Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aging of black carbon in outflow from anthropogenic sources using a mixing state resolved model: 2. Aerosol optical properties and cloud condensation nuclei activities

Received 28 December 2008; revised 12 May 2009; accepted 24 June 2009; published 19 September 2009. [1] The Model of Aerosol Dynamics, Reaction, Ionization, and Dissolution with resolution of a mixing state of black carbon (BC) (referred to as MADRID-BC hereinafter) has recently been developed to accurately simulate the time evolution of the entire BC mixing state. In this study, we apply MADRID-BC to evaluate the influence of changes in BC mixing state on aerosol optical properties and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activities in air parcels horizontally transported out from an urban area in Japan within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over the ocean. The evaluation shows that the coatings on BC particles enhance light absorption at a wavelength of 550 nm by 38% in air leaving the source region and by 59% after transport over the ocean for half a day. When the model treats aerosols using the conventional size-resolved sectional representation that does not resolve BC mixing states, the simulated absorption coefficients and single scattering albedos are greater by 35–44% and smaller by 7–13%, respectively, than those from a simulation that resolves the BC mixing state. These results indicate that it is essential to take into account BC-free particles in atmospheric models for accurate prediction of aerosol optical properties, because the conventional representation cannot separately treat BC-containing and BC-free particles in each size section. The evaluation also shows that BC-containing particles having 55% and 83% of the BC mass can act as CCN at a supersaturation of 0.05% when they leave the source region and after transport for half a day, respectively. These results suggest the importance of the uplifting of BC particles from the PBL near source regions for their efficient long-range transport in the free troposphere. Results from comparisons with aerosol optical measurements conducted during various campaigns, such as the Asian Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE Asia) and the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX), suggest that MADRID-BC simulations can capture general features of aerosol optical properties in outflow from anthropogenic sources.
Thermal equation of state of lawsonite up to 10 GPa and 973 K

Thermal equation of state (EoS) of synthetic lawsonite [CaAl2Si2O7(OH)2·H2O] has been established using in– situ X–ray diffraction methods under high pressure and high temperature. Sodium chloride NaCl was used as the pressure standard in the experiments. The unit–cell volumes were measured up to 10 GPa and 973 K after the deviatric stress was released at high temperature. The P–V–T dataset was analyzed using a Birch–Murnaghan equation of state, yielding the room pressure volume V0 = 674.2(2) Å3 and the isothermal bulk modulus at room temperature K0 = 129(2) GPa (K′ set to 4). These values are comparable with the previous studies. When fitting the high temperature data, a second order temperature derivative of the bulk modulus was considered. Unlike Daneil et al. (1999) who reported a minimum value of bulk modulus at ~500 K, the bulk modulus decreases with increasing temperature at least up to 973 K. The dataset yields: V0 = 674.3(4) Å3, K0 = 128.7(15) GPa, (∂KT /∂T )P = −0.047(8) GPa K−1, (∂KT /∂T)P = 0.028(6) × 10−3 GPa K−1, α = 3.13(25) × 10−5 K−1, assuming K′ = 4. These data can be used to calculate the density and the stability of lawsonite under high pressure and high temperature conditions.
OMG Earthquake! Can Twitter Improve Earthquake Response?

