Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Central Baffin Electromagnetic Experiment (CBEX), Phase 2

As a part of the Central Baffin Multidisciplinary Project (a collaborative effort of the Geological Survey of Canada, The Canada-Nunuvut Geoscience Centre, and the Polar Continental Shelf Project), a 45 station, 500 km long regional-scale magnetotelluric profile was acquired. The profile crosses the northern margin of the Trans-Hudson Orogen and extends northward into the Archean Rae Craton. To the south, the profile crosses the Paleoproterozoic Piling Group. The primary goal of the experiment was to determine major geological boundaries by delineating regional electrical structures. Preliminary analysis shows that the conductive Astarte River Formation can be mapped and used as a proxy for the base of the Piling Group. Analysis has also revealed a high conductivity contrast between the Piling Group metasedimentary rocks and the northern Archean granite and gneissic complexes. Laboratory results indicate that the conductivity in the Astarte River Formation is due to the high content of interconnected graphite. Resume : Un profil magnetotellurique d’etendue regionale, compose de 45 stations et s’etirant sur une longueur de 500 km, a ete realise au cours des deux derniers etes dans le cadre du Projet scientifique multidisciplinaire de l’ile de Baffin centrale (une initiative menee en collaboration par la Commission geologique du Canada, le Bureau geoscientifique Canada-Nunavut et l’Etude du plateau continental polaire). Ce profil recoupe la marge septentrionale de l’orogene trans-hudsonien et se prolonge vers le nord dans le craton de Rae de l’Archeen. Au sud, le profil recoupe le Groupe de Piling du Paleoproterozoique. Le but principal de l’experience consistait a definir les principales limites geologiques en delimitant les struc­ tures electriques d’etendue regionale. L’analyse provisoire des donnees demontre que la Formation d’Astarte River, a comportement conducteur, peut etre cartographiee et servir d’indicateur indirect de la base du Groupe de Piling. Un autre resultat de l’analyse tient a l’identification d’un contraste marque de conductivite entre les roches metasedimentaires du Groupe de Piling et les complexes de granite et de gneiss de l’Archeen au nord. Les resultats obtenus en laboratoire indiquent que la conductivite de la Formation d’Astarte River est attribuable a sa teneur elevee en graphite a cristaux jointifs.
Antibacterial activity of mangrove plant extract of Rhizophora apiculata in inhibiting the growth of various strains of Aeromonas hydrophila

Abstract. Mulia DS, Rahayu SD, Suyadi A, Mujahid I, Isnansetyo A. 2023. Antibacterial activity of mangrove plant extract of Rhizophora apiculata in inhibiting the growth of various strains of Aeromonas hydrophila. Biodiversitas 24: 4803-4810. Aeromoniasis is a bacterial disease caused by Aeromonas hydrophila. Synthetic antibiotics are often used to treat this disease. However, using antibiotics for too long with excessive doses can cause side effects for the environment, fish, and other aquatic biota. One of the natural ingredients with the potential as an antimicrobial is the mangrove plant Rhizophora apiculata. This study aims to determine the antimicrobial activity of mangrove plant extract R. apiculata in inhibiting the growth of various strains of A. hydrophila. The study used a completely randomized design experimental method with a factorial pattern with 3 factors (plant part, bacterial strain, and extract concentration) with 48 treatments and 3 replications. Methanol (polar) and n-hexane (non-polar) were used as extract solvents. The parts of the plant used are leaves and stems. The bacterial strains used were GPl-04, GB-01, GK-01, GJ-01, GL-01, and GL-02. The concentration of mangrove extract used was 0, 10, 20, and 30%. The inhibition zone diameter measured the antimicrobial activity using a paper disc (Kirby Bauer method). The data analysis used was the non-parametric Kruskall-Wallis test and qualitative descriptive. The results showed that R. apiculata methanol extract's leaves and stems contain bioactive compounds of flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins, while the n-hexane extract contains terpenoids. Leaves methanol extract R. apiculata exhibited better than stems, namely the inhibition zone diameter of 2.87 mm, at a concentration of 20% against the GJ-01 bacterial strain, while the methanol extract of stem R. apiculata showed the best antimicrobial activity, namely the diameter of the inhibition zone of 2.10 mm, at a concentration of 30% against the bacterial strain GL-02. Leaves n-hexane extract R. apiculata had the best antimicrobial activity at a concentration of 10% against the bacterial strain GL-01, with an inhibition zone diameter of 2 mm. The n-hexane extract of stems R. apiculata showed antimicrobial activity at a 30% concentration of 1.23 mm in the same strain. Mangroves plant R. apiculata have bioactive compounds that can be used as natural bactericides to control A. hydrophila bacterial disease.
Fractal Analysis of High-Resolution Rainfall Time Series

