Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kinetics of Potassium Diffusion as Influenced by Microstructure of Potato

The effect of microstructure and temperature on the mechanism of potassium diffusion through and out of potato was studied at 15-120°C by means of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and leaching experiments. Tissues from different regions of the same tuber differed in their microstructural architecture and response to heat. The water-rich perimedullary region showed a regular and more defined arrangement of cells with larger vacuoles than the cortex which had irregularly arranged cells with densely packed starch granules. Granule morphology remained visibly unchanged at temperatures below 50°C. The gelatinization temperatures and range were significantly higher in the perimedullary. In addition, the average transition enthalpy was about 3 J/g lower in the perimedullary. The different microstructural architecture and thermal properties of tissues from different regions of the same tuber were linked with different membrane permeabilities and solubility with implications for the rate and mechanism of potassium transport through and out of potatoes.
Robust Tensor SVD and Recovery With Rank Estimation

Tensor singular value decomposition (t-SVD) has recently become increasingly popular for tensor recovery under partial and/or corrupted observations. However, the existing <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$t$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-SVD-based methods neither make use of a rank prior nor provide an accurate rank estimation (RE), which would limit their recovery performance. From the practical perspective, the tensor RE problem is nontrivial and difficult to solve. In this article, we, therefore, aim to <italic>determine the correct rank</italic> of an intrinsic low-rank tensor from corrupted observations based on t-SVD and further <italic>improve recovery results with the estimated rank</italic>. Specifically, we first induce the equivalence of the tensor nuclear norm (TNN) of a tensor and its <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$f$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-diagonal tensor. We then simultaneously minimize the reconstruction error and TNN of the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$f$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-diagonal tensor, leading to RE. Subsequently, we relax our model by removing the TNN regularizer to improve the recovery performance. Furthermore, we consider more general cases in the presence of missing data and/or gross corruptions by proposing robust tensor principal component analysis and robust tensor completion with RE. The robust methods can achieve successful recovery by refining the models with correct estimated ranks. Experimental results show that the proposed methods outperform the state-of-the-art methods with significant improvements.
A cross-sectional study of functional and metabolic changes during aging through the lifespan in male mice

Aging is associated with distinct phenotypical, physiological, and functional changes, leading to disease and death. The progression of aging-related traits varies widely among individuals, influenced by their environment, lifestyle, and genetics. In this study, we conducted physiologic and functional tests cross-sectionally throughout the entire lifespan of male C57BL/6N mice. In parallel, metabolomics analyses in serum, brain, liver, heart, and skeletal muscle were also performed to identify signatures associated with frailty and age-dependent functional decline. Our findings indicate that declines in gait speed as a function of age and frailty are associated with a dramatic increase in the energetic cost of physical activity and decreases in working capacity. Aging and functional decline prompt organs to rewire their metabolism and substrate selection and toward redox-related pathways, mainly in liver and heart. Collectively, the data provide a framework to further understand and characterize processes of aging at the individual organism and organ levels.
Psychotic symptoms associate inversely with social support, social autonomy and psychosocial functioning: A community-based study

Background: Population-based studies exploring psychotic symptoms (PS) show that their prevalence in the community is higher than previously thought. Psychosocial functioning and social support are poorer among people presenting clinical and subclinical PS. Aims: We aimed to estimate the prevalence rate of PS in Andalusia and to explore the association between PS and psychosocial functioning, social support and social autonomy in a Southern European population. Material and methods: This is a cross-sectional study. We undertook multi-stage sampling using different standard stratification techniques. Out of 5496 households approached, we interviewed 4507 (83.7%) randomly selected participants living in the autonomous region of Andalusia (Southern Spain). The Spanish version of the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to elicit PS. We also gathered information on socio-demographic factors, suicidality risk, psychosocial functioning, social support and social autonomy. Results: The overall prevalence of PS was 6.7% (95% CI: 5.99–6.45). PS were associated with lower age (OR 0.975; 95% CI (0.967–0.983); p < . 0001), female gender (OR = 1.346; 95% CI (1.05–1.07) p = . 018), not living in a rural area (OR = 0.677; 95% CI (0.50–0.90) p = 0.009), lower social support (OR = 0.898; 95% CI (0.85–0.94) p < . 0001), lower scores on social autonomy (OR = 0.889; 95% CI (0.79–1.00) p = . 050), having an increased suicidality risk score (OR = 1.038; 95% CI (1.005–1.07); p = . 023) and having lower scores on psychosocial functioning (OR = 0.956; 95% CI (0.95–0.96); p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Social outcomes seem to be strongly inversely associated with PS in spite of presumed higher levels of social support among Southern European cultures.
Molecular COVID-19 Test Gains First EAU for At-home Use.