Following the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan, China, earthquake, discussion circulated on the Internet describing how the U.S. Geological Survey's earthquake notification lagged behind firsthand accounts sent through Twitter, a popular Internet-based service for sending and receiving short text messages, referred to as “tweets. ” A prominent technology blogger, Robert Scoble (http://scobleizer.com), is generally credited for being the first to aggregate and redistribute tweets from people in China who directly experienced and reported the shaking resulting from the Wenchuan earthquake. Subsequent earthquakes generated volumes of earthquake-related tweets, and numerous accounts are on the Web. For example, Ian O'Neill discusses Twitter activity following a magnitude 3.3 Los Angeles earthquake on 24 January 2009 in his blog http://astroengine.com. He showed a remarkable increase in frequency of tweets containing the word “earthquake” after the event and discussed the possibility of a Twitter-based earthquake detector. Similarly, following the 30 March 2009, Morgan Hill, California, magnitude 4.3 earthquake, Michal Migursk (http://mike.teczno.com) noted an increase in earthquake-related tweets. Access to firsthand accounts of earthquake shaking within seconds of an earthquake is intriguing, but is there any reliable information that can be gleaned from the Twitter messages? To explore this question, we provide a quick review of Twitter and its capabilities and investigate the possibility of using the tweets to detect seismic events and produce rapid maps of the felt area. In this exploratory study, we examine the tweets that followed the 30 March 2009 Morgan Hill earthquake. Twitter is a service that allows anyone to send and receive 140-character text messages (tweets) via any Internet-enabled device. Tweets can be sent and received through a Web page, mobile device, or third-party Twitter applications. Tweets can be sent publicly or privately to a specified user. All users who opt to “follow” a Twitter user will receive that user's tweets …
Social Responses to Migration among Rural Oaxacans: Outcomes in Sending and Receiving Communities

This paper uses primary data collected over the last six years in Oaxaca, Mexico as well as secondary resources to evaluate how rural Oaxacans from 13 central valley communities integrate migration with local socio-cultural practices and respond to the challenges of cross-border movement. Migration studies often focus on the costs of movement and ask does migration destroy a cultural system? In this paper I use the example of rural migration from rural Oaxaca, Mexico to ask, why shouldn’t movement be destructive? Or to put it more
Local risk-minimization under restricted information to asset prices

In this paper we investigate the local risk-minimization approach for a semimartingale financial market where there are restrictions on the available information to agents who can observe at least the asset prices. We characterize the optimal strategy in terms of suitable decompositions of a given contingent claim, with respect to a filtration representing the information level, even in presence of jumps. Finally, we discuss some practical examples in a Markovian framework and show that the computation of the optimal strategy leads to filtering problems under the real-world probability measure and under the minimalmartingale measure.
Transforming Growth Factor-(cid:2) Initiates Wound Repair in Rat Liver through Induction of the EIIIA-Fibronectin Splice Isoform

A prominent feature of the hepatic response to injury is production of a fetal isoform of fibronectin, a splice variant containing the EIIIA region, which appears very early after injury and derives from sinusoidal endothelial cells. Previous studies have shown that it is instrumental in initiating the cellular response to injury, specifically the conversion of resting stellate cells to myofibroblast-like cells. The present work describes the regulation of this change in fibronectin expression. Using sinusoidal endothelial cells from normal or injured liver in primary culture, we show that exogenous transforming growth factor (cid:2) (TGF (cid:2) ) stimulates [EIIIA]Fn expression. To assess the role of TGF (cid:2) in vivo , we used a chimeric IgG containing the extracellular portion of the TGF (cid:2) type II receptor as a competitive inhibitor of the cytokine. Administered to animals at the time of injury, the inhibitor reduced expression of [EIIIA]Fn mRNA by 50% as compared to controls ( P < 0.01). There was a corresponding decrease in [EIIIA]Fn protein production as judged by immunohistochemistry. Cell fractionation experiments indicated that the changes observed in whole-liver extracts were localized to sinusoidal endothelial cells. We conclude that TGF (cid:2) initiates wound repair in part by stimulating endothelial expression of [EII-IA]Fn. Results with the soluble inhibitor of the TGF (cid:2) type II receptor suggest a novel strategy for modulating wound repair in vivo
STUDY OF VITAMIN D LEVEL IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

