Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Image Fusion on Vegetation Index Quality - A Comparative Study from Gaofen-1, Gaofen-2, Gaofen-4, Landsat-8 OLI and MODIS Imagery

In recent years, the use of image fusion method has received increasing attention in remote sensing, vegetation cover changes, vegetation indices (VIs) mapping, etc. For making high-resolution and good quality (with low-cost) VI mapping from a fused image, its quality and underlying factors need to be identified properly. For example, same-sensor image fusion generally has a higher spatial resolution ratio (SRR) (1:3 to 1:5) but multi-sensor fusion has a lower SRR (1:8 to 1:10). In addition to SRR, there might be other factors affecting the fused vegetation index (FVI) result which have not been investigated in detail before. In this research, we used a strategy on image fusion and quality assessment to find the effect of image fusion for VI quality using Gaofen-1 (GF1), Gaofen-2 (GF2), Gaofen-4 (GF4), Landsat-8 OLI, and MODIS imagery with their panchromatic (PAN) and multispectral (MS) bands in low SRR (1:6 to 1:15). For this research, we acquired a total of nine images (4 PAN+5 MS) on the same (almost) date (GF1, GF2, GF4 and MODIS images were acquired on 2017/07/13 and the Landsat-8 OLI image was acquired on 2017/07/17). The results show that image fusion has the least impact on Green Normalized Vegetation Index (GNDVI) and Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index (ARVI) compared to other VIs. The quality of VI is mostly insensitive with image fusion except for the high-pass filter (HPF) algorithm. The subjective and objective quality evaluation shows that Gram-Schmidt (GS) fusion has the least impact on FVI quality, and with decreasing SRR, the FVI quality is decreasing at a slow rate. FVI quality varies with types image fusion algorithms and SRR along with spectral response function (SRF) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, the FVI quality seems good even for small SRR (1:6 to 1:15 or lower) as long as they have good SNR and minimum SRF effect. The findings of this study could be cost-effective and highly applicable for high-quality VI mapping even in small SRR (1:15 or even lower).
Causal Factors Controlling the Brooding Cycle of Broody Junglefowl Hens with Chicks

This study was designed to find evidence for the causal factors responsible for the length of the brooding cycle (brooding, preening, feeding, exploring, dustbathing, and then brooding again) of broody hens with chicks. In part I, we examined brooding and non-brooding behaviors during the first 8 days after the chicks hatched. Eight groups of birds were monitored continuously during the 14-h daily light period with a time-lapse video recorder. The amount of time spent brooding per cycle declined over days, while the amount of time spent in other activities increased. Nonetheless, the total cycle length remained approximately constant at about half an hour between days 3 and 7. Correlations between brooding and non-brooding within cycles were small, but positive, as were correlations between successive brooding cycles. Frequency distributions of cycle length showed large variability both within and between hens. Autocorrelation functions provided evidence of significant periodicity in brooding behavior, but the periods also varied greatly both from day to day and between hens. These results all suggested that an ultradian clock was not responsible for the observed constancy in cycle length over days. In part II, 18 broody hens with chicks were deprived of dust from day 6 to day 8. Deprivation of dust per se had only small effects on the behavior of the hens. Reintroduction of dust on day 8, however, led to immediate, sustained dustbathing by all hens, which affected the length of the brooding cycle and the sequence of behaviors within a cycle. These results were interpreted as a reflection of competition between behavior systems, although the existence of an ultradian clock could not be ruled out.
Borrower capital, shadow insurance, and life insurer performance

ABSTRACT The paper develops a ‘capped’ call option model by calibrating Briys and de Varenne (1994) with integrating Dermine and Lajeri (2001) that the borrowing-firm credit risk is introduced to the lending function of the insurer. Results show that shadow banking entrusted loans enhance policyholder protection and help the insurer from the standpoint of survival at the cost of insurer profitability. We also suggest that shadow insurance and lending to high-quality borrowing firms captured by low leverage might increase policyholder protection and insurer survival, thereby contributing to insurance stability.
Epiphytic colonization of Ustilaginoidea virens on biotic and abiotic surfaces implies the widespread presence of primary inoculum for rice false smut disease

