Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comprehensive Study on the Physicochemical Characteristics of Faecal Sludge in Greater Accra Region and Analysis of Its Potential Use as Feedstock for Green Energy

Design of treatment plants for faecal sludge management systems relies on a comprehensive accurate knowledge of FS (faecal sludge) characteristics, but this information is lacking. Developing countries like Ghana, where large proportion of the urban population (Accra) rely on onsite sanitation systems, face a lot of FSM (faecal sludge management) design challenges as a result of lack of a comprehensive study data on physicochemical characteristics of raw faecal sludge after primary dewatering. Achieving a fully operational FSM chain would imply a well understanding of the characteristics of the FS and its dynamics after primary dewatering. A study was carried out to determine the characteristics of faecal sludge brought to the Lavender Hill treatment plant, Accra Metropolis, and environs to ensure the treatability and uses of the products after treatment. The treatment plant receives an average of 150 trucks (1350m3) a day with 58% coming from private homes and 42% from public toilets. Composite samples were made from both public and private toilets facilities. Samples were taken from a reservoir holding faecal sludge from both public and private facilities, examined on daily basis and characterized. The values obtained showed high concentrations of BOD and COD values. The COD: BOD ratios showed that the faecal sludge is not stabilized yet and can be further degraded. The calorific value for the dry sludge was found to be 15.16-15.82 MJ/kg and 16.39–18.31 MJ/kg for the wet sludge. The calorific value of the sludge is adequate enough to be used as potential feedstock for green energy generation. The high concentrations of COD and organic matter of the faecal sludge make it suitable enough for biogas generation. A good correlation (r=0.909,R2=82.6%) between the calorific value and the TVS was found to be CV=0.122TVS+7.44. Heavy metal concentrations were low and satisfied the EPA Ghana guidelines for sludge. Thus products from the treatment can be used for agricultural purposes.
Two caves in western Honduras are important for bat conservation: first checklist of bats in Santa Bárbara

Caves are important reservoirs for species, including bats, but in Honduras there is little known information about these biodiverse ecosystems. We describe the importance of two caves in Ceguaca in western Honduras, based on the species richness of each cave. From December 2015 to May 2016, we used three mist-nets in seven journeys (74.27 mist-net/hours). We captured 139 bats belonging to 23 species of four families. We recorded 10 species in the crop of Quita Sueño, 10 in the cave of El Peñón, and 12 in the cave of Monte Grueso. In overall, 17% of the bats were captured in the crops of Quita Sueño, 62% in the cave of Monte Grueso, and 21% in the cave of El Peñón. About 9% of bat species of the total account for Honduras could be found in the cave of El Peñón, and 10% in the cave of Monte Grueso. If we consider the number of the species that have been recorded since 1979, between 20.9 and 49.2% of the expected species are still unrecorded, this suggests that despite low sampling effort there is a high diversity. However, the diversity of bats species using these caves embraced on the Tropical Dry Forest of Ceguaca is threatened by the fragmentation of the ecosystem due to the following reasons: intentional fires in the caves, extensive cattle raising, replacement of native plants with extensions of crops, and human-vampire conflicts (Desmodusrotundus).
Mood fluctuation in Antarctic expeditioners: does one size fit all?

Abstract It has long been argued that mood fluctuation patterns in Antarctic expeditioners are largely homogeneous. This research investigated mood fluctuation patterns throughout all the stages of Antarctic deployment using latent class growth analysis. Utilising advanced statistical methods, such as latent class growth analysis, can greatly help in identifying if mood fluctuation patterns experienced by Antarctic expeditioners are homogenous, and provide insight into mood fluctuation patterns, which was not possible with traditional group-based quantitative methods. Gaining a greater insight into mood fluctuation patterns in Antarctic expeditioners can assist with the development, and implementation of, strategies to assist with expeditioner well-being. The analysis was conducted on 423 expeditioner from the Australian Antarctic program between the 2005-2009 Antarctic deployment seasons. The results supported the notion that mood fluctuation patterns in expeditioners within the Australian-Antarctic programme were largely homogeneous, as a 1-class cubic latent class growth model was identified as being the optimal fit for the dataset. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in relation to research and prevention and intervention strategies.
Microtopography Controls of Carbon and Related Elements Distribution in the West Siberian Frozen Bogs

