Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the roles of modernity, science, and risk in shaping flood management

In the face of an unprecedented climate crisis, uncertainties over both the frequency and the magnitude of extreme weather events are positioning the development of scientific and political responses to flood hazards as pivotal to adaptation strategies. While floods are generally understood as the results of hydro‐meteorological processes, their physical nature is also hiding some wider theoretical and practical dimensions that are intrinsically social. In turn, those dimensions unveil floods as social ‘revealers’, capable to exhibit the central role played by the fusion between science and politics in defining regimes of risk‐based flood governance. From the emergence of numerical weather predictions to the increasing sophistication of meteorological and hydrological predictions, the age‐old threat of flooding is increasingly viewed through a distinctively modern lens, which ultimately aims at organizing, producing, and securing futures by the consolidation of resilient societies. In spite of the considerable research efforts and resources invested into science and risk assessment instruments to underpin a more anticipatory and adaptive strategy to flooding, it is important to recognize that both science and risk politics are framing our capacity to engage with new forms of hazards that cannot be measured or quantified. WIREs Water 2015, 2:245–258. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1075
Extension Operations on Sets of Leaf-Labeled Trees

A fundamental problem in classification is how to combine collections of trees having overlapping sets of leaves. The requirement that such a collection of trees is realized by at least one parent tree determines uniquely some additional subtrees not in the original collection. We analyze the ''rules'' that arise in this way by defining a closure operator for sets of trees. In particular we show that there exist rules of arbitrarily high order which cannot be reduced to repeated application of lower-order rules.
Recent Trends and Fluctuations of Annual Rainfall in the Sudano-Sahelian Ecological Zone of Nigeria: Risks and Opportunities

This study examines the recent trends and fluctuations in the rainfall regime of the Sudano-Sahelian Ecological Zone of Nigeria in order to discuss the risks and opportunities involve. Rainfall data (1949-2008) for eight meteorological stations were used for this analysis. In order to identify trends, the rainfall series was sub-divided into 30-year overlapping sub-periods (1949-1978, 1959-1988, 1969-1998 and 1979-2008) and the Cramer’s (t k ) test was then used to compare the means of the sub-periods with the mean of the whole record period. The results of the test revealed that there was a change towards wetter conditions in the last 30-year period. The student’s t-test, t d , was also used to examine the temporal changes in the rainfall series between the two non-overlapping sub-periods (1949-1978 and 1979-2008) and the result shows that Nguru and Katsina were significantly drier than the long-term mean. The 10-year running mean shows that annual rainfall for all the stations were below the long-term mean from the late 1960s to the early 1990s and above-average afterwards. The results of the linear trend lines revealed an increase in rainfall supply over the period of study. Some of the implications of these findings are that models built on the perceived decreasing rainfall, such as drainages, dams, have to be reviewed. On the other hand, farmers would take the advantage of the long growing seasons by the adoption of multiple cropping systems. It is recommended that government policies related to agriculture and water resources development should take into account the risks and opportunities associated with increasing wet conditions in the Sudano-Sahelian Ecological Zone of Nigeria.
Preservice teachers’ self-efficacy to teach primary science based on ‘science learner’ typology

ABSTRACT According to international benchmarks [Thomson, S. , Wernert, N. , O'Grady, E. , & Rodrigues, S. (2017). TIMSS 2015: Reporting Australia's results. Retrieved from Camberwell, Victoria: www.acer. edu.au/timss], Australia’s science education is still in decline and so the need for further investigation into preservice teachers is warranted. Utilising data from a broader mixed methods doctoral study [Norris, C. M. (2017). Exploring the impact of postgraduate preservice primary science education on students’ self-efficacy. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu. edu.au/theses/2040], this paper investigates the type of science learner entering into postgraduate preservice primary teacher education and how different learner types influence teacher self-efficacy and their effectiveness to teach science [Bleicher, R. (2009). Variable relationships among different science learners in elementary science-methods courses. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 7(2), 293–313. doi:10.1007/s10763-007-9121-8]. In this study, data was derived from a modified STEBI-B questionnaire and focus group discussions that provided a deeper insight into the survey data. Participants (N = 274) were from a one-year Australian Graduate Diploma of Education Primary (GDEP) program. Bleicher’s (2009) research on ‘science learner types’, which included Fearful, Disinterested, Successful and Enthusiastic learners, was used as a theoretical framework to categorise the participants. The study identified a new type of learner (Not Clearly Identifiable, n = 68), located in the middle of the other four categories, where individuals’ attitudes and beliefs towards science had changed due to life experiences between secondary school and their GDEP program. Statistical analysis showed science learner types did influence participants’ science teaching self-efficacy (STSE), giving suggestions for how this may affect tertiary teacher education courses.
Changes in FX liquidity: Roles of Funding Constraints and Global Risks

