Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simulated responses of terrestrial aridity to black carbon and sulfate aerosols

Aridity index (AI), defined as the ratio of precipitation to potential evapotranspiration (PET), is a measure of the dryness of terrestrial climate. Global climate models generally project future decreases of AI (drying) associated with global warming scenarios driven by increasing greenhouse gas and declining aerosols. Given their different effects in the climate system, scattering and absorbing aerosols may affect AI differently. Here we explore the terrestrial aridity responses to anthropogenic black carbon (BC) and sulfate (SO4) aerosols with Community Earth System Model simulations. Positive BC radiative forcing decreases precipitation averaged over global land at a rate of 0.9%/°C of global mean surface temperature increase (moderate drying), while BC radiative forcing increases PET by 1.0%/°C (also drying). BC leads to a global decrease of 1.9%/°C in AI (drying). SO4 forcing is negative and causes precipitation a decrease at a rate of 6.7%/°C cooling (strong drying). PET also decreases in response to SO4 aerosol cooling by 6.3%/°C cooling (contributing to moistening). Thus, SO4 cooling leads to a small decrease in AI (drying) by 0.4%/°C cooling. Despite the opposite effects on global mean temperature, BC and SO4 both contribute to the twentieth century drying (AI decrease). Sensitivity test indicates that surface temperature and surface available energy changes dominate BC‐ and SO4‐induced PET changes.
Global burden, trends, and inequalities of ischemic heart disease among young adults from 1990 to 2019: a population-based study

Background Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a major global health concern, and its burden among young adults aged 25–49 years remains underexplored. This study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the global burden and trends of IHD over the past 30 years (1990–2019) among this age group, as well as to analyze the health inequalities related to socioeconomic development. Methods Data from Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019) were utilized to analyze the prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate of IHD among young adults globally. Joinpoint regression analysis was applied to examine the trends over the study period. Health inequality analysis was performed to investigate the disparities in IHD burden related to the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) of countries. Results According to GBD 2019 data, in 2019, the global numbers of young adults with IHD cases, deaths, and DALYs were 18,050,671 (95% UI, 15,551,940–21,254,746), 597,137 (548,250–647,778), and 28,692,968 (26,397,448–31,178,464), respectively, accounting for 9.15%, 6.53%, and 15.7% of the total global cases. Over the past 30 years, the mortality [AAPC = −0.4%, 95% CI (−0.7% to −0.1%)] and DALYs rate [AAPC = −0.3%, 95% CI (−0.6% to −0.1%)] of IHD among young adults decreased, while the prevalence rate [AAPC = 0.4%, 95% CI (0.4%–0.4%)] and YLDs rate [AAPC = 0.4%, 95% CI (0.3%–0.4%)] increased. Furthermore, countries with lower levels of socio-demographic index (SDI) disproportionately bore a higher burden of IHD among young adults. The inequality slope index for young adult IHD shifted from −56.6 [95% CI (−480.4–370.2)] in 1990 to −583.0 [95% CI (−996.8 to −169.2)] in 2019, and the concentration index moved from −8.2 [95% CI (−8.5 to −7.9)] in 1990 to −13.2 [95% CI (−13.9 to −12.4)] in 2019. Conclusions While the mortality and DALYs rate of IHD among global young adults have decreased over the past 30 years, the degree of inequality related to SDI among countries has continued to increase. Decision-makers in various countries should allocate resources wisely and implement effective strategies to improve the burden of young adults IHD globally and address the health inequalities associated with it.
Research on the Impact of Indoor Control Quality Monitoring Based on Internet of Things

