Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Histopathology of the Intervertebral Disc of Nothobranchius furzeri, a Fish Model of Accelerated Aging

Simple Summary Osteoarthritis is a common complex disease, which affects the whole joint and causes disability in millions of patients. Currently, there is no cure for this disease; there is only the possibility of symptomatic therapy. Due to this, animal models play an important role in further investigating the pathophysiology and developing therapeutic strategies. The turquoise killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, is a well-known model for the investigation of the effects of fast aging, that spontaneously develops spinal deformities. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the intervertebral discs of healthy and deformed N. furzeri, which have never been described before. Our study shows age- and disease-related alterations in the vertebral discs of N. furzeri. Abstract Introduction: Osteoarthritis is a classical age-related disease, which affects millions of patients worldwide. To further understand the pathophysiology and to develop therapeutic strategies for this disease, animal models play a significant role. Nothobranchius furzeri is an established model for accelerated aging that spontaneously develops spinal deformities. Although the bone properties of N. furzeri are well described, characteristics of the intervertebral discs are still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the intervertebral discs of healthy and deformed N. furzeri. Material and Methods: Intervertebral properties of healthy and deformed N. furzeri were investigated in 8-, 12-, 18- and 21.5-week-old male fish of the GRZ strain. For histological evaluations the fish were decalcified, paraffin-embedded and stained with (1) hematoxylin and eosin, (2) toluidine blue and (3) alcian blue/picrosirius red. Results: 8-week-old and deformed N. furzeri showed spongy-like tissue containing vacuolated notochord cells and a beginning formation of fibrous tissue in the central area. Older healthy fish showed fibrous tissue in the central region and a spongy-like tissue in the peripheral region. Conclusion: Our study revealed age- and disease-related alterations of the vertebral discs in N. furzeri. Further studies should investigate the utility of N. furzeri as a model for degenerative spine diseases.
We Want to Hear from You!

It is my pleasure to introduce this electronic newsletter of the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering. In this quarterly communication, we will highlight the extraordinary accomplishments of the school's students and faculty and will update you on school activities and events. In addition, each issue will include feature articles about Tulane science and engineering alumni, benefactors, and members of the school's faculty and staff.
Radar detection of wetland ecosystems: a review

Periodically, reviews of our knowledge of radar–wetland relationships and detection parameters have been provided by various authors. Since the publication of these works, additional research has been completed. Five major remote sensing journals spanning the years 1965–2007 formed the basis of this review. The vast majority of significant material found its way into these mainstream journals in one aspect or another. A short history of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)–wetlands discovery based on earlier reviews is followed by an update on radar‐related wetland research. Although some trends emerged with regard to which wavelengths or polarizations to use, there was variation in optimum season/time of year and selection of multitemporal imagery. What is evident throughout the recent literature is that multidimensional radar data sets are attaining an accepted role in operational situations needing information on wetland presence, extent and conditions.
A comprehensive set of analytical solutions for nonequilibrium solute transport with first‐order decay and zero‐order production

Solute transport in the subsurface is often considered to be a nonequilibrium process. Predictive models for nonequilibrium transport may be based either on chemical considerations by assuming the presence of a kinetic sorption process, or on physical considerations by assuming two-region (dual-porosity) type formulations which partition the liquid phase into mobile and immobile regions. For certain simplifying conditions, including steady state flow and linear sorption, the chemical and physical nonequilibrium transport models can be cast in the same dimensionless form. This paper presents a comprehensive set of analytical solutions for one-dimensional nonequilibrium solute transport through semi-infinite soil systems. The models involve the one-site, two-site, and two-region transport models, and include provisions for first-order decay and zero-order production. General solutions are derived for the volume-averaged (or resident) solute concentration using Laplace transforms assuming both first- and third-type inlet conditions, and arbitrary initial conditions, input solute concentrations, and solute production profiles. The solutions extend and generalize existing solutions for equilibrium and nonequilibrium solute transport. The general solutions are evaluated for some commonly used input and initial conditions, and zero-order production profiles. Expressions for the flux-averaged concentration are derived from the general and specific solutions assuming a third-type inlet condition. Typical examples of calculated concentration distributions resulting from several sets of initial and input conditions and zero-order production functions are also presented and briefly discussed.
Experimental study on the effects of OAM beams propagating through atmospheric turbulence

