Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insights for Air Quality Management from Modeling and Record Studies in Cuenca, Ecuador

On-road traffic is the primary source of air pollutants in Cuenca (2500 m. a.s.l.), an Andean city in Ecuador. Most of the buses in the country run on diesel, emitting high amounts of NOx (NO + NO2) and PM2.5, among other air pollutants. Currently, an electric tram system is beginning to operate in this city, accompanied by new routes for urban buses, changing the spatial distribution of the city’s emissions, and alleviating the impact in the historic center. The Ecuadorian energy efficiency law requires that all vehicles incorporated into the public transportation system must be electric by 2025. As an early and preliminary assessment of the impact of this shift, we simulated the air quality during two scenarios: (1) A reference scenario corresponding to buses running on diesel (DB) and (2) the future scenario with electric buses (EB). We used the Eulerian Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model for simulating the air quality during September, based on the last available emission inventory (year 2014). The difference in the results of the two scenarios (DB-EB) showed decreases in the daily maximum hourly NO2 (between 0.8 to 16.4 µg m−3, median 7.1 µg m−3), and in the 24-h mean PM2.5 (0.2 to 1.8 µg m−3, median 0.9 µg m−3) concentrations. However, the daily maximum 8-h mean ozone (O3) increased (1.1 to 8.0 µg m−3, median 3.5 µg m−3). Apart from the primary air quality benefits acquired due to decreases in NO2 and PM2.5 levels, and owing to the volatile organic compounds (VOC)-limited regime for O3 production in this city, modeling suggests that VOC controls should accompany future NOx reduction for avoiding increases in O3. Modeled tendencies of these pollutants when moving from the DB to EB scenario were consistent with the tendencies observed during the COVID-19 lockdown in this city, which is a unique reference for appreciating the potentiality and identifying insights for air quality improvements. This consistency supports the approach and results of this contribution, which provides early insights into the effects on air quality due to the recent operability of the electric tram and the future shift from diesel to electric buses in Cuenca.
A Brief Survey of Fungi as Allergen in Respiratory Allergic Patients by Intradermal Skin Sensitivity Test in Terai Area

The present survey was conducted to observe allergic effect of various fungi in patients of respiratory allergy of terai area.Terai area has humid, subtropical climate, warm in winter and hot in summer total of 96 patients were studied after full clinical examination. Age group of patients was 12 to 48 yrs and male female ratio was 3:2.About 12% patients had acute problem of breathlessness and rhinitis while rest were having chronic respiratory allergy. Intradermal test was performed to observe skin sensitivity.Rhizopus nigricans was found most offending fungal allergen (50%), Next to it was Aspergillus fumigates (30 %). Among other fungal allergens eg.Alternaria tenuis (28 %), Aspergillus flavus. (26 %),Curvularia sp. (24 %),Neurospora Sp. ( 22 % ), Phoma sp. (18 % ),Fusarium solani (13 % ) ,Helminthosporium sp. (12 %) and Penicillium sp. (11 %) were found as common fungal allergens. Acrothecium sp, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus tamari, Candida albicans, Cladosporium sp. , Mucor sp. , Nigrospora sp. and Trichoderma sp.etc were having allergenic effect in less than 10 % patients. About 12 % patients had not shown positive skin sensitivity test against any fungal allergen.
Effect of Industrial Wastewater on Fish in Karoon River

Abstract In 2009, 36 fish were sampled from two stations in the Karoon River near an industrial site. Two species of fish, Barbus grypus and Hypophthalmichthys molitrix were analyzed for total mercury (Hg) concentration in liver and muscle tissues. The average concentrations of total Hg in liver of B. grypus were 18.92 and 10.19 μg. g-1 in stations 1 and 2 respectively. The corresponding values for total Hg in edible muscle of Barbus grypus were 8.47 and 0.08 μg. g-1. The average concentrations of Hg in the liver of H. molitrix were 25.49 and 12.52 μg. g-1 in stations 1 and 2 respectively. The values for H. molitrix were 11.88 and 3.2 μg. g-1 in station 1 and station 2 respectively. The results showed that the bioavailability of Hg has increased considerably after industrialization and that these values were higher than the standard values as a result of anthropogenic activities in the region.
Phylogenetics of the African Asclepias Complex (Apocynaceae) Based on Three Plastid DNA Regions

