Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving cloud type classification of ground-based images using region covariance descriptors

Abstract. The distribution and frequency of occurrence of different cloud types affect the energy balance of the Earth. Automatic cloud type classification of images continuously observed by the ground-based imagers could help climate researchers find the relationship between cloud type variations and climate change. However, by far it is still a huge challenge to design a powerful discriminative classifier for cloud categorization. To tackle this difficulty, in this paper, we present an improved method with region covariance descriptors (RCovDs) and the Riemannian bag-of-feature (BoF) method. RCovDs model the correlations among different dimensional features, which allows for a more discriminative representation. BoF is extended from Euclidean space to Riemannian manifold by k-means clustering, in which Stein divergence is adopted as a similarity metric. The histogram feature is extracted by encoding RCovDs of the cloud image blocks with a BoF-based codebook. The multiclass support vector machine (SVM) is utilized for the recognition of cloud types. The experiments on the ground-based cloud image datasets show that a very high prediction accuracy (more than 98 % on two datasets) can be obtained with a small number of training samples, which validate the proposed method and exhibit the competitive performance against state-of-the-art methods.
Relevant Others: Identifying the Reference Groups of International Students in the USA

ABSTRACT While studies on reference group influence in commercial consumption settings have been done extensively, the same cannot be said in international education setting. The aim of this study was to identify the reference groups of international students who influence their intention to study abroad. Interviews with international students who were studying in a US higher education institution were conducted. Since graduate students are more likely to have exposure with more reference groups in their decision-making process, this study focused on Master and PhD students. Surprisingly, the students reported that their own opinion and motivation were more influential in their intention to study abroad than the reference groups. ’ Besides the self, major reference groups include parents, friends, or relatives who have been abroad and professors. Finally, a number of suggestions for international education marketers were proposed.
Do linking social, human and financial capital matter for the labour force in Lao PDR? The relationship between occupational well-being and life satisfaction

PurposeThe labour force is the cornerstone of the economy of Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Labour market growth seems to be vigorously increased by using labourers' capital to foster work-related employees’ well-being, through enhancing their life satisfaction. This study examines whether linking social, human and financial capital are important for the labour force in Lao PDR and whether there is a positive relationship between occupational well-being and life satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe authors tested the hypotheses using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Using a systematic sampling approach, the study employed structured interviews; data were collected from 1,037 members of the labour force, between 2017 and 2019.FindingsThe structural model indicated that linking social and human capital and occupational well-being were significantly positively related to life satisfaction. However, the present study found that financial capital was non-significantly related to life satisfaction. The substantive and practical implications of these findings are discussed.Originality/valueThis is the first research study to investigate the relationship between occupational well-being and life satisfaction using a Laotian sample.
An Artificial Neural Network Approach to Predicting Most Applicable Post-Contract Cost Controlling Techniques in Construction Projects

The post-contract phase of the construction process remains critical to cost management. Several techniques have been used to facilitate effective cost management in this phase. However, the deployment of these techniques has not caused a reduction in the incidence of cost overruns hence casting doubts on their utility. The seeming underwhelming performance posted by these post-contract cost control techniques (PCCTs), has been traced to improper deployment by construction project managers (CPM) and quantity surveyors (QS). Utilizing the perspectives of CPM and QS professionals, as elicited through a survey, produced 135 samples. The instrumentality of the artificial neural networks (ANN) in this study enabled the development of a structured decision-support methodology for analysing the most appropriate PCCTs to be deployed to different construction process phases. Besides showcasing the utility of the emergent ANN-based decision support methodology, the study’s theoretical findings indicate that CPM and QS professionals influence decisions pertaining to PCCTs choice in distinct phases of the construction process. Whereas QS professionals were particularly responsible for the choice of PCCTs during the initial and mid-level phases, CPM professionals assumed responsibility for PCCTs selection during the construction process close-out phase. In construction cost management practice, the crucial PCCTs identifies more with the application of historical data and all cost monitoring approaches.
The Agency of CoCos: Why Contingent Convertible Bonds Aren't for Everyone

Most regulators grant contingent convertible bonds (CoCos) the status of equity. The theory, however, suggests that these securities can distort incentives via inducing debt overhang and risk shifting. In this paper, we therefore theoretically model how the degree of this distortion varies with bank risk. Our model predicts that riskier banks face higher debt overhang from CoCos. Next, analyzing a comprehensive database of CoCo issuance in Europe, we empirically test the predictions of our model. We find that banks with lower risk are more likely to issue CoCos than their riskier counterparts. Since in the current regulatory framework of Basel III banks are expected to raise equity prior to CoCo conversion, future debt overhang makes CoCos an expensive source of capital. Thus, riskier banks will opt for equity issuance over CoCos.
COMO MEJORAR LA EFICACIA DE LA FERTILIZACION APROVECHANDO LAS INTERACCIONES ENTRE NUTRIENTES

