Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Suitability of the WorldClim Dataset for Ecological Studies in Southern Kenya

There have been numerous efforts to generate freely available climatic datasets for use in species distribution models, the most popular being the global climatic dataset known as WorldClim. The availability of such datasets is invaluable to scientists as many studies are performed in remote areas where no weather stations are found. However, many users do not critically assess the suitability of these datasets for their applications, and errors associated with global datasets are often assumed to be negligible. Understanding what a climate dataset can or cannot deliver requires the user to have a working knowledge of what the basic spatial climate-forcing factors are at the scale of his/her study, and to have a good understanding of the uncertainty in the dataset. In geographic studies, uncertainty is often described by the degree of error (uncertainty), or degree of accuracy (certainty) in data, and thematic uncertainty refers to the uncertainty in measures made for each variable, whereas temporal uncertainty refers to the uncertainty in time period represented by each variable. Here, we used climatic data from weather stations to investigate the climate-forcing factors in southern Kenya, and then used this weather station data to investigate the uncertainty in the WorldClim dataset. Results indicated that the nineteen core Worldclim variables, known as bioclimatic variables, accurately depicted the local variations in climate in the study area. However, whereas the monthly and seasonal temperature variables represented the same time period in different locations, the same was not true for the monthly and seasonal precipitation variables. The onset of rains is a key biological indicator, and scientists studying phenomena tied to the onset of rains need to keep in mind the temporal variations represented in the WorldClim dataset.
Microstructure and magnetic properties

The relationship between the microstructure and magnetic properties of heat treated Fe-23 wt percent Cr--15 wt percent Co--5 wt percent V has been studied by transmission electron microscopy and Lorentz microscopy. Three different heat treatments were adopted for the present investigations viz., (1) isothermal aging, (2) TMT (thermomagnetic treatment) + step-aging, (3) continuous cooling. It has been found that the magnetic properties of the alloy are very sensitive to the temperature of the thermomagnetic treatment. Step-aging gave the best magnetic properties, producing an elongated ferromagnetic phase, 300 A in diameter and 1200 A in length. Lorentz microscopy revealed domain walls and these lie within the Cr-rich phase and pinned by the Fe-rich phase in the isothermally aged alloy at 650/sup 0/C. Magnetic domains of optimally step-aged alloy, 0.5 . mu.m in width, are elongated along the direction of the applied magnetic field. The results suggest that the magnetic anisotropy is introduced parallel to the direction of the applied magnetic field during TMT and step-aging treatments.
Pressure and perfectionism A phenomenological study on parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of the challenges faced by gifted and talented students in self-contained classes

This qualitative study sought to examine the challenges of pressure and perfectionism among gifted and talented students in self-contained class settings at the primary level, based on the experiences of their teachers and parents. To obtain comprehensive details and complete descriptions from the participants, a phenomenological design was used to collect data from 13 participants, including 10 parents and 3 teachers of gifted and talented students through semi-structured interviews. The major findings indicate that while self-contained classes help to raise the academic potential of gifted and talented students, teachers and parents were concerned about challenges related to the pressure of a competitive environment along with the pressure of high expectations and perfectionism in these selective class settings that may hinder the student’s academic development and negatively affect their social–emotional wellbeing. Using full-time ability grouping practices in self-contained settings for gifted learners was quite challenging and could hamper their talent development. This study recommends that pressure and perfectionism can be overcome if educators use flexible grouping practices, motivational strategies and encourage feedback in such settings. Consequently, educators and policy makers in gifted education should plan and implement educational provisions that help to meet the academic as well as social emotional needs of highly intellectual learners.
Digital Commons @ University of Digital Commons @ University of South Florida South Florida

