ocean acidification. Stoichiometric dissociation constants used to convert measured carbonate system variables (pH, pCO2, dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity) into globally comparable parameters are crucial for accurately quantifying these changes. The temperature and salinity coefficients of these constants have generally been experimentally derived under controlled laboratory conditions. Here, we use field measurements of carbonate system variables taken from the Global Ocean Data Analysis Project version 2 and the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas data products to evaluate the temperature dependence of the carbonic acid stoichiometric dissociation constants. By applying a novel iterative procedure to a large dataset of 948 surface-water, quality-controlled samples where four carbonate system variables were independently measured, we show that the set of equations published by Lueker et al. (2000), currently preferred by the ocean acidification community, overestimates the stoichiometric dissociation constants at temperatures below about 8 ∘C. We apply these newly derived temperature coefficients to high-latitude Argo float and cruise data to quantify the effects on surface-water pCO2 and calcite saturation states. These findings highlight the critical implications of uncertainty in stoichiometric dissociation constants for future projections of ocean acidification in polar regions and the need to improve knowledge of what causes the CO2 system inconsistencies in cold waters.
Portfolio Selection with the Extended CIR Model in the Utility Framework∗

This paper studies a continuous-time dynamic portfolio selection problem with multiple risky assets in the utility framework, where we assume that the financial market is composed of one risk-free asset, multiple risky assets and one zero-coupon bond, and short rate is driven by the CIR model. By using dynamic programming principle and solving corresponding Hamilton-JacobiBellman(HJB) equation, we obtain the optimal portfolios for power utility and exponential utility. In addition, we obtain the closed-form solutions to the optimal portfolios under Hyperbolic Absolute Risk Aversion (HARA) utility, which covers power utility, exponential utility and logarithm utility as special cases. Key–Words: the CIR model; portfolio selection; dynamic programming principle; utility criterion; HARA utility;
STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC RESPONSE IN EICHHORNIA CRASSIPES (MART

Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms is a floating hydrophyte that dominates metal-polluted wetlands such as industrial effluents. Keeping in view its capability to hyper-accumulate metal ions, the effect of cadmium stress on structural and functional features of photosynthesis was investigated to assess growth response under metal toxicity. Plants were randomly collected from polluted areas of Sheikhupura-Lahore road and multiplied for about one year at research sites of old Botanic Garden, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. Plants were thereafter treated with cadmium stress and levels of cadmium were 0 (control), 50, 100 and 150 mg L in aqueous solution. E. crassipes reduced their biomass, and photosynthetic features like chlorophyll pigments, net CO2 assimilation rate, sub-stomatal CO2 concentration and stomatal conductance under cadmium toxicity. Water use efficiency also decreases significantly in response to metal stress, but this species is a floating hydrophyte. Water is frequently available to this species and any decrease in water use efficiency may not affect growth and development. Leaf features i.e. leaf thickness, chlorenchymatous and sclerchymatous area, aerenchymatous area, vascular bundle region (xylem and phloem area) and stomatal area were reduced in response to Cd treatment. Increase in stomatal density on adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces and bundle sheath cell area under cadmium stress indicate metal tolerance in plants. It is concluded from the present investigations that E. crassipes accumulates cadmium and can be utilized for phytoremediation in polluted water.
pore-solid boundaries in cement-based materials

6 Three-dimensional (3D) Monte Carlo simulation was used to study the variation of backscattered electron (BSE) signal 7 across pore-solid boundaries in cement-based materials in order to enhance quantitative analysis of pore structure. The 8 effects of pore size, depth and boundary inclination angle were investigated. It is found that pores down to 1 nm can 9 generate sufficient contrast to be detected. Visibility improves with larger pore size, smaller beam probe size and lower 10 acceleration voltage. However, pixels in shallow pores or near pore boundaries display higher grey values (brightness) 11 than expected due to sampling sub-surface or neighbouring solid material. Thus, cement-based materials may appear 12 less porous or the pores appear smaller than they actually are in BSE images. Simulated BSE images were used to test 13 the accuracy of the Overflow pore segmentation method. Results show the method is generally valid and gives low 14 errors for pores that are 1 μm and greater. 15
High-Resolution Bin Maps Provide Insights for QTL Mapping of Yield-Related Traits with Milyang23/Gihobyeo Recombinant Inbred Lines

