Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FROM THE EDITOR

In this issue, Marshall et al. (pages 2319–2323) present clinical results of a current-generation blue-light-filtering intraocular lens (IOL). Not surprisingly, they demonstrate that in the optical sense, the IOL functions the same as its nonfiltering counterpart, but they note ‘‘[a]dditional longterm studies should be able to show whether the lens actually provides the theoretical benefits to retinal health. ’’ Perhaps it is too simplistic to believe that the multifactorial problem of macular degeneration can be ameliorated by the simple expedient of blocking ultraviolet (UV) and blue-light transmission to the retina by incorporating a filtering mechanism in the replacement implant for the crystalline lens. The literature on the contribution of UV and blue light to the degeneration of the macula through deleterious effects on the central retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors is equivocal, as may be expected when molecular biology, optics, physics are some of the elements that need comprehension. Clinical case-control studies may require lifetimes to be effective and are not sustainable in the practical sense. So, let us put the ingredients we are aware of in context and make some sort of value judgment on what we as clinicians, aided by scientists, attempt to amend the potential problem of macular damage acceleration by removal of nature’s filter for UVand blue light, namely, the aging crystalline lens. The need is prescient because cataract surgery is now undertaken much earlier in the evolution of the individual cataract. So successful are the results of this microsurgery that the indications for its application have widened to include visually disabled but far from blind eyes in juveniles, young people, those in middle age, as well as traditional aging patients. Even this latter group can now look forward to increasing life expectancy to give them a common bondwith their younger counterparts; namely, the vital requirement to maintain retinal and macular function for the duration of their existence. As refractive lens exchange becomes generally accepted, it will add significantly to the potential burden in younger eyes. However, it is an accepted fact that the macula, in common with all body tissues and organs, degenerates with agedmacular involution. Indeed, it tends to wear more significantly than other human organs and is capable of causing gross visual disability in an aging population. In Western society, where records are available, macular degeneration is the major cause of visual disability in those over 60 years of age. Replacement of the cataractous crystalline lens by an IOL in many ways simulates the replacement of the
On piezoelectric control of the optical response of sculptured thin films

Abstract It is shown that the Bragg centre-wavelength of a polymeric chiral sculptured thin film (STF) can be shifted by the axial tension generated in a cobonded piezoelectric disc by a DC voltage. This attractive possibility can be exploited for tunable optical filters as well as lasers made of chiral STFs, and can be extended to other types of STFs.
The role of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in resis- tance to invertebrate herbivores in Jacobaea Species1

Plants produce a diversity of secondary metabolites (SMs) to protect them from generalist herbivores. On the other hand, specialist herbivores use SMs for host plant recognition, feeding and oviposition cues, and even sequester SMs for their own defense. Therefore plants are assumed to face an evolutionary dilemma stemming from the contrasting effects of generalist and specialist herbivores on SMs. To test this hypothesis, bioassays were performed with F2 hybrids from Jacobaea species segregating for their pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), using a specialist flea beetle (Longitarsus jacobaeae) and a generalist slug (Deroceras invadens). Our study demonstrated that while slug feeding damage was negatively correlated with the concentration of total PAs and that of senecionine-like PAs, flea beetle feeding damage was not affected by PAs. It was positively correlated though, with leaf fresh weight. The generalist slug was deterred by senecionine-like PAs but the specialist flea beetle was adapted to PAs in its host plant. Testing other herbivores in the same plant system it was observed that the egg number of the specialist cinnabar moth was positively correlated with jacobine-like PAs, while the silver damage of generalist thrips was negatively correlated with senecionineand jacobine-like PAs, and the pupae number of generalist leaf miner was negatively correlated with otosenine-like PAs. Therefore while the specialist herbivores showed no correlation whatsoever with PA concentration, the generalist herbivores all showed a negative correlation with at least one type of PA. We concluded that the generalist herbivores were deterred by different structural groups of PAs while the specialist herbivores were attracted or adapted to PAs in its host plants.
Efficient modeling of entangled details for natural scenes

Digital landscape realism often comes from the multitude of details that are hard to model such as fallen leaves, rock piles or entangled fallen branches. In this article, we present a method for augmenting natural scenes with a huge amount of details such as grass tufts, stones, leaves or twigs. Our approach takes advantage of the observation that those details can be approximated by replications of a few similar objects and therefore relies on mass‐instancing. We propose an original structure, the Ghost Tile, that stores a huge number of overlapping candidate objects in a tile, along with a pre‐computed collision graph. Details are created by traversing the scene with the Ghost Tile and generating instances according to user‐defined density fields that allow to sculpt layers and piles of entangled objects while providing control over their density and distribution.
Assessment of metallothionein expression in Biomphalaria alexandrina snails and Oreochromis niloticus Fish as a biomarker for water pollution with heavy metals.