In recent years, indoor air quality monitoring has been a major concern worldwide due to its significant impacts on human health as people typically spend approximately 90% of their time in indoor environments. Many studies are increasingly focusing efforts on the design of real-time indoor air quality monitoring systems using wireless sensor networks. This paper presents a real-time cost-effective indoor air quality monitoring system (IAQMS) based on LoRa and the Internet of Things (IoT), which can measure CO2, PM2.5, PM10, TVOC, HCHO, ambient temperature, and relative humidity. The hardware architecture and software design of the indoor air quality detector (IAQD) are described in detail. Based on the OneNET platform, the proposed IAQMS enables remote monitoring and storage of data in the cloud platform for future analysis. The measurement consistency and stability of the IAQD proposed in this study are verified through the experimental measurement methods in five different working conditions. Meantime, the effect of adding a shell on the measurement of the sensor is comparatively analyzed. The presented IAQMS can be flexibly deployed in complex indoor environments for real-time monitoring and alerting.
A 23,000-year microscopic charcoal record from Anderson Pond, Tennessee, USA

ABSTRACT Charcoal records of past fires are important for reconstruction of palaeoenvironments and palaeoclimate, particularly when compared with pollen records of past vegetation, but such records are scarce in the southeastern US. To address the question of how fire activity changed from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) into the Holocene as vegetation changed, we chose a site in central Tennessee for which a pollen record exists back to 23,000 cal yr BP. We developed a new microscopic charcoal record based on point counting of microscopic charcoal fragments on pollen slides from Anderson Pond studied by Hazel Delcourt (1979). The record we produced spans the interval from the LGM to recent and is directly tied to the original pollen record. Charcoal:pollen ratios and charcoal area concentrations are high during the late glacial and track the coniferous pollen record from the LGM to the late glacial, at which point spruce and jack pine pollen markedly diminished along with fire activity. From around 15,000 cal yr BP to the beginning of the middle Holocene, charcoal indices are low. High fire activity began around 8200 cal yr BP, and remained high from ca. 8200–5000 cal yr BP, an interval broadly corresponding to the Mid-Holocene Warm Period (MHWP). The evidence of higher fire activity during the MHWP is coincident with increased percentages of indeterminate pollen grains that are interpreted to signal drier conditions. Charcoal area concentrations declined following the MHWP. Viewed against the original pollen record, the patterns in microscopic charcoal abundance from the LGM to recent at Anderson Pond argue for the strong influence of vegetation as well as climate in driving fire occurrence in eastern temperate North America.
Green Redevelopment of Industrial Brownfields: Driving Mechanism and Model

Rapid urban restructuring has exposed a large number of industrial brownfields, and common redevelopment has many disadvantages. To optimize the redevelopment effect, green redevelopment has become an important strategy for urban renewal. Combining the theory of planned behavior and the normative activation model, this study explains developers’ intention of green redevelopment action of industrial brownfields (GRIB) from rational and perceptual dimensions. The empirical analysis using partial least squares structural equation (PLS-SEM) obtained the following results: (1) The intention of green redevelopment is positively affected by three factors, personal norms, subjective norms, and attitude, in decreasing order of influence. (2) Perceptual behavior control is not statistically significant to developers’ green transformation intentions. (3) Using the corporate social responsibility for adjustment, the results show that corporate social responsibility has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between green redevelopment intention and green redevelopment behavior. It is suggested that the government should further formulate oriented incentive policies at the national and local levels to encourage green redevelopment to transform industrial brownfields. Concomitantly, the local governments should encourage developers with industry influence to carry out green regeneration practices, strengthen the publicity of green redevelopment knowledge, and strengthen the promotion and application of GRIB.
Log Evaluation of Complex Carbonate Reservoirs in Centre Block of the Eastern Margin of Pre-caspian Basin

The reservoir of the KT-Ⅰof centre block in the eastern margin of Pre-caspian basin in Kazakhstan is a carbonate reservoir with moderate to high porosity.High quality reservoirs develop mostly in dolomite rocks,and have fractures and vugs.Log data indicate that some carbonate reservoirs with moderate to high porosity show good reservoir properties and oilbearing properties,but are invalid reservoirs.By using conventional log data and core calibration techniques to identify the fractures and vugs as well as evaluation of reservoirs' validity,the authors effectively solve identification problems of complex carbonate reservoir.This method obtains remarkable geology results in practical application.
How Much Is Blockchain Related News Worth?

