Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid expansion of irrigated agriculture in the Senegal River Valley following the 2008 food price crisis

The expansion of irrigated croplands throughout the 20th century boosted global agricultural productivity, yet limited improvement occurred in sub-Saharan Africa where many irrigation schemes and policies under-delivered. We mapped the distribution of croplands under active irrigation between 1986 and 2020 for one of Africa’s largest and most important transboundary river basins—the Senegal River Valley; using Landsat imagery with a random forest classifier and hidden Markov Model. We document two distinct epochs of irrigation development. Initially, a period of stagnation where less than 900 ha yr−1 was added, lasting until 2008. Followed by a boom phase of rapidly expanding intensively irrigated production with ∼9,000 ha yr−1 added for the last 12 years. These epochs overlap with national agricultural policy frameworks: the 1980s laissez-faire policies limited state involvement in agriculture and promoted Asian imports; followed by a more interventionist period focused on promoting domestic production following the food price crisis of 2008.
High-temperature quenching of electrical resistance in graphene interconnects

The authors reported on the experimental investigation of the high-temperature electrical resistance of graphene. The test structures were fabricated by using the focused ion beam from the single and bilayer graphene produced by mechanical exfoliation. It was found that as temperature increases from 300to500K, the resistance of the single, and bilayer graphene interconnects drops down by 30% and 70%, respectively. The quenching and temperature dependence of the resistance were explained by the thermal generation of the electron-hole pairs and carrier scattering by acoustic phonons. The obtained results are important for the proposed graphene interconnect applications in integrated circuits.
Two-layer quasi-geostrophic singular vortices embedded in a regular flow. Part 2. Steady and unsteady drift of individual vortices on a beta-plane

Drift of individual β-plane vortices confined to one layer of a two-layer fluid under the rigid-lid condition is considered. For this purpose, the theory of two-layer quasi-geostrophic singular vortices is employed. On a β-plane, any non-zonal displacement of a singular vortex results in the development of a regular flow. An individual singular β-plane vortex cannot be steady on its own: the vortex moves coexisting with a regular flow, be the drift steady or not. In this paper, both kinds of drift of a singular vortex are considered. A new steady exact solution is presented, a hybrid regular–singular modon. This hybrid modon consists of a dipole component and a circularly symmetric rider. The dipole is regular, and the rider is a superposition of the singular vortex and a regular circularly symmetric field. The unsteady drift of a singular vortex residing in one of the layers is considered under the condition that, at the initial instant, the regular field is absent. The development of barotropic and baroclinic regular β-gyres is examined. Whereas the barotropic and baroclinic modes of the singular vortex are comparable in magnitudes, the baroclinic β-gyres attenuate with time, making the trajectory of the vortex close to that of a barotropic monopole on a β-plane.
The pattern and magnitude of T cell subsets reconstitution during ten years of ART with viral suppression in HIV-infected patients

Background: The extent of immune reconstitution in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected persons receiving long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) with controlled viral load has been controversial. We studied the extent and speed of T cell subsets retrieval after long-term antiretroviral treatment. Methods: 662 HIV-infected patients followed at least 2 years whose plasma HIV-1 RNA load <50 copies/mL were evaluated for longitudinal and functional phenotypic indices of immune restoration. Determinants of change in magnitude and importance of recovery have been evaluated using mixed linear regression models. Results: Almost all robust immune restorations achieved occurred after 2–3 years of ART. The median CD4 lymphocyte count increased 449 cells/μl (IQR 303–604) from 226 cells/μl (IQR 83–336) at baseline during the third year (P < 0.001); CD4+T lymphocyte rises during the sixth and tenth years were not significant. Naive and memory CD4+T cells‘reconstitution occurred in the sixth and eighth years of ART but no significant change thereafter. The change of CD45RA+Naïve and CD45RA-memory CD4+T cell reconstitution is different in baseline CD4+T cell counts <100 cells/μl group and in baseline CD4+T cell counts >100 cells/μl group. Activation antigen expression (CD38 or HLA-DR) on CD8 lymphocytes declined mostly during the first till second year, and after 4 years, activation antigen expression on patient lymphocytes showed no significant change. The proportion of CD4 cells expressing CD28 climbed during the first years and reached normal levels in the second year. Conclusions: Immune restoration was dependent on the capacity of immune system during the first 2–3 year of ART. But the significant change of CD4 and compartments of CD4+T cells could persist until 6–8 years. The pattern of CD38+CD8+, HLA-DR+CD8+, CD28+CD4+ T cells could quickly return to normal level and no significant change after sufficient time of ART. In general, the immune response compared to the baseline status may be the overall effect from the age and time of antiretroviral treatment.
Jogos pedagógicos para o ensino de funções no primeiro ano do Ensino Médio