Ustilaginoidea virens (Uv), the causative agent of rice false smut disease, infects developing rice spikelets at the booting stage, and transforms individual grains of the panicle into smut balls. Epidemics of the disease occur when the rice booting and heading stages coincide with rainy days. Using a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labelled Uv isolate that can form false smut balls on rice panicles, it was found that under high humidity and free water conditions the Uv isolate could colonize leaves of plants belonging to various families including the Poaceae (Oryza sativa, Echinochloa crusgalli, Digitaria sanguinalis and Leptochloa chinensis), the Brassicaceae (Arabidopsis thaliana) and the Solanaceae (Nicotiana benthamiana) without symptoms. Over several days, some conidia could germinate on the leaves of these plants and in water on the surface of Parafilm and cellophane, form hyphae and differentiate conidiophores to generate a large number of secondary conidia, while other conidia were able to directly produce secondary conidia. Conversely, in the absence of water some conidia could either bud to form new conidia or were converted into chlamydospores. These data indicate that Uv is one of a few fungal pathogens reported to have epiphytic characteristics. The rapid generation of a large number of spores on biotic and abiotic surfaces greatly increases the inoculum that can infect rice spikelets, resulting in the occurrence of rice false smut disease epidemics. These findings are important in the development of disease control strategies.
Factors affecting systemic infection of tobacco by Peronospora tabacina.

Similar plant growth rates occurred between plants with lateral or stem infections and healthy plants. Systemic infection occurred more readily at lateral buds than through the apical bud or stem. Plants stressed from transplant shock were more susceptible to systemic infection than plants that were not stressed. Colonization of the pathogen within the plant as measured by vascular necrosis was greater in nonstressed plants. Systemic symptoms developed at all temperatures tested. A significant temperature effect was observed only for rate of plant growth. Infected stem tissue did not support sporulation of the pathogen
Longitude, Forest Fragmentation, and Plant Size Influence Cycas micronesica Mortality Following Island Insect Invasions

Island invasions may cause severe changes in biodiversity, but the factors that influence these changes are not well understood. We established 120 plots in Cycas micronesica habitats throughout Guam in 2005 following the invasion of the armored scale Aulacaspis yasumatsui, then observed plant mortality through 2020. We used transects in Yap as benchmarks, as the Yap C. micronesica population is not threatened. The initial Guam plots contained about 1600 seedlings, 1160 juveniles, and 1240 mature plants per ha. Seedling mortality was 100% by 2006, juvenile mortality was 100% by 2014, and the 2020 census revealed 96% mortality of the plant population. Localities in western Guam and isolated forest fragments exhibited the greatest mortality, with 100% extirpation from two fragmented western localities. The juvenile and mature trees in Yap were unchanged from 2010 to 2018, but the seedling count was heterogeneous among the years. Constrained recruitment from seedlings to juveniles explained these dynamics. Yap transects contained about 6120 seedlings, 3400 juveniles, and 1250 mature plants per ha. Biological control of the invasive insects remains the acute conservation action needed for the Guam population. Lessons learned may be useful in other regions where invasions of non-native pests threaten biodiversity.
The relative importance of dispersal and local processes in structuring phytoplankton communities in a set of highly interconnected ponds

