Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution and behaviour of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in subtropical river estuary, Okinawa, Japan

ABSTRACT Surface water samples were collected along the salinity gradient of Manko estuary in Okinawa, Japan, between January and November 2012, to examine spatial and temporal variability in the distribution, composition, behaviour, and sources of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Concentrations of total particulate PAHs ranged from 169.7 ng g−1 at riverine station (N1) in November 2012 to 922 ng g−1 at another riverine station (K3) in May 2012. Based on observed environmental behaviour, particularly relationships to organic matter, the PAHs appear divisible into two groups: group I (low molecular weight) PAHs were characterised by low particles affinity and strong correlations with a pool of autochthonous organic matter (e.g. high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids), reflecting processes controlling their delivery to the estuary; and, in contrast, group II (high molecular weight) PAHs were characterised by high particles affinity and exhibited estuarine distribution primarily controlled by suspended solid load and inputs from terrigenous sources through river inflows. This relationship, coupled with isomer ratios indicative of combined mixed sources from petroleum and petroleum combustions, indicates that terrestrial run-off is the dominant mode of delivery of particulate PAHs in the estuary. The relationships between distinct groups of PAHs and lipid biomarkers demonstrated in this study suggest that very specific pools of particulate organic matter, as opposed to concentrations of particulate organic carbon alone, can be important in the transport and fate of hydrophobic contaminants.
Materials development in flexible learning amid the pandemic: perspectives from English language teachers in a Philippine state university

ABSTRACT The literature’s focus on textbooks as an aspect of English language teaching (ELT) materials development (MD) has been significant and extensive. With the current setup of ELT within the context of online, distance, or flexible learning (FL) caused by the unprecedented and massive shift in education delivery during the pandemic, it remains unclear how ELT practitioners engage in MD in such modes of learning. Thus, studies on ELT MD in online or FL remain underexplored. Through both online semi-structured and follow-up email interviews among eight Filipino university teachers of English, this study explores English language teachers’ perceptions toward MD in FL. Findings indicated three salient ways of MD in FL: following guidelines set by the University, utilizing one’s creativity and resourcefulness, and focusing on collaboration among learners. The analysis also revealed the following perceived benefits of MD in FL: stimulating students’ learning process, fostering an inclusive classroom, improving one’s teaching insights and practices, and empowering one’s teaching motivation and autonomy. Further, the participants shared the following challenges in MD: time constraint in preparing instructional materials, limited resources, and difficulty in adjusting materials for online teaching.
Classification of hand-wrist maturity level based on similarity matching

Judging the maturity level of each hand-wrist reference bone is the core issue in bone age assessment. Relying on the superiority of convolutional neural networks in feature representation, deep learning is widely studied for the automatic bone age assessment. However, an efﬁcient but complex deep learning network requests a large dataset with bone-maturity-level labels for training, restricting its large-scale application in bone maturity classiﬁcation. For this reason, we transform the bone-maturity-level classiﬁcation problem into the similarity matching problem. Also, we propose a general structure based on Siamese network by merging two inputs into a two-channel input and introducing a dual attention mechanism, to create an Attentional Two-Channel Network (ATC-Net). This paper takes the intermediate phalanges III as an example to assess the performance of the similarity matching method and the ATC-Net. Experiments show that our method can perform better on small datasets, which effectively makes up for the data shortage problem. The ATC-Net used for classiﬁcation signiﬁcantly reduces the evaluation time compared with other classical networks. It reduces the time of assessing one sample by about 49% as compared to VGG-16. And more importantly, it achieves the highest classiﬁcation accuracy of 92.74% among all investigated networks.
The scope of exclusionary public response to the European refugee crisis

