Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth and development of yerba mate seedlings associated with different winter cover species

The lack of knowledge of management in the application of yerba mate is the reason for the present study, given the economic importance of this crop for family farming, the economy and also the culture in the southern region of Brazil. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of winter cover species on the morphophysiological characteristics of yerba mate seedlings. The experimental design was laid out in randomized blocks with four replicates. The weed species used were Avena strigosa, Lolium multiflorum, Vicia sativa, Raphanus sativus, Lupinus albus, Axonopus catharinensis, the consortium between A. strigosa and V. sativa, and the control treatment without cover. Physiological (photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, internal CO2 concentration, water use efficiency, carboxylative efficiency, and chlorophyll) and morphological (plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, shoot and of root dry matter, in addition to cover dry matter) were evaluated. There was competition between the crop and the cover plants for the factors of light and water, and the control without cultivation did not affect the morphophysiological characteristics of yerba mate. The species A. catharinensis proved to be the best cover plant because it competed less with yerba mate. The growth and development of yerba mate were affected by the presence of A. strigosa.
Stimuli Video Quantification Based on Valence-Arousal Elicitation in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social communication and repetitive behaviours. Understanding the emotional responses of children with ASD is crucial, especially for early interventions. Therefore, the study aims to validate appropriate stimuli in video forms that can elicit Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children’s emotions. The study involves 56 children, 28 of whom have ASD, from IDEAS Autism Center in Rawang, Malaysia, aged between five and nine years (M = 6.43, SD = 1.2), and 28 typically developed children (M = 5.65, SD = 2.2) from IIUM Educare, Gombak, Malaysia. The children were presented with 15 stimuli videos that were targeted to elicit five basic emotions, which are happy, sad, fear, anger, and calm. Expert blind coders validate the stimuli to mitigate potential sources of bias and errors in the experiment. The subjects’ responses towards the stimuli videos were mapped onto the valence and arousal emotion model. The study observed that all stimuli were successfully classified into the respective emotion quadrants. The study also discovered that certain video stimuli produce higher intensity in emotion elicitation than others. Significant findings between ASD children’s responses to the stimuli video are extensively discussed.
Context-Based Adaptive Multimodal Fusion Network for Continuous Frame-Level Sentiment Prediction

Recently, video sentiment computing has become the focus of research because of its benefits in many applications such as digital marketing, education, healthcare, and so on. The difficulty of video sentiment prediction mainly lies in the regression accuracy of long-term sequences and how to integrate different modalities. In particular, different modalities may express different emotions. In order to maintain the continuity of long time-series sentiments and mitigate the multimodal conflicts, this article proposes a novel Context-Based Adaptive Multimodal Fusion Network (CAMFNet) for consecutive frame-level sentiment prediction. A Context-based Transformer (CBT) module was specifically designed to embed clip features into continuous frame features, leveraging its capability to enhance the consistency of prediction results. Moreover, to resolve the multi-modal conflict between modalities, this article proposed an Adaptive multimodal fusion (AMF) method based on the self-attention mechanism. It can dynamically determines the degree of shared semantics across modalities, enabling the model to flexibly adapt its fusion strategy. Through adaptive fusion of multimodal features, the AMF method effectively resolves potential conflicts arising from diverse modalities, ultimately enhancing the overall performance of the model. The proposed CAMFNet for consecutive frame-level sentiment prediction can ensure the continuity of long time-series sentiments. Extensive experiments illustrate the superiority of the proposed method especially in multimodal conflicts videos.
TRAGNET analysis and synthesis of trace gas fluxes

A critical synthesis of information on the biotic and abiotic controls of trace gas fluxes was needed in order to advance our ability to determine regional estimates of various trace gas compounds. In response to this need, the U.S. Trace Gas Network (TRAGNET), as part of an International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) activity, developed an accessible database of multiyear trace gas flux (CH4, NOx, and N2O) and ancillary data from a range of ecosystems (tropical to arctic) across North America, Europe, and Central America. These data have been collected by a number of independent research programs. Through the support of National Science Foundation (NSF), United States Department of Agriculture/Agriculture Research Service (USDA/ARS), Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University, and National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), TRAGNET has assembled the data sets and has begun to analyze and synthesize these trace gas data on regional to global scales to (1) determine a generalized understanding of environmental factors controlling trace gas fluxes in order to develop methods for spatial and temporal interpolation and regional extrapolation, (2) test and validate trace gas models across different spatial, temporal, and process scales, and (3) determine regional trace gas fluxes from the measured set of fluxes in the database.
Climate of Hidden Valley, Mukut Himal during the Monsoon in 1974:Glaciological Expedition to Nepal, Contribution No. 22