The West Siberian Plain stands out among other boreal plains by phenomenal bogging, which has both global and regional significance. The polygonal bogs, frozen raised-mound bogs, and ombrotrophic ridge-hollow raised bogs are the most extensive bog types in the study area. These bogs commonly show highly diverse surface patterns consisting of mounds, polygons, ridges, hollows, and fens that correspond to the microtopes. Here we investigated how the microtopographic features of the landscape affect the thermal and hydrologic conditions of the soil as well as the nutrient availability and consequently, the dynamics of carbon and related elements. The effect of the surface heterogeneity on the temperature regimes and depths of permafrost is most significant. All of these factors together are reflected, through the feedback system, by a number of hydrochemical parameters of bog waters, such as dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC, DIC), specific conductivity (Cond), SO42–, Cl–, P, Sr, Al, Ti, Cu, V, B, Cs, Cd, Rb, As, U, and rare earth elements (REEs). Among the studied parameters, DOC, SO42, Al, V, and Mn differ most significantly between the convex and concave microforms. The DOC content in bog water is significantly affected by the water residence time, which is significantly longer in soils of mound/polygons than fens. Plants biomass is higher on the mounds which also have some effect that, due to leaching, should lead to more carbon entering into the water of the mounds. It is also shown that atmospheric-dust particles have a noticeable effect on the hydrochemical parameters of bog waters, especially on mounds. The ongoing climate warming will lead to an increase in the fens area and to a decrease in the content of DOC and many elements in bog waters.
Stable isotopes of atmospheric water vapour and precipitation in the northeast Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau

Stable water isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) are an important source signature for understanding the hydrological cycle and altered climate regimes. However, the mechanisms underlying atmospheric water vapour isotopes in the northeast Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau of central Asia remain poorly understood. This study initially investigated water vapour isotopic composition and its controls during the premonsoon and monsoon seasons. Isotopic compositions of water vapour and precipitation exhibited high variability across seasons, with the most negative average δ18O values of precipitation and the most positive δ18O values of water vapour found during the premonsoon periods. Temperature effect was significant during the premonsoon period but not the monsoon period. Both a higher slope and intercept of the local meteoric water line were found during the monsoon period as compared with in the premonsoon period, suggesting that raindrops have been experienced a greater kinetic fractionation process such as reevaporation below the cloud during the premonsoon periods. The δ2H and δ18O signatures in atmospheric water vapour tended to be depleted with the occurrence of precipitation events especially during the monsoon period and probably as a result of rainout processes. The monthly average contribution of evaporation from the lake to local precipitation was 35.2%. High d‐excess values of water vapour were influenced by the high proportion of local moisture mixing, as indicated by the gradually increasing relative humidity along westerly and Asian monsoon trajectories. The daily observation (observed ε) showed deviations from the equilibrium fractionation factors (calculated ε), implying that raindrops experienced substantial evaporative enrichment during their descent. The average fraction of raindrops reevaporation was estimated to be 16.4± 12.9%. These findings provide useful insights for understanding the interaction between water vapour and precipitation, moisture sources, and help in reconstructing the paleoclimate in the alpine regions.
Implications of Transforming Household Livelihoods through Villagization in Conserving Forest Resources in Southwest Ethiopia: A Case Study of Mengeshi District, Gambela Region

ABSTRACT Villagization brings scattered households together into a defined area with the aim of transforming living conditions through providing social and economic services. As the forest in Mengeshi district, southwest Ethiopia, has been destroyed through shifting cultivation, the study aims at assessing the effect of villagization on conserving forest resources. Three sites were selected, these being at Fejeji, Baya and Kumi. A total of 119 households were selected for interviews. Information was collected through structured and semi-structured questionnaires. Six farms and 18 plots were assessed for woody plants. The results show that the most important changes which positively contribute towards forest resources were perceived after villagization. A total of 34 woody species representing 13 families were identified in the abandoned farms. Economically important species including Cordia africana Lam. , Pouteria altissima (A.Chev.) Baehni and Diospyros abyssinica (Hiern) F. White that need conservation due to overutilization were recorded across the three sites. The Simpson's diversity index was 0.94 at Fejeji, 0.93 at Baya and 0.88 at Kumi. Villagization has brought about changes in the sources of livelihoods of the households. The forest-based livelihoods have shifted to farming-based livelihoods and the main sources of forest products have shifted from forest to homestead. A paired t-test showed a significant change in the forest product sources implying less pressure on natural forest resources. In general villagization has positive effects towards conserving forest resources in the area.
Concurrent Jovian S‐Burst Beaming as Observed From LWA1, NDA, and Ukrainian Radio Telescopes

