Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validation of Collection 6 MODIS land surface temperature 1 products using in situ measurements 2 3

Land surface temperature (LST) is an important parameter at the 23 land-atmosphere interface. The Collection 6 (C6) MODIS LST products are publicly 24 available. Three refinements were performed over bare soil surfaces in the C6 MODIS 25 LST products when compared with the Collection 5 (C5) MODIS LST products. To 26 facilitate the use of the LST products in a wide range of applications, it is necessary to 27 comprehensively evaluate the accuracies of the C6 MODIS LST products. In this 28 study, we validated the C6 MODIS LST products using the temperature-based method 29 2 over various land cover types, including grassland, cropland, cropland/natural 30 vegetation mosaic, Gobi, sandy dune, and desert steppe. In situ measurements were 31 collected from sites under different atmospheric and surface conditions, including six 32 SURFRAD sites in the United States, two KIT sites in Portugal and Namibia, and four 33 HiWATER sites in China. In general, the accuracies of the C6 MODIS LST products 34 at night are better than those during daytime. The daytime RMSE varies from 35 approximately 1.5 K to 5.6 K, whereas the night-time RMSE is less than 2 K at all 36 sites except for the HiWATER SSW site. Furthermore, the accuracies of the C6 37 MODIS LST products were compared with those of the C5 MODIS LST products 38 over bare soil surfaces. The C6 MODIS LST products are in excellent agreement with 39 the in situ LST measurements at the KIT Gobabeb site, with biases of 0.36 K during 40 the day and 0.24 K at night, and RMSEs of 1.5 K during daytime and 0.74 K during 41 night-time. However, there are no improvements in the accuracies of the C6 MODIS 42 LST products when compared with the C5 MODIS LST products due to further 43 overestimation of emissivities at the four HiWATER sites. 44 45
AC 2009-408: HOW AND TO WHAT EXTENT DOES A SERVICE-LEARNING PEDAGOGY ENHANCE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATIVE SKILL LEARNING AMONG FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS?

Sally Blomstrom, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Sally Blomstrom, Ph. D. , is an associate professor teaching communication courses at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. Her background in industry provided many opportunities to put her degrees in communication to practical use. She includes service-learning as an integral part of her pedagogy, and she investigates the effectiveness of service-learning to inform her teaching.
Microhabitat use by the Eastern worm snake , Carphophis amoenus

Soil moisture, soil pH, and temperature of microhabitats used by the Eastern worm snake, Carphophis amoenus, were measured at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Fairfax County, Virginia. Microhabitat soil moisture ranged from 10-83% depending on the season and year. Soil pH had a mean of 6.1. The range (5.0-6.9) was similar to the preferred range of the Eastern worm snake’s main prey, the earthworm. Cloacal temperature was moderately correlated to air and substrate temperatures and varied significantly depending on time of day, season, or year. There were no significant differences between males and females or adults and juveniles for any of the parameters. Eastern worm snakes were found at a wide range of soil moistures, soil pHs, and temperatures. Eastern worm snakes, particularly males, showed site fidelity but were also capable of quickly exploiting new habitats.
Forum Practical Perspectives: Special Section COVID-19 Statistical method to determine the need for hospitalization of COVID-19 patients

The growth rate of COVID-19 is causing worldwide concern. The development of indirect methods used to determine hospitalizations only for necessary cases is of fundamental importance to prevent overcrowding in the health system. The general objective of this article is to propose a statistical method, based on logistic regression, capable of indicating whether a patient who tests positive for COVID-19 should be directed to home isolation or be admitted to a hospital, based on blood tests and age. The data was collected from 5,645 blood tests of patients in March and April 2020. Based on the use of the independent variables ‘C-reactive protein,’ ‘neutrophils,’ and ‘monocytes,’ as well as the age of the patient affected by COVID-19, it is possible to predict with a reasonable degree of accuracy whether, upon arriving at the hospital and testing positive, the individual should be recommended to isolate at home or be admitted to a healthcare facility.
Constituents of Hypericum hircinum Oils

Abstract The fruit and leaf oils of Hypericum hircinum(Guttiferae, Hypericoideae) from Calabria (Italy) have been studied by GC and GC/MS. The major components identified in each oil were nonane (35.5%, 19.3%), β-pinene (17.3%, 2.6%), α-pinene (8.5%, 0.8%), limonene (12.7%, 2.5%), α-gurjunene (10.7%, 0.3%) and caryophyllene oxide (15.3%, 0.3%).
The Role of Hemicellulose in the Delignification of Wood