For the purpose of understanding climate of the glacier area of the northern side of the Himalayan range, a temporary station was set up at a height of 5055 m in Hidden Valley, Mukut Himal during the monsoon season of 1974. The temperature pattern, especially the trend of minimum temperature and the diurnal temperature range, seems to reflect the monsoonal character and to represent its effect better than the precipitation pattern. At the beginning and the end of the observation period, a rapid change of minimum temperature and large temperature range were recorded, as opposed to the stationary trend of mean temperature from the middle of July to the middle of August, which seems to be the monsoon season in Hidden Valley. At the station, most of the precipitation was in the form of rain and rain-snow mixed. Nocturnal precipitation was more than daytime precipitation, which was less than 5 mm. The daily mean of evaporation slightly exceeded the daily mean of precipitation even in the monsoon period. The diurnal variation of atmospheric pressure shows two maxima and two minima.
Wake structure measurements at the Mod-2 cluster test facility at Goodnoe Hills

A field measurement progam was carried out at the cluster of three MOD-2 wind turbines located at Goodnoe Hills, Washington, to determine the rate of decay of wake velocity deficit with downwind distance in various meteorological conditions. Measurements were taken at hub height (200 ft) between July 12 and August 1, 1982. Wake wind speeds were measured using a radiosonde suspended from a tethered balloon, its position being determined from a grid of ground stakes. Measurments were also made downwind with the turbine off to determine the magnitude of terrain-induced variations in wind speed. The balloon system used to measure downstream wind data proved to be reliable and convenient. Downstream distances of 900, 1500, 2100, and 2700 ft from the turbine were investigated. Differences between the instrumentation systems required that corrections be made to the data. After correction, averaged terrain-induced wind speed variations were regarded as insignificant. Turbine-on velocity ratios showed scatter, suggesting that only some measurements were, in fact, representative of wake centerline velocities, and that others were made off centerline due to wake meander or wind shift. Isolation of the high wind speed (30 to 45 mph) velocity ratios, however, revealed velocity deficits downstream. Measurements at greater downstreammore » distances showed no wake deficit within the limits of resolution of the experiment, indicating that the wake had recovered to free stream conditions. Comparison with the AeroVironment wake model using common values for rotor drag coefficient and turbulence showed similar trends. « less
The use of intensity-hue-saturation transformations for merging SPOT panchromatic and multispectral image data

Several techniques have been developed to merge SPOT 10-m resolution panchromatic data with simultaneously-acquired 20-m resolution multispectral data. Normally, the objective of these procedures is to create a composite image of enhanced interpretability. That is, the effectively 10-m resolution multispectral images produced through the various merging methods contain the high resolution information of the respective panchromatic images while maintaining the basic color content of the original multispectral data. The utility of intensity-hue-saturation (IHS) transformation procedures for creating such composites under varying land cover conditions is illustrated. Correlation analysis of original multispectral image data and their counterparts in IHS composites indicates the need to consider carefully the potential influence alternative implementations of IHS procedures might have on the spectral characteristics of the resulting multiresolution products. The use of a weighted average of panchromatic and near-infrared data as a substitute for intensity in merged images was found to be particularly effective in this study. This approach has been used in the production of an experimental SPOT image map of Madison, Wisconsin, and vicinity.
The Influence of Listening to Preferred versus Non-Preferred Music on Static and Dynamic Balance in Middle-Aged Women

Although many women perform postural tasks while listening to music, no study has investigated whether preferred music has different effects than non-preferred music. Thus, this study aimed to explore the effects of listening to preferred versus non-preferred music on postural balance among middle-aged women. Twenty-four women aged between 50 and 55 years were recruited for this study. To assess their static balance, a stabilometric platform was used, recording the mean center of pressure velocity (CoPVm), whereas the timed up and go test (TUGT) was used to assess their dynamic balance. The results showed that listening to their preferred music significantly decreased their CoPVm values (in the firm-surface/eyes-open (EO) condition: (p < 0.05; 95% CI [−0.01, 2.17])). In contrast, when the women were listening to non-preferred music, their CoPVm values significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared to the no-music condition in all the postural conditions except for the firm-surface/EO condition. In conclusion, listening to music has unique effects on postural performance, and these effects depend on the genre of music. Listening to preferred music improved both static and dynamic balance in middle-aged women, whereas listening to non-preferred music negatively affected these performances, even in challenged postural conditions.
BERT-Based Sentiment Analysis for Low-Resourced Languages: A Case Study of Urdu Language

