Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of charcoal production with recent developments in Sub-Sahara Africa: a review

ABSTRACT The paper reviews the state of charcoal production in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 65% of the world’s charcoal is produced. Charcoal production is dominated by smallholders who use wood from unsustainable sources and inefficient carbonization techniques, leading to ecosystem degradation. Meanwhile, the demand for charcoal is rising in the region, leading to attempts by governments to formalize the sector; including enabling investments from large-scale companies. It is unclear, however, how the formalization tackles challenges at the grassroots. For the charcoal sector to transition toward sustainability, the paper highlights the need for integrated approaches, preferably, under ‘carbon-neutral charcoal’ slogan.
Earthquake Induced Liquefaction Potential of Paste Tailings: Shaking
Table Results

Highly densified tailings, such as paste tailings, are a novel technology of tailings (soils produced by mining activities) disposal and management. Paste tailings are generated from the significant dewatering of the slurry tailings produced in the mine processing plant. This technology provides numerous benefits to the mines, such as reduction of the dependency on conventional tailings dams with their associated risks (disastrous geotechnical and environmental failures) and the increase in water recovery and recycling. However, regulators are worried about liquefaction potential of paste tailings deposits in regions that are prone to earthquakes. Up to date, no investigations have been conducted to evaluate the liquefaction potential of paste tailings using a shaking table. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to evaluate the liquefaction potential of paste tailings under seismic loading conditions using one-dimensional shaking table equipment. The paste tailings were deposited in thin layers and were subjected to the atmospheric desiccation process in order to gain strength before performing the shaking table tests. The paste tailings deposit was subjected to a sinusoidal dynamic loading with a frequency of 1 Hz and peak horizontal acceleration of 0.13 g. The variation of pore-water pressure within paste tailings deposit was monitored during the shaking test. The test results showed that the paste tailings can be susceptible to liquefaction under the considered testing conditions.
You cannot accurately estimate an individual’s loss aversion using an accept–reject task.

Prospect theory's loss aversion is often measured in the accept-reject task, in which participants accept or reject the chance of playing a series of gambles. The gambles are two-branch 50/50 gambles with varying gain and loss amounts (e.g., 50% chance of winning $20 and a 50% chance of losing $10). Prospect theory quantifies loss aversion by scaling losses up by a parameter λ. Here we show that λ suffers from extremely poor parameter recoverability in the accept-reject task. λ cannot be reliably estimated even for a simple version of prospect theory with linear probability weighting and value functions. λ cannot be reliably estimated even in impractically large experiments with participants subject to thousands of choices. The poor recoverability is driven by a trade-off between λ and the other model parameters. However, a measure derived from these parameters is extremely well recovered—and corresponds to estimating the area of gain-loss space in which people accept gambles. This area is equivalent to the number of gambles accepted in a given choice set. That is, simply counting accept decisions is extremely reliably recovered—but using prospect theory to make further use of exactly which gambles were accepted and which were rejected does not work.
Widespread underfilling of the potential ranges of North American trees

Climatic equilibrium is a foundational principle in ecological theory and models used in conservation, but has been challenged by growing evidence of disequilibrium, particularly for long‐lived, sessile organisms like trees. Here, we calculated range filling for North American trees to detect the degree to which trees are filling their potential climatic niches, and to assess climatic and non‐climatic drivers of underfilling.
Química analítica brasileira durante os 25 anos da SBQ: contexto atual e senso comum

This work presents an overview of the development of analytical chemistry in Brazil in the last 25 years under the influence of Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ). It is shown that the common sense that analytical chemistry is still an under-developed area is not true. Data from specialized literature show a significant contribution of Brazilian analytical chemists in high impact periodicals and for several areas there is a good adherence among works carried out in Brazil and abroad according to a comparison of studies presented in the 11th Brazilian Meeting on Analytical Chemistry (Campinas, September, 2001) and the XI European Conference on Analytical Chemistry (Lisboa, September, 2000). According to the opinion of investigators in this area, there are some topics that require a focused attention for proper evolution. However, there is an absolute consensus about the evolution of graduate programs and the need to improve and extend strategies to absorb newcomers in the area. Some suggestions are presented considering possible pathways of analytical chemistry in Brazil.
Variation of Hydrogen Bonding, Depth Profiles, and Spin Density in Plasma‐Deposited Silicon Nitride and Oxynitride Film with Deposition Mechanism

