Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical Approach for Measuring Oxygen Mass Transfer in Stirred Tank Bioreactors

Abstract Bioreactor engineering allows modeling the conditions of real life biological processes. Particularly, oxygen represents one of the most important factors for life, and the understanding and control of its mass transfer in bioreactors is one of the most challenging problems in the industry. The aim of this study was to develop an optical approach for measuring the oxygen mass transfer coefficient (kLa). An assembly was constructed for this purpose, consisting of a stirred tank bioreactor, a high-intensity light source, a luminometer and a digital camera. Air flux supply and stirring velocity of the bioreactor were tested over a range of thirty-five values. The air bubbles generated were counted and their diameters were measured from photographs. The luminometer measured light obstruction due to bubbles. A polarography electrode sensor measured the dissolved oxygen in water to correlate it with the optical approach. The results showed a close correlation between kLa and light obstructed due to bubbles of air. The bubble diameter and holdup results suggest that the size of the bubbles decreases and becomes more homogeneous as stirring speed increases. A multivariable linear model for kLa as a function of the measured light obstruction and air flux injection was constructed. A strong correlation between this model and results was obtained. This approach avoids the need for chemical sensors for sensing systems, with a noninvasive and nondestructive methodology to determine the kLa for dilute solutions. This technique could be developed to evaluate a scaled-up bioreactor before running a bioprocess.
Evaluation of the Use of Leaderboards in a Gamified Application for Academic Learning

In this paper, we analyze the interference of the leaderboards in the number of correct answers in the problem-solving activities present in a gamified application. Also, we checked the usability level of the application with/without leaderboards. In order to achieve these objectives, we applied a study in a test scenario and verified the effect of the leaderboards on the number of correct answers. Then, we applied a survey with the participants to analyze the usability level of the application. As a result, although the level of satisfaction of the participants who used the application with the leaderboards was higher, this difference was not significant. Also, the leaderboards did not influence the number of correct answers to problem-solving.
Development of novel immunotherapy based on nanoparticle co-delivering PLK1 and PD-L1 inhibitors for lung cancer treatment

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting PD-L1 and PD-1 have improved survival in a subset of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, only a minority of NSCLC patients respond to ICIs, highlighting the need for superior immunotherapy. Herein, we developed a nanoparticle-based immunotherapy termed ARAC (Antigen Release Agent and Checkpoint Inhibitor) to enhance the efficacy of PD-L1 inhibitor. ARAC is nanoparticle co-delivering PLK1 inhibitor, volasertib, and PD-L1 antibody. PLK1 is a key mitotic kinase that is overexpressed in various cancers including NSCLC and drives cancer growth. Inhibition of PLK1 selectively kills cancer cells and upregulates PD-L1 expression in surviving cancer cells thereby providing opportunity for ARAC targeted delivery in a positive feedback manner. ARAC reduced effective doses of volasertib and PD-L1 antibody by 5-fold in a metastatic lung tumor model and the effect was mainly mediated by CD8 + T cells. We also observed abscopal effect of ARAC in bilateral NSCLC tumor model and achieved complete cures in some mice when incorporating immune-stimulant CpG onto ARAC. Further, ARAC was well-tolerated in non-human primates. This study highlights a rationale combination strategy to augment existing therapies by utilizing our nanoparticle platform that can load multiple cargo types at once.
Conditional Income Disparity between Farm and Non‐farm Households in the European Union: A Longitudinal Analysis

Government interventions in the agricultural sector have been historically justified by the existence of an income disparity between farmers and non-farmers. However, recent studies have found that such disparity is disappearing over time, particularly in the United States. This work offers the first longitudinal systematic assessment on the average income disparity between farm and non-farm units in the European Union, differentiating between Old and New Member States. Using the EU-SILC dataset, both broad (having some farm income) and narrow (living mainly on agriculture) farm households are compared with a general sample of non-farm households and a more restricted sample of self-employed non-farm households. To control for household observable characteristics and time-constant unobserved factors, we use a fixed effects regression. Results suggest that the farm/non-farm income disparity has disappeared in the European Union unless we compare narrow farm households with all non-farm households: in this case, the former are more likely to be better-off than the latter. A limited income disparity is found only in the case of New Member States for broad farm households only. Results are used to draw policy implications regarding the role of CAP in supporting farm income.
The impacts of REDD+ on the social-ecological resilience of community forests