Free-space optical (FSO) communication has gained in interest for a long time due to its ability to have secure transmission and high data rates. Interest has increased in using beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) for FSO communication, due to their (theoretically) infinite number of orthogonal modes and potential high resistance to atmospheric turbulence. In this experimental study, Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams are used as OAM beams and LG beam of different orders are generated using a spatial light modulator (SLM). A wave-optics simulation method is used to generate phase screens containing simulated atmospheric turbulence, which in turn are used on two SLMs to generate atmospheric turbulence in our experimental setup. In this study, beams with different orders of OAM are propagated through (simulated) atmospheric turbulence, ranging in strength from weak to strong. The distorted beam is recorded using a CCD camera and the images are processed to determine their spot size, intensity, and (spatial) scintillation index. The effect of the strength of atmospheric turbulence on different orders of LG beams is analyzed using these beam parameters.
Assessment Of The Anthropogenic And NaturalRisks In Environmental And Toxicological Studies

Nowadays among different factors acting on human life, one of the most important is related to environmental and energetic problems: what is the risk analysis between the natural and anthropogenic carbon produced in the atmosphere? In the meantime, the investigation between organic carbon (primary and secondary origins) and elemental carbon (primary origin) is of fundamental importance both for studying the pneumoconiogen and toxic effects and consequently understanding the mechanism formation of some atmospheric phenomena such as the photochemical pollutant production.
Perception of Employability in Regional Apparatus Organizations in Pesisir Selatan Regency, West Sumatra

This study focuses on individuals as employees and their work-related capabilities. It emphasizes the need for individuals to take ownership of their professional development, acknowledge their employability, and adopt a contemporary career outlook that considers employability beyond their current organization. suggested that employability is an asset that can improve performance and flexibility. To explore the factors that influence employability perception, we tested five hypotheses: leader-member exchange, the broad role of self-efficacy, and organization-based self-esteem. Using regression analysis with SEM PLS, we analyzed data from 323 questionnaires, representing a response rate of 97.52%. Our findings indicate that leader-member exchange positively affects employability perception, organization-based self-esteem positively affects employability perception, and the role of self-efficacy positively affects employability perception. Additionally, leader-member exchange positively affects both organization-based self-esteem and the extent of the role of self-efficacy.
Unusual Aspergillus Pleural Effusion in a Patient With Immunodeficiency

Pleural aspergillosis is a rare form of invasive bronchopulmonary aspergillosis that is most often seen in immunocompromised hosts. It appears because of the coagulative necrosis of lung tissue induced by the Aspergillus species, which promotes the formation of a fungal pleural effusion. We present the case of a 51-year-old liver transplant patient on chronic immunosuppression therapy who presented with respiratory failure and was found to have a large left-sided pleural effusion from invasive aspergillosis. After thoracentesis, he started antifungal therapy with isavuconazole. This newer, second-generation broad-spectrum triazole is non-inferior to voriconazole but with less hepatotoxicity and was noted to have an improvement in his symptoms. In the differential diagnosis of pulmonary effusions in immunocompromised patients, it is crucial to consider invasive aspergillosis, as demonstrated by our case. This case study highlights the importance of quick diagnosis and treatment to enhance outcomes in this vulnerable population.
Soil compaction effects on growth of young ponderosa pine following litter removal in California's Sierra Nevada

Increased use of heavy equipment and more frequent entry into forest stands has increased the potential for soil compaction and decreased productivity. We examined compaction and tree growth relationships on three California soils of contrasting textures (clayey, loamy, and sandy loam) on plots from which the organic soil horizon had been removed. Compacted and noncompacted treatments were compared. Changes in bulk density (D b ), soil strength, and total porosity, measured during the growing season, were greatest in the 15- to 30-cm depth at all sites. Bulk density increases were greatest in the loamy soil (30%) and least in the sandy loam (23%). Total porosity decrease in the upper 45 cm averaged 20, 9, and 13% for the clay, loam, and sandy loam textures, respectively. In the 30- to 45-cm soil depth, compacted soils reached critical water potentials (<-1.5 MPa) 50 d sooner in the loam and 67 d sooner in the clay. In the sandy loam, compaction extended the period of plant-available water for 86 and 48 d in the 1- to 15- and 15- to 30-cm soil depths. Midday stem water stress was greater for trees in compacted plots of loamy and clayey textures, but less on sandy loam. Soil compaction did not reduce tree growth universally in these 3- to 8-yr-old plantations. Effects were detrimental, insignificant, and beneficial for clayey, loamy, and sandy loam soils, respectively. Results show that compaction effects depend strongly on soil texture and soil water regime. Soil physical values, per se, are not always reliable criteria for evaluation.
Effect of encapsulated organic acid (GALLINAT +) supplementation with diet on physiological parameters and performance of broiler at different ages.

