Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and imaging of archival documents

This project explores the scope of the cutting-edge terahertz time-domain (THz-TD) spectroscopy and imaging as a potentially non-invasive diagnostic and imaging tool for the study of archival documents. While some previous research successfully uncovered drawings or texts from inaccessible layers in heritage artefacts using THz-TD imaging, inscriptions in some historical documents investigated in this project could not be revealed with this technology. This work therefore explores the parameters influencing contrast in terahertz images of historical documents, in order to objectively inform curators when terahertz technologies are likely to give well-contrasted images of inscriptions in a complex archival document and are a useful non-invasive alternative to current digitization processes. These parameters include the dispersive refractive indices and absorption coefficients of various archival materials, the physical structure of documents, as well as the choice of signal parameters and terahertz imaging systems or configurations used to produce the terahertz image. This investigation was conducted systematically using historically informed models and historical documents, with different THz-TD set-ups and accessories, and complementary analytical and imaging tools. THz-TD imaging was found to be a useful non-invasive digitization technology for documents containing lamp black, carbon black or graphite but not for documents containing bistre, sepia, verdigris or Prussian blue. While deconvolution of the terahertz signal helps in distinguishing between layers in a complex document, it can also decrease the image contrast of inscriptions. The results further reveal the potential and limitations of the use of THz-TD spectroscopy for material identification in archival collections. Minium, vermilion and corrosive iron gall inks with excess iron(II) sulfate have a characteristic spectral signature below 3 THz, which can be extracted from the surface of an inked paper or parchment sheet. The project was developed in collaboration with TeraView Ltd, Cambridge, and Nationaal Archief (Netherlands).
Epidemiology, Clinical Features, and Unusual Complications of Norovirus Infection in Taiwan: What We Know after Rotavirus Vaccines

Noroviruses (NoVs) are one of the emerging and rapidly spreading groups of pathogens threatening human health. A reduction in sporadic NoV infections was noted following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the return of NoV gastroenteritis during the COVID-19 pandemic has been noted recently. Research in recent years has shown that different virus strains are associated with different clinical characteristics; moreover, there is a paucity of research into extraintestinal or unusual complications that may be associated with NoV. The genomic diversity of circulating NoVs is also complex and may vary significantly. Therefore, this short narrative review focuses on sharing the Taiwan experience of NoV infection including epidemiology, clinical features, and complications following suboptimal rotavirus immunization in Taiwan (after October 2006). We also highlight the unusual complications associated with NoV infections and the impacts of NoV infection during the COVID-19 pandemic in the literature for possible future research directions. To conclude, further research is needed to quantify the burden of NoV across the spectrum of disease severity in Taiwan. The evidence of the connection between NoV and the unusual complications is still lacking.
Geographies of race and ethnicity 1: Black geographies

This first of three progress reports gives a brief overview of the new field of Black Geographies. It elucidates Black Geographies as a field that not only critiques the erasure of Blackness within the whiteness and coloniality of geographical thought, but also centres Black spatial thought and agency. Thus, Black Geographies is an im/possible undertaking. Nonetheless, Black Geographies speaks not only about the spatialities of Black people but overwhelmingly speaks from the voices of Black geographers: Geography will need to recruit and retain enough Black geographers to make such an undertaking truly possible.
Decision Support for Continuous Casting Planning

The tasks of steel production planning and control have a major impact on the logistics target achievement and therefore on the competitiveness of the company. The planning process is known to be extremely difficult, with various incompatible local constraints at the different production stages. As a consequence, only limited amount of constraints can be respected in higher planning levels. Detailed production planning at the different production stages has the task to derive production programs that are able to respect all local constraints and at the same time lead to appropriate target achievement. Current approaches developed for detailed continuous casting planning are not able to quickly provide alternative solutions and therewith enable decision support for conflicting objectives. Within this thesis, the detailed continuous casting problem is presented in detail. A new approach to decompose the problem is described. With this decomposition, the problem can be treated as a single machine scheduling problem and effective meta heuristics developed for similar problems can be exploited. Further, with the chosen decomposition it is possible to respect the consumption of hot metal within the scheduling of charges. This important practical constraint could not be respected within the continuous casting problem in the past. Besides the hot metal consumption, setup families and maximum batch sizes are considered in the scheduling model. MILP models are presented for the different extensions of the basic scheduling model. A iterated local search procedure is presented and the effective is shown based on the comparison with a commercial solver. The findings obtained from the scheduling research is transferred into a decision support system for the detailed continuous casting planning. Based on an industry case study, the application of the developed tool is presented on a real industry situation.
The Effects of Body Mass Index on Lumbar Microdiscectomy Outcomes