Neste trabalho, sao relatados e analisados os resultados da aplicacao de um produto educacional a alunos do primeiro ano do Ensino Medio de uma escola publica do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. A elaboracao do produto educacional, constituido por quatro jogos abordando o conteudo de funcoes, teve como objetivo verificar se a utilizacao dessa estrategia de ensino facilita a aprendizagem dos alunos, referente a esse topico. Para atender ao objetivo proposto, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, em sala de aula. A coleta de dados foi realizada pela professora-pesquisadora, atraves das observacoes das estrategias dos alunos durante os jogos, registrada em diario de campo. Concluiu-se que a utilizacao dos jogos, como estrategia de ensino e aprendizagem, alem de motivar os alunos e despertar seu interesse pelas atividades desenvolvidas, facilitou a compreensao do conteudo de funcoes. O produto esta disponivel na pagina do curso de Mestrado em questao.
A Survey of SAR Image Target Detection Based on Convolutional Neural Networks

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) target detection is a significant research direction in radar information processing. Aiming at the poor robustness and low detection accuracy of traditional detection algorithms, SAR image target detection based on the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is reviewed in this paper. Firstly, the traditional SAR image target detection algorithms are briefly discussed, and their limitations are pointed out. Secondly, the CNN’s network principle, basic structure, and development process in computer vision are introduced. Next, the SAR target detection based on CNN is emphatically analyzed, including some common data sets and image processing methods for SAR target detection. The research status of SAR image target detection based on CNN is summarized and compared in detail with traditional algorithms. Afterward, the challenges of SAR image target detection are discussed and future research is proposed. Finally, the whole article is summarized. By summarizing and analyzing prior research work, this paper is helpful for subsequent researchers to quickly recognize the current development status and identify the connections between various detection algorithms. Beyond that, this paper summarizes the problems and challenges confronting researchers in the future, and also points out the specific content of future research, which has certain guiding significance for promoting the progress of SAR image target detection.
Efficient and Safe Editing of Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus Genomes by Multiple-Site Base-Editing Editor

Gene-modified miniature pigs serve as alternative tissue and organ donors for xenotransplantation to alleviate the shortage of human allogenic organs. However, the high copy number of porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) genomes integrates with the porcine genome, which has a potential risk of cross-species transmission and hinders the clinical practice of xenotransplantation. Recently, CRISPR/Cas9 has been used to inactivate PERVs. However, Cas9 also triggers severe DNA damage at multiple integrated PERV sites in the porcine genome, which induces senescence and apoptosis of porcine cells. In this study, the cytosine base editor (CBE), an efficient and safe editor that does not cause DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), was used for PERV editing to reduce cytotoxic effects. Seven sgRNAs were set to target gag and pol loci of PERVs to induce premature stop codons. We found that approximately 10% of cell clones were completely inactivated for PERVs in pig ST cells, and the plasmid that was used for editing the PERVs did not integrate into host genome and influence the karyotype of the modified cells. Our studies offer a powerful and safe strategy for further generating PERV-knockout pigs using base editors.
Economics of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Diagnosis vs. Treatment

Motivation: The price of medical treatment continues to rise due to (i) an increasing population; (ii) an aging human growth; (iii) disease prevalence; (iv) a rise in the frequency of patients that utilize health care services; and (v) increase in the price. Objective: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already well-known for its superiority in various healthcare applications, including the segmentation of lesions in images, speech recognition, smartphone personal assistants, navigation, ride-sharing apps, and many more. Our study is based on two hypotheses: (i) AI offers more economic solutions compared to conventional methods; (ii) AI treatment offers stronger economics compared to AI diagnosis. This novel study aims to evaluate AI technology in the context of healthcare costs, namely in the areas of diagnosis and treatment, and then compare it to the traditional or non-AI-based approaches. Methodology: PRISMA was used to select the best 200 studies for AI in healthcare with a primary focus on cost reduction, especially towards diagnosis and treatment. We defined the diagnosis and treatment architectures, investigated their characteristics, and categorized the roles that AI plays in the diagnostic and therapeutic paradigms. We experimented with various combinations of different assumptions by integrating AI and then comparing it against conventional costs. Lastly, we dwell on three powerful future concepts of AI, namely, pruning, bias, explainability, and regulatory approvals of AI systems. Conclusions: The model shows tremendous cost savings using AI tools in diagnosis and treatment. The economics of AI can be improved by incorporating pruning, reduction in AI bias, explainability, and regulatory approvals.
Access to medicine among asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants across the migratory cycle: a scoping review protocol

