Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Child Health Outcomes in Ethiopia: Nationally Consistent or Yielding Evidence of Regional, Religious, and Ethnic Inequity?

The EPRDF ruling party in Ethiopia has come under much scrutiny for its governance through “ethnic federalism” following its coming to power in 1991. Its leadership has been seen by many as a mask for a highly centralized system that focuses much of the country’s resources to Tigray State – the home state of many within the EPRDF. In order to test the argument of unequal resource distribution, child health across demographic groupings was measured to determine if a disparity actually exists. Using the Demographic and Health Surveys’ 2005 survey in Ethiopia (EDHS), six health productions functions (two national and four local – for SNNPR, Oromiya, Amhara, and Tigray States) were estimated by using common health variables as well as variables for region, religion, and ethnicity. These models seek to identify the major determinants of health for Ethiopian children under six years of age through their height-for-age z-scores (HAZs), and if this health score is nationally consistent. The results confirmed that for the most part, child health was generally poor throughout the country. Many of the expected determinants of health also held true, particularly mother’s size, which was most correlated with a child’s health. In terms of region, religion, and ethnicity, the results somewhat contradicted the literature: the children of Tigray State had health almost identical to the Ethiopian average and the children of a number of other states unexpectedly had better health, such as was the case in Oromiya State. However, Amhara State’s children had some of the worst health in this analysis. The regression results identified significant impacts on health because of region, especially in Amhara State where HAZs sharply decreased due to residency, but religion and ethnicity usually yielded insignificant impacts. The quantitative analysis measuring the determinants and potential disparities in health offered by this work should be added to the existing literature as a starting point in creating future health policy since it measures how and where inequities in health, and therefore living standards, likely exist rather than assuming what the sources of predicted inequities are.
Global aridity synthesis for the last 60 000 years

Abstract. A compilation of published literature on the dust content in terrestrial and marine sediment cores are synchronised on the basis of pollen data and speleothem growth phases within GICC05 age constrain. Based on that, aridity patterns for ten key areas in the global climate system are reconstructed over the past 60 000 years. These records have different time resolutions and rely on different dating methods, thus of various types of stratigraphy. Nevertheless, all regions show humid conditions during the early MIS3 and early Holocene, but not always of the same timing. Such discrepancies have been interpreted as regional effects while also due to stratigraphical uncertainties. In comparison, the MIS2 interval becomes arid in all northern hemisphere records, but the peak arid conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) differ in duration and intensity among regions. In addition, we also make comparisons between the aridity synthesis to modelling results using a Global Climate Model (GCM). Indeed, both lines of evidence show great agreement for the Holocene, LGM and for the late MIS intervals.
Ambient-noise tomography of the Greater Geneva Basin in a geothermal exploration context

The Greater Geneva Basin is one of the key targets for geothermal exploration in Switzerland. Until recently, information about the subsurface structure of this region was mostly composed of well-logs, seismic reflection lines, and gravity measurements. As part of the current effort to further reduce subsurface uncertainty, and to test passive seismic methods for exploration purposes, we performed an ambient-noise tomography of the Greater Geneva Basin. We used ∼1.5 yr of continuous data collected on a temporary seismic network composed of 28 broad-band stations deployed within and around the basin. From the vertical component of the continuous noise recordings, we computed cross-correlation functions and retrieved Rayleigh-wave group-velocity dispersion curves. We then inverted the dispersion curves to obtain 2-D group-velocity maps and proceeded to a subsequent inversion step to retrieve a large-scale 3-D shear-wave velocity model of the basin. We discuss the retrieved features of the basin in the light of local geology, previously acquired geophysical data sets, and ongoing geothermal exploration. The Greater Geneva Basin is an ideal natural laboratory to test innovative geothermal exploration methods because of the substantial geophysical data sets available for comparison. While we point out the limits of ambient-noise exploration with sparse networks and current methodology, we also discuss possible ways to develop ambient-noise tomography as an affordable and efficient subsurface exploration method.
Comparison of the various dispatching strategies for truck-shovel productivity optimization in open pit mines