Abstract We infer phylogenetic relationships and test the monophyly of genera of the African Asclepias complex with three non-coding plastid DNA regions, rpl16 intron, trnC-rpoB spacer, and trnS-G spacer/trnG intron. We find that Asclepias (Trachycalymma) pseudofimbriata forms a polytomy with a clade of all other sampled African species of Asclepias s. l. and a clade of the American Asclepias s. s. Asclepias s. l. and the African species classified in Asclepias are both paraphyletic groups since segregate genera are all nested among species of African Asclepias. Most segregate genera are not monophyletic, i.e. Gomphocarpus, Pachycarpus, Stathmostelma, Xysmalobium, Schizoglossum, and Aspidoglossum; however, Glossostelma is monophyletic. Due in part to low levels of divergence in the sampled plastid markers, the approximately unbiased test did not reject the monophyly of the African species of Asclepias nor the segregate African genera, although the monophyly of Asclepias circumscribed to include American and African species but excluding currently recognized genera was rejected. Based on the results of this study, the species comprising the African Asclepias complex cannot be readily partitioned into monophyletic genera.
Intraspecific competition among larvae of Aedes albopictus in conditions of food abundance and shortage

The competition between larvae of Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1987), an invasive mosquito species recently established in Italy, was evaluated in laboratory in conditions of food abundance and shortage. The number of emerging adults, the time of emergence and the size of the adult bodies were recorded and compared. The number of adults that emerge under conditions of food abundance was found to be significantly higher than under food shortage. When food was lacking more males than females emerged and there was no significant difference in their body sizes, while under food abundance females were larger than males. Both males and females with abundant food were on average bigger than under food shortage. There was no difference in the time of adult emergence in the two different food conditions. Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association 34: 14-16, 2016
Changes in soil carbon fractions and enzyme activities under different vegetation types of the northern Loess Plateau

Abstract Knowledge of the soil organic carbon components and enzyme activities during long‐term natural vegetation restoration is essential for managing the restoration of vegetation. In this study, the variations of soil organic carbon components (i.e., soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), easily oxidized carbon (EOC), particulate organic carbon (POC)) and enzyme activities (i.e., amylase, catalase, urease, and sucrase) were measured in four vegetation types: control (grasslands, GL), forest (Xanthoceras sorbifolia, XS), and shrublands (Hippophae rhamnoides, HR; Caragana korshinskii, CK). We found that vegetation types significantly affect soil organic carbon components and enzyme activities. The SOC content of the XS plot is higher than HR, CK, and GL by 88.43%, 117.09%, and 37.53% at the 0–20 cm layer; the soil SOC content of the XS plot is higher than HR and CK by 27.04% and 26.87%, and lower than GL 12.90% at the 20–40 cm layer. The highest POC and urease were observed in the XS plot at a depth of 0–20 cm, that is, 1.32 g/kg and 98.51 mg/kg, respectively. The highest EOC, amylase, and sucrase were observed in GL at a depth of 0–20 cm, that is, 5.44 g/kg, 39.23, and 607.62 mg/g. On the vertical section of the soil, the SOC fractions and the enzyme activities were greater in the upper layer than in the lower layer for each vegetation type except for MBC and catalase activity. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the SOC and POC content significantly influenced urease and sucrase activities and that MBC significantly influenced catalase activity. These results provide important information about SOC fractions and enzyme activities resulting from vegetation types in the Loess Plateau and also supplement our understanding of soil C sequestration in vegetation restoration.
Sexual Definition: is there a pattern in the sexuality of fish? A Revision.

