Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Survey on the Effectiveness of Online Listening Classes during the Covid-19 Pandemic at English Department of Universitas Riau

This paper discusses a study that focuses on discussing the effectiveness of online learning for students of the English Education Study Program in learning Listening Comprehension 3 courses in online learning. This research is a quantitative descriptive study involving 118 English Department students taking the Listening Comprehension 3 subject at the Universitas Riau. The sample was selected through total sampling technique, in which the entire population that filled out the questionnaire was sampled in this study. Data was collected from a set of questionnaire which were distributed online in the form of a Google Form. The questionnaire was designed using a Likert Scale and documentation in the form of student achievement from the Listening Comprehension 3 subject to support the research results. The results showed that the learning effectiveness of students of the English Department was high with a total average of 3.70 when studying Listening Comprehension 3 in online learning. In conclusion, the effectiveness of online listening classes during the Covid-19 pandemic at the English Department at the University of Riau was high.
Composite Devonian island-arc batholith in the northern Sierra Nevada, California

The Bowman Lake batholith intrudes the pre-Upper Devonian Shoo Fly Complex in the northern Sierra Nevada. The eastern margin of the batholith extends to within 1.5 km of the base of a thick sequence of Paleozoic island-arc rocks that rests unconformably on the Shoo Fly Complex. Hypabyssal silicic intrusions associated with the batholith penetrate the Upper Devonian Sierra Buttes Formation, the lowest volcanic unit of the arc sequence, but do not extend to higher stratigraphic levels. The intrusions in the Sierra Buttes Formation possess marginal peperites and show other evidence of their injection into wet, unconsolidated sediments. On the basis of these field relations, the batholith is interpreted to represent a subvolcanic magma chamber emplaced concurrently with deposition of Sierra Buttes arc rocks. The batholith is composite and consists of trondhjemite, granodiorite, biotite granite, and hornblende tonalite, formed from discrete batches of magma injected into a common plutonic chamber. Mingling of tonalitic and trondhjemitic magmas produced abundant rounded inclusions of tonalite dispersed within trondhjemite and led to hybridization of the two magmas by fine-scale intermixing. Zircons from the trondhjemitic, granodioritic, and granitic phases of the batholith and an associated Sierra Buttes rhyolite sill show complex U-Pb isotopic systematics. A multistage history is suggested, involving the incorporation of earliest Paleozoic and/or Proterozoic zircons during magma generation or ascent in Devonian time and one or more stages of disturbance in Mesozoic-Cenozoic(? ) time. Consideration of these different discordance mechanisms results in a model U-Pb igneous age for the batholith of 364 to 385 Ma (Middle to Late Devonian); on the basis of the field relations, a Late Devonian age for the batholith is adopted. Zircon characteristics and isotopic systematics suggest that petrogenesis of the granite involved mixing of trondhjemitic and/or granodioritic magmas with partial melt from a separate, large-ion-lithophile-enriched source.
Microwaves and Ultrasound as Emerging Techniques for Lignocellulosic Materials

Currently, in the context of biorefinery and bioeconomy, lignocellulosic biomass is increasingly used to produce biofuels, biochemicals and other value-added products. Microwaves and ultrasound are emerging techniques that enable efficient and environmentally sustainable routes in the transformation of lignocellulosic biomass. This review presents some of the most important works published in the last few years on the application of microwaves and/or ultrasound in lignocellulosic materials pretreatment and can be used as a starting point for research into this theme. This review is divided into four parts. In Part I, the theoretical fundamentals of microwave and ultrasound treatments are reviewed. Dielectric constants for biomass, factors that influence pretreatment, are some of the subjects addressed. In Part II, the effects that these techniques have on lignocellulosic biomass (on the size and surface area of the particle; on the content of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose; on the crystallinity index of cellulose; on the effect of solubilization of organic matter; on hydrolysis and reduction of sugars) are discussed. In Part III, emphasis is given to the contribution of microwaves and ultrasound in obtaining value-added products. In this context, several examples of liquefaction and extraction procedures are presented. Part IV describes examples of performing sonocatalysis on lignocellulosic biomass to obtain value-added products, such as furfural, whose production is significantly reduced by ultrasound treatment.
Prediction and Comparative Analysis of the Influence of Magnetic Field Effect on PM2.5 Trapping Efficiency in Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) under Different Temperatures

