Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analyses of soil cadmium and copper contents on a region of Burgundy in France.

The aim of present research was to know Cd availability. As a first report of this work, we present some results of analysing soil Cd and Cu contents on a part of Burgundy in France. Soil samples were collected from surface-ploughed layer in fields across the southern part of the Yonne district, Burgundy, France. From the first extractable Cd content on a ratio (soil : EDTA =1:10), the soil Cd values on Carixien soil series decreased to a-third or to a-fourth of those Cd values on a lower ratio (soil : EDTA = 15). While the extractable Cd of the soil samples on Sols marron soil series decreased in a smaller extent. The changes of mixing ratio from 150 (soil : EDTA) to 1:10 and to 1:5 (soil : EDTA) had decreased the extractable Cu contents. But the range of the decrease was not so large as that of Cd contents. Soils on some soil series were a half (Carixien) or two-thirds level (Dombrien, Aubes) when comparing the extractable Cu content on 1:5 ratio to the content on 150 ratio. The absorbance for Cu analyses of soils on Carixien, Terres noires, Sols marron soil series varied in larger extent (expressed on standard deviation for 6 values) than that of soils on Dombrien, Aubes soil series. , . (Key words : France, Soil, Cadmium, Copper, Analyses
Indicators for the Evaluation of Science, Technology and Innovation Activities: A Systematized Review

The article aimed to develop a systematic review of the scientific literature about indicators for the evaluation of science, technology and innovation activities. For this, the Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases were used. Through the application of the SysteRe-HSS methodology, 96 publications were selected that formed the basis for a descriptive model of the science, technology and innovation indicators. The results of the research showed that there is a predominance of indicators related to the evaluation of innovation activities, human resources allocated to the activity of science, technology and innovation, financial resources and investments in research plus development, and indicators related to bibliometrics and scientometrics. However, challenges are faced related to measuring indicators of social innovation, linking insights from existing innovation measurement approaches with the essential features of social innovation, measuring the impact of social appropriation practices of science and technology, and the next generation metrics, responsible metrics and evaluation for open science, as well as alternative indicators for the evaluation of the social impact of research in web 2.0.
Mineralogical Characterization of Historic Copper Slag to Guide the Recovery of Valuable Metals: A Namibian Case Study

The depletion of the ore reserves in the world necessitates the search for secondary sources such as waste products (tailings and slag). The treatment and cleaning up of such secondary sources also has a positive impact on the environment. A smelter in Namibia we examined had historic slag which accumulated over decades of its operating life, thus posing the challenge of how best to collect representative samples to evaluate and propose viable methods of recovering contained metals. In this study, analytical and mineralogical characterization of the slag was performed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS), ICP-OES, scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis, and optical microscopy analysis. The chemical analyses showed that the metal values contained in the slag were mainly copper, lead, and zinc whose average contents were approximately 0.35% Cu, 3% Pb, and 5.5% Zn. About 10.5% Fe was also contained in the slag. Germanium was detected by scanning electron microscopy, but was however below detection limits of the chemical analysis equipment used. Based on the results, approximate conditions under which the different slag phases were formed were estimated and the recovery routes for the various metals were proposed. Analysis by both optical and scanning electron microscopy revealed that Zn and Fe occurred mainly in association with O as oxides, while Cu and Pb were mainly associated with S as sulphides. The slag consisted of three different phases, namely the silicate phase (slag), metallic phase and the sulphide phases. The phases in the slag were mainly silicate phases as well as metallic and sulphide phases. It was observed that the metallic and sulphide phases were dominant in the finer size fractions (−75 µm) whereas the sulphide phase was also present in the coarser size fractions (+300 µm). An important finding from the microscopy examination was that the sulphide phases were interstitial and could be liberated from the slag. This finding meant that liberation and subsequent concentration of the sulphide phases was feasible using conventional processing techniques.
Romanian Higher Education: Modelling Evolution Tendencies

