Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High altitude survival: conflicts between pastoralism and wildlife in the Trans-Himalaya

Keywords : Pastoralism, agriculture, wildlife, Himalaya, competition, bharal, yak, livestock, snow leopard, wolf, herbivore, ungulate, resource, rangeland, steppe, mountain How harmonious is the coexistence between pastoralism and wildlife? This thesis is a response to repeated calls for a better understanding of pastoralism and its impacts on wildlife in India. Based on studies in the high altitude rangelands of the Trans-Himalaya that have a grazing history of over three millennia, I attempt to understand an agro-pastoral system and its conflicts with wildlife, with the ultimate aim of guiding conservation policy and management. Though the bulk of the thesis addresses the issues of resource limitation and competition between livestock and wild herbivores, an attempt is also made to understand the social aspects of livestock grazing. At the level of the family, which is the basic unit of production, the agro-pastoral system appears to suitably maximize production while mediating environmental risk. However, the families undergo substantial financial losses due to livestock depredation by the snow leopard Uncia uncia and the wolf Canis lupus. The endangered carnivores are persecuted in retaliation. Rangeland vegetation appears to be at different stages of degradation due to intensive and pervasive human use, and a global comparison reveals that the Trans-Himalaya fall at the low end of the range in terms of graminoid biomass. Animal production modeling and analysis of stocking densities reveal resource limitation for large herbivores at the landscape level, with a majority of the rangelands in the 12,000 km 2study area being overstocked. Studies on the diet of bharal Pseudois nayaur , a wild mountain ungulate, and seven species of livestock, reveal substantial resource overlap. This, together with resource limitation, results in resource competition. Bharal get out-competed in rangelands with high stocking density, where reduction in bharal density is brought about by resource-dependent variation in fecundity and neonate mortality. Theoretical analyses reveal a consistent morphological pattern in species body masses in the Trans-Himalayan wild herbivore assemblage, arguably brought about by the interplay of competition and facilitation. The analyses also suggest possible competitive exclusion of several wild herbivores by livestock over the last three millennia. The results of the thesis are relevant to land use planning and conservation management.
Simulating asteroid impacts and meteor events by high-power lasers: from the laboratory to spaceborne missions

Meteor plasmas and impact events are complex, dynamic natural phenomena. Simulating these processes in the laboratory is, however, a challenge. The technique of laser induced dielectric breakdown was first used for this purpose almost 50 years ago. Since then, laser-based experiments have helped to simulate high energy processes in the Tunguska and Chicxulub impact events, heavy bombardment on the early Earth, prebiotic chemical evolution, space weathering of celestial bodies and meteor plasma. This review summarizes the current level of knowledge and outlines possible paths of future development.
A Nutritional Supplement as Adjuvant of Gabapentinoids for Adults with Neuropathic Pain following Spinal Cord Injury and Stroke: Preliminary Results

Gabapentinoids are first choice drugs for central neuropathic pain (CNP) despite limited evidence of efficacy and side effects affecting therapy outcomes. Nutraceuticals could improve their efficacy and tolerability. Our aim is to investigate the effect of NACVAN®, in addition to gabapentinoids, on pain symptomatology in CNP patients. The effect of 6 weeks of treatment of NACVAN® was preliminary observed among 29 adult inpatients with spinal cord injury (SCI) or stroke-related CNP recruited to the experimental group. Pain intensity, neuropathic pain, and quality-of-life were measured at baseline (T0) and after 3 (T1) and 6 weeks (T2). Change in each outcome over time was assessed through a repeated measures analysis of variance or Wilcoxon matched-pairs test. Preliminary results show a significant reduction in pain intensity (T0 → T1, p = 0.021; T0 → T2, p = 0.011; T1 → T2, p = 0.46), neuropathic symptoms (T0 → T1, p = 0.024; T0 → T2, p = 0.003), and evoked pain (T0 → T2, p = 0.048). There were no significant reductions in other neuropathic pain dimensions and in quality-of-life components. No side-effects were detected. NACVAN® could have a beneficial adjuvant effect when used as an add-on to gabapentinoids in patients suffering from CNP due to SCI or stroke, with no adverse effect. Future analysis on a larger sample, compared with a placebo condition, could confirm these preliminary results.
Research on Visualization of international research Cooperation Results in China Library and Information Science based on Big Data