This paper describes the statistical property of Jupiter's millisecond burst (S‐burst) beaming for Io‐related decametric (Io‐DAM) sources from a ground‐based radio telescope network. To do so, we performed simultaneous observations of Jovian Io‐DAM S‐bursts from 15 January through 4 May 2016 for a total of nine events using several radio telescopes. These radio telescopes include the Long Wavelength Array station One (LWA1) in the United States, Nançay Decameter Array (NDA) in France, and three large radio telescopes (UTR2, URAN2, and URAN3) in Ukraine. We conducted a cross‐correlation analysis of the S‐burst spectrograms in a frequency range of 10.5 to 33 MHz over effective baselines of up to 8,950 km. We found that the beaming of the S‐bursts is formed on the flashlight‐like structure within an east‐west beam width of 2.75" for Io‐A/C, 2.63" for Io‐A', and 2.75" for Io‐B/D. In parallel, the flashlight‐like beam was completely filled because the results from all usable pairs of telescopes supported this model. Hence, these beam widths directly correspond to the minimum cone thickness where a radio source emanates over large solid angles from the same direction of Jupiter, as opposed to a localized radio source emitting over small solid angles along active magnetic flux tubes that are tied to Io's orbital motion in Jupiter's rotation frame (beacon‐like structure). Additionally, this cross‐correlation technique shows a practical benefit of producing statistical profiles of S‐bursts.
Airway inflammation: exhaled NO measurement in clinical practice

Key points Measurement of FeNO has been approved for clinical use to monitor anti-inflammatory treatment in asthma. Increases in FeNO are suggestive of eosinophilic airway inflammation and are readily reduced by anti-inflammatory treatment. Increases in FeNO predict loss of asthma control before the appearance of symptoms and changes in lung function tests. Evaluation of EBC biomarkers for potential clinical applications are ongoing. Educational aims Long term: to improve management of asthma and other chronic inflammatory airway diseases. Short term: to introduce the measurement of exhaled NO; to summarise the main points of current guidelines for exhaled NO measurement; to give information on the usefulness of exhaled NO measurement in asthma management; and to give basic information on exhaled breath condensate. Summary Asthma is defined as an inflammatory disorder of the airways. Therefore, it is reasonable to add an “inflammometer” to the available methods of disease monitoring. In this respect, several biomarkers have been tested from different samples, including blood, urine and exhaled breath. Breath tests for the determination of exhaled biomarkers offer great opportunities for disease monitoring, as they are simple, completely non-invasive, can be performed in children and also in severe patients, and can be repeated even at short intervals. This article will focus on the use of exhaled biomarkers to monitor airway inflammation. The central aim is to introduce the measurement of exhaled NO as a prototype for the application of biomarkers in the management of asthma. The field of EBC is also mentioned to give some background information on the sampling of non-volatile biomarkers in exhaled breath.
The Modality of Climate Change in the Middle East: Drought or Drying up?

Due to its widespread political and social consequences, the relationship between drought and climate change in the Middle East has been widely reported on by the media. Climate change is mainly understood within the paradigm: “prolonged drought is created and intensified by global warming. ” The purpose of the study is to review this paradigm and examine aspects of it. Thus, climate trends in the Middle East are studied across three periods: 1900–1970, 1970–2000, and 2000–2017. Due to the importance of studying sequences of drought occurrence based on timescales of climatic patterns, the climatic trends of the Khuzestan Plain, were examined too. The results show that to have a clear understanding of both the modality of climate change in the Middle East and the current dominant paradigm, predominant assumptions of the paradigm should be reconsidered. For example, prolonged droughts are part of the natural pattern of climate in the Middle East, although the current drought has not been recorded for at least 100 years. This claim is based on the fact that prolonged droughts in this region can have natural causes, which can be studied as long-term climate trends, although the impact of global warming on the escalation of the Middle Eastern drought is undeniable. However, the exacerbating effect of non-anthropogenic factors on the impact of drought in the region should be studied, too. Additionally, as an epistemological assumption, the term “drying up” (as a new normal and permanent climatic pattern) should be used instead of “drought” (as a normal and reversible pattern) to determine the current climate change situation in the Middle East. The author concludes that the findings emphasize the need for further research in order to identify the modality of climate change in the Middle East.
How Did South China Connect to and Separate From Gondwana? New Paleomagnetic Constraints From the Middle Devonian Red Beds in South China

The paleogeographic relationship between South China and Gondwana is critical for understanding the dispersion of Gondwana, accretion of Asia, and evolution of the Paleo‐Tethys. However, the lack of robust Devonian paleomagnetic data prevents a confirmative reconstruction of South China's connection to Gondwana and its subsequent separation during the Paleozoic. Here we report a new paleopole (33.6°N, 236.4°E; A95 = 3°) from the Givetian red beds (~385 Ma) in central South China. Fitting apparent polar wander paths between South China and Gondwana suggests that South China was connected to East Gondwana from the earliest Cambrian to Early Devonian, with its position closed to NW Australia. Thereafter, South China separated from Gondwana during ~400–385 Ma, as evidenced by their decoupled apparent polar wander paths. The paleomagnetic data suggest that the Paleo‐Tethys Ocean between South China and East Gondwana had been up to ~1,600 km latitudinally wide by ~360 Ma.
Biomass to methanol plant based on gasification of palm empty fruit bunch