This paper investigates the measure of FX liquidity and determinants of the change in FX liquidity. Using 20 cross currency exchange rates over the spanning period of 1999 to 2016, we find that funding constraints and global risks are responsible for the change in FX liquidity. The magnitudes of both G7 and emerging volatility index are offsetting each other in all the regression models indicating that FX investors take diversification trading strategies to diversify their portfolios. The financial crisis provides evidence that the more financial constraint issues contribute to the change in FX market liquidity more than non-financial crisis period. Extending to return predictability, we find that the average variance contributes the most for currency predictability more than other explanatory variables.
Dietary nicotine intake and risk of Parkinson disease: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND Tobacco use was observed to be associated with a lower risk of Parkinson disease (PD) in previous epidemiologic studies, with nicotine as a potential candidate. The association between dietary nicotine and PD risk has, however, not been examined in prospective studies yet. OBJECTIVES We aimed to examine prospectively the association between dietary nicotine intake and subsequent PD risk among never-smokers. METHODS The current study was based on never-smoker participants from 2 large prospective cohorts: the Nurses' Health Study (n = 31,615) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (n = 19,523). The studies contained information on dietary nicotine intake from 1986 from validated FFQs. Dietary nicotine intake was calculated based on consumption of peppers, tomatoes, processed tomatoes, potatoes, and tea. Incident cases of PD were identified via questionnaires and subsequently confirmed by reviewing medical records. We used Cox proportional hazard models to calculate cohort-specific HRs, and used fixed-effects models to calculate the pooled HR. RESULTS During 26 y of follow-up, we identified 601 incident PD cases (296 women and 305 men). After adjusting for potential covariates, the pooled HR for the highest compared with the lowest quintile of dietary nicotine intake was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.94). The significant inverse association was, however, only observed in women (adjusted HR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.42, 0.96), not in men (adjusted HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.50, 1.20). Further adjusting for environmental tobacco smoke exposure, family history of PD, and use of ibuprofen generated similar significant results in women. Consistently, greater consumption of peppers was associated with lower risk of PD (adjusted HR for ≥5 times/wk compared with ≤3 times/mo: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.94) in women but not in men (adjusted HR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.57, 1.90). CONCLUSIONS Women with greater dietary nicotine intake had a lower risk of PD than those with lower intake.
Revisiting the 1991 algal bloom in shelf waters off Argentina: Azadinium luciferelloides sp. nov. (Amphidomataceae, Dinophyceae) as the causative species in a diverse community of other amphidomataceans

Species of the marine dinophycean genera Azadinium and Amphidoma (Amphidomataceae) mostly attract attention because of their production potential of the lipophilic polyether phycotoxin azaspiracid (AZA). The genus Azadinium probably has a very wide geographical distribution. Blooms of Azadinium from the continental shelf off Argentina have been observed back in the early 1990, but were just recently published, and the causative species, identified at that time as Azadinium cf. spinosum, could not unequivocally be determined. Here we retrospectively analyzed old archived samples of one of the South Atlantic Azadinium bloom from 1991 with electron microscopy. It turned out that the dominant nanoplanktonic dinophycean species in fact represent a new species which we describe here based on the morphology. Azadinium luciferelloides sp. nov. is a small (approximately 9–14 μm cell length) thecate dinoflagellate with the dominant plate pattern of the genus (Po, X, 4′, 3a, 6″, 6C, 5S, 6″′, 2″″), and with a small antapical spine. Azadinium luciferelloides differed from all other described species of Azadinium by the position of the ventral pore, which was located on the right ventral side in a notch of an otherwise symmetric pore plate. In addition, we recorded and documented the presence of other similar sized species of the Amphidomataceae in the samples. Our finding of Az. spinosum, Az. dalianense, Az. dexteroporum, and Amphidoma languida are the first record for the South Atlantic and thus describe an important range extension of these species. The diversity and importance of the Amphidomataceae for South Atlantic spring bloom plankton is now known and taxonomically documented, but cultures and/or analysis of AZA in field samples of the area are needed to clarify the AZA production potential of the local species and populations in order to finally evaluate the risk potential of AZA for AZA shellfish contamination in the Southwestern Atlantic region.
Soil moisture: variable in space but redundant in time