In the blockchain frenzy, some companies announce to initiate or increase blockchain-related business and/or change their names to include “blockchain” or “bitcoin. ” The US market reacts with an average cumulative abnormal return of 80.96% for the 2-day window encompassing the announcement day and the very next day. The effect is an average of 9.37% cumulative abnormal return for Mainland China and Hong Kong. After a year, all the US companies remained above pre-announcement levels, yet quite some companies in Mainland China and Hong Kong revert to pre-announcement levels and sometimes even lower; such reversal indicates that previous valuation increase is temporary.
Adolescent Time Use and Well-being from a Comparative Perspective

Abstract This article compares adolescent time use in ten industrially developed countries and its changes over the past two decades. It builds upon the collective effort of researchers participating in the Comparative Study of Adolescent Time Use (CATUS). Data for the analyses were collected as part of national time use surveys administered by statistical agencies in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, and the United States, and by the Ontario Survey of Adolescent Time Use and Well-being (OATUS), conducted by the Research Group on Leisure and Cultural Development of the University of Waterloo. The article examines historical trends, as well as gender and age differences in the allocation of adolescents’ time to school-related activities, paid and domestic work, personal needs and free time activities. Relationships between different patterns of time use and their developmental and well-being outcomes are discussed based on time use and “experience sampling method” data (OATUS/ ESM). Special attention is paid to the emotional, well-being, and academic correlates of school-related time, part-time work, sleep, eating habits, mass media consumption, and relationship with parents and peers, participation in physically active leisure, and time pressure experienced by students.
Assessment of Return to Sport After ACL Reconstruction With Soft Tissue Autograft in Adolescent Athletes: Quadriceps Versus Hamstring Tendon

Background: Quadriceps tendon soft tissue autograft represents an increasingly popular graft option for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), particularly for adolescents, some of whom have an open physis, precluding use of graft options with bone plugs. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to quantify return-to-sport performance assessments in adolescents at 6 months after ACLR with all–soft tissue quadriceps tendon autograft (ACLR-Q) versus hamstring tendon autograft (ACLR-HS). It was hypothesized that ACLR-Q would be associated with improved hamstring strength and hamstring-to-quadriceps (HS:Q) ratios compared with ACLR-HS, albeit with decreased quadriceps strength. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Included were patients aged 12 to 19 years who underwent primary ACLR by a single surgeon and who completed a return-to-sport performance assessment between 5 and 9 months postoperatively. The performance assessment included manual muscle strength tests (hamstring, quadriceps, hip abductor and adductor), dynamic balance test (Y-balance), and functional hop tests (single hop, triple hop, crossover hop, 6-m timed hop). Data were converted to limb symmetry indices, and limb symmetry index deficits were compared between the ACLR-Q and ACLR-HS cohorts using the Student t test or Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. Results: An initial cohort of 90 ACLR-Q patients was compared with 54 ACLR-HS patients, with no significant differences in patient characteristics. Differences in meniscal repair rates, however, prompted use of propensity score matching on age, sex, body mass index, meniscectomy, and meniscal repair to produce comparable subcohorts. The matching resulted in 67 ACLR-Q and 52 ACLR-HS patients. Hamstring strength deficits were significantly greater in ACLR-HS versus ACLR-Q patients (−40.5% vs −5.7%; P < .001). Quadriceps strength deficits were significantly greater in ACLR-Q versus ACLR-HS patients (−12.8% vs −0.4%; P < .001). ACLR-Q patients had a significantly greater HS:Q ratio on the operative knee (P < .001) and significantly higher Y-balance composite score deficits (−2.9% vs −0.4%; P = .01) than ACLR-HS patients. There were no significant differences in hop test performance between groups. Conclusion: Adolescent athletes who underwent ACLR-Q showed significantly greater quadriceps strength deficits but significantly smaller hamstring strength deficits than those who underwent ACLR-HS, leading to more favorable HS:Q ratios in ACLR-Q patients at 6 months postoperatively.
Application of a Distributed Hydrological Model to the Yellow River Basin