We know from previous research that an exclusionary reaction in public opinion is likely following a sudden and large-scale influx of refugees of the sort experienced in many European countries in 2015. Yet, we know much less about the scope of these expected reactions. This article makes a conceptual and empirical contribution to the analysis of the scope of exclusionary reactions following a refugee crisis. Conceptually, we distinguish between three scope dimensions: substantive reach, duration and politicization. Empirically, we evaluate each of the scope dimensions using seven-wave panel-data collected before, during and after the large-scale influx of refugees to Norway. We find that the expected exclusionary reaction (a) spilled over to opinion about immigration broadly speaking; (b) endured in that it lasted long after the situation in Norway had been brought under control; (c) encompassed voters of all political stripes. Nevertheless, we also document an important limitation to the scope of the reaction: The sudden influx of refugees to Norway did not cause a permanent shift in public opinion. Approximately two years after the situation had been brought under control, opinion about both refugee rights and immigration generally had reverted back to pre-crisis baseline levels. Interestingly, the conceptual and empirical analysis suggests that public opinion dynamics following a sudden and large-scale influx of refugees is similar to that found in response to other forms of large national or international crises.
Training Program Supporting Language Acquisition

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a parenting training program that supports language acquisition in early childhood. To reveal such an effect, an experimental research design including pre-test-post-test and retention test was applied respectively. Experimental and control groups were formed with the parents of 4-6 years old children attending pre-school education institutions. To assess the language development levels of the children, Peabody Picture-Vocabulary Test (PPVT) was applied during the pre-test phase; after the parental training, a post-test was applied; and a year later, a retention test was implemented alternately. Parents in the experimental group evaluated the program after the Parental Support Program (PSP). The personal characteristics of the study group and the opinions of the parents evaluating the training have been shown by using the frequency and percentages. Whether PPVT and PSP scores differ according to socio-demographic variables was analyzed by t-tests. In the end, there was a significant increase in the results of the post-test and retention test performed after parent training that supports language acquisition. This increase has been found to be significantly higher than the PPVT scores of children in the control group. Thus, we have determined that the parents have a positive attitude towards the training program. The results of the study also reveal that parenting training that supports children's language acquisition has a positive effect on children's language development.
Preparation and characterization of interpenetrating networks based on polyacrylates and poly(lactic acid)

Three different, multifunctional acrylic monomers were photopolymerized in a matrix of poly(lactic acid), PLA, using 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-1-one as a photoinitiator. The kinetics of the photopolymerization of monomers in PLA, studied with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, has been compared to analogous processes of pure monomers under the same conditions (room temperature, air atmosphere). Additionally, poly(ethylene glycol) was added to acrylate/PLA blends as plasticizer.The highly crosslinked networks obtained were characterized by FTIR and optical microscopy. The amount of insoluble gel has been estimated gravimetrically. It was found that the studied systems are char- acterized by very high polymerization rate, moreover, efficient grafting of polyacrylates on PLA takes place. The observed morphology indicates the heterogeneity of formed networks. The glass transition temperature of PLA in studied blends has been determined by differential scanning calorimetry.
‘We put on the music and then the children dance’ - Swedish preschool teachers’ dance educational experiences

ABSTRACT This article investigates and discusses Swedish preschool teachers’ work with and understanding of teaching dance. Preschool teachers should teach aesthetic expressions such as dance, according to the curriculum. This study depicts how preschool teachers, in semi-structured group interviews in 18 preschools, describe their work with teaching dance. The results show that early childhood teachers are well prepared for and focused on all children, and let them influence the dance education. They are flexible, oriented towards each child’s needs, regard children as competent co-creators, and they cooperate with colleges to inspire each other. However, the respondents rarely mention their own bodily involvement when dance is taught in their preschool. They have difficulties in picturing dance specific knowledge, separated from other learning areas, and many also state that choreographic material seems frightening to them. The lack of own bodily knowledge and choreographic tools is discussed in relation to children’s possibilities to develop dance knowledge in their preschools.
Magnetic prospection at Aistra (Álava) and Peña Amaya (Burgos): Towards a new diagnostic paradigm for early mediaeval Iberia

This article discusses the application and implications of magnetic prospection within two complex early mediaeval sites of the 5th–10th centuries BCE in northern Spain, at Aistra and Peña Amaya in the Upper Ebro Valley. In this period most sites displaying domestic and other forms of occupation present multifaceted and challenging problems due to the poor preservation of stratigraphic relationships in rural contexts and rarity and poor visibility of early mediaeval horizons in multi‐period urban sites. It is now widely acknowledged that extensive magnetic prospection, both in rural areas and in abandoned townscapes, can on a variety of sites facilitate the identification of domestic settlements, productive areas and monumental structures as well as the patterns of former roads, trackways and field boundaries. The two sites described here were selected to test this approach in the particular environment of the Ebro Valley and to draw any resulting conclusions about early mediaeval settlement in the area.
Experimental study of a new kind of double‐layer shaking table

