Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The significant inputs of trace elements and rare earth elements from melting glaciers in Antarctic coastal waters

To evaluate the impact of modern glacier melting on the chemical enrichment of Antarctic coastal waters, we measured trace elements, including dissolved iron (Fe) and rare earth elements (REEs), together with dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphorous, silicate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in ice, snow and coastal seawater of Marian Cove in the northernmost part of Antarctica (62°S). There was an increase in the concentrations of Fe and other trace elements (Al, Mn, Cr, Ni, Co, Pb and REEs) between the bay mouth and the glacier valleys. Good correlations between salinity and these chemical elements indicate that the trend was mainly due to the influence of glacier meltwater (GMW). When the effect of GMW was quantified based on plots of its presence (average 5.7%) in the surface water of the cove, the concentrations of trace elements in seawater increased 18-fold for Fe, eight- to 10-fold for Al and Mn and up to four-fold for Cr, Ni, Co, Pb and REEs by GMW. However, the contribution of GMW to inorganic nutrients and DOC was negligible. The significance of GMW-borne REE contribution in this cove was further evidenced by middle REE enrichment in cove water. Our results suggest that the currently increasing glacier melting in Antarctica has a significant influence on the level of trace elements, particularly Fe, in cove water, which in turn may have a significant impact on the biogeochemistry of coastal seawater in Antarctica.
Journal of Management and Tourism Research Volume 3 Issue 2 (2020) 60-73

Sri Lanka as a renowned tourism destination has become the center of attraction with a lot of natural resources, splendid sceneries, bio-diversity, diverse culture, and heritage (Kamble and Bouchon, 2014). The tourism industry is considered one of the fastest-growing sectors of the world economy as well as the Sri Lankan economy. The contribution of the tourism sector to the economy of Sri Lanka is such that it has become the third-largest foreign exchange earner recording the highest ever the number of tourist arrivals (over 2.3 million) in 2018 (www.export.gov). Even though the tourism sector seems to be a much rewarding sector for entrepreneurs, yet the entrepreneurial culture in Sri Lanka is not at a favorable stage to pick up the tourism industry to a remarkable stage. As per the statistics of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, 75% of all enterprises fall in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in 2018.
Decadal Variability of the Aleutian Low and Its Relation to High-Latitude Circulation*

The January‐February mean central pressure of the Aleutian low is investigated as an index of North Pacific variability on interannual to decadal timescales. Since the turn of the century, 37% of the winter interannual variance of the Aleutian low is on timescales greater than 5 yr. An objective algorithm detects zero crossings of Aleutian low central pressure anomalies in 1925, 1931, 1939, 1947, 1959, 1968, 1976, and 1989. No single midtropospheric teleconnection pattern is sufficient to capture the variance of the Aleutian low. The Aleutian low covaries primarily with the Pacific‐North American (PNA) pattern but also with the Arctic Oscillation (AO). The change to a prominent deep Aleutian low after 1977 is seen in indices of both the PNA and AO; the return to average conditions after 1989 was also associated with a change in the AO. The authors’ analysis suggests an increasing covariability of the high- and midlatitude atmosphere after 1970.
Final results from a Eucalyptus grandis x E. camaldulensis coppice trial

In 1996, a coppice trial was initiated in Zululand, South Africa on Eucalyptus grandis x E. camaldulensis, to investigate: the effects of an early first coppice reduction to two stems per stump (at a height of 2 m as opposed to the standard commercial height of 4 m), chemical (with glyphosate) or manual control of secondary coppice regrowth; and to evaluate the effect of weed control on final yield. No significant treatment differences were detected for any of the tree growth parameters measured (height, diameter at breast height, basal area per hectare, volume and stocking) when the trees were felled at 7 years. These results indicate that dependent on company objectives, all of the alternative coppice management practices tested could possibly be used instead of those that are currently in use. Weed control showed no benefit in stands managed for coppice. Coppice can be reduced at an early stage (when dominant height is 2 m) without loss in final yield. Uncontrolled secondary coppice regrowth does cause an initial reduction in coppice growth, but any negative impact was eliminated through selective thinning (at the second reduction operation when the coppice is 7-8 m in height) to the original stocking by removal of the smaller of the two stems per stump. The spraying of secondary coppice regrowth with glyphosate at 0.6% proved to be a viable alternative to manual removal using hand held implements.
Influence of site conditions and production system on the environmental impacts of domestic and imported cheese.