Current meter measurements recorded over the water column at 10 depths ranging from 20 m to 3027 m using surface and subsurface moorings near 0 ø, 110øW are analyzed for the M 2 tidal current over a 10-month sampling interval. A kinematical description is given by month and depth, followed by a decomposition into a barotropic mode and three baroclinic modes. The barotropic tide was dominant, and its hodograph was stable over the 10 months sampled. The baroclinic tide was random, isotropic, and without mode preference.
Analysis of Hierarchical Grid Reﬁnement Techniques for the Lattice Boltzmann Method by Numerical Experiments

: Over the last few decades, several grid coupling techniques for hierarchically reﬁned Cartesian grids have been developed to provide the possibility of varying mesh resolution in lattice Boltzmann methods. The proposed schemes can be roughly categorized based on the individual grid transition interface layout they are adapted to, namely cell-vertex or cell-centered approaches, as well as a combination of both. It stands to reason that the speciﬁc properties of each of these grid-coupling algorithms inﬂuence the stability and accuracy of the numerical scheme. Consequently, this naturally leads to a curiosity regarding the extent to which this is the case. The present study compares three established grid-coupling techniques regarding their stability ranges by conducting a series of numerical experiments for a square duct ﬂow, including various collision models. Furthermore the hybrid-recursive regularized collision model, originally introduced for cell-vertex algorithms with co-located coarse and ﬁne grid nodes, has been adapted to cell-centered and combined methods.
Digital Commons

Allopregnanolone (AlloP) is a neurosteroid that potentiates ionotropic GABAergic (GABA A ) inhibition and is approved for treating postpartum depression in women. Although the antidepressant mechanism of AlloP is largely unknown, it could involve selective action at GABA A receptors containing the d subunit. Despite previous evidence for selective effects of AlloP on a 4/ d -containing receptors of hippocampal dentate granule cells (DGCs), other recent results failed to demonstrate selectivity at these receptors (Lu et al., 2020). In contrast to DGCs, hippocampal fast-spiking parvalbumin (PV) interneurons express an unusual variant partnership of d subunits with a 1 subunits. Here, we hypothesized that native a 1/ d receptors in hippocampal fast-spiking inter-neurons may provide a preferred substrate for AlloP. Contrary to the hypothesis, electrophysiology from genetically tagged PV interneurons in hippocampal slices from male mice showed that 100 n M AlloP promoted phasic inhibition by increasing the sIPSC decay, but tonic inhibition was not detectably altered. Co-application of AlloP with 5 m M GABA did augment tonic current, which was not primarily through d -containing receptors. Furthermore, AlloP decreased the membrane resistance and the number of action potentials of DGCs, but the impact on PV interneurons was weaker than on DGCs. Thus, our results indicate that hippocampal PV inter-neurons possess low sensitivity to AlloP and suggest they are unlikely contributors to mood-altering effects of neurosteroids through GABA effects.
BLAISE PASCAL

In this work three branches of Immersed Boundary Methods (IBM) are described and validated for incompressible aerodynamics and ﬂuid-structure interactions. These three approaches are: Cut Cell method, Vortex-Penalization method and Forcing method. The ﬁrst two techniques are validated for external bluﬀ-body ﬂow around a circular obstacle. The last one is used to predict the deformations of an elastic membrane immersed in a ﬂuid. The paper conﬁrms the ability of this family of numerical schemes for accurate and robust simulation of incompressible ﬂows.
Measuring Cyclical Behavior of Islamic and Conventional Financing: Evidence from Indonesian Dual Banking System

A BSTRACT . A thorough analysis about the financial cycle encompassing several financial variables, most importantly including credit, from a conventional perspective has been carried out by previous studies. These studies revealed that the composite cycle is of paramount importance to issue a proper policy. The boom-and-bust of the cycle must be considered in order to achieve the macro prudential objective of curbing excessive credit growth and preventing the build-up of systemic risk. To that end, in the context of the dual banking system where Islamic and conventional banks operate side by side under similar financial circumstances, it is crucial to assess whether the Islamic financing cycle behaves as its conventional counterpart. Given the fact that most of the literature has focused on the cyclical behavior from a conventional perspective, this paper assesses the characteristics of both Islamic and conventional financing cycles. This analysis will help in framing adequate policy implementation of macro prudential policies for the dual banking system. Following the methodology employed by Drehmann, Borio, and Tsatsaronis (2012) in forming the common cycle, this paper concludes that Islamic banks functioning under the same environment as their conventional counterparts, appear to have a similar peak-and-trough cycle but different amplitude. This means that macro prudential policy, particularly countercyclical capital buffer (CCB) policy is deemed crucial to be adopted in Islamic banking as set out in the Islamic Financial Services Board document, IFSB-15 (IFSB, 2013).
ANNALES DE LA FACULTÉ DES SCIENCES Mathématiques

