Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human genetic variation, relationships of peoples of sub-Saharan Africa and implications for healthcare

Sub-Saharan Africa is thought to have the most genetic variation of any continent and to be the place of origin of anatomically modern human. Nevertheless it is the subject of relatively few studies of human genetic variation. This thesis contributes to redressing this imbalance. Sex-specific genetic systems (non-recombining portion of the Y chromosome (NRY) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)) along with functional nuclear loci were characterised in multiple sub-Saharan African populations with large sample sizes to infer relationships of peoples and identify implications for healthcare. This thesis contains four projects which addressed questions in genetic anthropology, human evolution and pharmacogenetics utilising human genetic variation. In chapter 2, NRY analysis shows that a hypothesised paternal Yombe (Congo) ancestry of Palenque (Colombia), based on linguistic and historical evidence, is consistent with genetic data. Chapter 3, based on NRY data, demonstrates that a) multiple waves of migration occurred southwards during the expansion of Bantu-speaking peoples (EBSP), b) the eastern route displayed more recent migrations than the western route and c) the absence of substantial east to west NRY gene flow in sub-Saharan Africa over the past millennium. Chapter 4 suggests an eastern route out of Africa for the CASP12 truncated variant is more likely than a western route. (The stop-codon mutation was also dated to around 120,000 YBP). Chapter 5 demonstrates that a potentially functional CYP1A2 variant which has not been reported outside Africa is present at considerable frequencies in sub-Saharan African population groups and that exons associated with active sites in CYP1A genes are well conserved.
Optimization of nanosheet number and width of multi-stacked nanosheet FETs for sub-7-nm node system on chip applications

The DC/AC performances of sub-7-nm node nanosheet FETs (NSFETs) with different NS widths (WNS) and number of NSs (NNS) were investigated after fine calibration to 10-nm node fin-shaped FETs (FinFETs). A smaller WNS improves the short-channel effects but decreases the effective widths and the on-state currents (Ion). A higher NNS is beneficial for improving Ion by reducing source/drain (S/D) resistance, but longer carrier paths for the NS channels far from the S/D contacts act as a bottleneck for improvement of DC performance. Instead, gate capacitances increase constantly at the same rate as increase in NNS because both intrinsic and parasitic capacitances increase. As a result, sub-7-nm node NSFETs have minimum RC delay for a wide WNS of 44 nm and NNS of 2 and 3 for p- and n-type, respectively, outperforming 10-nm node FinFETs for standard and high-performance applications.
Stratocumulus Precipitation Properties Over the Southern Ocean Observed From Aircraft During the SOCRATES Campaign

Precipitation plays an important role in cloud and aerosol processes over the Southern Ocean (SO). The main objective of this study is to characterize SO precipitation properties associated with SO stratocumulus clouds. We use data from the Southern Ocean Clouds Radiation Aerosol Transport Experimental Study (SOCRATES), and leverage observations from airborne radar, lidar, and in situ probes. We find that for the cold‐topped clouds (cloud‐top‐temperature <0°C), the phase of precipitation with reflectivity >0 dBZ is predominantly ice, while reflectivity < −10 dBZ is predominantly liquid. Liquid‐phase precipitation properties are retrieved where radar and lidar are zenith‐pointing. Power‐law relationships between reflectivity (Z) and rain rate (R) are developed, and the derived Z–R relationships show vertical dependence and sensitivity to the presence of droplets with diameters between 10 and 40 μm. Using derived Z–R relationships, a reflectivity‐velocity (ZV) retrieval method, and a radar‐lidar retrieval method, we derive rain rate and other precipitation properties. The retrieved rain rate from all three methods shows good agreement with in‐situ aircraft estimates, with rain rates typically being quite light (<0.1 mm hr−1). We examine the vertical distribution of precipitation properties, and find that rain rate, precipitation number concentration, and precipitation liquid water all decrease as one gets closer to the surface, while precipitation size and distribution width increases. We also examine how cloud base rain rate (RCB) depends on cloud depth (H) and aerosol concentration (Na) for particles with a diameter greater than 70 nm, and find that RCB is proportional to .
Climate change effects on the maize growing season.