With the deepening of global informatization, transnational scientific research cooperation mode has played a significant role in promoting the development of library and information science. This paper collected the journals with top impact factors among the core journals of WOS from 2000 to 2021 as the research objects of this paper, combined with literature metrology, subject analysis and other methods, and carried out research on the achievements of transnational scientific research cooperation in the field of library and information by means of knowledge graph visualization. Based on the development status and evolution characteristics, the research hotspot and knowledge transfer rule in this field in recent years are studied and summarized, and the future development direction of the subject is predicted. It is found that the scale and scope of the cooperation between China and other countries in library and information science are constantly expanding, and the cooperation shows a trend of a hundred flowers blooming among regions. Transnational scientific research cooperation in the field of library and information is shifting and developing towards the application of new technologies such as NLP as research tools and the research of new media environment such as the Internet.
Public Administration in East Asia : Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan

Public Administration in East Asia: Common Roots, Ways, and Tasks, E. Berman MAINLAND CHINA, Y. Jing, Coordinator History and Context of Public Administration in Mainland China, Y. Jing Public Policy Processes and Public Participation in Mainland China, R. Li and Q. Zhu Intergovernmental Relations in Mainland China, G.Z. Lan and G. Chen Public Service Ethics and Anticorruption Efforts in Mainland China, K. -y. Dong, H. -s. Yang, and X.H. Wang Performance Management Reforms in Mainland China, Z. Zhou Civil Service Reforms in Mainland China, M. Zhang and W. Zhou E-government in Mainland China, K. Yang and X. Xu JAPAN, K. Akizuki and M. Kikuchi , Coordinators History and Context of Public Administration in Japan, K. Akizuki Public Policy Processes and Citizen Participation in Japan, M. Kikuchi Intergovernmental Relations in Japan, K. Muto Public Service Ethics and Corruption in Japan, K. Akio Performance Management Reforms in Japan, M. Kikuchi Civil Service Reform in Japan, Y. Imanaka E-government in Japan, K. Asano SOUTH KOREA, M.J. Moon, Coordinator History and Context of Public Administration in South Korea, S. -Y. Rho and S.J. Lee Public Policy Processes and Citizen Participation in South Korea, T.J. Lah Intergovernmental Relations in Korea: From Dependency to Interdependency, C. -L. Cho, J.H. Hong, and D.S. Wright Public Service Ethics and Anticorruption Efforts in South Korea, S.Y. Lee and K. Jung Performance Management Reforms in South Korea, C.K. Lee and M.J. Moon The Civil Service System in the Republic of Korea, P.S. Kim E-government in South Korea, H. Choi TAIWAN, C. -Y. Jan, Coordinator History and Context of Public Administration in Taiwan, C. -y. Jan Public Policy Processes and Citizen Participation in Taiwan, T. -y. Huang and W. Tu Intergovernmental Relations in Taiwan, D. -y. Chen and Y. -c. Lue Public Service Ethics and Corruption in Taiwan, C. -M. Chen and W. -J. Juang Performance Management Reforms in Taiwan, C.J. Huang and L. -T. Hu Civil Service Reforms in Taiwan, T. -T. Su E-government in Taiwan, J. Shiang, N. Hsiao, and J. Lo
A hypothesis of state covariance decorrelation effects to partial observability SLAM

This paper analyze the performance of partial observability in simultaneous localization and mapping(SLAM) problem. The study focuses mainly on the effect of having a decorrelation technique known as Covariance Inflation to the estimation. The matrix inversion will be the main element to be investigated through two conditions with respect to some defined environment namely as unstable partially observable SLAM and partially observable SLAM via matrix norm analysis. For assessment purposes, the Extended Kalman Filter estimation is referred as the estimator to understand how the conditions can influence the results. The simulation results depicted that, the matrix norm is able to determine the efficiency of estimation and is proportional to the uncertainties of the system.
Dominant frontonasal dysplasia with ectodermal defects results from increased activity of ALX4

