Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Zrmanja River Estuary (Adriatic Coast, Croatia) – the Need for Interdisciplinary Approach to Protection of Coastal Areas

The Zrmanja River estuary is a semi-enclosed bay immersed in a karstic landscape of the eastern Adriatic coast. It represents a highly indented system which includes part of the Zrmanja River, downstream from the Jankovića Buk, the Novigrad and the Karin Seas, and the strait connecting the Novigrad Sea with the Velebit Channel. The very fact that the estuary of the Zrmanja River is located in the karst area makes this system highly vulnerable and susceptible to possible anthropogenic pressures. Preservation of such and similar water systems relies on the knowledge of the main factors that govern its physical, chemical, biological and geochemical features. Due to the lack of geochemical data for the Zrmanja River estuary, a comprehensive study was carried out to explain sedimentation processes and the origin of the material within this estuary and provide additional knowledge necessary for its sustainable use and preservation. This paper, therefore, attempts to summarize the obtained data, focusing on the main natural and anthropogenic factors that define the geochemistry of the Zrmanja River estuary.
The Updated Wellbore Stress Models for Utah FORGE

A significant issue in the planned research and development (R&D) activities at Utah FORGE is the characterization of the in-situ stress. Previously, we reported constrained wellbore stress models for three vertical wells at FORGE: 58-32, 56-32, and 78B-32 (Ye et al., 2022). In this paper, we present the updated wellbore stress models for Utah FORGE, focusing on the deviated well: 16A(78)-32. To determine the maximum horizontal stress (S Hmax ), we integrated the drilling-induced fractures and the transverse fractures observed within the borehole image logs. We applied two methods: Method 1 directly solves the equation systems with S Hmax as the only unknown parameter, while Method 2 uses a stress inversion technique to obtain the inversion results of three unknown parameters: the magnitudes of S Hmax , the orientation of S Hmax , and the fracture trace angle ( ω ). Method 2 appears to provide more reliable stress results, suggesting that the constrained S Hmax ranges from 0.81-1.06 psi/ft indicating a normal to potentially transitional normal-strike-slip faulting regime. On the other hand, Method 1 provides scattered results, showing the magnitude of S Hmax is about 0.88-1.37 psi/ft, suggesting the existence of possible strike-slip faulting in deep formations. Furthermore, the orientation of S Hmax obtained from Method 2 ranges from N5E to N30E. This is consistent with the stress orientation indicated by drilling-induced fractures observed from the image logs. Our results also reveal the presence of thermally induced transverse fractures, though most transverse fractures could still be natural in origin.
Wetland Conversion and Fragmentation Pattern with its Impacts on Soil in the Lower Ogun River Basin, Nigeria.

This study investigated the pattern of landuse/landcover change and wetland fragmentation in the Lower Ogun River Basin between 1984 and 2007. Two sets of topographical map, a Land Sat TM image of 1984 and a SPOT image of 2007 were used for the study. The topographical maps and satellite images were digitally processed using ILWIS 3.3 software and exported to ArcGis 9.2 for further processing and analysis. The processed images were subsequently classified using the maximum likelihood classification algorithm, resulting in the identification of seven land use classes, which are, farmland, forested wetland, light forest, non-forested wetland, shrub, urban and water body. Furthermore, change detection analysis was carried out using the cross module of the ILWIS software. The result of the change detection analysis indicated that between 1984 and 2007, 60.90% of the land cover in the area has been converted to other land uses while only 39.10% remained unchanged. Also, light forest, water body and forested wetland decreased at average rates of 2.39, 1.88 and 0.32% per annum respectively. On the other hand farmland, shrub urban/built up and non-forested wetland expanded at the rates of 6.31, 4.94, 0.26 and 0.29% respectively. At the same time, forested wetland patches decreased from 145 to 57 and non-forested wetland patches decreased from 136 to 70, while mean patch size increased from 16.19 ha to 35.98 ha. Five composite soil samples each to the depth 0-20 cm were randomly collected and analyzed for their physicochemical properties using standard methods to determine the impact of landuse/landcover change on soil quality in the selected forested and non-forested wetlands. This study shows that changes in wetland fragmentation patterns negatively affected soil quality in the study area. There is therefore an urgent need to evolve sustainable management and utilization of fragile ecosystem such as wetlands.
Observation‐Based Trends of the Southern Ocean Carbon Sink