Background and Aim: The incidence of obesity has steadily risen to epidemic proportions in numerous world regions. Surgeons often encounter problems in surgeries on obese patients. This study evaluated the effects of Body Mass Index (BMI) on the outcome of patients undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy. Methods and Materials/Patients: This was primarily a case-series retrospective study of patients who underwent single-level lumbar microdiscectomy at our institution between January 2014 and April 2018. BMI was used to categorize our patients. Outcome measures were Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The Patients were also analyzed according to the operative time, average blood loss during surgery, hematoma formation, wound infection, Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) leak, deep vein thrombosis, length of stay after surgery, recurrent disc herniation, and neurologic deficit. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis methods was used to assess differences between the study variables. Results: Five hundred patients (225 male & 275 female) with a Mean±SD age of 40.3±5.2 years (range: 19-70 y) who underwent single-level lumbar microdiscectomy were enrolled for the study. All patients were followed up for 24 months after surgery. The VAS and ODI were significantly improved in all patients. There was no significant difference between groups concerning the operative time, average blood loss during surgery, hematoma formation, wound infection, CSF leak, deep vein thrombosis, length of stay after surgery, recurrent disc herniation, and neurologic deficit. Conclusion: The obtained findings indicated that BMI did not negatively impact the outcome of patients undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy.
Magnetic Resonance Image-Guided Hypofractionated Ablative Radiation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Tumor Thrombus Extending to the Right Atrium

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presenting with tumor thrombus (TT) and inferior vena cava (IVC)/right atrium (RA) infringement point to an advanced-stage disease that is deemed inoperable. Stereotactic body radiotherapy is an emerging treatment option for this group of patients with promising outcomes in recent studies that are comparable to conventional treatment methods, namely, transarterial chemoembolization and transarterial radioembolization. Here, we report a case of HCC with RA extension through the IVC. The patient was referred to our clinic for treatment options, and he was found suitable for magnetic resonance imaging-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT). We treated the patient with MRgRT in five fractions to a total dose of 40 Gray. The tumor was tracked during the treatment sessions, and adaptive treatment planning was performed before each fraction. The patient tolerated the treatment well with no acute grade 3-4 toxicities. The last follow-up showed that the patient had a complete biochemical response and is now a candidate for an orthotopic liver transplant. To our knowledge, this report is the first to document the MRgRT treatment of an HCC with TT and RA extension. MRgRT is safe and feasible for this patient group and can be an effective bridging therapy for liver transplants.
Independent and Interactive Effects of Genetic Background and Sex on Tissue Metabolomes of Adipose, Skeletal Muscle, and Liver in Mice

Genetics play an important role in the development of metabolic diseases. However, the relative influence of genetic variation on metabolism is not well defined, particularly in tissues, where metabolic dysfunction that leads to disease occurs. We used inbred strains of laboratory mice to evaluate the impact of genetic variation on the metabolomes of tissues that play central roles in metabolic diseases. We chose a set of four common inbred strains that have different levels of susceptibility to obesity, insulin resistance, and other common metabolic disorders. At the ages used, and under standard husbandry conditions, these lines are not overtly diseased. Using global metabolomics profiling, we evaluated water-soluble metabolites in liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose from A/J, C57BL/6J, FVB/NJ, and NOD/ShiLtJ mice fed a standard mouse chow diet. We included both males and females to assess the relative influence of strain, sex, and strain-by-sex interactions on metabolomes. The mice were also phenotyped for systems level traits related to metabolism and energy expenditure. Strain explained more variation in the metabolite profile than did sex or its interaction with strain across each of the tissues, especially in liver. Purine and pyrimidine metabolism and pathways related to amino acid metabolism were identified as pathways that discriminated strains across all three tissues. Based on the results from ANOVA, sex and sex-by-strain interaction had modest influence on metabolomes relative to strain, suggesting that the tissue metabolome remains largely stable across sexes consuming the same diet. Our data indicate that genetic variation exerts a fundamental influence on tissue metabolism.
The Effect of Using Solarized and Methanized Manure on Weeds Control in Eastern Moroccan Saffron Cultivation

