Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The healthcare and pharmaceutical vulnerability emerging from the new Coronavirus outbreak

With a constantly increasing number of infected people world-wide,1 the COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) outbreak risks becoming a pandemic emergency, and for this reason, on 28 February 2020 the WHO upgraded the global risk of the coronavirus outbreak to ‘very high’. 2 As many studies have shown, in the first phase of the onset of 2019-nCoV there is an exponential curve of infection with a reproduction number (R) ranging from 2 to 5,3 an indication that the spread of the virus cannot spontaneously decrease. A significant reduction in these R values can possibly be achieved by implementing specific containment actions, according to the results of a study of the evolution of the infections detected in China​​. 4 The spread of the virus is favoured by its ability to be transmitted by asymptomatic patients,5 a particularly grave consideration, given that the currently estimated incubation period extends from 2 to 12 days.6 Furthermore, the easiest screening methods based on the execution of a nasopharyngeal swab displayed false negative results in both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients,7 making it more complex to intercept possible infected subjects, especially before a clinical manifestation of the infection. Since its onset in Europe, the 2019-nCoV emergency has been addressed by implementing social containment measures. This is particularly true in Italy, the first European country struck by an important 2019-nCoV … Correspondence to Dr Carlo Polidori, Experimental medicine and Public health, University of Camerino, Camerino 62032, Italy; carlo.polidori{at}unicam.it
Exogenously-applied Salicylic Acid and Ascorbic Acid Modulate some Physiological Traits and Antioxidative Defense System in Zea mays L. Seedlings under Drought Stress

THIS WORK was undertaken to evaluate the effects of salicylic acid (SA) (0.0 and 0.5 mM) and ascorbic acid (AsA) (0.0 and 100 ppm) on enzymes activity, soluble sugars, and some physiological traits of maize seedlings (Zay mays L.) under drought stress using PEG-6000. In general, under drought conditions, significant reduction in plant biomass and photosynthetic pigments was detected. On the other hand, soluble sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose), soluble proteins, antioxidant enzymes activity [catalase (CAT), ascrobate peroxidase (APOX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)], glutathione (GSH), proline and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were increased significantly under drought as compared to control. Shoots of tested plants were more affected by drought stress than roots. Seed presoaking in AsA or SA solutions resulted in massive increase in growth parameters, chlorophyll contents, osmoprotectants (soluble sugars, free amino acids and soluble proteins), antioxidant enzymes activity [ascrobate peroxidase (APOX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)] and non-enzymatic antioxidants [carotenoids, and glutathione (GSH)] content as compared to control. Conversely, proline, catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were decreased significantly. The present study established that, both salicylic acid and ascorbic acid alleviate drought stress in maize plants which could attribute to the increased in osmotic solutes and antioxidative capacity of maize plants.
Ideological Conflict and Prejudice: An Adversarial Collaboration Examining Correlates and Ideological (A)Symmetries

In an adversarial collaboration, we examined associations among factors that could link ideological conflict—perceiving that members of a group do not share one’s ideology—to prejudice and affiliation interest. We also examined whether these factors would possess similar (“symmetrical”) or different (“asymmetrical”) associative strength among liberals and conservatives. Across three samples (666 undergraduate students, 347 Mechanical Turk workers), ideological conflict was associated with perceived dissimilarity on political and nonpolitical topics, as well as negative emotions. Perceived political and nonpolitical dissimilarity were also associated with negative emotions, prejudice, and lower affiliative intentions among both liberals and conservatives. Importantly, however, perceived political dissimilarity was associated with negative emotions, prejudice, and lower affiliative intentions more strongly among liberals. Some inconsistent evidence also suggested that perceived nonpolitical dissimilarity was associated with prejudice and lower affiliative intentions more strongly among conservatives. These findings document nuance in relationships that could link ideological conflict to prejudice.
Regulatory pressure, allocating decision rights, and the use of soft information

Should a bank take small to medium sized companies at face value? Research in both accounting and finance has tried to answer this question by studying the use of soft information that is qualitative, hard to verify, and costly to transfer. We study how the generation, application, and sharing of this soft information is affected by the location of knowledge and the allocation of decision rights. We exploit a quasi-natural experiment at a large European bank to study whether reallocating decision rights away from the loan officer enables or impedes the use of soft information in the operational decision making process. Our findings indicate that the reduction in decisions rights increases the amount of soft information integrated in the the credit application process. These findings are robust to controlling for strategic loan sorting behavior, manager fixed-effects, and the likelihood of acceptance. We also document that this increase in considered soft information is driven by a change in behavior of the incumbent loan officers and that this change in behavior improves the loan application process through better ex-post loan outcomes.
Symmetrical Six-Phase Induction Motor-Based Integrated Driveline of Electric Vehicle With Predictive Control

