Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simulated response of an intermittent stream to rainfall frequency patterns

The response of intermittent catchments to rainfall is complex and difficult to model. This study uses the spatially distributed CATchment HYdrology (CATHY) model to explore how the frequency of daily rainfall (λ) can affect the hydrologic regime of intermittent catchments. After a multi‐objective calibration and validation of CATHY against experimental measurements of streamflow and groundwater levels in a catchment used as a pasture, the role of λ in affecting streamflow characteristics was explored using different scenarios. With different values of λ for the dry and wet periods of the year, CATHY showed that a series of frequent rainfall events was often associated with incipient streamflow, independent of the season. Activation of streamflow during the wet season was related to multiple factors and was not often associated with the shallow groundwater levels near the outlet of the catchment. The interplay between rainfall depth and intensity acted as the most important factor for the generation of streamflow. Using the difference between accumulated rainfall and evapotranspiration as a measure of wetness, saturated subsurface flow mechanism generated streamflow in simulations with wetness at least three times larger than mean wetness of other simulations. Although groundwater uprise near the outlet did not effectively contribute to streamflow in the initial days of flow, it strongly correlated with the magnitude of the runoff coefficient. Values of λ close or equal to the maximum value in the wet season can sustain the connectivity between groundwater and streamflow in the riparian zone. This connectivity increases the catchment wetness, which consequently results in an increase of the generated streamflow. Our study showed that rainfall regimes characterized by different λ were able to identify distinct flow regimes typical of either intermittent, ephemeral, or nonflowing catchments. Decrease of λ in the wet season is likely associated with a reduction of streamflow, with a shift of flow regime from intermittent to ephemeral or no‐flow.
Exergy as Criteria for Efficient Energy Systems—A Spatially Resolved Comparison of the Current Exergy Consumption, the Current Useful Exergy Demand and Renewable Exergy Potential

The energy transition from fossil-based energy sources to renewable energy sources of an industrialized country is a big challenge and needs major systemic changes to the energy supply. Such changes require a holistic view of the energy system, which includes both renewable potentials and consumption. Thereby exergy, which describes the quality of energy, must also be considered. In this work, the determination and analysis of such a holistic view of a country are presented, using Austria as an example. The methodology enables the calculation of the spatially resolved current exergy consumption, the spatially resolved current useful exergy demand and the spatially resolved technical potential of renewable energy sources (RES). Top-down and bottom-up approaches are combined in order to increase accuracy. We found that, currently, Austria cannot self-supply with exergy using only RES. Therefore, Austria should increase the efficiency of its energy system, since the overall exergy efficiency is only at 34%. The spatially resolved analysis shows that in Austria the exergy potential of RES is rather evenly distributed. In contrast, the exergy consumption is concentrated in urban and industrial areas. Therefore, the future energy infrastructure must compensate for these spatial discrepancies.
Plastid gene expression is required for singlet oxygen-induced chloroplast degradation and cell death

Chloroplasts constantly experience photo-oxidative stress while performing photosynthesis. This is particularly true under abiotic stresses that lead to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). While ROS leads to the oxidation of DNA, proteins, and lipids, it can also act as a signal to induce chloroplast degradation, cell death, and nuclear gene expression. Although the mechanisms behind ROS signaling from chloroplasts remain mostly unknown, several genetic systems have been devised in the model plant Arabidopsis to understand their signaling properties. One system uses the plastid ferrochelatase two (fc2) mutant that conditionally accumulates the ROS singlet oxygen (1O2) leading to chloroplast degradation and eventually cell death. Here we have mapped three mutations that suppress chloroplast degradation in the fc2 mutant and demonstrate that they affect two independent loci (PPR30 and mTERF9) encoding chloroplast proteins predicted to be involved in post-transcriptional gene expression. Mutations in either gene were shown to lead to broadly reduced chloroplast gene expression, impaired chloroplast development, and reduced chloroplast stress signaling. 1O2 levels were uncoupled to chloroplast degradation, however, suggesting that these mutations also affect ROS signaling pathways. In the wild type background, ppr30 and mTERF9 mutants were also observed to be less susceptible to cell death induced by excess light stress. Together these results suggest that plastid gene expression (or the expression of specific plastid genes) is a necessary prerequisite for chloroplasts to activate 1O2 signaling pathways to induce chloroplast degradation and/or cell death. Significance summary Reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen accumulate in the chloroplast and signal to induce chloroplast degradation, cell death, and changes in nuclear gene expression. We have identified two proteins involved in plastid gene expression that are required to transmit these signals, PPR30 and mTERF9, suggesting that plastid gene expression is necessary to activate chloroplast quality control pathways.
Three-Dimensional Point Cloud Object Detection Using Scene Appearance Consistency Among Multi-View Projection Directions