Abstract. Soil moisture at the catchment scale exhibits a huge spatial variability. This suggests that even a large amount of observation points would not be able to capture soil moisture variability. We present a measure to capture the spatial dissimilarity and its change over time. Statistical dispersion among observation points is related to their distance to describe spatial patterns. We analyzed the temporal evolution and emergence of these patterns and used the mean shift clustering algorithm to identify and analyze clusters. We found that soil moisture observations from the 19.4 km2 Colpach catchment in Luxembourg cluster in two fundamentally different states. On the one hand, we found rainfall-driven data clusters, usually characterized by strong relationships between dispersion and distance. Their spatial extent roughly matches the average hillslope length in the study area of about 500 m. On the other hand, we found clusters covering the vegetation period. In drying and then dry soil conditions there is no particular spatial dependence in soil moisture patterns, and the values are highly similar beyond hillslope scale. By combining uncertainty propagation with information theory, we were able to calculate the information content of spatial similarity with respect to measurement uncertainty (when are patterns different outside of uncertainty margins? ). We were able to prove that the spatial information contained in soil moisture observations is highly redundant (differences in spatial patterns over time are within the error margins). Thus, they can be compressed (all cluster members can be substituted by one representative member) to only a fragment of the original data volume without significant information loss. Our most interesting finding is that even a few soil moisture time series bear a considerable amount of information about dynamic changes in soil moisture. We argue that distributed soil moisture sampling reflects an organized catchment state, where soil moisture variability is not random. Thus, only a small amount of observation points is necessary to capture soil moisture dynamics.
The Effect of Profit and Cash Indices and the Financial Increase on the Distribution of Cash Profits in the Industrial Companies Listed in Amman Stock Exchange

This study aims to investigate the effect of profit and cash indices as well as financial leverage on the distribution of cash profits in the industrial companies listed in Amman Stock Exchange during the period (2009-2016). A simple stepwise regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses of the study. The outcomes were the lack of the impact of financial leverage indices on the distribution of cash profits, and the presence of an impact of profitability and cash indices on the proportion of cash dividends. The study also found a model that can be used to predict the distribution of cash dividends based on the monetary and profitability indices of Jordanian industrial companies. Finally, the study recommends that cash and profitability indices can be used to predict cash dividends and further studies.
Financial Risk and Performance: Empirical Evidence from OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad

Banks are only one part of a vast financial system of markets and institution that circle the globe. Malaysia have resulted to positive outcomes for the financial system for the recent developments in the banking sector. Today, the financial sector has witnessed a revolution from the traditional role of being an enabler of economic growth to turn out to be a vital source for its own growth and expansion. This paper examines the factors affecting risk and performance in the banking institution and identify key factors influencing risk in bank operation in Malaysia.
The differences in teat-end hyperkeratosis in Holstein and Jersey dairy cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of breed (Holstein ; HB / Jersey ; JB) on the teat-end hyperkeratosis score (TEH) of cows housed in the same farm conditions and under the same milking management. Jersey cows had better score for the front teats, but worse for the rear teats comparing to Holstein cows. The TEH of the front teats in JB cows in third lactation were significantly (P<0.05) lower comparing to the same lactation group of HB cows. Regarding the rear teats of the observed cows, significantly (P<0.05) higher hyperkeratosis score was found in Jersey cows in first lactation comparing to Holstein cows in same lactation. The somatic cell count was found to be higher in JB comparing to the HB cows, but not significantly. The obtained results indicate that breed influence the level of the teat tissue condition.
ANovel Train-to-Train CommunicationModel Design Based on Multihop in High-Speed Railway

Railway telematics applications are currently attracting attention and are under intense research. Reliable railway telematics applications increasingly tend to require a subsidiary means to help existent control system make train operation safer and more efficient. Since 2006, train-to-train communication has been studied to respond to such requirements. A key characteristic of train-to-train communication is that operation control to avoid possible accidents is conducted among trains without help of a base station. This paper proposes a novel train-to-train communication model in a physical layer based on multihop and cooperation, taking a high-speed railway propagation channel into account. The mechanism of this model lies in the idea that a source train uses trains on other tracks as relays to transmit signals to destination train on the same track. Based on occurrence of these potential relays, such mechanism can be divided into three cases. In each case, BER is applied to evaluate properties of the proposed communication model. Simulation results show that BER of the train-to-train communication model decreases to 10−6 when SNR is 10 dB and that the minimum receiving voltage of this model is −84 dBm, which is 8 dBm lower than the standards established by the International Union of Railways (UIC) in a high-speed railway scenario.
Blockchain For Intelligent Transport System