In this article, an integrated driveline for electric vehicle (EV) is developed by using a symmetrical six-phase induction motor (IM). In propulsion mode, predictive torque control (PTC) is proposed to improve the dynamic performance similarly in charging mode, predictive current control is implemented. The conventional PTC (C-PTC) in propulsion mode generates <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$xy$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-subspace flux and provides variable switching frequency with a high computational burden. Modified PTC (M-PTC) with only torque and flux as a constraint variable with constant switching frequency operation is implemented. In this method, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$xy$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-subspace is eliminated by using synthetic voltage vectors, and the computational burden is also reduced by adopting stator flux monitoring in <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$dq$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-subspace. The switching sequence with the minimum transition while a digital signal processor (DSP) implementation is feasible due to redundancy in synthetic voltage vectors. In the charging mode, the same high rating driveline inverter is utilized as a rectifier. In this mode, stator windings are reconfigured to provide grid interfacing inductance, while the rotor is maintained in stationary position due to transfer of excitation from torque producing (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$dq$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) plane to nontorque producing (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$xy$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) plane. This controller also provides a constant switching frequency operation. The comparative analysis, along with experimental results, is provided to validate the effective predictive control during both operating modes.
Real-Time Distance Evaluation System for Wireless Localization

The paper describes the FPGA implementation of a novel position evaluation algorithm based on the time difference of arrival (TDOA) principle that combines the characteristics of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation (OFDM) symbol with the properties of the Zadoff-Chu mathematical sequences. The resulting system is highly scalable and its characteristics are easily adaptable to different operating scenarios. The algorithm has been implemented using the Stratix IV-E EP4SGX70HF35C3 FPGA, requiring about 112k bit of memory and less than 44k logic elements of which about 16k are registers. The paper describes the algorithm and its FPGA implementation along with experimental results validating the system performance even in the presence of multipath interferences and showing precision in target position estimation that is better than 2 cm.
Residents’ Views on Landscape and Ecosystem Services during a Wind Farm Proposal in an Island Protected Area

Industrial wind farms are being developed within many protected areas, such as in EU Natura 2000 sites; this includes proposals on small Mediterranean islands, such as Samothraki in Greece. Scarce wild land areas on islands may be particularly vulnerable to landscape-scale degradation; this may have serious negative societal impacts. Samothraki’s resident perceptions were surveyed in the wake of such a proposal, in June 2018. Of 98 respondents, 48% reported they were against the wind farm plan, while 22% did not take sides. We compare for-and-against sub-group perceptions of the proposed wind farm with potential impacts on the landscape and explore residents’ opinions on ecosystem services and environmental pressures and threats. Conflict over the wind farm was prevalent; residents most frequently reported that the proposal threatens aesthetic and landscape qualities. Aesthetic qualities were also the second highest ranked ecosystem services, after freshwater provision. However, other threats, such as livestock overgrazing, top residents’ opinion of major environmental problems on the island. The questionnaire survey used provides a scoping assessment, which may assist in identifying "conflict hotspots" for wind farm development. A critical review of wind farm planning in protected areas is presented in light of insights gained from this survey and other relevant studies.
The challenges of providing a quality certificated dance education within secondary schools – findings from a comparative study exploring the experiences of eight English and Scottish dance teachers.

ABSTRACT Whilst the fight for the inclusion of dance in schools has been an ongoing struggle, current government directives and educational policies present an even greater threat to the future of quality dance education in schools and this needs to be addressed. This paper begins to explore the certificated dance education currently on offer in the United Kingdom (UK) through teachers’ experiences of delivering the newly adapted GCSE (England) and National 5 (Scotland) dance curricula. Eight semi-structured interviews with dance teachers in England (n-4) and Scotland (n-4) were undertaken alongside a documentary analysis in order to provide an initial understanding of the challenges and motivations for delivering these curricula. Smith-Autard’s Midway Model is often considered to be the exemplar of quality dance education and therefore the content, structure, and assessment approaches used in these teachers’ delivery of the curricula were compared with those advocated in this model. The findings suggest the challenges faced by teachers may differ between the two contexts and revolve around the level of prescription. Regarding structure specifically, this research recommends that policy-makers might consider increasing course length for certificated dance courses and establish a better dialogue with practitioners prior to introducing new course designs and during inception.
Evaluating the Potential for Tidal Phase Diversity to Produce Smoother Power Profiles