After communist regime downfall (in 1989, December) the Romania Educational System was continuous changed. In 1995 was adopted Law of Education, and each university develops respecting the law, and personal management strategies taking into account the national educational necessities. Starting from the data regarding the number of students from higher education from 1992 to 2005 the aim of the present research is to develop and analyze a mathematical model useful in prediction of students’ number for a given year (in our case is 2008). The higher education was analyzed after geographical clusterization of the forty-two Romanian counties. Eight clusters included into analysis: Central, Capital, West, South, South West, South East, North West, and North East (called developing regions). In order to analyze the trends of Romanian higher education a mathematical model has been developed. The model integrates the following parameters: (1) the mean annual variation ratio (as absolute and relative values), (2) the increasing mean annual ratio (as absolute and relative values), (3) the number of students estimation for 1989 (as absolute value), (4) the numbers of students prediction for 2008, (5) the correlation coefficient, (6) the linear trend, (7) the number of students estimation for 1989 and (8) for 2008 obtained by the model. The mathematical model has been integrated into an online program and is available at: http://vl.academicdirect. ro/applied_statistics/management&policy/education/romania/e_regions/. The above-described parameters were computed for each item, cluster, and globally. The obtained results regarding the evolutions and predictions are analyzed and discussed. The plan of future development is highlighted.
A Tutorial on Causal Inference in Longitudinal Data With Time-Varying Confounding Using G-Estimation

In psychological research, longitudinal study designs are often used to examine the effects of a naturally observed predictor (i.e., treatment) on an outcome over time. But causal inference of longitudinal data in the presence of time-varying confounding is notoriously challenging. In this tutorial, we introduce g-estimation, a well-established estimation strategy from the causal inference literature. G-estimation is a powerful analytic tool designed to handle time-varying confounding variables affected by treatment. We offer step-by-step guidance on implementing the g-estimation method using standard parametric regression functions familiar to psychological researchers and commonly available in statistical software. To facilitate hands-on usage, we provide software code at each step using the open-source statistical software R. All the R code presented in this tutorial are publicly available online.
A New Control Approach for Least Processed Power Tracking Under Mismatch Conditions in PV Systems Using Differential Power Processing

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are one of the key solutions to face the increasing energy demand and climate change. PV elements are commonly connected in series to obtain the required voltage. PV strings suffer from severe power reduction when a mismatch occurs. A mismatch can occur because of partial shading, uneven dust, unequal tilt angles, or degraded modules. Differential Power Processing (DPP) is used in PV systems to minimize energy conversion losses while optimizing the PV power during mismatch. One way to implement DPP is using the PV-bus DPP architecture, where each DPP converter is connected between a PV element and the collective bus. The total processed power in the PV-bus system depends on the substring current. Analytically, the substring current has a unique operating point to achieve the least processed power (LPP) through all DPP converters. This article presents a new method to control the substring current for achieving LPP in the PV-bus system. The proposed control method does not require an extra string converter and is based on controlling the existing DPP converters with a single-stage inverter. Different mismatch levels are analyzed to show that the proposed system can reach LPP, significantly reducing the total processed power. Simulation and experimental results were performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Marine Forage Fishes in Puget Sound

Abstract : Forage fishes are small, schooling fishes that are key prey items for larger predatory fish and wildlife in a marine food web. In Puget Sound, forage fish species occupy every marine and estuarine nearshore habitat. Nearshore habitats are of special concern, because many species use them for spawning. This report focus on three species that commonly occur within the nearshore zone of Pacific Northwest beaches: Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi), surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus), Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus). Each species has particular habitat requirements for spawning; for example, a relatively restricted sediment grain size, particular tidal heights, or specific vegetation types. Adjacent nearshore habitats are used as nursery grounds by all three species.
A Full-Angle Scanning Leaky Wave Antenna Based on Odd-Mode SSPP From Backfire to Endfire

In this article, a complementary glide symmetric spoof surface plasmon polariton leaky wave antenna (SSPP-LWA) with a high scanning rate and full-angle scanning capability is presented. The novelty of this design is attributed to the combination of the complementary glide symmetric cell SSPP structure with the odd-mode feeding, so as to achieve the purpose of increasing the scanning rate and full-angle scanning. A larger gradient of dispersion is obtained by gliding the symmetric cell structure with odd-mode excitation, and the space harmonics are excited to form radiation by periodically loading the upper and lower symmetric metal branches on both sides of the SSPP transmission line (TL). A theoretical approach on the full-angle continuous scanning is presented to analyze the conditions of single-harmonic operation, the effect of the current distribution of odd and even modes on the radiation in the endfire direction, and predict its radiation direction pattern by theoretical calculations. In order to verify the proposed method, we processed and fabricated the prototype of the proposed LWA, and the theoretical calculation, simulation, and measurement results are in good agreement. The total length of the proposed LWA is 5.36 wavelengths, and it is able to achieve a full-angle scanning from −90° to +90° over a bandwidth of 2.1 GHz (4.35–6.45 GHz), with a high scanning rate of 4.6°/%. It also has the advantages of low profile, high average gain (10.8 dBi), high average radiation efficiency (90%), low sidelobe ( $< -10$ dB), and easy fabrication.
Bankers and Regulators *

