Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing synthetic and natural grasslands for agricultural production and ecosystem service.

Humphreys, M. , O'Donovan, G. , Sheehy-Skeffington, M. (2014). Comparing synthetic and natural grasslands for agricultural production and ecosystem service.In A. Hopkins (Ed.), EGF at 50: the Future of European Grasslands: Grassland Science in Europe. (Vol. 19, pp. 215-229). Gomer Press.
Tropical Cyclones and Equatorial Waves in a Convection‐Permitting Aquaplanet Simulation With Off‐Equatorial SST Maximum

Tropical weather phenomena—including tropical cyclones (TCs) and equatorial waves—are influenced by planetary‐to‐convective‐scale processes; yet, existing data sets and tools can only capture a subset of those processes. This study introduces a convection‐permitting aquaplanet simulation that can be used as a laboratory to study TCs, equatorial waves, and their interactions. The simulation was produced with the Model for Prediction Across Scales‐Atmosphere (MPAS‐A) using a variable resolution mesh with convection‐permitting resolution (i.e., 3‐km cell spacing) between 10°S and 30°N. The underlying sea‐surface temperature is given by a zonally symmetric profile with a peak at 10°N, which allows for the formation of TCs. A comparison between the simulation and satellite, reanalysis, and airborne dropsonde data is presented to determine the realism of the simulated phenomena. The simulation captures a realistic TC intensity distribution, including major hurricanes, but their lifetime maximum intensities may be limited by the stronger vertical wind shear in the simulation compared to the observed tropical Pacific region. The simulation also captures convectively coupled equatorial waves, including Kelvin waves and easterly waves. Despite the idealization of the aquaplanet setup, the simulated three‐dimensional structure of both groups of waves is consistent with their observed structure as deduced from satellite and reanalysis data. Easterly waves, however, have peak rotation and meridional winds at a slightly higher altitude than in the reanalysis. Future studies may use this simulation to understand how convectively coupled equatorial waves influence the multi‐scale processes leading to tropical cyclogenesis.
The Future of Quiescent Public Library System: A Developing Country Prospective

This study aimed to explore the contemporary status of public libraries in Pakistan. Its key objective was to identify the number of public libraries and their condition to provide a policy document to higher authorities for the development and sustainability of the Public Library System (PLS) in Punjab, a province of Pakistan. The findings are outcome of a questionnaire based survey, in-depth interviews with district coordinators and a focus group with LIS researchers. The province of Punjab is administratively divided into 36 Districts. The data shows that 176 libraries exist in the province. The quantitative data shows that libraries are in poor condition such as absence of professional staff, outdated collection, tattered library buildings, insufficient and irregular budget, , poor IT infrastructure, lack of interest by different stakeholders and absence of proper administrative control over these libraries. Qualitative data suggest the ways to solve the issues identified in the data and recommend the future course of action for the improvement of these libraries.
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS E-QUIZZES IN ONLINE EFL CLASSROOMS

Technology is being increasingly integrated into teaching environments in view of enhancing EFL students’ online learning experience. This article presents the outcomes of research employing a motivation theory technique to examine students’ experience using game-play quizzes at a university in Vietnam. Questionnaires and focus group interviews with students were used to learn about the extent to which students perceive e-quizzes in their learning process. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using SPSS and Huberman’s (1994) analytical framework was used to clarify qualitative data from interviews. Key findings based on quantitative data revealed that almost all students presented favourable views towards quizzes use. Findings from the interview noted that online quizzes enriched the quality of student learning in the classroom, with the highest influence reported on motivation, enjoyment and improved preparation and participation. The study also suggests that the use of online games in the classroom is likely to raise competitiveness, thereby improving intellectual stimulation, long-term retention of knowledge and digital skills.
Westerly Wind Events in the Tropical Pacific, 1986–95*

Abstract Based on examination of 10 yr of 10-m winds and wind anomalies from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECWMF) analysis, definitions for westerly wind events (WWEs) of eight different types are proposed. The authors construct a composite for each type of event, show that a simple propagating Gaussian model satisfactorily describes the evolution of zonal wind anomaly for each type of event, and determine the scales of each composite event by fitting the model to each composite. The authors discuss the WWEs that occurred during the Tropical Oceans Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) intensive observing period (IOP) and show the extent to which these composite events are able to reproduce the major westerly wind features of the IOP. The frequency of occurrence of each type of WWE for each year of this record and by calendar month are described; the authors find several types of events are negatively correlated with the annual mean troup Souther.
Spatial Extent, Age, and Carbon Stocks in Drained Thaw Lake Basins on the Barrow Peninsula, Alaska