Frontonasal dysplasia (FND) refers to a group of rare developmental disorders characterized by abnormal morphology of the craniofacial region. We studied a family manifesting with clinical features typical for FND2 including neurobehavioral abnormalities, hypotrichosis, hypodontia, and facial dysmorphism. Whole‐exome sequencing analysis identified a novel heterozygous frameshift insertion in ALX4 (c.985_986insGTGC, p.Pro329Argfs*115), encoding aristaless homeobox 4. This and a previously reported dominant FND2‐causing variant are predicted to result in the formation of a similar abnormally elongated protein tail domain. Using a reporter assay, we showed that the elongated ALX4 displays increased activity. ALX4 negatively regulates the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway and accordingly, patient keratinocytes showed altered expression of genes associated with the WNT/β‐catenin pathway, which in turn may underlie ectodermal manifestations in FND2. In conclusion, dominant FND2 with ectodermal dysplasia results from frameshift variants in ALX4 exerting a gain‐of‐function effect.
Thermal Fatigue Effect on the Grain Groove Profile in the Case of Diffusion in Thin Polycrystalline Films of Power Electronic Devices

In a previous paper, we solved the partial differential equation of Mullins’ problem in the case of the evaporation–condensation in electronic devices and gave an exact solution relative to the geometric profile of the grain boundary grooving when materials are submitted to thermal and mechanical solicitation and fatigue effect. In this new research, new modelling of the grain groove profile was proposed and new analytical expressions of the groove profile, the derivative and the groove depth were obtained in the case of diffusion in thin polycrystalline films by the resolution of the fourth differential equation formulated by Mullins that supposed y′2≪1. The obtained analytical solution gave more accurate information on the geometric characteristics of the groove that were necessary to study the depth and the width of the groove. These new findings will open a new way to study with more accuracy the problem of the evaporation–condensation combined to the diffusion phenomenon on the material surfaces with the help of the analytical solutions.
Yield Performance, Proximate Composition, Fatty Acid Profile and Economic Viability of Farmed Oyster (Crassostrea spp.) in Bangladesh

Oyster meat is consumed for its high nutritional value. Marine oysters (several species under the genus Crassostrea) have been commercially cultured long since around the world to satisfy the increased demand of oyster. Bangladesh has taken approaches to initiate oyster mariculture. Three pilot commercial oyster (Crassostrea spp.) farms were constructed by District Fisheries Office, Cox’s Bazar at Nunia Chara (NC – 21°28ˈ19.5" N, 91°57ˈ42.7" E), Chowfoldandy (CD – 21°30ˈ44.1" N, 92°01ˈ00.1" E) and Sonadia Island (SI – 21°30ˈ18.7" N, 91°53ˈ43.3" E) in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Live oysters were collected from the farm and taken to the laboratory maintaining cold chain to analyse proximate and fatty acids. Data on yield as well as cost-benefit were collected from the District Fisheries Office, Cox’s Bazar to analyse yield performance and economic viability. Biological yield was observed 19.9 ± 5.7 kg/m2 and economic yield was observed 11.3 ± 2.5 kg/m2 . Moisture, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, ash and fiber was found 79.2 ± 0.2%, 58.1 ± 2.1%, 10.2 ± 0.7%, 13.5 ± 1.4%, 12.3 ± 0.7% and 0.4 ± 0.0%, respectively, while moisture was determined in wet weight basis and rests were determined in dry weight basis. Saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, omega-3 fatty acid, omega-6 fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid were observed 35.22 ± 10.91%, 13.77 ± 4.36%, 7.39 ± 4.00%, 43.62 ± 19.21, 51.01 ± 15.23% of total fatty acid, respectively. Annual net profit of the farms was found 34557 ± 5636 BDT and payback period was found 2.6 ± 0.4 years. Thus, oyster farming was found to be potential for high food value as well as an economically viable oyster farm enterprise.
Clinical significance of kidney immune complex deposition in children with acute interstitial nephritis disease

