Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Continental-Scale Canopy Height Modeling by Integrating National, Spaceborne, and Airborne LiDAR Data

Abstract Canopy height estimates are widely used in forest biomass and carbon assessment modeling applications with the goal of mitigating climate change through the modification of forest sustainability strategies. As a result, large-scale accurate estimates of contemporary forest conditions are required. The current study utilizes Random Forest (RF) algorithms to integrate land cover, vegetation, soil, and other supplementary data with Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) data to predict a wall-to-wall canopy height model (CHM) across Australia. Multiple CHMs are predicted from RF models trained from unique permutations of 6 predictor variables. Each 250 m resolution CHM is independently validated against airborne laser scanning (ALS) heights from 18 countrywide sites; the best CHM yielding R2 = 0.72, and RMSE = 7.43 m. The best countrywide CHM is compared against 2 similar products from the literature, both of which are subject to intersecting ALS performance assessment also. The developed CHM product utilizes up-to-date data, and is tailored to Australia, complementing the National Ecosystem Surveillance Monitoring project mandated to the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) by the Australian Department of Environment. Furthermore, with future altimetry-based Earth observation missions due for launch, the developed CHM will act as a baseline from which monitoring investigations can be executed.
Breaking the Fifth Wall: Two Studies of the Effects of Observing Interpersonal Communication with Content Creators on YouTube

Two studies were conducted to test the convergence of mass and interpersonal media processes and their effects on YouTube. The first study examined the influence of interpersonal interactions on video enjoyment. The results indicated that positive comment valence affected participants’ identification with the content creator, which then affected enjoyment of the video. To investigate the effects of convergence from a macro-level perspective, the second study tracked and recorded data from 32 YouTube videos for 34 days and recorded the following data for each video: number of views, likes, and comments/responses. The results indicated that the more content creators and users interact, the more likes the video receives. However, user-to-user interactions are associated with a decrease in the number of likes a video receives.
Soil Quality Characterization and Remediation in Relation to Soil Management

Concerns have developed over the long-term sustainability and environmental consequences of intensifying agricultural production and its effect on soil quality. Three studies that assess management impacts on indicators of soil quality, the potential remediation of low soil quality, and the use of indicators to monitor soil quality are described in the six chapters of the thesis. The first study evaluated the effects of soil management from a long-term soil fertility and crop rotation experiment (HRE) and Pennsylvania on-farm practices on microbial community levels physiological profiles (CLPP) with gram-negative BIOLOG plates. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analyses of microbial CLPP distinguished HRE treatments with manure and crop rotations more diverse than continuous corn from the other treatments and farms with routine organic amendments from no manure addition and/or wastewater irrigated farms. Although not without limitation, the CLPP can be used as an exploratory assessment of soil management. The second study evaluated soil remediation effects of compost addition on soil quality indicators and corn silage yields in three different landscape positions at a site irrigated with treated effluent from a municipal wastewater treatment plant and previously identified as having low soil quality. Soil quality indicators including soil enzyme activities, aggregate stability, and microbial biomass C increased with >90 Mg ha compost treatment in all landscape positions. CLPP with <45 Mg ha compost was different in the summit and backslope from the depression, and from >90 Mg ha treatments in all landscape positions. Corn silage yields increased with increasing compost rates in the summit position. Soil quality remediation and sitespecific management can be possible using organic amendments where soil quality is impaired. The third study evaluated a multivariate integration of soil quality indicators using principal components analysis (PCA) as a soil quality indexing process of a longterm experiment (HRE) and Pennsylvania farms with different management histories. Soil quality indicators included enzyme activities, soil microbial biomass C, total soil C, total soil N, and aggregate stability. All measured aspects of soil quality were influenced by soil management that included compost or manure additions, and forages and/or small
Développement d'outils d'interprétation de données géophysiques

Les methodes geophysiques aero-portees sont tres utilisees pour la prospection du sous-sol a l'echelle regionale, permettant ainsi de couvrir de grandes surfaces en particulier les zones difficiles d'acces. Le sujet de these concerne le developpement de techniques d'interpretation des donnees geophysiques pour le probleme des ressources naturelles et de l'environnement. La premiere partie de cette these concerne le developpement d'une methode de calcul direct des composantes des champs gravimetrique et magnetique a partir d'une structure (corps) geologique modelise(e) par une grille a base de tetraedres, ce qui permet de representer des modeles geologiques tres complexes particulierement en presence de zones faillees et heterogenes avec un nombre d'elements optimal. Plusieurs techniques d'inversions utilisent des contraintes mathematiques pour la resolution du probleme inverse en modelisation. Ces contraintes permettent de reduire le nombre de modeles possibles. Cependant les solutions proposees appelees aussi «le modele le plus probable» presentent des solutions lisses, ce qui est loin de representer la realite geologique. Pour eluder ce probleme, la deuxieme et troisieme parties de la these proposent des amelioration majeures du processus d'inversion par l'utilisation des methodes geostatistiques telle que la Simulation Gaussienne Sequentielle ou la Co-Simulation dans le cas d'une inversion conjointe afin d'estimer les probabilites a posteriori des modeles simules. La quatrieme partie de ce memoire presente une alternative a la simulation de plusieurs variables. L'apprentissage du reseau de neurones supervise par un certain nombre de points permet d'etablir une relation entre les differentes variables.
Ecosystem dynamics in Central Appalachian riparian forests affected by hemlock woolly adelgid