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) has emerged as an important and cost-effective climate change mitigation strategy internationally. In many localities around the world, REDD+ and related interventions have been superimposed on, and overlap with, existing decentralized institutional arrangements such as community forests. These interventions often modify local institutions through new rules and practices that comply with mostly carbon-related objectives, prompting questions about the compatibility of a top-down mechanism such as REDD+ with the decentralized approaches of community forestry. Thus, we asked: are REDD+ interventions in community forests enhancing or detracting from communities’ abilities to practice adaptive management and governance—key desired components of local social-ecological resilience and the ability of communities to respond to disturbance and global change? We conducted a systematic review of studies examining REDD+ interventions in community forests. We extracted data on 59 case studies reported on in 43 articles, stemming from 14 countries, with two thirds of the cases located in two countries alone. Our meta-analysis found that REDD+ has had mixed impacts on communities’ social-ecological resilience. Increases in network ties, connectivity across scales, and increased participation in decision making are indicators of enhanced potential for local adaptability. However, we also see that, through restrictions on local forest practices, rigidity in rules, and communities’ natural capital being locked into carbon contracts, REDD+ has limited communities’ ability to manage for uncertainty. While not representative of all existing REDD+ projects, our results suggest important implications for REDD+ policymakers and forest-reliant communities engaging in REDD+. Reconciling REDD+ goals with the need for forest communities to retain adaptive capacity will be a challenge moving forward, particularly if REDD+ compromises the ability of forest-reliant communities to respond to unexpected shocks or their ability to adapt to changing environmental or economic conditions.
“Counting” Informal Media Industries

This article encourages a critical look at the obsession with counting in media industries research, an impulse shared by academics and media-industry capitalists. Rather than being neutrally inquisitive, this impulse hopes to translate the world into a language that is palatable to the external glance, to investment, and to corporatization. How can we explain an industry’s importance without relying on fuzzy numbers and manipulated statistics created for the purpose of such explanation? How can we temper our reliance on adulterated quantitative measurement to support qualitative media industries research? I offer specific methodological suggestions for media industries researchers, including valuing specific qualitative assessments of industrial importance, an interrogation of all cited numbers. These are aimed at those researching media industries, encompassing a great deal of informality. However, as most global media industries incorporate a degree of informality in their production and distribution, these suggestions can be of use across industrial contexts.
The Impact of Product and Reward Types in Reward-Based Crowdfunding

This article explores the impact of different types of products and rewards on the amount of funds raised in reward-based crowdfunding (RBCF). Specifically, we have analyzed two different product types, i.e., based on individual ownership or temporary use, and four types of rewards, i.e., prototype, branded promotional item, special edition, and discount. Results of a within-subject survey-based experiment indicate that individual ownership products obtain more funds than temporary use products. In addition, depending on the product type, some rewards are more effective in attracting funds from backers. These outcomes extend the application of Signaling Theory in the context of RBCF, as backers respond to multiple signals connected to both product and reward types because they are related to the likelihood of project realization, and of Self-Determination Theory, as backers are nonprofessionals and contribute their money mainly for the satisfaction of supporting what they consider valuable entrepreneurial projects. The findings of this article advance the scientific understanding of RBCF and provide advice for entrepreneurs on how to properly craft their call for money depending on the type of product proposed to the crowd.
B‐Positive: A Robust Estimator of Aftershock Magnitude Distribution in Transiently Incomplete Catalogs

The earthquake magnitude‐frequency distribution is characterized by the b‐value, which describes the relative frequency of large versus small earthquakes. It has been suggested that changes in b‐value after an earthquake can be used to discriminate whether that earthquake is part of a foreshock sequence or a more typical mainshock‐aftershock sequence, with a decrease in b‐value heralding a larger earthquake to come. However, the measurement of b‐value during an active aftershock sequence is strongly biased by short‐term incompleteness of the earthquake catalog and by data‐windowing, and these biases have the same direction as the proposed signal. Here I develop a new estimator of the b‐value that is insensitive to transient changes in catalog completeness and that does not require data windowing. The new estimator “b‐positive” is based on the positive‐only subset of the differences in magnitude between successive earthquakes, which are described by a double‐exponential (Laplace) distribution with the same b‐value as the magnitude distribution itself. The b‐positive estimator greatly improves the robustness of continuous b‐value measurements during active earthquake sequences, as well as in historical catalogs with unknown or variable completeness. The new estimator confirms some of the observations of Gulia and Wiemer (2019), although at a reduced level, showing a decrease and recovery of the b‐value during several recent foreshock sequences that cannot be attributed simply to measurement bias. However, the unbiased b‐value changes may be too subtle to use in a real‐time earthquake alarm system.
Jogos Educacionais Digitais no Ensino Infantil: Uma Revisão Sistemática da Literatura