Screening Tests The FDA has created an expedited pathway for manufacturers seeking to obtain Emergency Use Authorization for products used in serial testing to detect SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic individuals. Currently, most tests are authorized for diagnosing people with a suspected infection. Serial testing involves testing the same person more than once over a few days to increase the chances of detecting asymptomatic infection that a single test might not detect. The simplified recommendations apply to molecular and antigen tests used serially in any location, from point-of-care settings to homes, schools, airports, or sports venues. A supplement to existing policy allows manufacturers whose tests for symptomatic individuals have achieved a positive percent agreement of at least 80% to request authorization for serial testing in asymptomatic people before they have validation data for that group. The agency suggested that manufacturers specify that an asymptomatic person would be screened with their test twice over 2 to 3 days with 24 to 36 hours in between tests. Alternative intervals might apply for tests with higher sensitivity. FDA officials said in a statement that the agency “believes that evidence of a test’s strong performance in symptomatic patients combined with serial testing can mitigate the risk of false results when testing asymptomatic individuals. ” The agency also issued a fact sheet to help schools, employers, and other organizations choose tests for screening programs to detect individual infections in groups not suspected to have SARS-CoV-2. Programs that use tests that aren’t authorized for screening should consider using highly sensitive authorized tests, others authorized for pooled sample testing, or more frequent testing.
Thermoelectric Performance of Tetrahedrite Synthesized by a Modified Polyol Process

Tetrahedrite, a promising thermoelectric material composed of earth-abundant elements, has been fabricated utilizing the rapid and low energy modified polyol process. Synthesis has been demonstrated for undoped and zinc-doped tetrahedrite samples on the gram scale requiring only 1 h at 220 °C. This method is capable of incorporating dopants and producing particles in the 50–200 nm size regime. For determination of bulk thermoelectric properties, powders produced by this solution-phase method were densified into pellets by spark plasma sintering. Thermopower, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity were obtained for temperatures ranging from 323 to 723 K. Maximum ZT values at 723 K were found to be 0.66 and 1.09 for the undoped and zinc-doped tetrahedrite samples, respectively. These values are comparable to or greater than those obtained using time and energy intensive conventional solid-state methods. Consolidated pellets fabricated using nanomaterial produced by this solution-phase method were .
South African LGBTPQ Youth: The Perceptions and Realities of Coming out and Parental Reactions

Abstract The study engages with several lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual and queer (LGBTPQ) identifying youth in South Africa to explore their perceptions and realities regarding coming out to their parents and parental reactions. In-depth interviews were utilized to engage with the 17 participants, aged 19 to 32 years old, all of whom were students at the same university in South Africa. The study found that participants who have not come out tended to view coming out as a problematic act that reproduces the heteronormative discourse of sexuality in which heterosexuality is normalized, while same-sex sexuality is seen as odd and as deviant. The study also found that many participants perceived coming out as an individual choice. However, the choice of whether or not to come out, when to come out, and which parent to come out to, is dependent on 1. the nature of the relationship the participants have with their parents, and 2. perceived parental reactions. Analysis reveals how religion, gender norms based on heteronormativity, and parent-child relationship dynamics intersect to shape participants’ perceptions regarding parental reactions. This intersectionality also shaped the realities of coming out. Such realities involved a variety of reactions from parents, including acceptance, rejection, forms of violence, and silence. Parents reacting with silence was a common, yet complex experience among the participants. The participants’ experiences suggest ways through which they could be empowered to cope better with their parents’ silence and other non-supportive reactions.
Multilevel Design Parameters to Plan Cluster-Randomized Intervention Studies on Student Achievement in Elementary and Secondary School

Abstract To plan cluster-randomized trials with sufficient statistical power to detect intervention effects on student achievement, researchers need multilevel design parameters, including measures of between-classroom and between-school differences and the amounts of variance explained by covariates at the student, classroom, and school level. Previous research has mostly been conducted in the United States, focused on two-level designs, and limited to core achievement domains (i.e., mathematics, science, reading). Using representative data of students attending grades 1–12 from three German longitudinal large-scale assessments (3,963 14,640), we used three- and two-level latent (covariate) models to provide design parameters and corresponding standard errors for a broad array of domain-specific (e.g., mathematics, science, verbal skills) and domain-general (e.g., basic cognitive functions) achievement outcomes. Three covariate sets were applied comprising (a) pretest scores, (b) sociodemographic characteristics, and (c) their combination. Design parameters varied considerably as a function of the hierarchical level, achievement outcome, and grade level. Our findings demonstrate the need to strive for an optimal fit between design parameters and target research context. We illustrate the application of design parameters in power analyses.
Dielectric Constant Properties of Tight Sandstone