Cultivated for its red stigmas, saffron is arguably the most expensive and precious spice in the world. However, saffron production is limited by a number of factors, including weed infestation which causes damage to this crop both quantitatively and qualitatively. Solarization and anaerobic digestion are techniques used to control weeds and plant diseases. It is for this purpose an experiment was conducted in 2018 with an objective to compare solarized manure and that resulting from anaerobic digestion on the development of weeds associated with saffron crop. During the trial, the parameters measured correspond, on the one hand, to morpho-metric measurements and the determination of saffron stigmas yield and, on the other hand, to the determination of density, dry biomass and weed control capacity. In this study, 16 weed species were recorded. The two treatments applied reduced weed density and biomass by about 55% of the weed species, including problematic species such as Cynodon dactylon, Cyperus rotundus and Convolvulus arvensis. However, there was no effect of manure treatment (T2, T3) on the populations of Chenopodium album, Aster squamatus and Medicago truncatula. The average stigmata yield from the addition of digested manure was 4% higher than the control. Similarly, the number, weight and percentage of daughter corms with a large diameter were higher for plants grown on treated manure. It was concluded that the incorporation of treated manure as a soil amendment slightly increased saffron yield and effectively controlled more than half of the weed species present. Keywords: Solarization, saffron, weeds, management strategies, manure, anaerobic digestion
Forward modelling of the completeness and preservation of palaeoclimate signals recorded by ice‐marginal moraines

Glaciers fluctuate in response to climate change and record these changes by building sedimentary landforms, including moraines. Therefore, glacial landscapes are a potentially valuable archive of terrestrial palaeoclimate change. Typically, a cooling climate causes glaciers to expand and a warming climate causes glaciers to shrink. However, the glacier response time and the influence of mountainous topography on glacier dynamics complicates this behaviour, such that moraines are not always a straightforward indicator of glacier change in response to climate change. We used a glacial landscape evolution model to simulate the response of a hypothetical mountain glacier to simple changes in climate and the resulting formation and preservation of moraines. These results show that the rate of climate change relative to the glacier response time determines the geometry, number, and position of moraines. Glaciers can build distinct moraines in the absence of climate change. The distance from the maximum ice extent may not represent the chronological order of moraine formation. Moraines can be preserved after being overrun and eroded by subsequent glaciations, but moraine sequences may also contain gaps that are unidentifiable in the field.
The Influence of Situational Leadership Style, Work Motivation and Work Environment on Employee Satisfaction Tax and Level Management Agency UPT Medan North Area

In fact, the work performance of employees does not match the expectations of an agency, and they still encounter low employee performance. As a result of low employee performance, the impact on agency productivity decreases and cannot meet the targets set by the agency, so that the agency suffers losses and experiences obstacles in its development. Meanwhile, for employees who have low work performance, it will hinder the career development and income of the employee.Descriptive analysis is a research method that provides an overview regarding situations and events so that this method intends to Base data accumulation applies.From the results of the analysis with the number of respondents as many as 63 people, the following conclusions are drawn: 1) Job satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on employee performance in Simalungun Regency Agriculture Office. 2) Leaders are expected to improve the promotion appraisal system based on performance and work results. 3) Maintaining the current good condition of employees, who are able to work hard to get awards, a well-developed family atmosphere and an interesting and challenging work atmosphere has been created.
EFFECTS OF USING PALM KERNEL SHELL AND SPIKELET FIBERS AS COARSE AGGREGATE FOR LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE

Agricultural and Industrial wastes have created waste management and pollution problems. The replacement of conventional ingredients in concrete production would reduce construction cost and proper waste management. The percentages of spikelet fibers in the composites were 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75% and 1%. Concrete cubes and rectangular bricks of sizes 150mm x 150mm x 150mm and 40mm x 40mm x 160mm respectively with different percentages of spikelet fibers cured and tested after 7 and 28 days. The flexural strength, compressive strength, Density, slump workability, rate of water absorption and grain size were analyzed. It results that palm kernel shells was well graded and a good replacement for conventional aggregates. The density and compressive strength after 28 days curing were within the range 1645 to 1749kg/m3 and 15.35 to 19.21kg/m3 respectively. It was observed that slump workability reduced while compressive strength, water absorption, density and flexural strength increases proportionately with fiber contents.
Positive mood induction through music: The significance of listener age and musical timbre

This experimental research aimed to verify whether the variables of listener age and musical timbre play significant roles in the process of the impact of music on human mood state in the context of the positive mood induction procedure using music. The stimulus material was in the form of two timbrally different versions of the same musical piece. Two participant groups in their early and late adulthood (ages: 18–30 and 60–89) participated in the research. In each of the older and the younger groups, two further subgroups were presented with timbrally different versions of the same music. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the intergroup scheme was used in the analysis of the research results. The analysis suggested statistically significant main effect of listener age, but no statistically significant main effect of timbre or interaction effect of listener age and timbre on mood state after listening to music. The average mood state after listening to music was more positive in the group of older adults than in the group of young adults (regardless of the timbral variant of music).
Impact of Gender and Feature Set on Machine-Learning-Based Prediction of Lower-Limb Overuse Injuries Using a Single Trunk-Mounted Accelerometer