The potential future climatic conditions of maize growing in Hungary were examined based on the Hadley Centre’s HadCM3 model with A2 and B2 emission scenarios in different time periods. The scenario data set contains monthly data, which was a limiting factor of this work. There was no possibility to analyze for example the risk of spring frost, summer hot days or extreme precipitation events. Results show that the potential vegetative period – temperature higher than 10°C – could be longer with approximately 30 days in the middle of the century and about 50 days at the end. A drastic increase of the heat units can be observed with a decrease of precipitation. The unfavorable effects of the increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation could be characterized well by aridity indices. Based on the longer potential vegetative period and increasing effective heat units, in the near future would be possible to grow maize varieties with 2–3 higher FAO groups, which have a higher potential yield, but the precipitation would be a serious limiting factor. But later we have problems with the interpretation, as the heat unit values are going out of the present scope. Attempts were done also to cluster the climatic year types. These results show also a continuous shifting, and it can be observed that from about 2030 the minimum heat unit values become equal to the formerly high values.
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

We predicted that able-bodied individuals and White Americans would have a difficult time saying no to persuasive appeals offered by disabled individuals and Black Americans, due to their desire to make such interactions proceed smoothly. In two experiments, we show that members of stigmatized groups have a peculiar kind of persuasive ‘‘power’’ in face-to-face interactions with non-stigmatized individuals. In Experiment 1, wheelchair-bound confederates were more effective in publicly soliciting donations to a range of charities than confederates seated in a regular chair. In Experiment 2, Whites changed their private attitudes more following face-to-face appeals from Black than White confederates, an effect mediated by their increased efforts to appear agreeable by nodding and expressing agreement. This difference was eliminated when impression management concerns were minimized – when participants viewed the appeals on video. 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Circulation generale et traceurs : etudes dans l'ocean indien ouest

La question generale sous-tendant les travaux presentes dans cette these est: comment utiliser au mieux l'information apportee par les donnees de traceurs hydro-biogeochimiques pour l'etude de la circulation generale oceanique? la region consideree ici est l'ocean indien ouest. Tout d'abord, une analyse en composantes principales est faite sur un ensemble de donnees historiques. Les traceurs consideres sont: la temperature, la salinite, la densite, l'oxygene, les phosphates et les silicates. La methode s'avere efficace, reduit d'un facteur 5 environ la taille des donnees a considerer et permet de reproduire correctement les distributions grande-echelle de ces variables oceaniques. Les donnees ainsi analysees sont ensuite utilisees dans un modele inverse non lineaire aux differences finies. La grille a une resolution de 4 par 4. Des contraintes dynamiques comme des contraintes de conservation de traceur sont utilisees. Ces contraintes sont bien satisfaites par les solutions obtenues mais les erreurs associees a ces dernieres restent importantes. D'autres contraintes sont necessaires pour discuter plus en detail les differentes solutions. Enfin, une etude qualitative est faite sur la distribution profonde d'helium-3. Les donnees montrent plusieurs traits importants relatifs d'une part, a des apports hydrothermaux dans le golfe d'aden et sur la dorsale centrale indienne, et d'autre part, a l'origine des masses d'eaux et aux caracteristiques de la circulation profonde, mais d'autres mesures sont necessaires pour clarifier la distribution de ce traceur dans plusieurs zones cles
A Framework for teaching Ethics to ICS Students and Practitioners using Open Educational Resources

This project has exploited findings of a pilot study funded by The Open University's (OU) CETL known as COLMSCT (Centre for Open Learning of Maths, Science, Computing and Technology – http://open.ac.uk/colmsct) and carried out under the auspices of OpenLearn (http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn), the OU's open content initiative. The project has used the experience gained in that study to create a multimedia self-study course introducing ethics in ICS to advanced students and practitioners. The course has been made openly and freely available as an OpenLearn unit that can be studied, re-used and re-purposed by the wider community involved in the area.
Binge Eating (BE) and Obesity: Brain Activity and Psychological Measures before and after Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB)