Sentiment analysis holds significant importance in research projects by providing valuable insights into public opinions. However, the majority of sentiment analysis studies focus on the English language, leaving a gap in research for other low-resourced languages or regional languages, e.g., Persian, Pashto, and Urdu. Moreover, computational linguists face the challenge of developing lexical resources for these languages. In light of this, this paper presents a deep learning-based approach for Urdu Text Sentiment Analysis (USA-BERT), leveraging Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers and introduces an Urdu Dataset for Sentiment Analysis-23 (UDSA-23). USA-BERT first preprocesses the Urdu reviews by exploiting BERT-Tokenizer. Second, it creates BERT embeddings for each Urdu review. Third, given the BERT embeddings, it fine-tunes a deep learning classifier (BERT). Finally, it employs the Pareto principle on two datasets (the state-of-the-art (UCSA-21) and UDSA-23) to assess USA-BERT. The assessment results demonstrate that USA-BERT significantly surpasses the existing methods by improving the accuracy and f-measure up to 26.09% and 25.87%, respectively.
The effects of exercise intervention on complications and pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Being overweight or obese is closely related to adverse pregnancy outcomes and harms both pregnant women and neonates, increasing complications during pregnancy and leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Consequently, a meta-analysis was done to investigate exercise therapy impact on the complications and outcomes of pregnant women who are obese or overweight. Materials and Methods: The computer system searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, EMBASE, and CNKI databases. The search duration extended from the database establishment until October 2022. A thorough search was carried out for pertinent studies investigating exercise therapy impact on pregnancy complications and outcomes in obese or overweight pregnant women. The heterogeneity test was carried out using Cochrane Q and Chi-square tests. The combined findings from the meta-analysis were examined for reliability and robustness using sensitivity and publication bias analyses. All statistics used RevMan 5.3 software. Results: This meta-analysis included data from 8026 patients from 22 randomized controlled trials. The results demonstrated that exercise therapy might successfully decrease the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (odds ratio [OR] = 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.74–0.96, P = .01) and macrosomia (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.68–0.89, P < .001), and control weight gain during pregnancy (SMD = −0.2, 95% CI: −0.31 to −0.08, P < .001). Conclusions: Exercise therapy can control weight gain during pregnancy, lower the incidence of GDM and the macrosomia rate, and improve adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Simulation of preindustrial atmospheric methane to constrain the global source strength of natural wetlands

Previous attempts to quantify the global source strength of CH4 from natural wetlands have resulted in a range of 90-260 TE(CH4) yr(-1). This relatively uncertain estimate significantly limits our understanding of atmospheric methane. In this study we reduce this uncertainty by simulating preindustrial CH4 with a three-dimensional chemistry-transport model. Methane mixing ratios and delta(13)C-CH4, as deduced from ice cores, and estimates of other preindustrial sources and sinks, are used as constraints. This yields an average preindustrial natural wetland source strength of 163 Tg(CH4) yr(-1), with an estimated +/-2 sigma uncertainty range of 130-194 Tg(CH4) yr(-1). The present natural wetland source may be similar to 10% smaller, owing to drainage and cultivation of wetland area since 1800 A.D. The simulated pole-to-pole concentration difference is found to be rather insensitive to the assumed relative contributions of important preindustrial sources and sinks, and therefore imposes only a limited constraint on the estimate of natural wetland emissions. In contrast, delta(13)C-CH4 could provide robust constraints, but, unfortunately, at present reliable measurements are absent. Estimates of the historic development of anthropogenic CH4 sources, in combination with our model calculations, can largely explain the increase of methane mixing ratios during the nineteenth century. Results for the twentieth century indicate that these historical emission inventories underestimate anthropogenic emissions by at least 10 Simulations of preindustrial and present-day isotopic ratios show that the growth of anthropogenic sources since 1800 A.D. may have increased delta(13)C-CH4 by 3 parts per thousand.
Adopting and Adapting Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Use of Baseline MRI in Acute Spinal Cord Injury in a Developing Country