A BSTRACT. — We revisit the existence problem for shock proﬁles in quasi-linear relaxation systems in the case that the velocity is a characteristic mode, implying that the proﬁle ODE is degenerate. Our result states existence, with sharp rates of decay and distance from the Chapman– Enskog approximation, of small-amplitude quasilinear relaxation shocks. Our method of analysis follows the general approach used by M´etivier and Zumbrun in the semilinear case, based on Chapman–Enskog expansion and the macro–micro decomposition of Liu and Yu. In the quasilinear case, however, in order to close the analysis, we ﬁnd it necessary to apply a parameter-dependent Nash-Moser iteration due to Texier and Zumbrun, whereas, in the semilinear case, a simple contraction-mapping argument suﬃced. R ´ESUM´E. — Pour des syst`emes de relaxation quasi-lin´eaires, dans le cas d´eg´en´er´e o`u la vitesse est un mode caract´eristique, nous donnons un r´esultat d’existence de proﬁls de relaxation de petite amplitude, avec des taux de d´ecroissance. Comme dans le cas semi-lin´eaire trait´e dans un
Which Place for Radical Trial in Genetic Structuralism and in Pragmatic Approach?

The article discusses the use of test / trial as a research tool proposed by different versions of sociology, namely by genetic structuralism owing to Pierre Bourdieu and by pragmatic approach assembled around the work of Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot. The inquiry is contextualized in the author’s study of civic mobilization in Russia taking into consideration sustainability and contingencies of institutional frameworks which shape different types of test. A series of publications produced by both sociological currents and employing the concept of trial is examined in order to retrace its actuation in several research contexts. A special attention is granted to a problem of social structures in which test results are resumed. For this purpose, a more atten-tive reading is offered to Patrick Champagne’s and Dominique Marchetti’s paper on the affair of ‘contaminated blood’, and to the book by Nicolas Dodier on outcomes of AIDS epidemic. The results let conclude on the compatibility of pragmatic approach with the Foucauldian concept of dispositive, as well as on methodological implications of field theory in study of trials. Making use of examples from Russian protest movement, the article proposes to complete the typology of tests and to account radical tests which target the abnormal reality and the problematic self together with more conventional public trials and controversies mediated by sustainable institutions.
Virulence factors and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from urinary tract infected patients at Jimma University Medical Center, Jimma, Ethiopia

Background: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) have evolved multitude of virulence factors and strategies that facilitate bacterial growth and persistence within the adverse settings of the urinary tract of the host. Thus, it is essential to determine the virulence factors and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of uropathogenic E. coli. The purpose of this study was to determine the virulence factors and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of E. coli isolated from symptomatic urinary tract infected (UTI) patients in Jimma University Medical Center. Methods : Midstream urine from suspected symptomatic UTI patients were cultured following standard bacteriological procedures. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method according to the CLSI 2021 recommendations. The virulence factor determinants of uropathogenic E. coli were tested using standard protocols. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical software. Chi-square and binary logistic regression test results were used. Results : A total of 387 urine samples were cultured, of which 154 (39.8%) showed significant bacteriuria. Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) was isolated from 105 (68.1%) study participants among which 77 (73.3%) were women. E. coli strains showed various virulence markers such as hemolysin production (42%), cell surface hydrophobicity (32.3%), ESBL production (32.3%) and biofilm formation (52.3%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed a higher rate of resistance against ampicillin (90.4 %%) and augmentin (60%). Conclusions : E. coli was the most common cause of UTIs; many isolates showed virulence factors and multidrug resistance. Therefore, the acquaintance of virulence factors of E. coli and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern will help in better understanding of the organism and in proper management of UTI patients, thus will contribute to reduce the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.
Invariant and Equivariant Reynolds Networks

