Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Results of an Assessment of the Ecological State of Zoobenthos Communities According to the Difference of Evenness Index

The difference of the evenness index ( ) is offered for an assessment of the ecological state of zoobenthos communities. The index is deduced on the basis of the Shannon indexes calculated according to abundance and biomass data and differentiates between these informational estimations (Shannon diversity) of evenness of species in any given community. Conclusions made by Pianka about the predomination of organisms with r and K life strategy in communities impacted and unimpacted by ecological stress, as well as the ABC curves method suggested by Warwick, were used as the basis of the functioning mechanism for the suggested index. The examples of index applicability are demonstrated by an assessment of materials col lected in freshwater, estuarine, and marine waterbodies during one time surveys and long term monitoring observations. The results are compared with zoobenthos assessments made on the basis of some other indexes. Conclusions concerning the efficiency of the have been made and some of its advantages over other
Model results of OH airglow considering four different wavelength regions to derive night-time atomic oxygen and atomic hydrogen in the mesopause region

Abstract. Based on the zero-dimensional box model Module Efficiently Calculating the Chemistry of the Atmosphere/Chemistry As A Box model Application (CAABA/MECCA-3.72f), an OH airglow model was developed to derive night-time number densities of atomic oxygen ([O(3P)]) and atomic hydrogen ([H]) in the mesopause region (∼75–100 km). The profiles of [O(3P)] and [H] were calculated from OH airglow emissions measured at 2.0 µm by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiography (SABER) instrument on board NASA's Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite. The two target species were used to initialize the OH airglow model, which was empirically adjusted to fit four different OH airglow emissions observed by the satellite/instrument configuration TIMED/SABER at 2.0 µm and at 1.6 µm as well as measurements by the Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY) instrument on board the Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT) of the transitions OH(6-2) and OH(3-1). Comparisons between the “best-fit model” obtained here and the satellite measurements suggest that deactivation of vibrationally excited OH(ν) via OH(ν≥7)+O2 might favour relaxation to OH(ν′≤5)+O2 by multi-quantum quenching. It is further indicated that the deactivation pathway to OH(ν′=ν-5)+O2 dominates. The results also provide general support of the recently proposed mechanism OH(ν)+O(3P)→OH(0≤ν′≤ν-5)+O(1D) but suggest slower rates of OH(ν=8,7,6,5)+O(3P), partly disagreeing with laboratory experiments. Additionally, deactivation to OH(ν′=ν-5)+O(1D) might be preferred. The profiles of [O(3P)] and [H] derived here are plausible between 80 and 95 km but should be regarded as an upper limit. The values of [O(3P)] obtained in this study agree with the corresponding TIMED/SABER values between 80 and 85 km but are larger from 85 to 95 km due to different relaxation assumptions of OH(ν)+O(3P). The [H] profile found here is generally larger than TIMED/SABER [H] by about 50 % from 80 to 95 km, which is primarily attributed to our faster OH(ν=8)+O2 rate.
Oligopeptide polyarginine-mediated delivery of short interfering RNA to cells for gene silencing

Short interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated gene silencing plays an important role in functional identification of novel genes and therapeutic product development. Double stranded siRNA molecules are usually delivered to animal cells by injection and to plant cells by particle bombardment. Here, we reported that oligopeptide polyarginine (POA)/siRNA complex can be efficiently delivered to cultured cells for gene silencing in four plant species. The similar levels of the short interfering RNA-mediated gfp silencing were observed in four transgenic plant cell lines. Experimental results of northern blotting analysis and laser scanning microscopic images, as well as mRNA expression of siRNA analysis confirmed that POA-mediated delivery of siRNA has reduced the level of gfp expression and caused GFO silencing. These results suggested that POA-mediated delivery of siRNAs could be an effective method for gene silencing in plant cells.
Aldol Condensation of Furfural with Acetone Over Mg/Al Mixed Oxides. Influence of Water and Synthesis Method