Abstract Background Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is a relatively rare cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in children. Immune complex (IC) deposition was rare in renal pathology of AIN. Methods Based on the status and position of IC deposition, a total of 78 children with AIN were divided into two groups: the non-IC group and IC group. IC group was further divided into two subgroups: intraglomerular (IG)-IC group and extraglomerular (EG)-IC group. To compare the clinical and histological features, renal outcomes between groups. Results The IC deposition, IG-IC and EG-IC deposition were observed in 22 (28.21%), 12 (15.38%) and 10 (12.82%) children, respectively. The IC group demonstrated a higher frequency of AKI, higher level of Scr, urine N-acetyl-β-D-glucosidase (NAG) enzyme, retinol-binding protein (RBP), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), higher frequency of neutrophils, plasma cells and eosinophils infiltrate, higher scores of interstitial inflammation (i), total inflammation (ti) and interstitial edema, lower level of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as compared to non-IC group (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). EG-IC deposition positively moderate correlated with levels of RBP, IG-IC deposition positively moderate correlated with plasma cell infiltrate, interstitial inflammation (i), total inflammation (ti) and interstitial edema. Interstitial inflammation, EG-IC deposition and interstitial edema were risk factors for AKD in AIN, and interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IF/TA) was a risk factor for CKD in children with AIN. Conclusion IG-IC and EG-IC deposition positively correlated with severe clinical manifestations, glomerular and tubular injuries, and EG-IC deposition was risk factor for the progression of AIN in children.
Impact of Internet Access and Accessibility Initiatives in Facilitating Students’ M40 and B40 Groups’ Needs during COVID-19 Prevention Measure Period

Malaysia was badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic starting in February 2020 and the first Movement Control Order (MCO) was announced a month later. Since then, almost all social and economic sectors have been affected including the education sector. The problem emerged when not all students could afford to buy the equipment and subscription to the Internet, especially those who come from B40 and M40 groups. Realizing the urgent need to address the problem, the government agencies and a few corporate bodies including the Selangor State Government, TM, and Digi have come out with immediate solutions by providing special packages for the Internet data plans to B40 and M40 groups. The purpose of this proposal is to review the impact of Internet Access and Accessibility Initiatives in Facilitating Students’ M40 and B40 groups’ needs during the COVID-19 Prevention Measure Period. By exploring existing scholars from UTAUT model components and the effect of demographic profile towards behavioral intention, this research pursues to fill up the gap in the literature to review the impact of internet access among M40 and B40 groups of students. The proposed research design for this study is a quantitative approach, whereby this research will be conducted by distributing a survey questionnaire to those who have received the special packages for the Internet data plans. It is expected that input from respondents can be used to improve the effectiveness of these initiatives and to heighten the awareness among students on the importance of education for their future success.
DNA methylation differences within INS, PTPN22 and IL2RA promoters in lymphocyte subsets in children with type 1 diabetes and controls

Abstract We elucidated the effect of four known T1D-susceptibility associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in three genes (rs12722495 and rs2104286 in IL2RA, rs689 in INS and rs2476601 in PTPN22) on CpG site methylation of their proximal promoters in different lymphocyte subsets using pyrosequencing. The study cohort comprised 25 children with newly diagnosed T1D and 25 matched healthy controls. The rs689 SNP was associated with methylation at four CpG sites in INS promoter: −234, −206, −102 and −69. At all four CpG sites, the susceptibility genotype AA was associated with a higher methylation level compared to the other genotypes. We also found an association between rs12722495 and methylation at CpG sites −373 and −356 in IL2RA promoter in B cells, where the risk genotype AA was associated with lower methylation level compared to the AG genotype. The other SNPs analyzed did not demonstrate significant associations with CpG site methylation in the examined genes. Additionally, we compared the methylation between children with T1D and controls, and found statistically significant methylation differences at CpG −135 in INS in CD8+ T cells (p = 0.034), where T1D patients had a slightly higher methylation compared to controls (87.3 ± 7.2 vs. 78.8 ± 8.9). At the other CpG sites analyzed, the methylation was similar. Our results not only confirm the association between INS methylation and rs689 discovered in earlier studies but also report this association in sorted immune cells. We also report an association between rs12722495 and IL2RA promoter methylation in B cells. These results suggest that at least part of the genetic effect of rs689 and rs12722495 on T1D pathogenesis may be conveyed by DNA methylation.
Barrier Function-Based Adaptive Robust Sliding Mode Control for Helicopter Vibration Reduction