High-throughput genotyping has substantially advanced the quality and accuracy of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery and provided an effective way to interpret phenotypic variations in a mapping population. High-resolution quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping is important for understanding agricultural traits. However, constructing a high-resolution map without sufficient markers to detect QTLs/genes of agronomically important traits is laborious and time consuming. In this study, 160 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between Milyang23 and Gihobyeo were re-sequenced, and their SNPs were used for high-resolution QTL mapping of yield-related traits. A total of 1,850,671 high-quality SNPs from RILs were detected, and 3,563 bins were used as genetic markers to construct a high-resolution genetic map using the sliding window approach. The total genetic distance was 1,278.62 cM. Using the QTL analysis, we identified 35 QTLs controlling six yield traits, namely, culm length, panicle length, panicle number per plant, primary branch number per panicle, grain number per plant, and 100-grain weight. In addition, we detected major QTLs associated with culm length and grain number, and compared their physical distances using a conventional genetic map. These results showed that rapid, high-resolution QTL mapping using high-quality SNPs as bin markers is a powerful tool for finemapping and cloning important QTLs/genes.
Study on the influence of seafloor soft soil layer on seismic ground motion

In the complex medium system of the sea area, the overlying seawater and the surface soft soil have a significant impact on the seafloor ground motion, which brings great seismic risk to the safety of offshore-engineering structures. In this paper, four sets of typical free-field models are constructed and established, comprising a land model, land model with surface soft soil, sea model and sea model with surface soft soil. The dynamic finite-difference method is used to carry out two-dimensional seismic response analysis of a typical free field based on the input forms of P and SV waves. By comparing the seismic response analysis results of four groups of calculation models, the effects of overlying seawater and soft soil on the peak acceleration and acceleration response spectrum are studied. The results show that when an SV wave is input, the peak acceleration and response spectrum of the surface of soft soil on the surface and the seabed surface can be amplified, while the overlying seawater can significantly reduce the ground motion. When the P wave is used, the effect of overlying seawater and soft soil on the peak acceleration and response spectrum of the surface and seabed can be ignored. The peak acceleration decreases first and then increases from the bottom to the surface, and the difference of peak acceleration calculated by four free-field models is not obvious. The results show that the overlying seawater and the surface soft soil layer have little effect on the peak acceleration of ground motion below the surface.
Refugee Children from the point of School Administrators and Teachers’ Experiences

In the present study, perceptions of Turkish school administrators and teachers towards Syrian refugee children were examined through metaphors. 71 school administrators and 242 teachers from 27 different provinces of Turkey participated in the study. As a result of the study, the metaphors produced by school administrators were grouped into four categories: “child with cultural adaptation and belonging problems”, “fragile and needy child”, “child who is no different from other children” and “problematic child”. The metaphors produced by teachers were grouped into six categories: “child with cultural adaptation and belonging problems”, “child who is no different from other children”, “fragile and needy child”, “problematic child”, “child who can reveal her/his potential with interest” and “compatible child”. Participants' perceptions of refugee children were not related to gender but there was a significant relationship between professional seniority and the number of refugee children at school. Although school administrators and teachers have positive perceptions about refugee children, their negative perceptions are largely due to the lack of professional experience and the high number of students at school. Providing vocational support to teachers and administrators, planning the number of students in schools, and providing resources to schools will improve positive perceptions about refugee children.
Nivolumab in pre-treated malignant pleural mesothelioma: real-world data from the Dutch expanded access program