Abstract Thaw lakes and drained thaw lake basins are ubiquitous on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska. Basins are wet depositional environments, ideally suited for the accumulation and preservation of organic material. Much of this soil organic carbon (SOC) is currently sequestered in the near-surface permafrost but, under a warming scenario, could become mobilized. The relative age of 77 basins on the Barrow Peninsula was estimated using the degree of plant community succession and verified by radiocarbon-dating material collected from the base of the organic layer in 21 basins. Using Landsat-7+ imagery of the region, a neural network classifying algorithm was developed from basin age-dependent spectra and texture. About 22% of the region is covered by 592 lakes (>1 ha), and at least 50% of the land surface is covered by 558 drained lake basins. Analysis of cores collected from basins indicates that (1) organic layer thickness and the degree of organic matter decomposition generally increases with basin age, and (2) SOC in the surface organic layer tends to increase with basin age, but the relation for the upper 100 cm of soil becomes obscured due to cryoturbation, organic matter decomposition, and processes leading to ice enrichment in the upper permafrost.
Automatic extraction of former WWI battlefields from ancient maps

The former battlefields of World War I (WWI) provide an interesting framework for studying the long-term impacts of ancient anthropogenic disturbances on current ecosystem functioning. The 47 map sheets of devastated regions at 1:50,000 scale edited in 1920 by the geographic service of French army locate the areas heavily damaged by trenches and bombing, the destructed cities, roads and forests inventoried at the end of WWI. As they stand, these scanned maps are not usable under a geographic information system (GIS). A protocol was implemented on 5 sheets to compare the effect of two transformation models (thin plate spline and polynomial order 3) and the number of ground control points on the quality of georeferencing. A second protocol based on morphological operators, color space transformation and K-means clustering classification was tested on 12 different map sheets to extract areas heavily damaged and figures of punctual destructions. Neither significant effects of transformation model or number of ground control points were confirmed. The local thin plate spline method exacerbates non-natural local distortions linked to the research of ground control points and the simplification of physical objects on the maps. With polynomial order 3 transformation and 50 ground control points, residuals vary from 35 to 70 m depending on the map. The second protocol extracted accurately data of interest, with an accuracy varying between 0.31 and 100% depending on data to extract and their presence or absence on the map sheets. The resulting shapefiles are now available and workable in GIS.
How to involve potential users in eHealth innovation: seven strategies from healthcare and design

Abstract To arrive at viable eHealth applications, it is important that future users are involved in research projects. In practice, however, it is difficult to involve potential users and keep them involved. In a multiple-case study, we investigate ten eHealth projects in which design researchers and healthcare researchers worked together. We focus on how they involved potential users and kept them involved. Both domains have a rich tradition of involving potential users and see their involvement of potential (future) users in the early stages of innovation as essential. Therefore it is interesting to investigate projects in which design researchers and healthcare researchers intensively work together. We discovered seven strategies to promote the involvement of potential users in eHealth research projects: (1) use research methods based on building personal relationships; (2) build trust before introducing research methods; (3) facilitate the preconditions around the moments of involvement; (4) facilitate by introducing a prototype as a boundary object; (5) choose the method that fits the research context; (6) integrate the values behind the eHealth tool into the research method; (7) involve proxies instead of the potential users. These strategies may guide future projects where design researchers and healthcare researchers work together with potential users.
Physical Insights Into Nano-Second Time Scale Cyclic Stress Induced Dynamic Ron Behavior in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs—Part I

In this work, we discuss the physical mechanisms governing the dynamic ON-resistance (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta {R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) evolution in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs in response to cyclic nanosecond high-field (OFF-state) and hot-electron (semi-ON state) stress pulses. The <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta {R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> was found to exhibit a dependence on the number of stress pulses (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${N}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>), with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta {R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> initially increasing, followed by a reduction in the rate of increase as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${N}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is increased. Experiments were carried out to probe into drain bias, channel current, and stress pulsewidth (PW) dependence of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta {R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. A physical mechanism based on pulse-to-pulse modulation of driving forces of trapping, governed by surface and buffer trap charging accumulated over preceding stress pulses, is proposed to explain the observations. Well-calibrated computations are then used to gain further physical insights and to justify the proposed mechanism. Finally, the proposed mechanism is experimentally validated by modulating the trapping/ de-trapping rates and studying their influence on the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta {R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> evolution.
Long-term drought risk assessment in the Lachlan River Valley – a paleoclimate perspective

