Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atmospheric particle composition-hygroscopic growth measurements using an in-series hybrid tandem differential mobility analyzer and aerosol mass spectrometer

ABSTRACT The ability of atmospheric particles to absorb water has extensive climate, atmospheric chemistry, and health implications, and considerable effort has gone into determining relationships between particle composition and hygroscopicity. Parallel techniques, in which co-located composition and hygroscopicity measurements are combined to infer composition-hygroscopicity relationships, may not detect the influence of external mixtures. Previous in-line measurements have been limited to single-particle composition or a limited analyte range, and are often non-quantitative and/or offline. Here, we present for the first time in-series, online, quantitative hygroscopicity-composition measurements using a Brechtel Manufacturing, Inc. Hybrid Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer and an Aerodyne High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer. This technique is first verified using laboratory-generated external particle mixtures, then extended to ambient measurements at a seaside sampling side at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The technique successfully separated laboratory-generated particles of differing hygroscopicities and showed promise for atmospheric particles, though high mass attenuation endemic to the HTDMA dual size selection limits application to environments with at least ∼14–41 μg/m3 of particulate mass, depending on composition. Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research
Prediction of Biomass in Dry Tropical Forests: An Approach on the Importance of Total Height in the Development of Local and Pan-tropical Models

ABSTRACT Dry tropical forests in arid lands cover large areas in Brazil, but few studies report the total biomass stock showing the importance of height measurements, in addition to applying and comparing local and pan-tropical models. Here, we use a biomass data set of 500 trees and shrubs, covering 15 species harvested in a management plan in the state of Pernambuco, in Brazil. We seek to develop local models and compare them with the equations traditionally applied to dry forests – showing the importance of tree height measurements. Due to the non-linear relationships with the independent variables of the tree, we used a nonlinear least squares modeling technique when adjusting models, we adopted the cross-validation procedure. In summary, our above-ground biomass data set is best represented by the Schumacher-Hall equation: exp [3.5336 + 1.9126 × log (D) + 1.2438 × log (Ht)], which shows that height measurements are essential to estimate accurately biomass. The biggest prediction errors observed when testing pan-tropical models in our data demonstrated the importance of developing new local models and indicated that careful considerations should be made if generic “pan-tropical” models without height measurements are planned for application in dry forests in Brazil.
Students' Perception Towards Engaging Factors of Extreme e-Service Learning Design for Computer Network Course

Impact brought by COVID-19 changes the whole classroom culture from face to face to the extreme online learning and this includes a course that normally implements traditional face-to-face Service Learning. Educators are required to shift the learning into the online platform which is also known as Extreme e-Service Learning and it must be prepared in a proper way. In keeping students engaged with their learning, Extreme e-Service Learning needs to be designed based on engaging factors to encourage and support student engagement with their learning. Thus, in this study, researcher designed the Extreme e-Service Learning online platform based on the engaging factors and at the same time, investigating students’ perceptions towards this learning design. A set of questionnaires were distributed and analyzed. Semi-structured interviews with students in a smaller group were conducted to have a deeper insight. Research findings suggest that students have positive views and perceptions in regard of using Extreme e-Service Learning mainly because of the learning activities and interesting features in this online platform. This study contributed to the design of Extreme e-Service Learning based on engaging factors that help e-Service Learning instructors in planning their teaching and learning process and ensure engaging experience for the students.
Reflections on School Board Evaluation Practices to Support Meaningful Feedback for Superintendent Growth and Improvement

Evaluating the superintendent is the paramount duty of the school board. Current evaluation practices are inconsistent and meaningless for providing effective feedback. The researcher was interested in understanding this issue from the school board’s perspective. Research questions addressed were: (1) What current evaluation practices exist? (2) What further training and support do school board members need? and (3) How does a school board member’s relationship with the superintendent affect their perception of the superintendent evaluation? In this qualitative study, findings confirm inadequate and inconsistent evaluation practices and a desire for ongoing support in evaluation training.
Housing as a determinant of health for older LGBT Canadians: Focus group findings from a national housing study

ABSTRACT This article shares key focus group findings from a national study focused on the housing needs of older (55+) lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Canadians. LGBT populations have and continue to face systemic discrimination and barriers to appropriate housing across the life course, and yet little attention has been given to solutions. Many older LGBT adults live alone, face poverty, and have limited familial supports which impact on their housing options. The purpose of this research was to examine how the housing needs of older LGBT Canadians are addressed at community, organizational, and policy levels. Focus group participants in five Canadian provinces were asked to describe their experiences and perceptions of safe, affordable, affirming housing for older LGBT people. Five themes from the data help guide housing providers and policymakers in improving housing for older LGBT Canadians: (a) understanding lifelong and evolving fears of discrimination among older LGBT populations, (b) recognizing diversity among older LGBT populations, (c) operationalizing LGBT-inclusive housing philosophies, (d) addressing isolation and exclusion through housing interventions, and (e) providing LGBT people with tools to access appropriate housing. These themes offer practical policy and programming approaches to address the housing needs and concerns of older LBGT Canadians.
Allelopathy of Sorghum Residues on Weed Establishment Is Affected by Hybrid, Phenolic Acid Contents and Environment