The Southern Ocean (SO) carbon sink has strengthened substantially since the year 2000, following a decade of a weakening trend. However, the surface ocean pCO2 data underlying this trend reversal are sparse, requiring a substantial amount of extrapolation to map the data. Here we use nine different pCO2 mapping products to investigate the SO trends and their sensitivity to the mapping procedure. We find a robust temporal coherence for the entire SO, with eight of the nine products agreeing on the sign of the decadal trends, that is, a weakening CO2 sink trend in the 1990s (on average 0.22 ± 0.24 Pg C yr−1 decade−1), and a strengthening sink trend during the 2000s (−0.35 ± 0.23 Pg C yr−1 decade−1). Spatially, the multiproduct mean reveals rather uniform trends, but the confidence is limited, given the small number of statistically significant trends from the individual products, particularly during the data‐sparse 1990–1999 period.
Evaluation of Gridded Precipitation Datasets over Arid Regions of Pakistan

The rough topography, harsh climate, and sparse monitoring stations have limited hydro-climatological studies in arid regions of Pakistan. Gauge-based gridded precipitation datasets provide an opportunity to assess the climate where stations are sparsely located. Though, the reliability of these datasets heavily depends on their ability to replicate the observed temporal variability and distribution patterns. Conventional correlation or error analyses are often not enough to justify the variability and distribution of precipitation. In the present study, mean bias error, mean absolute error, modified index of agreement, and Anderson–Darling test have been used to evaluate the performance of four widely used gauge-based gridded precipitation data products, namely, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC), Climatic Research Unit (CRU); Asian Precipitation Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration towards Evaluation (APHRODITE), Center for Climatic Research—University of Delaware (UDel) at stations located in semi-arid, arid, and hyper-arid regions in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The result revealed that the performance of different products varies with climate. However, GPCC precipitation data was found to perform much better in all climatic regions in terms of most of the statistical assessments conducted. As the temporal variability and distribution of precipitation are very important in many hydrological and climatic applications, it can be expected that the methods used in this study can be useful for the better assessment of gauge-based data for various applications.
THE GEOLOGICAL EXPRESSION OF EUSTACY IN THE EARLY TERTIARY OF THE GIPPSLAND BASIN

In the non-marine to marginal marine environments of the Latrobe Group, distinct sedimentary sequences are recognised on seismic records and these sequences are often expressed in wells by palynological zones, changes in E-log character and lithology. The succession of sequences represents variations in sea level, many of which are interpreted aseustatic. Eustatic falls are represented by unconformities and channel formation along the seaward margin and by hiatuses (frequently with dolomite cementation of underlying sands) landward in deltaic and non-marine sections. Eustatic rises are represented by dinoflagellate ingressions over truncated surfaces at sequence boundaries, followed by outbuilding of deltaic environments at the stillstand towards the end of each cycle. During the Paleocene and Eocene very little sediment was deposited beyond the limits of the marginal marine environments except within channels where the Flounder and Turrum Formations are found. In this time interval they was an overall landward encroachment of successive sequences reflecting an overall sea level rise. The interaction of rising sea level and limited deposition beyond the marginal marine edge meant that successive sequences became more restricted seaward such that within the marine environment the area of non-deposition increased. The surface thus defined, modified locally by channel erosion, constitutes the unconformity at the top of the Latrobe Group. This unconformity surface was preserved when deposition of fine-grained open marine sediments of the Lakes Entrance Formation commenced in the Oligocene. In the Tasman Sea a succession of terrigenous silts and clays present in the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Site 283 can be correlated with periods when fine-grained sediments bypassed the Gippsland shelf. The stratigraphy of this site can be interpreted as a record of availability of sediment from the southeastern Australian continental shelf. The times of commencement and termination of stratigraphic units and disconformities at Site 283 correlate with timing of eustatic cycles. Thus the stratigraphy of Site 283 is a record, as is the Latrobe Group, of how eustacy interacts with basin morphology to modify distribution of sediments.
Comparative Study on Efficacy of Aloe Vera Leaf and Gel Extracts against Tinea Corporis and Malasezia Furfur