The fish are found in the most diverse aquatic habitats, ranging from high altitudes the depressions far below sea level, which reflects a wide range of existing species. This condition is due to diversity genomics be enriched by the fusion of the gametes in the training of individuals and in sex determination. Of genetic recombinations, during the processes of cell division and reproductive strategies, which result in a broad adaptive plasticity, both biological and ecological. All this becomes possible through the playback, where also if there is a great diversity of forms, even if there is a pattern of sexual development as well defined as male or female in the majority of species, constituting the gonochorists, and a small fraction formed by types of reproductive unisexual sessile and hermaphrodites. The explanation of this diversity has as a basis the property of retaining the dual sexual potentiality of primordial germ cells, found in different stages in gonadogenesis, and by their ability to differentiate during the reproductive life, a biological base kept by teleosts, constituting all plasticity. For this reason, it was possible to observe species that show great stability and other very labile to change the sex throughout their life. These different forms of reproduction has its origin in the great variety of mechanisms responsible for both sex determination as to formation of patterns of sexual differentiation, which include a genetic basis, with monogenic and polygenic systems, and the influence of different environmental factors, mainly temperature and social interactions. Although the mechanisms of sex determination and differentiation are conserved in mammals and birds, in fish seem to be very unstable. This suggests that, in evolutionary terms, an accumulation of evidence of participatory process in favor of a unification of strategies that emphasize the genetic factors and the environment. In particular, it seems that the environmental factors govern the force responsible for sexual development and by developments in all levels, with the selection and genetic drift having been responsible for establishing a standard capable of characterizing the current sexual determination. Thus, the proposal would be: in what way or in what level these factors contribute to driving the evolutionary process, independent of any context and in a way wholly holistic.
Let Sing Again. Of Sounds, Songs, and Language in Humans and Birds

In million years, under the pressure of natural selection, hominins acquired vocal learning, music, language, and intense cooperation, thanks to the efficacy of music in enhancing sociality. Thus, early in human evolution music became part of human life, a relevant activity, which required sophisticated perceptual and motor skills. It contributed to developing cultures and history, social bonding, and from the beginning of life strengthens the mother-baby relation while within the mother’s womb. Music existed in all known human cultures, although it varies in rhythmic and melodic complexity. It is art made of sounds capable of arousing emotions, evokes memories, engages multiple cognitive functions, and promotes attention, concentration, stimulates the imagination, creativity, and harmony of movement. Music and language share the same complex neural network. Music changes the chemistry of the brain activating the reward and prosocial systems, altruism, and allowing its use in therapy. This review explores "what" is music and illustrates the neural circuits that allow the production of music and language and those that transduce the sounds perceived by the ear, localize and archive them, allowing to recall them. Interestingly, songbirds share many commonalities with human music:, common neural pathways that shape vocal learning, and how they make sounds.
Family Management and Corporate Bond Spreads: Do Foreign and Government Ownerships Matter?

ABSTRACT This research hand-collects data on family CEOs of family-controlled firms (named family management) to investigate the relation between family management and corporate bond spreads in Taiwan with a sample of 1,660 firms for the period 1996–2015. We show new evidence on the impact of financial constraints and CEOs’ characteristics on corporate bond spreads. Results find an impact of family management on increasing corporate bond spreads after considering firms’ and bonds’ characteristics. Moreover, the effect of family management on higher bond spreads is offset by firms under foreign or government ownership, as interacting family management with such ownership effect would give outside investors more assurance and protect minority shareholders from exploitation. Finally, firms’ financial constraints and CEOs’ weak characteristics lead to a detrimental impact of family management on bond spreads.
Cultured Human Bronchial Cells as a Model System in Lung Toxicology and Carcinogenesis: Implications from Studies with Acrolein