Sorghum species are well known for allelopathic potential toward weeds and other crops. Sorghum above-ground residues mediate allelopathic activity through production and release of many allelochemicals including phenolic acids. Information is limited on selection of grain sorghum hybrids with high allelopathic potential and assessment of sorghum residue phenolic activity in soil under field conditions. This study was carried out to investigate several grain sorghum hybrids for allelopathic potential for suppressing weed growth in the field in the subsequent growing season; and to investigate the involvement of phenolic substances released into soil on the establishment of weeds. The weed seedbank was affected by environmental conditions that led to different weed densities subjected to suppression by residues in soil. Differential allelopathy was identified among the sorghum hybrids suggesting that improved selection may increase production and release of allelochemicals in new hybrids to control weeds inexpensively, easily, and environmentally friendly. Tillage type (till vs no-till) had variable effects on weed suppression. Soil type, environment, sorghum hybrid traits and cultural practices complicate the use of allelopathy in weed control and benefits gained from this potentially environment friendly weed control practice. Well-planned management will be required to successfully integrate allelopathic crops into sustainable crop production.
Evaporation dynamics and energy partitioning over drying porous surfaces - from pores to landscapes

The partitioning of incoming shortwave radiative energy on evaporative surfaces determines mass and energy exchange with the atmosphere, and influences measurements of various climatic and hydrologic processes. We quantified the coupling between an evaporative flux from a drying porous surface and the corresponding surface temperature dynamics. The analytical approach employs a pore-scale diffusion model for the evaporative flux from a unit cell (representing the porous surface) based on Schlünder’s [1988] model. The evaporation flux from the unit cell’s pore was linked with other components of the surface energy balance through heat exchange across the pore’s solid walls. Model predictions for evaporative flux and associated mean thermal fields during the drying of porous surfaces were in good agreement with experimental results. The model was used to predict the so-called soil evaporation transfer coefficient ( a h ), yielding good agreement with measurements. Analysis shows that commonly assumed interfacial isothermal conditions (where surface and air temperatures are similar) may yield 15 to 40% overestimation in evaporation rates relative to nonisothermal conditions (where evaporation rates affect surface temperature). Theoretical results indicate that when shortwave radiation is significant, an evaporating porous surface may gradually warm up as it dries resulting in enhancement of evaporation rates and energy partitioning. The analytical model addresses the long standing challenge of nonlinear evaporative fluxes from drying surfaces while providing predictions for surface energy partitioning over evaporating surfaces. 1 Published as: Aminzadeh, M. , and D. Or (2013), Temperature dynamics during nonisothermal evaporation from drying porous surfaces, Water Resour. Res., 49, doi:10.1002/2013WR014384.
POTENTIAL AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS FOR SEMIARID REGIONS

The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of agroforestry systems in the semiarid, and to evaluate the productivity of eucalyptus in three planting spacing, in single cultivation in agroforestry systems. The comparison of the systems was in a randomized block design with four systems (monoculture; peanut systems; castor bean; cassava) and three eucalyptus spacing (10 m x 2 m, 10 m x 3 m and 10 m x 4 m). Monocultures and other characteristics were compared by randomized block design. Peanut productivity was evaluated at three and a half months, castor productivity at five and eight months and cassava productivity at 21 months. Eucalyptus productivity was measured at 13 and 21 months of age. The results showed that the wood production was greater in the 10 m x 2 m spacing and in the system with castor and single cultivation. The castor yield was higher in the system, in the 10 m x 3 m spacing, while the cassava productivity was higher in monoculture. The area equivalence index of the systems was higher than that of monocultures. Therefore, eucalyptus agroforestry systems intercropped with castor and cassava are suitable for the semiarid region. The 10 m x 2 m spacing provided a larger volume of wood (m³ ha-1). Castor yield was higher in the 10 m x 3 m spacing. For cassava, the highest yield was obtained in monoculture and in the system with 10 m x 3 m or 10 m x 4 m spacing.
Russian Cultural Conservatism Critiqued: Translating the Tropes of ‘Gayropa’ and ‘Juvenile Justice’ in Everyday Life

