Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Sensitivity of Atmospheric River Identification to Integrated Water Vapor Transport Threshold, Resolution, and Regridding Method

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are elongated narrow bands of enhanced water vapor that can cause intense rainfall and flooding. ARs only appeared in the literature the last 30 years, and there has been much debate about how to define ARs and how to identify them. As a result, a wide range of AR identification algorithms have been produced with variations in the conditions required for an object to be classified as an AR and differences in the input data. One of the key conditions in most AR identification algorithms is a minimum threshold of water vapor flux, along with geometric criteria. The aim of this study is to explore uncertainties in global AR identification based on a single integrated water vapor transport (IVT)‐based identification method. We conduct a sensitivity analysis under one algorithmic framework to explore the effects of different IVT thresholds, input data resolutions, and regridding methods during the Years of Tropical Convection operational analysis (May 2008 to April 2010). We found that the resolution and regridding method affects the number of ARs identified but the seasonal cycle is maintained. AR identification is highly sensitive to the choice of IVT threshold; importantly, the commonly used 250 kg m−1 s−1 IVT threshold is not appropriate for global studies with detection methods that also include a restrictive geometric condition as this combination can lead to the strongest systems failing to be identified. The uncertainties within a single AR detection method and input data parameters may be as large as uncertainties across AR detection methodologies.
The effect of chromosome 3B gene/s of Ceska Presivka on vernalisation response, photoperiod sensitivity and earliness of wheat

Substitution lines with the chromosome 3B of the Czech alternative cultivar Česká Přesívka (CP) in the genetic background of the wheat cultivars Zdar, Vala, Košutka, Jara and Sandra, differing in their requirements of vernalisation and photoperiod, were compared with the original cultivars under short and long photoperiod, to evaluate the effects of genes, located on the chromosome 3B of CP, on earliness and the response to photoperiod and vernalisation. The results suggest that these genes have only a small effect upon the vernalisation requirement, but are more related to the response to photoperiod. However, the genes on the substituted chromosome appear to influence the earliness per se and very likely interact also with the photoperiodic response.
Moringa oleifera – A Functional Food and Its Potential Immunomodulatory Effects

ABSTRACT Moringa oleifera (M.oleifera) as nutraceuticals and nutritional resources in human diets has gained attention in recent years, in part due to the extensive use of this plant in traditional foods and medicinal therapies in various regions of the world. Concurrently, the role of immune modulation in the treatment of several human diseases has received considerable attention. This paper mainly aims to summarize our current understanding of M. oleifera immunomodulatory potential and its possible mechanism of action. M. oleifera is considered as medication to combat numerous diseases. Collectively, the data suggest that M. oleifera comprises a diverse group of bioactive compounds which can be used as nutritional and therapeutic agents to regulate the host immune system, in turn helping to combat various disorders including cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. Also M.oleifera contributes toward the host health through restructuring the gut microbiota, which in turn helps to control various diseases such as inflammation and to enhance host immunity. Finally, it is concluded that the M.oleifera can be used as potential nutritional source to developed new functional food with ability to promote the host immune system. Overall, a huge gap in knowledge was apparent, suggesting that further in vitro and in vivo investigations are needed to document the immunomodulatory potential of M. oleifera supplemented functional foods.
Nutritional disorders of corn growing in the Eastern Croatia

Nutritional disorders in corn accompanied with K deficiency have been found on some clay soils of Posavina area. It is in close connection with strong K-fixation and excess of plant available magnesium (Mg) in soil. In some cases is K deficiency accompanied with low phosphorus (P) supplies. Our experiences with adequate fertilization and choice of hybrids for these soils were shown in this study. By K fertilization was considerable increased corn yields. For example, in the Mikanovci trial was applied 2670 kg K2O/ha and corn yields (3-year means) were increased from 1.93 t/ha to 7.64 t/ha or four-fold. At same time, K and Mg status in corn leaves (0.60% K, 1.94% Mg and 1.66% Ca on the control; 1.58% K, 0.95% Mg and 1.64% Ca on the highest K treatment). Similar trends were found by the other experiments including ameliorative either K or P rates. Two groups of seven corn hybrids contain same inbred line as a father (Os1-48 for the A group and Os87-24 for the B group) were grown under soil stress characterizing K-deficiency and excess of Mg. The hybrids of A group characterized considerable lower percentage of stalk lodging, lower P contents in the lower part of stalk at maturity and higher yield. By the second trial, ten corn hybrids were grown on similar soil and ordinary fertilization. Two hybrids (OsSK568exp. and OsSK602) yielded over 8.0 t/ha (mean 8.80 t/ha). and by their growing is also possible to increase corn yields under soil stress.
Evaluation of Permeable Brick Pavement on the Reduction of Stormwater Runoff Using a Coupled Hydrological Model

