Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global Warming Impacts of Residential Electricity Consumption: Agent‐Based Modeling of Rooftop Solar Panel Adoption in Los Angeles County, California

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are a renewable electricity technology with lower carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) impacts compared to fossil electricity, making it a technology of interest with respect to combatting global climate change. This paper combines agent‐based modeling (ABM) with life cycle assessment (LCA) to simulate rooftop solar PV adoption in Los Angeles (LA) County from 2018–2050 and generate CO2e impact data at the societal level to compare PV and grid electricity. With respect to solar PV panels, consumer adoption is the “pull” that moves the system and corresponding life cycle CO2e impacts forward. ABM is used to evaluate the impact of policies and evolutions in technology regarding the adoption of solar PV. Life cycle assessment is used to quantify the life cycle CO2e impacts of solar PV (including raw materials, manufacturing, and use). The results show that scenarios that increase PV adoption also increase the CO2e impacts from solar PV use in the short term, due to the raw materials and manufacturing portions of the life cycle. Yet, in the long term, adoption of solar PV may provide CO2e impact savings from offsetting grid electricity (although this is dependent on the carbon intensity of the electricity sources). The CO2e impacts of solar panels are dominated by the raw materials and manufacturing phases on a product level basis, but the use phase contributes to the majority of environmental impact savings from an adoption and societal‐level perspective. Future work may apply the methodology to other locations in the United States to evaluate if solar panels are an advantageous electricity source compared to the environmental impacts of the electricity grid. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:1008–1018. © 2020 SETAC
Nano nickel oxide promotes epithelial‐mesenchymal transition through transforming growth factor β1/smads signaling pathway in A549 cells

Our previous study demonstrated that nano nickel oxide (NiO) induce pulmonary fibrosis in rats and collagen excessive formation in A549 cells, which mechanism was related with the increasing transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) secretion. However, it remains unclear understanding the role of TGF‐β1 in collagen excessive formation. Here, we found nano NiO could directly promote epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the TGF‐β1/Smads pathway in A549 cells. First, cytotoxicity induced by nano NiO has a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner according to methylthiaozol tetrazolium assay. Second, nano NiO led to the increased contents of type I collagen (Col‐I), TGF‐β1, p‐Smad2, p‐Smad3, alpha‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), vimentin, and fibronectin, indicating Smads pathway activation and EMT occurence. Third, to verify whether TGF‐β1 activated Smads signaling pathway and EMT occurence, A549 cells were exposed to nano NiO and TGF‐β1 inhibitors (10 μM SB431542). The results showed that TGF‐β1 inhibitors alleviated the nano NiO‐induced cytotoxicity and Col‐I excessive formation. Meanwhile, TGF‐β1 inhibitors reversed the proteins expression trends of Col‐I, p‐Smad2, p‐Smad3, α‐SMA, vimentin, fibronectin, and E‐cadherin. These observations suggested that EMT occurrence via TGF‐β1/Smads pathway might play an important role in the collagen excessive formation induced by nano NiO in A549 cells.
Produção de azeitona de mesa ao natural fermentada por estirpes de bactérias lácticas potencialmente probióticas

Juri: Presidente: Doutora Maria Suzana Leitao Ferreira Dias Vicente, Professora Auxiliar com Agregacao do Instituto Superior de Agronomia da Universidade de Lisboa Vogais: Doutora Cidalia de Fatima Louro Morgado Peres, Investigadora Principal do Instituto Nacional de Investigacao Agraria e Veterinaria, I.P.; Doutora Margarida Gomes Moldao Martins, Professora Auxiliar com Agregacao do Instituto Superior de Agronomia da Universidade de Lisboa; Doutora Maria Luisa Lopes de Castro e Brito, Professora Auxiliar com Agregacao do Instituto Superior de Agronomia da Universidade de Lisboa; Doutor Vitor Manuel Delgado Alves, Professor Auxiliar do Instituto Superior de Agronomia da Universidade de Lisboa.
Molecular Genetics

