Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image transforms as a tool for the study of soil salinity and alkalinity dynamics

Abstract Principal components analysis (PCA), ratioing, image differencing and intensity-hue-saturation (IHS) transformation have been widely used in monitoring various natural resources and environmental hazards. In our study, the temporal behaviour of salt-affected soils in the Indo-Gangetic alluvial plains of Uttar Pradesh has been studied using Landsat MSS data for 1975 and 1992. Apart from routine digital classification of temporal MSS data using Guassian maximum likelihood algorithm, PCA, image differencing, and ratioing were also evaluated for their potential in bringing out temporal changes in salt-affected soils, if any. The results indicate that the third principle component, image differencing, and ratioing of the first two MSS bands for two periods have brought out substantial information associated with the temporal behaviour of saltaffected soils.
The Interdecadal Variation of the Western Pacific Subtropical High as Measured by 500 hPa Eddy Geopotential Height

Abstract The interdecadal variation of the summer western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) during 1948–2009 is investigated in this study. Compared with most previous works, which focused on the 500 hPa geo-potential height, the interdecadal variation of the horizontal winds, relative vorticity, and eddy geopotential height over the western Pacific are all analyzed. The weakened anticyclone and decreased negative relative vorticity at middle-low levels over the western Pacific suggest that the WPSH weakened during 1979–2009 relative to 1948–78. After subtracting the zonal belt mean height between 0° and 40°N, the 500 hPa eddy geopotential height with significant negative anomalies over the western Pacific can correctly depict this weakened interdecadal variation of the WPSH. The illusory westward extension signal reflected by the 500 hPa geopotential height may derive from the significant increment of the geopotential height at middle and lower latitudes in the late 1970s under global warming.
Efficacy of Postprandial Exercise in Mitigating Glycemic Responses in Overweight Individuals and Individuals with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Studies investigating the acute effect of postprandial exercise (PPE) on glucose responses exhibit significant heterogeneity in terms of participant demographic, exercise protocol, and exercise timing post-meal. As such, this study aimed to further analyze the existing literature on the impact of PPE on glycemic control in overweight individuals and individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). A literature search was conducted through databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. Thirty-one original research studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected. A random-effect meta-analysis was performed to compare postprandial glucose area under the curve (AUC) and 24 h mean glucose levels between PPE and the time-matched no-exercise control (CON). Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore whether the glucose-lowering effect of PPE could be influenced by exercise duration, exercise timing post-meal, and the disease status of participants. This study revealed a significantly reduced glucose AUC (Hedges’ g = −0.317; SE = 0.057; p < 0.05) and 24 h mean glucose levels (Hedges’ g = −0.328; SE = 0.062; p < 0.05) following PPE compared to CON. The reduction in glucose AUC was greater (p < 0.05) following PPE lasting >30 min compared to ≤30 min. The reduction in 24 h mean glucose levels was also greater (p < 0.05) following PPE for ≥60 min compared to <60 min post-meal and in those with T2DM compared to those without T2DM. PPE offers a viable approach for glucose management and can be performed in various forms so long as exercise duration is sufficient. The glucose-lowering effect of PPE may be further enhanced by initiating it after the first hour post-meal. PPE is a promising strategy, particularly for patients with T2DM. This manuscript is registered with Research Registry (UIN: reviewregistry1693).
Studies on the effect of plant spacing on the yield of recently approved varieties of cotton.

In field experiment at Sahiwal, Pakistan conducted during winter 2006, the effect of plant spacing 15cm, 22.5cm and 30cm on the yield of three recently approved varieties of cotton CIM-496, CIM-534 and MNH-786 was investigated. Effect of cultivars and different plant spacing was significant in yield and yield components except in quality parameters like Ginning out turn. Statistically same seed cotton yield was produced by CIM-496 (2488 kg ha) and MNH-786 (2400 kg ha) while minimum yield was produced by CIM-534 (2109 kg ha ). Plant height, number of sympodial branches per plant, monopodial branches per plant, number of bolls per plant and average boll weight was significantly higher in CIM496. Significantly maximum seed cotton yield was obtained when crop was sown at 22.5 cm plant spacing.
Re-Evaluating Human Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Design: Prediction of T Cell Epitopes