Background: Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases. In India, bronchial asthma has 66% frequency of reported exacerbations. Vitamin D has action on pro-inflammatory mediators and smooth muscle function and proliferation, which has direct relevance for lung function in asthma. Present study was conducted to know prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among asthma patient and to know the relation of blood level of vit D with severity, control and exacerbation of asthma among adult. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in Department of Medicine, C. U. Shah Medical College, Surendranagar. All the consecutive adult patients with bronchial asthma of any severity presented to the Department of General Medicine at C. U. Shah Medical College & Hospital, Surendranagar were included in the study. Asthma was diagnosed and classified according to the Global Initiative for Asthma. The values of slow vital capacity (VC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and the FEV1/VC% ratio, were used as markers of airway patency. Patients were divided into groups based on the control of the disease into well controlled, partly controlled, and uncontrolled, according to the GINA 2016. BMI was calculated from the height and weight measurement. Results: Out of all 100 patients, 53% were male and 47% were female. Majority of patients were belongs to age group of 41 to 50 year. Mean serum concentration of vitamin D found 17.3±5.7 ng/dl among all asthma patients. Out of all asthma patients, 18% had severe asthma, 25 (25%) had moderate asthma and 57 (57%) had mild asthma. Mean serum concentration of vitamin D found decreasing with increasing severity of asthma. There was a significant association between Vitamin D levels and FEV1% predicted. Conclusion: Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency found common among asthma patients. The severity, control status and no. of exacerbation of asthma found associated with vitamin D level of asthma patients.
Nigella Sativa Oil Improves Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Changes in Neurotransmitter Structures in Fructose-Induced Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) causes inflammation in adipose tissue along with oxidative stress and cellular damage. We aimed to investigate the protective effects and biochemical mechanisms of nigella sativa oil on MetS caused by excessive fructose intake in rats. 21 male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the study. Rats; were divided into groups as control group, metabolic syndrome group and nigella sativa oil group. While the rats in the control group were fed only tap water and pellet food, the rats in the experimental group were fed with tap water with 10% fructose and pelleted diet for 10 weeks ad libitum. Nigella sativa group was given 0.1 ml of nigella sativa oil daily by oral tube for 4 weeks. After the study was completed, the rats were decapitated and serum biochemistry parameters, BDNF, neurotransmitters, cytokine and antioxidant levels were measured. Serum glucose, insulin, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and lipid profile levels increased with metabolic syndrome were significantly reduced with nigella sativa oil. Nigella sativa oil (NSO) regulated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), nor-adrenaline (NA), adrenaline (AD), dopamine (DA), tumor necrosis factor-α (Tnf-α ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) parameters in the fructose-induced metabolic syndrome rat model. NSO was found to be a promising application option in preventing the development of oxidative stress and inflammatory damage caused by metabolic syndrome and in elucidating the complex mechanisms of neurotransmitters.
Direct shortwave forcing of climate by the anthropogenic sulfate aerosol: Sensitivity to particle size, composition, and relative humidity

Recent estimates of global or hemispheric average forcing of climate by anthropogenic sulfate aerosol caused by scattering of shortwave radiation (“direct” effect) are uncertain by somewhat more than a factor of 2. The principal sources of this uncertainty are atmospheric chemistry properties (yield, residence time), and microphysical properties (scattering efficiency, upscatter fraction, and the dependence of these properties on particle size, composition, and relative humidity, (RH)). This paper examines the sensitivity of forcing to these microphysical properties to identify and improve understanding of the properties required to reduce the uncertainty in the forcing. The relations between aerosol loading and forcing developed here are suitable for comparing modeled and measured aerosol forcing at specific locations and for use in climate models, provided aerosol composition and microphysical properties are known, calculated, or assumed. Results are presented showing the dependence of scattering efficiency, upscatter fraction, and normalized forcing (W m−2/g(SO24−) m−2 or W g(SO24−)−1) on dry particle size (expressed as mole(sulfate) per particle), composition ((NH4)2SO4, NH4HSO4, H2SO4), solar zenith angle, latitude, and season. Forcing is strongly dependent on dry particle size and RH but is relatively insensitive to composition. The normalized forcing can be integrated over a known or assumed size distribution to evaluate the sulfate aerosol forcing. Global and annual average values of the normalized forcing are evaluated as a function of particle size and RH. Depending on values of these variables, normalized forcing may be less than, intermediate to, or greater than the range of previous estimates of sulfate aerosol forcing.
Towards Measurable Motivation in Software Development