In this study, cheese produced in Switzerland was compared to imported cheese from the main countries of origin, France, Italy, and Germany. The environmental impacts of cheese production were dominated by milk production. The average Swiss milk production was characterized by a low input of concentrates and the lowest milk yield per cow. Despite this lower milk yield, the environmental impacts of Swiss milk were lower or similar to milk produced in the other countries, with the exception of land occupation. The good growing conditions for grassland and a high quality of roughage allow to produce milk at moderate intensity level in an efficient way. The study showed that there is no simple relationship between the amount of concentrates, milk yield and environmental impacts, instead the results depend on the whole production system, and site conditions can influence the environmental impacts significantly.
Immunohistochemical expression of TROP‑2 (TACSTD2) on the urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder and other types of cancer

In metastatic or locally advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC), therapeutic options have been limited to chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Novel targets and drugs such as antibody drug conjugates have been developed, and enfortumab vedotin targeting nectin-4 and sacituzumab govitecan (SG) targeting trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (TROP-2), the protein product of the TACSTD2 gene, have been approved. The expression of TROP-2 was investigated within UC and other types of carcinomas, and within the tissue of different healthy organs to understand treatment responses and toxicities. The expression of TROP-2 in the tissues of 42 patients with UC, 13 patients with other types of cancer and in the normal tissues of 11 patients was retrospectively analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining of the TROP-2 protein was performed on a BenchMark ULTRA IHC/ISH System (Roche Tissue Diagnostics; Roche Diagnostics, Ltd.) according to accredited staining protocols in a routine immunohistochemistry accredited and certified facility of the laboratory of immunohistochemistry at the Institute of Pathology (Gerhard-Domagk Institute)- University Hospital Muenster (UKM)-Muenster-Germany]. Different expression levels of TROP-2 were observed, and the highest expression rate of TROP-2 was observed in UC, independent of the tumor stage. However, normal urothelial cells had similar expression levels. Except for ductal carcinoma in situ, the expression of TROP-2 was reduced in other types of cancer and in the healthy tissues from other organs, including pancreas, gall bladder, colon and prostate. Given the treatment response based on the expression level of TROP-2, SG would be effective in almost all cases of UC. However, it would also have an effect on the normal urothelium.
Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer and Seedling Age on Inbred and Hybrid Rice Varieties

3 Abstract: Two field experiments were conducted at the Rice Research and Training Center (RRTC), Sakha, Kafr-El Sheikh Governorate, Egypt during summer seasons 2009 and 2010 to study the effect of nitrogen fertilizer and seedling age on Giza 178, H1 and Sakha 101. Four nitrogen levels were used (0, 55, 110 and 165 kg N/ha) and three seedling age i.e. 20, 30 and 40 days from sowing. The results indicated that number of tillers/hill, days from sowing up to panicle initiation, heading dates, leaf area index, leaf area ratio, chlorophyll content,1000-grain weight, panicles length, agronomic efficiency, utilization efficiency and grain yield (ton/ha) were increased by increasing nitrogen levels up to 165kg N /ha. The 20 days seedling age recorded the highest values of each studied attributes. Sakha 101 variety surpassed than other varieties for all studied characters. The interaction between H1 hybrid rice variety and application of 164 kg N/ha gave the highest value of utilization efficiency (kg/ha), agronomic efficiency, leaf area ratio. Seedling age (20 days from sowing) with H1 hybrid rice gave the highest value of utilization efficiency (kg/ha), agronomic efficiency, leaf area ratio, while H1 hybrid rice at 20 days age of seedling without nitrogen application gave the lowest value of utilization efficiency (kg/ha), agronomic efficiency, leaf area ratio.
CoreDetector: a flexible and efficient program for core-genome alignment of evolutionary diverse genomes

Abstract Motivation Whole genome alignment of eukaryote species remains an important method for the determination of sequence and structural variations and can also be used to ascertain the representative non-redundant core-genome sequence of a population. Many whole genome alignment tools were first developed for the more mature analysis of prokaryote species with few current tools containing the functionality to process larger genomes of eukaryotes as well as genomes of more divergent species. In addition, the functionality of these tools becomes computationally prohibitive due to the significant compute resources needed to handle larger genomes. Results In this research, we present CoreDetector, an easy-to-use general-purpose program that can align the core-genome sequences for a range of genome sizes and divergence levels. To illustrate the flexibility of CoreDetector, we conducted alignments of a large set of closely related fungal pathogen and hexaploid wheat cultivar genomes as well as more divergent fly and rodent species genomes. In all cases, compared to existing multiple genome alignment tools, CoreDetector exhibited improved flexibility, efficiency, and competitive accuracy in tested cases. Availability and implementation CoreDetector was developed in the cross platform, and easily deployable, Java language. A packaged pipeline is readily executable in a bash terminal without any external need for Perl or Python environments. Installation, example data, and usage instructions for CoreDetector are freely available from https://github.com/mfruzan/CoreDetector.
Disaggregating Health Official Statistics by Integrating Data From Multiple Sources