The experiment was carried out from October 14 through November 24, 2021, in a private farm next to Qamchughah hamlet in Dukan town, 15 kilometers from Sulaymani City. This study was conducted to determine effects of using organic acids to diet will impact physiological parameters and production efficiency of broiler chicks. From a total of 400 broiler chicks (ross 308), 42-one day chicks divided to 4 treatments (C, T1, T2, and T3), each of which had four replications. A diet free of organic acid served as a control. Organic acid was added to the treatments T1, T2, and T3 at rates of 200 mg, 300 mg, and 400 mg/kg of diet, respectively. From 0 to 42 days, the organic acid was introduced to the meal. Body weight gain in T1, T2, and T3 birds was significantly higher (P 0.05) than in the other groups (T1, T2, and T3). Although FCR was significant (P0.05) in weeks 4 and 5, it was not significant (P>0.05) in 6 weeks of age compared to treatment 1. With the exception of T2 in the fourth week, which was not significant (P>0.05), feed intake was significantly higher in weeks 4, 5, and 6. Non-significant (P>0.05) cholesterol level on the fourth week. Creatinine and calcium did not differ significantly (P>0.05) between weeks 4 and 6, however calcium did differ significantly (P0.05) from week 6. The uric acid had no significant (P>0.05) effects.
Unusual Defect-Related Room-Temperature Emission from WS2 Monolayers Synthesized through a Potassium-Based Precursor

Alkali-metal-based synthesis of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers is an established strategy for both ultralarge lateral growth and promoting the metastable 1T phase. However, whether this can also lead to modified optical properties is underexplored, with reported photoluminescence (PL) spectra from semiconducting systems showing little difference from more traditional syntheses. Here, we show that the growth of WS2 monolayers from a potassium-salt precursor can lead to a pronounced low-energy emission in the PL spectrum. This is seen 200–300 meV below the A exciton and can dominate the signal at room temperature. The emission is spatially heterogeneous, and its presence is attributed to defects in the layer due to sublinear intensity power dependence, a noticeable aging effect, and insensitivity to washing in water and acetone. Interestingly, statistical analysis links the band to an increase in the width of the A1g Raman band. The emission can be controlled by altering when hydrogen is introduced into the growth process. This work demonstrates intrinsic and intense defect-related emission at room temperature and establishes further opportunities for tuning TMD properties through alkali-metal precursors.
Late‐glacial glacier events in southernmost south america and their global significance

This special issue is the culmination of a 14-year research programme on climate change in South America. It deals with a longstanding puzzle of Ice Age theory, namely: why are some glacier fluctuations (and polar ice core records) synchronous on a worldwide scale and why are others asynchronous between the northern and southern hemispheres. If they are synchronous, it implies that the insolation changes in the northern hemisphere drive ice ages and dominate the insolation changes in the southern hemisphere that may be of opposite sign. If they are out of phase it points to the operation of an oceanic bipolar seesaw or other mechanism whereby warming in the North Atlantic coincides with cooling in the Southern Ocean and vice versa . We have established that glacier fluctuations at the maximum of the Last Ice Age, the onset of deglaciation, and the beginning of the present Holocene interglacial in southernmost South America are in phase with similar changes in the northern hemisphere. Such changes reflect the wholesale reorganisation of the Earth’s climate system on an orbital time scale. Our new discovery from the most southerly mid-latitude land mass in the southern hemisphere is that during the period of transition from 17.5 to 11.5 thousand years ago there was an antiphase relationship. The implication is that the bipolar seesaw mechanism operated during the period of system instability as it transited from a stable ice age state to a stable interglacial state. Such behaviour is of clear relevance to a world where human interference could be pushing the Earth’s system towards instability. We are grateful for the opportunity to publish our results in a special issue of Geografiska Annaler for the following reasons: – There is a large volume of empirical data which is the bedrock of our conclusions and needs to be accessible. – It is possible to group complementary interdisciplinary papers, such as field and modelling approaches, in one volume. Normally these would be published in different specialist journals and thus detract from the overall interdisciplinary approach. – Geografiska Annaler published the first classic papers on the area by Carl Caldenius in the 1930s.
Local Government Capacity in the Fulfillment of Basic Needs Program for Border Area Communities in Nunukan Regency

The capacity of the local government in Nunukan Regency is believed to be capable of increasing capacity building by implementing programs that address the basic needs of the community, especially in the border areas. The objective of this study is to analyze the local government’s capacity to fulfill the basic needs of the people in these border areas. The research approach used in this study is qualitative, which allows for a contextual explanation of the study phenomenon. Scott’s concept (2008) is employed as a framework to understand the various dimensions of capacity building. The results of the study reveal that the local government fulfills the basic needs in border areas by adhering to central and provincial government regulations, which fall under the regulative dimension. The normative element is evident in the mechanisms established for running the program, based on agreements and commitments made by the regional government. The cognitive dimension emphasizes that the local government’s fulfillment of basic needs in the border region is guided by shared beliefs and logics of action. These findings highlight the alignment between the local government’s actions and the prevailing beliefs and practices in the community. Keywords: local government capacity, border area management, basic needs fulfillment program
Epiperipatus puri sp. nov., a new velvet worm from Atlantic Forest in Southeastern Brazil (Onychophora, Peripatidae)