—Information Technology (IT) experts are feeling the strain of fast-paced, demanding work, and working measures for improved well-being are increasingly being established. One essential element of well-being is motivation. Motivation is critical in order to maintain smoothly working processes and quality in completed tasks. To detect and intercept situations where motivation begins to decrease, we need means to identify changes in motivation. To automatically detect such changes requires ways to measure motivation levels from data at hand. In this study, we present preliminary results towards defining measurable motivational factors. Our approach relies on emotional indicators of motivational change that can be detected automatically from software repositories. Our results show that the emotional content of commit comments and issue texts, extracted using sentiment analysis and emotion detection, is correlated to varying degrees with collaboration and risk metrics. We point to possibilities for future work on more sophisticated measures with more complex data.
THE MODERATION EFFECT OF TEACHERS' EXPERIENCE AND BIOGRAPHY ON THEIR INTENTION TO USE THE GAMIFICATION IN ONLINE LEARNING ACTIVITIES

The world is rapidly moving toward implementing different technological innovations and the Internet in learning by providing effective educational platforms. These can significantly aid teachers in helping students achieve the set learning objectives and enhance students' academic performance. In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Education has launched the "Future Gate Program" project as one of the national transformation initiatives toward realising digital education for several purposes. This study investigates the impact of the teachers' biography (age, gender) and experience on their intention to use gamification throughout other performance factors by implementing the 'Future Gate' application in learning. This study considers two theoretical frameworks, including UTAUT2 and TTF, to develop the proposed model in this study, which investigates the moderation effect of teachers' experience and biography on their intention to use gamification in online learning activities. The quantitative research design has examined teachers' perceptions about their intention to adopt the Future Gate platform. Moreover, using a cross-sectional statistical modelling technique, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is used to assess the relationship between the study's constructs. The results showed that 'age' has a significant, negative moderating effect on 'Habit and Intention to Use' (ß = - 0.365, t-value = 4.690, p-value <0.001). Likewise, the effect of 'Performance Expectancy' on 'Intention to Use' is negatively moderated by the respondents' experience (ß = -0.129, t-value = 2.165, p-value = 0.031). However, gender showed no significant moderating effect between the independent variables of the study (PE, EE, SI, HM, and H) and Intention to Use. Accordingly, teachers' intention to use showed a significant negative impact due to their age and habit. Also, previous experience with performance expectations negatively influences the intention to use.
Edinburgh Research Explorer It is a relay not a sprint! Evolving co-design in a digital and virtual environment

There is an emerging body of research on the co-design of public services, including co-design with vulnerable adults. However, what has been less explored has been the impact of digital technology and virtual environments upon the co-design process in this context. This paper analyses the contingencies of virtual co-design through a case study of a project to develop supportive local communities for vulnerable elderly people. This project was initially planned to use traditional co-design methods within a face-to-face environment, in the context of the local public service ecosystem. The CoVid-19 pandemic made this impossible. Consequently, an innovative approach to co-design was developed that shifted the process from a face-to-face to a virtual environment. This exploratory paper reports and evaluates this approach and its implications for the future of the theory and practice of the co-design of public services for vulnerable adults. Theoretically the paper evolves a model of co-design in a virtual space that is embedded within a public service eco-system framework of value creation. At a practice level, the paper provides insight into the strategic and operational management of co-creation in a virtual space. It evolves the ‘Relay’ model of asynchronous co-creation across time and considers it key contingencies
Improvement of diabetes-induced spinal cord axon injury with taurine via nerve growth factor dependent Akt/mTOR pathway

