Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Water Erosion Risk Assessment in the Kenya Great Rift Valley Region

The Kenya Great Rift Valley (KGRV) region unique landscape comprises of mountainous terrain, large valley-floor lakes, and agricultural lands bordered by extensive Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). The East Africa (EA) region has received high amounts of rainfall in the recent past as evidenced by the rising lake levels in the GRV lakes. In Kenya, few studies have quantified soil loss at national scales and erosion rates information on these GRV lakes’ regional basins within the ASALs is lacking. This study used the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model to estimate soil erosion rates between 1990 and 2015 in the Great Rift Valley region of Kenya which is approximately 84.5% ASAL. The mean erosion rates for both periods was estimated to be tolerable (6.26 t ha−1 yr−1 and 7.14 t ha−1 yr−1 in 1990 and 2015 respectively) resulting in total soil loss of 116 Mt yr−1 and 132 Mt yr−1 in 1990 and 2015 respectively. Approximately 83% and 81% of the erosive lands in KGRV fell under the low risk category (<10 t ha−1 yr−1) in 1990 and 2015 respectively while about 10% were classified under the top three conservation priority levels in 2015. Lake Nakuru basin had the highest erosion rate net change (4.19 t ha−1 yr−1) among the GRV lake basins with Lake Bogoria-Baringo recording annual soil loss rates >10 t ha−1 yr−1 in both years. The mountainous central parts of the KGRV with Andosol/Nitisols soils and high rainfall experienced a large change of land uses to croplands thus had highest soil loss net change (4.34 t ha−1 yr−1). In both years, forests recorded the lowest annual soil loss rates (<3.0 t ha−1 yr−1) while most of the ASAL districts presented erosion rates (<8 t ha−1 yr−1). Only 34% of all the protected areas were found to have erosion rates <10 t ha−1 yr−1 highlighting the need for effective anti-erosive measures.
Modeling the Ecological Dynamics of a Three-Species Fish Population in the Chesapeake Bay

We present an inquiry-based project that is designed for a mathematical modeling class of undergraduate junior or senior students. It discusses a three-species mathematical model that simulates the biological interactions among three important fish species in the Chesapeake Bay: the prey Atlantic menhaden and its two competing predators, the striped bass and the nonnative blue catfish. The model also considers the following ecological issues related to these three species: the overfishing of menhaden, the invasiveness of the blue catfish, and the harvesting of blue catfish as a method to control the population. A series of modeling scenarios are considered based on some simplifying assumptions to demonstrate the application of theoretical concepts to actual fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay. Analysis involves elementary skills such as finding the roots of polynomial equations, computing eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and some advanced topics such as Routh-Hurwitz criteria and the Hartman-Grobman Theorem. Numerical simulations via MATLAB are utilized to produce graphical simulations and analyze long-time behaviors. Our model predicts that if no serious measures are taken to prevent the spread of the invasive blue catfish, the native predator species will be seriously affected and may even become extinct. The model also shows that linear harvesting is sufficient to limit the growth of the invasive catfish population; however, it is not sufficient to save the striped bass from becoming extinct. The results of this study illustrate the fundamental ecological principle of competitive exclusion, according to which two competing species that attempt to occupy the same niche in an ecosystem cannot co-exist indefinitely and one of the two populations will either go extinct or will adapt to fill a different niche. CODEE Journal http://www.codee. org/
Relationship between Quality Parameters and Internal Disorders in Pear by Means of Multivariate Analysis

Multivariate analysis was used to establish the relationship between quality parameters and two post harvest disorders (brown heart and core browning) that occurred during pear storage. The damage percentage for each disorder was related to length of storage and values of maturity indexes: firmness, sugar concentration (SSC) and acidity. The Principal Component Analysis model (PCA) distinguished two groups: healthy and damaged fruits. Within the damaged group, the model also clearly discriminated between fruit with brown heart and fruit with core browning. We also established a complementary Partial Least Squares model (PLS) that quantified the importance of each variable and predict the percentage of disorder. According to this model, brown heart negatively correlated with acidity, while core browning correlated with firmness and to a lesser extent with acidity. We conclude that core browning and brown heart are two different disorders related to specific changes in quality parameters.
After Hajj: Muslim Pilgrims Refashioning Themselves

