Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Responses of soil heterotrophic respiration and microbial biomass to organic and conventional production systems

The effects of organic and conventional production systems on crop productivity have been greatly explored, but their effects on soil microbial processes were often neglected. A comparative field study of organic and conventional production systems was conducted at the Tennessee State University research farm to determine soil heterotrophic respiration and microbial biomass carbon. Leafy green vegetables were grown in a conventional production system in an open field, and they were grown in an organic production system, using three different row covers (agribon cloth, insect net, and plastic), and in an open field. Soil samples (0-15cm) were collected from the two production systems. Soil heterotrophic respiration rate (RH), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and biomass-specific heterotrophic respiration rate (the inverse is used as a proxy for microbial carbon use efficiency) were quantified. The results showed that the conventional production system significantly increased RH relative to the organic system. Organic production system, however, significantly enhanced MBC and reduced biomass-specific respiration rate indicating an increase in carbon use efficiency. Although MBC remained unchanged among the row covers, insect net increased RH and biomass-specific heterotrophic respiration rate. Our results suggest that the organic production system not only promoted soil microbial abundance but also limited soil heterotrophic respiration to the atmosphere governed by the elevated carbon use efficiency.
Progress in symmetry preserving robot perception and control through geometry and learning

This article reports on recent progress in robot perception and control methods developed by taking the symmetry of the problem into account. Inspired by existing mathematical tools for studying the symmetry structures of geometric spaces, geometric sensor registration, state estimator, and control methods provide indispensable insights into the problem formulations and generalization of robotics algorithms to challenging unknown environments. When combined with computational methods for learning hard-to-measure quantities, symmetry-preserving methods unleash tremendous performance. The article supports this claim by showcasing experimental results of robot perception, state estimation, and control in real-world scenarios.
Impacts of family environment on adolescents’ academic achievement: The role of peer interaction quality and educational expectation gap

The current study uses a two-wave longitudinal survey to explores the influence mechanism of the family environment on adolescents’ academic achievement. The family environment is measured by parents and children’s reports, including family atmosphere, parent–child interaction, and family rules, to reveal the mediating effect of adolescents’ positive or negative peers between the family environment and academic achievement, and whether the gap between self- and parental educational expectation plays a moderating effect. This study uses the data of the China Education Panel Study (CEPS); the survey samples include 9,449 eighth-grade students (Mage = 13.55 years, SD = 0.70), establishing a multilevel moderated mediating effect model. The results showed (1) the family environment and peer interaction quality can positively predict adolescents’ academic achievement. (2) Using the KHB test, peer interaction quality plays a partial mediating role in the process of family environment positively affecting academic achievement, and the mediating ratio is 27.5%. (3) The educational expectation gap moderates the effect of the family environment on academic achievement and also on peer interaction quality. Therefore, from the perspective of environment and important others, to correctly grasp the academic achievement of junior high school students in the process of socialization, it is necessary to recognize that the family environment, peer interaction quality, and educational expectation gap play an important role.
Genome-wide identification of bHLH transcription factors: Discovery of a candidate regulator related to flavonoid biosynthesis in Erigeron breviscapus

Erigeron breviscapus is a Compositae plant, and its rich flavonoids have shown strong preventative and curative effects in the treatment of cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. bHLH genes play a crucial role in plant growth and development. There are 116 EbbHLH genes in E. breviscapus, and each gene has been named based on its chromosome location. Our phylogenetic analysis divided these genes into 18 subfamilies. To further investigate its function, EbbHLH80 was isolated from E. breviscapus leaves. Next, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of tobacco leaves were performed. Among 421 differentially accumulated compounds, 98 flavonoids were identified. In addition, differentially expressed genes were identified using RNA-seq, and further analysis suggested that EbbHLH80-OE could not only regulate the expression of some structural genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway to achieve flavonoid accumulation but also be involved in the regulation of a series of downstream pathways, such as stress response, ABA and ethylene signal transduction, to affect plant growth and development. The results of our analysis provide new insights into the function of EbbHLH80 and lay the foundation for future functional studies on E. breviscapus.
Review of the cold atmospheric plasma technology application in food, disinfection, and textiles: A way forward for achieving circular economy