As criancas estao imersas na cultura digital. Mesmo antes de frequentarem a escola, fazem uso de aparatos tecnologicos com interfaces de interacao sensiveis ao toque, como e o caso dos jogos digitais, muitas vezes sem mediacao. Este artigo tem por objetivo investigar trabalhos que analisam como os jogos educacionais digitais estao contribuindo no processo de ensino e aprendizagem das criancas da Educacao Infantil. Para isso propoe uma revisao sistematica da literatura. Como resultado, verificou-se que os trabalhos analisados destacam o uso dos jogos digitais como uma importante ferramenta para a pratica pedagogica e para a aprendizagem da crianca, embora ainda existam lacunas de investigacoes no que se refere a relacao dos jogos digitais com os campos de experiencia citados pela BNCC, de forma que possibilite o desenvolvimento de habilidades.
Emerging Cases of Fascioliasis in Lorestan Province, Western Iran: Case Series Report

Fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease caused by Fasciola spp. We report five serologically and molecularly confirmed cases in an emerging region in Iran. A retrospective, case series study, performed in Lorestan Province, west of Iran between January 2015 and June 2016. From 1256 patients examined, 16 patients had positive serum ELISA. Five cases were approved as infected with fasciolosis using stool exam and PCR. Age ranged from 24 to 80 yr with mean age of 45 years. All of patients were adults and four of them had abdominal and back pain. Other symptoms included fever and chills, coughing and sore throat, weight loss, cutaneous manifestations. All patients lived in the rural environment, and four reported the ingestion of raw aquatic plants such as watercress. In fecal examination for fluke eggs, four samples were positive for F. hepatica eggs. Conventional PCR analysis showed that five human stools were positive for F. hepatica. All of 5 patients were treated with the usual dose of triclabendazole. A history of recent consumption of raw aquatic plants (in 4 out of 5 patients) is an important finding, but in one patient the source of infection remained unclear. Lorestan should be considered as an emerging region for this disease and further research in this province should be carried out.
Transcriptomic and genomic analysis highlights the basis of ZYMV tolerance in zucchini

Background: Cucurbita pepo is high susceptible to Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) and the resistance found in several wild species does not provide complete or broad-spectrum resistance. In this study, a source of tolerance introgressed in C. pepo (381e) from C. moschata, in True French (TF) background, was investigated 12 days post inoculation (DPI) at transcriptomic and genomic levels. Results: A comparative RNA-seq experiment on TF (susceptible to ZYMV) and 381e (tolerant to ZYMV), allowed to evaluate 33,000 expressed transcripts and to identify 146 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in 381e, mainly involved in photosynthesis, transcription, cytoskeleton organization and callose synthesis. By contrast, the susceptible line True French triggered oxidative processes related to response to biotic stimulus, and key regulators of plant virus intercellular movement. Moreover, the genome mapping of transcripts allowed the identification of two chromosome regions rich in SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms), putatively introgressed from C. moschata, containing genes exclusively expressed in 381e. Conclusion: The transcriptome reprogramming of 381e ZYMV challenged revealed a globally restoring of cellular activities and a reduced virus movement and replication. Furthermore, genes putatively involved in ZYMV tolerance were detected in C. moschata introgressed genomic regions. Our work provides new insight into the plant virus recovery process and a better understanding of the molecular basis of 381e tolerance.
Spatial distribution of agricultural yields with elevated metal concentration of the island exposed to acid mine drainage

An island province in the Philippines exposed to acid mine drainage for about 22-25 years, uncovered new discovery in selected agricultural yields. The acid mine drainage was from two open mine pits of higher elevation flowing to Boac and Mogpog River system. A total of 78 various agricultural yields samples with 234 specimens were collected and analyzed from six municipalities of Marinduque, Philippines in 2019. These agricultural yields were (A) vegetables, (B) root crops, (C) fruits, and (D) rice. Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) Perkin Elmer Optima 8000 with ICP multi-element standard solution IV were used to detect metals concentration in the agricultural samples. Digestion of samples followed the EPA Method 200.3. Results were compared with the WHO/FAO limit followed by the identification of yields and areas that pose risks to public health. Determination of the spatial distribution was by ArcGIS. The six municipalities; i.e., Boac, Buenavista, Gasan, Mogpog, Torrijos and Sta. Cruz, were labelled as B, BV, G, M, T and S, respectively. Record showed that Sample A from G contain higher metal concentration among other yields. Manganese concentration in Samples A, B, and D were found to be higher than WHO/FAO limit. However, copper and zinc concentration in Sample C in all municipalities exceeded the allowable limit. Elevated total chromium concentration was found in Sample D collected from G, T, and S. These results would help relevant government agencies and units design strategies to mitigate the degraded agricultural lands and protect public health.
Metal–Support Interactions and C1 Chemistry: Transforming Pt-CeO2 into a Highly Active and Stable Catalyst for the Conversion of Carbon Dioxide and Methane