The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) is one of the five pillars of Islam and a duty which Muslims must perform—once in a lifetime—if they are physically and financially able to do so. In Morocco, from where thousands of pilgrims travel to Mecca every year, the Hajj often represents the culmination of years of preparation and planning, both spiritual and logistical. Pilgrims often describe their journey to Mecca as a transformative experience. Upon successfully completing the pilgrimage and returning home, pilgrims must negotiate their new status—and the expectations that come with it—within the mundane and complex reality of everyday life. There are many ambivalences and tensions to be dealt with, including managing the community expectations of piety and moral behavior. On a personal level, pilgrims struggle between staying on the right path, faithful to their pilgrimage experience, and straying from that path as a result of human imperfection and the inability to sustain the ideals inspired by pilgrimage. By ethnographically studying the everyday lives of Moroccans after their return from Mecca, this article seeks to answer the questions: how do pilgrims encounter a variety of competing expectations and demands following their pilgrimage and how are their efforts received by members of their community? How do they shape their social and religious behavior as returned pilgrims? How do they deal with the tensions between the ideals of Hajj and the realities of daily life? In short, this article scrutinizes the religious, social and personal ramifications for pilgrims after the completion of Hajj and return to their community. My research illustrates that pilgrimage contributes to a process of self-formation among pilgrims, with religious and non-religious dimensions, which continues long after Hajj is over and which operates within, and interacts with, specific social contexts.
Payment Models to Coordinate Healthcare Providers with Partial Attribution of Outcome Costs

Problem definition: In many healthcare systems, general practitioners refer patients to specialists, who make treatment decisions under limited capacity. We evaluate the effectiveness of different payment schemes, both traditional ones, where the payer contracts separately with the providers, and bundled schemes, where the providers share a single bundled payment. A key feature considered is a performance-based payment component to coordinate the decisions of the general practitioner and specialist by a single payer. The providers are partially responsible for the patient outcomes and costs stemming from their treatment decisions. Academic/practical relevance: We propose and analyze a model to address how referral and specialist treatment decisions in healthcare impact each other and how payment schemes impact the coordination of care between the general practitioner and specialist. Our work is valuable to policymakers in understanding the trade-offs between using bundled and unbundled payment schemes in a referral-based healthcare system. Methodology: The underlying research method is the analysis of optimization models (with congestion effects embedded) to explore the effects of different payment schemes on different entities and various operational performance measures in a healthcare system. Results: A bundled scheme has higher referral rates, lower time spent with the patient by the specialist, higher specialist utilization relative to an unbundled system in most scenarios, and higher system costs. Our conclusions are robust to various model changes. Managerial implications: Our work provides specific managerial insights into the relative performance of bundled and unbundled payment systems on operational metrics in a referral-based healthcare system. It also sheds light on how the level of attributability of service outcomes to providers interacts with payment schemes to influence referral and specialist treatment decisions and impact various quality and cost metrics.
On the Sorption of Co and Cs on Stripa Granite Fracture-Filling Material

The Sorption and desorption of cobalt and cesium on natural and magnetically separated granite fracture-filling material were studied. The iron-containing minerals in the fracture-filling material were found to display a dominant role with respect to the distribution ratio (/? „) and Sorption kinetics. The sorption isotherm for trace Cô "̂ ( < 1 0 " ' M ) was found to be almost linear and that for trace Cs* (<10 ' M) clearly non-linear. It was observed that Cô "̂ is strongly sorbed on the fracture-filling material, from almost zero to almost complete removal from water within a narrow pH ränge (5.5-7.5), while the sorption of Cs* is pH-independent. The sorption mechanisms for Co^* and Cs* are discussed.
Research on Damage Identification of Nonuniform Microcrack in Beam Structures

Nonuniform microcrack identification is of great significance in mechanical, aerospace, and civil engineering. In this study, the nonuniform crack is simplified as a semielliptical crack, and simplified calculation methods are proposed for damage severity and damage identification of semielliptical cracks. The proposed methods are based on the calculation method for uniform cracks. The wavelet transform and the intelligent algorithm (IA) are used to identify the damage location and the damage severity of the structure, respectively. The singularity of the wavelet coefficient can be used to identify the signal singularity quickly and accurately, and IA efficiently and accurately calculates the structural damage severity. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and the genetic algorithm (GA), widely used, are applied to identify the damage severity of the beam. Numerical simulations and experimental analyses of beams with transfixion and semielliptical cracks are carried out to evaluate the accuracy of the semielliptical crack calculation method and the method of wavelet analysis combined with PSO and GA for nonuniform crack identification. The results show that the wavelet-particle swarm optimization (WPSO) and the wavelet-genetic algorithm (WGA) can accurately and efficiently identify the structural semielliptical damage location and severity and that these methods are not easily influenced by noise. The damage severity calculation method for semielliptical cracks can accurately calculate the semielliptical size and can be used to identify damage in beams with semielliptical cracks.
Potential Effectiveness of Poly-Vitamins and Probiotics among Preschool Children Living within Iodine Deficiency Territory to Caries Prevention