The initial transient phenomenon in plasma processing, an intrinsic and unstable phenomenon of the glow discharge, is found to be the probable cause of the hydrogen‐poor and silicon‐rich structure and the silicon nitride(or oxynitride)‐silicon substrate interfaces of all plasma‐deposited films. A simple and qualitative model was developed to explain the variation of the interface composition of the film with this transient phenomenon. Fourier transform infrared and electron spin resonance measurements suggest the existence of a "stable" amorphous silicon oxynitride composition in films prepared by plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition processing.
Primary School Students' Attitudes towards Reading

The purpose of this study is to examine the level of primary school students' attitudes towards reading and whether they differ according to various variables. Descriptive scanning model was used in the research. The universe of the research consists of primary school students studying in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades in Istanbul. The sample of the study consists of 534 primary school students who study in 2, 3 and 4 classes in primary schools in Avcılar and Beylikdüzü districts of Istanbul. In the research, “Personal Information Form” and “Reading Attitude Scale” were used as data collection tools. SPSS was used in the analysis of the data. As a result of data analysis, it was observed that primary school students' attitudes towards reading were high. The attitudes of primary school students towards reading show a statistically significant difference in the total scores, in the reading for fun and in the academic reading sub-dimensions according to variables of gender, book-magazine reading status and state of enjoying the gift of books. The attitudes of female students, those who read books and magazines, and those who like to give books to them are higher. The attitudes of primary school students towards reading show a statistically significant difference according to the variable of buying book magazines to read in the sub-dimension of reading for entertainment and in the total scores. This difference is in favor of those who buy book and magazines to read. The attitudes of primary school students towards reading show a statistically significant difference in sub-dimension of reading for entertainment purposes according to the number of siblings. The attitudes of primary school students towards reading show a statistically significant difference in the total scores, in the reading for fun and in the academic reading sub-dimensions according to the variables of the class she studied and the number of books read per week. Primary school students' attitudes towards reading do not show a statistically significant difference according to variables.of mother and father educational status and favorite book type.
Valuing ecosystem services of Sundarbans mangrove forest for improved conservation: approach of randomized conjoint experiment

Purpose – This study provides empirical evidence of the economic valuation of ecosystem services. It examines the willingness-to-pay (WTP) and compensating surplus (CS) in response to policy change based on focus group discussion (FGD) and survey. Design/methodology/approach – A randomized conjoint analysis based experiment was conducted in seven villages of Sundarbans in Bangladesh to elicit stated preference data and measure WTP and CS. Each respondent faced three options in every choice card-two hypothetical alternatives and one status quo scheme. Four alternatives – payment for ecosystem services, storm protection, erosion control and habitat for fish breeding – are randomly and simultaneously assigned to the two alternatives. Findings – The findings suggest that age, income, education, family size and occupational status are the influential factor to choice the relevant attributes of ecosystem services and their levels. Villagers would like to pay annuallyTk. 703, Tk. 281, andTk. 59 for lower, moderate, and higher ecosystem services.With theseWTP, they get surplus Tk. 760, Tk. 138, and Tk. 346 respectively. Research limitations/implications – The lower WTP does not necessarily imply low demand for ecosystem service, as the findings from WTP illustrate potential demand for ecosystem services of Sundarbans. Practical implications –The study provides an important insight into the ecosystem services and values of Sundarbans mangrove forests for welfare and can inform policy for sustainable use of resources of this forest. Originality/value –There is a crucial gap in understanding what could villagers be ready forWTP for better ecosystem services of Sundarbans mangrove forest, how do payment based ecosystem services, as a proxy for the conservation of Sundarbans mangrove, and to what extent the policy can be strengthened.
Debt enforcement and bank loans: evidence from insolvency practices worldwide