HCMV vaccine development has traditionally focused on viral antigens identified as key targets of neutralizing antibody (NAb) and/or T cell responses in healthy adults with chronic HCMV infection, such as glycoprotein B (gB), the glycoprotein H-anchored pentamer complex (PC), and the unique long 83 (UL83)-encoded phosphoprotein 65 (pp65). However, the protracted absence of a licensed HCMV vaccine that reduces the risk of infection in pregnancy regardless of serostatus warrants a systematic reassessment of assumptions informing vaccine design. To illustrate this imperative, we considered the hypothesis that HCMV proteins infrequently detected as targets of T cell responses may contain important vaccine antigens. Using an extant dataset from a T cell profiling study, we tested whether HCMV proteins recognized by only a small minority of participants encompass any T cell epitopes. Our analyses demonstrate a prominent skewing of T cell responses away from most viral proteins—although they contain robust predicted CD8 T cell epitopes—in favor of a more restricted set of proteins. Our findings raise the possibility that HCMV may benefit from evading the T cell recognition of certain key proteins and that, contrary to current vaccine design approaches, including them as vaccine antigens could effectively take advantage of this vulnerability.
The Benefits of Loving Kindness Meditation for Helping Professionals: A Systematic Review

Helping professionals are at risk of experiencing adverse health and psychological problems when working in roles where they are continually exposed to the emotional distress of others. The term compassion fatigue was coined to describe symptoms of emotional and physical fatigue experienced by workers in these environments. However, empirical research contends that compassion does not cause fatigue, rather compassion is said to foster well-being and is neurologically rejuvenating. The objective of this review was to examine the scientific literature which investigated the compassion-enhancing practice of loving kindness meditation (LKM). This review suggests that LKM can be seen as an alternate strategy to reduce stress, ease empathic distress, and increase positive affect.
North Atlantic Oscillation primary productivity and toxic phytoplankton in the Gullmar Fjord, Sweden (1985–1996)

The evaluation of the time–series data set of primary production, chlorophyll a (1985–1996) and toxic phytoplankton species abundance measurements (1986–1996) in the Gullmar Fjord as part of the Swedish Monitoring Program, revealed the importance of considering climatic and environmental forces among the factors that may be responsible for the observed fluctuations. The results suggested that the occurrence of toxic phytoplankton blooms in the Skagerrak may be related to changes in the phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The Dinophysis species were related to the NAO, temperature and salinity and the fluctuations in the phytoplankton biomass expressed as chlorophyll a were also shown to be related to the NAO. The results pointed to the need to understand further the role played by climatic and environmental forces in relation to the formation and duration of harmful algal blooms and the need for continuous quality monitoring programmes and novel statistical methods for detecting trends and cycles in ecological time–series related to environmental forces.
Minimal Effective Dose of Beans Required to Elicit a Significantly Lower Glycemic Response Than Commonly Consumed Starchy Foods: Predictions Based on In Vitro Digestion and Carbohydrate Analysis

Beans elicit lower glycemic responses (GRs) than other starchy foods, but the minimum effective dose (MED) to reduce GR is unknown. We sought to determine the MED of beans compared to common starchy foods. Overnight-fasted healthy volunteers consumed ¼c (phase 1, n = 24) or ½c (phase 2, n = 18) of black, cranberry, great northern, kidney, navy and pinto beans and corn, rice, pasta and potato (controls), with blood glucose measured before and for 2 h after eating. GRs (incremental areas under the curves, iAUCs) after beans were consumed were compared to those of controls by ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s test. To qualify for MED, beans had to elicit an effective reduction in GR, defined as a statistically significant reduction in iAUC of ≥20% (i.e., a relative glycemic response, RGR, ≤80). Outcomes from in vitro digestion were compared with in vivo RGR. Both doses of all six beans effectively reduced GR versus all four starchy controls, except for ¼c and ½c cranberry and pinto vs. corn, ¼c great northern and navy vs. corn and ¼c navy and pinto vs. potato. MED criteria were met for 18 comparisons of the ¼c servings, with four of the remaining six met by the ½c servings. The overall mean ± SEM RGR vs. controls was similar for the ¼c and ½c servings: 53 ± 4% and 56 ± 3%, respectively. By multiple regression analysis, RGR = 23.3 × RDS + 8.3 × SDS − 20.1 × RS + 39.5 × AS − 108.2 (rapidly digested starch, p < 0.001; slowly digested starch, p = 0.054; resistant starch, p = 0.18; available sugars, p = 0.005; model r = 0.98, p = 0.001). RGR correlated with in vitro glucose release (r = 0.92, p < 0.001). The MED of beans is ¼ cup. For n = 30 comparisons (n = 24 beans vs. controls, n = 6 controls vs. each other), an effective reduction in GR was predicted from in vitro carbohydrate analysis with 86% sensitivity and 100% specificity.
Some thoughts on relating density to velocity

There are many occasions when density is needed for modeling of site amplification, but all that is available are values for shear-wave or compressional-wave velocity. For example, my program site_amp and Chuck Mueller’s nrattle need input of shear-wave velocity and density. I’ve built in a default relation between the two in site_amp, but I’ve never been happy with it (it is shown in a figure below, and clearly my reservations were well founded), so these notes describe my attempt to replace that relation. I’ve made use of Tom Brocher’s recent work (in particular, Brocher, 2005a, b).
Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series B

