Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macro and micro plastics in an urbanized and non-urbanized fjord estuary in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

Plastics, synthetic polymers which are durable and long lasting, have been appearing as marine debris for many decades. Macro-plastics (larger than 5 mm) and their effects on marine life have been well studied, documenting effects such as strangulation and digestive blockage in animals. Micro-plastics (0.3 mm to 5 mm in size), a result of either plastic produced in small pieces or fragmentation, have only recently begun being researched. This study characterizes macro and micro plastics in two NE Pacific estuaries, Puget Sound, WA and Nootka Sound, Canada. Macro-plastic concentrations were zero at all stations in both estuaries. Average microplastic concentrations at the surface ranged from 0 pieces/m to 102 pieces/m, 5 m depth concentrations were 0 pieces/m to 44 pieces/m and 10 m depth concentrations were 0 pieces/m to 5300 pieces/m. Fibers of plastic, assumed to be primarily marine in origin, had a higher concentration at most stations than those in pellet form, assumed to be terrestrial in origin. Understanding plastics’ distribution, origins, and effects on estuaries will require significant spatial and temporal sampling, beginning at the source.
Turismo en España, más allá del sol y la playa. Evolución reciente y cambios en los destinos de litoral hacia un turismo cultural

En muchos destinos maduros, el tradicional turismo de litoral necesita productos innovadores que le ayuden a su regeneracion. Uno de ellos es el turismo cultural. Asi, en este trabajo, despues de conocer la situacion actual del turismo, en base a los datos disponibles, se profundiza en el caso del turismo cultural en Espana, entendido como un turismo complementario en los destinos de litoral, y se demuestra que, efectivamente, el pais tambien se esta posicionando como un destino internacional de turismo cultural que ayuda a la revitalizacion de unos destinos tradicionalmente orientados al sol y la playa.
Effect of vine or bunch shading on the carotenoid composition in Vitis vinifera L. berries. II. Muscat of Frontignan grapes

Effect of shade from the berry set to maturity was studied on the carotenoid composition of the Muscat berries, Muscat of Frontignan, over two years. In 1995, berries of the 50% and 90% shaded vines by cages and berries of the 90% shaded bunches by bags were compared to those of unshaded vines. In 1996, the 90% vine shading was replaced with the 70% vine shading and among the unshaded vines, the sunny berries, chosen as control berries, and the berries under the foliage were distinguished. Carotenoids (neochrome-neoxanthin, violaxanthin, luteoxanthin, 5,6-epoxylutein, flavoxanthin, lutein and β-carotene) were quantitatively determined using HPLC in grape berries just before veraison and stages close to maturity. The observations of this study were compared to those previously described in the Syrah berries, subjected the same modifications of vine or bunch environment, in these two varieties, the artificial shading of vines or bunches affected the carotenoid levels in green berries and their evolution during ripening. However, the carotenoid level in Muscat berries appeared to be less affected than those of the Syrah berries by the 90% artificial shading of vines or bunches. The sun or shade exposure, in full sunlight or shaded by leaves, appeared to be decisive in the carotenoid composition.
Finger Vein Recognition Using DenseNet with a Channel Attention Mechanism and Hybrid Pooling

This paper proposes SE-DenseNet-HP, a novel finger vein recognition model that integrates DenseNet with a squeeze-and-excitation (SE)-based channel attention mechanism and a hybrid pooling (HP) mechanism. To distinctively separate the finger vein patterns from their background, original finger vein images are preprocessed using region-of-interest (ROI) extraction, contrast enhancement, median filtering, adaptive thresholding, and morphological operations. The preprocessed images are then fed to SE-DenseNet-HP for robust feature extraction and recognition. The DenseNet-based backbone improves information flow by enhancing feature propagation and encouraging feature reuse through feature map concatenation. The SE module utilizes a channel attention mechanism to emphasize the important features related to finger vein patterns while suppressing less important ones. HP architecture used in the transitional blocks of SE-DenseNet-HP concatenates the average pooling method with a max pooling strategy to preserve both the most discriminative and contextual information. SE-DenseNet-HP achieved recognition accuracy of 99.35% and 93.28% on the good-quality FVUSM and HKPU datasets, respectively, surpassing the performance of existing methodologies. Additionally, it demonstrated better generalization performance on the FVUSM, HKPU, UTFVP, and MMCBNU_6000 datasets, achieving remarkably low equal error rates (EERs) of 0.03%, 1.81%, 0.43%, and 1.80%, respectively.
How talent management execution impacts career experiences: exploring the organization-individual intersect