1. The recognition that both local and regional processes act together in shaping local communities makes determining their relative roles in natural communities central to understanding patterns in community structure. 2. We investigated the relative influence of these processes on the phytoplankton communities of a highly interconnected pond system. We sampled the phytoplankton communities of 28 ponds concurrently with 20 local environmental variables. 3. We found that phytoplankton community variation, in terms of both phytoplankton community composition (PCC) and diversity, was only significantly explained by local environmental variables. These were mainly associated with the contrasting clear-water and turbid ecological states of the shallow ponds studied. Clear-water conditions favoured only a few taxa, resulting in a significantly lower taxon diversity and richness under these conditions. 4. The failure to explain variation in PCC by a dispersal model based on the water flow between ponds points at very effective species sorting. This is attributed to the high population turn-over rates and sensitivity to environmental conditions of phytoplankton communities. Some evidence was found, however, that dispersal influences local communities through mass effects between neighbouring ponds. 5. Overall, our results emphasize both the strong selection pressure that components of the food web exert on phytoplankton communities and the high potential of these communities to respond to such environmental change, thereby effectively opposing the homogenizing effects of continuous dispersal.
Let’s Talk about Regulation: The Influence of the Revolving Door and Partisanship on FCC Regulatory Discourses

ABSTRACT The content of political communication of independent regulatory agencies (IRAs) is understudied. Combining computational text analysis and qualitative document analysis, this study analyzes over 7,500 speeches and statements of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioners, given over two decades, to examine how political and industry influence on policymaking manifest themselves discursively. The results shed light on how external factors, such as regulator party affiliation and passage through the revolving door, exert influence on IRAs by impacting agenda-setting processes and occasionally the content of regulators’ political communication. However, the findings also reveal the contingency of this influence in selected contexts as well.
ISIS, GENOCIDE AND A “THICK DESCRIPTION” OF POWER

Introduction On August 3, 2015, Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters were marching with full military equipment to Kocho, a village that belongs to Yazidi, one of the minorities in Iraq, near Mount Sinjar (Kikoler, 2015). They captured 1200 men, women and children whom in the next two days ISIS told to leave their religious practice, which is a combination of elements of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and to convert to Islam. When the majority of Yazidi's men refused the demand, all of them were taken with their eyes blindfolded around 500 meters outside the village, and upon arriving at the destination, they were lined up, videotaped and shot (Amnesty International Canada, August 18, 2014). The women became sex slaves (Smith, 2014) and the children were transferred to ISIS’s camp to train as soldiers (McLaughlin, 2016). The story above from Kocho is a one of frames that is used repeatedly to justify the allegation of ISIS conducting genocide toward Yazidi as well as other minorities in Iraq and Syria. The European Union, for instance, announced in the beginning of 2016 that ISIS was "committing genocide against Christians and Yazidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities (Brown, 2016). Later, this statement was followed by the announcement of the US government in March 2016 that stated ISIS “is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yazidis, Christian and Shiite Muslims” (Labott & Kopan, 2016) . Huy (2010) in his comment on the book of one Khmer Rouge’s survivor, Bou Meng, says genocide “has always been a political act, and always will be. ” Politics, according to Morgenthou (1985), is about interest defining in terms of power. Indeed, as one of the ISIS's fighters says above, by joining ISIS and subsequently becoming involved in genocidal acts, it brings them the feeling of being free. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), to be free means to be “able to act as one wishes, determining one’s own action or choice; done or made without compulsion or constraint” ( Oxford English Dictionary online , 2016). In other words, the perpetrators acknowledge that their ruthless behaviors are the sign of power because, as it is written in the OED, power creates a sense of the “ability to act or affect something strongly; [exhibiting] physical or mental strength” (Oxford English Dictionary online, 2016 ). How can genocidal acts be political while also creating a sense of power within the perpetrators? To what extent do the atrocious acts of mass killings, sex slavery as well as human trafficking involving children create a sense of power to ISIS’s fighters? This essay aims to construct a "thick description" of power within ISIS’s genocidal acts. The ideas brought forth is that genocide as it was against Yazidi reflects the meaning ISIS’s members give to power and how it operates in social life.
Encapsulated calcium carbide enhances production and postharvest performance of potato (Solarium tuberosum) tubers