This study was carried out to determine the phytochemical constituents and comparative antifungal effects of the leaf and gel of Aloe vera ( Aloe barbadensis) against some dermatophytes. The antifungal efficacy of Aloe barbadensis leaf and gel extract was tested against Tinea corporis and Malassezia furfur using agar well diffusion assays. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponin, alkaloid, tannin, flavonoid and glycoside in both leaf and gel extracts of Aloe barbadensis , while steroid was absent in both extracts. Antifungal test was carried out for both leaf and gel extract at 100% concentration . It was observed that the Aloe vera gel extract (GE) showed high activity against Tinea corporis and Malassezia furfur with zones of inhibition of 10.5±0.2mm and 10.1±0.2mm respectively, while the leaf extract (LE) had zones of 8.7±0.2mm and 6.4±0.1mm for both Malassezia furfur and Tinea corporis respectively. The positive control (Zinc pyrithione) had slightly higher antifungal effect (10.9±0.5mm) in comparison with that of gel extract (GE) against Tinea corporis (10.5±0.2mm) and Malassezia furfur (10.1±0.2mm) . The MIC of gel extract against both Tinea corporis and Malassezia furfur was 25% , while the leaf extract had 25% for Malassezia furfur and 50% for Tinea corporis. The result obtained from the study revealed that both leaf and gel extracts of Aloe barbadensis have high antifungal effect against the test organisms and could be potent in the production of alternative new antifungal agents.
Similar Ef ﬁ cacies of Selection Shape Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genes in Both Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens

Deleterious mutations contribute to polymorphism even when selection effectively prevents their ﬁ xation. The ef ﬁ cacy of selection in removing deleterious mitochondrial mutations from populations depends on the effective population size ( N e ) of the mitochondrial DNA and the degree to which a lack of recombination magni ﬁ es the effects of linked selection. Using complete mitochondrial genomes from Drosophila melanogaster and nuclear data available from the same samples, we reexamine the hypothesis that nonrecombining animal mitochondrial DNA harbor an excess of deleterious polymorphisms relative to the nuclear genome. We ﬁ nd no evidence of recombination in the mitochondrial genome, and the much-reduced level of mitochondrial synonymous polymorphism relative to nuclear genes is consistent with a reduction in N e . Nevertheless, we ﬁ nd that the neutrality index, a measure of the excess of nonsynonymous polymorphism relative to the neutral expectation, is only weakly signi ﬁ cantly different between mitochondrial and nuclear loci. This difference is likely the result of the larger proportion of bene ﬁ cial mutations in X-linked relative to autosomal loci, and we ﬁ nd little to no difference between mitochondrial and autosomal neutrality indices. Reanalysis of published data from Homo sapiens reveals a similar lack of a difference between the two genomes, although previous studies have suggested a strong difference in both species. Thus, despite a smaller N e , mitochondrial loci of both ﬂ ies and humans appear to experience similar ef ﬁ cacies of purifying selection as do loci in the recombining nuclear genome.
Development and validation of LC-MS/MS method for the determination of amikacin in human plasma and its application in adult hospitalized patients in Yogyakarta Indonesia