Two-year series of 1-min rainfall intensities observed by rain gages at six different points are analyzed to obtain information about the fractal behavior of the rainfall distribution in time. First, the rainfall time series are investigated using a monodimensional fractal approach (simple scaling) by calculating the box and correlation dimensions, respectively. The results indicate scaling but with different dimensions for different time aggregation periods. The time periods where changes in dimension occur can be related to average rainfall event durations and average dry period lengths. Also, the dimension is shown to be a decreasing function of the rainfall intensity level. This suggests a multidimensional fractal behavior (multiscaling), and to test this hypothesis, the probability distribution/multiple scaling method was applied to the time series. The results confirm that the investigated rainfall time series display a multidimensional fractal behavior, at least within a significant part of the studied timescales, which indicates that the rainfall process can be described by a multiplicative cascade process.
Identification of a subduction zone component in the Higganum dike, Central Atlantic Magmatic Province: A LA‐ICPMS study of clinopyroxene with implications for flood basalt petrogenesis

Determining the primary compositions of continental flood basalts has proven allusive because of the masking effects of crustal contamination. The Higganum dike (Connecticut, USA) that fed the Talcott basalt of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province hosts strongly zoned clinopyroxenes. The cores are Mg‐ and Cr‐rich, containing up to 1 wt % Cr2O3. The grains show optical and major, minor, and trace element continua between cores and their mantles and rims, indicating that the cores are early crystallizing phenocrysts, not xenocrysts. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses of the cores were used to calculate liquid compositions of the most primitive component in the Higganum system and to make inferences about composition of continental flood basalt parental magmas. The Cr‐rich cores yield calculated liquids with Mg numbers of 63. The high‐Cr contents of these calculated liquids indicate the absence of significant clinoproxene or chromite fractionation. Olivine or orthopyroxene fractionation may have lowered the liquid Mg number but would not have significantly influenced the calculated incompatible trace element patterns. Extended rare earth element diagrams for the most Cr‐rich liquids show enrichment in incompatible elements, similar to arc basalts. Prominent negative Nb anomalies are present as are distinct positive Pb anomalies indicative of the influence of subduction zone fluids in the mantle source. Calculated liquid Ba/La values range from 3 to 30, also suggestive of fluid input. These data indicate that the mantle source experienced subduction zone fluid metasomatism. Subsequent crustal contamination is evident in bulk‐rock Nd and Sr isotopic compositions.
Seismic Anisotropy and Global Geodynamics