To improve the efficiency of truck-shovel transportation systems and to decrease the relevant operational cost, an appropriate truck dispatching strategy have to be utilized. In this paper, a modified Li model is used to cover heterogeneous fleet size. An extra goal of “minimizing the truck operating cost” was appended to the objective function of the modified Temeng model. The Sungun copper mine transportation system was considered as a case study to evaluate the performance of three dispatching models: extended Li model, Temeng model, and developed Temeng model. In the different routes of mine transportation network, using these models the truck flow rates and the number of truck trips were determined. In order to implement these models, the CPLEX software was utilized. The results indicated that extended Li model, Temeng model, and developed Temeng model improves the total production above 38%, 25%, and 25% in comparison with the current mine production plan, respectively. Each of three dispatching models satisfies various operational constraints such as ore grade quality and stripping ratio.
Joint Sensing of Bedload Flux and Water Depth by Seismic Data Inversion

Rivers are the fluvial conveyor belts routing sediment across the landscape. While there are proper techniques for continuous estimates of the flux of suspended solids, constraining bedload flux is much more challenging, typically involving extensive measurement infrastructure or labor‐intensive manual measurements. Seismometers are potentially valuable alternatives to in‐stream devices, delivering continuous data with high temporal resolution on the average behavior of a reach. Two models exist to predict the seismic spectra generated by river turbulence and bedload flux. However, these models require estimating a large number of parameters and the spectra usually overlap significantly, which hinders straightforward inversion. We provide three functions contained in the R package “eseis” that allow generic modeling of hydraulic and bedload transport dynamics from seismic data using these models. The underlying Monte Carlo approach creates lookup tables of potential spectra, which are compared against the empirical spectra to identify the best fitting solutions. The method is validated against synthetic data sets and independently measured metrics from the Nahal Eshtemoa, Israel, a flash flood‐dominated ephemeral gravel bed river. Our approach reproduces the synthetic time series with average absolute deviations of 0.01–0.04 m (water depth, ranging between 0 and 1 m) and 0.00–0.04 kg/sm (bedload flux, ranging between 0 and 4 kg/sm). The example flash flood water depths and bedload fluxes are reproduced with respective average deviations of 0.10 m and 0.02 kg/sm. Our approach thus provides generic, testable, and reproducible routines for a quantitative description of key metrics, hard to collect by other techniques in a continuous and representative manner.
Successful treatment of hypoxemia by an alveolar recruitment maneuver in a horse during general anaesthesia for colic surgery

SummaryA 540 kg Warmblood horse with colic was anaesthetized for exploratory coeliotomy. Severe arterial hypoxemia (PaO 2 of 9.1 kPa/68.5mmHg) developed progressively during surgery despite use of intermittent positive pressure ventilation. The use of high inspiratory pressu-res in combination with positive end-expiratory pressure following an alveolar recruitment protocol restored oxygenation to a near optimalgas exchange until the end of the anaesthesia. With the highest airway pressures hypotension developed, which was successfully treatedusing intravenous hetastarch solution and an infusion of dobutamine. During general anaesthesia, hypoxemia should be anticipated in pre-disposed horses and alveolar recruitment maneuver may be used to treat it. This may require cardiovascular preconditioning.Keywords: Anaesthesia, Horse, Hypoxemia, Lung, Alveolar recruitment.Die erfolgreiche Behandlung von Hypoxamie bei der Narkose eines Pferdes wahrend einer Laparotomie durch ein alveola-res Rekruitierungsmanover.Ein 540 kg schweres Warmblut Pferd mit Koliksymptomen wurde zu eine Laparotomie anasthesiert. Wahrend der Chirurgie entwickelte sichtrotz der Anwendung einer intermittierenden positiven Uberdruckbeatmung, eine immer weiter ansteigende schwere arterielle Hypoxamie(PaO
UAV-based thermal imaging in the assessment of water status of soybean plants