A basic geometric question is to determine when a given framework G ( p ) is globally rigid in Euclidean space R d , where G is a ﬁnite graph and p is a conﬁguration of points corresponding to the vertices of G . G ( p ) is globally rigid in R d if for any other conﬁgu-ration q for G such that the edge lengths of G ( q ) are the same as the corresponding edge lengths of G ( p ) , then p is congruent to q . A framework G ( p ) is redundantly rigid , if it is rigid and it remains rigid after the removal of any edge of G . When the conﬁguration p is generic, redundant rigidity and ( d + 1 ) -connectivity are both necessary conditions for global rigidity. Recent results have shown that for d = 2 and for generic conﬁgurations redundant rigidity and 3-connectivity are also suf-ﬁcient. This gives a good combinatorial characterization in the two-dimensional case that only depends on G and can be checked in polynomial time. It appears that a similar result for d (cid:2) 3 is beyond the scope of present techniques and there are examples showing that the above necessary conditions are not always suﬃ-cient. However, there is a special class of generic frameworks that have polynomial time algorithms for their generic rigidity (and redundant rigidity) in R d for any d (cid:2) 1, namely generic body-and-bar frameworks. Such frameworks are constructed from a ﬁnite number of rigid bodies that are connected by bars generically placed with respect to each body. We show that a body-and-bar framework is generically globally rigid in R d , for any d (cid:2) 1, if and only if it is redundantly rigid. As a consequence there is a deterministic
Demographics and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Neurocysticercosis: A Retrospective Study from Dali, China

Background: Neurocysticercosis (NCC), a predominant parasitic disease that affects the central nervous system and presents with diverse clinical manifestations, is a major contributor to acquired epilepsy worldwide, particularly in low-, middle-, and upper middle-income nations, such as China. In China, the Yunnan Province bears a significant burden of this disease. Objective: To describe the demographic, clinical, and radiological features as well as serum and cerebrospinal fluid antibodies to cysticercus in patients with NCC from Dali, Yunnan Province, China. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included patients who were diagnosed with NCC at The First Affiliated Hospital of Dali University between January 2018 and May 2023 and were residing in Dali, Yunnan Province, China. Results: A total of 552 patients with NCC were included, of which 33.3% belonged to Bai ethnicity. The clinical presentation of NCC exhibited variability that was influenced by factors such as the number, location, and stage of the parasites. Epilepsy/seizure (49.9%) was the most prevalent symptom, with higher occurrence in the degenerative stage of cysts (P < 0.001). Compared with other locations, cysticerci located in the brain parenchyma are more likely to lead to seizures/epilepsy (OR = 17.45, 95% CI: 7.96–38.25) and headaches (OR = 3.02, 95% CI: 1.23–7.41). Seizures/epilepsy are more likely in patients with cysts in the vesicular (OR = 2.71, 95% CI: 1.12–6.61) and degenerative (OR = 102.38, 95% CI: 28.36–369.60) stages than those in the calcified stage. Seizures was not dependent on the number of lesions. All NCC patients underwent anthelminthic therapy, with the majority receiving albendazole (79.7%). Conclusion: This study provides valuable clinical insights into NCC patients in Dali and underscores the significance of NCC as a leading preventable cause of epilepsy.
Identifying Efficient Electronic Asset Tracking System Using GPS and GSM/GPRS

n efficient assets tracking system is designed and implement for A tracking the movement of any equipped assets from one location to another at any time. The proposed system made good use of a popular technology that combines a Smartphone application with microcontroller. This will be easy to make and inexpensive compared to others. The designed in-assets device works using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global system for mobile communication/General Packet Radio Service (GSM/GPRS) technology that is one of the most common ways for assets tracking. The device is embedded inside an asset whose position is to be determined and tracked in real-time. A microcontroller is used to control the GPS and GSM/GPRS modules. The asset tracking system uses the GPS module to get geographic coordinates at regular time intervals. The GSM/GPRS module is used to transmit and update the asset location to a database. A Smartphone application is also developed for continuously monitoring the asset location. The Google Maps API is used to display the asset on the map in the Smartphone application. Thus, users will continuously monitor a moving asset on demand using the Smartphone application and determine the estimated distance and time for the assets to arrive at a given destination.
Inﬂuence of Air Cold Plasma Modiﬁcation on the Surface Properties of Paper Used for Packaging Production

Featured Application: An improvement in adhesion (gluing) in the printing production process. Abstract: In this study, the effect of air plasma on the surface properties of printed and coated cardboard was investigated. The material was activated by low-pressure cold plasma for 1, 10, 20, and 30 s. Wettability changes on the surface were examined by contact angle measurements using the sessile droplet technique. The differences in the surface free energy were calculated using the Lifshitz–van der Waals/acid–base and Contact Angle Hysteresis approaches. Optical proﬁlometry was used for the surface roughness evaluation and an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was performed to ﬁnd changes in surface chemistry. Adhesive strength tests were carried out to estimate the adhesion changes after the material’s modiﬁcation. It was found that the water and formamide contact angles increased after the plasma treatment while the diiodomethane contact angle did not change. As a result of the modiﬁcation, the surface free energy also increased signiﬁcantly and the surface roughness increased. The pull-off tests conﬁrmed the improvement in the material’s surface properties. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the optimal effect can be obtained after just 10 s of the plasma process.
Localization of Multiple Partial Discharges Sources with Two Receivers