We propose a career choice model in which agents with heterogenous ability levels choose to work as bankers or as financial regulators. When workers extract intrinsic benefits from working in regulation (such as public-sector motivation or human capital improvement), our model jointly predicts that bankers will be, on average, more skilled than regulators and their compensation will be more sensitive to performance. During financial booms, banks draw the best workers away from the regulatory sector and misbehavior increases. In a dynamic extension of our model, young regulators accumulate human capital and the best ones switch to banking in mid-career.
Single domain Camelid antibody fragments for molecular imaging and therapy of cancer

Despite innovations in cancer therapeutics, cancer remains associated with high mortality and is one of biggest health challenges worldwide. Therefore, developing precise cancer imaging and effective treatments is an unmet clinical need. A relatively novel type of therapeutics are heavy chain variable domain antibody fragments (VHHs) derived from llamas. Here, we explored the suitability of VHHs for cancer imaging and therapy through reviewing the existing literature. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases and identified 32 papers on molecular imaging and 41 papers on therapy that were suitable for comprehensive reviewing. We found that VHHs harbor a higher specificity and affinity compared to mAbs, which contributes to high-quality imaging and less side-effects on healthy cells. The employment of VHHs in cancer imaging showed remarkably shorter times between administration and imaging. Studies showed that 18F and 99mTc are two optimal radionuclides for imaging with VHHs and that site-specific labelling is the optimal conjugation modality for VHHs with radionuclide or fluorescent molecules. We found different solutions for reducing kidney retention and immunogenicity of VHHs. VHHs as anticancer therapeutics have been tested in photodynamic therapy, targeted radionuclide therapy, immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy. These studies showed that VHHs target unique antigen epitopes, which are distinct from the ones recognized by mAbs. This advantage means that VHHs may be more effective for targeted anticancer therapy and can be combined with mAbs. We found that high cellular internalization and specificity of VHHs contributes to the effectiveness and safety of VHHs as anticancer therapeutics. Two clinical trials have confirmed that VHHs are effective and safe for cancer imaging and therapy. Together, VHHs seem to harbor several advantages compared to mAbs and show potential for application in personalized treatment for cancer patients. VHH-based imaging and therapy are promising options for improving outcomes of cancer patients.
Image-based Representation of Urban Buildings Using Displacement Mapping

This paper describes a representation for the real-time mapping displacement of buildings onto the polygon model of base terrain in geospatial information. Geo-spatial information used for modeling the virtual environment of flight simulation is similar to the displacement map. The buildings are represented as height maps, leading to a technique with very low memory requirements and not involving any changes of the model’s original geometry (i.e., no vertices are created or displaced). In this approach, the displacement of buildings is mapped toward the protruding direction. As a result, the base of texture which represents the ground in topography is correctly mapped onto base polygon without any distortion. Since the displacement of buildings is applied as the height field, instead of depth field as in previous approaches, the protruding shape of buildings can be correctly represented. This approach can exhibit the correct occlusions between buildings and ground due to parallax and correct self-occlusion. The approach can be used to consistently add representations of buildings to original geometric models of underlying terrain.
A single 36-h water-only fast vastly remodels the plasma lipidome

Background Prolonged fasting, characterized by restricting caloric intake for 24 h or more, has garnered attention as a nutritional approach to improve lifespan and support healthy aging. Previous research from our group showed that a single bout of 36-h water-only fasting in humans resulted in a distinct metabolomic signature in plasma and increased levels of bioactive metabolites, which improved macrophage function and lifespan in C. elegans. Objective This secondary outcome analysis aimed to investigate changes in the plasma lipidome associated with prolonged fasting and explore any potential links with markers of cardiometabolic health and aging. Method We conducted a controlled pilot study with 20 male and female participants (mean age, 27.5 ± 4.4 years; mean BMI, 24.3 ± 3.1 kg/m2) in four metabolic states: (1) overnight fasted (baseline), (2) 2-h postprandial fed state (fed), (3) 36-h fasted state (fasted), and (4) 2-h postprandial refed state 12 h after the 36-h fast (refed). Plasma lipidomic profiles were analyzed using liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Results Several lipid classes, including lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), phosphatidylethanolamine, and triacylglycerol were significantly reduced in the 36-h fasted state, while free fatty acids, ceramides, and sphingomyelin were significantly increased compared to overnight fast and fed states (P < 0.05). After correction for multiple testing, 245 out of 832 lipid species were significantly altered in the fasted state compared to baseline (P < 0.05). Random forest models revealed that several lipid species, such as LPE(18:1), LPC(18:2), and FFA(20:1) were important features in discriminating the fasted state from both the overnight fasted and postprandial state. Conclusion Our findings indicate that prolonged fasting vastly remodels the plasma lipidome and markedly alters the concentrations of several lipid species, which may be sensitive biomarkers of prolonged fasting. These changes in lipid metabolism during prolonged fasting have important implications for the management of cardiometabolic health and healthy aging, and warrant further exploration and validation in larger cohorts and different population groups.
Telomere length as a marker of changes in body composition and fractures-an analysis of data from the NHANES 2001-2002