Brain activity in response to food cues following Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) in binge eating (BE) or non-binge eating (NB) individuals is understudied. Here, 15 RYGB (8 BE; 7 NB) and 13 no treatment (NT) (7 BE; 6 NB) women with obesity underwent fMRI imaging while viewing high and low energy density food (HEF and LEF, respectively) and non-food (NF) visual cues. A region of interest (ROI) analysis compared BE participants to NB participants in those undergoing RYGB surgery pre-surgery and 4 months post. Results were corrected for multiple comparisons using liberal (p < 0.006 uncorrected) and stringent (p < 0.05 FDR corrected) thresholds. Four months following RYGB (vs. no treatment (NT) control), both BE and NB participants showed greater reductions in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals (a proxy of local brain activity) in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in response to HEF (vs. LEF) cues (p < 0.006). BE (vs. NB) participants showed greater increases in the precuneus (p < 0.006) and thalamic regions (p < 0.05 corrected) to food (vs. NF). For RYGB (vs. NT) participants, BE participants, but not NB participants, showed lower BOLD signal in the middle occipital gyrus (p < 0.006), whilst NB participants, but not BE participants, showed lower signal in inferior frontal gyrus (p < 0.006) in response to HEF (vs. LEF). Results suggest distinct neural mechanisms of RGYB in BE and may help lead to improved clinical treatments.
Hydroclimatic processes as the primary drivers of the Early Khvalynian transgression of the Caspian Sea: new developments

Abstract. It has been well established that during the late Quaternary, the Khvalynian transgression of the Caspian Sea occurred, when the sea level rose tens of meters above the present level. Here, we evaluate the physical feasibility of the hypothesis that the maximum phase of this extraordinary event (known as the “Early Khvalynian transgression”) could be initiated and maintained for several thousand years solely by hydroclimatic factors. The hypothesis is based on recent studies dating the highest sea level stage (well above +10 m a.s.l.) to the final period of deglaciation, 17–13 kyr BP, and studies estimating the contribution of the glacial waters in the sea level rise for this period as negligible. To evaluate the hypothesis put forward, we first applied the coupled ocean and sea-ice general circulation model driven by the climate model and estimated the equilibrium water inflow (irrespective of its origin) sufficient to maintain the sea level at the well-dated marks of the Early Khvalynian transgression as 400–470 km3 yr−1. Secondly, we conducted an extensive radiocarbon dating of the large paleochannels (signs of high flow of atmospheric origin) located in the Volga basin and found that the period of their origin (17.5–14 ka BP) is almost identical to the recent dating of the main phase of the Early Khvalynian transgression. Water flow that could form these paleochannels was earlier estimated for the ancient Volga River as 420 km3 yr−1, i.e., close to the equilibrium runoff we determined. Thirdly, we applied a hydrological model forced by paleoclimate data to reveal physically consistent mechanisms of an extraordinarily high water inflow into the Caspian Sea in the absence of a visible glacial meltwater effect. We found that the inflow could be caused by the spread of post-glacial permafrost in the Volga paleocatchment. The numerical experiments demonstrated that the permafrost resulted in a sharp drop in infiltration into the frozen ground and reduced evaporation, which all together generated the Volga runoff during the Oldest Dryas, 17–14.8 kyr BP, up to 360 km3 yr−1 (i.e., the total inflow into the Caspian Sea could reach 450 km3 yr−1). The closeness of the estimates of river inflow into the sea, obtained by three independent methods, in combination with the previously obtained results, gave us reason to conclude that the hypothesis put forward is physically consistent.
Mittendrin statt nur dabei