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a promising technology quite useful in many industries including biotechnology, biomedical, textiles, and food processing. The contrivance of plasma technology can be a potential game-changer to use in any possible way in these industries. This CAP technology is technically a green process with no generation of chemically harmful substances with more ecological and economic benefits. This review article will focus on the research done in the textile industry and food processing, how plasma brings in an effective change in these industrial sectors as well the as application of CAP in disinfection, sterilization, microbial inactivation, and surface modification to obtain desirable results. Recently, there have been reports of successful use of CAP technology for surface inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, plasma-activated water for disinfection of SARS-CoV-2. This article will streamline the innovations in textiles and food industries achieved using plasma technology and what gaps industries face while manufacturing. The focus will be on what research has already done while depicting the gaps and opportunities for using plasma technology in these industries and making use of it to achieve a circular economy, which is one of the major policies of the European countries. A circular economy enables manufactures to produce goods which can be reused, recycled, refurbished, and repaired rather than scrapping them after a single use. The reduction of harmful chemicals, wastewater treatment, and sterilization is achieved using plasma technology and allows reusing the resources which consequently helps to achieve most of the UN’s sustainable development goals and help society to live a sustainable and better life.
Novel family of nitrogen-rich energetic (1,2,4-triazolyl) furoxan salts with balanced performance

Nitrogen-rich energetic materials comprised of a combination of several heterocyclic subunits retain their leading position in the field of materials science. In this regard, a preparation of novel high-energy materials with balanced set of physicochemical properties is highly desired. Herein, we report the synthesis of a new series of energetic salts incorporating a (1,2,4-triazolyl) furoxan core and complete evaluation of their energetic properties. All target energetic materials were well characterized with IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, while compound 6 was further characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. Prepared nitrogen-rich salts have high thermal stability (up to 232°C), good experimental densities (up to 1.80 g cm−3) and high positive enthalpies of formation (344–1,095 kJ mol−1). As a result, synthesized energetic salts have good detonation performance (D = 7.0–8.4 km s−1; p = 22–32 GPa), while their sensitivities to impact and friction are quite low.
Timing and intensity of physical activity and late sleeping habits among children in Japan

Background Little is known about what timing and intensity of physical activity (PA) are beneficial to preventing children’s late sleeping habits. We investigated the association between timing and intensity of PA and late sleeping habits among Japanese children. Methods The amount of PA on a weekday (light (>1.5 to <3.0 metabolic equivalents [METs]); moderate (3.0 to <6.0 METs); and vigorous (6.0 to <20.0 METs) was measured for the whole day, before school, during school, and after school, using accelerometers for population-based fourth-grade elementary school and eighth graders for 7 consecutive days between September and December 2018. Late sleeping habit (going to bed after 10 p.m. for fourth graders and after 11 p.m. for eighth graders) was assessed by questionnaires. The data of 229 fourth graders and 182 eighth graders were analyzed with Poisson regression adjusted for grade, gender, household income, body mass index (BMI), belonging to a sports club, wake-up time on weekdays, and PAs with different intensities. Results Total PA was not associated with late sleeping habits. Light-intensity PA before school was protectively associated with late sleeping habits (prevalence ratio [PR]: 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.68, 0.99) while PA at school or after school was not. Conclusion Light-intensity PA before school may enhance the earlier bedtime of children.
The efficacy and safety of 125I brachytherapy combined with pre-operative transarterial chemoembolization in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer

Objective To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Iodine-125 ( 125I) brachytherapy combined with pre-operative transarterial chemoembolization in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. Methods In this study, a total of thirty-seven individuals suffering from locally advanced head and neck cancer were involved. The patients were subjected to transarterial chemoembolization as well as implantation of 125I seeds under the guidance of CT and ultrasonography. Follow-up was conducted for 36 months to study the following parameters: the local control rate, survival rate, and clinical complications. Results In total, thirty-six patients at the end of three months showed an objective response rate of 69.8% and disease control rate of 93.0%, respectively. The 1, 2, and 3-year cumulative overall survival rate was 89.2%, 73.0%, and 45.9%, respectively. The adverse events of the treatment included infection (n=1, Grade III), radiation brachial plexus injury (n=1, Grade III), leukopenia (n=1, Grade III), cerebrovascular embolism (n=1, Grade IV). Conclusion The combination of 125I brachytherapy and pre-operative transarterial chemoembolization was safe and effective in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer.
Evaluation of research performed on energy efficiency in energy-intensive manufacturing companies

