Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Region-Based Predictors For Intra Block Copy

Intra block copy is a prediction technique in intra coding, which has high compression performance for screen content or computer generated videos. Accordingly, this tool has become part of the upcoming video coding standard H.266/VVC (Versatile Video Coding). Intra block copy is analogous to motion-compensated prediction for the usual inter-picture case with the additional constraint that the reference picture is given by the current partially reconstructed picture. Moreover, the entropy coding of the displacement information of the reference block is carried out in the same way as in inter-picture motion compensation. This publication proposes a set of region-based predictors to improve the current intra block copy approach. The proposed method achieves up to -3.81% of Bjøntegaard-Delta bit-rate saving on top of the existing intra block copy for an all-intra picture configuration.
Local and regional drivers influence how aquatic community diversity, resistance and resilience vary in response to drying

Disturbance events govern how the biodiversity of ecological communities varies in both space and time. In freshwater ecosystems, there is evidence that local and regional‐scale drivers interact to influence ecological responses to drying disturbances. However, most research provides temporal snapshots at the local scale, whereas few studies encompass a gradient of drying severity spanning multiple years. Using a dataset of rare spatiotemporal extent and detail, we demonstrate how independent and interacting local and regional‐scale factors drive shifts in the α and β diversities of communities in dynamic river ecosystems. We examined aquatic invertebrate assemblage responses to hydrological variability (as characterized by monthly observations of instream conditions) at 30 sites over a 12‐year period encompassing typical years and two severe drought disturbances. Sites varied in their disturbance regimes and hydrological connectivity at both local (i.e. site‐specific) and regional (i.e. river catchment) scales. Whereas α diversity was mainly influenced by local factors including flow permanence and the temporal extent of ponded and dry conditions, both temporal and spatial β diversities also responded to regional‐scale metrics such as the spatial extent of flow and hydrological connectivity. We observed stronger local negative responses for taxa with lower capacities to tolerate drying (i.e. resistance) and/or to recover after flow resumes (i.e. resilience), whereas taxa with functional traits promoting resilience made an increasing contribution to spatial β diversity as hydrological connectivity declined. As droughts increase in extent and severity across global regions, our findings highlight the functional basis of taxonomic responses to disturbance and connectivity, and thus advance understanding of how drying disturbances shape biodiversity in river networks. Our identification of the role of regional hydrological factors could inform catchment‐scale management strategies that support ecosystem resilience in a context of global change.
Spreading of
 Trioza apicalis
 and development of “
 Candidatus
 Liberibacter solanacearum” infection on carrot in the field conditions

Carrot cultivation in Europe is suffering from infections with “ Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum ” (CLso), a psyllid-transmitted bacterial pathogen. In this study, field experiments were carried out in Finland to separately measure the effects of psyllid feeding damage and CLso infection on the carrot root growth and to reveal the dynamics of the spreading of CLso within the field. Most of the experiments were carried out during the summers 2016 and 2017, and a follow-up sampling was performed in 2018. Carrot psyllid ( Trioza apicalis ) flight activity was monitored and carrots were sampled at 25 points within the field. Early in the season a clear spatial correlation was found between the sampling sites showing the psyllid feeding damage, that is, leaf-curling, up to the range of 40 – 60 m, indicating aggregation behaviour of the psyllids. No CLso infections were detected in the first sampling, which was performed before the psyllid flight peak in both years. Later, a positive correlation between the psyllid feeding damage and the CLso titre was observed. An increase in the CLso titre occurred approximately a month after the psyllid flight peak, and this increase correlated with the accumulating effective temperature sum. In 2016, both the psyllid feeding damage and CLso infection had a significant effect on the carrot root weight. The effect of CLso titre on root weight was nonlinear, that is, it intensified rapidly at the highest bacterial titres. During the colder summer of 2017 the CLso titres did not reach high enough levels in the plants to cause substantial visible symptoms and root growth reduction. Thus, it seems that in the Nordic conditions the effect of CLso infection on carrot yield is strongly dependent on the weather conditions during the growing season.
Effects of Place Attachment and Image on Revisit Intention in an Ecotourism Destination: Using an Extended Model of Goal-Directed Behavior

This study explores the decision-making process of tourists visiting Guilin, China as an ecotourism destination. An extended model of goal-directed behavior with the inclusion of place attachment and destination image is employed to understand tourists’ revisit intention. This study finds several substantial variables that contribute to leading the behavioral intention of tourists. Results reveal that tourist attitude, positive anticipated emotion, and perceived behavioral control positively influence desire. Tourist desire to visit a destination is an important predictor of behavioral intention, and desire plays a substantial mediating role between attitude, positive anticipated emotion, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention. The image of an ecotourism destination is an important antecedent of attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norm. The destination image indirectly influences behavioral intention through attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Destination image also has a direct effect on place attachment, which in turn influences behavioral intention. Findings provide a theoretical framework of understanding tourist behavior and contribute guidelines for developing sustainable ecotourism for central and local governments.
Value Analysis of Central Line Simulation-Based Education