Various data exhibit symmetry, including permutations in graphs and point clouds. Machine learning methods that utilize this symmetry have achieved considerable success. In this study, we explore learning models for data exhibiting group symmetry. Our focus is on transforming deep neural networks using Reynolds operators, which average over the group to convert a function into an invariant or equivariant form. While learning methods based on Reynolds operators are well-established, they often face computational complexity challenges. To address this, we introduce two new methods that reduce the computational burden associated with the Reynolds operator: (i) Although the Reynolds operator traditionally averages over the entire group, we demonstrate that it can be effectively approximated by averaging over speciﬁc subsets of the group, termed the Reynolds design. (ii) We reveal that the pre-model does not require all input variables. Instead, using a select number of partial inputs (Reynolds dimension) is sufﬁcient to achieve a universally applicable model. Employing these methods, which hinge on the Reynolds design and Reynolds dimension concepts, allows us to construct universally applicable models with manageable computational complexity. Our experiments on benchmark data indicate that our approach is more efﬁcient than existing methods.
Determining the ﬁrst radii of meromorphy via orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle

Applying a result concerning a convergence of modiﬁed orthogonal Padé approximants constructed from orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle, we prove an analogue of Hadamard’s theorem for determining the radius of 1-meromorphy of a function holomorphic on the closed unit disk. Furthermore, we apply our result to study analytic properties of the reciprocal of Szeg˝o functions when their corresponding sequence of Verblunsky coefﬁcients has exponential decay.
Kinematic Evolution of the Southern North Atlantic: Implications for the Formation of Hyperextended Rift Systems

We focus on the southern North Atlantic rifted margins to investigate the partitioning and propagation of deformation in hyperextended rift systems using plate kinematic modeling. The kinematic evolution of this area is well determined by oceanic magnetic anomalies after the Cretaceous normal polarity superchron. However, the rift and early seafloor spreading evolution (200–83 Ma) remains highly disputed due to contentious interpretations of the J magnetic anomaly on the Iberia‐Newfoundland conjugate margins. Recent studies highlight that the J anomaly is probably polygenic, related to polyphased magmatic events, and therefore does not correspond to an isochron. We present a new palinspastic restoration without using the J magnetic anomaly as the chron M0. We combine 3‐D gravity inversion results with local structural, stratigraphic, and geochronological constraints on the rift deformation history. The restoration of the southern North Atlantic itself is not the primary aim of the study but rather is used as a method to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of hyperextended rift systems. We include continental microblocks that enable the partitioning of the deformation between different rift segments, which is of particular importance for the evolution of the Iberia‐Eurasia plate boundary. Our modeling highlights the following: (1) the segmentation of the Iberia‐Newfoundland rift system during continental crust thinning, (2) the northward V‐shape propagation of mantle exhumation and seafloor spreading, (3) the complex partitioning of deformation along the Iberia‐Eurasia plate boundary, and (4) a three‐plate propagation model which implies transtension.
Role of Executive Function in the Effectiveness of Multi-Component Interventions Targeting Physical Activity Behavior in Office