This essay examines the current state of knowledge of molecular biology, and how well this science has been conveyed into the public understanding. The article starts by providing a primer on the key concepts of molecular genetics. What this shows is that DNA is not the sole governing component of biological inheritance and cellular reproduction. Rather, the nature of life is the outcome of a complex interaction among DNA, RNA, and proteins. The limitations of genetic theory are evident from the findings of the National Institutes of Health's Encyclopedia of DNA Elements Project (ENCODE). Summarizing a large number of scientific reports created by this project, it is argued that the ENCODE study has replaced the original pattern of colinear transfer of genetic information from simple genes to specific proteins and their engendered inherited traits with a vastly more complex network of overlapping and interlaced relationships. Thus, the ENCODE project has undermined the notion of genetics that underlies much the practices of genetic engineering of crop plants or genetic screening for diseases. Yet there virtually been no press coverage of this fundamental challenge to the core genetic theory and the public remains uninformed about this issue. This unacknowledged issue in molecular genetics creates a crisis in biology. Because the responsible scientific community has not sought to inform the public, there is a serious problem of public information regarding the status of genetic theory and the nature of the risks engendered in genomic research.
Putting Knowledge into Practice: Low-Income Women Talk about Food Choice Decisions

Insights into barriers and facilitators for healthy eating are needed to improve low-income women’s diets and to decrease disease risk. The study objectives were to explore women’s qualitative perceptions of influences on their food choices such as food security, their knowledge of nutrition-related health risk factors and self-efficacy for diet change, and their dietary intakes in practice. Thirty-six women, aged 19–50, who were eligible to receive income-based assistance were recruited in central Iowa. Focus group discussions on defining healthy foods, influences on food choice, and nutrition information sources were analyzed using a socioecological model framework. Demographics, nutrient intake estimates, food security status, health behaviors, and self-efficacy for nutrition behavior change were collected by survey. Most participants were White (61%), single (69%), food insecure (69%), and living with children (67%). Few women met dietary recommendations. Barriers to healthy eating include cost, convenience/preparation time, family taste preferences, and limitations of federal food assistance programs. Facilitators are high self-efficacy for nutrition change and health knowledge on average. These results challenge the strategy of using nutrition education to improve healthy eating and instead show that intervention messaging should focus on limited, achievable steps to improve dietary choices that fit within cost, convenience, and taste constraints.
Greater Sage-Grouse Winter Habitat Selection and Energy Development

Abstract Recent energy development has resulted in rapid and large-scale changes to western shrub-steppe ecosystems without a complete understanding of its potential impacts on wildlife populations. We modeled winter habitat use by female greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in the Powder River Basin (PRB) of Wyoming and Montana, USA, to 1) identify landscape features that influenced sage-grouse habitat selection, 2) assess the scale at which selection occurred, 3) spatially depict winter habitat quality in a Geographic Information System, and 4) assess the effect of coal-bed natural gas (CBNG) development on winter habitat selection. We developed a model of winter habitat selection based on 435 aerial relocations of 200 radiomarked female sage-grouse obtained during the winters of 2005 and 2006. Percent sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) cover on the landscape was an important predictor of use by sage-grouse in winter. The strength of habitat selection between sage-grouse and sagebrush was strongest at a 4-km2 scale. Sage-grouse avoided coniferous habitats at a 0.65-km2 scale and riparian areas at a 4-km2 scale. A roughness index showed that sage-grouse selected gentle topography in winter. After controlling for vegetation and topography, the addition of a variable that quantified the density of CBNG wells within 4 km2 improved model fit by 6.66 Akaike's Information Criterion points (Akaike wt = 0.965). The odds ratio for each additional well in a 4-km2 area (0.877; 95% CI = 0.834–0.923) indicated that sage-grouse avoid CBNG development in otherwise suitable winter habitat. Sage-grouse were 1.3 times more likely to occupy sagebrush habitats that lacked CBNG wells within a 4-km2 area, compared to those that had the maximum density of 12.3 wells per 4 km2 allowed on federal lands. We validated the model with 74 locations from 74 radiomarked individuals obtained during the winters of 2004 and 2007. This winter habitat model based on vegetation, topography, and CBNG avoidance was highly predictive (validation R2 = 0.984). Our spatially explicit model can be used to identify areas that provide the best remaining habitat for wintering sage-grouse in the PRB to mitigate impacts of energy development.
Current Status of microRNA-Based Therapeutic Approaches in Neurodegenerative Disorders