The aim of the research was to investigate the ways in which talent management execution impacts the individual career experiences of talent, specifically exploring how talent management execution and career enablement can be closer aligned to unlock value for both the organization and the individual. A qualitative research design was employed to explore the research question. During the first phase of the research data was collected from 13 talent management professionals using purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews. During the second phase of the research the Delphi method was used to validate the findings (n = 8). Four broad themes were identified as the most prominent ways in which talent management execution impacts the career experiences of individuals. The first is the philosophical underpinning that the organization holds in how talent is defined as well as the exclusivity or inclusivity of their approach. The second is the identification criteria used to identify talent within the organization. Thirdly, the extent to which talent management practices are aligned with career enablement practices and the congruence between these. Lastly, the role of the psychological contract and employee experience in managing mutual expectations. The resultant tension must be proactively managed by (1) clearly articulating the talent philosophy and making this visible through talent management execution, (2) ensuring alignment between talent management practices and the career enablement available to talent, and (3) delivering on expectations through the lived experiences of talent. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on talent management and careers, with a specific focus on the intersection between these and defining ways to align these practices to create congruent and authentic career experiences for individuals.
Food Literacy Assessment of a Sample of Romanian Higher Education Students

Background: Food literacy is an essential aspect of modern education, nourishing students with the knowledge and necessary skills to make informed, healthy, and sustainable food choices. Building upon the validated research conducted in Portugal concerning the nutritional knowledge level of Portuguese students, our objective was to provide a similar survey instrument to Romanian students to assess their level of food literacy. Methods: The data was collected, based on a pilot study, from 120 Romanian students who completed an online questionnaire. The questionnaire covered anthropometrics, physical activity, diet, food literacy knowledge, and behavior. Food literacy was classified into three distinct sections: literacy about healthy eating patterns, literacy about labeling and food choices, and literacy about nutritional value and composition. Results: Students who possessed the most elevated food literacy were also the ones with a high academic performance. Weight issues affected 45% of students, with a significant 12.7% having eating disorders. We found no association between food literacy, BMI, and age. Conclusions: Our pilot study could lay the foundation for similar studies for our country on a larger scale, with the aim of developing further educational curricula and community programs regarding nutrition, striving towards a healthier future.
Does Justice Matter? Evaluating the Usefulness of Commitment and Innovative Work Behavior as a Predictor of Turnover Intention of Korean Employees

The turnover of key talent is a critical issue that can negatively impact an organization’s ability to execute strategies and achieve competitive advantage. Therefore, it is important to understand the factors that influence employees’ decisions to change jobs. In this study, we test the antecedent factors that affect Korean employees’ intention to change jobs and the relationships among them. Specifically, to examine the various paths that affect turnover intention (TI), a dual mediation model including organizational justice (OJ), organizational commitment (OC), and innovative work behavior (IWB) is analyzed. To analyze the research model, we use survey data on Korean employees and various analyses, including frequency, reliability, confirmatory factors, and discriminant validity analyses, as well as structural equation modeling analysis using SPSS and AMOS. All the paths in the research model are found to be significant. Additionally, an indirect path from OJ to TI through OC, an indirect path from OJ to TI through IWB, and an indirect path from OJ to TI through OC and IWB are found to be significant. This study may help explore effective countermeasures for strategic development and employee retention in organizations.
Deciphering Differences in Microbial Community Diversity between Clubroot-Diseased and Healthy Soils

Clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) is an important soilborne disease that causes severe damage to cruciferous crops in China. This study aims to compare the differences in chemical properties and microbiomes between healthy and clubroot-diseased soils. To reveal the difference, we measured soil chemical properties and microbial communities by sequencing 18S and 16S rRNA amplicons. The available potassium in the diseased soils was higher than in the healthy soils. The fungal diversity in the healthy soils was significantly higher than in the diseased soils. Ascomycota and Proteobacteria were the most dominant fungal phylum and bacteria phylum in all soil samples, respectively. Plant-beneficial microorganisms, such as Chaetomium and Sphingomonas, were more abundant in the healthy soils than in the diseased soils. Co-occurrence network analysis found that the healthy soil networks were more complex and stable than the diseased soils. The link number, network density, and clustering coefficient of the healthy soil networks were higher than those of the diseased soil networks. Our results indicate that the microbial community diversity and network structure of the clubroot-diseased soils were different from those of the healthy soils. This study is of great significance in exploring the biological control strategies of clubroot disease.
FINANCIAL RATIOS AND FIRM VALUE OF FOOD & BEVERAGE COMPANIES BEFORE AND AFTER COVID-19

