Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) on UTLS composition, local radiative effects and air quality

<p>Midwinter sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs), characterised by the reversal of the temperature gradient poleward of 60&#176;N and the 10 hPa climatological zonal mean wind from westerly to easterly at 60&#176;N, are known to have pronounced impacts on tropospheric circulation which lead to regional changes in temperature, precipitation and other meteorological variables. Such abrupt events are furthermore known to be associated with large-scale changes in the distribution of stratospheric chemistry constituents, such as ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) and water vapour (H<sub>2</sub>O), although the implications for stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) have not been previously investigated. The evolution of O<sub>3</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O anomalies during an SSW life cycle are first examined from the surface up to 1 hPa using specified-dynamics simulations from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts &#8211; Hamburg (ECHAM)/Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy) Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) model over the period 1979-2013. We show that significant positive anomalies in O<sub>3</sub> occur around the onset of an SSW in the middle to lower stratosphere, with persistence timescales of around 50 days in the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere (UTLS). Similarly, we find significant H<sub>2</sub>O anomalies in the lowermost stratosphere (&#177; 25 %) for up to 75 days. The extent and magnitude of the anomalies are largely confirmed in both Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) reanalysis and ozonesonde measurements at five different Arctic stations. These chemical perturbations result in local temperature changes of up to 2 K, which may impact numerical weather prediction (NWP) of the tropospheric response to SSWs. Evaluation of the vertical residual velocity (w*) support the notion of transport changes being the driver of the temporal evolution of the anomalies. Using a stratospheric-tagged O<sub>3</sub> tracer, a signal for enhanced STE of ozone is subsequently inferred (~ 5-10 %), which is maximised around 50 days after the SSW onset date. We furthermore attempt to elucidate STE transport pathways using a tropopause fold identification algorithm applied to ERA-Interim during this period, and assess such changes in folding frequency and distribution during such events. Our results highlight that SSWs can induce significantly disturbed O<sub>3</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O distributions in the UTLS, leading to enhanced STE of O<sub>3</sub>, with potentially significant implications for radiative fluxes, atmospheric heating rates and air quality. </p>
Modification of porous polyacrylonitrile membrane

The effects of the modification of polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration membranes with sodium hydroxide are discussed. The NaOH-induced hydrolysis of nitrile groups on the membrane surface results in membranes with decreasing pore diameter. The average pore diameter changes from 2.6 to 0.6 nm in the progress of hydrolysis. The modified membranes are less prone for protein deposition. Fouling causes a pore diameter reduction of 80% for the untreated and 20% for the modified membranes. Modification results also in the creation of the membranes working in the nanofiltration mode. The unmodified membrane does not reject salt while a membrane immersed in the modification bath is capable of rejecting about 50% of calcium carbonate. Der Einflus einer Modifizierung von Polyacrylnitrilmembranen mit Natriumhydroxid auf die Ultrafiltrationseigenschaften wird diskutiert. Die Hydrolyse der Nitrilgruppen an der Membranoberflache mit NaOH fuhrt zu Membranen mit geringerem Porendurchmesser. Der durchschnittliche Porendurchmesser andert sich im Verlauf der Hydrolyse von 2,6 auf 0,6 nm. Die modifizierten Membranen neigen weniger zur Proteinablagerung. Fouling verursacht bei den unmodifizierten Membranen eine Verringerung des Porendurchmessers um 80% und bei den modifizierten Membranen um 20%. Durch die Modifizierung werden Membranen erhalten, die zur Nanofiltration geeignet sind. Wahrend die unmodifizierten Membranen nicht fahig sind, Salze zuruckzuhalten, konnen die modifizierten Membranen rund 50% Calciumcarbonat separieren.
The effect of the pore-wall structure of carbon nitride on photocatalytic CO2 reduction under visible light