Although tidal energy conversion technologies are not yet commercially available or cost-competitive with other renewable energy technologies like wind turbines and solar panels, tides are a highly predictable resource. Tidal energy’s predictability indicates that the resource could introduce less volatility into balancing the electric grid when compared to other renewables, a fundamentally desirable attribute for the electric system. More specifically, tidal energy resources are unique in that they have the potential to produce relatively smoother power profiles over time through aggregation. In order to generate smooth power profiles from tidal resources, sufficient complexity within the timing of tides is necessary within electrical proximity. This study evaluates the concept of aggregating diverse tides for the purpose of reducing periods of no and low energy production and creating smoother power profiles in regions around Alaska and Washington by calculating cross-correlations of tidal current velocity time series. Ultimately, study results show limited potential to exploit the resources for this purpose and describe the institutional mechanisms necessary to realize the benefits in practice.
Agents of Change or Control? Correlates of Positive and Negative Staff-inmate Relationships among a Sample of Formerly Incarcerated Inmates

ABSTRACT Prior studies of staff-inmate interactions suggest that they are primarily adversarial in nature. However, less is known about the key factors that influence inmate-staff relationships. Using a sample of formerly incarcerated males in the state of Ohio, the impact of various demographic and institutional characteristics on positive and negative perceptions of correctional staff (by inmates) are assessed. Specifically, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression is employed to examine the variation in perceptions that is accounted for by measures of the inmates’ social, demographic, and criminal histories (i.e., imported characteristics) as well as the characteristics of the facilities in which they are housed (i.e., deprivation measures). Individual characteristics exert significant effects on inmate perceptions of staff, whereby (1) younger inmates, (2) minority inmates, (3) inmates with higher levels of education, and (4) inmates with more extensive criminal histories were more likely to hold more negative views of correctional staff. Institutional characteristics also significantly influence inmate perceptions of staff, whereby inmates who have (1) experienced victimization, (2) received less social support, and (3) participated in treatment programs were more likely to hold more negative views of correctional staff. Findings suggest that staff can serve as either agents of change or control for inmates.
Design and Study of Novel Tunable ELF-PEMF System for Therapeutic Applications

ABSTRACT Microbial infection is a major barrier to wound care and repair process of the cells. Various US-FDA-approved drugs and surgical procedures have been used for wound healing progression. However, the use of these pharmaceutical products has an associated toxicity and may produce harmful side effects. To overcome these problems, researchers worldwide are trying to develop non-invasive wound healing processes for wound care. We have developed a unique, tunable and Arduino microcontroller-based extremely low-frequency (ELF) pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) device for accelerating the wound healing process by reducing the microbial infection. The layout and detailed design of the device are presented here. Simulations carried out for the fabrication of the Helmholtz coil used in the PEMF device are also presented. This system can provide the flexibility of dose substance by selecting the type and frequency of the waveform, exposure duration, and magnetic field strength. To test the efficacy of the device in the biological system, we have designed colony-forming unit assay in Staphylococcus aureus with an exposure to PEMF in the frequency range of 5–30 Hz for 90 min. The experiments have been conducted in controlled EMF environments as per the international standard exposure guidelines. The results show a 60% reduction in S. aureus CFU after 90 minutes of PEMF exposure, and hence, show that the designed system is very effective for wound care by reducing the microbial growth.
Identification of Two Mechanisms of Sulfonylurea Resistance Within One Population of Rigid Ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) Using a Selective Germination Medium

A biotype of rigid ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaudin biotype VLR69) resistant to some ALS inhibitors was characterized to determine the mechanisms of resistance to the sulfonylurea herbicides. The biotype had a high level of resistance to chlorsulfuron (20×) and triasulfuron (25×), and an intermediate level of resistance to imazaquin (7×) and sulfometuron (7.5×) but exhibited a low level of resistance to imazapyr (2.5×). At 60 to 90 g ai ha-1 sulfometuron, 4% of the population survived without apparent herbicidal effect The same response to sulfometuron was also observed when seeds of the resistant biotype VLR69 were germinated on agar containing sulfometuron. At 27 nM sulfometuron, 4% of the seeds germinated and grew normally while the growth of the bulk of the population was retarded. This differential response to sulfometuron at the seedling stage allowed selection of sulfometuron-resistant individuals from the population. Activity of ALS extracted from these sulfometuron-resistant plants was less sensitive to inhibition by chlorsulfuron than ALS extracted from plants considered sulfometuron susceptible in the same system. Unselected plants from the VLR69 population were able to detoxify chlorsulfuron more rapidly than susceptible VLR1 plants. It is apparent that there are at least two mechanisms of sulfonylurea resistance in the resistant biotype VLR69 which occur at different frequencies within the population. These data show that more than one mechanism or resistance may develop in response to herbicide selection pressure and that the resulting populations are not necessarily homogeneous.
Migration patterns of Atlantic halibut captured in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence as assessed with pop-up satellite archival and Floy tags