Three-dimensional (3D) object detection in point clouds is an important technique for various high-level computer vision tasks. In this study, we propose a method for point-wise detection of regions of objects in a scene. We regard the 3D object detection problem as a series of optimal matching problems between object and scene images, which are obtained by projecting point clouds into multiple viewpoints. The main novelty of this study is treating the 3D object detection problem as the determination of optimal correspondence among image sets. Unlike the existing methods that directly employ individual correspondences between projected image pairs, the simultaneous matching of projected image sets allows the evaluation of the appearance consistency of the target object in multi-viewpoint scene images. The other novelty of the proposed method is using principal component analysis to estimate effective image-projection directions for object point clouds. By projecting object point clouds in directions orthogonal to the first principal component basis, the projected images can include plenty of point clouds information, thus providing highly discriminative features for image matching. We back-project reliable matching results retrieved from the image-set correspondence into 3D space to achieve point-wise object detection. Experiments using public datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed method.
Examining barriers, physical activity, and weight change among parents and nonparents in a weight loss intervention

Little is known about the influence of children in the home on physical activity and weight among adults in weight loss interventions. This study evaluated the association between number of children in the home, weight loss, and weight regain in a behavioural weight loss intervention, and whether those relationships were mediated in sequence by physical activity barriers and physical activity changes.
Analysis of High-Power Charging Limitations of a Battery in a Hybrid Railway System

Fuel cell (FC)-driven railroad propulsion systems (RPSs) have been much appreciated for the past two decades to get rid exhausts of fossil fuels, but the inability of FCs to capture regenerative power produced by propulsion systems during regenerative braking and the dependency of its power density on operating current density necessitates the hybridization of FCs with batteries and/or supercapacitors to utilize the best features of all three power sources. Contrary to the research trend in hybridization where the purpose of hybridization such as fuel saving, high efficiency, or high mileage is achieved by certain operational algorithms without going into detail models, this study using detailed models explores the impact of high-power charging limitations of batteries on the optimization of hybridization, and proposes a solution accordingly. In this study, all three power sources were modeled, the optimal and suboptimal behaviors at the individual level were identified, and power distribution was implemented for a propulsion system, as recommended by the optimal features of all individual power sources. Since the detailed modeling of these power sources involves many mathematical equations and requires the implementation of continuous and discrete states, this study also demonstrates how, using C-MEX S-Functions, these models can be implemented with a reduced computational burden.
Effect of Obesity on Human Squat Exercise

This paper deals with the effect of obesity on human squat exercise. The aforementioned clinical condition affects gait (and other daily common activities) in a sense that alterations are made to gait patterns and speed in order to accommodate the patient when participating in physical activities such as walking, making a turn, etc. This work consists of experimental data collected from a subject during moderate squat exercise. Two cases were considered, first, subject with no additional mass, and second, subject with additional mass. The experimental data is collected in the Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The squat depth for each trial was kept at a constant height 1 foot from the ground, which corresponds to moderate squat exercise. Phase planes, tools used in nonlinear dynamics, were used to investigate the significant differences between the two cases, no additional weight vs. additional weight. Also, Lyapunov exponents are calculated to assess the stability of the knee joint. There are significant differences in the lateral direction of the centers of mass of both femur and tibia. Moreover the stability of the knee flexion angle decreases with additional mass.
Silencing of TaCKX1 mediates expression of other TaCKX genes to increase grain yield in wheat

TaCKX family genes influence development of wheat plants by specific regulation of cytokinin content in different organs. However, their detailed role is not known. The TaCKX1, highly and specifically expressed in developing spikes and in seedling roots, was silenced by RNAi-mediated gene silencing via Agrobacterium and the effect of silencing was investigated in 7 DAP spikes of T1 and T2 generations. Various levels of TaCKX1 silencing in both generations influence different models of co-expression with other TaCKX genes and parameters of yield-related traits. Only a high level of silencing in T2 resulted in strong down-regulation of TaCKX11 (3), up-regulation of TaCKX2.1, 2.2, 5 and 9 (10), and a high yielding phenotype. This phenotype is characterised by higher spike number, grain number and grain yield, as well as slightly higher mass of seedling roots, but lower thousand grain weight (TGW) and slightly lower spike length. Content of most of cytokinin forms in 7 DAP spikes of silenced T2 lines increased from 40 to 76% compared to the non-silenced control. The CKs cross talk with other phytohormones. Each of the tested yield-related traits is regulated by various up- or down-regulated TaCKX genes and phytohormones. Unexpectedly, increased expression of TaCKX2.1 in silent for TaCKX1 T2 plants up-regulated trans- and cis-zeatin and trans-zeatin glucosides, determining lower TGW and chlorophyll content in flag leaves but higher grain yield. The coordinated effect of TaCKX1 silencing on expression of other TaCKX genes, phytohormone levels in 7 DAP spikes and yield-related traits in silenced T2 lines is presented. One-sentence summary Different levels of TaCKX1 silencing influence various models of coordinated expression of TaCKX genes and phytohormone levels in 7 DAP spikes, as well as yield parameters.
Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells for Sepsis-induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: The Role of Tissue Source, Pre-activation Strategies and Measures of MSC Potency on Therapeutic Benefit in Rodent Models of ARDS