: Spatial localization of emitting sources is especially interesting in different ﬁelds of application. The focus of an earthquake, the determination of cracks in solid structures, or the position of bones inside a body are some examples of the use of multilateration techniques applied to acoustic and vibratory signals. Radar, GPS and wireless sensors networks location are based on radiofrequency emissions and the techniques are the same as in the case of acoustic emissions. This paper is focused on the determination of the position of sources of partial discharges in electrical insulation for maintenance based on the condition of the electrical equipment. The use of this phenomenon is a mere example of the capabilities of the proposed method but it is very representative because the emission can be electromagnetic in the VHF and UHF ranges or acoustic. This paper presents a method to locate more than one source in space with only two receivers, one of them in a ﬁxed position and the other describing a circumference around the ﬁrst one. The signals arriving from the different sources to the antennas are ﬁrst separated using a classiﬁcation technique based on their spectral components. Then, the individualized time differences of arrival (TDOA) from the sources collected at different angles describe a function, angle versus TDOA, that has all the geometric information needed to locate the source. The paper will show how to derive these functions for any source analytically with the position of the source as unknown parameters. Then, it will be demonstrated that it is possible to ﬁt the curve with experimental measurements of the TDOA to obtain the parameters of the position of each source. Finally, the technique is extended to the localization of the emitter in three dimensions.
Opening Size E ﬀ ects on Airﬂow Pattern and Airﬂow Rate of a Naturally Ventilated Dairy Building—A CFD Study

: Airﬂow inside naturally ventilated dairy (NVD) buildings is highly variable and di ﬃ cult to understand due to the lack of precious measuring techniques with the existing methods. Computational ﬂuid dynamics (CFD) was applied to investigate the e ﬀ ect of di ﬀ erent seasonal opening combinations of an NVD building on airﬂow patterns and airﬂow rate inside the NVD building as an alternative to full scale and scale model experiments. ANSYS 2019R2 was used for creating model geometry, meshing, and simulation. Eight ventilation opening combinations and 10 di ﬀ erent reference air velocities were used for the series of simulation. The data measured in a large boundary layer wind tunnel using a 1:100 scale model of the NVD building was used for CFD model validation. The results show that CFD using standard k - ε turbulence model was capable of simulating airﬂow in and outside of the NVD building. Airﬂow patterns were di ﬀ erent for di ﬀ erent opening scenarios at the same external wind speed, which may a ﬀ ect cow comfort and gaseous emissions. Guiding inlet air by controlling openings may ensure animal comfort and minimize emissions. Non-isothermal and transient simulations of NVD buildings should be carried out for better understanding of airﬂow patterns.
Microsatellite loci for Orthophytum ophiuroides (Bromelioideae, Bromeliaceae) species adapted to neotropical rock outcrops

Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for Orthophytum ophiuroides, a rupicolous bromeliad species endemic to neotropical rocky fields. These microsatellite loci will be used to investigate population differentiation and species cohesion in such fragmented environments. The loci were tested for cross-amplification in related bromeliad species. Methods and Results: Eleven polymorphic microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized from an enriched library of O. ophiuroides. The loci were tested on 42 individuals from two populations of this species. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to nine and the expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.167 to 0.870 and from 0.369 to 0.958, respectively. Seven loci successfully amplified in other related bromeliad species. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the microsatellite loci developed here will be useful to assess genetic diversity and gene flow in O. ophiuroides for the investigation of population differentiation and species cohesion in neotropical mountainous habitats.
Economic, Social and Political Globalization and Human Development

Increased global economic integration, global forms of governance, globally inter-linked social and environmental developments are often referred to as “globalization”. The target of this article is to prove the dependency of globalization on human development. The first part provides the methodology of measuring overall globalization with emphasis on the KOF Index of Globalization 2007. The Index of Globalization includes economic, social, and political contexts. The second part introduces one of the parameters of institutional quality – HDI (or rather IHDI as the real indicator of the level of human development) and its methodology. The Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index combines three dimensions: A long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living. The third part compares indices and scores together, analyzes them, and confirms or refutes the empirical relationships between the Index of Globalization and its parts and the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index. It is possible to conclude from the results achieved in the study that globalization remains primarily, a very strong and powerful economic phenomenon. But spurring growth rates and reducing poverty in countries with poor institutions cannot be done simply by globalizing their economies.