For implementing water resources management in the Yellow River Basin, water resources assessment is very necessary and important. The accuracy of water resources assessment relies on predictability of the hydrological cycle. Different land uses, topographical features, geological and soil conditions, and artificial water uses (mainly agricultural irrigation) determine the complexity of hydrological characteristics in this basin. With the limited observation of the river discharge, it is difficult to develop a lumped model for simulating hydrology in different sub-basins based on parameter calibration. The physically-based hydrological model can be helpful in this case. The present research attempts to incorporate all available spatial information into the hydrological modeling by a distributed approach. A physical model is developed using the physical governing equations for description of the hydrological processes. It carries out a 10-year (1980-1989) simulation of the natural hydrological cycle. Based on the hydrological simulation, the paper discusses the spatial-temporal hydrological characteristics and the status of water resources in the Yellow River Basin.
Assessment of Toxicological Effect of Organophosphate, Malathion, on Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 and Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 in 3rd Instar Larvae of Drosophila melanogaster

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) is a type of protease that degrades and removes the extracellular matrix of the cell. Only matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) are found in Drosophila, playing different roles in the fruit fly. Malathion is a lethal insecticide which mostly affects the neurological system of Drosophila. Hence, the objective of the study was to evaluate the toxicological effect of the organophosphate ‒ Malathion ‒ on MMP-1 and MMP-2 in 3rd instar larvae of Drosophila melanogaster using appropriate techniques. A total of 80 third instar larvae of Drosophila melanogaster were taken for our experiment (40 larvae for MMP-1 and 40 larvae for MMP-2). For each assessment with 40 larvae, 20 larvae were treated with LC50 dose of Malathion and 20 larvae were taken as control sample. Casein and gelatin zymography were run at room temperature to detect MMP-1 and MMP-2 expression in both control and treated larvae sample. Expressions of both matrix metalloproteinases in treated larvae changed substantially. The level of MMP-1 increased from 35.38% to 64.62%. MMP-2 level also rose from 38.37% to 61.63%. Our result implies that an LC50 dose of Malathion may activate oxidative stress and upregulate MMP-1 and MMP-2 levels in 3rd instar larvae of Drosophila. The deleterious outcome of Malathion could be seen in other non-target organisms, including pollinators and humans. Hence, the use of such compounds should be checked to minimize the risk of insecticide toxicity.
The eGFR-C study : accuracy of glomerular filtration rate ( GFR ) estimation using creatinine and cystatin C and albuminuria for monitoring disease progression in patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease-prospective longitudinal study in a multiethnic population

Edmund J Lamb (elamb@nhs.uk) Elizabeth A Brettell (e.a.brettell@bham.ac.uk) Paul Cockwell (Paul.Cockwell@uhb.nhs.uk) Neil Dalton (neil.dalton@kcl.ac.uk) Jon J Deeks (j.deeks@bham.ac.uk) Kevin Harris (kevin.harris@uhl-tr.nhs.uk) Tracy Higgins (T.Higgins@kent.ac.uk) Philip A Kalra (philip.kalra@srft.nhs.uk) Kamlesh Khunti (kk22@leicester.ac.uk) Fiona Loud (fiona.loud@britishkidney-pa.co.uk) Ryan S Ottridge (r.ottridge@bham.ac.uk) Alice J Sitch (a.j.sitch@bham.ac.uk) Paul E Stevens (pstevens@nhs.net) Claire C Sharpe (claire.sharpe@kcl.ac.uk) Andrew J Sutton (a.j.sutton@bham.ac.uk) Maarten W Taal (maarten.taal1@nhs.net)
FARMERS PERCEPTION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE: A WILLINGNESS TO PAY ANALYSIS