Hemicellulose was selectively removed from white birch by treatment with cold alkali. Untreated and alkali-treated samples were pulped to various stages of delignification by the acid chlorite process. The acid chlorite reagent was shown to be selective for lignin removal from both samples during the first 60% of delignification.In alkali-treated white birch, the median pore width increased considerably as acid chlorite delignification proceeded. In contrast, in untreated white birch, this parameter remained relatively constant during the first 60% of delignification.Alkali-treated white birch delignified at a much faster rate than untreated white birch. In addition, there was a topochemical preference for removal of lignin from the secondary wall of the fibers in the hemicellulose-deficient wood. Apparently, prior removal of hemicellulose caused larger pores to be produced in the fiber walls during pulping, thereby facilitating a more rapid removal of lignin.
Acid‐Induced Rearrangement of Epoxygermacra‐8,12‐olides: Synthesis and Absolute Configuration of Guaiane and Eudesmane Derivatives from Artemisiifolin

A study on the acid-induced rearrangement of 4,5-epoxy- and 1,10-epoxygermacra-8,12-olides was carried out. From a 4,5-epoxy derivative, guaianes were obtained, whereas 1,10-epoxy derivatives furnished, depending on the stereochemistry of the C-1/C-10 epoxy ring, trans-5β,10α- or trans-5α,10β-eudesmanolides.
Formation and Land-Use History of Celtic Fields in North-West Europe – an Interdisciplinary Case Study at Zeijen, the Netherlands

Celtic field research has so far been strongly focused on prospection and mapping. As a result of this there is a serious lack of knowledge of formation and land-use processes of these fields. This article describes a methodological case study in The Netherlands that may be applied to other European Celtic fields in the future. By interdisciplinary use of pedological, palynological and micromorphological research methods the authors were able to discern five development stages in the history of the field, dating from the late Bronze Age to the early Roman Period. There are strong indications that the earthen ridges, very typical for Celtic fields in the sandy landscapes of north-west Europe, were only formed in the later stages of Celtic field agriculture (late Iron Age and early Roman period). They were the result of a determined raising of the surface by large-scale transportation of soil material from the surroundings of the fields. Mainly the ridges were intensively cultivated and manured in the later stages of Celtic field cultivation. In the late Iron Age a remarkable shift in Celtic field agriculture took place from an extensive system with long fallow periods, a low level of manuring and extensive soil tillage to a more intensive system with shorter fallow periods, a more intensive soil tillage and a higher manuring intensity. There are also strong indications that rye (Secale cereale) was the main crop in the final stage of Celtic field agriculture.
Effect of B2O3 Addition on the Thermal Stability of Barium Phosphate Glasses for Optical Fiber Devices

The effect of B2O3 addition on the thermal stability of BaO–P2O5 glasses is studied by differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The difference between glass-transition and onset-crystallization temperatures increases monotonically with increasing B2O3 concentration. The DTA result reveals that no exothermic peak due to surface crystallization exists in the BaO–P2O5 glass doped with 3 mol% B2O3. A single-mode BaO–P2O5-B2O3 glass fiber could be fabricated by a rod-in-tube technique. The modification of glass structure due to B2O3 addition is qualitatively discussed.
Study of partial discharges and gassing phenomena within gaseous cavities in insulating liquids

Gassing phenomena under an AC voltage in various dielectrics liquids subjected to partial discharges produced in different gases are discussed. The roles of the numerous experimental parameters which affect the results have been studied using a uniform field test cell. It is shown first that from the classical PD equivalent circuit, a more refined analysis permits a good description of the influence of parameters such as gas and solid thickness as well as the amplitude and frequency of the applied voltage on gas volume variations, and discharge characteristics. This allows one to get suitable measurement of the charge and energies involved in the gaseous discharges, from which one can deduce the energy required to absorb (or to create) a gas molecule. This gassing energy, which is independent of the experimental parameters, is characteristic of each gas/liquid pair and constitutes a valuable quantitative evaluation of the gassing properties. >
An Accessibility Evaluation of the Websites of Top-ranked Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

Hospital websites offer the potential to improve healthcare service delivery. They can provide up-to-date information and services to patients, at low cost and regardless of their level of abilities. This, in turn, can reduce overcrowding in hospitals and reduce spread of disease, especially in circumstances like the current COVID-19 pandemic. It is, therefore, imperative for designers to ensure the accessibility of hospital websites to the widest possible range of people. This study aims to evaluate the accessibility of the websites of top-ranked hospitals in Saudi Arabia using AChecker. The sample included the websites of the top ten hospitals from each of the public and private sectors. The results show that only 20% of the evaluated websites conformed fully to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. No significant difference was found in terms of the accessibility compliance between the websites of the public and private hospitals. The most frequently observed accessibility errors were related to the structure of information, non-text content, labels and instructions, headings, and keyboard access. The study concludes that Saudi hospitals are not doing an adequate job of meeting accessibility guidelines, thereby denying many of their web customers the ability to fully use their websites.
Chemical reduction and removal of Cr(VI) from acidic aqueous solution by ethylenediamine-reduced graphene oxide