Aldol condensation of furfural and acetone (an important initial step to obtain diesel from biomass) was studied over MgAl mixed oxides. The influence of the utilization of microwaves and/or a surfactant (Pluronic 123) during the synthesis as well as the use of water (either pre-hydrating the solids before catalytic studies or in water/toluene mixtures as the reaction medium) is discussed. The combined use of Pluronic 123 and microwaves led to solids with bigger pore sizes, exhibiting lower basicity and higher acidity than the conventional synthetic method, thus resulting in an increase in the yield of the desired product of condensation, comprising two molecules of furfural and one of acetone (F2Ac). As for the influence of water, re-hydration of the mixed oxides was detrimental to activity, probably as a result of the partial blocking (solvation) of active sites. On the contrary, the increase in water percentage in the reaction medium resulted in higher conversions, though selectivity to F2Ac decreased. The weakening of the C=O bond of furfural in the presence of water as well as the higher solubility of the first condensation product (FAc) in toluene, as compared to water, could account for that. A 44.5% yield of F2Ac (66% conversion) after 16 h was obtained with the most active solid, which maintained the activity for three consecutive reactions.
Affordable Estimation of Solvation Contributions to the Adsorption Energies of Oxygenates on Metal Nanoparticles

Electrocatalysts are mainly characterized by their intrinsic adsorption properties. However, the observed electrocatalytic activity ultimately results from the interplay between such properties and various additional interactions within the electrified solid–liquid interface. One of such phenomena is solvation, which can substantially affect the stability of adsorbates. The incorporation of solvation in computational electrocatalysis models can be fully implicit (inaccurate for H-bonded adsorbates), fully explicit (challenging computation of free energies), or embedded. Here, we show that without any need for explicit or implicit media, a microsolvation approach with just three water molecules captures the contribution of co-adsorbed water to the adsorption energies of *OH and *OOH (two important adsorbates for oxygen reduction) on platinum nanoparticles of various sizes. The approach enables an accurate yet inexpensive explicit modeling of solvent–adsorbate interactions in nanoparticles and the calculati.
A Video Concealed Communication Based on Steganography Using Biorthogonal Decimated Wavelet Transform and SPIHT Codec

Steganography is the capability to embed important data in a cover media without alarming the observer that data is embedded. There are many methods which are used to carry secret data, mostly are image and audio. In this paper a new video steganography concealing a secret video in a cover video taking the technique of steganography to a new stage. The secret video is encoded using Set Partitioning in Hierarchical Trees (SPIHT) using bi-orthogonal decimated wavelet transform, the data of the secret video is embedded in the decimated wavelet domain of the cover media, in the three bands that have high frequency content, by replacing the cover coefficients of the wavelet domain with the encoded secret coefficients. The process is applied on each frame of the secret and cover videos producing an imperceptible and robust stego-video. Image quality metrics are utilized to assess the performance of the algorithm. Experimental results show that the method produces a high video resolution using various standard video sequences and other statistical assessment. Proposed algorithm does not only apply on video but on still images as well, a collection of experiments are also applied on various content images and compared with previous work in terms of image metrics and statistics
Ice-induced Vibrations of Vertically Sided Model Structures: Comparison of structures with circular and rectangular cross-section subjected to the frequency lock-in regime