Objective: To evaluate the potential effect of poly-vitamins and probiotics use among preschool children permanently living within iodine deficiency territory on caries prevention . Material and Methods: 80 children aged 2-3 years old were randomly distributed among the study group (21 male and 19 females) and control group (20 males and 20 females). Oral fluid samples were formed from each study subject during primary examination and after 1 year of monitoring, which further were analyzed by parameters associated with mineralization potential of oral fluid. Both groups were provided with oral hygiene educational training, while the study group was also prescribed with poly-vitamin-mineral drug complex and probiotics. Results: After 1 year of monitoring, no significant changes considering caries prevalence (p>0.05) or intensity (p>0.05) values were registered among study and control groups. Difference of free calcium level, phosphate ion level and alkaline phosphatase activity was statistically approved (p<0.05) while comparing between study and control group after 12 months of monitoring . Conclusion: Caries preventive approach consisted of oral hygiene educational training and course of properly prescribed poly-vitamins and probiotics intake demonstrates positive results related to the changes within mineralization potential of oral fluid among preschool children with long-term residence over geographically associated iodine-deficient territory.
Prevalence of Intestinal Helminthes with Respect to Age, Sex and Breeds of Chicken Slaughtered at Eke Awka Market, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria

Aim: This research was designed to assess the prevalence of intestinal helminthes with respect to age, sex and breeds of chicken slaughtered at Eke-Awka Market, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. Methodology: Fecal specimen was obtained from 150 Chicken slaughtered at Eke-Awka, Market, Anambra State, Nigeria from August to October 2019. The Fecal specimen was processed following floatation and the formalin-ethyl acetate concentration techniques. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics to get the percentage prevalence and chi-square to determine the association of prevalence in relation to age, sex and breeds of the chickens; level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Original Research Article Ozougwu et al.; AJOB, 11(1): 1-7, 2021; Article no.AJOB. 63105 2 Results: Out of the 150 fecal specimens examined, 63 were found to be infected with intestinal helminthes parasites, giving a prevalence of 42%. The parasites found were Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum and Raillietina cesticillus. Raillietina cesticillus was observed to have the highest prevalence which is 16.7%. With respect to gender, a total of 38 males were found to be infected by helminthes parasites and the prevalence among males was 25.3%. Raillietina cesticillus infected the highest number of male chickens 17 (44.7%). A total of 25 female chickens were infected, with a prevalence of 16.7%, Ascaridia galli infected the highest number of female chickens 11 (44%). With respect to age groups, a total of 24 chickens aged (0 – 5) months were infected with a prevalence of 16%. Raillietina cesticillus had the highest infection rate 12 (50%). In the age group (6 – 10) months, a total of 21 chickens were infected giving a prevalence rate of 14%. Ascaridia galli recorded the highest infection rate 9 (49.9%). Among age group 11 months and above, the total number of infected chickens was 18, giving a prevalence rate of 12%. Heterakis gallinarum recorded the highest infection rate 8 (44.4%). With respect to breeds, a total of 28 old layer chickens were found to be infected by helminthes parasites and its prevalence was 18.7%, Raillietina cesticillus had the highest infection rate 13 (46.4%). The broiler had a total infection rate of 22 which gave a prevalence of 14.7%. Raillietina cesticillus had the highest infection rate of 9 (40.9%). Among the Native chickens, the total number of infections was 13 and its prevalence rate was 8.7%. Ascaridia galli recorded the highest infection rate which was 8 (61.5%). Conclusions: The overall prevalence of intestinal helminthes was 42%, the helminthes parasites found were Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum and Raillietina cesticillus. Raillietina cesticillus was observed to have the highest prevalence 16.7%. Government and poultry owners should ensure that good caging and management systems are adopted to prevent the spread of intestinal helminthes among chickens so as to ensure maximum output from poultry production.
PLLA/ABS Blends Compatibilized by Reactive Comb Polymers: Double Tg Depression and Significantly Improved Toughness

A reactive comb (RC) polymer, which was composed of one poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) backbone, two PMMA side chains and a few epoxy groups that distributed randomly along the backbone, was applied as a compatibilizer in an immiscible poly(l-lactic acid)/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) system (PLLA/ABS). The morphological structures, the rheological, mechanical and thermal properties of the obtained PLLA/ABS blends were investigated systematically. For the first time in the reactive compatibilized system, we found that the glass transition temperature (Tg) of both PLLA and ABS phase depressed to lower temperature and the toughness of the compatibilized PLLA/ABS blend was significantly improved. The effect of blending composition showed that both the depression of Tg and the improvement of toughness were most significant at the weight ratio of 50/50, at which the area of PLLA/ABS interface was the largest. It is considered that the in-situ formed PLLA grafted RC polymers at the PLLA/ABS interface drast.
Transport Phenomena in High-speed Wall-bounded Flows Subject to Concave Surface Curvature