Abstract The effect of encapsulated calcium carbide (CaC2; ECC at 30, 60, 90, and 120 kg ha−1) on pre‐harvest production and postharvest performance of potato (Solanum tuberosum) hybrid variety ‘Sante’ was studied. The ECC was applied twice in the root zone at the time of sowing and 2 weeks after sowing. The data on the parameters — number of days required for sprouting; sprouting percentage; plant height; number of leaves per plant; leaf area; photosynthesis rate; number of stems per plant; number, size, and weight of tubers; yield; weight loss; shriveling percentage; and sprout percentage were recorded. The results indicated that the number of days required for sprouting of tubers and plant height was reduced significantly by the application of ECC compared with the control. Furthermore, ECC at 60 kg ha−1 significantly reduced the number of days required for sprouting and plant height compared with other treatments. Sprouting percentage, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, photosynthesis rate, and number of stems per plant significantly increased by the application of ECC at 60 and 90 kg ha−1. Weight, size of tubers, and overall yield of tubers was also increased significantly with the application of ECC at 60 kg ha−1. In conclusion, the application of CaC2 at 60 kg ha−1 in the root zone increased vegetative growth, total weight, number of large tubers, and increased total yield (40–50%).
Lack of edge effect in nesting success of breeding birds in managed forest landscapes

We assessed avian nesting success in two forested landscapes (Chippewa and Superior National Forests) in northern Minnesota. We found 311 nests of 33 species in the Chippewa study area and 36 nests of 13 species in the Superior study area. Each nest was classified into one of three general habitat types: open (clearcuts with vegetation 8 m high). Mayfield nesting success for the most common species in the Chippewa (all of which had open-cup nests) averaged 0.43. Nesting success ranged from 0.18 for the Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) to 0.76 for the Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia). Nest predation was the most common mortality factor, causing 89.2% of known failures. Nest predation among ground-nesting birds was signifi- cantly higher in the Chippewa (55%) than in the Superior (15%) study area (P = 0.038). Nest predation was highest (P = 0.015) in the forest (62.2%) and lowest in open (42.2%) and regenerating (47.4%) habitat types. Only canopy cover explained differences in nesting suc- cess, which was higher in more open canopies. Distance to forest edge, nest height, and nest concealment had no effect on nesting success in both forested and open habitats. Brown- headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism was low (9.6% in the Chippewa study area), and parasitized nests were relatively unsuccessful (only 1.7% yielded cowbird fledglings). Neither cowbirds nor nest parasitism was observed in the Superior study area. Received 30 May 1995, accepted 20 August 1995.
In situ fabrication of PAN nanofibrous composites for enhanced toughness

Recent developments in nanocomposites that are reinforced with polymeric fibers have heightened the need for a material in fast-moving parts of machines. The research to date has focused on tensile properties of nanocomposites reinforced with polymeric nanofibers, which were produced by the conventional methods. In this work, nanocomposites were fabricated by a novel approach that comprises epoxy resin, epoxy hardener, and PAN nanofibers in which the nanofibrous layer was placed in resin as spun during the electrospinning. Then, a nanocomposite with the same materials was made using the conventional method of layering. There were enhancements in elongation at break, fracture toughness, and stress at break of nanocomposites fabricated by in situ method in comparison with the nanocomposites fabricated using the conventional method of layering.
“I Don’t Owe You, But I Am Committed”: Does Felt Obligation Matter on the Effect of Green Training on Employee Environmental Commitment?

This study investigates the contingent effect of felt obligation to care about and aid the organization on the indirect effect of green training on employee environmental commitment through perceived organizational support for the environment. As hypothesized, based on data from 384 employees, our study found that the positive mediating effect is strengthened when felt obligation is low. The implications of these findings are twofold: They indicate that the development of employee environmental commitment is based on employees’ perception that their employer supports their environmental initiatives by improving environmental skills. They also suggest that this process has little additional effect of employees already feeling obliged to do whatever they can to help their organization reach its goals, whatever they may but is crucial for employees with low-felt obligation. The article ends with a discussion of the findings in the light of the relevant environmental literature. Limitations and future research are also discussed.
Language choices among South African migrants in the tourist space of Zanzibar