Charged particles have high momentum under high-temperature conditions, which helps to promote their movement towards a dust collector in a magnetic field environment, making it possible to improve the efficiency of the high-temperature wire-plate electrostatic precipitator (ESP) in this environment. A multi-field coupling model was established to numerically simulate PM2.5 dust-removal efficiency in an ESP under different working conditions. Combining the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with the support vector machine (SVM) model, the PSO-SVM prediction model is presented. Simulated data were used as training data, and PSO-SVM and back-propagation (BP) neural network models were utilized to predict collection efficiency under different working conditions, respectively. The results show that introducing a magnetic field can effectively improve the PM2.5 collection efficiency of wire-plate ESP, and the effect of a magnetic field on the dust-removal efficiency is more obvious at higher temperatures and higher flue gas velocities. When changing the working conditions, the predicted results of the magnetic field effect conform to simulated ones, and the PSO-SVM predicted values have a smaller relative error than those of the BP model, which can better adapt to different working conditions. All of the above conclusions can be utilized as a simple and adequately efficient example of the ESP model for follow-up research.
Revisiting ice nucleation from precipitation samples

An emerging and unsolved question is the sensitivity of cloud processes, precipitation, and climate to the atmospheric ice nucleus spectrum. This work revisits estimation of atmospheric ice‐nucleating particle concentration derived from cloud water and precipitation samples representing a wide range of geographical locations, seasons, storm systems, precipitation types, instruments, concentrations, and temperatures. Concentrations of ice‐nucleating particles are shown to vary over 10 orders of magnitude. High variability is observed in the −5°C to −12°C range which is suggested to be biologically derived nuclei whose life cycle is associated with intermittent source and efficient sink processes. The highest ever observed nucleus concentrations at −8°C are 3 orders of magnitude lower than observed ice crystal concentrations in tropical cumuli at the same temperature. The observed upper and lower limits of the nucleus spectrum provide a possible constraint on minimum enhancement factors for secondary ice formation processes.
Sarcopenic Obesity in Community-Dwelling Spanish Adults Older than 65 Years

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is diagnosed when sarcopenia and obesity coexist in patients. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of SO under different diagnostic criteria in community-dwelling Spanish adults aged over 65 years residing in Valencia (Spain). The research was conducted as an observational and cross-sectional study with a sample size of 202 subjects. To diagnose sarcopenia, we used the tests proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People in 2019 (EWGSOP2): SARC-F, grip strength, sit-to-stand, gait speed, Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass (ASMM), and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). For obesity diagnosis, we used body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), total body fat percentage (%TBF), and tricipital skinfold (TS). The prevalence of SO was 16.5% in women and 29% in men, according to any of the diagnostic criteria used to determine obesity. A higher proportion of SO was observed as age increased in both groups, although no significant differences were found. Most values obtained in tests related to SO diagnosis were worse in the group affected by the disease; however, there were two exceptions related to the amount of ASMM. In total, 18.8% of the participants presented SO according to any diagnostic criteria related to obesity. Our results suggest significant differences in the number of SO cases depending on diagnostic criteria used to determine the participants’ obesity. BMI, WC, and TBF% were shown as principal variables to be included in obesity diagnosis within the SO construct. These findings underscore the need to unify criteria to standardize the diagnosis of SO in the global population.
Study on the snow distribution and influencing factors in Northern Tibet based on remote sensing information

Based on two kinds of remote sensing data(snow depth of Special Sensor Microwave/ Imager SSM/I from 1993 to 2004,snow cover of NOAA/AVHRR from 1996 to 2004)and snow depth and snow cover days of six stations over northern Tibet from 1966 to 2003,we studied snow cover distribution in temporal and spatial scales,and analyzed the influencing factors of snow in Northern Tibet region.The result showed that the remote sensing snow data(retrieval from SSM/I,NOAA/AVHRR)was in general agreement with the weather stations data.In temporal scale,for the seasonal cycle,during 1966 to 2003,the snow cover extent increased rapidly in autumn and winter seasons in Northern Tibet.However,in spring(March-April- May),snow cover extent did not show a continual decrease,whereas indicated a positive feedback.For the interannual cycle,from the end of 1960s the snow cover of Northern Tibet region reduced,but in 1980s,the snow cover increased as a whole,and from 1990s it decreased again.Thus,the snow cover variation showed a reducing-increasing-reducing dynamic process in the study area.The result of a wavelet analysis on temporal distributions of annual cumulative snow cover indicated that there were mainly oscillation periods of quasi-2～3 yr,quasi-9 yr, quasi-13 yr,and from the beginning of 1970s to the middle of 1990s,there was an oscillation period about quasi-5 yr.In spatial scale,the east part of Northern Tibet region was the main snow cover area,where the snow cover days exceeded 15 ten-days in each winter-spring,and were obviously distinguished from the western part of Northern Tibet region.The majority of snow cover pixels exist in altitude of 4900～5600 m.The greatest variance of snow cover was found in middle and eastern part of the Northern Tibet Plateau,i.e.Andu and Nierong regions. We selected two important factors influencing snow-cover(i.e.,temperature,precipitation)and calculated multiple linear regressions.The result showed that the correlation coefficient between simulated annual cumulative snow days and observation data was 0.74. It revealed that temperature and precipitation are the main factors influencing the snow cover in Northern Tibet region.Global warming might be one reason causing snow cover declining in recent years in Northern Tibet region.However,the effect of precipitation seems larger than that of temperature.
Thin-layer mathematical modelling of maize in a biomass-powered inclined bed dryer