This study stated dielectric properties of tight sandstone, which has porosity below 2%, and permeability below milli-Darcy. At this in-situs condition, the inter-pores are almost not connective, and throats are in micro- or nano-scale, so the electric conduction occupied weak position, but dielectric property predominated the current travelled through the rocks. Hence, the dielectric property is much significant characteristics should be investigated in order to better understand the electric mechanism of tight rocks. This paper illustrated the characteristics with experimental data from low to high frequency (Hz-kHz). Two parameters, resistivity and permittivity or dielectricity, were investigated with tight sandstone cores. The experiments were executed at room temperature (20˚C), the cores were injected into different content and salinity salt solution. The content, or say saturation of the solution in cores varied from 0-100% (in fact, completely salt solution) the salinity change from 0 (fresh water) to 1mg/mol. The experiment results showed that all of these two physical quantities, i.e. resistivity (R p ) and permittivity (Cp), have properties of frequency dispersion over the whole frequency range. Further analysis indicates that frequency dispersion of resistivity is relatively weak, but of dielectric, is much more obvious. That proved dielectric is more sensitive to saturation and salinity than resistivity, especially at low frequency. Two variables were introduced in order to describe the frequency dispersion properties D R and D C , which corresponded R p and C p respectively. D R and D C should indicate more detail account of the polarization and relaxation of components of tight sandstone cores, which will be further discussed in other paper.
Equity Investing in the Age of Intangibles

Expenditures on the creation of intangible capital have increased, but accounting standards have not kept pace. We investigated whether this has affected the value relevance of book value and earnings. We constructed a composite measure of intangible intensity by which to classify industries. The measure is based on intangible assets capitalized on the balance sheet; research and development expenditures; and sales, general, and administrative expenditures. We show that the value relevance of book value and earnings has declined for high-intangible-intensity companies in the United States and abroad, but for the low-intangible-intensity group, it has remained stable in the United States while increasing internationally. Editor’s Note: Submitted 19 October 2020 Accepted 30 December 2020 by Stephen J. Brown Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest. This article was externally reviewed using our double-blind peer-review process. When the article was accepted for publication, the authors thanked the reviewers in their acknowledgments. John Adams and one anonymous reviewer were the reviewers for this article.
Detailed vulnerability assessment and seismic upgradation of non-engineered masonry building

ABSTRACT Structural safety of code deficient non-engineered buildings relies on adequate strengthening measures, which demands detailed structural assessment and strengthening using the appropriate technique. Structural appraisal of non-engineered buildings with poor construction practices is a key issue, which requires immediate attention. This paper deals with seismic evaluation and rehabilitation of a seismically deficient unreinforced masonry (URM) building. A Detailed Vulnerability Assessment (DVA) was carried out, which included visual inspection; on-site and laboratory tests on building elements, linear static and dynamic analysis to identify structurally deficient elements through evaluation of stress parameters. The existing building was found to be in distressed condition with regards to material and structural requirements as speculated from DVA, further to which adequate strengthening techniques for seismic upgradation of the building were proposed. The main strengthening measures included galvanized iron welded wire mesh (GI WWM) and shotcrete for walls and columns, along with micro-piles-cum-raft for foundation. The building was re-analyzed after strengthening, which showed improved structural parameters complying with the codal limits. It is expected that the proposed seismic evaluation and rehabilitation methodology will be helpful to practising engineers for improving the seismic resilience of URM buildings.
Pushing New Technology into the Market: California’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate

California’s long-running Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) program represents a unique policy approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. It mandates that manufacturers sell passenger cars and trucks that have zero tailpipe emissions, which in today’s market are electrified vehicles, including battery electric and fuel cell vehicles. The policy, when it was initiated in 1990, was technology forcing because such zero emission vehicles had not yet been produced. We discuss the motivation for such a technology policy and briefly summarize the 30-year history of this evolving program. We examine evidence on the extent of innovation in electrification technologies under the program and trends in battery and vehicle costs and sales. We review the flexibility granted under the ZEV credit-trading program and estimate the value of ZEV credits traded among manufacturers. Finally, given the continuing uncertainty about costs, technology improvements, and consumer acceptance, we argue that there is a need for additional transparency and flexibility if the policy is to continue. One approach we suggest is that regulators build a safety valve mechanism into the credit trading market.
A century of genetic homogenization in Baltic salmon—evidence from archival DNA