Heavy metals are natural elements present in the environment (Wegwu et al., 2010). They are usually present in trace amounts in natural waters but many of them are toxic even at very low concentrations (Herawati et al., 2000). The accumulation of metals in an aquatic environment has a direct impact on the sustainability of the ecosystem. The bioavailability of any particular metal in the aquatic organisms or fish that are being ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: Received: March 1, 2020 Accepted: March28, 2020 Online: April 1, 2020 _______________
OATS: Optimisation and Analysis Toolbox for Power Systems

Optimisation and Analysis Toolbox for power Systems analysis (OATS) is an open-source simulation tool for steady-state analyses of power systems problems distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPLv3). It contains implementations of classical steady-state problems, e.g. load flow, optimal power flow (OPF) and unit commitment, as well as enhancements to these classical models relative to the features available in widely used open-source tools. Enhancements implemented in the current release of OATS include: a model of voltage regulating on-load tap-changing transformers; load shedding in OPF; allowing a user to build a contingency list in the security constrained OPF analysis; implementation of a distributed slack bus; and the ability to model zonal transfer limits in unit commitment. The mathematical optimisation models are written in an open-source algebraic modelling language, which offers high-level symbolic syntax for describing optimisation problems. The flexibility offered by OATS makes it an ideal tool for teaching and academic research. This paper presents novel aspects of OATS and discusses, through demonstrative examples, how OATS can be extended to new problem classes in the area of steady-state power systems analysis.
The networked record industry How blockchain technology could transform the consumption and monetisation of recorded music

Following the emergence of file-sharing networks such as Napster and BitTorrent, the record industry has tended to regard peer-to-peer networks in a negative light. This is hardly surprising: in the terms of Yochai Benkler, such networks provided ‘technological shock’ but not ‘economic sustainability’, at least form an industry perspective. Some have seen recent technological developments as revolutionary, but it is a revolution only in potential: though music can be recorded and distributed more easily than ever, there remains a crisis in terms of attribution and monetisation that the Sisyphean ‘war on copyright’ seems unlikely to solve. Royalty payments in the streaming era, meanwhile, are slow, inefficient and enormously complex. A twentieth century, industrial information model, then, remains dominant, although the apparently inexorable overall decline in income from recorded music is gradually reducing it to a mere husk. This paper suggests that blockchain technology, which, like Napster and BitTorrent, harnesses the power of peer-to-peer networks, could represent a more sustainable model, realising the revolutionary potential of disintermediation and direct-to-fan models to facilitate a shift to what, with a nod to Benkler’s ‘networked information economy’, might be called the networked record industry. As well as exploring the workings of distributed ledger technology, this article outlines the transformation it could bring about in determining the authorship and attribution of recorded music; enabling asset transfers and the tracking of provenance; allowing artists to determine their own pricing and terms of use for their music; facilitating licensing through metadata; introducing frictionless, near-instant micropayments for streaming and downloads. The broader themes of the networked record industry – disintermediation, transparency and the nexus of control – are also explored, as well as barriers to adoption.
Synthesis of some novel 3- (4-ethoxyphenyl) -5- (4-substituted) -4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole derivatives as potent antioxidant agents

Pyrazolines are the most useful heterocyclic moiety in Pharmaceutical and Chemical ields and as the most potential molecules for the design of new chemical entities. Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, pyrazolines and their derivatives showed a variety of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant properties. In the present study, eleven novel ethoxylated pyrazoline derivatives were synthesized by condensing chalcones with electron releasing ethoxy group at one end and different electron-donating, electronwithdrawing groups in another end with hydrazine hydrate and alcohol. The compounds synthesized were structural elucidated by their spectroscopic studies. All the compounds synthesized were evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant potential by 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydrogen peroxide free radical scavenging assaymethods. Some of thesemolecules possessmoderate to good antioxidant activity when compared to standard ascorbic acid. The compound with methoxy group (EH2) exhibits potent antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 9.02 and 9. 44μg/ml in DPPH and hydrogen peroxide assay methods respectively and the compound with hydroxy group (EH9) also showed potent antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 12.41 and 14. 56μg/ml in DPPH and hydrogen peroxide free radical scavenging assay methods respectively when compared to standard. The compounds containing electron-donating substituents were found to be good antioxidants when compared to standard ascorbic acid.
Vegetation modulates the impact of climate extremes on gross primary production