ABSTRACT Using a novel debt enforcement index reflecting legal and economic characteristics directly relating to resolving insolvency across the world, we document that bank loan terms are more stringent (larger interest rate spread, higher collateral requirement, more covenants) in countries with weaker debt enforcement. The effect is more prominent when creditor rights are better protected and debtors are exposed to higher fundamental and informational risks. Improved enforcement has real effects of reducing borrowers’ covenant violation and enhancing their preference for bank funding. Lenders’ syndicates become more concentrated as loan contract enforceability deteriorates. A difference-in-differences analysis of insolvency resolution reforms worldwide confirms the cross-country evidence.
Validity Evidence for a Daily, Online-delivered, Adapted Version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF)

ABSTRACT The International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form (IPAQ-SF) is a globally-used self-report measure of physical activity (PA). Validity evidence exists; none has evaluated the IPAQ-SF with reduced recall time. This study evaluates absolute and relative agreement for PA at all intensities, and relative to recommended guideline classification through: (1) a daily, online-delivered adapted IPAQ-SF and (2) accelerometer (a) with a 10-minute bout minimum (TMBM) and (b) without (NBM). Fifty-five participants (mean 28.3 years, 61.8% females) wore an accelerometer and completed the IPAQ-SF for 7 consecutive days. IPAQ-SF and NBM correlations were acceptable (total PA 0.45, moderate-to-vigorous PA 0.38). IPAQ-SF underestimated NBM values. IPAQ-SF sensitivity compared to NBM guideline classification was 70%; specificity was 100%. Correlations with TMBM were weaker for all intensities. IPAQ-SF overestimated TMBM values. IPAQ-SF sensitivity compared to TMBM guideline classification was 77%; specificity was 55%. The adapted IPAQ-SF showed acceptable validity evidence for relative PA measurement.
The impact of observed precipitation upon the transport of aerosols from South Asia

Deposition of atmospheric aerosols by precipitation is investigated by assimilating near-global 3-hourly precipitation estimates from satellites at 0. 25¼ resolution into a global chemical transport model. Simulations of 21 d duration during February 2002 are performed where satellite observations of surface rain rate are incorporated into the computation of the aerosol removal rate. A steady source of a tracer simulating a soluble aerosol species is imposed on the bottom layer of the model over the Indian Subcontinent at a rate of 0.08 μg m−2 s−1. The impacts of wet deposition by observed precipitation patterns upon regional-scale and global-scale transport of aerosols are examined. The results are compared with a model simulation where wet deposition has been turned off and a simulation which uses model-simulated precipitation to compute wet deposition. Observed precipitation patterns are responsible for reducing aerosol amounts over the Indian Ocean basin by about 25% compared with a case with no wet deposition. Over the remainder of the Northern Hemisphere the aerosol amounts are reduced by nearly 80%. Precipitation in the region of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) acts as an effective barrier to the transport of aerosol to the Southern Hemisphere. Virtually all of the wet deposition over the Indian Ocean occurs in grid cells experiencing rain rates of less than 1 mm h−1, even though these events account for only 20% of the total precipitation observed in the region. Light-rain events to the north of the ITCZ occur frequently enough, and scavenge aerosol efficiently enough, to remove much of the aerosol before southward-moving air masses reach the ITCZ. Model-simulated precipitation over the Indian Ocean occurs more frequently than observed by satellite, by as much as 50%, and is characterized by more drizzle events and fewer heavy-rain events than observed. The differences in simulated and observed rain rate distributions result in only a 6% difference in aerosol amount over the Indian Ocean, and an 8% difference over the remainder of the Northern Hemisphere. Satellite observations also reveal that rain events covering more than 80% of the horizontal area of a model grid cell occur up to an order of magnitude more frequently than predicted by a common parametrization of precipitation scavenging. A test of wet deposition based on the observed spatial coverage of surface precipitation suggests that incorrect assumptions about the physical sizes of rain events may result in as much as a factor of 2 over-estimate of the amount of aerosol transported out of the South Asia region to the remainder of the Northern Hemisphere in global atmospheric transport models.
Effects of varied packages of plyometric training on selected motor ability components among university students