Biomass from Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) has the potential to be employed as raw material for renewable energy sources in Indonesia. EFB can be efficiently converted into valuable fuel products through gasification to produce syngas. Syngas is a suitable basis for added value products development. One of type biomass that has big potential to be utilized is palm EFB biomass. Research about methanol synthesis from various biomass has been done, though little research about methanol production based on EFB gasification. The purpose of this research is to simulate methanol plant model based on gasification of palm EFB. The method covers the step to perform a simulation of the model and methanol plant design. Electric power requirement has been investigated at 3 417 kW, and 67 % of its demand can be fulfilled by steam generation cycle and internal combustion engine (ICE) fuelled by off-gas, while the deficit fulfilled by diesel powered ICE. The flow rate of methanol produced is 85 % of EFB feed flowrate. Energy efficiency is 92 % once electricity energy added to liquid product energy content. The developed model reflects the initial step toward circular economy principals as well as the basis for analysis of the methanol production from EFB biomass gasification profitability.
Massively collaborative machine learning

Many scientists are focussed on building models. We nearly process all information we perceive to a model. There are many techniques that enable computers to build models as well. The field of research that develops such techniques is called Machine Learning. Many research is devoted to develop computer programs capable of building models (algorithms). Many of such algorithms exist, and these often consist of various options that subtly influence performance (parameters). Furthermore, there is mathematical proof that there exists no single algorithm that works well on every dataset. This complicates the task of selecting the right algorithm for a given task. The field of meta-learning aims to resolve these problems. The purpose is to determine what kind of algorithms work well on which datasets. In order to do so, we developed OpenML. This is an online database on which researches can share experimental results amongst each other, potentially scaling up the size of meta-learning studies. Having earlier experimental results freely accessible and reusable for others, it is no longer required to conduct time expensive experiments. Rather, researchers can answer such experimental questions by a simple database look-up. This thesis addresses how OpenML can be used to answer fundamental meta-learning questions.
Climate‐driven change in the water sourced by trees in a de‐glaciating proglacial fore‐field, Torres del Paine, Chile

The colonization of proglacial margins by vegetation following glacier recession is a slow process, not least because glacially produced sediments are commonly well drained. Following from human‐induced climate change, warming could increase both growth rates and water availability because of glacier melting, so compensating for situations where climate change reduces precipitation. Compensation is likely a function of location, which will control access to meltwater and groundwater, themselves spatially variable. For the Olguin glacier (Torres del Paine, Chile), we test the hypothesis that as climate has warmed and precipitation has fallen, tree growth rate response is dependent upon the access of trees to glacial meltwater. Cores were taken from trees in three revegetating zones: (Z1) proglacial stream proximal, (Z3) proglacial stream distal, and (Z2) intermediate between Z1 and Z3. For trees within each zone, we measured annual tree‐ring widths and δ2H values. Z1 growth rates were strongly correlated with temperature and Z3 with precipitation, and Z2 showed a shift from precipitation correlation (i.e., following Z3) to temperature correlation (i.e., following Z1) through time. δ2H values were lowest at Z1, reflecting water of glacial origin, were highest at Z3, reflecting meteoric water supply, and shifted through time at Z2 from meteoric to glacial. Increased water supply associated with temperature‐driven glacier recession may compensate for decreasing water supply from precipitation to influence tree growth. This compensation is likely related to the spatial organization of the subsurface flux of glacial melt and leads to different revegetation processes to those envisaged in the classical chronosequence model of vegetation following glacier recession.
Segmentation of Rifts Through Structural Inheritance: Creation of the Davis Strait

Mesozoic‐Cenozoic rifting between Greenland and North America created the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay, while leaving preserved continental lithosphere in the Davis Strait, which lies between them. Inherited crustal structures from a Palaeoproterozoic collision have been hypothesized to account for the tectonic features of this rift system. However, the role of mantle lithosphere heterogeneities in continental suturing has not been fully explored. Our study uses 3‐D numerical models to analyze the role of crustal and subcrustal heterogeneities in controlling deformation. We implement continental extension in the presence of mantle lithosphere suture zones and deformed crustal structures and present a suite of models analyzing the role of local inheritance related to the region. In particular, we investigate the respective roles of crust and mantle lithospheric scarring during an evolving stress regime in keeping with plate tectonic reconstructions of the Davis Strait. Numerical simulations, for the first time, can reproduce first‐order features that resemble the Labrador Sea, Davis Strait, Baffin Bay continental margins, and ocean basins. The positioning of a mantle lithosphere suture, hypothesized to exist from ancient orogenic activity, produces a more appropriate tectonic evolution of the region than the previously proposed crustal inheritance. Indeed, the obliquity of the continental mantle suture with respect to extension direction is shown here to be important in the preservation of the Davis Strait. Mantle lithosphere heterogeneities are often overlooked as a control of crustal‐scale deformation. Here, we highlight the subcrust as an avenue of exploration in the understanding of rift system evolution.