Background Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are preventable complications that pose a significant health risk to patients and place a financial burden on hospitals. Central line simulation-based education (SBE) efforts vary widely in the literature. The aim of this study was to perform a value analysis of published central line SBE and develop a refined method of studying central line SBE. Methods A database search of PubMed Central and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was performed for articles mentioning “Cost and CLABSI,” “Cost and Central line Associated Bloodstream Infections,” and “Cost and Central Line” in their abstract and article body. Articles chosen for qualitative synthesis mentioned “simulation” in their abstract and article body and were analyzed based on the following criteria: infection rate before vs. after SBE, cost of simulation, SBE design including simulator model used, and learner analysis. Results Of 215 articles identified, 23 were analyzed, 10 (43.48%) discussed cost of central line simulation with varying criteria for cost reporting, 8 (34.8%) numerically discussed central line complication rates (7 CLABSIs and 1 pneumothorax), and only 3 (13%) discussed both (Figure). Only 1 addressed the true cost of simulation (including space rental, equipment startup costs, and faculty salary) and its longitudinal effect on CLABSIs. Conclusion Current literature on central line SBE efforts lacks value propositions. Due to the lack of value-based data in the area of central line SBE, the authors propose a cost reporting standard for use by future studies reporting central line SBE costs.
On Second-Order Composed Proto-Differentiability of Proper Perturbation Maps in Parametric Vector Optimization Problems

The main aim of this paper is to study second-order sensitivity analysis in parametric vector optimization problems. We prove that the proper perturbation maps and the proper efficient solution maps of parametric vector optimization problems are second-order composed proto-differentiable under some appropriate qualification conditions. Some examples are provided to illustrate our results.
Utilizing emotion scores for improving classifier performance for predicting customer's intended ratings from social media posts

PurposeSocial media channels provide an avenue for expressing views about different services/products. However, unlike merchandise/company websites (where users can post both reviews and ratings), it is not possible to understand user's ratings for a particular service-related comment on social media unless explicitly mentioned. Predicting ratings can be beneficial for service providers and prospective customers. Additionally, predicting ratings from a user-generated content can help in developing vast data sets for recommender systems utilizing recent data. The aim of this study is to predict ratings more accurately and enhance the performance of sentiment-based predictors by combining it with the emotional content of textual data.Design/methodology/approachThis study had utilized a combination of sentiment and emotion scores to predict the ratings of Twitter posts (3,509 tweets) in three different contexts, namely, online food delivery (OFD) services, online travel agencies (OTAs) and online learning (e-learning). A total of 29,551 reviews were utilized for training and testing purposes.FindingsResults of this study indicate accuracies of 58.34%, 57.84% and 100% in cases of e-learning, OTA and OFD services, respectively. The combination of sentiment and emotion scores showed an increase in accuracies of 19.41%, 27.83% and 40.20% in cases of e-learning, OFD and OTA services, respectively.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the ratings of social media comments can help both service providers as well as prospective customers who do not spend much time reading posts but want to understand the perspectives of others about a particular service/product. Additionally, predicting ratings of social media comments will help to build databases for recommender systems in different contexts.Originality/valueThe uniqueness of this study is in utilizing a combination of sentiment and emotion scores to predict the ratings of tweets related to different online services, namely, e-learning OFD and OTAs.
Growth and mortality of the oak processionary moth, Thaumetopoea processionea L., on two oak species: direct and trait-mediated effects of host and neighbour species identity

The presence of heterospecific neighbours can affect damage caused by pest insects on focal plants. However, how plant neighbours influence herbivore performance is poorly understood. We tested the independent and interactive effects of tree species identity and tree neighbour type (conspecific vs. heterospecific) on the performance of a major oak pest, the oak processionary moth larvae (OPM, Thaumetopoea processionea) fed on Quercus robur and Q. petraea. We performed a factorial greenhouse experiment in which we grew two oak saplings per pot, either from the same species or from both species. We quantified growth and mortality of OPM larvae, leaf phenolic compounds, C:N ratio and bud phenology. OPM larvae performed significantly better on Q. petraea than on Q. robur, regardless of plant neighbour type. Phenolic compounds and C:N, but not phenology, differed between oak species and neighbour species identity. Only bud phenology had a significant effect on OPM performance, which was better when young larvae had access to recently unfolded leaves, regardless of oak species and neighbour identity. Although oak neighbour identity altered the expression of leaf traits, this effect had no measurable consequences on OPM performance. However, further studies should consider the effect of oak species neighbour on OPM preferences for either Q. robur or Q. petraea, in pure and mixed stands, before translating current results into recommendations for forest management. Author Contribution TD and BC conceived the study and acquired the data. TD performed experiment and analysed the data. EV, TD and XM performed the chemical analyses. TD and BC drafted the first version of the manuscript and all authors wrote the final version of the manuscript. TD, BC conceived and designed research. TD performed experiment and analysed data. EV, TD, XM performed the chemical analyses. TD, BC wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript. AM and DB conceived and designed research. AM and BB conducted experiments. GR contributed new reagents or analytical tools. AM, BB and GR analysed data. AM wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
Contemporary Snow Changes in the Karakoram Region Attributed to Improved MODIS Data between 2003 and 2018