iii Acknowledgments. vii Vita . ix List of Tables . xiv List of Figures . xvi Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Chapter 2: Resilience, alternate states, and biodiversity of eastern forests during rapid environmental change . 13 2.1 Abstract . 13 2.2 Introduction . 14 2.3 Resilience and alternate states . 16 2.4 The role of diversity in resilience . 17 2.5 Resilience in forest ecosystems . 18 2.6 Alternate state transitions from oak to maple: mesophication . 19 2.7 Reshaping resilience across eastern deciduous forests: EAB . 24
A prospective randomized double-blind study comparing the dose-response curves of epidural ropivacaine for labor analgesia initiation between parturients with and without obesity

Background: Previous studies have explored the median effective concentration (EC50) of ropivacaine for labor epidural analgesia in parturients with obesity. However, the clinical relevance of the 90% effective concentration (EC90) remains unclear. This study aimed to determine and compare the dose–response curve of epidural ropivacaine for labor analgesia between parturients with and without obesity. Methods: Parturients were divided into two groups based on body mass index (BMI): group N, consisting of parturients with BMI <30 kg/m2, and group O, consisting of parturients with BMI >30 kg/m2. Within each group, the patients were randomized to receive one of five concentrations (0.0375%, 0.075%, 0.1125%, 0.15%, or 0.1875%) of epidural ropivacaine for labor analgesia. Analgesia was induced with a loading dose of 15 mL of the assigned concentration. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were recorded at baseline and 30 min post-dose to calculate the response (%) using the formula [(baseline VAS pain score—VAS pain score at 30 min)/baseline VAS pain score] ×100%. The EC50 and EC90 values were determined via nonlinear regression analysis. Results: The EC50 and EC90 values of ropivacaine were 0.061% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.056%–0.066%) and 0.177% (95% CI, 0.152%–0.206%) in group N and 0.056% (95% CI, 0.051%–0.061%) and 0.161% (95% CI, 0.138%–0.187%) in group O, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the EC50 and EC90 values between the two groups (p-values = 0.121 and 0.351, respectively. Conclusion: In conclusion, within the parameters of this study, our findings suggest that obesity, characterized by a mean BMI value of 30.9, does not significantly influence the EC50 and EC90 values of epidural ropivacaine for labor analgesia. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the dose-response relationship between ropivacaine and obesity with higher BMI values. Clinical trial registration: https://www.chictr. org.cn/showproj.html? proj=190747, Identifier ChiCTR2300073273.
Can a Negotiator Build a Tough Impression Without Chatting? - - Implicit Power and its Influence on Human-Computer Negotiation

In this paper, we studied the influence of implicit power in an e-commerce setting where humans negotiated with computer agents. Implicit power is defined as a kind of perceived power gained indirectly through offer exchange. In much of the past research, power was always considered to be expressed directly through chat or natural language communications during negotiation. We suggest that there is another mode of expressing power other than chat: implicitly influencing. Specifically, we designed an experiment where several aspects of implicit power were studied: anchoring, agent profile image, and experiment subjects’ personality. In our experiment, the subjects negotiated the purchase of a laptop with computer agents acting as sellers. The result suggested that implicit power indeed influenced the negotiation result.
Virtual Physical Prehabilitation in Lung Transplant Candidates: A Proof-of-Concept Study

This study aimed to preliminary test the effectiveness of 12-week virtual physical prehabilitation program followed by a maintenance phase. The main objective was to estimate the extent to which it affects exercise capacity, frailty, lower limb strength and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in lung transplant candidates. The program offered supervised strengthening exercises, independent aerobic exercises and weekly phone calls (maintenance phase). Primary outcome was the six-minute walk distance (6MWD). Secondary outcomes: the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), five-times sit-to-stand test (5STS), the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) for HRQOL. Twenty patients were included (mean age 57.9; 6 women/14 men); fourteen completed the prehabilitation program and 5 completed the maintenance phase. There was no statistically significant improvement in 6MWD, SPPB or SGRQ after the 12-week program. Most patients either maintained or improved the 6MWT and SPPB scores. There was a significant improvement in the 5STS. After the maintenance phase, most patients either improved or maintained their scores in all outcomes except for the sub-score of symptoms in the SGRQ. A 12-week virtual physical prehabilitation program with a 12-week maintenance phase can help lung transplant candidates improve or maintain their physical function while waiting for transplantation.
Effect of defrost heat leakage on freezer temperature rise during periodical defrost cycles in a frost-free refrigerator–freezer with an electric defrost heater