Offshore wind energy has very recently begun expanding into subarctic regions with seasonally ice-infested waters like the Baltic Sea. For offshore wind turbines with conventional support structures such as monopiles and jackets that are typically flexible and vertically sided, the phenomenon known as ice-induced vibrations can develop. In response to the growing interest in offshore wind in the Baltic Sea and in further validating a state-of-the-art numerical model for ice-structure interaction, the Ice-induced Vibrations of Offshore Structures (IVOS) project has been coordinated with the Hamburg Ship Model Basin (HSVA) and many academic and industry partners—including TU Delft and NTNU—in order to enhance understanding of the topic via a comprehensive laboratory testing campaign. In this thesis, specific data are selected fromthe extensive IVOS Phase 2 tests such that a comparative analysis is performed between two different model-scale structures, one with circular cross-section and another with rectangular cross-section, that were subjected to ice-induced vibrations in the frequency lock-in regime. Preceding the comparative analysis, the data from the IVOS Phase 2 tests are organized into a database and post-processing tools are developed to facilitate further research by supplying analysis-ready data sets. Included in the post-processing tools is an attempt to determine ice-induced global loads from uncalibrated tactile sensor data, which offers insight into the relationship between the relative pressure distributions along the ice-structure interface and the ice-induced global forces on the model structure. The comparative analysis garnered qualitative information about the frequency lock-in regime and buckling failure of ice. It is observed that frequency lock-in vibrations usually persisted regardless of buckling events. For the frequency lock-in regime, the ice-induced global loads on the circular cross-section structure are generally lower than those for the rectangular cross-section structure. It is unclear whether the difference in global loads between the structures is caused by the difference in cross-sectional shape, other structural properties, ice properties, or combinations thereof. The analysis of the energy of the system is intriguing but does not offer lucid conclusions. However, the quasi-figure-eight pattern from the x-direction and derived y-direction structural displacements is an enlightening discovery that may explain inconsistencies in the energy of the system. Based on the general configuration of the test apparatus from the IVOS Phase 2 tests and the results from the comparative analysis, it can be concluded that ice-induced vibrations of the model-scale structures in the frequency lock-in regime should be regarded as a two-dimensional problem.
Pilot Scale Extraction of Orthosiphon stamineus Raw Material as Rosmarinic Acid Extract

A scale-up protocol for rosmarinic acid extraction from Orthosiphon stamineus was developed using the concept of constant power dissipation for a similar kinetic profile. Rosmarinic acid is the bioactive compound in the herb and therefore, large scale extraction for that compound is important for commercial application. The first-order kinetic equation which was established in the preparative scale extraction was used to describe the extraction of rosmarinic acid from the herb. The agitation speed of the pilot large-scale extractor (451 rpm) was determined based on the constant power dissipation to meet the minimal required speed, namely just-suspended speed (Njs), 450.84 ± 0.88 rpm. The experimental data was fitted well to the proposed kinetic equation with a high correlation coefficient, R2 0.88, and a low root mean square error, RMSE 3.85. This indicates the good performance of the scale-up approach based on the dynamic criterion. Therefore, the use of constant power dissipation to obtain a similar kinetic profile could be applied for phytochemical extraction from herbal plants.
High‐Fidelity Trapping of Spatial–Temporal Mitochondria with Rational Design of Aggregation‐Induced Emission Probes

High‐fidelity trapping of mitochondrial dynamic activity is critical to value cellular functions and forecast disease but lack of spatial–temporal probes. Given that commercial mitochondria probes suffering from low photostability, aggregation‐caused quenching effect, and limited signal‐to‐noise ratio from fluorescence “always on” in the process of targeting mitochondria, here, the rational design strategy of a novel aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) molecular motif and unique insight into the high‐fidelity targeting of mitochondria is reported, thereby illustrating the relationship between tailoring molecular aggregation state and mitochondrial targeting ability. This study focuses on how to exactly modulate the hydrophilicity and the aggregated state for realizing “off‐on” fluorescence, as well as matching the charge density to go across the cell membrane for mitochondrial targeting. Probe tricyano‐methylene‐pyridine (TCM‐1) exhibits an unprecedented high‐fidelity feedback on spatial–temporal mitochondrial information with several advantages such as “off‐on” near‐infrared characteristic, high targeting capacity, favorable biocompatibility, as well as excellent photostability. TCM‐1 also produces reactive oxygen species in situ for image‐guided photodynamic anticancer therapy. Through unraveling the relationship between tuning molecular aggregation behavior and organelle‐specific targeting ability, for the first time, a unique guide is provided in designing AIE‐active probes to explore the hydrophilicity and membrane potential for targeting subcellular organelles.
Bayesian Inference for Linear Regression under Alpha-Skew-Normal Prior