A través del análisis de suelos, un agrónomo experimentado es capaz de hacer una recomendación de fertilización, en un suelo determinado, para obtener rendimientos altos del cultivo en consideración. El presente artículo quiere demostrar que además del efecto individual de los nutrientes, las interacciones entre nutrientes, particularmente las interacciones nitrógeno (N) con fósforo (P) y N con potasio (K), son importantes para mejorar la eficiencia de la fertilización. De igual manera se quiere demostrar que es mejor usar fórmulas N-P, N-K ó N-P-K en lugar de aplicaciones de nutrientes individuales.
Sorption characteristics of copper(II) in selected calcareous soils of Iran in relation to soil properties

The Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms were fitted to copper (Cu) adsorption data of 20 highly calcareous soils of Fars Province, ranging widely in relevant physical and chemical characteristics. One-gram samples of each soil were equilibrated for 24 h with 30 mL of 0.01 M CaCl2 containing 50 to 500 mg Cu L−1. The amount of Cu retained by soil solids was calculated based on the difference between the initial and equilibrium Cu concentrations. The Cu adsorption data showed a highly significant fit to the Freundlich, Temkin, and linear form of Langmuir adsorption isotherms. The fit to Langmuir and Temkin equations were, however, closer than that of Freundlich. Adsorption maxima (b) calculated from Langmuir isotherm was positively correlated with clay, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE), whereas, Langmuir bonding energy coefficient (K) was related only to clay. Organic matter (OM), clay, and CEC were found to have a significant relationship with Freundlich coefficients (n and k). Temkin coefficients (k1 and k2) were positively correlated to CEC and clay. The distribution coefficient (i.e., maximum buffering capacity) was also highly significantly correlated with CEC and clay. It is concluded that the sites of Cu retention in the calcareous soils are clay, OM, and calcium carbonate.
Exploring the Negotiation Behaviors of Owners and Bystanders over Data Practices of Smart Home Devices

Bystanders (i.e., visiting friends, visiting family members, or domestic workers) are often not aware of the data practices in other people’s (i.e., owners’) smart homes, exposing them to privacy risks. One solution to avoid violating bystanders’ privacy is to increase the data practice transparency and facilitate negotiation. In this paper, we designed a negotiation interaction study to explore the behaviors of owners (n1=238 participants assigned with the owner role) and bystanders (n2=222 participants assigned with the bystander role) when negotiating about smart home data practices with the corresponding bystander and owner digital agents. We also asked questions to explore factors that may potentially correlate with or affect the observed negotiation behaviors and outcomes. We found that owner and bystander participants differ in behaviors regarding numbers of rounds of negotiation, final reached preferences, and total number of agreements. We analyzed the correlating factors and predictability of reaching agreements.
Effect of Annealing on Strain Rate Sensitivity of Metallic Glass under Nanoindentation

The influence of isothermal annealing on the strain rate sensitivity (SRS) of a Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) was investigated by nanoindentation. A more positive SRS is observed with a decrease in the content of the free volume (FV) of the sample. Furthermore, the SRS becomes nearly constant with increasing annealing time when the FV is annealed out. By taking into consideration the FV-assisted activation and combination of the shear transformation zones (STZs), the underlying mechanism is well understood. The current work may offer useful insights into the correlation between the microstructure and mechanical properties of BMGs.
On Hackathons: A Multidisciplinary Literature Review

The number of hackathon events worldwide has nearly quadrupled in the last five years. Despite exponential growth across diverse industries and increasing interest across academic disciplines, our integrated understanding of the phenomena of hackathons is limited. We conduct the first multidisciplinary literature review of publications from 1999 to 2022 to understand the conceptualization of the phenomena over time. We find that hackathon research can be categorized into 4 core areas (purpose, format, processes, and outcomes). Research was first driven by a purpose (innovation, learning, and collaboration), followed by an examination of how formats adjust to purpose to influence what happens (processes) and what is produced (outcomes), and critical reviews of the hackathon phenomena. We contribute a unifying framework with these four core areas to inform future directions of hackathon research and practice, as well as a discussion of the need for longitudinal and multidisciplinary research of hackathons.
A11yBoard: Making Digital Artboards Accessible to Blind and Low-Vision Users

Digital artboards, which hold objects rather than pixels (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides), remain largely inaccessible for blind and low-vision (BLV) users. Building on prior findings about the experiences of BLV users with digital artboards, we present a novel tool called A11yBoard, an interactive multimodal system that makes interpreting and authoring digital artboards accessible. A11yBoard combines a web-based drawing canvas paired with a mobile touch screen device such as a tablet. The mobile device displays the same canvas and enables risk-free spatial exploration of the artboard via touch and gesture. Speech recognition, non-speech audio, and keyboard-based commands are also used for input and output. Through a series of pilot studies and formal task-based user studies with BLV participants, we show that A11yBoard provides (1) intuitive spatial reasoning about two-dimensional objects, (2) multimodal access to objects’ properties and relationships, and (3) eyes-free creating and editing of objects to establish their desired properties and positions.
TERPENE AND TERPENOID EMISSIONS AND SECONDARY ORGANIC AEROSOL PRODUCTION