Snowmelt significantly contributes to meltwater in most parts of High Mountain Asia. The Karakoram region is one of these densely glacierized and snow-covered regions. Several studies have reported that glaciers in the Karakoram region remained stable or experience slight mass loss. This trend has called for further investigation to understand changes in other components of the cryosphere. This study estimates the comparative snow cover area (SCA) and snowline altitude (SLA) changes between 2003 and 2018 in the Karakoram region and its subbasins, including Hunza, Shigar, and Shyok. We used three different 8-day composite snow products of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in this study including (1) Original Aqua (MYD10A2), (2) Original Terra (MOD10A2), and (3) Improved Terra-Aqua (MOYDGL06*) snow products from 2003 to 2018. We used Mann–Kendall and Sen Slope methods to assess trends in the SCA and SLA. Our results show that the original snow products are significantly biased when investigating seasonal and annual trends. However, discarding a cloud cover of >20% in the original products improves the results and makes them more comparable to our improved snow product. The original products (without cloud removal) overestimate the SCA during summer and underestimate the SCA during winter and year-round throughout the Karakoram region. The bias in the mean annual SCA between improved and Aqua and Terra cloud threshold products for the Karakoram region is found to be −1.67% and 1.1%, respectively. The improved (MOYDGL06*) product reveals a statistically insignificant decreasing trend of the SCA on the annual scale between 2003 and 2018 in the Karakoram region and all three subbasins. The annual trends decreased at −0.13%, −0.1%, −0.08%, and −0.05% in the Karakoram, Hunza, Shigar, and Shyok, respectively. The monthly trends were slightly positive overall in December. The annual maximum SLA shows a statistically significant upward trend of 13 m above sea level (m a.s.l.) per year for the entire Karakoram region. This finding suggests a significant uncertainty in water resource planning based on the original snow data, and this study recommends the use of the improved snow product for a better understanding.
An Empirical Analysis of the Volatility Spillover Effect between World-Leading and the Asian Stock Markets: Implications for Portfolio Management

This study employs the Vector Autoregressive-Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (VAR-AGARCH) model to examine both return and volatility spillovers from the USA (developed) and China (Emerging) towards eight emerging Asian stock markets during the full sample period, the US financial crisis, and the Chinese Stock market crash. We also calculate the optimal weights and hedge ratios for the stock portfolios. Our results reveal that both return and volatility transmissions vary across the pairs of stock markets and the financial crises. More specifically, return spillover was observed from the US and China to the Asian stock markets during the US financial crisis and the Chinese stock market crash, and the volatility was transmitted from the USA to the majority of the Asian stock markets during the Chinese stock market crash. Additionally, volatility was transmitted from China to the majority of the Asian stock markets during the US financial crisis. The weights of American stocks in the Asia-US portfolios were found to be higher during the Chinese stock market crash than in the US financial crisis. For the majority of the Asia-China portfolios, the optimal weights of the Chinese stocks were almost equal during the Chinese stock market crash and the US financial crisis. Regarding hedge ratios, fewer US stocks were required to minimize the risk for Asian stock investors during the US financial crisis. In contrast, fewer Chinese stocks were needed to minimize the risk for Asian stock investors during the Chinese stock market crash. This study provides useful information to institutional investors, portfolio managers, and policymakers regarding optimal asset allocation and risk management.
Effect of polyacrylamide soil-dressing on physiological attributes, essential oil content, and composition of vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides)

ABSTRACT A pot experiment was conducted on vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) in a completely randomized design to study the effect of soil-dressing with polyacrylamide (PAM) on the quality and quantity of vetiver essential oil (EO). Among the PAM doses tested, 120 mg kg−1 increased 17.3% and 39.6% in the EO content and yield, respectively. Gas chromatography (GC) revealed that khusimol content and yield was increased by 26.7% and 77.0% over the respective control. The study suggests that PAM increased the root biomass by improving soil environment thus increasing the growth parameters, physiological attributes, and EO production.
Physicochemical properties, texture, and probiotic survivability of oat‐based yogurt using aquafaba as a gelling agent