Abstract Framing the ‘conservative turn’ in Russia as a ‘culture war’ casts ordinary Russians as an amorphous reactionary mass, willingly following political entrepreneurs’ cues of intolerance. This essay rejects that interpretation and seeks to restore agency to ordinary Russians. Based on ethnographic encounters discussing homophobia and heteronormative gender and family attitudes, the essay argues that vernacular social conservatism re-appropriates official discourses to express Russians’ feelings towards their own state. Intolerance is less fuelled by elite cues but rather reflects domestic resentment towards, and fear of, the punitive power of the state, along with nostalgia for an idealised version of moral socialisation under socialism.
Chemical Constituents during the Main and Off-Season in Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Cv. Royal Special

Evaluation and quantification of fruit quality parameters like carbohydrates, phenolics, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, titrable acidity, Total Soluble Solids (TSS), carotenoids and lycopene content was done in fruits of mango cv. Royal Special, at ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, India, during the off-season (October, 2012) and main-season (June, 2013), respectively. 'Royal Special' is a typical off-season bearing cultivar, often characterized by multiple flushing and flowering under South Indian conditions. Major phytonutrients such as total sugars, reducing sugars, starch, total carotenoids, lycopene, total phenols, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, TSS, titrable acidity and average fruit yield per plant, were recorded during the off- and main- seasons. Results indicated that fruits from off-season were higher in the major chemical constituents studied compared to the main-season crop, except for fruit yield per plant. This may be attributed to poor competition for nutrients among the developing fruits which act as a sink, besides fluctuating environmental conditions during the off-season, compared to the main-season.
Age, Obesity, Family History, Previous Gestational Diabetes Are Major Risk Factors for Hyperglycemia in Pregnant Bulgarian Women

The frequency of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) ranges from 5.2% to 40.4% in different countries. This wide variability is due to numerous risk factors. The aim of the present study was to analyze the frequency and role of some risk factors for the development of Hyperglycemia regarding the Bulgarian population of pregnant women. Material: We screened 547 pregnant women, mean age 30.49±5.12 years, divided into two groups: up to 24 gestational week – g.w. (n-386, 70.6%) and after 24 g.w. (n-161, 29.4%). Methods: BMI before pregnancy and the current one at the time of the study were calculated. A two-hour, 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed. Plasma glucose was quantitatively determined using enzymatic reference method with hexokinase (Roche reagent) on Cobas e501 analyzer, in one Central laboratory on the day of the blood sampling. The results were in mmol / l. The statistical analysis was performed using standard SPSS 13.0 for Windows. Results: We showed that 14.4% (n-79/547) of the screened pregnant women have Hyperglycemia in fasted state or during the OGTT test – 7.5% in group up to 24 g.w. versus 31% in group after 24 g.w, P<0.01. The age of the group of pregnant women with Hyperglycemia (n-79) versus the others with Normoglycemia (n-468) was significantly higher - 32.18±5.26 years v.s. 30.21±5.05 years, Р<0.005. The women with a higher BMI before and during pregnancy are significantly at risk of developing glucose tolerance disorders during pregnancy, P<0.0001. Family history of diabetes occurred in 29.1% (n-23/79) of the pregnant women with Hyperglycemia, versus 13.5% (n-63/468) of those with Normoglycemia, P<0.001. There was a significant difference between the incidence of Hyperglycemia in pregnant women with previous GDM compared with those without - 3/79 (3.8%) versus 3/468 (0.6%), Р<0.04. Conclusion: Considering the main significant risk factors for the development of Hyperglycemia during pregnancy, identified in our population in the current screening - advanced maternal age, obesity, family history of diabetes, previous GDM or High blood sugar before pregnancy, verbal screening would be very helpful and would direct us immediately to screening each pregnant woman with any of these risk factors.
Study of the Hemodynamics Effects of an Isolated Systolic Hypertension (ISH) Condition on Cerebral Aneurysms Models, Using FSI Simulations

Hemodynamics is recognized as a relevant factor in the development and rupture of cerebral aneurysms, so further studies related to different physiological conditions in human represent an advance in understanding the pathology and rupture risk. In this paper, Fluid-structure interaction simulations (FSI) were carried out in six models of cerebral aneurysms, in order to study the hemodynamics effects of an isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) condition and compare it to a normal or normotensive pressure condition and a higher hypertension condition. Interestingly, the ISH condition showed, in general, the greatest hemodynamics changes, evidenced in the Time-Averaged Wall Shear Stress (TAWSS), Oscillatory Shear Index (OSI), and Relative Residence Time (RRT) parameters, with respect to a normal condition. These results could imply that a not high-pressure condition (ISH), characterized with a different shape and an abrupt change in its diastolic and systolic range may present more adverse hemodynamic changes compared to a higher-pressure condition (such as a hypertensive condition) and therefore have a greater incidence on the arterial wall remodeling and rupture risk.
A diagnostic test for cocaine and benzoylecgonine in urine and oral fluid using portable mass spectrometry