Carbon nitride (C3N4) polymers work as a vital component in a photocatalytic CO2 reduction assembly that operates under visible light when modified with a ruthenium complex, trans(Cl)-[Ru{4,4′-(CH2PO3H2)2-2,2′-bipyridine}(CO)2Cl2], (Ru) as a catalyst. Here we examined the effects of structural properties of carbon nitride on the photocatalytic performance for CO2 reduction into formic acid. Introduction of mesoporosity into the graphitic carbon nitride structure increased the specific surface area, leading to significant enhancement in activity. However, higher surface area (in other words, lower crystallinity) that originated from excessively introduced mesopores had a negative impact on activity, although it is a prerequisite to allow for adsorption of Ru on the carbon nitride surface. Thus, the activity was sensitive to specific surface area and crystallinity of carbon nitride, but is largely insensitive to the pore size and the volume.
Mechanism of Protein−Poly(ethylene glycol) Interaction from a Diffusive Point of View

The first multicomponent diffusion data ever determined in protein−polymer systems are presented for the system lysozyme(1)−PEG 400(2)−water. Although there are no specific interactions between protein and polymer, the cross-term diffusion coefficient D21, that links the PEG flow to the protein concentration gradient, is up to 35 times the main-term diffusion coefficient of the protein. This observation can only be due to a “crowding effect” and not to specific interactions, such as electrostatic ones. The exclusion effect is also qualitatively confirmed by the measured counter-flow associated with the protein motion. On the base of a hard core potential, our recent predictive equations are used to predict diffusion coefficients in this ternary system, and a good agreement with the experimental D21 is obtained. The PEG concentration dependence of the main-term diffusion coefficient of the protein cannot be interpreted exclusively by the excluded volume effect. Some dielectric effect or aggregation phenome.
Protein expression profile in the testis of rats chronically exposed to low-dose 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

The chronic effects low-dose 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) were examined on protein expression profiles in rat testis, sperm, and serum gonadal hormones. A total of 32 male rats were randomly divided into three TCDD-exposed groups, administered either 140, 350, or 875 ng TCDD/kg/week for 29 weeks, respectively, and one control group receiving only corn oil. The proteins from rat testis were separated and analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. TCDD induced significant decreases in sperm counts and serum gonadal hormone levels compared with controls. TCDD altered testicular protein expression levels. Several interesting volume-altered proteins that were related to the reproductive toxicities or other toxicities of TCDD were identified. Among these proteins, PERF15 was the only down-regulated protein; sperm protein SSP411, ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L-3, and eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 gamma were up-regulated by TCDD. The differentially expressed proteins and other data provide further insight into the mechanisms of reproductive toxicity mediated by low-dose TCDD exposure.
Kontaminasi Salmonella spp pada Daging Ayam Broiler yang dijual di beberapa Pasar Tradisional di Makassar

Daging ayam merupakan bahan komoditi asal hewan yang pada beberapa tempat masih diperdagangkan dengan sistem konvensional, sesuai dengan kebiasaan masyarakat setempat. Kandungan protein dan kandungan air yang tinggi pada daging ayam merupakan media pertumbuhan bagi berbagai bakteri yang bersifat non patogen maupun yang patogen. Peraturan pemerintah menyatakan bahwa Salmonella spp merupakan salah satu bakteri patogen yang tidak boleh ada dalam daging ayam ataupun produk hewan lainnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kemungkinan adanya kontaminasi Salmonella spp pada daging ayam yang dipasarkan di enam pasar tradisional di wilayah Makassar. Sampel yang diperiksa sebanyak 24 sampel berupa daging ayam bagian dada yang diambil dari enam lokasi pasar yang berbeda yaitu Pasar Daya (Kecamatan Biringkanaya), Pasar Antang (Kecamatan Manggala), Pasar Terong (Kecamatan Bontoala), Pasar Pabbaengbaeng (Kecamatan Tamalate), Pasar Sambung Jawa (Kecamatan Mariso), dan Pasar Bacan (Kecamatan Wajo) Kota Makassar. Isolasi dan identifikasi dilakukan dengan pemeriksaan mikroskopis dengan pewarnaan Gram dan dilanjutkan dengan isolasi pada media Bistmut Sulfit Agar (BSA), Salmonella Shigella Aga (SSA), uji TSIA (Triple Sugar Iron Agar), IMViC (Indole, Methyl Red, Voges Proskauer, Citrat) dan uji urease. Hasil penelitian ditemukan bahwa 3 (12,5%) isolat dari 24 sampel yang diisolasi dan diidentifikasi, positif bakteri Salmonella spp. Kondisi ini memerlukan perhatian serius untuk segera mendapatkan tindak lanjut oleh pemegang kebijakan terkait sebagai upaya pencegahan penyebaran penyakit zoonosis.
The Beneficial Role of Salicylic Acid, Triacontanol and δ-Aminolevulinic Acid on the Growth, Flowering and Chemical Composition of Pansy (Viola wittrockiana Gams) under Salt Stress Conditions