Abstract The frequency and severity of droughts during the past two decades in eastern Australia have caused water resource managers to question the suitability of current drought management practices. For example, water accounting schemes in NSW (and elsewhere) use an estimate of the “worst drought in 100 years” for resource assessment, which is based solely on the instrumental record. However, inflows during the most recent drought (2002–2007) were lower than those recorded in the last 100 years for some of the catchments in NSW. This resulted in an overestimate of expected inflows and critically low storage volumes (ie. failure of the system). It is clear that hydrological drought risk would be better assessed by extending the records beyond the single 100 year instrumental record, so as to capture a larger spectrum of climatic variability. Incorporating paleoclimate information on the major climate drivers for the region may provide the critical insight required to achieve this goal. In this paper, proxy climate records derived from paleoclimate data are used to investigate the long-term behaviour of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) and the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This information is then used to develop a stochastic framework for generating rainfall replicates to be used in assessing long-term hydrologic drought risk for water resource management in NSW. Importantly, the rainfall replicates demonstrate that this region may have experienced meteorological droughts of longer duration than has been recorded by the instrumental record. This result highlights the possibility that current management practices may fail to meet needs in the future, if history were to be repeated.
The Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: Gaps, Challenges, and Solutions

Abstract Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with a high burden of coronary artery disease (CAD), which remains the leading cause of death in CKD patients. Despite the high cardiovascular risk, ACS patients with renal dysfunction are less commonly treated with guideline-based medical therapy and are less frequently referred for coronary revascularization. Summary The management of CAD is more challenging in patients with CKD than in the general population due to concerns regarding side effects and renal toxicity, as well as uncertainty regarding clinical benefit of guideline-based medical therapy and interventions. Patients with advanced CKD and especially those receiving dialysis have not traditionally been represented in randomized trials evaluating either medical or revascularization therapies. Thus, only scant data from small prospective studies or retrospective analyses are available. Recently published studies suggest that there are significant opportunities to substantially improve both cardiovascular and renal outcomes of patients with CAD and CKD, including new medications and interventions. Thus, the objective of this review is to summarize the current evidence regarding the management of CAD in CKD patients, in particular with respect to improvement of both cardiovascular and renal outcomes. Key Messages Adequate medical therapy and coronary interventions using evidence-based strategies can improve both cardiac and renal outcomes in patients with CAD and CKD.
Effectiveness of Cell-Based Quadrivalent Seasonal Influenza Vaccine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Cell-based seasonal influenza vaccine viruses may more closely match recommended vaccine strains than egg-based options. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of seasonal cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc), as reported in the published literature. A systematic literature review was conducted (PROSPERO CRD42020160851) to identify publications reporting on the effectiveness of QIVc in persons aged ≥6 months relative to no vaccination or to standard-dose, egg-based quadrivalent or trivalent influenza vaccines (QIVe/TIVe). Publications from between 1 January 2016 and 25 February 2022 were considered. The review identified 18 relevant publications spanning three influenza seasons from the 2017–2020 period, with an overall pooled relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of 8.4% (95% CI, 6.5–10.2%) for QIVc vs. QIVe/TIVe. Among persons aged 4–64 years, the pooled rVE was 16.2% (95% CI, 7.6–24.8%) for 2017–2018, 6.1% (4.9–7.3%) for 2018–2019, and 10.1% (6.3–14.0%) for 2019–2020. For adults aged ≥65 years, the pooled rVE was 9.9% (95% CI, 6.9–12.9%) in the egg-adapted 2017–2018 season, whereas there was no significant difference in 2018–2019. For persons aged 4–64 years, QIVc was consistently more effective than QIVe/TIVe over the three influenza seasons. For persons aged ≥65 years, protection with QIVc was greater than QIVe or TIVe during the 2017–2018 season and comparable in 2018–2019.
Variability of the North Atlantic Cyclone Activity in Winter Analyzed from NCEP–NCAR Reanalysis Data

Principal component analysis is applied to the cyclone density over the North Atlantic in winter analyzed with an objective cyclone identification and tracking algorithm by using the 6-h National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis data from 1958 to 1998. Regressions of the cyclone density, deepening rate, moving speed, and central pressure gradient with the first principal component show that the cyclone activity over the northern North Atlantic exhibits a significant intensifying trend along with a decadal timescale oscillation in winter during the past 40 yr. All these variables vary consistently with larger (smaller) cyclone density corresponding to stronger (weaker) cyclone intensity, faster (slower) moving speed, and stronger (weaker) deepening rate. Analysis shows that the variations of the cyclone activity over the North Atlantic are closely related to the changes of large-scale baroclinicity at the lower troposphere and the North Atlantic oscillation. The relationships with the change of the North Atlantic SST are also discussed.
Transient and lethal effects of the 1998 coral bleaching event on the Mesoamerican reef system