: A knowledge gap remains in understanding how to improve the intervention effectiveness in ofﬁce workers targeting physically active (PA) behavior. We aim to identify the modifying effect of executive function (EF) on the intervention effectiveness targeting PA-behaviors, and to verify whether the observed effect varies by Job Demand Control (JDC) categories. This workplace-based intervention study included 245 participants who were randomized into a control group and two intervention arms—promoting physical activity (iPA) group or reducing sedentary behavior (iSED) group. The interventions were conducted through counselling-based cognitive behavioral therapy and team activities over 6 months. PA-behaviors were measured by an accelerometer. EF was assessed by the Trail Making Test-B, Stroop, and n-back test. The JDC categories were measured by the demand control questionnaire. Higher EF level at baseline was signiﬁcantly associated with the intervention effect on increased sleep time ( β -coefﬁcient: 3.33, p = 0.003) and decreased sedentary time ( − 2.76, p = 0.049) in the iSED-group. Participants with active jobs (high job demands, high control) presented signiﬁcantly increased light-intensity PA in the iSED-group in comparison to the control group. Among participants with a high level of EF and active jobs, relative to the control group, the iPA-group showed a substantial increase in light-intensity PA (1.58, p = 0.036) and the iSED-group showed a tendency of reducing sedentary behavior ( − 5.35, p = 0.054). The ﬁndings suggest that ofﬁce workers with a high EF and active jobs may beneﬁt most from an intervention study targeting PA-behaviors.
The Inﬂuence of the Indian Ocean on ENSO Stability and Flavor

The effect of long-term trends and interannual, ENSO-driven variability in the Indian Ocean (IO) on the stability and spatial pattern of ENSO is investigated with an intermediate-complexity two-basin model. The Paciﬁc basin is modeled using a fully coupled (i.e., generating its own background state) Zebiak–Cane model. IO sea surface temperature (SST) is represented by a basinwide warming pattern whose strength is constant or varies at a prescribed lag to ENSO. Both basins are coupled through an atmosphere transferring information between them. For the covarying IO SST, a warm IO during the peak of El Ni ñ o (La Ni ñ a) dampens (destabilizes) ENSO, and a warm IO during the transition from El Ni ñ o to La Ni ñ a (La Ni ñ a to El Ni ñ o) shortens (lengthens) the period. The inﬂuence of the IO on the spatial pattern of ENSO is small. For constant IO warming, the ENSO cycle is destabilized because stronger easterlies induce more background upwelling, more thermocline steepening, and a stronger Bjerknes feedback. The SST signal at the east coast weakens or reverses sign with respect to the main ENSO signal [i.e., ENSO resembles central Paciﬁc (CP) El Ni ñ os]. This is due to a reduced sensitivity of the SST to thermocline variations in case of a shallow background thermocline, as found near the east coast for a warm IO. With these results, the recent increase in CP El Ni ñ o can possibly be explained by the substantial IO (and west Paciﬁc) warming over the last decades.
Curcumin in Cancer and Inflammation: An In-Depth Exploration of Molecular Interactions, Therapeutic Potentials, and the Role in Disease Management

This paper delves into the diverse and significant roles of curcumin, a polyphenolic compound from the Curcuma longa plant, in the context of cancer and inflammatory diseases. Distinguished by its unique molecular structure, curcumin exhibits potent biological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and potential anticancer effects. The research comprehensively investigates curcumin’s molecular interactions with key proteins involved in cancer progression and the inflammatory response, primarily through molecular docking studies. In cancer, curcumin’s effectiveness is determined by examining its interaction with pivotal proteins like CDK2, CK2α, GSK3β, DYRK2, and EGFR, among others. These interactions suggest curcumin’s potential role in impeding cancer cell proliferation and survival. Additionally, the paper highlights curcumin’s impact on inflammation by examining its influence on proteins such as COX-2, CRP, PDE4, and MD-2, which are central to the inflammatory pathway. In vitro and clinical studies are extensively reviewed, shedding light on curcumin’s binding mechanisms, pharmacological impacts, and therapeutic application in various cancers and inflammatory conditions. These studies are pivotal in understanding curcumin’s functionality and its potential as a therapeutic agent. Conclusively, this review emphasizes the therapeutic promise of curcumin in treating a wide range of health issues, attributed to its complex chemistry and broad pharmacological properties. The research points towards curcumin’s growing importance as a multi-faceted natural compound in the medical and scientific community.