A study on Bayesian inference for the linear regression model is carried out in the case when the prior distribution for the regression parameters is assumed to follow the alpha-skew-normal distribution. The posterior distribution and its associated full conditional distributions are derived. Then, the Bayesian point estimates and credible intervals for the regression parameters are determined based on a simulation study using the Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The parameter estimates and intervals obtained are compared with their counterparts when the prior distributions are assumed either normal or non-informative. In addition, the findings are applied to Scottish hills races data. It appears that when the data are skewed, the alpha-skew-normal prior contributes to a more precise estimate of the regression parameters as opposed to the other two priors.
Spectral image microscopy for label-free blood and cancer cell identification

New forms of cancer cell identification coupled with faster detection and better accuracy may enhance diagnostic capabilities. The purpose of this study is to improve recognition of minimal residual disease from peripheral blood samples. Spectral images are generated by optical microscopy using filtered broadband visible light elastically scattered from human blood and cancer cells. Exogenous tags, like CD markers may introduce a label bias and are not required. A training cell may be validated without detailed knowledge of intra-cellular spectra used to classify random cells. Spectral object classification is scalable to any number of cell types. Small samples of erythrocytes, leukocytes, Jurkat cancer and non-small lung cell adenocarcinoma are accurately classified and associated with unique spatial-spectral characteristics.
Cycloaddition of atmospheric CO2 to epoxides under solvent-free conditions: a straightforward route to carbonates by green chemistry metrics

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into value-added organic compounds has received more and more attention over recent years, not only because this gas is one of the major anthropogenic greenhouse gases, but also because it has been regarded as an abundant, inexpensive, nontoxic, nonflammable, and renewable one-carbon (C1) resource. Along these lines, the synthesis of five-membered cyclic carbonates employing CO2 as a safe alternative to toxic reagents such as phosgene or its derivatives is of great interest because of their wide range of applications in organic synthesis. However, most of CO2 incorporation reactions into carbonates are carried out in toxic and non-recyclable organic solvents. Furthermore, these transformations usually proceed at elevated pressures or supercritical CO2 conditions. Recently, several catalytic systems have been developed that allow the synthesis of functionalized carbonates from the reaction of atmospheric CO2 with corresponding epoxides under solvent-free conditions. This review is an attempt to summarize the most important advances and discoveries in this interesting research arena. The review is divided into three major sections. The first section will discuss ionic liquid catalyzed coupling reactions. The second will cover organocatalyzed reactions. The third focuses exclusively on metal-catalyzed fixations. Notably, the third section has been classified based on the metal element that carries out the catalysis (i.e. copper, palladium, zinc).
Transcriptome analyses of porcine endometrium during the pre-implantation phase

The porcine conceptus undergoes rapid differentiation and expansion of its trophoblastic membranes between days 11 and 12 of gestation. The production of estrogen, the porcine embryonic pregnancy recognition signal, by the conceptus increases with trophoblast elongation. A complex interplay of estrogen signaling and prostaglandin (PG) metabolism in the endometrium finally results in prevention of luteolysis. Conceptus attachment to the uterine surface epithelium starts around day 14 of pregnancy preceded by a pronounced vascularization at the implantation zones, initiating the epitheliochorial placentation. To characterize the transcriptome changes in the porcine endometrium in the course of maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) and initial placentation, several transcriptome analyses using DNA microarrays and RNA sequencing (RNASeq) have been performed. This review summarizes and compares the results of these studies. Particularly, the studies where RNA-Seq has been used, revealed more than 2,500 and 1,900 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for days 12 and 14 of pregnancy, respectively, in comparison to corresponding cyclic controls. Analysis of the results of these two studies revealed distinct differential gene expression, reflecting the different functions of the endometrium during these stages. The comparison of RNASeq and microarray data for day 14 of pregnancy revealed a good agreement of the results. Moreover, results of microarray studies investigating local responses of the uterine horn to embryos in the blastocyst stage and effects of premature exposure of pregnant gilts to exogenous estrogen on endometrium during early pregnancy are discussed and compared to the results from day 12 and day 14 of pregnancy.
Méthodes de pénalisation pour l'optimisation de structures