Turbulent boundary layers that evolve along the flow direction are ubiquitous. Moreover, accounting for the effects of wall-curvature driven pressure gradient and flow compressibility adds significant complexity to the problem. Consequently, hypersonic spatially-developing turbulent boundary layers (SDTBL) over curved walls are of crucial importance in aerospace applications, such as unmanned high-speed vehicles, scramjets, and advanced space aircraft. More importantly, hypersonic capabilities would provide faster responsiveness and longer range coverage to U.S. Air Force systems. Thus, the acquired understanding of the physics behind high speed boundary layers over curved wall-bounded flows can lead to the development of more efficient control techniques for the fluid flow (e.g., wave drag reduction) and aerodynamic heating on hypersonic vehicle design. In this investigation, a series of numerical experiments is performed to evaluate the effects of strong concave curvature and supersonic/hypersonic speeds (Mach numbers of 2.86 and 5, respectively) on the thermal transport phenomena that take place inside the boundary layer. The flow solver to be used is based on a RANS approach. Two different turbulence models are compared: the SST (Shear Stress Transport) model by Menter and the standard k-ω model by Wilcox. Furthermore, numerical results are validated by means of experimental data from the literature (Donovan et al. , J. Fluid Mech., 259, 1-24, 1994) for the moderate concave curvature case and a Mach number of 2.86. The present study allows us to initially obtain a first insight of the flow physics for a forthcoming better design of 3D meshes and computational boxes, as part of a more ambitious project that involves Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of curved wall-bounded flows in the supersonic/hypersonic regime. The uniqueness of this RANS analysis in concave curved walls can be summarized as follows: (i) study of the compressibility effects on the time-averaged velocity and temperature, (ii) analysis of the influence of different inflow boundary conditions.
Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures on Conjugated Polymers: Poly(3-hexylthiophene)

In this work, we report on the surface patterning of semiconducting poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin films by means of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS). Two different laser wavelengths, 266 and 532 nm, and a broad range of fluences and number of pulses have been used in order to optimize the LIPSS morphology. Ripples period and depth can be tuned by laser parameters. In particular, the high optical absorption of P3HT at 532 nm enables the formation of well-ordered nanostructures with periodicities around 460 nm. Near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and Raman spectroscopy reveal a good chemical stability of P3HT thin films during LIPSS formation. Conducting atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) performed on the LIPSS reveals a higher electrical conduction in the trenches than in the ridge regions. Resonance Raman spectroscopy and grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) indicate a loss of crystallinity of P3HT thin films during LIPSS formation, suggesting melting of.
Evapotranspiration Response to Climate Change in Semi-Arid Areas: Using Random Forest as Multi-Model Ensemble Method

Large ensembles of climate models are increasingly available either as ensembles of opportunity or perturbed physics ensembles, providing a wealth of additional data that is potentially useful for improving adaptation strategies to climate change. In this work, we propose a framework to evaluate the predictive capacity of 11 multi-model ensemble methods (MMEs), including random forest (RF), to estimate reference evapotranspiration (ET0) using 10 AR5 models for the scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The study was carried out in the Segura Hydrographic Demarcation (SE of Spain), a typical Mediterranean semiarid area. ET0 was estimated in the historical scenario (1970–2000) using a spatially calibrated Hargreaves model. MMEs obtained better results than any individual model for reproducing daily ET0. In validation, RF resulted more accurate than other MMEs (Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE) M=0.903, SD=0.034 for KGE and M=3.17, SD=2.97 for absolute percent bias). A statistically significant positive trend was observed along the 21st century for RCP8.5, but this trend stabilizes in the middle of the century for RCP4.5. The observed spatial pattern shows a larger ET0 increase in headwaters and a smaller increase in the coast.
A Review of Predictive Control Techniques for Switched Reluctance Machine Drives. Part II: Torque Control, Assessment and Challenges

This two-part survey presents the recent advances and developments of predictive control in switched reluctance machine drives. The aim is to highlight the potential of using predictive control to enhance the performance of these drives and make them more competitive with respect to conventional AC drives. The second part of this review presents the contributions in predictive torque control. The different approaches adopted in the literature regarding phase torque distribution, modelling and switching behaviour are discussed and analyzed in order to identify the current challenges and suggest future research. Further applications of predictive control are also described and a general conclusion on future applications and potential research based on the literature review are directed.