Abstract. Drought and heat events affect the uptake and sequestration of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems. Factors such as the duration, timing, and intensity of extreme events influence the magnitude of impacts on ecosystem processes such as gross primary production (GPP), i.e., the ecosystem uptake of CO2. Preceding soil moisture depletion may exacerbate these impacts. However, some vegetation types may be more resilient to climate extremes than others. This effect is insufficiently understood at the global scale and is the focus of this study. Using a global upscaled product of GPP that scales up in situ land CO2 flux observations with global satellite remote sensing, we study the impact of climate extremes at the global scale. We find that GPP in grasslands and agricultural areas is generally reduced during heat and drought events. However, we also find that forests, if considered globally, appear in general to not be particularly sensitive to droughts and heat events that occurred during the analyzed period or even show increased GPP values during these events. On the one hand, normal-to-increased GPP values are in many cases plausible, e.g., when conditions prior to the event have been particularly positive. On the other hand, however, normal-to-increased GPP values in forests may also reflect a lack of sensitivity in current remote-sensing-derived GPP products to the effects of droughts and heatwaves. The overall picture calls for a differentiated consideration of different land cover types in the assessments of risks of climate extremes for ecosystem functioning.
Demographics and Robots

We argue theoretically and document empirically that aging leads to greater adoption of robotics technology. We first document using US data that robots are most highly substitutable for middle-aged workers, in particular those between the ages of 36 and 55. We then show that demographic change—corresponding to an increasing ratio of older workers to those that are middle-aged—is associated with pronounced increases in the adoption of robots both across countries and US commuting zones. Our directed technological change model explains not only these main effects of aging, but also predicts that these responses should be more pronounced in industries that rely more on middle-aged workers and those that present greater opportunities for automation; these predictions receive support from cross-country, cross-industry variation in the adoption of robots. Our model also implies that the productivity implications of aging are ambiguous when technology responds to demographic change, but we should expect productivity to increase relatively in industries that are most amenable to automation, and this is indeed the pattern we find in the data.
Rethinking the water dimension of large scale land acquisitions in sub-Saharan Africa

There is a new phenomenon in developing countries where land previously used by communities is being taken over by foreign investors (mostly from Europe, America, China, Gulf States, and other non-western countries) and governments for agriculture, mining and other economic projects. Findings from several studies have so far pointed to the controversial impact of large scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) on affected communities. LSLAs go along with water grabbing but the latter is often (consciously or unconsciously) omitted in the land deals. This has broad effects on the livelihood of local communities, particularly women. This paper uses many examples and arguments from desktop review to describe land grabbing in Africa and examines the extent to which community rights to water are taken into consideration or neglected in land deals; and the likely effects on women. It interrogates the levels of accountability of foreign investors vis-a-vis landed communities and concludes among others that most land deals neglect communities’ rights both to land and water. Women tend to pay a heavy price in the process because they are traditionally responsible for water collection and the provision food for the household. Key words: Land grabbing, water grabbing, accountability, local communities, women, livelihood.
Temperature influence on the diethylamine sensing abilities of CuO nanoparticles deposited by atmospheric pressure plasma

In this work we present a copper oxide nanostructured analysed as a gas sensor but the focus of the paper is on the temperature dependance of the sensor sensing properties. As a case study temperature dependent diethylamine sensing is presented.The CuO nano flakes were deposited and evenly distributed on intercalated electrodes by an atmospheric pressure plasma source. The sensor was electrically connected to ohmmetre and inserted in an oven chamber where it was isolated from atmosphere and heated to desired tempearuteres. The intrinsic resistnace of the sensor was measured in dependence of the temperature and the temperature change rate. Then the possibility to detect diethylamine was investigated and the sensor response studied. Finally, the temperature dependence of the detection of the amine was explored. It was possible to demonstrate reliable sensing of the amine down to temperatures of 100 °C and below.
EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF FOUR ESSENTIAL OILS AS POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES FOR MONENSIN ON RUMEN FERMENTATION CHARACTERISTICS AND NUTRIENT DEGRADABILITY

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of four essential oils (EOs) from guava (Psidium guajava), citronella (Cymbopogon nardus), lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), and geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) on gas production and rumen fermentation in vitro as a natural substitute for the ionophore antibiotic monensin. These EOs are chemically characterized by Gas Chromatography-Mass and evaluated in vitro at four different concentrations (0, 15, 30, and 45 µl per 45 ml buffered rumen fluid) regarding their effects on gas production and rumen fermentation characteristics and were compared to those of monensin. Compared to the negative control, monensin significantly depressed gas production and truly degraded dry matter (TDDM) but enhanced propionate production. All EOs except P. graveolens significantly decreased gas production with increasing concentrations. TDDM was significantly reduced with C. citratus (at 45 µl) and P. graveolens (at 30 and 45 µl). No significant change was detected in the ammonia nitrogen concentration with all assayed EOs except C. nardus and C. Citrus. Compared to monensin and the negative control, C. nardus and C. Citrus reduced the ammonia concentration at high levels. High levels of all tested EOs significantly reduced protozoa counts. The EOs of C. citratus (at 45 µl) and P. graveolens (at 30 and 45 µl) also significantly increased the acetate proportion. Moreover, the acetate to propionate ratio was significantly increasedby30 µl P. graveolens. The results of the current study concluded that the tested EOs, except P. graveolens, efficiently diminished gas production with a similar potency to monensin. Furthermore, they exceed the monensin in their ability to reduce the ammonia nitrogen concentration and protozoa count without adversely affecting volatile fatty acid levels. But, they were less effective than monensin in modifying ruminal volatile fatty acid profile especially propionate and acetate to propionate ratio. Hence, P. guajava, C. nardus, and C. citratus EOs could be a safe and promising rumen manipulator.
IETF GEOPRIV Authorization Policies