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is critical to ensure the safe and effective administration of amikacin (AMK), which has a narrow therapeutic index. This study aimed to develop and validate an efficient and simple liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for determining AMK in human plasma and applying it to hospitalized patients. Before LC-MS/MS measurements, plasma samples were treated with an optimized protein precipitation method using methanol (MeOH). Optimum chromatographic conditions for determining AMK in human plasma include using a C8 column (5 μm, 100 × 4.6 mm) and gradient elution using ammonium formate-formic acid-H2O and formic acid-MeOH mixture as the mobile phase at a 0.5 ml/minute flow rate. The method has been validated following the European Medicines Agency guidelines and has met all validation requirements with excellent selectivity, an lowest limit of quantification value of 0.2 μg/ml, good accuracy and precision in the linear range of 0.2–25 μg/ml, good dilution integrity up to 20 dilution times, and stable under various conditions. The method has also successfully been applied for measuring AMK peak levels (Cmax) and trough levels (Cmin) in the plasma of adult inpatients at Dr. Sardjito Hospital Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The LC-MS/MS measurement can be completed in 7.5 minutes, and the method can be applied in the TDM of AMK.
The FBK system for the CHiME-4 challenge

This paper describes the ASR system submitted by FBK to the CHiME-4 challenge for the single channel track. The proposed solution employs multiple subsystems, whose DNNs are trained with different training criteria and strategies (i.e. diverse training material, with and without batch normalization). A “self” adaptation of acoustic models is applied to each subsystem, relying on a blind estimate of the accuracy of automatic transcriptions. This adaptation, performed in a batch fashion over the entire evaluation set, signiﬁcantly improves the performance of each subsystem. The ﬁnal output is obtained by combining the multiple transcriptions through ROVER, which provides a further improvement, reducing the average WER on the evaluation set from 22.3% to 16.5%.
On Eccentric Domination in Graphs

: A set D  V(G) is an eccentric dominating set if D is a dominating set of G and for every v  V  D, there exists at least one eccentric vertex of v in D. The minimum cardinality of eccentric dominating set is called the eccentric domination number and is denoted by  ed (G). In this paper, we have provided some new bounds for  ed (G) and established the relation between  ed (G),  0 (G) and  0 (G). We have also characterized graphs for which  ed (G) = p  1 and p  2.
Nest defense, personality, and fitness of a locally endangered island passerine

Personality, or repeatable variation in behavior, may impact an animal's survival or reproduction. Parental aggression is one such personality trait with potentially direct implications for fitness, as it can improve offspring survival during vulnerable early life stages. We took advantage of a long-term nest box and fledgling survival monitoring project to explore the potential fitness consequences of both repeatability and variation in parental aggression in breeding pairs of a locally endangered passerine species (Såli: Micronesian starling, Aplonis opaca ) in the presence of an invasive predator, the brown treesnake ( Boiga irregularis ), on the island of Guam. To do so, we tested for associations between aggressive offspring defense throughout the nesting cycle and three fitness measures: hatching success, fledging success
VPN Awareness and Misconceptions: A Comparative Study in Canadian and Japanese Contexts

—This study delves into the utilization patterns, perceptions, and misconceptions surrounding Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) among users in Canada and Japan. We administered a comprehensive survey to 234 VPN users in these two countries, aiming to elucidate the motivations behind VPN usage, users’ comprehension of VPN functionality, and prevalent misconceptions. A distinctive feature of our research lies in its cross-cultural comparison, a departure from previous studies predominantly centered on users within a Western context. Our findings underscore noteworthy distinctions among participant groups. Specifically, Japanese users predominantly employ VPNs for security purposes, whereas Canadian users leverage VPNs for a more diverse array of services, encompassing privacy and access to region-specific content. Furthermore, disparities in VPN understanding emerged, with Canadians demonstrating a superior grasp of VPN applications despite limited technical knowledge, while Japanese participants exhibited a more profound understanding of VPNs, particularly in relation to encrypting transmitted traffic. Notably, both groups exhibited a constrained awareness regarding the data logging practices associated with VPNs. This research significantly contributes to the broader comprehension of VPN usage and sheds light on the cultural intricacies that shape VPN adoption and perceptions, offering valuable insights into the diverse motivations and behaviors of users in Canada and Japan.
Expression levels of glycoprotein O (gO) vary between strains of human 6 cytomegalovirus, influencing the assembly of gH/gL complexes and virion 7 infectivity