Epiperipatus ohausi (Bouvier, 1900) is the first species known from Rio de Janeiro, and more than 120 years later a new species is described in the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ). In this study, we describe the second species in the state of Rio de Janeiro, which we are naming in honor of the indigenous population called puri who resided in southeastern coastal Brazil. The species can be diagnosed mainly by large dorsal primary papillae close to the insertion of the legs drawing a light band from the anterior to the posterior region of the body, and large dorsal primary papillae alternating on the dorsal plicae. Moreover, they are recognized in vivo by the color of the diamond-shaped marks brownish orange on the dorsal portion of the body. Epiperipatus puri sp. nov. morphologically seems to be related to Epiperipatus acacioi (Marcus & Marcus, 1995) by the shape of the primary papillae apical piece and to E. ohausi by the resemblance of dorsal papillae. The phylogeny shows a close relationship between the new species and E. ohausi in a clade with a still undescribed species from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil located within the Atlantic Forest, one of the most threatened biomes in the world.
Automatic Identifier of Socket for Electrical Vehicles Using SWIN-Transformer and SimAM Attention Mechanism-Based EVS YOLO

Electric vehicle (EV) technology is emerging as one of the most promising solutions for green transportation. The same growth occurs in the charging infrastructure development and automating the EV charging process. Globally, EVs has different types of charging sockets and it’s located at the various positions in the Vehicle. In simple, EV has a diversity in socket type and socket location. Hence, correctly identifying the socket type and location is mandatory to automate the charging process. The recent development in computer vision and robotic systems helps to automate EV charging without human intervention. Image processing and deep learning-based socket identification can help the EV charging infrastructure providers automate the process. Moreover, the deep learning techniques should be simple enough to implement in the real-time processing boards for experimental viability. Hence, this paper proposes a new You Only Look Once (YOLO) model called the Electric Vehicle Socket (EVS) YOLO that uses YOLOv5 as its base architecture with the addition of a vision-type transformer called the SWIN-Transformer and an attention mechanism called SimAM for better performance of the model in detecting the correct charging port. A dataset of 2700 images with six types of classes has been used to test the model, and the EVS -YOLO also evaluated with varying mechanisms of attention positioned at various places along the head. The paper contrasts the suggested model with alternative deep learning architectures and analyzes respective performances.
Marinades Based on Natural Ingredients as a Way to Improve the Quality and Shelf Life of Meat: A Review

Marinating is a traditional method of improving the quality of meat, but it has been modified in response to consumer demand for “clean label” products. The aim of this review is to present scientific literature on the natural ingredients contained in marinades, the parameters of the marinating process, and certain mechanisms that bring about changes in meat. A review was carried out of publications from 2000 to 2023 available in Web of Science on the natural ingredients of meat marinades: fruit and vegetables, seasonings, fermented dairy products, wine, and beer. The review showed that natural marinades improve the sensory quality of meat and its culinary properties; they also extend its shelf life. They affect the safety of meat products by limiting the oxidation of fats and proteins. They also reduce biogenic amines and the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This is possible due to the presence of biologically active substances and competitive microflora from dairy products. However, some marinades, especially those that are acidic, cause a slightly acidic flavour and an unfavourable colour change. Natural compounds in the ingredients of marinades are accepted by consumers. There are no results in the literature on the impact of natural marinades on the nutritional value and health-promoting potential of meat products, so it can be assumed that this is a future direction for scientific research.
Emission of nitrogen monoxide from African tropical ecosystems: Control of emission by soil characteristics in humid and dry savannas of West Africa

Heterogeneity of soil characteristics and potential microbial activities were measured in several humid tropical West African ecosystems and in one dry savanna ecosystem in order to explain the high spatial variability of NO fluxes observed in the field. At the landscape scale, the variability of NO emission rates in the humid zone is mainly a function of topographic position and vegetation type. The highest NO fluxes occur in the downslope nutrient-rich environment (forest) which exhibits high denitrification potential and high total mineral N accumulation. NO fluxes are low in humid savanna environments which exhibit no detectable potential denitrification. Local structures such as mounds colonized by hypogeous termites exhibit an accelerated nitrogen cycling relative to their surroundings. Ammonium is quickly converted to nitrate; the soil has high potential rates of denitrification with correspondingly high NO emissions. NO fluxes are also high in dry savanna soils with high nitrification potentials but low denitrification potentials, suggesting that NO at these sites was produced during nitrification rather than denitrification. These results underscore the importance of considering the mechanisms driving spatial variability and the need to account for them in large-scale extrapolations. Among the soil characteristics studied, denitrification potentials provide a reliable indication of high NO fluxes for the humid sites, but not for the dry sites.