Abstract Despite high consumer demands, the manufacture of nondairy yogurt from oat milk is currently hindered due to the lack of consistency and texture. An oat‐based yogurt was developed using oat milk and probiotics (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus) with aquafaba (AF) and vegetable oil (VO) as added ingredients. Physicochemical analyses and viability of probiotics were investigated after yogurt formation and for 3 weeks under refrigerated storage. Results showed that adding AF decreased syneresis and increased water holding capacity during storage. Both AF and VO had a beneficial effect on hardness, the most important textural property of yogurt. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that the added ingredients played a major role in the formation of the gel network structure of the yogurt. Both Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus remained at acceptable levels > 8.28 Log CFU/g and > 5.79 Log CFU/g after 3 weeks at 4°C regardless of the added ingredients.
The impact of over-expression of NPK1 gene on growth and yield of sorghum under drought stress

Sorghum bicolor L. is an important crop in many tropical regions, yet it has received little attention in applying modern biotechnologies for improvement due to transformation difficulties. Drought is among the most important factors limiting sorghum productivity. The Nicotina Protein Kinase 1 (NPK1) gene confers tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. The present work was conducted to determine the amenability of sorghum genotypes to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with the NPK1 gene and to characterize the role of that gene in S. bicolor. The NPK1 gene along with the bar gene was successfully introduced into two sorghum genotypes: Dorado and SPGM94021. The transformation frequencies were 1.49 and 1.79% for Dorado and SPGM94021, respectively. Stable integration of the transgenes in T0 and T1 plants was confirmed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blotting. The NPK1 gene expression was measured through real-time-PCR. T1 plants tested in vitro for tolerance to mannitol osmotic stress maintaining a higher growth rate and showed increased tolerance to stress conditions compared to the non-transgenic plants. The transgenic sorghum had a significantly higher kernel weight under drought stress conditions than the control plants. Accordingly, the NPK1 gene might induce a mechanism that protects sorghum plants against possible water-deficiency stress conditions. Key words: Abiotic stress related genes, regulatory genes, signal transduction, transgenic sorghum, plant transformation, quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), drought stress tolerance.
The Effect of Midazolam on Prevention of Post-Dural-Puncture Headache

Objective: Post-dural-puncture headache (PDPH) is the most common side effect associated with a lumbar puncture (LP). The present study aims to evaluate the effect of midazolam on the prevention of PDPH. Methods: This single-blind randomized clinical trial study was performed on 120 patients aged 18-60 years who were candidates for diagnostic LP in 2017-2018. In the intervention group (n=30), 3 mg of midazolam was injected intravenously for two minutes 5-10 minutes before LP, and the control group received normal saline as placebo. Patients in both groups were evaluated and compared with each other in terms of incidence, onset, severity, and duration of PDPH. Results: The incidence of PDPH was lower in the midazolam group, but the difference was not significant (P>0.05). Mean severity, onset time, and duration of PDPH were not significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). All patients in the intervention group and 75% of patients in the control group with PDPH had a history of headache. There was no significant difference between gender, mean age, BMI, pressure and CSF volume in patients with PDPH (P>0.05). The mean age of patients with PDPH was significantly lower in both groups, and the percentage of women with PDPH was considerably higher than that of men (P<0.05). Conclusion: Although there was no significant difference between the parameters studied in the two groups, patients with less age, history of headache, lower CSF pressure, and female gender were more likely to develop PDPH.
Assessing the effectiveness of a protected area network: a case study of Bhutan

Abstract An assessment of management effectiveness was carried out for all the protected areas in the Kingdom of Bhutan. During 2014–2016 the Royal Government of Bhutan developed a custom-made tool for assessing management effectiveness: the Bhutan Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool Plus (Bhutan METT +). This was implemented in Bhutan's 10 protected areas and one botanical park, and the results were verified through field trips and expert reviews. The assessment indicates that protected areas in Bhutan are well managed and there are generally good relationships with local communities, despite an increase in livestock predation and crop damage. However, effectiveness is limited by a low level of resources (both financial and appropriate technical resources) and by gaps in monitoring and research data, which limits the ability to understand the impact of conservation, react to changing conditions and undertake adaptive management to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Bhutan is in the midst of mobilizing considerable conservation funding. The Government is working in partnership with WWF to create an innovative funding mechanism for the protected area system: the Bhutan for Life initiative. The Bhutan METT + study provides an example of how to develop a baseline against which to measure the effectiveness of protected areas over time and assess the impact of conservation inputs.