ABSTRACT Soybean production both in Brazil and globally has regularly been threatened by drought periods. The use of infrared thermography to evaluate the canopy’s temperature and its relationship with plant water status constitutes an important tool for agricultural monitoring. However, studies regarding the water status of soybean plants through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based thermal imaging are yet to be reported. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the water status of soybean plants submitted to different water conditions via thermal images obtained through an UAV thermal infrared camera. The field experiment was undertaken at the National Soybean Research Centre (Embrapa Soja, a branch of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) in a randomized complete block design, with four replicates. The following water conditions were evaluated: irrigated (IRR, receiving rainfall and irrigation when necessary, and with a soil water matric potential between −0.03 MPa and −0.05 MPa), non-irrigated (NIRR, receiving only rainfall), and water deficit (or drought stress) induced at the vegetative (DSV) and reproductive (DSR) stages. Water deficit was induced using rainout shelters. Soil moisture and weather data were monitored daily. Thermal images were obtained on twelve dates, half in 2016–2017 and half during the 2017–2018 crop seasons, through a thermal infrared camera (DIY-Thermocam) sensitive to temperatures ranging from – 40°C to 200°C, with 0.5 °C accuracy and 14-bit radiometric resolution. Images in RAW format (160 pixels x120 pixels) were obtained at 125 m above ground level. They were then processed and calibrated by acquiring a correction factor resulting from the effect of atmospheric attenuation. The canopy temperature was evaluated in relation to that of air temperature and through the Normalized Relative Canopy Temperature (NRCT). Atmospheric attenuation was positively correlated to flight altitude, so that image correction eliminated such an effect. The thermal behaviour of soybean plants was directly correlated to soil water availability and atmospheric vapour pressure deficit, with differences ranging from 0.2 °C to 7.2°C. Plants grown at lower soil moisture conditions had higher temperatures, which were observed under DSV and DSR conditions. However, plants submitted to DSV and then rehydrated under normal field conditions demonstrated lower temperatures than those presented by plants under IRR or NIRR. Water deficit was more damaging to yields when induced at the reproductive stage. We emphasize the potential use of UAV thermal infrared cameras for monitoring the water status of soybean plants, and for collecting non-destructive information in support of better crop management decisions and new studies.
Application and Evaluation of the China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Datasets for the SWAT Model (CMADS) in Poorly Gauged Regions in Western China

The temporal and spatial differentiation of the underlying surface in East Asia is complex. Due to a lack of meteorological observation data, human cognition and understanding of the surface processes (runoff, snowmelt, soil moisture, water production, etc.) in the area have been greatly limited. With the Heihe River Basin, a poorly gauged region in the cold region of Western China, selected as the study area, three meteorological datasets are evaluated for their suitability to drive the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT): China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Datasets for the SWAT model (CMADS), Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR), and Traditional Weather Station (TWS). Resultingly, (1) the runoff output of CMADS + SWAT mode is generally better than that of the other two modes (CFSR + SWAT and TWS + SWAT) and the monthly and daily Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency ranges of the CMADS + SWAT mode are 0.75–0.95 and 0.58–0.77, respectively; (2) the CMADS + SWAT and TWS + SWAT results were fairly similar to the actual data (especially for precipitation and evaporation), with the results produced by CMADS + SWAT lower than those produced by TWS + SWAT; (3) the CMADS + SWAT mode has a greater ability to reproduce water balance than the other two modes. Overestimation of CFSR precipitation results in greater error impact on the uncertainty output of the model, whereas the performances of CMADS and TWS are more similar. This study addresses the gap in the study of surface processes by CMADS users in Western China and provides an important scientific basis for analyzing poorly gauged regions in East Asia.
Effects of Energetic Electron and Proton Precipitations on Thermospheric Nitric Oxide Cooling During Shock‐Led Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections

Satellite measurements have revealed significant enhancement of 5.3‐μm nitric oxide (NO) emission during shock‐led interplanetary coronal mass ejections. Great discrepancies in modeled neutral density occur during these events and may be attributed to the abnormally high NO cooling. Meanwhile, the relative significance of protons, soft electrons, and keV‐electrons to NO emission is yet to be well determined. The goal of this study is to identify the contribution of electron and proton precipitations to the thermospheric NO cooling by using the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) data. The observed energetic electrons and protons (0.1–30.2 keV) during 36 shock‐led interplanetary coronal mass ejection events in 2002–2010 are binned into geomagnetic grids to provide statistical distributions of the particle precipitation for polar regions. The distributions are incorporated into the Global Ionosphere‐Thermosphere Model. The results show that electrons play a dominant role to NO cooling, but protons are also important and contribute to up to a quarter of NO cooling by electrons and ions combined. NO cooling enhancement during the events is proportional to the level of energy flux and is dominated by the electrons in the energy band of 1.4–3.1 keV. Both total electron content (TEC) and NO cooling enhance at the source regions, but they have different lifetime and correlation with the particle precipitations. Generally, NO cooling and TEC enhancements have a positive correlation with the precipitating energy. Cross correlation shows that particle precipitations have more instantaneous impact on TEC while it takes longer for the atmosphere to heat up for cooling to proceed.
Modeling and Forecasting Aftershocks Can Be Improved by Incorporating Rupture Geometry in the ETAS Model