45 Tropism of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is influenced by the envelope glycoprotein 46 complexes gH/gL/gO and gH/gL/UL128-131. During virion assembly, gO and the UL128-131 47 proteins compete for binding to gH/gL in the ER. This assembly process clearly differs among 48 strains since Merlin (ME) virions contain abundant gH/gL/UL128-131 and little gH/gL/gO, 49 whereas TR contains much higher levels of total gH/gL, mostly in the form of gH/gL/gO, but 50 much less gH/gL/UL128-131 than ME. Remaining questions include 1) what are the 51 mechanisms behind these assembly differences, and 2) do differences reflect in vitro culture 52 adaptations or natural genetic variations? Since the UL74(gO) ORF differs by 25% of amino 53 acids between TR and ME, we analyzed recombinant viruses in which the UL74(gO) ORF was 54 swapped. TR virions were >40-fold more infectious than ME. Transcriptional repression of 55 UL128-131 enhanced infectivity of ME to the level of TR, despite still far lower levels of 56 gH/gL/gO. Swapping the UL74(gO) ORF had no effect on either TR or ME. A quantitative 57 immunoprecipitation approach revealed that gH/gL expression was within 4-fold between TR 58 and ME, but gO expression was 20-fold less by ME, and suggested differences in mRNA 59 transcription, translation or rapid ER-associated degradation of gO. Trans-complementation of 60 gO expression during ME replication gave 6-fold enhancement of infectivity beyond the 40-fold 61 effect of UL128-131 repression alone. Overall, strain variations in assembly of gH/gL 62 complexes result from differences in expression of gO and UL128-131, and selective 63 advantages for reduced UL128-131 expression during fibroblast propagation are much stronger 64 than for higher gO expression.
Assessment of the efficacy of neem based insecticides for the management of yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas Walk. in paddy field

The investigation entitled “Assessment of the efficacy of Neem based insecticides for the management of yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas Walk. in paddy field” was carried out at Research cum Instructional Farm of IGKV, Raipur (C.G.) during Kharif , 2015-16 and Six commercial biopesticides like, Neembaan Neemazal, Nimbecidine, Multineem, Neem oil, NSKE and a chemical insecticide i.e., Dinotefuran were evaluated against stem borer in the field conditions. As per the performance of different treatments, treatment involving Nimbecidine @ 5 ml/l was most effective with overall mean 6.36 percent dead heart and 14.00 percent white ear head. It was closely followed by Neem oil @ 5ml/l overall mean 6.82 percent dead heart and 16.58 percent white ear head.
Low-cost high-resolution 3D and 4D seismic for deepwater fields

We acquired high resolution 3D streamer seismic data (HR3D) with a small (300 cu in) air-gun source array and 18 short (100m) hydrophone cables over three deep water fields. The resulting data show that high resolution 3D images can be obtained at reservoirs located up to 2000 m below the seafloor in deepwater environments. An additional 2D test of the system demonstrated a time-lapse repeatability of NRMS=15% in zones where the reservoirs lay above the first water bottom multiple. This work suggests that HR3D surveys are suitable for low-cost timelapse seismic monitoring (HR4D) of deepwater reservoirs and geohazards that are shallow relative to the water depth.
Role of orography, diurnal cycle, and intraseasonal oscillation in summer monsoon rainfall over Western Ghats and Myanmar coast

AbstractRainfall over the coastal regions of western India [Western Ghats (WG)] and Myanmar [Arakan Yoma (AY)], two regions experiencing the heaviest rainfall during the Asian summer monsoon, is examined using a Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) dataset spanning 16 years. Rainfall maxima are identified on the upslope of the WG and the coastline of AY, in contrast to the offshore locations observed in previous studies. Continuous rain with slight nocturnal and afternoon–evening maxima occurs over the upslope of the WG, while an afternoon peak over the upslope and a morning peak just off the coast are found in AY, resulting in different locations of the rainfall maxima for the WG (upslope) and AY (coastline). Large rainfall amounts with small diurnal amplitudes are observed over the WG and AY under strong environmental flow perpendicular to the coastal mountains, and vice versa. Composite analysis of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) shows that the rain an.