In diesem Artikel wird der digitale Wandel an Schulen zum Ausgangspunkt genommen, um die Konsequenzen des Einsatzes von digitalen Lernwerkzeugen für die Interaktionsstrukturen im schulischen Unterricht aus einer praxeologischen Perspektive zu reflektieren. Es wird für die Entwicklung von digitalen Lernwerkzeugen argumentiert, welche Partizipation und Kollaboration im Unterricht fördern und das strukturierende Lehrerhandeln unterstützen. Als Fallbeispiel dient die Web-App TRAVIS GO und ihr Entwicklungsprozess, in welchen Lehrpersonen aus den Sekundarstufen I und II als Co-Researcher eingebunden waren. TRAVIS GO ist eine App zur kollaborativen Re- und Dekonstruktion von audiovisuellen Medienprodukten. Im didaktischen Design von TRAVIS GO wurden die Anforderungen an problemlösendes, forschendes Lernen und kooperatives Arbeiten erfüllt und die Möglichkeit zum strukturierenden Lehrerhandeln gegeben. TRAVIS GO wird mit Fokus auf die programmseitig angebotenen Möglichkeiten zur Partizipation erstmals systematisch beschrieben und mit den Erfahrungen von Lehrpersonen im Unterrichtseinsatz zusammengebracht, welche im Forschungs- und Entwicklungsprojekt im Rahmen einer empirischen Bildungsforschung gewonnen wurden.
A Yolo-based Violence Detection Method in IoT Surveillance Systems

—Violence detection in Internet of Things (IoT)- based surveillance systems has become a critical research area due to their potential to provide early warnings and enhance public safety. There have been many types of research on vision-based systems for violence detection, including traditional and deep learning-based methods. Deep learning-based methods have shown great promise in ameliorating the efficiency and accuracy of violence detection. Despite the recent advances in violence detection using deep learning-based methods, significant limitations and research challenges still need to be addressed, including the development of standardized datasets and real-time processing. This study presents a deep learning method based on You Only Look Once (YOLO) algorithm for the violence detection task to overcome these issues. We generate a model for violence detection using violence and non-violence images in a prepared dataset divided into testing, validation, and training sets. Based on accepted performance indicators, the produced model is assessed. The experimental results and performance evaluation show that the method accurately identifies violence and non-violence classes in real-time.
Estimation of EU’s import demand for yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares (Bonnaterre 1788) sourced from Asian countries: Implications to the Philippine tuna industry

Interest of consumers in the conservation of limited marine resources is influencing their purchasing behaviour towards fishery products. As a major tuna market, the European Union (EU) has promoted sustainable use of tuna resources with Asia emerging as one of its largest exporters. Using data from Eurostat, the study estimated an almost ideal demand system (AIDS) model for imported yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares (Bonnaterre 1788) from China, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and Indonesia. The findings suggest that the demand for yellowfin tuna from these Asian countries, especially from China, will increase as the EU's aggregate income increases. The cross-price elasticities imply that yellowfin tuna sourced from Asian countries are net substitutes relative to other yellowfin tuna producing countries that are exporting to the EU except the Philippines and China. Thus, yellowfin tuna imports from China will continue to dominate the yellowfin tuna trade between EU and Asia. The study also found that yellowfin tuna imported from the Philippines has the lowest expenditure elasticities and the estimated trend has been decreasing. As a consequence, the Philippine yellowfin tuna industry must pursue efforts to reduce the cost of compliance to EU standards and at the same time explore new markets
The Frasnian-Famennian events in a deep-shelf succession, Subpolar Urals: biotic, depositional, and geochemical records

The Frasnian–Famennian (F–F) boundary is well biostratigraphically documented in the Palmatolepis−rich deposits ex− posed along the Syv’yu River in the lower slopes of the Subpolar Urals. The thin−bedded calcareous−clayey−siliceous deep−slope succession of the Vorota Formation appears to represent continuous Domanic−type deposition throughout the world−wide carbonate crisis time, without evidence for the basal Famennian hiatus or a large−scale sedimentary perturba− tion within a regressive setting. The northernmost Laurussian sequence exhibits many well known signatures throughout the broad F–F timespan: the appearance of organic− and clay−rich deposits, icriodontid and radiolarian blooms, and a cor− relative shift of several geochemical proxies towards hypoxic and high−productivity regimes, perfectly recorded by posi− tive Ccarb excursions of +3.5‰. Integrative biotic, microfacies and geochemical data substantiate a longer−term ocean− ographic destabilization, attributable to multiple Earth−bound triggering factors in (episodically enhanced? ) greenhouse climate and punctuated eustatic sea−level highstands, superimposed on the elevated deposition of organic carbon−rich sediments during the Upper Kellwasser Event. Unsteady eutrophicated, and oxygen−depleted ecosystems during the F–F biotic crisis interval could be assumed, especially when intensified by various spasmodic tectono−volcanic phenomena in the incipiently closing Ural Ocean.
Exploring the multi-targeted therapeutic potential of Benzoquinoline in diabetes: A molecular docking study with key enzymes