Cadre de travail : problemes de structure -- Rappels de programmation non-lineaire -- Methodes de penalisation l1 -- Classe de problemes consideres -- Implementation de la methode de penalisation elastique -- Implementation de PSUPERB -- Strategies d'amelioration -- Problemes de reference -- Tests numeriques -- Visualisation.
Dual-Functional Mesoporous Films Templated by Cellulose Nanocrystals for the Selective Adsorption of Lithium and Rubidium

Lithium resources are an emerging issue due to lithium ion batteries. Rubidium is also widely used in the field of energy and medicine, so it makes sense for the dual adsorption of lithium and rubidium at the same time. Cellulose nanocrystalline (CNC) is used as a biotemplate to synthesis mesoporous films, and hydrogen manganese oxide (HMO) is immobilized on a mesoporous film. Then Rb(I) ionic imprinted layer is grafted onto the surface of a mesoporous film to obtain a dual-functional mesoporous film. Dual-functional mesoporous films possess high selective adsorptions of Li(I) and Rb(I) and show excellent adsorption kinetic properties of Li(I) and Rb(I). The adsorption capacities of Li(I) and Rb(I) are 6.30 and 6.21 mg g–1 under optimum conditions, respectively. HMO ion sieves and ionic imprinting make films demonstrating a high selectivity in the adsorption of Li(I) and Rb(I), enhancing their potential for industrial applications.
In silico post-SELEX screening and experimental characterizations for acquisition of high affinity DNA aptamers against carcinoembryonic antigen

DNA aptamers against carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) have been identified through the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) technique, but their affinity needs to be improved. In this study, an in silico approach was firstly used to screen the mutation sequences of a reported DNA aptamer (the parent aptamer, denoted as P) against CEA. The affinities of several high-score DNA mutants were determined by the biolayer interferometry technique. Finally, the newly obtained aptamers were verified in an aptasensor application. For the in silico approach, Mfold and RNA Composer were combined to generate the 3D RNA structures of the DNA mutants. The RNA structures were then modified to 3D DNA structures with the Write program. The docking model and binding ability of the 3D DNA structures with CEA were simulated and predicted with the ZDOCK program. Two mutation sequences (P-ATG and GAC-P) exhibited significantly higher ZDOCK scores than P. The dissociation constant of P-ATG and GAC-P to CEA was determined to be 4.62 and 3.93 nM respectively, obviously superior to that of P (6.95 nM). The detection limit of the P-ATG and GAC-P based aptasensors was 1.5 and 1.2 ng mL−1, respectively, markedly better than that based on P (3.4 ng mL−1). The consistency between the in silico and the experimental results indicates that the developed in silico post-SELEX screening approach is feasible for improving DNA aptamers. The P-ATG and GAC-P aptamers found in this study could be used for future CEA aptasensor design and fabrication, promisingly applicable for highly sensitive CEA detection and early cancer diagnosis.
‘Water is politics everywhere’: the use of emphasis frames to communicate multilateral water development project

ABSTRACT Research implies that emphasis frames control preferences. Little is known, however, about how stakeholders frame water. How is water framed in decision-making and -shaping rooms? Therefore, we explore the Red Sea–Dead Sea Water Conveyance framing. We compile two data sets: (1) 18 in-depth interviews, archival data; and (2) 10 documents. For data analysis, we use qualitative and quantitative approaches – coding with Atlas.ti and text analysis with Voyant Tools. In the results, we juxtapose dominant and marginal frames, frequencies, and descriptive examples. Findings reveal which actors activate and spread salient frames, concealing pressing issues and sustaining old power structures.