The implementation of climate protection cannot succeed without increasing energy efficiency in companies. Increasing energy efficiency is an important success factor for the energy transition, but unfortunately, the energy saving potentials are only insufficiently exploited. The aim of this study is, therefore, to highlight the current state of research on energy efficiency potentials in companies at the technology level. For this purpose, an extensive literature search was conducted with more than 30 keywords. After screening and cleaning, 101 articles were selected and reviewed in detail. The literature search was performed using eight evaluation criteria: origin and year of publication, type of company, type of industry, type of data, survey method, number of participants, data collection method, and analysis method. In order to evaluate the statements and results of the considered works, a SWOT analysis was used. Our analysis revealed that: 1) studies explicitly addressing energy efficiency measures and potentials at the technology level are scarce. Even fewer studies address the relationships and interactions (positive or negative) between individual measures; 2) most studies focus on large and manufacturing companies, most of which are energy intensive. SMEs in the non-manufacturing sector, such as trade, commerce, and services, are far less represented; and 3) the chosen research focus and content are often barriers, drivers, and theory models for energy efficiency, and secondary data are mostly used. Of the studies that considered primary data, 71% used a questionnaire survey. Research into the interactions between individual measures enables policymakers to target business support programs.
Investigating the contribution of cytoarchitecture to diffusion MRI measures in gray matter using histology

Postmortem studies are currently considered a gold standard for investigating brain structure at the cellular level. To investigate cellular changes in the context of human development, aging, or disease treatment, non-invasive in-vivo imaging methods such as diffusion MRI (dMRI) are needed. However, dMRI measures are only indirect measures and require validation in gray matter (GM) in the context of their sensitivity to the underlying cytoarchitecture, which has been lacking. Therefore, in this study we conducted direct comparisons between in-vivo dMRI measures and histology acquired from the same four rhesus monkeys. Average and heterogeneity of fractional anisotropy and trace from diffusion tensor imaging and mean squared displacement (MSD) and return-to-origin-probability from biexponential model were calculated in nine cytoarchitectonically different GM regions using dMRI data. DMRI measures were compared with corresponding histology measures of regional average and heterogeneity in cell area density. Results show that both average and heterogeneity in trace and MSD measures are sensitive to the underlying cytoarchitecture (cell area density) and capture different aspects of cell composition and organization. Trace and MSD thus would prove valuable as non-invasive imaging biomarkers in future studies investigating GM cytoarchitectural changes related to development and aging as well as abnormal cellular pathologies in clinical studies.
Exploring purchase intentions of new energy vehicles: Do “mianzi” and green peer influence matter?

New energy vehicle is an innovative means of transportation, and its development has been widely concerned all over the world. However, few studies investigate the purchase intention of new energy vehicles (NEVs) from the perspective of combining altruism and cultural factors. Based on the extended norm activation model (NAM), this study explores the influencing factors of NEVs’ purchasing intention and the moderating effects of “mianzi” and green peer influence. According to 302 valid questionnaires, the results indicated that the extended NAM model is useful in predicting consumer purchasing behavior with an improved explanatory power in purchase intentions of NEVs from 15 to 26%. The awareness of consequences, the ascription of responsibility, and green self-identity have a positive impact on the personal norm. Personal norm and green self-identity are positively associated with purchase intention. “Mianzi” and green peer influence positively moderate the relationship between green self-identity and intention to purchase. The findings give new insights into the impact of cultural factors on purchasing NEVs and profound suggestions for policymakers and enterprises to promote the development of NEVs.
Worsening of asthma control after COVID-19

Background SARS-CoV-2 enters lung cells via angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. Several studies suggest that interleukin-13, an important cytokine involved in T2 inflammation, reduces ACE2 expression, and therefore, asthma would not be a significant risk factor for the development of severe COVID-19. However, several asthma-related risk factors should be valued during the concurrent occurrence of asthma and COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to compare the evolution of asthma in patients who had COVID-19 with those who did not have the disease. Methods This was an observational and retrospective study involving asthmatic patients followed up at a tertiary center. Patients were assessed for severity of asthma, atopy, comorbidities, and COVID-19. Worsening of asthma was considered when, during the period of Sept 2020 to Oct 2021, patients referred an increasing of asthma symptoms and a need to increment their maintenance therapy. Results This study included 208 asthmatic patients, the mean age was 52.75 years, 79.81% were atopic asthmatics, and 59 (28.37%) had laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease. Of all patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2, eleven (18.64%) needed hospitalization and required oxygen supply with an O2 mask. Comparing the worsening of asthma between patients who had COVID-19 and those who had not the disease, there was a statistically significant difference, 33.90 vs. 11.41%, respectively (p < 0.001). There was no statistical significance regarding asthma comorbidities. Conclusion This study assessed a group of asthmatic patients that had COVID-19, and that although the respiratory symptoms related to COVID-19 were mild to moderate, a subgroup of these asthmatic patients evolved with a chronic worsening of their asthma requiring an increment in asthma medication to control the disease.
White matter alterations in focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures

We examined the white matter of patients with and without focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FBTCS), and control participants. A neural network based tract segmentation model (Tractseg) was used to isolate tract-specific, track-weighted tensor-based measurements from the tracts of interest. We compared the group differences in the track-weighted tensor-based measurements derived from whole and hemispheric tracts. We identified several regions that displayed significantly altered white matter in patients with focal epilepsy compared to controls. Furthermore, patients without FBTCS showed significantly increased white matter disruption in the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle and the striato-occipital tract. In contrast, the track-weighted tensor-based measurements from the FBTCS cohort exhibited a stronger resemblance to the healthy controls (compared to the non-FBTCS group). Our findings revealed marked alterations in a range of subcortical tracts considered critical in the genesis of seizures in focal epilepsy. Our novel application of tract-specific, track-weighted tensor-based measurements to a new clinical dataset aided the elucidation of specific tracts that may act as a predictive biomarker to distinguish patients likely to develop FBTCS.
High-efficiency solution-processed OLED based on trivalent europium complex by modifying the composition of the multiple-host system

In this work, di-[4-(N,N-ditolylamino)-phenyl]cyclohexane (TAPC); 4,4′,4″-tri (9-carbazoyl)triphenylamine (TcTa); 9-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-3,6-bis(triphenylsilyl)-9H-carbazole (CzSi); and 1,3,5-tri (m-pyrid-3-yl-phenyl)benzene (TmPyPB) were used to constitute the multiple-host system and fabricate solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (s-OLEDs) with europium complex Eu(DBM)3Phen (DBM, 1,3-diphenylpropane-1,3-dione; Phen,1,10-phenanthroline) as emitter. In order to determine the optimal composition of the multiple-host system, a series of devices with different light-emitting layers (EMLs) were fabricated and compared. Experimental results revealed that removing TmPyPB out of the multiple-host system greatly reduces the turn-on voltage, whereas the addition of TcTa to the multiple-host system helps facilitate the transfer of holes from TAPC to Eu(DBM)3Phen molecules, thus increasing the recombination probability of carriers on emitter molecules. Finally, high performance solution-processed red OLED (turn-on voltage of 3.8 V) based on the europium complex doped multiple-host system obtained the maximum current efficiency of 2.07 cd A−1, power efficiency of 1.54 lm W−1, external quantum efficiency of 1.2%, and brightness of 945 cd m−2.
Quantifying spatial extents of artificial versus natural reefs in the seascape

With increasing human uses of the ocean, existing seascapes containing natural habitats, such as biogenic reefs or plant-dominated systems, are supplemented by novel, human-made habitats ranging from artificial reefs to energy extraction infrastructure and shoreline installments. Despite the mixture of natural and artificial habitats across seascapes, the distribution and extent of these two types of structured habitats are not well understood but are necessary pieces of information for ocean planning and resource management decisions. Through a case study, we quantified the amount of seafloor in the southeastern US (SEUS; 103,220 km2 in the Atlantic Ocean; 10 – 200 m depth) covered by artificial reefs and natural reefs. We developed multiple data-driven approaches to quantify the extent of artificial reefs within state-managed artificial reef programs, and then drew from seafloor maps and published geological and predictive seafloor habitat models to develop three estimates of natural reef extent. Comparisons of the extent of natural and artificial reefs revealed that artificial reefs account for substantially less habitat (average of two estimates 3 km2; <0.01% of SEUS) in the region than natural reefs (average of three estimates 2,654 km2; 2.57% of SEUS) and that this pattern holds across finer regional groupings (e.g., states, depth bins). Our overall estimates suggest that artificial reef coverage is several orders of magnitude less than natural reef coverage. While expansive seafloor mapping and characterization efforts are still needed in SEUS waters, our results fill information gaps regarding the extent of artificial and natural reef habitats in the region, providing support for ecosystem-based management, and demonstrating an approach applicable to other regions.
Detecting vulnerable carotid plaque and its component characteristics: Progress in related imaging techniques

Carotid atherosclerotic plaque rupture and thrombosis are independent risk factors for acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Timely identification of vulnerable plaque can help prevent stroke and provide evidence for clinical treatment. Advanced invasive and non-invasive imaging modalities such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, intravascular ultrasound, optical coherence tomography, and near-infrared spectroscopy can be employed to image and classify carotid atherosclerotic plaques to provide clinically relevant predictors used for patient risk stratification. This study compares existing clinical imaging methods, and the advantages and limitations of different imaging techniques for identifying vulnerable carotid plaque are reviewed to effectively prevent and treat cerebrovascular diseases.