—Location-based services (such as navigation applications, emergency services, and management of equipment in the ﬁeld) need geographic location information about Internet hosts, their users, and other related entities. These applications need to securely gather and transfer location information from location services, and at the same time protect the privacy of the individuals and other entities being located. To enable privacy-preserving information exchange on the Internet, underlying communication protocols are needed. The SIP presence architecture can be seen as a prototypical example for real-time communication to the Internet. This document describes the design decisions on the access control policies that have been developed for the usage with location information that later got extended to other applications.
“It is Confusing to Use More than One Accent in the Class”: Exploring Teachers’ Perception Toward World Englishes in Listening Class

The increasing number of non-native English speakers has caused an inevitable effect which is the emergence of English varieties. Accordingly, English does not belong to one specific country. Thus, the ownership of English belongs to those who speak it. However, teaching English in Indonesia has been based on an exonormative norm that views ideal English is only from native varieties. Consequently, it is challenging to delve into teachers’ views about exposing different English varieties to the students. Therefore, this qualitative study aims at investigating teachers’ perceptions towards incorporating World Englishes (WEs) into a listening class. This study intends to picture how teachers perceive the diverse English varieties and the awareness of using the varieties as materials in the listening class. An openended questionnaire was distributed to five teachers and it was analyzed by coding. The findings revealed that most of the teachers used American and British English as target models. The main reason was the accessibility of finding the sources. However, the teachers accepted that other varieties could be also used as exposures of English. Exposing students to diverse varieties also influenced students in intercultural communication.
KAROTİD ARTER STENTLEME SONRASI GELİŞEN STENTİÇİ RESTENOZUN YENİ BİR ÖNGÖRDÜRÜCÜSÜ: CRP/ ALBUMİN ORANI The CRP/Albumin Ratio: A Novel Predictor of In-stent Restenosis After Carotid Artery Stenting

OZET Amac: Calismamizda, karotid arter stentleme (KAS) islemi oncesi bakilan C-reaktif protein/albumin oraninin (CAO) stent ici restenozu (SIR) ongordurme potansiyelini arastirmayi amacladik. Gerec ve Yontem: Retrospektif olarak dizayn edilen bu calismaya tersiyer merkezimizde basarili bir sekilde karotid arter stentleme yapilan toplam 206 hasta alindi. Islem oncesi her hastanin C-reaktif protein (CRP) ve serum albumin degerleri calisildi. CAO degeri, CRP degeri serum albumin degerine bolunerek hesaplandi. Calismanin primer sonlamin noktasi takip sirasinda gelisen SIR olarak belirlendi. Bulgular: 206 hastanin ortalama 24.2 ± 1.5 ay takibi sonunda SIR toplam 34 (%16.5) hastada izlendi. SIR gelismeyen hastalarla karsilastirildiginda, CAO, SIR gelisen hastalarda anlamli olarak daha yuksek saptandi (0.15 [0.2] vs. 0.99 [1.3], p 0.53 olmasi, SIR ‘u %100 duyarlilik ve %97.1 ozgulluk ile ongordurmekteydi (AUC) 0.98, p 0.53 with a sensitivity of 100 % and a specificity of 97.1 % [area under curve (AUC) 0.98, p < 0.001]. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that CAR, a new inflammatory-based index, is a strong independent predictor of ISR after CAS. As a simple and easily accessible parameter, this index may be used for the assessment of ISR in patients who are treated with CAS. Keywords: CAR; In-stent restenosis; Carotid artery stenting; Inflammation
Machine Learning Approaches for Risk Stratification and Predictive Modeling of Asthma

Chronic respiratory diseases like Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) have attracted research interest in the area of risk stratification and many machine learning techniques have been the subject of interest in prediction systems involving risk stratification that perform early identification of the risk factors for the disease. Identification of patient populations at high risk is an important intervention in the early detection and clinical assessment of chronic diseases like asthma, as it can lead to targeted and personalized therapies. Here, we propose and deploy different machine learning approaches for the risk stratification under different study settings. All the approaches primarily predict the disease outcome or identify the severity/control level by recognizing the key risk factors for the disease depending on the nature of the data made available.