Intra-species genetic homogenization arising from anthropogenic impacts is a major threat to biodiversity. However, few taxa have sufficient historical material to systematically quantify long-term genetic changes. Using archival DNA collected over approximately 100 years, we assessed spatio-temporal genetic change in Atlantic salmon populations across the Baltic Sea, an area heavily impacted by hydropower exploitation and associated with large-scale mitigation stocking. Analysis was carried out by screening 82 SNPs in 1680 individuals from 13 Swedish rivers. We found an overall decrease in genetic divergence and diminished isolation by distance among populations, strongly indicating genetic homogenization over the past century. We further observed an increase in genetic diversity within populations consistent with increased gene flow. The temporal genetic change was lower in larger wild populations than in smaller wild and hatchery-reared ones, indicating that larger populations have been able to support a high number of native spawners in relation to immigrants. Our results demonstrate that stocking practices of salmon in the Baltic Sea have led to the homogenization of populations over the last century, potentially compromising their ability to adapt to environmental change. Stocking of reared fish is common worldwide, and our study is a cautionary example of the potentially long-term negative effects of such activities.
Characterization of the RNA-interference pathway as a tool for reverse genetic analysis in the nascent phototrophic endosymbiosis, Paramecium bursaria

Endosymbiosis was fundamental for the evolution of eukaryotic complexity. Endosymbiotic interactions can be dissected through forward- and reverse-genetic experiments, such as RNA-interference (RNAi). However, distinguishing small (s)RNA pathways in a eukaryote–eukaryote endosymbiotic interaction is challenging. Here, we investigate the repertoire of RNAi pathway protein-encoding genes in the model nascent endosymbiotic system, Paramecium bursaria–Chlorella spp. Using comparative genomics and transcriptomics supported by phylogenetics, we identify essential proteome components of the small interfering (si)RNA, scan (scn)RNA and internal eliminated sequence (ies)RNA pathways. Our analyses reveal that copies of these components have been retained throughout successive whole genome duplication (WGD) events in the Paramecium clade. We validate feeding-induced siRNA-based RNAi in P. bursaria via knock-down of the splicing factor, u2af1, which we show to be crucial to host growth. Finally, using simultaneous knock-down ‘paradox’ controls to rescue the effect of u2af1 knock-down, we demonstrate that feeding-induced RNAi in P. bursaria is dependent upon a core pathway of host-encoded Dcr1, Piwi and Pds1 components. Our experiments confirm the presence of a functional, host-derived RNAi pathway in P. bursaria that generates 23-nt siRNA, validating the use of the P. bursaria–Chlorella spp. system to investigate the genetic basis of a nascent endosymbiosis.
Testing Mosquitoes for Student Inquiry: Husbandry Lessons in the Lab

Abstract Because mosquitoes are a public health concern, several chemical insect repellents have been created and used for many years. While some of these products, such as DEET and permethrin, are effective at controlling mosquito populations, their excessive use may lead to animal, human, and environmental harm if applied improperly. Understanding the life cycles of mosquitoes, their feeding preferences, and their responses to natural plant extracts could enable scientists to develop more environmentally safe but still effective insect repellents. Various types of plant extracts (e.g., American beautyberry, Callicarpa americana) hold promise. In order to study such plant–mosquito interactions, we had to establish basic husbandry practices for successfully rearing and maintaining mosquito populations in the lab. We discuss the protocols we have used for housing mosquitoes and creating plant extracts and offer suggestions for how students can use both for inquiry.
Data Science Approaches in Criminal Justice and Public Health Research: Lessons Learned From Opioid Projects

The persistence of the nation’s opioid epidemic has called on criminal justice and public health agencies to collaborate more than ever. This epidemiological criminology framework highlights the surveillance of public health and safety, often using data science approaches, to inform best practices. The purpose of our article is to delineate the main benefits and challenges of adopting data science approaches for epidemiological criminology partnerships, research, and policy. We offer “lessons learned” from our opioid research in Delaware and Florida to advise future researchers, especially those working closely with policymakers and practitioners in translating science into impactful best practices. We begin with a description of our projects, pivot to the challenges we have faced in contributing to science and policy, and close with recommendations for future research, public advocacy, and practice.
The Effects of Innovative Visual Design on Consumer Attitude

Innovative visual design plays an important role in marketing for attracting consumers’ attention in-store. Drawing upon thinking styles and design literature, this research investigates how consumers’ different thinking styles influence their evaluations of and attitudes toward the innovative visual design via perceived functional innovativeness. Findings indicate that consumers with a holistic (vs. analytic) thinking style, who integrate perspectives and open-mindsets, show more favorable attitudes toward a product with an innovative visual design. The results emphasize the mediating role of visually hinted functional innovativeness on the effect of a holistic thinking style on consumer attitudes.