In several cities, permeable brick pavement (PBP) plays a key role in stormwater management. Although various hydrological models can be used to analyze the mitigation efficiency of PBP on rainfall runoff, the majority do not consider the effect of multi-layered pavement on infiltration in urban areas. Therefore, we developed a coupled model to evaluate the potential effect of PBP in reducing stormwater runoff at a watershed scale. Specifically, we compared the hydrological responses (outflow and overflow) of three different PBP scenarios. The potential effects of PBP on peak flow (PF), total volume (TV), and overflow volume (OV) were investigated for 20 design rainstorms with different return periods and durations. Our results indicate that an increase in PBP ratio reduces both PF (4.2–13.5%) and TV (4.2–10.5%) at the outfall as well as the OV (15.4–30.6%) across networks. The mitigation effect of PBP on OV is linearly correlated to storm return period and duration, but the effects on PF and TV are inversely correlated to storm duration. These results provide insight on the effects of infiltration-based infrastructure on urban flooding.
Contact Based School Intervention Program: Enhancing Cooperation Intention and Reducing Prejudice toward Roma

The aim of the paper is to assess the effects of an intervention program derived from the contact theory of intergroup attitudes toward the Roma minority. A sample of 150 high school students from two midsized towns were randomly assigned to a control group and an experimental group. Participants in the experimental group attended six sessions of a Junior Project Manager program run by a local organization, which included project management lessons, a lesson on the discriminated minority and positive, cooperative direct contact with the Roma minority in work settings. Participant attitudes were measured prior to and after the intervention program. The intervention program had a positive impact on intergroup attitudes, intergroup trust, approach/avoid tendencies and intended future cooperation. The results indicate that this was the first successful attempt to change intergroup attitudes using direct contact in a Slovak context.
Prognosis according to the timing of recurrence in breast cancer

Purpose Clinically, breast cancer can be divided into 4 subtypes based on the presence of hormone receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki-67. Because the pattern and time of recurrence vary according to the subtype, we evaluated whether there was a difference in overall survival (OS) among the subtypes according to the time and type of recurrence. Methods A total of 2,730 patients who underwent breast cancer surgery were analyzed. Early and late recurrence were defined as recurrence within and after 5 years of diagnosis, respectively. Recurrence type was categorized as locoregional recurrence or systemic recurrence. Results Hormone receptor-positive tumors were significantly more frequent in the late recurrence group than in the early recurrence group (estrogen receptor positive, 47.8% [early] vs. 78.7% [late]). However, there was no difference in the rate of HER2 overexpression (HER2+, 38.1% [early] vs.39.0% [late]). In subgroup analysis, early recurrence was a significant prognostic factor for OS in all subtypes. However, late recurrence was a significant prognostic factor for OS only in the luminal B subtype (hazard ratio of 4.30). In addition, the luminal B type had the highest proportion in late recurrence patients (63.2%). Conclusion The luminal B subtype had a high rate of late recurrence, and late recurrence was a poor prognostic factor for OS only in this subgroup. Therefore, further targeted treatments for luminal B breast cancer are needed and patients with this subtype require close long-term surveillance.
Experimental investigation into the influence of ignition location on flame spread and heat release rates of polyurethane foam slabs

This study presents the results from a set of 11 large‐scale open fire tests performed on flexible polyurethane foam slabs/mattresses. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of the ignition location on the fire behaviour of the foam slabs and to generate data on a highly characterised material that could be used for modelling work in the future. A method for obtaining spatially resolved flame spread data for this type of material was presented using a gridded array of 5 × 10 thermocouples placed on the underside the foam slab and from this, flame spread was examined using three different approaches. The heat release rate (HRR) results showed clear shapes forming that were dependent on the ignition location, with two distinct behaviours being observed between the various different ignition locations, this was also observed in the calculated flame spread rate (FSR) data. Results within an individual test, showed the calculated range of FSRs over the geometry of the slab varied between approximately 1 and 8 mm/s depending on the ignition location. The average FSR values between tests varied between 3 and 7 mm/s and the maximum and minimum values were calculated to be approximately 11 and 2 mm/s respectively.
A New Mechanism for Submarine Groundwater Discharge From Continental Shelves