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a key gene regulator and play essential roles in several biological and pathological mechanisms in the human system. In recent years, plenty of miRNAs have been identified to be involved in the development of neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs), thus making them an attractive option for therapeutic approaches. Hence, in this review, we provide an overview of the current research of miRNA-based therapeutics for a selected set of NDDs, either for their high prevalence or lethality, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Friedreich’s Ataxia, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and Frontotemporal Dementia. We also discuss the relevant delivery techniques, pertinent outcomes, their limitations, and their potential to become a new generation of human therapeutic drugs in the near future.
Vitamin D Signaling in Inflammation and Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications

Vitamin D and its active metabolites are important nutrients for human skeletal health. UV irradiation of skin converts 7-dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D3, which metabolized in the liver and kidneys into its active form, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Apart from its classical role in calcium and phosphate regulation, scientists have shown that the vitamin D receptor is expressed in almost all tissues of the body, hence it has numerous biological effects. These includes fetal and adult homeostatic functions in development and differentiation of metabolic, epidermal, endocrine, neurological and immunological systems of the body. Moreover, the expression of vitamin D receptor in the majority of immune cells and the ability of these cells to actively metabolize 25(OH)D3 into its active form 1,25(OH)2D3 reinforces the important role of vitamin D signaling in maintaining a healthy immune system. In addition, several studies have showed that vitamin D has important regulatory roles of mechanisms controlling proliferation, differentiation and growth. The administration of vitamin D analogues or the active metabolite of vitamin D activates apoptotic pathways, has antiproliferative effects and inhibits angiogenesis. This review aims to provide an up-to-date overview on the effects of vitamin D and its receptor (VDR) in regulating inflammation, different cell death modalities and cancer. It also aims to investigate the possible therapeutic benefits of vitamin D and its analogues as anticancer agents.
Annual plant community assembly in edaphically heterogeneous environments

Questions Does edaphic heterogeneity (i.e. switches between gypsum and calcareous soils) affect annual plant community assembly in highly restrictive soils? Our main hypothesis is that soil filtering is the main determinant of species assembly, subsequently modulated by climate and lastly by biotic interactions, such as Stipa tenacissima and the biological soil crust (BSC) at fine spatial scales. Our study system is highly suitable to test the importance of edaphic heterogeneity to the assembly of annual plant communities, since calcareous and gypsum soils are in close contact and freely receive propagules. Location Annual plant communities of semi-arid steppes in central Spain. Methods We built a soil affinity index (SAI) for each species to measure mean soil affinity (MSA; analogous to the community-weighted mean – CWM) in each local assemblage. Results Most species were able to establish in both substrates, but gypsum soils clearly exerted a stronger filtering effect. Stipa favoured an expansion of the niche space in calcareous soils but not in gypsum, and BSCs not only reduced annual species richness, diversity and cover, but also the range of SAI values of local assemblages. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of the probabilistic filtering (sensu From plant traits to vegetation structure, 2010, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK) of soil characteristics to the assembly of annual plant communities, as opposed to an ‘all-or-nothing’ filter.
Male Equivalent Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Hormonal, Metabolic and Clinical Aspects