For many years, seismic anisotropy was often neglected, mostly because of the inherent heavy mathematical and computational tools needed to describe and model its effects on seismic waves. The usual basic knowledge about propagation in isotropic media cannot easily apply to anisotropic media, where new phenomena come up, such as birefringence (or shear-wave splitting), or difference between directions of propagation of phase velocity and of group velocity. Consequently, geophysicists often claimed that it was a second-order effect, and considered the Earth as isotropic. This hypothesis was assumed to be a good approximation, because of the random orientation of crystals in most parts of the Earth, and of the random sampling of anisotropic regions by seismic rays. This assumption furthermore made easier the description of wave propagation, as well as the parameterization of media in inverse problems. An isotropic elastic medium can be described by two independent elastic parameters (λand μ Lame parameters), but the simplest anisotropic medium (transverse isotropy with a vertical symmetry axis) requires 5 independent parameters (Love 1927, Anderson 1961). To date, seismic observations have been explained in terms of isotropic (and often thermal) lateral heterogeneities, ignoring manifestations of anisotropy. However, since the 1960s, it was recognized that most parts of the Earth are not only laterally heterogeneous but also anisotropic and that seismic anisotropy provides a simple explanation of different observational data: Seismic anisotropy, contrary to isotropy, is reflecting some inherent …
Effects of climate change and adaptation strategies on urban crop production in Kinondoni City, Tanzania

Abstract. Kifunda CF. 2023. Effects of climate change and adaptation strategies on urban crop production in Kinondoni City, Tanzania. Asian J Agric 7: 98-107. Many countries worldwide, including Tanzania, have felt the effects of climate change on the productivity of major economic sectors, such as agriculture. This study assessed climate change's effects on urban agriculture's sustainability in Kinondoni City, Tanzania. Specifically, the study aimed to determine: i) the effects of climate change on crop production in Kinondoni City over the last 30 years, ii) other challenges of urban agriculture in Kinondoni City, and iii) adaptation strategies employed by smallholder farmers in sustainable urban agriculture in Kinondoni City. Data collection involves accessing temperature and rainfall data from Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) headquarters and administering household questionnaires to 386 respondents who engaged in urban agriculture in Kinondoni City. Five wards of Bunju (118), Kunduchi (42), Mabwepande (102), Mzimuni (28) and Wazo (96) were involved. Focused group discussion, key informant interviews, and direct observation were also employed. Data were analyzed for temperature and rainfall variations over the last 30 years and people's knowledge of climate change indicators. The adaptation strategies employed in sustaining crop production in the study area were also quantified. The study reveals that most smallholder farmers (>70%) are aware of the indicators of climate change, which correlate with the data obtained from TMA. Among the indicators include an increase in temperature (76%) and a decrease in rainfall (73%). Pest and diseases were ranked higher (88%) among the significant effects of climate change on urban agriculture. Land scarcity was also a significant challenge in urban agriculture. The use of pesticides and fertilizers was ranked higher (65%) among the adaptation strategies employed by smallholder farmers. It is recommended that building capacity for smallholder farmers through getting access to micro-credits at low-interest rates and government support may contribute significantly to sustainable urban agriculture in Kinondoni City. Also, farmers in Kinondoni City can adopt sustainable agriculture practices such as Soil and Water Conservation practices and the use of Drought-Resistant Crop varieties to improve their resilience to future climate risks caused by climate change.
Migration behavior of supercritical and liquid CO2 in a stratified system: Experiments and numerical simulations

Multiple scenarios of upward CO2 migration driven by both injection‐induced pressure and buoyancy force were investigated in a horizontally and vertically stratified core utilizing a core‐flooding system with a 2‐D X‐ray scanner. Two reservoir‐type scenarios were considered: (1) the terrestrial reservoir scenario (10 MPa and 50°C), where CO2 exists in a supercritical state and (2) the deep‐sea sediment reservoir scenario (28 MPa and 25°C), where CO2 is stored in the liquid phase. The core‐flooding experiments showed a 36% increase in migration rate in the vertical core setting compared with the horizontal setting, indicating the significance of the buoyancy force under the terrestrial reservoir scenario. Under both reservoir conditions, the injected CO2 tended to find a preferential flow path (low capillary entry pressure and high‐permeability (high‐k) path) and bypass the unfavorable pathways, leaving low CO2 saturation in the low‐permeability (low‐k) layers. No distinctive fingering was observed as the CO2 moved upward, and the CO2 movement was primarily controlled by media heterogeneity. The CO2 saturation in the low‐k layers exhibited a more sensitive response to injection rates, implying that the increase in CO2 injection rates could be more effective in terms of storage capacity in the low‐k layers in a stratified reservoir. Under the deep‐sea sediment condition, the storage potential of liquid CO2 was more than twice as high as that of supercritical CO2 under the terrestrial reservoir scenario. In the end, multiphase transport simulations were conducted to assess the effects of heterogeneity on the spatial variation of pressure buildup, CO2 saturation, and CO2 flux. Finally, we showed that a high gravity number ( Ngr ) tended to be more influenced by the heterogeneity of the porous media.
Tamoxifen with ovarian function suppression versus tamoxifen alone as an adjuvant treatment for premenopausal breast cancer: a meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials

Background: Ovarian function suppression (OFS) signiﬁcantly downregulates the concentration of plasma estrogens. However, it is unclear whether it offers any survival beneﬁts if combined with adjuvant tamoxifen treatment in premenopausal women. This meta-analysis was designed to assess data from previous studies involving adjuvant tamoxifen treatment plus OFS in premenopausal breast cancer. Methods: Electronic literature databases (PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library) were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials published prior to February 1, 2015. Only randomized controlled trials that compared tamoxifen alone with tamoxifen plus OFS for premenopausal women with breast cancer were selected. The evaluated endpoints were disease-free survival and overall survival. Results: Four randomized controlled trials comprising 6,279 patients (OFS combination, n = 3,133; tamoxifen alone, n = 3,146) were included in the meta-analysis. There was no signiﬁcant improvement in disease-free survival or overall survival with addition of OFS in either the whole population or the hormone receptor-positive subgroup. The risk of distant recurrence was not reduced with the addition of OFS in the whole population. A subgroup analysis showed that addition of OFS signiﬁcantly improved overall survival in patients who were administered chemotherapy. Conclusion: Based on the available studies, concurrent administration of OFS and adjuvant tamoxifen treatment for premenopausal women with breast cancer has no effect on prolonging disease-free survival and overall survival, excluding patients who were administered chemotherapy. It should not be widely recommended, except perhaps for women who were hormone-receptor positive and who were also administered adjuvant chemotherapy.
Seasonality and Interannual Variability of the Westerly Jet in the Tibetan Plateau Region

Abstract In this study, 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) data are used for the description of the seasonal cycle and the interannual variability of the westerly jet in the Tibetan Plateau region. To complement results based on the analysis of monthly mean horizontal wind speeds, an occurrence-based jet climatology is constructed by identifying the locations of the jet axes at 6-hourly intervals throughout 1958–2001. Thus, a dataset describing the highly transient and localized features of jet variability is obtained. During winter and summer the westerly jet is located, respectively, to the south and north of the Tibetan Plateau. During the spring and autumn seasons there are jet transitions from south to north and vice versa. The median dates for these transitions are 28 April and 12 October. The spring transition is associated with large interannual variations, while the fall transition occurs more reliably within a 3-week period. The strength of the jet exhibits a peculiar seasonal cycle. During northw.
Time to teach. Revisiting teaching time in German higher education **

An important question in the study of academic work is how much time academics spend on teaching. Large-scale workload-measurements point to the fact that in nearly all cases academics spend more hours per week on teaching than they ought to. Yet in qualitative interviews academics struggle to estimate weekly worktime counts considerably. In this article we investigate the way teaching time is constructed in German universities. We argue that weekly clock-time measurements do not provide an adequate picture of teaching time compared to how it is structured and experienced by academics. Teaching time rather evolves from the time classification of the weekly contact hour (SWS) and produces different time frames depending on how courses are allocated, coordinated, conceptualized, prepared, conducted and how students are supervised or examined. By following the trajectory of the SWS through the activities of teaching we propose to concentrate less on how much time academics work but rather why time de- and inflates and how this affects teaching experience. ___________________________________________________________________
The Effect of Takeover Protection on the Value of Cash: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Changes in shareholders’ valuation of internal slack reveal their assessment of changes in potential agency conflicts. We study how the value of internal cash changes following state antitakeover regulation events. After carefully addressing the critiques of such experiments, we find that the value of cash actually increases following antitakeover law implementation, but there is considerable heterogeneity in how the value changes. Firms more susceptible to quiet-life agency problems show no increases in the market-assessed value of internal slack. Notably, this finding holds across disparate measures of antitakeover protection events.
Free Cash Flow and Market Value Added of Firm: The Mediation Role of Cost of Capital.