Background Randomized phase III trials are ongoing to investigate the efficacy of nivolumab in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), but real-world data are still scarce. In this real-world study, we investigated the clinical outcomes of nivolumab treatment in pre-treated MPM patients. Methods Data from 107 nivolumab treated MPM patients within the Dutch expanded access program were retrospectively analyzed. Treatment was independent of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on tumor samples. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between clinically important factors, baseline peripheral blood parameters and survival. The landmark method was used to compare the outcome of patients according to their radiological response. Results In the full cohort, the median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 2.3 months (95% CI: 1.6–2.9) and the median overall survival (mOS) was 6.7 months (95% CI: 6.2–10.0). After 12 weeks, the disease control rate (DCR) was 37% and the objective response rate (ORR) was 10%. PD-L1 status was determined in 33 patients (30%) and PD-L1 positivity (≥1%) was associated with an improved ORR (36% vs. 9%, P value 0.05), but not with PFS or OS. Low albumin was associated with worse OS (P value 0.002). Median OS was significantly longer for patients who had partial response to treatment (P value 0.0002). Conclusions In this real-world analysis, ORR and mOS were lower compared to those obtained in phase II trials. However, exceptional survival rates were observed in patients who had a radiological response. Although we cannot determine whether prognostic or predictive, PD-L1 expression and albumin were associated with greater response rate and may represent useful biomarkers for nivolumab treatment in MPM.
Development of Improved Double-Nanobody Sandwich ELISAs for Human Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Detection in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Diabetic Patients and the Prefrontal Cortex of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) is highly specific and selective towards target molecules and is convenient for on-site detection. However, in many cases, lack of high sensitivity makes it hard to reveal a significant colorimetric signal for detecting a trace amount of target molecules. Thus, analytical instruments are required for detection, which limits the application of ELISA for on-site detection. In the present study, a highly sensitive and naked-eyed detectable colorimetric biosensor for chloramphenicol (CAP) was prepared by incorporating ELISA onto surfaces of microporous and nanofibrous membranes. The high specific surface areas of the nanofibers significantly increased the number of antibodies covalently linked onto the fiber surfaces and binding capacity of the sensor with antigens present in a sample. With such an integration, the sensitivity of the ELISA sensor was dramatically increased, and a trace number of targets could reveal a naked-eye detectable color. The immunoassay sensor exhibited a significant naked-eye distinguishable color to chloramphenicol (CAP) at 0.3 ng/ mL. The successful design and fabrication of the nanofibrous membrane immunoassay sensor provide new paths towards the development of on-site inspection sensors without the assistance from any instrument.
Zsmell – Code Smell Detection for Open Source Software

Today, open-source software (OSS) is used in various applications. It has played a vital role in information systems of many user groups such as commercials, research, education, public health, and tourism . It is also a source of additional knowledge for collaborators because this type of software is easily accessible through websites that provide management of version control services such as GitHub. However, a recent study shows an increasing trend in the existence of code smells . In OSS, there is a growing number of code smells that cause software errors. Having a code smell in software is a serious issue since it impacts the software in terms of deployment, maintenance as well as user confidence toward the software. Finding code smells in the early stages of software development would provide for better software maintenance and reliability; thus, researchers invented the Zsmell software system that helps search for code smells in the source code saved in GitHub. Developed systems display data related to code smells in each source code version that was modified by collaborators. Thus, the developers will be able to employ the proper refactoring method, which is a change in the internal structure of software without changing the original functionality of the software . We believe that this system will enable open source collaborators to improve the quality of their OSS, especially on code smell reduction and the understanding of various types of code smell commonly found in OSS projects .
Residual Levels of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus, Linnaeus, 1758) Marketed within a Niger Delta Community

DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.24018/ejfood.2020. 2.4. 93 Vol 2 | Issue 4 | August 2020 1 Abstract — The residual levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Atlantic Mackerel, Scomber scrombrus (mean length 44.87 cm, mean weight 478.35 g) marketed in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, were determined by Gas Chromatographic (GC) technique in order to ascertain its suitability for human consumption. The summary statistics for the mean concentrations of detectable PCBs in S. scrombrus ranged from 0.04 mg/kg (PCB 153) to 0.65 mg/kg (PCB 126), with a total of 0.93 mg/kg while the mean concentrations of PCBs in S. scrombrus by market ranged from 0.02 mg/kg (PCB 153) at Cable market to 0.82 mg/kg (PCB 126) at Abraka market with no observed significant difference (p>0.05) in the mean concentrations of PCB 153 and PCB 169 in fish between markets. The toxicity quotient (TQ) values for PCBs in S. scrombrus ranged from 0.02 (PCB 153) to 0.33(PCB 126) while the estimated daily intake (EDI) values in mg/person/day for PCBs ranged from 0.00072 (PCB 138) to 0.026 (PCB 126). A toxic equivalency (TEQ) value of 0.0656 was recorded with PCB 126 having the highest Sub-TEQ value of 0.065 while the total PCB content in S. scrombrus according to market ranged from 0.67 mg/kg (Cable market) to 1.20 mg/kg (Abraka market). The observed PCB levels in fish fell below International threshold values indicating suitability for human consumption. However constant monitoring of this aquatic species for hazardous levels of PCBs was highly recommended.
The less we love a woman, the more she likes us: Pushkin's observation explained

Alexander Pushkin, the most famous Russian poet, made this observation in “Eugene Onegin”, his novel in verse which is most known to non-Russian readers via Tchaikovsky’s opera. This observation may not be an absolute truth – there are counterexamples – but the fact that it is still widely cited shows that there is some truth in this statement. In this paper, we recall the usual utility-based explanation for a similar statement, and propose a new explanation, which is even more fundamental – it is on the biological level. 1 Pushkin’s Observation: A Brief Reminder Who was Pushkin. Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) is the most famous Russian poet. Russian people love his poems, they know many of them by heart, journalists cite them when appropriate – and readers understand what these citations refer to. This is like citing the basic Shakespeare quotes in English. Most of Pushkin’s poems are very melodic, so it is not surprising that many of them have been put to music, including many of his love poems. One of his most famous novels in verse – “Eugene Onegin” – was turned into an opera by the famous Russian composer Tchaikosvky. This opera is what most people around the world know about Pushkin. Pushkin’s observation. Many lines from “Eugene Onegin” (and other Pushkin’s poems) paraphrase (or even cite verbatim) folk sayings and proverbs. Vice versa, many lines from “Eugene Onegin” became, in fact, Russian proverbs. One of these lines is – in literal (non-rhyming) translation – “The less we love a woman, the more she likes us”. This phrase is often cited, both with respect to a man loving a woman – and a woman loving a man. People also often cite a statement that seems to follow from the above one: the more we love a woman, the less she likes us.
Evaluation of antioxidant, antibacterial, alpha amylase enzyme inhibition activities and GC-MS analysis of leaves extract of Gymnema sylvestre L.

Gymnema sylvestre is an important medicinal plant which belongs to the family Apocynaceae, commonly used herb in Ayurveda. The common name is gurmar, meaning of “sugar destroying,” was given because of the plant has antisacharogenic property (suppresses the taste of sugar). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant, antibacterial activities and to identify the bioactive compounds by GC-MS analysis of methanol leaves extract of G. sylvestre. Different antioxidant assays were carried out for evaluating antioxidant activity. The maximum DPPH radical scavenging activity was 54.08±0.15% at 120 µg/mL concentration with the IC50 of 104.66 µg/mL concentration. The maximum DPPH radical scavenging activity was 54.08±0.15% at 120 µg/mL concentration with the IC50 of 104.66 µg/mL concentration. The maximum superoxide radical (O2·-) scavenging activity was 62.48±0.20% at 120 µg/mL concentration with the IC50 of 72.93 µg/mL concentration. The maximum Fe3+ reduction and Mo6+ reduction were 83.11±0.17% and 62.03±0.36% at 120 µg/mL concentration with the RC50 of 43.79 µg/mL and 75.14 µg/mL concentration respectively. The maximum α-amylase enzyme inhibition was 70.86±0.94% at 60 µg/mL concentration with the IC50 of 75.40 µg/mL concentration.