Introduction Migration creates new health vulnerabilities and exacerbates pre-existing medical conditions. Migrants often face legal, system-related, administrative, language and financial barriers to healthcare, but little is known about factors that specifically influence migrants’ access to medicines and vaccines. This scoping review aims to map existing evidence on access to essential medicines and vaccines among asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants who aim to reach Europe. We will consolidate existing information and analyse the barriers that limit access at the different stages of the migratory phases, as well as policies and practices undertaken to address them. Methods We follow the Arksey and O’Malley framework for knowledge synthesis of research, as updated by Levac et al. For reporting the results of our search and to synthetise evidence, we will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extended reporting guideline for scoping reviews. This scoping review consists of five iterative stages. Bibliographic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Scopus) and grey literature databases (Open Grey, Grey Literature Report and Google Scholar, Web of Science Conference Proceedings, non-governmental organisations and United Nations agency websites) will be searched for relevant studies. Dissemination and ethics This review will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed article in a scientific open-access journal and conference presentations. Furthermore, findings will be shared at workshops of research and operational stakeholders for facilitating translation into research and operational practices. Since it consists of reviewing and collecting data from publicly available materials, this scoping review does not require ethics approval.
Lipidation of NOD2 Agonists with Adamantane and Stearoyl Moieties Differentially Regulates Their In Vivo Adjuvant Activity

NOD2 is an innate immune receptor that constitutes an important target for the development of small molecule immunopotentiators with great potential to be used as vaccine adjuvants. We report here the results of an in vivo study of the adjuvant properties of a desmuramylpeptide NOD2 agonist SG29 and its lipidated analogs featuring an adamantyl moiety or a stearoyl group. These compounds have been synthesized, incorporated into liposomes, and evaluated for their in vivo adjuvant activity. The characterization of liposome formulations of examined compounds revealed that their size increased in comparison to that of empty liposomes. The introduction of a stearoyl or an adamantane lipophilic anchor into the structure of SG29, to produce SG115 and ZSB63, respectively, substantially improved the in vivo adjuvant activity. Of note, the attachment of the stearoyl moiety produced a Th2-biased immune response, while the incorporation of the adamantyl moiety greatly enhanced the production of total IgG but mostly augmented the production of IgG2a antibodies, which indicated a shift toward a Th1 immune response. The identified bona fide capacity of ZSB63 to initiate a cellular immune response thus highlights its untapped potential as an alternative vaccine adjuvant.
On oscillatory rotating convection of a couple‐stress fluid with helical force

Linear and weakly nonlinear stability analyses of thermosolutal convection in a couple‐stress fluid with effects of helical force and rotation are performed. The governing nondimensional equations are solved using the normal modes. We have shown the effect of the helical force parameter, solutal Rayleigh number, Couple stress parameter, Lewis number, Taylor number, and Prandtl number on stationary and oscillatory convection regions and presented graphically. Solutal Rayleigh number, Couple stress parameter, Lewis number, and Taylor number have a stabilizing effect on the system whereas the helical force parameter has a destabilizing effect on the system. To study heat transport by convection we have derived the Ginzburg–Landau equation.
Correcting delayed reporting of COVID‐19 using the generalized‐Dirichlet‐multinomial method

The COVID‐19 pandemic has highlighted delayed reporting as a significant impediment to effective disease surveillance and decision‐making. In the absence of timely data, statistical models which account for delays can be adopted to nowcast and forecast cases or deaths. We discuss the four key sources of systematic and random variability in available data for COVID‐19 and other diseases, and critically evaluate current state‐of‐the‐art methods with respect to appropriately separating and capturing this variability. We propose a general hierarchical approach to correcting delayed reporting of COVID‐19 and apply this to daily English hospital deaths, resulting in a flexible prediction tool which could be used to better inform pandemic decision‐making. We compare this approach to competing models with respect to theoretical flexibility and quantitative metrics from a 15‐month rolling prediction experiment imitating a realistic operational scenario. Based on consistent leads in predictive accuracy, bias, and precision, we argue that this approach is an attractive option for correcting delayed reporting of COVID‐19 and future epidemics.
Dietary patterns, nutritional status, and mortality risks among the elderly