We implemented an extended version of the space‐time Epidemic‐Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) model, which simultaneously incorporates earthquake focal depths and rupture geometries of large earthquakes, and applied it to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence. Results show that the new model corrects the estimation biases of model parameters in the point source ETAS model. The reconstructed patterns of productivity density of aftershocks, along the mainshock rupture plane, form complementary patterns for coseismic slip in space and show significant spatiotemporal migrations. Large aftershocks tend to nucleate at the edges of high productivity density areas. The decay of direct aftershocks near the mainshock rupture is consistent with static stress changes caused by the mainshock. The forecasting capability of the ETAS model can be enhanced by considering the rupture geometries of mainshocks, especially for forecasting aftershocks in the first 1–2 days. In the simulation test, the incorporation of focal depths improves the forecasting resolution.
Generalized Radial Transport Model for Interpreting Convergent Flow Tracer Tests in Fractured Rock

ii DEDICATION PAGE. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. iv CONTENTS. v LIST OF TABLES. viii LISTS OF FIGURES. ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION. 1 CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL MODEL. 3 2.1. GRT Model. 3 2.2. Development of GRT Model. 5 2.2.1. General Transport Models. 6 2.2.2. Injection Phase. 8 2.2. 3. Resting Periods . 17 2.2. 4. Withdrawal Phase. 19 CHAPTER 3 GRT MODEL VERIFICATION. 27 3.1. Verification with 1D Model. 27 3.1. 1. Continuous Source. 27 3.1. 2. Pulse Type Source. 28 3.2. Verification with Radial Model. 29
Interplay of Gender Inequities, Poverty and Caste: Implications for Health of Women in the Cashew Industry of Kerala

C.U. Thresia Abstract Despite Kerala's remarkable achievements in the social sector, improvements in quality of life are not distributed uniformly. Exploration of the life of cashew processing women workers indicates high levels of illiteracy, poverty, morbidity, fertility, gender based violence, caste based inequities, and lack of access to health care. To improve the health conditions of women, social and structural factors determining the health of women have to be addressed. Strengthening the public provisions of health and social services is a necessary prerequisite for improving the quality of health care and life. Yet, neoliberal initiatives underway in Kerala State will further endanger the already weakened public health systems.
Health effects of brick kiln operations: A study on largest brick kiln cluster in Bangladesh

Brick manufacturing industry is considered as one of the fastest-growing industrial sectors posing serious health hazards in most South East Asian countries like Bangladesh. A major portion of brick kilns in Bangladesh are located in and around the Dhaka, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, where the health effects of these brick kilns are obvious but yet not completely known. The study was thus performed based on a structured questionnaire survey to assess the health effects of brick kiln operations on kiln workers and local inhabitants at Baghiya of Konabari union in Gazipur near Dhaka of Bangladesh. A total of 100 randomly selected respondents (70 brick kiln workers and 30 local inhabitants) were surveyed. The results of the survey revealed that wood and coal are mostly used fuel for brick production in the study area. The respondents were suffering from skin disease (28%), headache (20%), eye irritation (10%), lung disease (8%), and respiratory diseases such as, asthma (20%), bronchitis (10%) and others (6%) problems, while skin diseases, asthma and other lung diseases were prevalent in workers, and eye irritation, headache and bronchitis were in inhabitants. Inhabitants (36%) who were living in surrounding areas of brick kilns for more than 20 years and workers (40%) who were residing for less than 5 years were suffering most from various diseases. Health education or awareness programs need to be organized since 77.1% and 63.3% of the workers and inhabitants, respectively, were never participated in any health education or awareness programs, and eco-friendly brick kilns should be installed maintaining the existing rules and regulations for minimizing the impacts of brick kiln operation induced air pollution in this respect. South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.8(1) 2018: 32-36
Developing a wireless sensor network of soil heat pulse probes using Arduino technology

Developing a wireless sensor network of soil heat pulse probes using Arduino technology Olivia Kaminski University of Guelph, 2019 Advisor: Jon Warland Soil thermal properties and soil moisture are important when characterizing energy and water exchanges below the surface and between the surface and the atmosphere. An existing network of soil heat pulse probes (HPPs)for soil thermal property and soil moisture measurements is prone to low spatial resolution. In this study, a newly developed low-cost distributed wireless HPP network consisting of a coordinator unit and independently operated HPP units is presented. Communication between the coordinator unit and the independent HPP units is conducted through Arduino microcontrollers and Digi XBEE Radios for real time data retrieval. The proposed independent HPP units were validated against the existing network of HPPs through lab tests in a dry sand. Noise tests were conducted to assess the resolution of the HPP measurement method. Overall, the developed independent HPP units performed well and good agreement was found compared to the existing network of HPPs.