Disaggregated statistics help improve the description of the society. However, survey estimates are subject to larger uncertainty at finer levels than at higher levels, and often not even available at fine levels. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is considered the nation’s premier system collecting health data from individuals in the US using telephone surveys. Among the BRFSS official statistics, state-level estimates are available for two related health prevalence quantities: the prevalence of having a personal doctor and the prevalence of having health insurance coverage. No county-level BRFSS estimates are released for these quantities. In addition, county-level estimates for the prevalence of having health insurance coverage are also available from the US. Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) program. This article addresses the disaggregation of the state-level prevalence of having a personal doctor to the county level, by using the state-level relationship between the two BRFSS prevalence variables and the county-level bridge between the BRFSS and the SAHIE prevalence of having health insurance coverage. Using 2018 public-use data, county-level model estimates are produced for both prevalence variables and on both BRFSS and SAHIE scales, improving the usability of the BRFSS public-use data. AMS Subject Classification: 62D05, 62H10, 62J05, 62P99
Development and Viability of an Alternative Virtual-Contextual Model in Teacher Training: Continuity Initiative in Laid-back Settings

Initiatives to ensure the continuity of training programs within the COVID-19 environment had been regarded emergent and discretionary particularly in laid-back settings. The training initiative to improve the professional practice of 35 public primary school teachers in Sumba, one of the remotest islands of Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia fitted this mold. The call for a responsive training that grounds teachers’ teaching and the context of their professional training remained a vantage point for systemic exploration. Qualitatively designed, this study explored the practicality of combining the virtual and the conventional teacher training mode. It hinged on a 1-year training period, of which five months charted the implementation of the face-to-face or conventional mode and the next seven months spanned the implementation of both virtual and conventional training modes. Guided by the systemic analysis approach, data collection emerged into two timelines. Phase 1 data collection framed the conceptualization of the virtual-contextual model and Phase 2 data collection grounded the operational features of the alternative-virtual framework. For validity triangulation, three external master trainers of trainers (MTOT) scrutinized the frameworks and a school site mentor, the overseer of the training program. Likewise, data from related trial studies formed integral part in the revisions of the training models. Formative and summative trainee artifacts such as lesson plans, teaching and learning materials, reflection notes, self- and peer reviews as well as interview typescripts were pooled, thematically coded, and inductively analyzed. Moreover, demonstration teaching tasks were assessed and were used to explain teacher practice orientations and improved changes. The findings yielded four (4) combined delivery strategies featuring the virtual-contextual model: (1) virtual synchronous training and asynchronous training; (2) teacher and peer interactive activities and formative support from the school-based mentor; (3) online and direct feedback from virtual trainers and school-based mentor; and (4) workplace formative-summative assessment and intermittent incentives with parallel extrinsic reinforcement. In conclusion, the combined outcomes of these four strategies propelled a layered yet mutable or alterable teaching attributes in the aspects of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), namely: curriculum knowledge, learning instruction, understanding how students learn, and specific content mastery.
Impact study of agricultural value added on foreign direct investment, economic development, trade openness for India following ARDL approach

Abstract This research aims to identify the impact of agriculture, forest and fishing value-added on international business, capital flow, and economic growth for India from 2000 to 2022, by examining short-term and long-term equilibrium using the Auto Regressive Distributive lag (ARDL) approach. Agriculture value added is taken as a dependent variable, and inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), stock of net FDI, economic growth and trade openness are taken as independent variables. Results indicate that there exists a long-term and short-term relationship between agriculture value added, economic growth and trade openness. Economic growth and trade openness have a statistically significant relationship with agricultural value added in the short and long run. Inward FDI and stock of FDI are not significant to agriculture value added. ARDL Bound test results indicate that there is a long-term cointegrating relation among the variables. The error correction term is also strong and significant (−13.96), suggesting resistance to shocks. Existing literatures coverage on agriculture and international business is scarce in the Indian context, and this research will be significant in that line. The results of this study resonate with the findings of a few studies conducted in other geographical areas, indicating the fact that the receptivity and absorptive capacity prevailing in an economy play a dominant role in receiving maximum benefits from inward capital flow leading to economic growth. This research reinstates that agriculture still influences economic growth in India. Openness is essential for creating a conducive atmosphere for economic development. The study also indicates the direction for future research.
Impact of Postoperative Naples Prognostic Score to Predict Survival in Patients with Stage II–III Colorectal Cancer