This study provides evidence of two subpopulations of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. The migrations of 20 Atlantic halibut captured in the coastal waters of Prince Edward Island, Canada, were evaluated using pop-up satellite archival tags (PSAT). Geolocation data showed that Atlantic halibut migrated north to the Laurentian Channel via distinct eastern or western routes. Floy tagging and recapture (recapture of 18.4%) showed that less than 7.0% of Atlantic halibut exhibited dispersive behaviour outside of their annual migratory route. Overwintering occurred on the slope and in the deepest waters of the Laurentian Channel. Atlantic halibut in the deepest waters of the Laurentian Channel exhibited rapid, ∼100 m rises, presumed to be associated with spawning from January to March. The eastern and western migratory cohorts exhibited this behaviour ∼350 km apart, suggesting reproductive isolation as the basis of subpopulations. The results of this study indicate a need to reconsider the management of Gulf of St. Lawrence Atlantic halibut as one continuous population.
Interaction of genetically engineered host plant resistance and natural enemies of Heliothis viresce

Field experiments were conducted to examine interactions of Heliothis virescens (F.), its natural enemies, and tobacco plants engineered to express low levels of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner toxin. Survival of H. virescens larvae was measured in response to four treatments: (1) toxin-producing plants exposed to natural enemies, (2) toxin-producing plants caged to exclude enemies, (3) toxin-free plants exposed to enemies, and (4) toxin-free plants caged to exclude enemies. B. thuringiensis toxin mediated resistance caused a significant decrease in first-instar survival, and natural enemies caused a significant decrease in third-instar survival. Survival of uncaged first instars as a proportion of survival of caged first instars was significantly lower on toxic plants than control plants, indicating synergism of resistance and natural enemies. Among collections of artificially infested larvae, parasitism by Campoletis sonorensis (Cameron) was significantly higher on toxic plants than on control plants, another indication of synergism. Among collections of wild larvae and larvae censused in the field, parasitism usually did not differ between plant lines. Larval development of H. virescens was significantly slower on toxic plants than on control plants in two out of five trials. Prolonged vulnerability to natural enemies appeared to provide a mechanism for synergism. However, synergistic increases in mortality and parasitism were detected in two trials when development rates on toxic plants and control plants were equal, indicating existence of another mechanism. B. thuringiensis toxin-mediated partial resistance appeared compatible with natural enemies for control of H. virescens . However, a simulation using a theoretical population genetic model suggested that synergism of the level measured in this study could accelerate pest adaptation to resistant plants.
A mathematical analysis of marine size spectra

Aquatic ecosystems are observed to follow regular patterns in abundance. The frequency distribution of all individuals across the spectrum of body mass, irrespective of their taxonomic identity (known as a ’size spectrum’), follows a power law and this has mathematically been explained by the processes of growth and mortality primarily driven by predation. In this theory of the size spectrum, predation is driven by body size: as organisms grow bigger the size of their prey also increases. This process is thought to be particularly important for marine organisms such as fish, where individual body size is an important determinant for what they eat because they are mostly limited by the size of their mouths. Models need to capture the behaviour of real systems if reliable predictions are to emerge from them. Here, new equations for size-based predation are derived from a stochastic process, allowing variability in organism growth. The new equations are postulated to capture real feeding behaviour better than classical models often used to simulate size spectra. Marine systems are often perturbed by seasonal processes, environmental factors and exploitation. I show how models with diffusive growth stabilise the observed power-law steady state in marine systems, and stability is explicitly linked to parameters involved in feeding. Seasonal plankton blooms are introduced into the model, along with time-dependent reproduction, both of which are widely observed in aquatic systems. The population dynamics, along with growth and survival rates during blooms are investigated, and preliminary results are reflected in empirical data. The match/mismatch hypothesis is tested, with theoretical findings in agreement with observed seasonal trends. Adding factors such as these will make the behaviour of size-based models more indicative of real ecosystems, and thus well-informed management decisions about exploitation can be made.