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. Developing effective therapeutic interventions for diabetes requires a comprehensive understanding of the molecular interactions between potential drug candidates and key enzymes involved in the disease pathways. In this study, we investigated the multi-targeted therapeutic potential of Benzoquinoline, a promising small molecule, in diabetes treatment. Using molecular docking simulations, we explored the binding interactions of Benzoquinoline with key enzymes implicated in diabetes, including aldose reductase, 11-β-HSD1, glucokinase, PPAR-γ, and GFAT. The binding energy, hydrogen bond interactions, and hydrophobic interactions were analyzed to assess the stability of the protein-ligand complexes. Our findings suggest that Benzoquinoline exhibits favorable binding interactions with these enzymes, indicating its potential as a multi-targeted therapeutic agent for diabetes. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are warranted to validate these computational predictions and explore the therapeutic efficacy of Benzoquinoline in treating diabetes.
Prognostic significance of vascular endothelial growth factor and circulating endothelial cells for early and late outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

A number of studies evaluated predictive value of endothelial damage markers on outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT), but they were rarely measured in combination and with long follow up. In this study we evaluated predictive value of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and circulating endothelial cells (CEC) on early and late non-relapse mortality (NRM). Given the known negative prognostic impact of VEGF expression in hematologic malignancies undergoing chemotherapy, the second goal was to access impact of VEGF level on relapse incidence after alloHSCT. Level of VEGF was analyzed in 91 consecutive patients before the start of conditioning, on day 0 and on the day of engraftment. CEC were measured in 55 consecutive patients from the same study group at the same time points. Both VEGF and CEC were predicted early, but not late NRM. High level of VEGF on day 0 in multivariate analysis was associated with increased 1-year NRM (55% vs 22%, HR 3.15, 95%CI 1.34-7.40, p=0.009), while high level of CEC before conditioning was associated with increased 1-year NRM in univariate (69% vs 20%, p=0.001), but not multivariate analysis (95%CI 0.84-5.76, p=0.102). High VEGF A level before conditioning was associated with increased 1-year relapse rate (55% vs 22%, p=0.001, HR 3.15, 95%CI 1.34-7.40), but had no impact on late relapses and 3-year overall survival (50% vs 42% respectively, p=0.60), as a large proportion of patients were successfully salvaged after relapse. CEC were not a significant prognostic factor for relapse (p=0.09). No correlation was found between VEGF and CEC at any time point (p>0.05), indicating that they may represent different aspects of endothelial dysfunction. In conclusion, VEGF and CEC are valuable biomarkers to predict early NRM, and VEGF is also a predictive factor of early relapse after alloHSCT.
An Estimation Method for Nonignorable Nonresponse

When a survey response mechanism depends on a variable of interest measured within the same survey and observed for only part of the sample, the situation is one of nonignorable nonresponse. In such a situation, ignoring the nonresponse can generate significant bias in the estimation of a mean or of a total. To solve this problem, one option is the joint modelling of the response mechanism and the variable of interest, followed by estimation using the maximum likelihood method. The main criticism leveled at this method is that estimation using the maximum likelihood method is based on the hypothesis of error normality for the model involving the variable of interest, and this hypothesis is difficult to verify. In this paper, the author proposes an estimation method that is robust to the hypothesis of normality, so constructed that there is no need to specify the distribution of errors. The method is evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations. The author also proposes a simple method of verifying the validity of the hypothesis of error normality whenever nonresponse is not ignorable.