During 1998, unprecedented levels of coral bleaching coincided with high sea-surface temperature anomalies in the Mesoamerican Reef System (MRS). We surveyed 150 reefs in the MRS between March-June 1999 to assess the spatial impacts of bleaching on scleractinian corals. Remnant bleaching was uniform across the region, with little variation between subregions (1% of total spatial variation). In contrast, recent mortality showed greater variation at the scale of subregions (23%), suggesting lethal effects were more variable at larger spatial scales. The significant spatial variability in remnant bleaching and recent mortality is attributed to geographical differences in temperature patterns, species susceptibility to temperature stress, and synergistic effects of Hurricane Mitch and disease. Coral mortality averaged19% for the MRS region, with the highest levels recorded on shallow reefs in southern Belize and Utila. Recent mortality and coral condition proved to be effective indicators for quantifying transient and lethal effects of this large-scale disturbance event.
Protective Effect of Etanercept in Experimentally Generated Acute Kidney Failure

Objective: Acute renal failure (ARF) is a clinical syndrome that causes a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate and leads to an accumulation of nitrogenous waste products and uremic toxins. This study investigated the protective effect of Etanercept on ARF. Materials and Methods: Experiments were done on Balb-C female mice. Acute renal failure was created with an intraperitoneal folic acid injection. Etanercept was injected with folic acid in doses of 0.7 mg/kg, 3.5 mg/kg, and 7 mg/kg in treatment groups. Blood urea nitrogen levels, creatinine and cystatin-c were measured on the 7th day of the study. The kidneys were examined histologically with hematoxylin-eosin staining and Tunel assay. Results: Etanercept improved kidney morphology damaged by folic acid. The apoptotic index was low, and there was less dilation in the renal tubules in the groups treated with Etanercept. Folic acid increased blood urea nitrogen levels. This increase was decreased gradually with increased doses of Etanercept. There were no differences in creatinine levels in all groups. Conclusion: This study investigated the protective effects of Etanercept in the context of Acute Renal Failure (ARF). The results demonstrated that Etanercept improved kidney morphology damaged by folic acid, reduced the apoptotic index, and gradually decreased elevated blood urea nitrogen levels. Although creatinine levels showed no significant differences among the treatment groups, the findings suggest that Etanercept may hold promise as a potential agent for the treatment of ARF. Further research and clinical studies are warranted to validate its effectiveness and safety in human subjects.
Automatic Accident Detection, Segmentation and Duration Prediction Using Machine Learning

Traffic accidents are often inaccurately reported, with incorrect location and disruption duration due to various external factors. This can result in imprecise predictions and inaccurate decision-making in data-driven models. To address these challenges, our study presents a comprehensive framework for traffic disruption segmentation from traffic speed data (obtained from Caltrans Performance Measurements system) in the time-space proximity of reported accidents (from Countrywide Traffic Accident dataset). Furthermore, we evaluate multiple machine learning models on reported, estimated, and manually marked disruption intervals, and demonstrate that our enhanced modelling approach reduces the root mean squared error (RMSE) of traffic accident duration prediction while providing higher similarity with disruptions observed in traffic speed. Our algorithm yields higher disruption detection precision than reported accident timelines. Although using multiple segments offers a slight decrease in the quality of results, it highlights more disruptions. Future research could explore expanding the algorithm’s complexity and applying it to improve traffic incident impact predictions.
The Role of Attitude in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology: A Meta-analytic Structural Equation Modelling Study

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model has been widely used to explain user intention and use behavior. Past research has added attitude to the UTAUT framework to examine further how it influences technology adoption. This study utilized a combined meta-analysis and structural equation modelling [approach] to examine how the model, when extended with attitude as a variable, differs from its original UTAUT model and whether there are emerging relationships among the existing constructs. Based on 21 empirical studies that included attitude in various extended models, the results showed that attitude was a significant predictor of behavioral intention and use behavior. The study also revealed that facilitating conditions emerged as the strongest predictor of use behavior in the presence of attitude as a construct. In conclusion, while the inclusion of attitude as a separate construct in the UTAUT model has provided a more comprehensive understanding of technology adoption and usage behavior, this study showed that it did not enhance its explanatory power.