Approximately 90% of fine aerosol in the Midwestern United States has a regional component with a sizable fraction attributed to secondary production of organic aerosol (SOA). The Ozark Forest is an important source of biogenic SOA precursors like isoprene (> 150 mg m-2 d-1), monoterpenes (10-40 mg m-2 d-1), and sesquiterpenes (1040 mg m-2d-1). Anthropogenic sources include secondary sulfate and nitrate and biomass burning (51-60%), vehicle emissions (17-26%), and industrial emissions (16-18%). Vehicle emissions are an important source of volatile and vapor-phase, semivolatile aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons that are important anthropogenic sources of SOA precursors. The short lifetime of SOA precursors and the complex mixture of functionalized oxidation products make rapid sampling, quantitative processing methods, and comprehensive organic molecular analysis essential elements of a comprehensive strategy to advance understanding of SOA formation pathways. Uncertainties in forecasting SOA production on regional scales are large and related to uncertainties in biogenic emission inventories and measurement of SOA yields under ambient conditions. This work presents a bottom-up approach to develop a conifer emission inventory based on foliar and cortical oleoresin composition, development of a model to estimate terpene and terpenoid signatures of foliar and bole emissions from conifers, development of processing and analytic techniques for comprehensive organic molecular characterization of SOA precursors and oxidation products, implementation of the high-volume sampling technique to measure OA and vapor-phase organic matter, and results from a 5 day field experiment conducted to evaluate temporal and diurnal trends in SOA precursors and oxidation products. A total of 98, 115, and 87 terpene and terpenoid species were identified and quantified in commercially available essential oils of Pinus sylvestris, Picea mariana, and Thuja occidentalis, respectively, by comprehensive, two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection (GC GC-ToF-MS). Analysis of the literature showed that
Global priority areas for amphibian research

Lack of biological information is a silent but strong impediment for planning how to rescue amphibians from extinction. Currently, 24% of all amphibian species are assigned to the Data Deficient (DD) category of IUCN. Here, we aim to identify priority areas for amphibian research that could help gather information on these species and overcome such knowledge gap.
Magnetic Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Decorated with Novel Functionalities: Synthesis and Application as Adsorbents for Lead Removal from Aqueous Medium

Water pollution is one of the major challenges facing modern society because of industrial development and urban growth. This study is directed towards assessing the use of multiwall carbon nanotube, after derivatization and magnetization, as a new and renewable absorbent, to remove toxic metal ions from waste streams. The adsorbents were prepared by, first oxidation of multiwall carbon nanotube, then derivatizing the oxidized product with hydroxyl amine, hydrazine and amino acid. The adsorbents were characterized by various techniques. The adsorption efficiency of the multiwall carbon nanotube adsorbents toward Pb(II) was investigated. The effect of adsorbent’s dose, temperature, pH, and time on the adsorption efficiency were studied and the adsorption parameters that gave the highest efficiency were determined. The derivatives have unique coordination sites that included amine, hydroxyl, and carboxyl groups, which are excellent chelating agents for metal ions. The thermodynamic and kinetic results analysis results indicated spontaneous adsorption of Pb(II) by the multiwall carbon nanotube adsorbents at room temperature. The adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorbents were regenerated using 0.1 N HCl.
Antimicrobial activity of phytoextracts on opportunistic oral bacteria, yeast and bacteria from probiotics

Developed experimental assays enable us to compare the antimicrobial activity of herbal medicinal drugs on Lactobacillus and Bacillus strains probiotics, which have been claimed to possess the ability of suppressing the growth of various oral pathogens. In the treatment of periodontal disease it is advisable to use a comprehensive approach which would include the application of herbal remedies and probiotics. The combination of such effects may be a new approach in dentistry due to their complementary antimicrobial activity. In this study, we researched antimicrobial effects of herbal medicinal drugs (tinctures of some medical plants, solutions Rotocanum and Chlorophyllipt) against collection strains and clinical strains isolated from the oral cavity of patients with periodontitis, and probiotic strains Bacillus subtilis UKM В-5007 and Bacillus licheniformis UKM В-5514 that are part of the active base of probiotic Biosporin (Ukraine), Bacillus clausii from the probiotic Normaflore (Hungary), as well as the strains Lactobacillus spp. – from probiotic Lactobacterinum (Biopharma, Ukraine). For investigation, the standard agar dilution method was used in modification with glass cylinders. The results of the research showed that among the studied herbal medicinal remedies, tinctures of Eucalypthus viminalis, Mentha piperita and Chlorophyllipt had the strongest antimicrobial activity. Probiotic strains are also sensitive to herbal tinctures (except the tinctura of wormwood), which indicate the possibility of only consecutive usage (with an interval of time) of herbal remedies and probiotics in combination therapy in the treatment of periodontal diseases.
Resolution Improvement in Multidimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Proteins