In this study, the drying kinetics of maize dried in a biomass-powered inclined bed dryer were studied using ten (10) thin-layer mathematical drying models. The drying system recorded an average plenum temperature of 73.54 oC during the drying experiment compared to an average ambient temperature of 28.41 oC. Maize grains with an initial average moisture content of 23.25 % on a wet basis were reduced to 13.61 % average final moisture content over a drying period of 2 hours 40 minutes. The results revealed a moisture extraction rate, drying rate, and drying efficiency of 6.70 kg/h, 9.50 kg/h, and 71.37 %, respectively. The two-term model best describes the thin-layer drying kinetics of maize in the biomass-powered inclined bed dryer based on the coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.998 and 0.00738, respectively. The two-term model showed a better fit between the experimental and the predicted moisture ratios. The drying process occurred in the falling rate period with an effective moisture diffusivity of 4.65x10-9 m2/s and activation energy of 21.31 kJ/mol. The two-term model was able to imitate the behaviour of the drying process of maize in the drying system. The model would assist in predicting the drying time for different moisture contents of maize in the scale-up of the drying system and, accordingly, help farmers and agro-processors in planning drying schedules. The drying kinetics of other staples like cassava and rice are recommended for further studies using the biomass-powered inclined bed dryer.
Impact of Asian continental outflow on the springtime ozone mixing ratio in northern Taiwan

[1] In springtime, northern Taiwan is in the downwind neighboring area of east Asia so that pollutants in this flow will have a direct impact on the ozone mixing ratio in Taiwan. By coupling long-term ozone observations and regional-scale chemical transport model (CTM) simulations, we obtained an understanding of the transport processes and provided some quantified estimates of the impact. We found that when the Asian continental outflow arrived in northern Taiwan, it always happened under the influence of east China high-pressure systems with dominant wind from the northeast to northern Taiwan and accompanying surface wind speeds greater than 5 m/s. Furthermore, no local high-ozone episodes were observed under such conditions. When local high-ozone episodes do occur, it is always with wind speeds less than 3 m/s and the wind direction generally from east and southwest. Using a three-dimensional CTM, we simulated the ozone evolution over northern Taiwan for 1 month in springtime in 2003. By comparing the simulation with and without different pollutant sources, we estimated the impact of pollutants in eastern Asian continental outflow and how and when this occurs. Our simulations indicate outflow mixing ratio of 50–70 ppb reaching the upwind boundary of Taiwan with the plume reaching a height of 2.5 km. For the nonepisode days the influence of Asian continental outflow of ozone may reach over 30%, and for the episode days it is less than 10% in northern Taiwan. Our findings suggest that for the study period high-oxidant formation in northern Taiwan is predominantly due to local pollution.
Late Cretaceous fish from the Blufftown Formation (Campanian) in western Georgia

A Campanian fish assemblage is described from the uppermost Blufftown Formation in western Georgia. Fifteen chondrichthyan and eight osteichthyan taxa are identified, virtually all for the first time from the region. The study area represented a transitional zone between the Atlantic and eastern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain Provinces during the Late Cretaceous, and shows faunal relationships with both.
High Prevalence of Eimeria Infection in Domestic Pigeons（Columba Livia Domestica） in Guangdong Province, Southern China

[Objective] This study aimed to make a survey of domestic pigeons for infection with Eimeria species of coccidia was conducted in Guangdong Province, southern China. [Method] A total of 244 fecal samples(102 from Huizhou, 83 from Jiangmen, 35 from Chaozhou and 24 from Guangzhou, respectively) in four pigeon breeding farms between June 2012 and March2013 were collected and examined microscopically. [Results] Eimeria oocysts were seen in 223(91.4%) fecal samples, with three species, namely E. labbeana, E.columbae and E. kapotei. E. labbeana was the most common species in Guangdong provinces with an overall prevalence of 91.4%, while a slightly lower incidence of E. columbae and E. kapotei species was detected with11.1% and 6.6%, representatively. The prevalence in different months varied ranging from 83.3% to 91.7%, with the highest prevalence in summer. Nestling groups showed obviously high infection than adult pigeons. [Conclusion] The present survey indicated the wide and severe prevalence of Eimeria infection in Guangdong domestic pigeons, which suggested that integrated measures should be taken to control and prevent coccidiosis of pigeons in this province.
An Examination of Precipitation in Observations and Model Forecasts during NAME with Emphasis on the Diurnal Cycle