This study examines the firm values (Tobin's Q) which are affected by a few financial ratio parameters, including profitability using return-on-equity (ROE), asset management using total asset turnover (TATO), and leverage using debt-to-equity ratio (DER) before and after the Covid-19 period. The population used in this study were 42 non-cyclic consumer manufacturing sub-sector companies with F&B products listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during the 2019-2022 period. The data collection used in this study is by secondary collection method from annual financial reports and the official website of each company. The study's findings showed that DER and TATO respectively did not significantly affect firm value, while ROE had a favorable and noteworthy effect on company value both sometime recently and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is more recent after COVID-19 so it can describe the most real conditions.
Stratigraphic interprétation of the Neogene marine - continental record in the Maaseik well (49W0220) in the Roer Valley Graben, NE Belgium

Comité éditorial: L. Dejonghe, P. Laga Secrétaire de rédaction: M. Dusar Service Géologique de Belgique Rue Jenner, 13 1000 Bruxelles Belgique Redactieraad: L. Dejonghe, P. Laga Redactiesecretaris: M. Dusar Belgische Geologische Dienst Jennerstraat 13, 1000 Brussel België Stratigraphic interpretation of the Neogene marine – continental record in the Maaseik well (49W0220) in the Roer Valley Graben, NE Belgium
Condition of northern red oak trees in the urban environment of Belgrade (Serbia)

Forty-two trees of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) were examined in the area of the municipality of Savski Venac, Belgrade, to assess the condition of this allochthonous species in Serbia and its adaptability to urban environments. Physical measurements were taken and ratings of vitality and decorativeness were given. The analyzed trees are in very good condition based on their health status (80.95% of trees without visible indication of disease) and the mean values of ratings for vitality (4.45) and decorativeness (3.88). The obtained values of vitality and some physical measurements were greater than those stated in the literature, suggesting that the species has adapted well to the urban environment of Belgrade and it should be considered a suitable landscape tree species for planting in urban areas of Serbia.
Nutraceuticals and Pain Disorders of the Gut–Brain Interaction in Infants and Children: A Narrative Review and Practical Insights

Different nutraceuticals are often considered by parents of infants and children with abdominal pain and disorders of the gut–brain interaction. Herb extracts and natural compounds have long been used in traditional medicine, but clinical pediatric trials are very limited. This narrative review based on relevant studies identified through a search of the literature in Pubmed and Medline updated to October 2023 focused on the effect of nutraceuticals in infantile colic, functional abdominal pain, and irritable bowel syndrome in children and adolescents. Significant reductions in colic episodes and crying time were reported in two studies on fennel (seeds oil or tea), in three studies on different multiple herbal extracts (all including fennel), in one study on Mentha piperita, and in at least two double-blind randomized controlled studies on Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12 (108 CFU/day for at least 21 days) in breast-fed infants. Compared to a placebo, in children with functional abdominal pain or irritable bowel syndrome, a significant reduction in pain was reported in two studies supplementing peppermint oil capsules or psyllium fibers, and in one study on corn fiber cookies, partial hydrolyzed guar gum, a specific multiple herbal extract (STW-5), or vitamin D supplementation. To date, there is moderate-certainty evidence with a weak grade of recommendation on Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 (108 CFU/day) in reducing pain intensity in children with functional abdominal pain and for Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (1–3 × 109 CFU twice daily) in reducing pain frequency and intensity in children with IBS. Further large and well-designed pediatric studies are needed to prove the efficacy and safety of different herbal extracts and prolonged use of studied products in infants and children with pain disorders of the gut–brain interaction.
On a Class of Nonlinear Elliptic Equations with General Growth in the Gradient

In this paper, we prove an existence and uniqueness result for a class of Dirichlet boundary value problems whose model is −Δpu=β|∇u|q+c|u|p−2u+finΩ,u=0on∂Ω, where Ω is an open bounded subset of RN, N≥2, 1<p<N, Δpu is the so-called p-Laplace operator, and p−1<q<p. We assume that β is a positive constant, c and f are measurable functions belonging to suitable Lorentz spaces. Our approach is based on Schauder fixed point theorem.
Molecular magnetic resonance imaging of myeloperoxidase activity identifies culprit lesions and predicts future atherothrombosis

Abstract Aims Unstable atherosclerotic plaques have increased activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO). We examined whether molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of intraplaque MPO activity predicts future atherothrombosis in rabbits and correlates with ruptured human atheroma. Methods and results Plaque MPO activity was assessed in vivo in rabbits (n = 12) using the MPO-gadolinium (Gd) probe at 8 and 12 weeks after induction of atherosclerosis and before pharmacological triggering of atherothrombosis. Excised plaques were used to confirm MPO activity by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MSMS) and to determine MPO distribution by histology. MPO activity was higher in plaques that caused post-trigger atherothrombosis than plaques that did not. Among the in vivo MRI metrics, the plaques’ R1 relaxation rate after administration of MPO-Gd was the best predictor of atherothrombosis. MPO activity measured in human carotid endarterectomy specimens (n = 30) by MPO-Gd–enhanced MRI was correlated with in vivo patient MRI and histological plaque phenotyping, as well as LC–MSMS. MPO-Gd retention measured as the change in R1 relaxation from baseline was significantly greater in histologic and MRI-graded American Heart Association (AHA) type VI than type III–V plaques. This association was confirmed by comparing AHA grade to MPO activity determined by LC–MSMS. Conclusion We show that elevated intraplaque MPO activity detected by molecular MRI employing MPO-Gd predicts future atherothrombosis in a rabbit model and detects ruptured human atheroma, strengthening the translational potential of this approach to prospectively detect high-risk atherosclerosis.
Overcoming the Challenge of Cyberbullying Detection in
Images: A Deep Learning Approach with Image Captioning
and OCR Integration