Purpose: The main focus of the study was to examine the effect of varied packages of plyometric training on speed, leg explosive power, and muscular endurance among university students. Material: Sixty students (age= 21.37+1.40) were divided into two groups namely, Control Group (CG, n=15) and Experimental Group (EG, n=45). The EG was further divided into three different groups based on the different training packages such as Low, Medium, and High-Intensity plyometric training. The . 05 level of confidence was fixed as the level of significance to test the ‘F’ ratio obtained by the analysis of covariance, which was considered as appropriate. Plyometric training for a period of eight weeks offered to the participants of the
Can hematological and biochemical parameters fasten the diagnosis of COVID-19 in emergency departments?

INTRODUCTION: The primary aim of the study was to compare the laboratory and radiological parameters of COVID-19 positive and negative patients confirmed by Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), and Chest Computed Tomography (CCT) of patients admitting with the suspicion of COVID-19. The secondary purpose of the study was to find objective parameters to speed up the clinician for further examination, treatment or referral decision in COVID-19 suspicion. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 61 COVID-19 suspected patients were evaluated in the study. Swab samples were taken for RT-PCR analysis. CCT was taken for 42 patients who described dyspnea. According to CCT and RT-PCR results, the patient population was divided into 2 groups as COVID-19 positive group (n = 32); and COVID-19 negative group (n = 29). Between two groups; demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological parameters were compared. RESULTS: Male gender (p = 0.03), PLR value (p = 0.021) and CO-RADS scores were higher in the COVID-19 positive group. Oxygen saturation (SaO2) (p = 0.027) and PCT, WBC, Neutrophil count, Lymphocyte count values were significantly low in COVID-19 positive group (p = 0.03, p = 0.001, p = 0.017, p = 0.021, respectively). PLR showed a positive correlation with fever, CRP, neutrophil count and NLR, which are indicators of inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: SaO2, WBC, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count and low PCT levels, and PLR elevation showed a significant difference in COVID-19 patients in our retrospective cohort study examining the Turkish population. We believe that these results will allow clinicians to make quick decisions in patient management more simply.
In vitro Antioxidant Activities of Ethanol, Ethyl Acetate and n-Hexane Extracts of Mangifera indica Leaves

Mangifera indica leaves have been in use in folk medicine since ancient time, for the treatment and/or management of numerous health complications. In this study, total phenols and flavonoids contents, as well as in vitro antioxidant activities of ethanol, ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts of M. indica leaves were determined and compared. The in vitro antioxidant activities were determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation assays, respectively. The total phenols were found to be present in the descending order of; ethanol extract > ethyl acetate extract > n-hexane extract, while flavonoids were observed in the descending order of; n-hexane extract > ethanol extract > ethyl acetate extract. The maximum percentage DPPH radical scavenged (at 100 μg/mL), ferric reducing power (at 400 μg/mL) and inhibitory activity on lipid peroxidation (at 400 μg/mL) exhibited by the ethanol extract (94.40%, 88.73%, and 84.05%, respectively) were significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the ethyl acetate extract (79.46%, 68.74%, and 79.73%, respectively at 400 μg/mL) as well as n-hexane extract (45.30%, 58.79%, and 67.78%, respectively at 100 and 400 μg/mL). It can be concluded that the extracts possess anti-oxidant activities and may be employed in the treatment and/or management of oxidative stress related diseases. Keywords: Mangifera indica; phenolics; flavonoids; antioxidant; DPPH radical;
Warmer temperatures promote shrub radial growth but not cover in the central Canadian Arctic