The work presented in this thesis is concerned with both liquid-state and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Most of this work is devoted to the investigation by solid-state NMR of 13C-enriched compounds with the principal aim of presenting techniques devised for further improving the spectral resolution in multidimensional NMR of microcrystalline proteins. In fully 13C-labelled compounds, the J-coupling induces a broadening of the carbon lineshapes. We show that spin-state-selective technique called IPAP can be successfully combined with standard polarisation transfer schemes in order to remove the J-broadening in multidimensional solid-state NMR correlation experiments of fully 13C-enriched proteins. We present subsequently two techniques tailored for liquid-state NMR spectroscopy. The carbon directly detected techniques provide chemical shift information for all backbone heteronuclei. They are very attracting for the study of large biomolecular systems or for the investigation of paramagnetic proteins. In the last part of this thesis, we study the spin-echo J-modulation for homonuclear two-spin ½ systems. Under magic-angle spinning, the theory of J-induced spin-echo modulation allows to derive a set of modulation regimes which give a spin-echo modulation exactly equal to the J-coupling. We show that the chemical-shift anisotropy and the dipolar interaction tend to stabilise the spin-echo J-modulation. The theoretical conclusions are supported by numerical simulations and experimental results obtained for three representative samples containing 13C spin pairs.
Assessment and Control of Termites Infestation in the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, Egypt

The research is based on the inspection performed in June 2002 for carrying out a research program for the eradication of a termite infestation due a desertic species in the area of the Saint Catherine Holy Monastery at Mount Sinai Egypt. The paper describes the application of the registered European bait system Sentritech and the trend of eradication during the first year. The application of bait system blocked the termite infestation inside the Katholikon (Main church) and in the surrounding after 6 months. Nevertheless, the infestation restarted and even increased again in the surrounding of the main church. An explanation of this surprising event is attempted in this paper.
The Cytotoxic Effects of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract and Silver Nanoparticles on Human Kasumi-1 Cells

Background Moringa oleifera, commonly known as “moringa”, is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions across the globe. Extensive studies have shown that various parts of the moringa tree exhibit anti-cancer properties. This study determined the effects of sequential moringa leaf extracts and silver nanoparticles synthesized from moringa leaf extract on Kasumi-1 leukemia cells. Methods and Results Dried moringa leaf powder was sequentially extracted with the assistance of ultrasound starting with absolute ethanol, followed by 50% ethanol, and finally, deionized water. The aqueous extract was utilized to synthesize silver nanoparticles. The optimum conditions to generate moringa silver nanoparticles (MO-AgNPs) were eight hours of incubation at 60°C with 1 mM silver nitrate and 1% moringa aqueous extract from sequential extraction. The three extracts and MO-AgNPs were used to treat Kasumi-1 cells for 24, 48, 72 hours with concentrations ranging from 400 to 12.5 µg/mL, while cell viability was determined with 3(4, 5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. After 72 hours of treatment, the moringa leaf absolute ethanol extract displayed the strongest inhibitory effects on Kasumi-1 cells with IC50 of 10 µg/mL, in comparison to moringa leaf 50% ethanol extract (25 µg/mL) and aqueous extract (>400 µg/mL). Interestingly, MO-AgNPs exhibited the strongest cytotoxic effects on Kasumi-1 cells with an IC50 of 7.5 µg/mL. Cytotoxic study on normal CD34+ cells treated with up to 50ug/mL of either MO-AgNPs or ethanol extract still had more than 80% cell viability indicating that the treatments have selective cytotoxicity against the cancer cells. Morphological studies of Kasumi-1 cells treated with IC50 of moringa leaf ethanolic extract and MO-AgNPs show a lot of shrinking, dying cells and cell debris. Cell cycle studies displayed an increase in cells at the G1 phase for ethanol leaf extract, while MO-AgNPs caused cell cycle arrest at the S phase after treatment with IC50 dose for 24 hours. Moringa leaf ethanol extract and the nanoparticles induced apoptosis in Kasumi-1 cells as shown by annexin V – FITC assays. Gene expression analysis by qPCR verified these outcomes, as the moringa leaf ethanol extract led to significant upregulation of proapoptotic gene caspase 8, whereas the MO-AgNPs caused a significant increase of proapoptotic protein BID. Conclusion This study reveals that moringa ethanolic leaf extract and MO-AgNPs induced potent antiproliferative effects in Kasumi-1 cells by apoptosis.