Climate change and weather patterns are already being experienced as is evident in severe negative impacts on food production, food security and natural resources all over the globe. Farmer adaption to climate change is crucial to combating food insecurity and related problems. This paper, therefore, assesses farmers’ perception and adaptation to climate change to enhance policy towards tackling the challenges climate change posses to the farmers in Ghana. With regards to farmers’ perception on climate change, majority of the farmers perceived increase in temperature and decrease in rainfall pattern. Farmers’ level of adaptation was found to be relatively high with majority of the farmers using changing planting dates, different crop varieties and soil conservation methods as the major adaptation measures. Logistic regression estimation finds age, years of farming experience, farm land owner, farm size and other income generating activity as significant predictors of the probability to pay for climate change policy.
23. MAGNETIC ANISOTROPY IN SERPENTINIZED PERIDOTITES FROM SITE 920: ITS ORIGIN AND RELATIONSHIP TO DEFORMATION FABRICS1

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements on serpentinized peridotites from Ocean Drilling Program Site 920 reveal a strong magnetic "fabric," typically characterized by an oblate susceptibility ellipsoid. Curie temperatures and maximum unblocking temperatures near 580°C, as well as petrographic observations, suggest that magnetite is the sole magnetic carrier in the serpentinites. Because the magnetic mineralogy is dominated by coarse-grained magnetite, the susceptibility ellipsoid should provide a three-dimensional image of the average elongation of magnetite grains or grain clusters. Petrographic studies of three orthogonal thin sections from a limited number of samples indicate that the preferred shape orientation of magnetite grain clusters correlates well with the apparent susceptibility maxima and minima in these planes. The magnetite longaxis preferred orientation is typically within -20° of the maximum principal axis of the susceptibility ellipsoid. The close correspondence between the magnetic foliation and the orientation of magnetite-bearing serpentine veins, together with the petrographic evidence for the distribution of magnetite, suggests that the magnetic "fabric" is primarily a reflection of the orientation of these veins. Hence, the AMS ellipsoid may be a more accurate descriptor of the integrated three-dimensional vein orientations than visual orientation measurements made on the split cores.
Perching and Grasping Using a Passive Dynamic Bioinspired Gripper

The ability to grasp objects broadens the application range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by allowing interactions with the environment. The difficulty in performing a midair grasp is the high probability of impact between the UAV's foot and the target. For a successful grasp, the foot must smoothly absorb the energy of impact and simultaneously engage with the target in a short period of time. We present a bioinspired passive dynamic foot in which the claws are actuated solely by the impact energy. Our gripper simultaneously resolves the issue of smooth absorption of the impact energy and fast closure of the claws by linking the motion of an ankle linkage and the claws through soft tendons. We study the dynamics of impact and use the stiffness of the tendon as our design/control parameter to adjust the mechanics of the gripper for smooth recycling of the impact energy. Our gripper closes within 45 ms after initial contact with the impacting object without requiring any controller or actuation energy. An electroadhesive locking mechanism attached to the tendon locks the claws within 20 ms after reaching closed configuration. We demonstrated the effectiveness of our gripper by integrating it in an UAV and performing a variety of passive dynamic perching and grasping tasks.
The impact of natural disasters on the dynamics of infectious diseases

Over the course of this thesis we will build and develop a model for the dynamics of an environmentally transmitted disease such as cholera. We will also develop methods to analyse and understand that model. The dynamics of a disease in a heterogeneous developing world city have not yet been fully explored, particularly when those dynamics are affected by a natural disaster. Yet, natural disasters such as floods alter infrastructure and population characteristics in a manner that affects disease transmission. Therefore, we shall address this omission from the literature. We will also develop a novel model analysis framework for 'systems epidemiology' where we combine systems biology techniques with epidemiological modelling.