Introduction While most epidemiological studies have focused on the effects of individual dietary patterns and nutritional status on health, the relationships between the combinations of these factors and patient prognosis requires further investigation. Objective This study explored mortality risk in individuals with different combinations of dietary patterns or nutritional status. Methods Unsupervised K-means clustering was used to classify populations. The analyses included Cox proportional risk and competing risk models. Results After considering a complex sampling design, the results showed that among 12,724 participants aged >60 years, 6.99% died from cancer and 10.47% from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (CCVD). After correcting for participant baseline information and chronic conditions, the geriatric nutritional risk index and healthy eating index (HEI) were negatively associated with the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality. The opposite was true for the dietary inflammatory index (DII). After sorting the population three clusters based on study scores showed higher risks of all-cause mortality and cancer-related death in Cluster 2 and 3. Discussion These results suggest that different nutritional status and dietary patterns are associated with the risk of all-cause mortality and death from cancer and CCVD in people aged >60 years in the United States. Dietary patterns with high HEI and low DII were beneficial to health, whereas nutritional status needs to be maintained at a level that is not too low.
Computational framework on heat diffusion in blood-based hybrid nanoliquid flow through a stenosed artery: An aligned magnetic field application

Abstract The silver and gold nanoparticles display noteworthy results in antimicrobial and anticancer therapies. Silver is a considerable anti-inflammation, and gold nanoparticles effectively use to convert the photons to heat to destroy cancer cells. By keeping this in view, we investigated the radiative heat allocation in blood-based Ag-Au hybrid nanofluid flow. We assumed a blood vessel with cosine stenosis in the existence of an aligned magnetic field and variable heat source/sink. The flow model was developed to investigate the underlying physics and solved numerically after applying appropriate transformations. The computational outcomes for the flow and energy fields were explored through graphical and numerical illustrations. Also, the consequences of local Nusselt number and wall friction were discussed. The outcomes are validated and found to be in noble agreement. It is noticed that the inclined magnetic angle can control the drag force and heat transmission. Also, the Ag-Au combination effectively enhances the rate of heat transfer. This may help the effective conversion of photons to heat energy used in cancer therapies.
MLS‐based variable‐node elements compatible with quadratic interpolation. Part I: formulation and application for non‐matching meshes

Two‐dimensional variable‐node elements compatible with quadratic interpolation are developed using the moving least‐square (MLS) approximation. The mapping from the parental domain to the physical element domain is implicitly obtained from MLS approximation, with the shape functions and their derivatives calculated and saved only at the numerical integration points. It is shown that the present MLS‐based variable‐node elements meet the patch test if a sufficiently large number of integration points are employed for numerical integration. The cantilever problem with non‐matching meshes is chosen to check the feasibility of the present MLS‐based variable‐node elements, and the result is compared with that from the lower‐order case compatible with linear interpolation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CurveLight: An Accurate and Practical Light Positioning System

This paper presents CurveLight, an accurate and practical light positioning system. In CurveLight, the signal transmitter includes an infrared LED, covered by a hemispherical and rotatable shade, and the receiver detects the light signals with a photosensitive diode. When the shade is rotating, the transmitter generates a unique sequence of light signals for each point in the covered space. The main novelty of the system design is a set of curves that define different regions, either transparent or translucent, on the shade. The regions allow the light signals to create patterns from which the receiver can calculate its angles with respect to the transmitter. We design the curves in such a way that the angular information is most robust to errors caused by signal noise and motor jitters. Moreover, the shade is divided into multiple sectors, each providing independent positioning function, so as to maximize the position update rate. Experiments in various environments show that the system achieves 2-3 cm accuracy on average, with a 36 Hz update rate with a single transmitter. We present a product quality implementation of the system, and report the deployment experience in real-world environments, including autonomous driving and robotics navigation. CurveLight consistently offers centimeter-level accuracy and low latency, serving as a key component of the hybrid navigation solution for real systems in challenging scenarios.
WSR-88D Radar Depiction of Supercell–Bow Echo Interaction: Unexpected Evolution of a Large, Tornadic, “Comma-Shaped” Supercell over Eastern Oklahoma

Abstract During a severe thunderstorm outbreak on 17 April 1995, a bowing line segment of severe thunderstorms intercepted an isolated supercell over eastern Oklahoma. The result of the supercell–bow echo interaction was unexpected. Instead of showing a weakening supercell, with diminished severe weather potential, as the bow echo’s cold pool undercut, and spread in advance of, the supercell’s updraft, WSR-88D imagery showed a different outcome. The bow echo rapidly weakened, while the supercell maintained its identity and severity for over an hour after the interaction took place. WSR-88D imagery showed the evolution of a large high-precipitation supercell with a “comma-shaped” echo appearance. The archive II dataset from the WSR-88D radar at Inola, Oklahoma, was retrieved, and the reflectivity and velocity images for this event were reproduced and examined. The images showed the supercell–bow echo interaction and the changes to supercell structure and resultant weather that appeared to result from this .