In this paper, the active vibration damping control algorithm of helicopter rotor system with trailing edge flaps (TEF) is studied. Firstly, a control-oriented vibration response model of helicopter rotor system with trailing edge flaps is established by system identification method. On this basis, in order to achieve fast and stable vibration reduction control while maintaining robustness, a control algorithm combining finite time extended state observer and barrier function adaptive sliding mode control is designed. The numerical simulation platform verifies that compared with the traditional $H_{\infty}$ control algorithm, the proposed algorithm shows better vibration reduction effect.
Predicting Ice and Snow Loads for Transmission Line Design

Abstract : A methodology is proposed to transform standard meteorological data into probability-based transmission structure loads at any location within the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company's service area. Proposed accretion models are presented for estimating ice and snow accumulation on transmission line conductors using standard weather station data. The results are synthesized and subjected to extreme value analysis to yield return period versus ice or snow loading relationships. A methodology for combining wind and snow events to predict peak transverse loads is described. The paper focuses on the application of icing models and describes the techniques and assumptions required to institute a probability-based ice and snow load criteria. (Author)
Risk factors that are associated with adrenal insufficiency among patients with fever of unknown origin

ABSTRACT Background Adrenal insufficiency is one of the causes of fever of unknown origin (FUO). The purpose of this study is to find out risk factors that are associated with adrenal insufficiency in FUO patients. Methods This study was conducted retrospectively in a tertiary hospital with 846 beds in South Korea. All adult inpatients (age ≥19 years) who have requested a consult with the department of infectious disease for FUO between 1 July 20191 July 2019 and 30 June 202030 June 2020 were included in the study. Among them, those who underwent an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test and had a fever of 37.8°C or higher within 48 hours of the ACTH stimulation test were finally included in the study subjects. Results A total of 202 FUO patients were enrolled and 61 (30.1%) were finally diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency. In a multivariate analysis, use of immunosuppressant within 3 months (OR 6.06, 95% CI 1.82–20.13, P = 0.003), use of corticosteroid within 3 months (OR 8.23, 95% CI 1.35–50.17, P = 0.022), sodium ≥ 136.7 (OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.49–7.88, P = 0.004), and calcium ≥ 8.4 (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.14–0.71, P = 0.005) were proven to be factors associated with adrenal insufficiency in FUO patients. Conclusion In conclusion, 30.1% of FUO patients were diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency. The risk factors that are associated with adrenal insufficiency in FUO patients were immunosuppressive prescription or systemic steroid prescription within 3 months, or with sodium ≥ 136.7 or calcium < 8.4.
Chain-of-Verification Reduces Hallucination in Large Language Models

Generation of plausible yet incorrect factual information, termed hallucination, is an unsolved issue in large language models. We study the ability of language models to deliberate on the responses they give in order to correct their mistakes. We develop the Chain-of-Verification (CoVe) method whereby the model first (i) drafts an initial response; then (ii) plans verification questions to fact-check its draft; (iii) answers those questions independently so the answers are not biased by other responses; and (iv) generates its final verified response. In experiments, we show CoVe decreases hallucinations across a variety of tasks, from list-based questions from Wikidata, closed book MultiSpanQA and longform text generation.
Impact of chemical dosing of sewers on WWTP performance

This paper reports an integrated modelling methodology for simultaneously investigating the effects of network dosing of chemicals on sulfide control in sewers and N and P removal at the downstream WWTP. The changes in influent due to chemical dosing are considered in evaluating the WWTP performance. For the sewer system studied here, oxygen is the most cost-effective option without considering the impact on the WWTP. Once the impact on the WWTP is included, the operational cost for oxygen increases, as an extra carbon source is needed to improve the N removal performance. Ferric chloride becomes the most cost-effective option since it also enhances P removal.