As a common nervous system disorder, Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is caused by diabetes mellitus (DM). According to evidences, axonal degeneration is a main pathological feature of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and taurine may be a protective candidate. But, the bene�cial effect of taurine on spinal cord axon injury (SCAI) in DN and its regulatory mechanism is rarely exhibited in reports. In this study, as demonstrated by our results, taurine greatly improved abnormal axonal morphology of spinal cord (SC) and nerve function in diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ), and induced neurite outgrowth of cerebral cortex neurons with high glucose exposure. Moreover, taurine up-regulated expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) and neurite outgrowth relative protein GAP-43 in the SC of diabetic rats, as well as the cerebral cortex neurons or the VSC4.1 cells with high glucose exposure. Besides, taurine increased the phosphorylation levels of TrkA, Akt, and mTOR. Also, in the presences of NGF-neutralizing antibody and Akt or mTOR inhibitors, bene�cial effects of taurine could be blocked. As suggested by these results, taurine can promote SC axon repair in diabetic rats, with the mechanism partly associated with NGF-dependent activation of Akt/mTOR pathway. According to our �ndings, the role of taurine in improving SCAI of DN and its mechanism is clari�ed.
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY AND PLASMA LEVELS OF HIGH-SENSITIVE C-REACTIVE PROTEIN

Background: The high-sensitivity test for CRP (hs-CRP) is a key indicator of subclinical and chronic inflammation. Diabetic Retinopathy is associated with markedly increased serum hs-CRP levels, particularly in older individuals with longer disease durations. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out among 100 patients of Type 2 DM. Detailed medical history, complete ophthalmic examination was performed for each patient. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PPBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and hsCRP were estimated. Result: As age increases, hs-CRP level also increases (p – 0.03). Patients with duration of diabetes more than 40 years had higher hs-CRP (3.34 mg/l) than patients with less than 20 years of DM (2.67 mg/l). HbA1c had significant positive correlation with hs-CRP (r-0.532, p - 0.04). The hs-CRP value in PDR (7.63 mg/l) was significantly higher than NPDR (mild – 1.98 mg/l, moderate – 2.71 mg/l, severe - 4.42 mg/l) as well as higher than patients without DR (0.87 mg/l) and p value was 0.01. Conclusion: This study revealed that severe grades of DR had significantly higher
The vanishing advantage of longevity in Nicoya, Costa Rica: A cohort shift

BACKGROUND The Nicoya region in Costa Rica has been identified as one of a handful of hotspots of extreme longevity. The evidence supporting this status comes mostly from observing the 1990 and 2000 decades and cohorts born before 1930. OBJECTIVE To determine how the longevity advantage of older men in Nicoya has progressed in the period 1990 to 2020 and in cohorts born from 1900 to 1950. METHODS Remaining length of life and adult mortality were estimated using new public administrative records from the electoral system and a Gompertz regression model. A new nationwide survival-time database of 550,000 adult Costa Ricans who were alive at any point during 1990–2020 was put together.
Efficacy of Some Essential Oils in Productivity and Management of some Insect Pests Pre and Post - Harvest of Coriander B- Post-Harvest Study

: Coriander is an aromatic and annual herbaceous. Some insects damage coriander dried fruits during storage, but drugstore beetle is an important one. The conventional pesticides are being used as the major way for stored grains and herbs creating many problems like toxic residues in the products and health hazards. From this point, this study was planned to study the ability of some essential oils as bioinsecticides (fumigant) for drugstore beetle in coriander fruits during storage and reducing storage harmful effects on fruits quality. A preliminary experiment (fumigant) was conducted to determine the most effective essential oils of dill, citronella grass, local basil and French basil as bioinsecticides. The most effective oil fumigants were dill and citronella grass essential oils. So another laboratory experiment was created to study their insecticidal activity against drugstore beetle during six months storage as well as following up their effects on coriander fruits quality characters. The results showed that drugstore beetle caused a significant decrease in coriander fruits quality parameters (seed index, volatile oil percentage and Linalool content) during storage of coriander fruits which were maximum in control fruits. While all dill and citronella grass essential oils treatments significantly reduced the harmful effects of drugstore beetle and storage on those quality characters of coriander fruits.