Marine tracer studies indicate that large volumes of saline groundwater discharge to the ocean in passive margin settings. These results have not found widespread recognition because the location and cause(s) of this submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) are unclear. Here we report observations from a new long‐term seafloor monitoring network in the South Atlantic Bight that support large‐scale SGD far from shore. In the study area near Charleston, South Carolina, we determined hydrostratigraphy via vibracoring and chirp seismic surveys, collected water samples from seafloor wells, and used heat as a tracer to monitor SGD. We detected significant pulses of saline SGD issuing from the seafloor 10–15 km from shore. These pulses coincided with abrupt sea level declines of up to 30 cm. Based on an analysis of marine conditions at the time, we propose that upwelling‐favorable winds depressed sea level in the region, causing saline groundwater to discharge from confined coastal aquifers that connect land and ocean. The combination of stacked confined aquifers and variations in sea level are nearly ubiquitous in passive coastal margins. This previously overlooked combination can explain a wide range of other published observations and promotes more dynamic flows than simple tidal fluctuations. This new mechanism may explain Ra tracer signals in the coastal Atlantic Ocean and supports significant nutrient inputs to the ocean. These large natural geochemical fluxes may be sensitive to groundwater usage on land.
Bulge formation through disc instability

We use simulations to study the growth of a pseudobulge in an isolated thin exponential stellar disc embedded in a static spherical halo. We observe a transition from later to earlier morphological types and an increase in bar prominence for higher disc-to-halo mass ratios, for lower disc-to-halo size ratios, and for lower halo concentrations. We compute bulge-to-total stellar mass ratios B/T by fitting a two-component Sersic-exponential surface-density distribution. The final B/T is strongly related to the disc’s fractional contribution fd to the total gravitational acceleration at the optical radius. The formula B/T = 0.5 fd1.8 fits the simulations to an accuracy of 30%, is consistent with observational measurements of B/T and fd as a function of luminosity, and reproduces the observed relation between B/T and stellar mass when incorporated into the GALICS 2.0 semi-analytic model of galaxy formation.
Evaluating the Emissions of the Heat Supplied by District Heating Networks through A Life Cycle Perspective

The Life Cycle Assessment methodology has proven to be effective in evaluating the impacts of goods production throughout their life cycle. While many studies are available on specific products, in recent years a growing interest is related to the analysis of services, including energy supply for final customers. Different LCA evaluations are available for electricity, while the heating and cooling sector has not yet been properly investigated. The objective of this study is the analysis of the specific impacts of the heat supplied to the final users connected to a district heating system, in comparison with traditional individual natural gas boilers, which represent the baseline heating solution in several urban contexts in Europe. The results show that the comparison is heavily dependent on the allocation method used for combined heat and power plant production. District Heating impact on heat supplied to the users can vary from 0.10 to 0.47 kgCO2eq/kWh, while distributed natural gas boilers present an overall impact equal to 0.27 kgCO2eq/kWh.
The Biological Activity of Cupressus sempervirens Extracts against Musca domestica

The biological activity against the larval, pupal and adult stages, moreover, the efficacy on reproductive potential, antifeedant and repellency activity of ethanolic, acetone and petroleum ether, leaves and stems extracts of C. sempervirens against the housefly, M. domestica were evaluated. The larval and pupal duration, pupal mortality, adult emergence and growth index were highly affected by different extracts tested. The antifeedant and repellent activity of was varied depending on the solvent, plant parts used in extraction and the dose of extract. Tested extracts significantly reduced the fecundity and increased the sterility. Based on LC50, the toxicity may be arranged as follows: leaves > stems. Petroleum ether extract from leaves was more effective in inducing the fecundity, antifeedant, repellent actions and egg-hatchability than those from stems. These results may provide an opportunity to develop alternatives to costly organic pesticides using some available cheap plants, which are usually safe to the environment and to other living organisms. Original Research Article Hasaballah et al.; AJOB, 5(1): 1-12, 2018; Article no.AJOB. 38023 2
Valorization of Date Pits as an Effective Biosorbent for Remazol Brilliant Blue Adsorption from Aqueous Solution

In this work, the adsorption of Remazol Brilliant Blue (RBB) over raw date pits (RDPs) as an inexpensive adsorbent has been examined. In addition, all parameters such as the adsorbent mass, solution pH, RDP particle size, RBB initial concentration, and temperature on the adsorption of RBB influencing the adsorption procedure were studied to provide fundamental information of the adsorption equilibrium. The characterization of RDP material is investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Based on the calculation, the kinetic rate of the adsorption was well modeled by pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm. Surface functional groups of RDP have substantially been influenced by the adsorption characteristics of RBB. The capacity of the adsorption has achieved 105 mg/g and a removal efficiency of 90.4% at 1.5 g/L RDP mass, 40 mg/L initial dye concentration, pH 2, temperature of 328 K, 40 µm particle size, and contact time of 50 min. The capacity of the adsorption could reach 198 mg/g by increasing the ionic strength of RBB solution. Desorption tests showed that RDP adsorbent has the disadvantage of losing efficiency while reusing for many cycles. However, it still abundant and inexpensive. Therefore, RDP can be used as a potential low-cost bioabsorbent for the elimination of RBB from wastewater.
Two-phase modeling of flow control of laminar Fe3O4-water nanofluid flow around the cylinder by Kelvin force of wire magnetic field using ferro hydrodynamics principles