: This study tests the effect of cost of capital on the relationship between free cash flow (FCF) and a firm's market value. The study selects twenty-six corporations that listed on the Amman Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2019. The FCF is an independent variable, cost of capital is a mediation variable (proxy of WACC), and market value added is a dependent variable. The study used the baron & Kenny methodology and Sobel-test to analyse the data of the four hypotheses, including the mediation effect for the cost of capital on the relationship between FFC & MVA. The results showed a positive and meaningful relationship between the free cash flow and the market value added of firm and the Sobel test results explain a partial mediation effect of the cost of capital. Therefore, FCF has the predicted power to send positive signals to the financial market participants about the firm's performance.
Effectiveness of High-intensity Laser Therapy for Pain and Function in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: High-intensity laser therapy (HILT) is still a controversial physical therapy modality for individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of HILT on pain and function in patients with knee OA. Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 56 patients with knee OA referred to Amin Hospital affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, from April 19 to August 30, 2022. Patients were randomized into two groups (HILT and control), receiving isometric exercises targeting the quadriceps muscle, meloxicam 15 mg tablet, and Rahamin ointment for two weeks. The HILT group also received high-intensity laser irradiation three times a week for two weeks. The primary outcome was pain assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the secondary outcome was the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) and its subscales (pain, stiffness, and physical function). Outcomes were evaluated at baseline, immediately, and three months after the last treatment session. Results: After adjusting for age, sex, and baseline values, immediately and three months after treatment, VAS pain scores were significantly lower in the HILT group than in controls (P < 0.001), with a large effect (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.81; -0.62 and SMD = -1.31, 95% CI: -1.90; -0.70, respectively). The results were similar for WOMAC's pain subscale. Despite the difference in WOMAC stiffness score was not significant between the two groups immediately after treatment (P = 0.135), this score was significantly lower in the HILT group than in the control group (SMD = -0.98, 95% CI: -1.56; -0.40, P = 0.002) three months after treatment. Furthermore, WOMAC physical function scores were significantly lower with HILT immediately and three months after treatment (P < 0.001). The same was true for the total WOMAC score. Conclusions: High-intensity laser therapy significantly improved pain and the WOMAC score in patients with knee OA immediately and three months after the last treatment session compared to the control group.
Covid-19 pandemic changes the attitude of people and culture toward using face masks positively

Self-protection is one of the most effective ways to contain the spread of pandemic Covid-19. Masks have a great effect of preventing airborne/droplet-borne Novel corona virus. This study aimed to examine changing belief and attitudes of Kurdish people of Iraq toward using masks during pandemic. The study was carried out in Sulaimani city through a detailed questionnaire asking participants different questions about using masks and their interactions with their daily work. The result of this study suggested that during the pandemic, the attitude of people completely changed from the social and psychological taboo of using masks for the majority users, 75.6%. During pandemic, majority of people (85.75%) believed that mask protect them from the infection except few (%14.3). In addition, the willingness to wear masks was not very welcomed by some. Most people wore masks, 73.6% due to compulsory rules of self-protection by health authorities and due to a highly worrisome pandemic. Some of the reasons were related to difficulties facing facial mask users such as breathing difficulties (67%), skin allergies (20.9%), wearing glasses and other allergies, 19%. In conclusion, it is clarified that now people can normally use masks without thinking about social taboos and cultural views of using masks negatively. The use of masks changed from non-user to the majority users during pandemic but there is still resistance to wearing masks. Therefore, compulsory rules to wear masks are necessary during pandemics or similar types of infection if emerged in the community.