ABSTRACT Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is gaining attention but at the same time, road accidents, congestion, delays, etc. have also increased. Relative information about such events is vital. Such information can be presented in legal processes as digital proof. Availability of the information is not a problem as multidimensional data have been recorded all the time by ITS. Recording all the information in ITS arises the problem of fetching relevant information and removing other facts and figure that are not required to describe certain situations such as an accident. To address this issue, we analyze road accident data and reduce various dimensions with Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF). We conduct comparative analysis with three datasets where error rate for PCA is 32% with Dataset1. Likewise, error rate for LDA and NMF are 36% and 35%, receptively. While keeping in mind that such reduced data is helpful in many legal processes, we introduce Blockchain in the framework. Blockchain can make data immutable thus can be considered as digital proof. Blockchain also requires a smart contract in this situation between insurance companies to collect data in case of any uncertain situation. Such analysis can offer a different point of views and trends in data. Information can be more explainable to define the situation and helps to develop a friendly environment for day-to-day customers. The proposed framework provides dimensionality reduction of data that eventually reduce the data dimension to store in Blockchain.
Time Taken to Reach the Performance Summit: Nature of Relation between Working Capital Management and Firm Performance in the Indian Context

This article examines the impact of Working Capital Management measured by Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) on the financial performance of firms in the Indian context. The period of study is from the year 2000 to 2014 for companies listed on the National Stock Exchange, India. The study uses regression model to analyze panel data. Financial and banking related companies have been removed from the dataset to mitigate bias. This study finds that working capital management is an important variable that affects the financial performance of firms. An empirical examination has been conducted in this study over a fairly big dataset spread over a long period in the Indian context. Increasing the efficiency of CCC would lead to an increment in firm’s performance up to a certain point which is referred to as the “performance summit” in this study. Our study concludes that there exists an inverse U shaped relationship between WCM and performance.
Nutrient Metabolism Lyophilized Apple Counteracts the Development of Hypercholesterolemia , Oxidative Stress , and Renal Dysfunction in Obese Zucker Rats 1

Apples may have selective effects on abnormalities associated with the plurimetabolic syndrome. Therefore, the effects of 20% lyophilized apple supplementation on plasma and tissue lipids and on protection against susceptibility to oxidative stress and renal dysfunction were investigated in Zucker lean (Fa/-) or obese (fa/fa) rats. The experimental diets were equilibrated for sugar supply, contained 0.25 g/100 g cholesterol and provided only one third of the vitamin E requirement. Obese Zucker rats were hypercholesterolemic with cholesterol accumulation in LDL and HDL fractions. The apple diet lowered plasma and LDL cholesterol ( 22 and 70%, respectively, P 0.01) in obese Zucker rats and, in parallel, reduced triglyceride accumulation in heart and liver. Zucker rats fed the apple diet also had a larger intestinal pool and greater fecal excretion of bile acids. The heart concentration and urinary excretion of malondialdehyde were reduced by apple consumption in obese Zucker rats, suggesting better protection against peroxidation. Glucosuria and proteinuria in obese Zucker rats were also suppressed by the apple diet. In conclusion, despite their moderate fiber content, apples improve substantially the lipid status and peroxidative parameters in obese Zucker rats, suggesting that other plant constituents such as polyphenols are involved in these effects. J. Nutr. 132: 1969–1976, 2002.
Isolation of novel phytoconstituents from the bark of wonder tree: Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce.

A phytochemical investigation was conducted on the bark of Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce (subfamily Mimosaceae, family Leguminosae/Fabaceae). Two Phytoconstituents from bark namely paeonol and ferulic acid were isolated from the ethanol extract of air dried bark of Prosopis cineraria by column chromatography, analysed and identified by its mass fragmentation pattern and spectrophotometric data. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic (IR, MS, NMR) data analysis and by comparison of the data obtained with those of the literature.
Effect of Flow Rate and Viscosity on Complex Fracture Development in UFM Model

A recently developed unconventional fracture model (UFM * ) is able to simulate complex fracture networks propagation in a formation with pre-existing natural fractures. Multiple fracture branches can propagate at the same time and crisscross each other. The behaviour of a hydraulic fracture when it intersects a natural fracture, whether being arrested, cross‐ ing, creating an offset, or dilating the natural fracture, plays a key role in predicting the re‐ sulting fracture footprint, microseismicity, and improving production evaluation. It is therefore critical to properly model the fracture interaction in a complex fracture model such as UFM. A new crossing model, called OpenT, taking into account the effect of flow rate and fluid viscosity on the hydraulic/natural fracture crossing behaviour is integrated in UFM simula‐ tor. The previous fracture crossing model is primarily based on the stress field at the ap‐ proaching hydraulic fracture tip and its interaction with the natural fracture. A new elasticity solution for the fracture contact has been developed. The new OpenT semi-analyti‐ cal crossing model quantifies the localized stress field induced in the natural fracture and in the rock and evaluates the size and length of open and shear slippage zones along the natu‐ ral fracture. The natural fracture activation and stress field near the intersection point are strongly dependent on the contacting hydraulic fracture opening and thus on fluid flow rate and viscosity. This new model is validated against laboratory experimental results and an advanced numerical model. In this paper we present the results of several test cases showing the influence of injection rate and fluid viscosity on the generated hydraulic fracture footprint in formations with pre-©