Abstract Summertime rainfall over the United States and Mexico is examined and is compared with forecasts from operational numerical prediction models. In particular, the distribution of rainfall amounts is examined and the diurnal cycle of rainfall is investigated and compared with the model forecasts. This study focuses on a 35-day period (12 July–15 August 2004) that occurred amid the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) field campaign. Three-hour precipitation forecasts from the numerical models were validated against satellite-derived estimates of rainfall that were adjusted by daily rain gauge data to remove bias from the remotely sensed estimates. The model forecasts that are evaluated are for the 36–60-h period after the model initial run time so that the effects of updated observational data are reduced substantially and a more direct evaluation of the model precipitation parameterization can be accomplished. The main findings of this study show that the effective spatial resolution of the mo.
Microbiological air contamination in intensive poultry breeding.

Marija Vucemilo, DVM, PhD – professor, Alenka Tofant, PhD – professor, Željko Pavicic, DVM, PhD – assistant professor, Kristina Matkovic, DVM, MS – junior researcher, Department of Animal Hygiene, Environment and Ethology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia; e-mail:
Detection of large-scale climate signals in spring vegetation index over the northern hemisphere

Climate is one of the determinants driving ecosystems on both local and global scales. During the last two decades, there has occurred a dramatic temperature increase in the northern midto high-latitudes. The rapid warming has resulted in the promotion of bioactivity and an early growing season. However, the temperature and vegetation changes are not uniform in geographical distribution. In the present study, we analyze the spatial features in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)/temperature relationship over Eurasia and North America in spring for the period 1982–2000. The NDVI data are derived from the Earth Observing System Pathfinder Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data sets. A singular value decomposition analysis is applied to the covariance matrix of the NDVI and temperature. Most of the squared covariance, 91.6%, is captured by the first seven paired-modes. The result clearly indicates that the temperature is a focal factor influencing vegetation activity. Furthermore, those seven paired-modes show large-scale features and well-defined patterns. The atmospheric circulation systems, such as the Southern Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation/Arctic Oscillation, Pacific/North American pattern, Eurasian pattern, western Pacific pattern, western Atlantic pattern, eastern Atlantic pattern, and North Pacific index, are found to be associated with that. The time coefficient corresponding to the first paired-modes, centered on western Siberia, is correlated significantly with the Eurasian teleconnection pattern. Their correlation coefficients are 0.72 and 0.78 for vegetation and temperature, respectively, for the data period. Other modes are also correlated with one or more circulation indices. This implies that the large-scale circulation is essential for understanding the regional response of vegetation to global climate change. Taking all nine circulation indices and time-lags into account, a large portion (71%) of the satellite-sensed variance in NDVI could be explained. The temperature/NDVI relationships did not change significantly when the NDVI was rescaled from 1 to 5 degrees, indicating that the singular value decomposition analysis is an appropriate technique for detecting the degree of coupling between vegetation and climate, and that the vegetation/temperature relationship presented in this study is robust.
DETERMINANTS OF CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN THE GHANAIAN E-COMMERCE: A PLS-SEM APPROACH

This study explores how customer service quality affects e-satisfaction and e-trust, impacting e-loyalty in Ghana's e-commerce, focusing on Jumia. It also examines how mobile application design and promotions influence e-satisfaction, e-trust, and potential e-loyalty in the Ghanaian market. This study assessed the hypotheses in the established research model using structural equation modeling based on data collected from 320 participants from Ghanaian online shoppers. The survey targeted individuals aged 18-60 of both genders who have completed multiple online transactions on the specified e-commerce platform. The study's results unequivocally affirm the pivotal role of customer satisfaction as a driving force behind customer loyalty. Various factors, including the quality of customer service, the effectiveness of marketing promotions, and the user-friendly design of mobile applications, mold customer satisfaction. These results offer valuable insights for e-commerce businesses in Ghana, emphasizing the importance of customer service quality and mobile app design to enhance customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty. Further research could explore these relationships in greater depth and consider additional variables to gain a more comprehensive understanding.