There is an ongoing search for materials which can accomplish the activation of two dangerous greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. In the area of C1 chemistry, the reaction between CO2 and CH4 to produce syngas (CO/H2), known as methane dry reforming (MDR), is attracting a lot of interest due to its green nature. On Pt(111), high temperatures must be used to activate the reactants, leading to a substantial deposition of carbon which makes this metal surface useless for the MDR process. In this study, we show that strong metal–support interactions present in Pt/CeO2(111) and Pt/CeO2 powders lead to systems which can bind CO2 and CH4 well at room temperature and are excellent and stable catalysts for the MDR process at moderate temperature (500 °C). The behavior of these systems was studied using a combination of in situ/operando methods (AP-XPS, XRD, and XAFS) which pointed to an active Pt-CeO2-x interface. In this interface, the oxide is far from being a passive spectator. It modifies the chemical properties of Pt, facilitating improved methane dissociation, and is directly involved in the adsorption and dissociation of CO2 making the MDR catalytic cycle possible. A comparison of the benefits gained by the use of an effective metal-oxide interface and those obtained by plain bimetallic bonding indicates that the former is much more important when optimizing the C1 chemistry associated with CO2 and CH4 conversion. The presence of elements with a different chemical nature at the metal-oxide interface opens the possibility for truly cooperative interactions in the activation of C–O and C–H bonds.
Second specimen of the Late Cretaceous Australian sauropod dinosaur Diamantinasaurus matildae provides new anatomical information on the skull and neck of early titanosaurs

1Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, John Street, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia 2Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, The Jump-Up, Winton, QLD 4735, Australia 3Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park, University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Košice 04154, Slovakia 4Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Risk factors for relapse in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

increase in risk of relapse for women in the postpartum period compared to before pregnancy (RR, 1.43 95% CI:, 1.19 to 1.72) and pregnancy period (RR, 2.07, 95% CI: 1.49-2.88). For the period of pregnancy, there was a statistical and clinically significant reduction in the risk of relapse compared to women before pregnancy (RR, 0.56 95% CI: 0.37-0.84). There was no notable heterogeneity for all pregnancy-related comparisons.
A Novel 3-D Indoor Localization Algorithm Based on BLE and Multiple Sensors

Indoor wireless localization using Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons has attracted considerable attention due to its extensive distribution and low cost properties. This article proposes a novel 3-D indoor localization algorithm which uses the combination of BLE and multiple sensors (3D-LBMS). The inertial navigation system (INS) and pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) mechanizations are combined for accurate heading and speed estimation, which contains a multilevel constraints-based quasistatic magnetic field (QSMF) detection algorithm. In addition, dynamic-time-warping (DTW)-based BLE landmark detection algorithm is proposed to provide absolute 3-D location reference to multiple sensors-based positioning method, and the detected BLE landmark points are also used to calibrate the parameter of step-length calculation. Finally, the adaptive unscented Kalman filter (AUKF) is applied to fuse the results of INS/PDR mechanizations, QSMF and locations of detected BLE landmarks to achieve accurate and concrete multisource-based 3-D indoor localization performance. The experimental results show that the proposed 3-D-LBMS is proved to achieve meterlevel 2-D positioning accuracy and submeter level 3-D altitude estimation accuracy in typical indoor environments.
Design and Implementation of LoRa Based IoT Scheme for Indonesian Rural Area

The development of the Internet of Things (IoT) in electronics, computer, robotics, and internet technology is inevitable and has rapidly accelerated more than before as the IoT paradigm is a promising solution in terms of solving real world problems, especially for digitizing and monitoring in real time. Various IoT schemes have successfully been applied to some areas such as smart health and smart agriculture. Since the agriculture areas are getting narrow, the development of IoT in agriculture should be prioritized to enhance crop production. This paper proposes the IoT scheme for long range communication based on Long Range (LoRa) modules applied to smart agriculture. The scheme utilizes the low power modules and long-distance communication for monitoring temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and pH soil. Our IoT design has successfully been applied to agriculture areas which have unstable network connections. The design is analyzed to obtain the maximum coverage using different spreading factors and bandwidths. We show that as the spreading factor increases to 12, the maximum coverage can be transmitted to 1000 m. However, the large coverage also comes with the disadvantages of the increased delays.