Tissues and cells from both humans and laboratory animals can now be successfully cultured and used to examine in vitro the interspecial extrapolation of toxicity data. In particular, epithelial cells or fibroblasts from the human bronchus are systematically being used to study pathobiological effects of inhalation toxicants, e.g. acrolein, present in tobacco smoke and automobile emissions. Micromolar concentrations of acrolein are highly toxic to both bronchial epithelial cells and fibroblasts, and decrease their colony-forming efficiency, ability to exclude trypan blue dye, and content of low-molecular-weight thiols in a dose-dependent manner. Cytosolic free-calcium levels are increased at concentrations of acrolein lower than those required to decrease plasma membrane integrity (measured by exclusion of ethidium bromide dye). Acrolein also decreases growth rate and increases formation of cross-linked envelopes in bronchial epithelial cells, which are indicative of squamous differentiation. Moreover, acrolein causes several types of DNA damage, including single strand breaks, DNA-protein cross-links, interstrand cross-links and alkali-labile sites. The dose-response relationships in this study indicate that disturbance of the cellular thiol and calcium homeostasis and/or formation of DNA damage may be involved in acrolein-related toxicity and accelerated epithelial differentiation. These results also demonstrate that acrolein causes pathobiological effects associated with various phases of multi-stage carcinogenesis in human airway epithelium.
Porous Copper/Zinc Bimetallic Oxides Derived from MOFs for Efficient Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Methanol

A novel metal organic framework (MOF)-derived porous copper/zinc bimetallic oxide catalyst was developed for the photoreduction of CO2 to methanol at a very fast rate of 3.71 mmol gcat−1 h−1. This kind of photocatalyst with high activity, selectivity and a simple preparation catalyst provides promising photocatalyst candidates for reducing CO2 to methanol.
Principles of Applied Biomedical Instrumentation

Biomedical instruments and the measurement of physiological events resistive transducers inductive transducers capacitive transducers photoelectric transducers piezoelectric devices thermoelectric devices chemical transducers electrodes stimulation and stimulators detection of physiological events by impedance the bioelectric events radiant energy devices ventilation and ventilators criteria for the faithful reproduction of an event.
Research on truffles: Scientific journals analysis

This analysis aims to provide an update in the recent truffle research through the chosen articles published in scientific journals. The journals were chosen based upon journal profiles and scientific prestige. Authors have considered publications from: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Biochemical Journal, BMC Bioinformatics, BMC Genomics, Current Genetics, Environmental Microbiology, Eukaryotic Cell, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Food Chemistry, Fungal Diversity, Fungal Genetics and Biology, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Mycological Research (Fungal Biology), Mycorrhiza and New Phytologist. The number of analysed 124 articles shows the results over the twenty years period (1993-2012). Critical analysis has been used to determine thematic scope, whilst bibliometric study identifies development directions. Key words: Truffles, mycorrhiza, chemical and biological properties.
On the zero dynamics of linear input–output models

Zeros are of extreme importance in linear systems theory, especially unstable zeros, which degrade achievable performance. Furthermore, the presence of a zero in a state-space model implies the existence of an initial condition and a nonzero input signal such that the output is identically zero; this property is called output zeroing. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the properties of the zero dynamics within the context of input–output models, which, like state-space models, are time-domain models, but, unlike state-space models, have no internal state. In particular, the focus is on the zero dynamics of left polynomial fraction description (LPFD) input–output models whose denominator polynomial is not necessarily monic.
Technical Definition of the TetraSpar Demonstrator Floating Wind Turbine Foundation

With the deployment of the TetraSpar demonstrator, a significant cost-reduction is realized in the field of offshore floating wind turbines. The TetraSpar floating wind turbine foundation brings a milestone that emphasizes on a modular and fully industrialized foundation that consists of main components already widely available in the current wind energy supply chain. In an effort to provide an open approach to the development of the concept, this paper aims at giving a description of the design in order to enable an educated discussion of different design philosophies and their influence on material usage and production times. The description of the different subcomponents of the system should allow any entity to build a model for comparison and/or benchmarking any of their own findings against this concept. It is the authors’ expectation that this open approach to technological discussion is paramount to obtaining continued cost-reduction in the area of floating offshore wind—for this concept and others.
Robust Variable Selection Method Based on Huberized LARS-Lasso Regression