Ethylenediamine-reduced graphene oxide (ED-RGO) sheets were prepared by simple refluxing of graphene oxide (GO) solution with ethylenediamine (ED), which effectively reduced toxic Cr(VI) to less toxic Cr(III) by an indirect reduction mechanism with the assistance of π electrons on the carbocyclic six-membered ring of ED-RGO.
The Emerging Infectious Challenge of Clostridium difficile-Associated Disease in Massachusetts Hospitals: Clinical and Economic Consequences

Objective. To estimate the clinical and economic burden of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) in Massachusetts over 2 years. Design. A retrospective analysis of Massachusetts hospital discharge data from 1999-2003 was conducted. Cases of CDAD in 2000 were identified using code 008.45 from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification; patients were excluded if they had a hospitalization in the prior year during which a diagnosis of CDAD was recorded. Hospitalizations for CDAD during 2001 and 2002 were examined. For primary case patients (ie, those for which CDAD was the principal diagnosis), all inpatient costs were deemed to be related, whereas for secondary case patients, all-patient refined diagnosis-related group assignment, case severity level, and length of stay (LOS) were used to calculate incremental costs attributable to CDAD. Costs were adjusted to the national level and reported in 2005 US dollars. Results. The CDAD cohort consisted of 3,692 patients; 59% were women, and the mean age was 70 years. This group represented 1% of all patients hospitalized in Massachusetts in 2000 (96% of hospitals treated at least 1 case; range, 1-257 cases). Of patients who received a first hospital diagnosis of CDAD in 2000, a total of 28% were primary case patients; their mean LOS was 6.4 days, and the mean cost per stay was $10,212. For secondary case patients, the mean CDAD-related incremental LOS was 2.95 days, and the mean incremental cost per stay was $13,675 per patient. Of patients with CDAD who survived their index stay in 2000, a total of 455 (14%) had at least 1 readmission for CDAD within the subsequent 2 years (mean number of readmissions, 1.4 per patient; range, 1-7 readmissions), with a mean time to first readmission of 3 months. Over 2 years, a total of 55,380 inpatient-days and $51.2 million were consumed by CDAD management. Conclusion. CDAD is widespread in Massachusetts hospitals. Rehospitalization with CDAD, if it occurs, generally happens within a few months and happens multiple times for some patients. Based on this study's findings, a conservative estimate of the annual US cost for CDAD management is $3.2 billion dollars.
Study of phase transition in a [CdHgI4 : 0.2AgI] mixed conducting composite system doped with KI and K2SO4

New composite superionic systems, [CdHgI4 : 0.2AgI] : 0.xKI and [CdHgI4 : 0.2AgI] : 0.xK2SO4 (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 mol. wt%), were prepared, using [CdHgI4 : 0.2AgI] mixed composite system as the host. Electrical conductivity was measured to study the transition behavior at frequencies of 100 Hz, 120 Hz, 1 kHz, and 10 kHz in the temperature range from 150°C to 250°C using a GENRAD 1659 RLC Digibridge. A sharp increase in conductivity was observed during β → α phase transition. Upon increasing the dopant-to-host ratio, the conductivity of the superionic systems exhibited Arrhenius (thermally activated)-type behavior. Differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray powder diffraction were performed to confirm the doping effect and transition in the host. The phase transition temperature increased with an increase in the dopant concentration. Activation energies in eV for pre- and post-transition phase behavior are reported.
Sustainable Professionalism

The traditional narrative of the legal profession has run its course. Lawyers are looking for ethically sensitive ways to practice law that “assume greater responsibility for the welfare of parties other than clients” and that increasingly amount “to a plus for this society and for the world of our children. ” Lawyers are also seeking ways to practice law that allow them to get home at night and on weekends, see their families, work full or part-time, practice in diverse and “alternative” settings, and generally pursue a meaningful career in the law rather than necessarily a total life in the law. Similarly, law students are hoping not to be asked to make a “pact with the Devil” as the cost of becoming a lawyer, and are instead looking to find areas in the law that fit with their personal, political, and economic preferences. An increasing number of legal academics are teaching, researching, and writing about progressive changes to the way we view the role and purpose of lawyering. Law faculties are actively reforming their programs and creating centres and initiatives designed to make space for innovative ethics offerings and public interest programs. Law societies and other regulatory bodies are slowly chipping away at some of the time-honoured shields of ethically suspect client behaviour, while at the same time facing demands for increased accountability. The bench and the bar are taking an active interest in addressing a perceived growing lack of professionalism within the practice. The public is increasingly skeptical of the distinction that continues to be drawn between legal ethics and “ordinary standards of moral conduct. ” Finally, clients are not only expecting lawyers to actively canvass methods of alternative dispute resolution—the alternative to the adversarial and costly litigation process—but they are also demanding evidence of general sustainable professional practices from their legal counsel.
Systematic study of the influence of different equations of states on the calculation of elastic properties†