ABSTRACT We assessed the response of Salix richardsonii, a deciduous shrub, to climate change by determining the combination of climatic factors that regulated its growth over the past half-century. We tested whether increasing arctic temperatures promote shrub growth and increased cover. We analyzed fifty-four stems (out of seventy sampled) from S. richardsonii shrubs near the Walker Bay research station in Nunavut, Canada (68°21′ N, 108°05′ W) and surveyed shrub cover in 1996 and 2010. We measured annual growth rings, removed the age-related pattern, and used a response function analysis to explore the climate–growth relationship. The standardized chronology was positively associated with mean July temperature, corroborating other evidence that summer temperature is an important driver of shrub radial growth. Basal area increment revealed a long-term increase in radial growth, although it has stabilized this century. Surveys showed no significant increase in shrub cover at Walker Bay from 1996 to 2010. Our results support a growing body of evidence that increased shrub growth does not necessarily translate into a prolonged increase in shrub cover. Instead, we conclude that the heterogeneity of the arctic shrub response to climate change may be associated with variation in the proximate factors limiting recruitment such as water table saturation and herbivory.
Near‐Global CFC‐11 Trends as Observed by Atmospheric Infrared Sounder From 2003 to 2018

Recent studies have indicated a slowdown of the decline of CFC‐11 concentration since 2012. Ground‐based observations used in such studies have their limitations in terms of global coverage. Here we show that the CFC‐11 time‐varying behaviors can be seen by double differencing nadir‐view, clear‐sky brightness temperatures of four AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) channels in an infrared CFC‐11 absorption band. Assuming that CFC‐11 is vertically well mixed through the troposphere, we retrieve CFC‐11 surface concentration and its secular trend using such AIRS observations over the near globe (55°S to 55°N) from January 2003 to December 2018. The retrieved trends of CFC‐11 at the 11 ground sites agree well with the trends derived from in situ measurements at those sites. Our results show that, from 55°S to 55°N, the CFC‐11 trends from January 2003 to December 2012 are all negative, ranging from −2.5 to −1 ppt/year. The trends from January 2003 to December 2018 are less negative by as much as ~0.5–1 ppt/year over the Shandong peninsula, the Arabian Peninsula, and north India and Nepal area, and such differences in the trends are statistically significant. Factors other than the CFC‐11 that can affect the retrievals and trends are also discussed. These findings can help us depict the near‐global spatial distribution of the CFC‐11 trends from 2003 to 2018. The analysis described here has the potential to be used with current and future hyperspectral sounders to help monitor the CFC‐11 from space.
Characteristics of abortus patients in Dr. Soetomo Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia

Objective : The purpose is to uncover the characteristics of abortion patients in Dr. Soetomo general hospital in 2014. Materials and Methods : This study has analized with descriptive observational method using data from medic records on patient that fulfilled inclusion criterias in Dr. Soetomo general hospital during the periods of January 1st - December 31st 2014. Researcher used various variables such as patient’s age, gestational age, parity, previous history of abortion, previous history of contraception and type of abortion. From 40 patients, only 31 patients that fulfilled those inclusion criteria. Results : This study found that from 31 patients of abortion, the age group is dominated by more than 35 years old (52%). Most gestational age of abortion’s patients comes before 20 weeks (68%). Parity occurance is dominated by multiparity (39%). Most of them have no previous history of abortion (55%). Most of them also have no previous history of contraception (65%). And the type of abortion is dominated by Threatened Abortion (61%). Conclusion : Characteristics of abortion patients based on age are dominated by age over 35 years (52%). Based on gestational age are dominated by gestational age less than 12 weeks (1st trimester) (68%). Based on the parity dominated by multiparous groups (39%). Based on previous history of abortion are dominated by patients who have never experienced abortion before (55%). And based on the type of abortion are dominated by patients who experience Imminent Abortion (61%).