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) imposes a heavy burden on patients and health systems. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a detailed evaluation of the spinal cord and associated soft tissues in a non-invasive manner. Objectives: We aimed to adopt and adapt suitable recommendations and guidelines in Iran for the utilization of MRI in the management of acute SCI patients based on available international guidelines and through a systematic review of literature, followed by guideline development based on the Delphi technique. Methods: After the primary systematic search and review of the literature and guidelines on the use of MRI in the management of acute SCI, all relevant recommendations were retrieved. Desired recommendations were then extracted and presented to our expert panel through the Delphi technique. The final decision for the inclusion or adaptation of recommendations to improve SCI care in the Iranian population was made through expert panel meetings. Results: Our literature search resulted in 769 records. Only three records provided recommendations on the role of MRI in the management of acute SCI, from which a total of six recommendations were extracted. Of these, the two final recommendations were extracted: (I) “Use MRI in adult patients with acute SCI prior to surgical interventions, when feasible, to facilitate clinical decision making,” and (II) “Use MRI in adult patients in the acute period following SCI and before or after surgical interventions (only when fixation is not used) to improve the prediction of neurologic outcomes following acute SCI.” Conclusions: The final recommendations help appropriately use MRI in patients with acute SCI, facilitating the management of these patients and improving their outcomes. This study shows that it is possible for developing countries to indigenize international guidelines, and with minor changes, an appropriate therapeutic framework can be created to improve service delivery.
Central retina thickness measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in Parkinson disease: A meta-analysis

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can detect visual alterations associated with Parkinson disease, such as damage to the retinal nerve fiber layer or changes in retinal vasculature. Macula thinning in association with Parkinson disease (PD) remains controversial. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the central retina thickness in PD measured using spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT). Methods: We searched PubMed and the Excerpta Medica database to identify studies that compared macular thickness between patients with PD and healthy controls published before July 31, 2021. A random-effects model was used to examine PD-associated changes in macular thickness. Meta-regression analysis was performed by assessing heterogeneity, publication bias, and study quality. Results: Thirty-two studies with a cross-sectional design were selected, including 2118 patients with PD and 2338 controls. We identified significant differences in the thickness of the ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer (standardized mean difference [SMD], –0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], –0.66 to –0.16; I2 = 80%), ganglion cell complex (SMD, –0.33; 95% CI, –0.50 to –0.17; I2 = 0%), and of all inner and outer sectors of the macula (SMD range, –0.21 to –0.56; all P < .05) between patients with PD and controls. Discussion: These results corroborate the increased prevalence of changes in OCT measures in individuals with PD, highlighting the efficacy of SD-OCT–determined macular thickness as a biomarker for PD. Our findings may provide helpful guidelines for clinicians in rapidly evolving areas of PD diagnosis.
Peripheral CCL2 induces inflammatory pain via regulation of Ih currents in small diameter DRG neurons

The C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) has been implicated in chronic pain, but its exact mechanism of peripheral sensitization is unknown. In this study, we aimed to clarify the mechanism of CCL2 regulation of ion channels. Our behavioral experiments revealed that ZD7288, a blocker of Ih current, can inhibit CFA and CCL2-mediated mechanical and thermal nociceptive sensitization. Furthermore, patch clamp studies demonstrated that CFA-induced peripheral sensitization primarily affects the excitability of small-diameter DRG neurons. Further studies revealed that inflammatory pain caused by CFA or incubation of DRG with CCL2 mainly affected Ih currents in small-diameter DRG neurons, which were blocked by co-incubation CCR2 antagonist INCB3344 or adenylate cyclase inhibitor SQ22536. Immunohistochemical staining showed that both intraplantar injection of CFA as well as DRG injection of CCL2 resulted in significant upregulation of CCR2+/HCN2+ expression. In conclusion, we suggest in the inflammatory pain state, CCL2 can act on small-diameter DRG neurons, leading to upregulation of HCN2 expression and consequently Ih, which in turn leads to neuronal hyperexcitability.
Design and implementation of shape‐adaptive and multifunctional robotic gripper

This paper presents a multifunctional underactuated two fingered adaptive grippers for grasping a wide range of objects in different working scenarios. Two layered‐based novel multifunctional gripper design is proposed by stacking a multijointed closed‐chain mechanism over a multijointed double parallelogram mechanism to achieve a maximum number of grasping techniques. The multijointed closed‐chain mechanism is employed to perform power, shape‐adaptive grasping, and a multijointed double parallelogram mechanism is used to perform scooping, parallel, and pinch grasping. For stable shape‐adaptive/power grasping, the proposed design allows more contact points between the object and the contact surface of fingers as compared to previous gripper mechanisms. Moreover, a complete mathematical model relating the contact forces at the links of each finger to the linear actuation force and spring torque is developed to conduct stability analysis of the proposed gripper design. Finally, simulations and several experiments are performed using real objects in a reconfigurable environment to demonstrate and validate the stable grasping capabilities of the proposed gripper.