Recent studies identified the presence of a male polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which mainly affects men whose female relatives are afflicted with PCOS, caused by genes responsible for the susceptibility of this syndrome in women. Similar hormonal, metabolic, and clinical alterations occurring in PCOS women have also been reported in their male relatives, suggesting a association between the male and female forms of the syndrome. Although the remarkable clinical manifestation of the male equivalent PCOS is diagnosed by the early-onset androgenetic alopecia, characterized by hair recession, pronounced hypertrichosis, insulin resistance, biochemical and hormonal abnormalities, the hormonal/metabolic profile is still controversial. Men affected by early-onset androgenetic alopecia (AGA) are at risk of developing hyperinsulinemia, insulin-resistance, dyslipidaemia, and cardiovascular diseases. However, there is no consensus on the association of male equivalent PCOS with hypertension and obesity. Moreover, reduced levels of sex hormone-binding globulin have been detected in these male patients, accompanied by increased free androgens. Conversely, literature reported lower concentrations of testosterone in male equivalent PCOS when compared with the normal range, indicating a crucial role for the conversion of cortical androgens. Finally, further studies are warranted to investigate a possible link among AGA, metabolic/hormonal alterations, and acne. Our study assessed the hormo- nal, metabolic and clinical aspects of male equivalent PCOS syndrome reported in the literature to evaluate similar and divergent elements involved in the female version of the syndrome.
Toward a Theory of Visual Information Acquisition in Driving

Objective The aim of this study is to describe information acquisition theory, explaining how drivers acquire and represent the information they need. Background While questions of what drivers are aware of underlie many questions in driver behavior, existing theories do not directly address how drivers in particular and observers in general acquire visual information. Understanding the mechanisms of information acquisition is necessary to build predictive models of drivers’ representation of the world and can be applied beyond driving to a wide variety of visual tasks. Method We describe our theory of information acquisition, looking to questions in driver behavior and results from vision science research that speak to its constituent elements. We focus on the intersection of peripheral vision, visual attention, and eye movement planning and identify how an understanding of these visual mechanisms and processes in the context of information acquisition can inform more complete models of driver knowledge and state. Results We set forth our theory of information acquisition, describing the gap in understanding that it fills and how existing questions in this space can be better understood using it. Conclusion Information acquisition theory provides a new and powerful way to study, model, and predict what drivers know about the world, reflecting our current understanding of visual mechanisms and enabling new theories, models, and applications. Application Using information acquisition theory to understand how drivers acquire, lose, and update their representation of the environment will aid development of driver assistance systems, semiautonomous vehicles, and road safety overall.
COVID‐19: Challenges and opportunities for research nursing and nursing research on paediatric intensive care

The Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has had a profound impact on the provision of health care across the NHS. In the hospital setting, elective work was suspended, virtual outpatient clinics were rapidly developed, and there was huge redeployment of staff, all measures to support critical care provision for COVID-19. During this period, two key aspects became apparent: the value of a highly trained critical care nursing workforce and the importance of research to understand the disease and identify effective treatments. Much research activity has therefore focused on the critical care domain. A pivotal figure to the conduct of this research has been that of the research nurse. Within this commentary, we highlight the contribution and value of the critical care-trained research nurse in paediatric intensive care (PIC) during COVID-19 and highlight that now is an opportune moment to reflect on nursing practice, identify potential improvements, and promote the growth of more nurse-led research.
Performance Characterization of Hot Mix Asphalt with High RAP Content and Basalt Fiber

Incorporating reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) into asphalt mixtures achieves astonishingly environmental and economic benefits. However, there is hesitation to use higher RAP content due to the concern regarding the deterioration in pavement performance, especially the cracking resistance. Basalt fiber has been considered an effective additive to reinforce the performance of asphalt mixtures and, subsequently, the reinforcement effect is also expected for high-RAP content mixtures. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of basalt fiber on the pavement performance of asphalt mixtures with 0%, 30%, 40%, and 50% RAP contents against high-temperature performance, moisture susceptibility, low-temperature and intermediate-temperature cracking resistance, based on the wheel-tracking test, the uniaxial penetration test, the freeze-thaw splitting test, the low-temperature bending beam test, the semicircular bend fracture test and the indirect tensile asphalt cracking test, respectively. In addition, a performance-space diagram was developed to determine the mixture performance shift caused by basalt fiber. The results showed that adding basalt fiber compensated for the detrimental effect caused by RAP, leading to significant enhancement in moisture susceptibility and low- and intermediate-temperature cracking resistance of mixtures with high RAP content, along with the enhancement in high-temperature performance, indicating that basalt fiber can contribute to the use of high RAP content.
Effects of a Biologically Active Fraction from Melia volkensii on Culex quinquefasciatus