Simple Summary Systemic inflammatory markers are useful methods to predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients after surgeries. The Naples prognostic score is a useful predictive scoring system that reflects a patient’s inflammatory and nutritional status. In this study, the postoperative Naples prognostic score showed high accuracy in predicting survival after curative resection in stage II–III colorectal cancer patients compared with preoperative inflammatory markers. Abstract Background: The Naples prognostic score (NPS) is a scoring system that reflects a patient’s systemic inflammatory and nutritional status. This study aimed to evaluate whether postoperative NPS is effective in assessing the prognosis of stage II–III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients compared with preoperative NPS. Methods: Between 2005 and 2012, a total of 164 patients diagnosed with stage II–III CRC, who underwent curative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy, were divided into two groups: Group 0–1 (NPS = 0–2) and Group 2 (NPS = 3 or 4). Preoperative NPS was calculated based on the results before surgeries, and postoperative NPS was assessed using the results obtained before adjuvant chemotherapy. Results: The overall survival of Group 0–1 was higher than that of Group 2 in both pre- and postoperative NPS assessments. According to the ROC curve analysis, the Area Under the Curve (AUC) ratio for postoperative NPS was 0.64, compared with 0.57 for preoperative NPS, 0.52 for the preoperative neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (p = 0.032), and 0.51 for the preoperative platelet–lymphocyte ratio (p = 0.027). Conclusions: Postoperative NPS is effective in predicting the prognosis of stage II–III CRC patients who underwent curative resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. The use of NPS could be beneficial in evaluating the prognosis of CRC patients after surgeries.
Classification of subpencils for hyperplane sections on certain K3 surfaces

Abstract We classify the subpencils of complete linear systems for the hyperplane sections on K3 surfaces obtained as the complete intersection of a hyperquadric and a hypercubic. The classification is done from three points of view, namely, the type of a general fibre, the base locus and the Horikawa index of the essential member. This classification shows the distinct phenomenons depending on the rank of the hyperquadrics containing the surface.
Environmental Equity and Vulnerability to Air Pollution: Evidence from Delhi, India

This paper tries to find evidence of environmental inequity. In order to find out the relationship between socio-economic characteristics and air pollution exposure, the paper first computes a household-specific air pollution exposure index for 347 households around seven pollution monitoring stations in Delhi, India. The index is then used in a multivariate regression to look into the environmental equity aspect. The analysis yields that the economically backward communities are the most affected by the exposure to air pollution. However, the study could not find any evidence of environmental inequity due to religion and the evidence was weak for the communities, which are socially backward. Education facilitates defense against the exposure, when it crosses a threshold level. The separate analysis of residential and industrial areas suggest that exposure to air pollution is indeed dependent, though not systematically, on the location of residence besides their socio-economic status. While the Delhi government in the recent past has taken up several steps to tackle the menace of air pollution, what is needed is an effective air pollution control policy keeping in view the distributional aspects of the air pollution problem.
Unveiling Patterns: A Study on Semi-Supervised Classification of Strip Surface Defects

As a critical intermediate material in the iron and steel industry, strip steel will inevitably have various surface defects during its processing, which directly affects the service performance and life of the material. Therefore, the classification technology of strip surface defects has always been the focus of research. Currently, combining computer vision with deep learning is often used to classify the surface defects of strip steel, which usually runs in full supervision mode. However, the performance of the complete supervision method depends mainly on the quality and quantity of labeled samples. At the same time, in industrial scenes, there are few labeled samples available, and most even have no labels, which seriously restricts the performance of the traditional full supervision model. This paper introduces the idea of semi-supervised learning, and a new semi-supervised classification model of strip surface defects is proposed to alleviate the degradation of model classification performance caused by insufficient labeled samples. Specifically, a new image synthesis model (ISM) is proposed in this paper. By improving the loss function of the discriminator, the generated false samples are more realistic. In addition, this paper also presents a double uncertainty weighting technique (DUW), which weighs the loss of misclassified samples in a more detailed way, thus realizing fine adjustment of the model. This method can fully mine the potential feature information in unlabeled samples and further improve the performance and generalization ability of the model. In this paper, we use the NEU-CLS dataset to test our model. When only 10% and 90% of labeled and unlabeled samples are used for training, the classification accuracy reaches 91.14%, fully proving this method’s practicability and superiority.
Uniaxial Experiment Study on Mechanical Properties of Reinforced Broken Rocks Pre-and-post Grouting

The mechanical properties of grouting reinforced broken rock are researched on the base of uniaxial experiment.The broken rocks are reinforced respectively by cement grouting and MARITHAN N grouting,the experiment results show that the grouted broken rock strength was enhanced markedly compared with its residual strength,and its lateral and vertical deformations were coordinated.The strength of grouting reinforced broken rock with higher intrinsic strength is greater than those with lower intrinsic strength.The strength of grouting reinforced broken rock grouted by higher strength grout is greater than those grouted by lower strength grout.The grouting reinforcement is a very efficient method in supporting surrounding rock.