Two pot trials were carried out during the two successive Winter seasons of 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 at private commercial nursery, Damanhour city, El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt under greenhouse conditions. The objective of these experiments was to study the effect of foliar application with each of salicylic acid (SA) (50 and 100 mgL-1), triacontanol (TRIA) (25 and 50 mgL-1) and δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) (25 and 50 mgL-1) on Viola wittrockiana Gams L. (Blue with Blotch cultivar) grown under different concentrations of salinity (0, 20, 40 and 60 mM of NaCl). Generally, the tested materials were varied in their significant effects on studying characters. The obtained results of the two seasons indicated that increasing salinity levels from 20 to 60 mM significantly reduced all studied parameter levels, i.e., plant height, branches number per plant, shoot dry weight per plant, leaf area, root length and root dry weight, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chlorophyll contents. While Na+ and Cl- were increased relative to control. Also, the results indicated that the salicylic acid, δ-aminolevulinic acid, and triacontanol significantly increased plant growth and chemical traits, as well as reduced the contents of Na+ and Cl- compared to the control (distilled water only) treatment. Application of triacontanol (25 mgL-1) or salicylic acid (50 mgL-1); improved vegetative, flowering, root growth and leaves chemical composition under salt stress during both seasons. Triacontanol enhanced salinity tolerance in both seasons by increasing proline accumulation. Under each salinity level, triacontanol (25 mgL-1) was the most effective treatment for mitigating the deleterious effect of salt stress in pansy plants
Enzymatically crosslinked alginate hydrogels with improved adhesion properties

Enzymatic crosslinking of polymer–phenol conjugates in the presence of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and H2O2 has emerged as an important method to synthesize in situ-forming, injectable hydrogels. Here we show that the alginate–dopamine (Alg–DA) conjugate, a polymer with catechol side groups instead of phenol groups, also gels in situ in the presence of HRP and H2O2. The effects of various factors, including the concentration of HRP, H2O2, and the polymer, and the degree of substitution of the polymer, on the gelation rate and the mechanical strength of the resulting gels, were studied by rheology. The influence of these factors on the gelling of catechol-functionalized polymer is similar to their influence on phenol-functionalized polymers, suggesting that they have a similar crosslinking mechanism. Compared to the phenol-functionalized alginate–tyramine (Alg–TA) hydrogel, catechol-functionalized Alg–DA gels exhibit significantly improved adhesion properties. When both the polymers have a degree of substitution of 10%, the adhesion strength of the latter is about 10-fold of the former. Replacement of phenol groups with catechol groups also results in very different cell behaviour. While the cells seeded on the Alg–TA gels do not attach onto the substratum, they attach onto the Alg–DA gels and exhibit a spread morphology. The significantly enhanced adhesion properties of the Alg–DA hydrogels are attributed to the catechol moiety, a structure found in the adhesive proteins of blue mussels.
The Selfish Immune System when the Immune System Overrides the ‘Selfish’ Brain

The brain and the immune system are the only two systems of the human body that can dominate all others by extracting resources, including glucose. The brain dominates during daytime hours and stressful situations, whereas the immune system protects us principally at night, during periods of infection and when wounds are healing. Both systems are similarly capable of drawing on energy and other essential resources using strategies beneficial to their own function and anatomy. Human evolution has made the brain the most important of the body’s systems, resulting in a shift from strong to smart. However, the immune system is very old and robust; when necessary it is activated by a variety of non-specific immune challenges such as psychoemotional stress and most often when immune activating risk factors (including endotoxemia) are not solved in an appropriate timeframe. When chronically activated, the immune system demonstrates even more selfish behaviour than the selfish brain, inducing chronic low-grade inflammation and multiple related diseases. But before castigating the immune system for this behaviour, it is crucial to recognise that it is only doing what it is made for: trying to protect us.
Dispersive transport in porous media with biofilms: local mass equilibrium in simple unit cells