Abstract In an increasingly mobile world, in which people and languages from different cultures meet all across the globe, the development and dynamics of linguistically and culturally superdiverse spaces are of particular sociolinguistic interest. In this regard, two important phenomena are migration and tourism. This article analyses language choices and their motivations in the superdiverse tourist space of Zanzibar. Applying Q-methodology developed for behavioural psychology, the article presents a case study of two South African migrant workers and two local Zanzibari hosts, and motivations for their languages choices in interaction with tourists. The results show important differences between the South Africans who choose their native language English for practical reasons and the Zanzibaris who accommodate tourists to a much larger extent and use a large linguistic repertoire to boast. Apart from English, ‘Hakuna Matata Swahili’ (HMS), a simplified form of Kiswahili, is frequently used. The South Africans employ it possibly due to their lack of Kiswahili skills and the popularity of HMS expressions in popular culture. In this way, language choices and reasons for them illustrate the glocal nature of language practices in tourism and the liminal status of the South Africans in Zanzibari society.
Biphasic role of TGF‐β1 in signal transduction and crosstalk

TGF‐β1 induces cell cycle activation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts by down regulation of p27Kip1 but it can also induce delay of EGF‐induced cell cycle activation in these cells under similar conditions. In an attempt to determine the basis for these responses, the study of early TGF‐β1‐induced signal transduction pathways in the presence and absence of EGF was undertaken. It is proposed that a likely target for the inhibition by TGF‐β1 of the early EGF‐induced p42/p44 MAPK is at the c‐Raf locus. The finding that the catalytic subunits of PKA are associated with Raf‐1 within minutes following application of TGF‐β1 but not EGF in fibroblasts arrested in early G1 is suggestive of a role of PKA‐Raf‐1 interaction in TGF‐β1 induced delay of EGF‐induced cell cycle kinetics. A model for TGF‐β1 induced translocation to the plasma membrane‐associated Raf‐1 is proposed. Reports that Rho‐like GTPase activity is critical for the activation of TGF‐β1 downstream pathways raises the question as to whether Rho proteins are involved in these observed TGF‐β1‐induced responses. Post‐receptor signaling mechanisms for TGF‐β1 and cross‐talk with PKA‐mediated pathways are examined in an effort to explain the modulation by TGF‐β1 of mitogen‐induced cell proliferation in mesenchymal cells. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Involvement of Excess Cadmium on Oxidative Stress and Other Physiological Parameters of Eggplant

ABSTRACT To examine tolerance of cadmium (Cd) by eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) cv. ‘Hybrid PK 123’, plants were grown in refined sand in complete nutrient solution for 52 days in a glasshouse at ambient temperature. Cadmium sulfate was superimposed on day 53, at variable levels: nil, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.5 mM. Influence of excess Cd was discernible after 5 days of metal supply at 0.4 and 0.5 mM Cd as depression in growth. At these levels, foliar symptoms were initiated as paling of young leaves at the base progressing upward. With increase in age, affected leaves turned golden yellow and these effects spread to lower leaves. Leaf size and floral initiation were very much restricted. These types of phenotypes induced leaf senescence. Excess Cd reduced the biomass and fruit yield of plants. At higher levels (>0.1 mM) of Cd, fruit formation was completely inhibited and fruits formed at 0.05 and 0.1 mM Cd were smaller in size. Besides this, excess Cd disturbed the metabolism of eggplant by reducing the concentration of chlorophyll (a and b), protein, Hill reaction activity, and activity of antioxidant enzymes—catalase and ascorbate peroxidase; whereas the activity of peroxidase and ribonuclease increased in leaves of eggplant. Cadmium excess reduced the concentration of Fe and Zn and Cd increased that of proline, lipid peroxidation, phenols, reducing sugars and Cd concentration in leaves of eggplant.