Purpose There has been an association between changes in body composition, fracture incidence, and age in previous studies. Telomere length (TL) has been proposed as a biomarker of aging. However, the relationship between body composition, fractures, and TL has rarely been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between TL and body composition and fractures. Patients and methods: 20950 participants from the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included in the final analysis. In NHANES, body compositions were measured with DXA, and TL was determined with quantitative PCR. Correlation analysis of TL and body composition was conducted using multivariate weighted linear regression and logistic regression models. Results The results showed that TL positively correlated with bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in most body parts. However, BMD and BMC were negatively connected with TL in the upper limbs and skull. Fat content was negatively associated with TL, while muscle content was positively linked to TL. In addition, TL’s trend analysis results were consistent with the regression model when transformed from a continuous to a classified variable. An increase in TL was associated with a higher incidence of wrist fractures, while a decrease in spine fractures. The above correlation also has a certain degree of sex specificity. Conclusion Our study indicate that TL is associated with body composition as well as fractures, but further research is needed to confirm these contrasting associations in the skull, upper limbs, and wrists.
Hydrochemical characteristics and suitability of Kanzenze River for irrigation of akagera upper catchment in Rwanda

The purpose of the study was to assess the hydrochemical characteristics of the Kanzenze River and its suitability for irrigation use in the Akagera upper catchment in Rwanda. In this respect, 12 samples of surface collected water in four sites namely Karumuna, Muzi, Karugenge, and Nyamabuye were at a distance of 100.00 meters one to another. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) standards were referred to analyze water quality parameters such as potential hydrogen (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium adsorption ratio, soluble sodium percent, total hardness, magnesium adsorption ratio and Kelly index were used for the evaluation of water quality and its suitability for irrigation. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and principal components analysis. All parameters analyzed were within the FAO standards stipulated for irrigation. The mean pH of the water sample was 7.30; the mean TDS was 205.10 mg l‒1; mean sodium adsorption was 2.30 while the mean EC was 302.26 µS/cm which indicated that Kanzenze River is in category I of classification standard suitable for irrigation. This indicated that the Kanzenze River was suitable for irrigation.
W-Band GaN T/R Single Chip With 1-W Output Power and 6.4-dB Noise Figure for AESA Applications

This article presents a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band integrated transceiver (T/R) single chip based on gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) technology for active electronically scanned array (AESA) applications. It integrates low-noise receiving, high-power transmitting, and transmit (Tx)–receive (Rx) switching functionalities in a single chip. In the transmitting mode, from 100 to 110 GHz, the measured output power and power added efficiency (PAE) are greater than 1 W and 6.4%, respectively, and the saturation gain is higher than 10 dB. While in the receiving mode, the measured noise figure (NF) is less than 6.5 dB, and the small signal gain is more than 20 dB. The measured switching time between the receiving and transmitting modes is less than 17.6 ns. The T/R single chip occupies an area of 4.8 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 3.9 mm2. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first GaN-integrated transceiver chip operating at more than 100 GHz.
Continual Poisoning of Generative Models to Promote Catastrophic Forgetting

Generative models have grown into the workhorse of many state-of-the-art machine learning methods. However, their vulnerability under poisoning attacks has been largely understudied. In this work, we investigate this issue in the context of continual learning, where generative replayers are utilized to tackle catastrophic forgetting. By developing a novel customization of dirty-label input-aware back-door to the online setting, our attacker manages to stealthily promote forgetting while retaining high accuracy at the current task and sustaining strong defenders. Our approach taps into an intriguing property of generative models, namely that they cannot well capture input-dependent triggers. Experiments on four standard datasets corroborate the poisoner’s effectiveness.