The combination of the least absolute deviation (LAD) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) (LAD-LASSO regression method) is a popular method to simultaneously perform robust parameter estimation and variable selection. The weighted version of LAD-LASSO is put forward to overcome the problem of LAD-LASSO which is only resistant to outliers in the response variable, but not resistant to outlying observations in the predictor variables (high leverage points (hlps)). Moreover, sometimes these methods lead to overfitting problems or increasing false selection rates with smaller changes in a data. The stability selection methods such as multi-split procedure is proposed to overcome these problems. Unfortunately, this procedure is not resistant to outliers. In this study, we developed a new variable selection method which is called Multi Split Huberized LARS-Lasso (MHLL) by combining the Huberized LARS-Lasso (HLL) and multi-split procedure, under certain conditions to improve stability and predictions. The performance of the proposed MHLL method is assessed extensively by real examples and simulation study. The results indicate that the MHLL is more efficient and reliable than the other two methods.
Blood metabolic profile and acid-base balance of diary goats and their kids during lactation

The aim of the present research was to determine the blood metabolic profile and acid-base balance of dairy goats and of their kids during lactation. Analyses were made of 15 Alpine goats and their suckling kids, in a traditional production system. The goats’ blood was collected from the 20th to the 140th day of lactation every 30th day. Kids´ blood was collected on the 20th and 50th days of life. From the blood samples the values of pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), partial pressure of oxygen (pO2), total pressure of carbon dioxide (tCO2) and bicarbonate (HCO3 -) were determined. Afterwards, the blood samples collected from the goats and kids were centrifuged, and from the plasma obtained the concentrations of calcium, phosphorus-inorganic, potassium, sodium, iron, chloride, urea, glucose, total proteins, albumin, creatinine, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDLcholesterol, trygliceryds, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine kinase (CK) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were assessed. Also, the strong ion difference (SID), anion gap (AG) and z-values were determined from the blood of the goats and kids. The results were obtained by MEANS procedure, and differences between the groups were determined using ANOVA repeated measures. A significant decrease in glucose, tryglicerides, Na and Fe concentrations was determined, as well as the AG and SID content in the blood, and increases in cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total protein, albumin, globulin and P-inorganic in the blood of goats during lactation. The concentrations of Cl, creatinine, and enzymatic activity (CK, GGT and ALP) in the blood of goats during lactation did not differ significantly. The results of the blood metabolic profile and acidbase balance indicate the need for better control of goats and kids´ rations in traditional production systems.
Urban traffic flow online prediction based on multi‐component attention mechanism

Traffic flow prediction is regarded as an important concept used in traffic planning, traffic design, and traffic management. In this study, the authors propose a multi-component attention (MCA) method for traffic flow prediction, which may jointly and adaptively understand components of long-term trends, seasons, and traffic flow residuals that result from multi-dimensional decomposition. According to the highly non-linear nature of traffic flow, the proposed module consists of a one-dimensional convolutional neural network, a bidirectional long short-term memory, and a bidirectional mechanism with an attention mechanism. The former captures local trend characteristics of residuals, while the latter captures trends and seasonal time adjustments. Due to the randomness, irregularity, and periodicity of traffic flow at intersections, target flow prediction is related to various sequences. Through the introduction of the attention mechanism, highly related historical information may be connected for multi-component flow data in the final prediction. Compared to seasonal autoregressive integral moving average model, artificial neural network, and recurrent neural network, the experimental results demonstrated that the proposed MCA model can meet the accuracy and effectiveness of complex non-linear urban traffic flow prediction models.