Controlling the destructive behavior of the wake region and consequently drag reduction are great challenges in fluid mechanics and ocean engineering. In this paper, the effect of the non-uniform magnetic field on controlling the flow and consequently drag reduction has been studied in laminar flow of magnetic nanofluid around a circular cylinder. The source of the magnetic field is a single current-carrying wire located in the center of the cylinder. The nanofluid consists of Fe3O4 as nanoparticles and water as the base flow. The ranges of Reynolds number (Re), volume fraction (ϕ), and the diameters of nanoparticles are 1.6 < Re < 180, 0 < ϕ < 0.04 and 15 < dp < 25, respectively. The modified Buongiorno model that contains the magnetophoresis term is utilized to perform two-phase modeling of magnetic nanofluid flow. Finite volume method and PISO (Pressure-implicit With Splitting Of Operators) algorithm are utilized for the discretization of the governing unsteady equations including conservation laws of mass, volume fraction transport, and momentum equations by considering the ferrohydrodynamics (FHD) force as the source term. The results showed a significant effect of magnetic field intensity and volume fraction on the flow parameters such as drag coefficient, strouhal number, wake length, etc. In general, increasing the magnetic field in various volume fractions and various nanoparticle diameters reduces the amount of drag coefficient. The effective parameters for flow controlling are ordered as follows regarding their effectiveness: magnetic field intensity, volume fraction and diameter of the nanoparticles, respectively.
Creating individual accessible area hypotheses improves stacked species distribution model performance

Correspondence Jacob C. Cooper, University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. Email: jccooper@uchicago.edu Present address Jacob C. Cooper, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of Chicago, Culver Hall 402, Chicago, IL 60637, USA and Life Sciences Section, Integrative Research Center, The Field Museum, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.
Adoption, completion and continuance of MOOCs: a longitudinal study of students’ behavioural intentions

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors underlying the adoption, completion and continuance of massive open online courses (MOOCs), using technology-user-environment (TUE) framework, MOOCs features and MOOCs qualities. The proposed model was empirically tested using longitudinal research design. The primary data was gathered at three time points through a survey of 197 students at an Indian university. Stepwise regression analysis was used to test the hypothesised relationships in the proposed model. The results demonstrate that technological characteristics, user characteristics and MOOCs features influence the students’ decisions in all the stages of MOOCs acceptance including initial adoption, completion and continuance. Environmental factors determine the students’ initial intentions to adopt MOOCs, whereas MOOCs qualities predict their intentions to complete and continue the usage of MOOCs in future. Moreover, the intention to adopt MOOCs significantly predicts the intention to complete MOOCs which in turn significantly determines the intention to continue using MOOCs. These findings will be helpful for MOOCs providers and other stakeholders. The MOOCs providers can focus on the technological characteristics, user characteristics and MOOCs features as they carry a sustained influence on the students’ intentions to adopt, complete as well as continue using MOOCs.
Cross-country differences in anxiety and behavioral response to the Covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting health, social, mental, and economic well-being worldwide, and taking precautions and co-operation is crucial at the individual level. Using data from various sources, this study examines cross-country differences in anxiety levels and behavioral responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, I investigate how economic preferences and development at the country-level are associated with anxiety and behavioral response and whether these factors explain contextual differences. Results show that anxiety was less common among more patient and developed societies. Yet, altruistic societies suffered more from anxiety. Higher levels of positive reciprocity and trust were also associated with stronger health-protective behavioral responses. These findings are important in eliciting the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic for different societies during the ongoing pandemic.
Mental health and academic failure among first-year university students in South Africa

Universities in South Africa face ongoing challenges with low rates of academic attainment and high rates of attrition. Our aims were to (1) investigate the extent to which common mental disorders evaluated early in the first year predict academic failure at the end of the year, controlling for sociodemographic factors and (2) establish the potential reduction in prevalence of failure that could be achieved by effectively treating associated mental disorders. Self-report data were collected from first-year students (n = 1402) via an online survey at the end of the first semester. Participants were assessed for six common mental disorders. Academic performance data were subsequently obtained from institutional records at the end of the year. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the best sociodemographic and mental health predictors of academic failure. Population attributable risk analysis was used to assess the potential impact of treating associated mental disorders. In multivariate logistic regression models controlling for significant sociodemographic factors, the odds of failure were elevated among students with major depressive disorder (aOR = 3.69) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (aOR = 2.05). Population attributable risk analysis suggests that providing effective treatment to students with major depressive disorder and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder could yield a 6.5% absolute reduction in prevalence of academic failure (equivalent to a 23.0% proportional reduction in prevalence of academic failure). Providing effective and accessible campus-based mental healthcare services is integral to supporting students’ academic attainment and promoting transformation at South African universities.