In this work, we continue our study of upscaling biofilm processes in porous media from the pore scale to the Darcy scale. We adopt a continuum-level description of biofilms at the pore scale on the basis of work reported in Wood et al. (2002b). We upscale from the pore scale to the Darcy scale using the method of volume averaging and we predict the effective dispersion tensor with two- and three-dimensional closure problems. Our results indicate that, for a one-equation local mass equilibrium theory, the primary influence of the biofilm is that the effective diffusion coefficient is smaller than it would be without the presence of biofilm. This effect is important primarily at low Peclet numbers.
Effects of calcium on cadmium uptake and transport in the tree species Gamblea innovans

The effect of calcium (Ca) on cadmium (Cd) accumulation in plants was investigated using Gamblea innovans Sieb. & Zucc. , a deciduous tree species that is an accumulator plant for Cd and zinc (Zn). Saplings of G. innovans were grown for 3 months and fed with solutions containing only Ca (+Ca), both Ca and Cd (Ca+Cd), or only Cd (+Cd). The Ca concentration in roots was higher in both treatments containing Cd alone (+Cd) and Ca+Cd compared to roots treated with Ca alone (+Ca). In addition, the Cd concentration in roots was higher in the Ca+Cd treatment than the Cd treatment. This showed that the presence of Ca2+ in the rhizosphere relates with Cd uptake into roots. The result that the transport of Cd from roots through stem to leaves was suppressed by Ca treatment indicates that the presence of Ca regulates Cd transport from the roots. A clear correlation between Cd and Zn concentrations in leaves suggests a possibility that the Cd treatment accelerates the transport of Zn into leaves via the same protein transporter in this species.
Influence of Fluoride Ion on the Electrochemical Properties of Al/β-PbO2 Electrode

Al/α-PbO2/β-PbO2 electrodes doped with fluoride ion (NaF) were prepared by anodic co-deposition in order to investigate the influence of NaF dopants on the properties of Al/α-PbO2/β-PbO2 electrodes. In our work, we found fluoride ion will benefit for the crystallization of β-PbO2 and change the crystallite size, crystal structure, enhance the catalytic activity, and even change the mechanism of the reaction in the oxidation of the material. The presence of NaF in the β-PbO2 electrolyte could enhance the electrochemical properties of the coating and therefore make itself as a superior anode material.
Topology effects on the LCST of end-capped poly(ethylene glycol)s

Poly(ethylene glycol) end-capped with pentafluorophenyl group(s) in ABA (FP-PEG-FP) and AB (mPEG-FP) types were prepared. Even though they were similar in composition, the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of FP-PEG-FP was observed at 23oC, whereas that of mPEG-FP was observed at 65oC. To understand the large difference in solution behaviour of the two polymers, UV-VIS spectroscopy, microcalorimetry, 1H-NMR spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering were used. FP-PEG-FP has two hydrophobic pentafluorophenyl groups at the ends of hydrophilic PEG (1000 Daltons), whereas mPEG-PF has a highly dynamic PEG (550 Daltons) block that are anchored to a hydrophobic pentafluorophenyl group. PF-PEG-PF not only has a smaller conformational degree of freedom than mPEG-PF but also can form extensive intermolecular aggregates, therefore, PF-PEG-PF exhibits a significantly lower LCST than mPEG-PF. This paper suggests that topological control is very important in designing a temperaturesensitive polymer.
Unsupervised Motion Feature Extraction in Video via Bi-directional GAN

When extracting a certain motion feature of the object from video data, it is necessary to capture not the consistent pattern for the object recognition but the sequential pattern for the motion recognition. To handle this problem, we propose Motion Disentangled Bidirectional GAN (MDBiGAN) that disentangles the latent variable of Bidirectional GAN. Then, we show that MDBiGAN clearly extracts the motion features from video data as the experimental result.
Structural requirements for fast lithium ion migration in Li10GeP2S12

Dynamic lithium distribution, structural stability and ion transport mechanism in the new ultrafast ion conductor Li10GeP2S12 are clarified with the help of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, revealing only a weak anisotropy of Li+ diffusion, and a coupling of Li+ cation diffusion to PS43− anion rotational mobility. The role of a previously overlooked Li site and the limited structural stability at elevated temperatures are discussed for the first time.
Crystal structures and increased stabilization of the protein G variants with switched folding pathways NuG1 and NuG2