Periodical defrost actions are essential for the frost-free refrigerator–freezer to remove frost on the evaporator and recover its heat transfer performance. However, defrost heat could leak into the freezer and raise its temperature during defrost cycles. In this article, the effect of defrost heat leakage on freezer temperature rise of a frost-free refrigerator–freezer using an electric defrost heater was experimentally investigated. The defrost cycle was subdivided into three stages: heating, melting, and draining. Results show that in the heating stage, little warm air leaked into the freezer due to the obstruction of the frosted evaporator, so freezer temperature hardly rose (by less than 0.1°C/min). In the melting stage, flow area between adjacent fins gradually enlarged with frost melting from the bottom to the top of the evaporator; thus, warm air leaked into the freezer, raising its temperature by 0.6°C/min in average. In the draining stage, the adjacent-fin flow area reached maximum as nearly all the frost had been removed throughout the evaporator; hence, large amount of warm air entered the freezer and raised its temperature by 1.0°C/min. To the best of the author's knowledge, the stage-based acceleration in freezer temperature rise during defrost cycles was covered for the first time.
The Effect of Sports Game Intervention on Children’s Fundamental Motor Skills: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The purpose of the present study was to carry out a systematic review and a meta-analysis determining the effects of sports game intervention on fundamental motor skills in children. This paper presented a systematic review from 2001 to 2020, including the databases of Web of Science, EBSCO, Science, PubMed and Springer. (1) Participants comprised 1701 children age 3–12 years; (2) sports game interventions were investigated; (3) only studies using a Test of Gross Motor Skills assessment were included; (4) RCT were chosen as the study design to assess the impact of sports game interventions on children’s motor skills; (5) only culture-based sports game studies in the English and Chinese language were included. Two researchers independently reviewed and assessed the eligibility criteria. Out of the initial 1826 references, 12 studies with a total of 1608 participants were included in the meta-analysis. All interventions were implemented in preschool (kindergarten) or primary school populations, and all studies followed a randomized controlled trial design. The results demonstrated significantly superior development of fundamental motor skills in the intervention groups compared to the control groups (standardized mean difference = 0.30, p < 0.0001). The methodological quality of the included studies ranged from fair to excellent, and no evidence of publication bias was observed. Among them, the 12-week sports game intervention of 35 min each time three to four times a week had a better intervention effect, promoting children’s physical health and fundamental motor skills.
Influence of Greenhouse Effect on Eastern China Climate Simulated by a High Resolution Regional Climate Model

This study analyses the influence of greenhouse warming on eastern China climate simulated by a high resolution regional climate model.The regional model RegCM3 is nested in one-way mode within a NASA/NCAR finite volume element AGCM(FvGCM). Two sets of multi-decadal simulations at 20-km grid spacing for present day(1961-1990) and future climate(2071-2100,IPCC A2 emission scenario) are conducted. Firstly the FvGCM and RegCM3's simulations of present climate in eastern China are analyzed.Results show that FvGCM is able to reproduce some basic features of the observed mean surface climate,including surface air temperature and precipitation,over eastern China.Comparing with FvGCM,results from RegCM3 simulations show that the high resolution regional model further improves the simulations of both surface air temperature and precipitation climatologies.It can reproduce more detailed structures of surface temperature distribution and reduce,in some extent,cold bias in the FvGCM simulations.Furthermore,it reveals that the observed heavy precipitation center in southeastern China is better simulated by RegCM3 although it may overestimate rainfall induced by topographic forcing.FvGCM gives a wrong location of the high rainfall center with its heavy rainfall belt over the Yangtze River basin. Significant warming is simulated by RegCM3 at the end of the 21st century under IPCC A2 scenario.The warming of annual temperature ranges from 2.7℃ to 4.2℃,with greater warming in the north of the domain.Greater warming is also simulated in winter with a strong latitudinal gradient.A higher rise of the minimum temperature than the maximum temperature is simulated in the winter half of the year,which leads to a decrease in temperature diurnal variation.This feature is more significant in the northern part of the domain.Increase in the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature may cause more hot spell days in summer and less cold spell days in winter,as well as warmer winter and warmer night. General increase in annual mean precipitation is simulated by RegCM3,in a range of less than 10% to exceeding 30%. Higher increase is found to the north of the Yellow River and in South China.While a reduction of precipitation is found in broad areas in winter,in summer an increase in rainfall dominates the regions.Significant increase in summer precipitation can be found along the Yangtze River,in the southern part of Hebei Province and in South China.Increase of heavy precipitation days are simulated in the whole domain,with substantial increase found in the west and the south of Shanxi Province,the south of Hebei Province and in the north of Fujian Province,the west of Hunan Province.This can consequently lead to a higher frequency of floods in the future.
An Intervention Study: Does a Cognitive Reappraisal Technique Reduce the Perceived Stress in Fourth-Year Dental Students in New Zealand?