Abstract—A chromatographically enriched fraction designated Fraction B from dry fruits of the plant Melia volkensii (family Meliaceae) was evaluated with the objective of determining its toxic and growth inhibiting effects on the larvae and adults of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. The fraction was purified from a crude methanolic extract by cold precipitation and elution of the precipitate dissolved in a hexane-ethyl acetate solvent system through a silica gel column. Larval treatments involved rearing the larval stages in water containing the fraction at concentrations of between 5 and 200 ppm. The LC50 for this fraction was found to be 34.72 μ/ml in 48 h. Second instar larvae were found to be more susceptible to fraction B when compared to fourth instar larvae. All fourth instar larvae that survived the treatment moulted into larval-pupal intermediates that were short-lived. The extract was also found to be an oviposition deterrent at a concentration of 20 ppm and above. It is concluded that M. volkensii extract has potential in the control of Culex quinquefasciatus. Résumé—Une fraction enrichie chromatographiquement et designée Fraction B des fruits secs de la plante Melia volkensii (famille Meliaceae) a été évaluée pour déterminer sa toxicité et ses effets inhibiteurs de croissance sur les larves et adultes de Culex quinquefasciatus. La fraction a été purifiée à partir de l’extrait méthanolé brut par précipitation à froid et elution du précipité dissoit dans un mélange de solvent hexane-ethyl acetate à travers une colonne de silica gel. Des traitements destinés aux larves impliquaient l’élevage des stades larvaires dans le l’eau contenant la fraction aux concentrations comprises entre 5 et 200 ppm. La DL50 pour cette fraction a été de 34.72 μg/ml en 48 heures. On a trouvé que les larves du 2nd instar ont été les plus susceptibles à la fraction B, comparées aux larves du 4ème instar. Toutes les larves du 4ème instar qui ont survécu au traitement ont mué en intermédiares larve-pupe dont la durée de vie a été écourtée. L’extrait s’est aussi révelé un dissuadant de l’oviposition à la concentration de 20 ppm et au dessus. On en a conclu que l’extrait de M. volkensii offre un moyen potentiel de lutte contre Culex quinquefasciatus.
Natural gait discovery for compliantly actuated legged robots

Nature evolved legs to travel in difficult terrain. Biological legged locomotion displays different gaits to minimize the energy needed to move with certain velocities. For example, humans walk with low velocity but switch to running when moving faster. Robotic legged locomotion proves to be a challenging topic. Most state-of-the-art motion planning approaches heavily control legged robotic systems in order to perform aspired movements. Changing the intrinsic dynamics of the system through control is necessary since the dynamics do not inherently exhibit the desired motions. However, recent work suggests that embedding desired dynamics into segmented robotic legs reduces the necessity of extensive control. This Master's Thesis combines theoretical templates for legged locomotion with physically realizable robotic legs. It first presents energy-conservative spring-loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) models, which explain the existence of different gaits in legged locomotion. These templates are modified to capture the effects of physical damping and ground contact dynamics. A minimal control action compensates the resulting energy losses. Hereby, several natural gaits could be displayed with a non-conservative SLIP model. Based on this newly developed model, a segmented leg featuring a pantograph mechanism is designed. The inherent dynamics of this robotic leg are matched with the SLIP dynamics of the non-conservative template model. Based on optimized design parameters, the influence of deviating parameters on the natural dynamics is analyzed. These imprecisions occur when physically realizing the robotic leg. Natural gaits can be transferred from energy-conservative SLIP models to non-conservative models. SLIP-like dynamics are embedded into segmented legs, which can reduce the control necessary to exhibit periodic motions. Gaits supported by the intrinsic dynamics result in reduced energy consumption.