In order to test the influence of the choice of the equation of states (EOS) on the elastic properties we calculated the energy–volume dependence for AlN (rocksalt and wurtzite) and SiO2 (α-quartz and stishovite) using first-principle density-functional theory calculations for very high compression up to V/V0=0.58. We then used the same data, but using different ranges of the data, to fit seven different EOS. In particular, we compare the behavior of Murnaghan EOS, Birch-Murnaghan third- and fourth-order EOS, natural strain third and fourth order, the universal EOS by Vinet and an EOS with a polynomial E–V relation proposed by Teter et al. under high compression.
Hydrophilic Solutes in Mycobacterium chelonei

In order to define the permeability barrier to hydrophilic molecules in mycobacteria, we used as a model a smooth, P-lactamase-producing strain of Mycobacterium chelonei. The rates of hydrolysis of eight cephalosporins by intact and sonicated cells were measured, and the permeability coefficient (P) was calculated from these rates by the method of Zimmermann and Rosselet (W. Zimmermann and A. Rosselet, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 12:368-372, 1977). P ranged from (0.9 ± 0.3) x 10-8 (benzothienylcephalosporin) to (10 ± 3.3) x 10-8 cm/s (cephaloridine); i.e., the P values were lower than those reported for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli by 1 and 3 orders of magnitude, respectively. The permeability barrier was shown to reduce drastically the stream of drug molecules entering the cell, allowing the rather low level of P-lactamase (0.1 U/mg of protein with penicillin G) to decrease radically the concentration of the drug at the target; this explains the poor in vitro activities of the Plactams against M. chelonei. We also estimated P for small, hydrophilic molecules (glucose, glycerol, glycine, leucine), by studying their uptake kinetics. The values found, ranging from 15 x 10-8 to 490 x 10-8 cm/s, were consistent again with a very low permeability ofM. chelonei cell wall. The permeation of cephalosporins was not very dependent on the hydrophobicity of the molecules or on the temperature, suggesting a hydrophilic pathway of penetration for these molecules.
Effect of various nickel levels on growth and chlorophyll content of corn plants supplied with urea and ammonium nitrate

Both the beneficial and the adverse effects of various nickel level supplements on growth and chlorophyll content of corn plants were evaluated while either urea or ammonium nitrate was applied as the sole N source in the nutrient solutions. This study was arranged in completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments included nutrient solution cultures containing urea and ammonium nitrate at the rate of N 84 mg L -1 separately as nitrogen sources with four nickel levels as NiSO 4 . 6H 2 O at the rates of Ni 0, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 mg L -1 . Plants were allowed to grow for 6 weeks, and then leaf chlorophyll content and shoot and root fresh and dry weight were determined. Both plant growth and leaf chlorophyll content of the ureafed plants increased significantly with the increase in nickel content up to 0.1 mg L -1 . However, root fresh and dry weight increased up to Ni 0.01 mg L -1 and started to decrease with further increase in solution nickel content. Nickel did not affect these parameters with plants supplied with ammonium nitrate significantly. In these plants, the optimum nickel level for shoot growth and leaf chlorophyll content was 0.05 mg L -1 and for root fresh and dry weight it was 0.01 mg L -1 . Further increase in Ni concentration reduced growth. In total plants that received urea plus nickel performed better than those that received ammonium nitrate plus nickel.
Redescription of the archosaur Parringtonia gracilis from the Middle Triassic Manda beds of Tanzania, and the antiquity of Erpetosuchidae

Abstract Parringtonia gracilis Huene, 1939 is represented by both cranial and postcranial material collected from the lower Middle Triassic (Anisian) Lifua Member of the Manda beds in southwestern Tanzania. This aberrant taxon was previously proposed to have affinities with pseudosuchian archosaurs, and specifically with the enigmatic Erpetosuchus granti from the Upper Triassic of Scotland. Here, we confirm the close affinities of Parringtonia gracilis and Erpetosuchus granti based on the following unambiguous synapomorphies: mediolaterally expanded posterior portion of the maxilla, alveoli present only in the anterior half of the maxilla, and absence of tooth serrations. Furthermore, the two taxa share osteoderms with deep sculpturing, a deep fossa on the dorsal margin of the neural spines and a heavily waisted shaft of the scapula. We added both Parringtonia gracilis and Erpetosuchus granti into a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of early archosaurs and found that these taxa are clearly referable to Archosauria but that relationships are poorly resolved at the base of this clade. However, our analysis demonstrates that Erpetosuchus granti is not closely related to Crocodylomorpha, as has been hypothesized previously. The Erpetosuchidae are a clade of small-bodied archosaurs that have a poor fossil record but have members from both northern and southern Pangaea, ranging temporally from the Middle to Late Triassic. Thus, Erpetosuchidae is part of the early archosaurian radiation.