: Cyberbullying is a serious concern in today’s digital age. The rapid increase in the use of social media platforms has made cyberbullying even more prevalent. The form of cyberbullying has also evolved with time. In the era of Web 1.0, cyberbullying was limited to text-based data, but with the advent of Web 2.0 and 3.0, it has expanded to images and multi-modal data. Detecting cyberbullying in text-based data is relatively easy as various natural language processing techniques (NLP) can be used to identify o ff ensive language and sentiment. However, detecting cyberbullying in image-based data is a major challenge as images do not have a clear textual representation. Hence, bullies often try to bypass existing cyberbullying detection techniques by using images and multi-modal data. We proposed a deep learning technique named as CNBD-Combinational Network for Bullying Detection (CNBD), which is a combination of two networks: Binary Encoder Image Transformer (BEiT) and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) network. To improve the performance of the CNBD, we supplied two additional input factors to the CNBD using concepts called Image Captioning(IC) and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to extract text overlayed on the images. The experimental results proved the two additional factors gave an advantage to the CNBD technique in terms of accuracy, precision, and recall.
Gpr149 is involved in energy homeostasis in the male mouse

GPR149 is an orphan receptor about which little is known. Accordingly, in the present study, we mapped the tissue expression of Gpr149 in mice using three complementary approaches: quantitative PCR, in situ hybridization, and a newly generated Gpr149-Cre reporter mouse model. The strongest expressions of Gpr149 were observed in neurons of the islands of Calleja, the ventromedial hypothalamus, and the rostral interpeduncular nucleus. Moderate-to-low expression was also observed in the basal forebrain, striatum, hypothalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord. Some Gpr149 expression was also detected in the primary afferent neurons, enteric neurons, and pituitary endocrine cells. This expression pattern is consistent with the involvement of GPR149 signaling in the regulation of energy balance. To explore the physiological function of GPR149 in vivo, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to generate a global knockout allele with mice lacking Gpr149 exon 1. Preliminary metabolic findings indicated that Gpr149−/− mice partially resist weight gain when fed with a high-fat diet and have greater sensitivity to insulin than control mice. In summary, our data may serve as a resource for future in vivo studies on GPR149 in the context of diet-induced obesity.
Radar-Based Millimeter-Wave Sensing for Accurate 3-D Indoor Positioning: Potentials and Challenges

The 3-D nature of modern smart applications has imposed significant 3-D positioning accuracy requirements, especially in indoor environments. However, a major limitation of most existing indoor localization systems is their focus on estimating positions mainly in the horizontal plane, overlooking the crucial vertical dimension. This neglect presents considerable challenges in accurately determining the 3-D position of devices, such as drones and individuals across multiple floors of a building let alone the cm-level accuracy that might be required in many of these applications. To tackle this issue, millimeter-wave (mmWave) positioning systems have emerged as a promising technology offering high accuracy and robustness even in complex indoor environments. This article aims to leverage the potential of mmWave radar technology to achieve precise ranging and angling measurements presenting a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the performance of mmWave sensors in terms of measurement precision while demonstrating the 3-D positioning accuracy that can be achieved. The main challenges and the respective solutions associated with the use of mmWave sensors for indoor positioning are highlighted, providing valuable insights into their potentials and suitability for practical applications.
Observations of bidirectional lightning leader initiation and development near positive leader channels

Based on the analysis of high‐speed optical and electric field change data, we present three observed cases in which a naturally occurring bidirectional lightning leader initiated and developed in virgin air near a previous established positive leader channel. Twice a new leader formed near an upward propagating positive leader that had initiated from a tower during an upward flash and once a new leader formed near a downward propagating positive leader prior to a positive cloud‐to‐ground return stroke. There were clear and consistent behavioral differences between the positive and negative leader ends of the newly formed bidirectional leader, and the positive end grew more slowly than the negative end in each case. In all three cases, the negative end of the bipolar leader connected with the previously formed positive leader channel creating a new positive leader branch. These rare observations show the bidirectional nature of naturally occurring lightning and suggest that positive leaders can gain branches by connection with newly formed bipolar leaders.