Surface mass spectrometry methods can be difficult to use effectively with low cost, portable mass spectrometers. This is because commercially available portable (single quadrupole) mass spectrometers lack the mass resolution to confidently differentiate between analyte and background signals. Additionally, current surface analysis methods provide no facility for chromatographic separation and therefore are vulnerable to ion suppression. Here we present a new analytical method where analytes are extracted from a sample using a solvent flushed across the surface under high pressure, separated using a chromatography column and then analysed using a portable mass spectrometer. The use of chromatography reduces ion suppression effects and this, used in combination with in-source fragmentation, increases selectivity, thereby allowing high sensitivity to be achieved with a portable and affordable quadrupole mass spectrometer. We demonstrate the efficacy of the method for the quantitative detection of cocaine and benzoylecgonine in urine and oral fluid. The method gives relative standard deviations below 15% (with one exception), and R2 values above 0.998. The limits of detection for these analytes in oral fluid and urine are <30 ng ml−1, which are comparable to the cut-offs currently used in drug testing, making the technique a possible candidate for roadside or clinic-based drug testing.
Sustainable Consumption: What Works Best, Carbon Taxes, Subsidies and/or Nudges?

Abstract Behavioral change techniques may show positive changes to sustainable consumption, but as with many other domains, how they interact with other typical regulatory measures is unknown. To address the empirical lacuna, the present study uses a discrete-choice set-up to simulate a lunchtime canteen in order to investigate the effects of choice preserving and choice incentivizing interventions on meal choices. Carbon tax (Experiment 1, Experiment 2) alone, behavioral interventions (Experiment 1) alone, as well in combination (Experiment 1, Experiment 2) shifted choices to a less degree than in combination. The most compelling positive behavioral change was found when introducing a redistributive pricing system that combines carbon tax and subsidies (Experiment 2), in combination with choice preserving instruments (Experiment 2, Experiment 3).
The Importance of Students’ Socio-Emotional Learning, Mental Health, and Wellbeing in the Time of COVID-19

In this policy brief, we set out the importance of focusing on students’ socio-emotional learning, especially in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We first consider the role of socio-emotional learning in students’ education and development and also their mental health and wellbeing, and then identify specific areas that we suggest have particular importance in supporting students’ education and development during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simulations of ENSO Phase-locking in CMIP5 and CMIP6

The characteristics of El-Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase-locking in observations and CMIP5 and CMIP6 models are examined in this study. Two metrics based on the peaking month histogram for all El Niño and La Niña events are adopted to delineate the basic features of ENSO phase-locking in terms of the preferred calendar month and strength of this preference. It turns out that most models are poor at simulating the ENSO phase-locking, either showing little peak strengths or peaking at the wrong seasons. By deriving ENSO’s linear dynamics based on the conceptual recharge oscillator (RO) framework through the seasonal linear inverse model (sLIM) approach, various simulated phase-locking behaviors of CMIP models are systematically investigated in comparison with observations. In observations, phase-locking is mainly attributed to the seasonal modulation of ENSO’s SST growth rate. In contrast, in a significant portion of CMIP models, phase-locking is co-determined by the seasonal modulations of both SST growth and phase-transition rates. Further study of the joint effects of SST growth and phase-transition rates suggests that for simulating realistic winter peak ENSO phase-locking with the right dynamics, climate models need to have four key factors in the right combination: (1) correct phase of SST growth rate modulation peaking at the fall; (2) large enough amplitude for the annual cycle in growth rate; (3) amplitude of semi-annual cycle in growth rate needs to be small; and (4) amplitude of seasonal modulation in SST phase-transition rate needs to be small.
An Analysis on the Impact of Firm Size on Profitability of Listed Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

This paper examines the impact of firm size on the profitability of listed Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria, carried out based on the historical panel data analysis. To achieve this objective; an ex-post factor research design was employed. Data were generated from the annual reports and accounts of the sampled quoted Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) from 2005 – 2014. Fixed-effect and random-effect Generalized Least Square (GLS) regression technique was used as tool of data analysis. The findings establish that the independent variable (firm size) has insignificant positive effect on the DMBs’ profitability proxies represented by ROA and ROE. It was concluded that Firm Size does not have significant impact on the profitability of the listed DMBs in Nigeria. The paper recommends that DMBs should maintain optimum firm size through effective management of service operations which is crucial for controlling labor cost by using the smallest possible amount of inputs which include labor and other operating cost to bring out maximum result toward improving the corporate profitability significantly.