Even though practicing sports has great health benefits, it also entails a risk of developing overuse injuries, which can elicit a negative impact on physical, mental, and financial health. Being able to predict the risk of an overuse injury arising is of widespread interest because this may play a vital role in preventing its occurrence. In this paper, we present a machine learning model trained to predict the occurrence of a lower-limb overuse injury (LLOI). This model was trained and evaluated using data from a three-dimensional accelerometer on the lower back, collected during a Cooper test performed by 161 first-year undergraduate students of a movement science program. In this study, gender-specific models performed better than mixed-gender models. The estimated area under the receiving operating characteristic curve of the best-performing male- and female-specific models, trained according to the presented approach, was, respectively, 0.615 and 0.645. In addition, the best-performing models were achieved by combining statistical and sports-specific features. Overall, the results demonstrated that a machine learning injury prediction model is a promising, yet challenging approach.
Satellite Observed Spatial and Temporal Variabilities of Particulate Organic Carbon in the East China Sea

In this study, we investigate spatial and temporal variabilities of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the East China Sea (ECS) and explore the dominant influencing factors for its three subregions—coastal, continental shelf and open sea—by analyzing satellite derived POC from 2001 to 2011 after calibration against in situ samplings. The analysis reveals that the largest POC occurs in spring at the coastal region with a value of 297.5 mg m−3, and the smallest in summer at the open sea region with a value of 108.9 mg m−3. POC in the coastal region is dominated by biological activity related to river discharge of nutrients and organic matter, and is regulated by sediment discharge variation due to the Three Gorge Project and chemical fertilizer application along the Changjiang River watershed; the open sea region is dominated by water exchange with the Kuroshio current, which results in the highest sea surface temperature and the lowest chlorophyll and POC among the three subregions; POC in the continental shelf region is driven by the seasonal competition between the influence of the coastal ocean and the Kuroshio current through biological activity and water exchange. A method to estimate the organic matter reserve in the ECS was developed based on satellite data and in situ samplings. Organic carbon storage was estimated at 4.08 × 1013 g, which could be used as a baseline for future estimates. An improved estimation could be found with additional in situ data and with the use of a more sophisticated algorithm for satellite POC analysis.
Rezension von: Rote Liste der gefährdeten Biotoptypen Deutschlands

Bundesamt für Naturschutz: Rote Liste der gefährdeten Biotoptypen Deutschlands – 3. , fortgeschriebene Fassung 2017 (Naturschutz und Biologische Vielfalt, Heft 156) 2017, 640 Seiten mit zahlreichen Abbildungen. Gebunden € 49,–. ISBN 978-3-7843-4056-2
Import product diversification and renewable energy: a new appraisal from developed and developing countries

ABSTRACT This study investigates the role of the import diversification in the renewable energy consumption for a global panel of both developing and developed economies. The study applies panel co-integration and panel quantile regression analysis on the panel data of 138 countries during 1995–2018. For empirical analysis, the authors used Pedroni) cointegration test and panel-quantile regressions. The investigation proves that the import diversification significantly reduces the renewable energy consumption and there is a major need for designing and implementing some revised and synchronized policies of trade with the energy mix and sustainable development goals. The empirical findings claim that the foreign direct investments, natural resources and GDP increase significantly boost the renewable energy demand for both groups of developing and developed countries. Therefore, this study shows that generally the current trade policies might be ineffective and import diversification policies should be reformed to match with the energy regulations, manufacturing, and sustainable development goals.
Phytocontent and Biological effects of Olea europaea: A Review

Olive tree (Olea europaea L., Oleaceae) leaves have been widely used in traditional herbal medicine to prevent and treat various diseases especially in Mediterranean countries. They contain several potentially bioactive com-pounds that may have hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties. Olea europaea is commonly known as Zaitoon. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and other Mediterranean nations cultivated olives for its edible fruits and to obtain oil from them. Leaves of the tree became important when olive leaf extract was reported to be potent in reducing incidence of degenerative diseases, particularly coronary heart disease (CHD) and cancers of the breast, skin, and colon. Olive leaves have the highest antioxidant power among the different parts of the olive tree. While in olive fruit, phenols (e.g. TYR) and terpenoid hydrocarbon (squalene) are the major components found in the oil. Much research has been carried out on the medical applications of olive. The choice of the plant was based on the good previous biological study of Olea europaea. Interest to choose this plant, may have been due to the widespread use of olive species medicinally, food industry and cosmetics.