Background The fourth-year of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree is considered the most stressful in the curriculum. Cognitive reappraisal is a self-applied method of stress management where an individual recognises his/her physiological responses to stress as a positive phenomenon helping him/her rise to the challenge, rather than a negative one in response to a threat situation. Aim To investigate whether teaching fourth-year dental students to apply cognitive reappraisal reduces their perceived levels of stress. Methods A survey was emailed to all fourth-year dental students, inviting them to respond to a 20-item questionnaire adapted from the Dental Environmental Stress (DES) Survey. Respondents were randomly assigned to reappraisal intervention/experimental (EXP) and control intervention (CON) groups, and each group was asked to watch an educational video. The EXP group video educated respondents on how to apply cognitive reappraisal in stressful situations, and the CON group video described generic methods of stress management. A follow-up survey was conducted after 3 weeks. Results The respondent rate was 47.6%. Change scores were calculated by subtracting the follow-up DES scores from baseline DES scores. The average change score for the experimental group was +3.1, indicating a decrease in average perceived stress levels. Conversely, the average change score for the CON group was −1.06, indicating an increase in average perceived stress levels. However, this difference did not reach a statistical significance. Conclusion EXP group has shown to have positive effects on stress management, and its effects on BDS students demonstrate promise.
Combining the Use of Reflective Groundcovers and Aminoethoxyvinylglycine to Assess Effects on Skin Color, Preharvest Drop, and Quality of ‘Honeycrisp’ Apples in the Mid-Atlantic US

Apples are one of the most valuable fruits worldwide. ‘Honeycrisp’ is the top sales-producing cultivar in the US. Lack of red skin coloration and increased preharvest fruit drop significantly reduce the market value for cultivars such as ‘Honeycrisp’. The use of reflective groundcovers has been shown to enhance apple skin coloration. While the use of plant growth regulator AVG reduces fruit drop, it negatively affects skin coloration. Studies on the impacts of these practices in mid-Atlantic US-grown apples are limited. In this work, for two years, we compared differences in the light environment, fruit drop, internal ethylene concentration (IEC), physicochemical parameters, and skin coloration of ‘Honeycrisp’ apples in the lower third of the canopy. Apples were submitted to four treatment combinations of reflective groundcover (Extenday) and AVG (130 mg L−1). Assessments occurred throughout three ripening stages. Our results demonstrated that Extenday significantly promoted skin coloration (>75% blush) via the increased reflectance of photosynthetic photon flux density and UV radiation, and increased IEC, while also advancing fruit maturity, i.e., overripening. Conversely, AVG significantly minimized fruit drop and decreased EIC, delaying fruit maturity but drastically reducing red coloration (30–48% blush). The combined use of Extenday and AVG had a synergistic effect by decreasing fruit drop while enhancing fruit with >50% blush, without promoting overripening. Combining Extenday and AVG can boost the market value for ‘Honeycrisp’ apples in the mid-Atlantic US.
A High Respiratory Drive Is Associated with Weaning Failure in Patients with COVID-19-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: The Role of the Electrical Activity of the Diaphragm

Background: Mechanical ventilation is the main supportive treatment of severe cases of COVID-19-associated ARDS (C-ARDS). Weaning failure is common and associated with worse outcomes. We investigated the role of respiratory drive, assessed by monitoring the electrical activity of the diaphragm (EAdi), as a predictor of weaning failure. Methods: Consecutive, mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the ICU for C-ARDS with difficult weaning were enrolled. Blood gas, ventilator, and respiratory mechanic parameters, as well as EAdi, were recorded at the time of placement of EAdi catheter, and then after 1, 2, 3, 7, and 10 days, and compared between patients with weaning success and weaning failure. Results: Twenty patients were enrolled: age 66 (60–69); 85% males; PaO2/FiO2 at admission 148 (126–177) mmHg. Thirteen subjects (65%) were classified as having a successful weaning. A younger age (OR(95%CI): 0.02 (0.01–0.11) per year), a higher PaO2/FiO2 ratio (OR(95%CI): 1.10 (1.01–1.21) per mmHg), and a lower EAdi (OR(95%CI): 0.16 (0.08–0.34) per μV) were associated with weaning success. Conclusion: In critically ill patients with moderate–severe C-ARDS and difficult weaning from mechanical ventilation, a successful weaning was associated with a lower age, a higher oxygenation, and a lower respiratory drive, as assessed at the bedside via EAdi monitoring.