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a devastating illness characterized by a dysregulated inflammatory response, pulmonary edema, and compromised integrity of the endothelial and epithelial barriers of the lung. Despite intensive research, a therapy for ARDS remains elusive and current strategies are purely supportive. Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells (hBM-MSCs) have shown considerable promise in preclinical studies of ARDS, particularly pneumonia and sepsis-induced ARDS. We wished to investigate the therapeutic potential of hMSCs derived from umbilical cord perivascular tissue (hUC-MSCs), which is a more accessible and plentiful source of hMSCs. We also aimed to examine the effects of using human platelet lysate (hPL) as a media supplement in the expansion of hUC-MSCs, and the ability of pre-activation strategies to augment the beneficial actions of hUC-MSCs. In parallel, we wished to further delineate possible mechanisms of action of MSCs using in vitro assays.
Cam versus pincer femoroacetabular impingement. Which type is associated with more hip structural damage? An exploratory cross-sectional study

Background: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) occurs as a conflict between the proximal femur and the acetabular rim. The purpose of this study was to evaluate MRI findings and look for correlations with pain intensity and duration in each type of FAI separately in an attempt to identify which type is associated with more structural damage. Methods: Forty-four patients (78 hips) diagnosed with either cam or pincer FAI were consecutively recruited in a prospective cohort study. None of our patients had evidence of osteoarthritis (OA) on the initial plain radiography. All patients had contrast-enhanced MRI and CT scans of the hips. All patients filled in a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. Results: The frequency of bone marrow edema (BME) was 37% in cam FAI and 20.8% in pincer FAI. In cam FAI, BME positively correlated with pain severity as measured by VAS (P<0.0001), cartilage degradation (P=0.001), pseudocysts (P<0.0001), hip effusion (P=0.013) and reactive synovitis (P<0.0001). However, in pincer FAI, BME only correlated with pain severity (P=0.004) and duration (P=0.011) and did not correlate with other MRI signs of structural hip damage. Conclusions: In cam FAI, BME of the femoral head and neck on MRI positively correlated with chondral damage and synovitis, but not in pincer FAI. This correlation suggests that cam FAI might be associated with a worse long-term prognosis. This finding might have an impact on clinical practice and decision making as it would encourage surgeons to intervene early in cases of cam FAI, thus preventing the possible development of irreversible, established hip OA.
Traffic-Centric Mesoscopic Analysis of Connectivity in VANETs

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have emerged as an appropriate class of information propagation technology promising to link us even while moving at high speeds. In VANETs, a piece of information propagates through consecutive connections. In the most previous vehicular connectivity analysis, the provided probability density function of intervehicle distance throughout the wide variety of steady-state traffic flow conditions is surprisingly invariant. But, using a constant assumption, generates approximate communication results, prevents us from improving the performance of the current solutions and impedes designing the new applications on VANETs. Hence, in this paper, a mesoscopic vehicular mobility model in a multilane highway with a steady-state traffic flow condition is adopted. To model a traffic-centric distribution for the spatial per-hop progress and the expected spatial per-hop progress, different intervehicle distance distributions are utilized. Moreover, the expected number of hops, distribution of the number of successful multihop forwarding, the expected time delay and the expected connectivity distance are mathematically investigated. Finally, to model the distribution of the connectivity distances, a set of simplistic closed-form traffic-centric equations is proposed. The accuracy of the proposed model is confirmed using an event-based network simulator as well as a road traffic simulator.
Physical Education Teachers’ Competencies and Assessment in Professional Practice

Pre-service Physical Education teacher training should develop key competencies that guide graduates in their professional work. The application of the formative assessment at this stage is presented as a way for them to acquire these competencies. This research assesses graduates’ perception of the development of key teaching competencies and whether there are significant differences depending on whether or not they are working as teachers. The relationship between some elements of assessment and grading and the development of competencies is also studied. Four hundred and eighty-seven graduates from seventeen Spanish universities participated. The results show that (a) there are no differences in the perception of the competencies acquired depending on whether or not graduates are working; (b) graduates who are working as teachers positively relate the assessment items to two of the three sets of competencies studied, and participative forms of grading to the competencies of development, application and assessment of teaching and learning processes in physical education; and (c) those who are working believe that using formative assessment during their pre-service training has helped them put the teaching competencies into practice in their professional work.
Profiling the Immune Vulnerability Landscape of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus

The outbreak of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has rapidly spread from Wuhan, China to multiple countries, causing staggering number of infections and deaths. A systematic profiling of the immune vulnerability landscape of 2019-nCoV is lacking, which can bring critical insights into the immune clearance mechanism, peptide vaccine development, and antiviral antibody development. In this study, we predicted the potential of all the 2019-nCoV viral proteins to induce class I and II MHC presentation and form linear antibody epitopes. We showed that the enrichment for T cell and B cell epitopes is not uniform on the viral genome, with several focused regions that generate abundant epitopes and may be more targetable. We showed that genetic variations in 2019-nCoV, though fewer for the moment, already follow the pattern of mutations in related coronaviruses, and could alter the immune vulnerability landscape of this virus, which should be considered in the development of therapies. We create an online database to broadly share our research outcome. Overall, we present an immunological resource for 2019-nCoV that could significantly promote both therapeutic development and mechanistic research.
From Digital Commons to Scholar Profiles: Implementing a New System to Raise College Academic Distinction

ABSTRACT Institutional repositories, or digital archives, are a fundamental part of an academic institution in higher education. Saint Mary’s institutional repository plays an integral role in supporting one of the goals in the College’s Strategic Plan: “Raise the Academic Profile and Distinction. ” This case study describes the benefits and challenges of institutional repositories for small institutions, the launch of Saint Mary’s Digital Commons, and the implementation of its new scholar profiles system. The Library is proud to be recognized for its expertise as the manager of the College’s institutional repository and its new research information management system.
Students’ Personalities and the Level of Engagement in Co-Curricular Activities

This study aimed to examine the relationship between students’ personalities with their level of engagement in co-curricular activities in schools around the Kuala Lumpur Sentul Zone. This quantitative study used survey questionnaires and involved 351 respondents consisting of selected Form 4 students from four selected schools. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant relationship (r = 0.762, p = 0.00) between students’ personalities and their engagement in co-curricular activities among students. The results showed that students’ personalities can be developed and their level of engagement in co-curricular activities can also be determined.
Anesthetic Management of Tracheo-Innominate Fistula in a Patient with Cerebral Palsy: Case Report and Literature Review

Tracheo-innominate fistula (TIF) is a rare complication of tracheostomy placement with mortality rates from 73% to 100%. Focusing on anesthetic management concerns, we report a case of TIF in a patient with cerebral palsy and review the current literature on diagnosis and management of TIF to direct our recommendations.
States of play: evaluating the renaissance in US military wargaming

ABSTRACT This paper introduces the topic of military wargaming into current critical debates in International Relations (IR) on games and gaming, which to date have focused on civilian, recreational forms. Identifying a renaissance which began in the US in 2014, the core argument developed is that wargaming utilizes key elements of critical/postpositivist theory in its interventions into the ‘human training dimension’ with the aim of impacting upon the inner domain of players in promotion of military ends. Drawing on Eyal Weizman’s work, the paper makes two key claims: 1) Wargaming poses a profound methodological and epistemological challenge to the quantitatively-oriented Operations Research (OR) community which has dominated DoD analysis for nearly a century. 2) By decoupling critical/postpositivist traditions from their intended ends, using them instead to impact upon players, wargaming militarizes them. The paper begins by locating the origins of the wargaming renaissance in the Defence Innovation Initiative and associated Third Offset Strategy. It then shows how US military gaming intervenes at the level of the human training dimension by cultivating specific forms of critical thinking, multiple futures planning, and reflexive decision-making using distinctively critical/postpositivist insights. From there it sets out three key challenges posed by wargaming to OR which trouble the latter’s claims to prediction, objectivity, and rationalism, before concluding that a new form of ‘post-quantitative defence analysis’ is emergent which militarizes the tools of critical/postpositivist approaches.
The complete mitochondrial genome of an Asian longicorn beetle Dorysthenes granulosus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae)

Abstract The complete mitogenome sequence of an Asian longicorn beetle Dorysthenes granulosus (Thomson 1860) was sequenced. The 15,858 bp long genome has the standard metazoan complement of 38 genes. These genes contain 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 1 control region. The nucleotide composition of the D. granulosus mitogenome was A: 39.5%, T: 31.7%, G: 10.9%, C: 17.9%. The A＋T content was 71.2%, showing strong AT skew. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that D. granulosus have sister relationship with Dorysthenes paradoxus.