We recently described two protein G variants (NuG1 and NuG2) with redesigned first hairpins that were almost twice as stable, folded 100‐fold faster, and had a switched folding mechanism relative to the wild‐type protein. To test the structural accuracy of our design algorithm and to provide insights to the dramatic changes in the kinetics and thermodynamics of folding, we have now determined the crystal structures of NuG1 and NuG2 to 1.8 Å and 1.85 Å, respectively. We find that they adopt hairpin structures that are closer to the computational models than to wild‐type protein G; the RMSD of the NuG1 hairpin to the design model and the wild‐type structure are 1.7 Å and 5.1 Å, respectively. The crystallographic B factor in the redesigned first hairpin of NuG1 is systematically higher than the second hairpin, suggesting that the redesigned region is somewhat less rigid. A second round of structure‐based design yielded new variants of NuG1 and NuG2, which are further stabilized by 0.5 kcal/mole and 0.9 kcal/mole.
Transport characteristics of InAs/GaAs quantum-dot infrared photodetectors

A ten-stacked self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) infrared photodetector is investigated. A wide detection window of 2–10 μm is observed with a peak responsivity of 187 mA/W at 7 μm under an applied voltage of 1.1 V. The observed negative differential conductance (NDC) of the photocurrent at low temperature is attributed to the formation of high-field domains and the resultant intervalley scattering in the GaAs barrier layer. The disappearance of the NDC and the increase of single-QD photoluminescence intensity with increasing temperature below 100 K are attributed to the thermally assisted electron redistribution with increasing temperature.
Automated image classification of outlet glaciers in Greenland using deep learning

<p>In recent decades, a wealth of research has focused on elucidating the key controls on the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet and its response to climate forcing, specifically in relation to the drivers of spatio-temporally variable outlet glacier change. Despite the increasing availability of high-resolution satellite data, the time-consuming nature of the manual methods traditionally used to analyse satellite imagery has resulted in a significant bottleneck in the monitoring of outlet glacier change. Recent advances in deep learning applied to image processing have opened up a new frontier in the area of automated delineation of glacier termini. However, at this stage, there remains a paucity of research on the use of deep learning for image classification of outlet glacier landscapes. In this contribution, we apply a deep learning approach based on transfer learning to automatically classify satellite images of Helheim glacier, the fastest flowing outlet glacier in eastern Greenland. The method uses the well-established VGG16 convolutional neural network (CNN), and is trained on 224x224 pixel tiles derived from Sentinel-2 RGB bands, which have a spatial resolution of 10 metres. Based on features learned from ImageNet and limited training data, our deep learning model can classify glacial environments with >85% accuracy. In future stages of this research, we will use a new method originally developed for fluvial settings, dubbed &#8216;CNN-Supervised Classification&#8217; (CSC). CSC uses a pre-trained CNN (in this case our VGG16 model) to replace the human operator&#8217;s role in traditional supervised classification by automatically producing new label data to train a pixel-level neural network classifier for any new image. This transferable approach to image classification of outlet glacier landscapes permits not only automated terminus delineation, but also facilitates the efficient analysis of numerous processes controlling outlet glacier behaviour, such as fjord geometry, subglacial plumes, and supra-glacial lakes. </p>
Lignin−Quinone Interactions: Implications for Optical Properties of Lignin

Charge transfer (CT) excited states are well-known and examined for artificial solution and solid-state donor−acceptor systems. Their possible existence in lignin has, however, not been considered before. In the present work we have studied the optical modifications resulting from the co-adsorption of the acceptor p-benzoquinone with selected donor compounds, some of which are related to lignin, onto filter paper. The quinone was also incorporated into the lignin of beech and spruce thermomechanical pulp fibers, and their optical absorption and emission properties were then examined. Evidence for the formation of CT states of donor compounds−quinone or (wood fiber) lignin−quinone is presented. Most notable is the formation of a broad-band visible absorption, at lower energies than what can be explained by quinone absorption alone, and the significant wood fiber emission quenching caused by these CT states. Since quinones commonly occur in various lignin types (e.g., wood pulps), this has the implication t.