Existing large‐scale electrohydraulic shaking tables (EHSTs) have limited frequency bandwidth because of the capacity of electrohydraulic systems. Here we propose a double‐layer shaking table (DLST) which is capable of generating excitations over a wide band of frequencies. The lower table is a conventional EHST with a long‐stroke actuator which can generate low‐frequency excitations. The upper table is fixed atop the lower table, and equipped with a short‐stroke actuator which can generate high‐frequency excitations. The FFT/IFFT signal separation process, three‐variable control algorithm, and feedforward compensation technique are employed to control the shaking table. The two tables are controlled simultaneously to ensure the upper table reproduces ground motions over a wide frequency bandwidth. A series of experiments were performed on a unidirectional DLST. The results suggest that the DLST can successfully reproduce excitations over a wide band of frequencies, and demonstrate that the proposed control methods are effective. The control procedure in which the upper table tracks the full‐frequency signal to compensate for the tracking errors of the lower table is recommended.
The role of plant–pollinator interactions in structuring nectar microbial communities

Floral nectar harbours a diverse microbiome of yeasts and bacteria that depend predominantly on animal visitors for their dispersal. Since pollinators visit specific sets of flowers and carry their own unique microbiota, we hypothesize that plant species visited by the same set of pollinators may support non‐random nectar microbial communities linked together by the type of pollinator. Here we explore the importance of plant–pollinator interactions in the assembly of nectar microbiome and study the role of plant geographic location as a determinant of microbial community composition. We intensively sampled the nectar of 282 flowers of 48 plant species with beetles, birds, long‐tongued and short‐tongued insects as pollinators in wild populations in South Africa, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, and using molecular techniques we identified nectar yeast and bacteria taxa. The analyses provided new insights into the richness, geographic structure and phylogenetic characterization of nectar microbiome, and compared patterns of composition of bacteria and yeast communities in relation to plant and pollinator guild. Our results showed that plant–pollinator interactions played a crucial role in shaping nectar microbial communities. Plants visited by different pollinator guilds supported significantly different yeast and bacterial communities. The pollinator guild also contributed to the maintenance of beta diversity and phylogenetic microbial segregation. The results revealed different patterns for yeast and bacteria; whereas plants visited by beetles supported the highest richness and phylogenetic diversity of yeasts, bacteria communities were significantly more diverse in plants visited by other insect groups. We found no clear microbial spatial segregation at different geographical scales for bacteria, and only the phylogenetic similarity of yeast composition was correlated significantly with geography. Synthesis. Interactions of animal vector, plant host traits and microbe physiology contribute to microbial community assemblages in nectar. Our results suggest that plants visited by the same pollinator guild have a characteristic nectar microbiota signature that may transcends the geographic region they are in. Contrasted patterns for yeast and bacteria stress the need for future work aimed at better understanding the causes and consequences of the importance of plants and pollinators in shaping nectar microbial communities in nature.
Mechanical Performance Analysis and Parametric Study of a Self-Anchored Suspension Bridge with Ultra-Wide Double-Sided Steel Box Girder

A sufficient understanding of mechanical performance of self-anchored suspension bridge with double-sided steel box girder is essential for design and normal use as such bridges are widely built in urban bridge. Using the Yunlongwan Bridge which is a suspension bridge with ultra-wide double-sided steel box girder as an example, this paper investigates its deformation and mechanical performance under vehicle load. Firstly, based on the field test results, the deformation performance of the bridge and the stress distribution of the main girder are analysed, with emphasis on the shear lag effect of double-sided steel box girder. Then, a multiscale model of the bridge was built, and the accuracy of the model was verified by comparison with the test data. Finally, the influence of design parameters on the mechanical behaviour of double-sided steel box girder is studied by numerical simulation. The results show that the deformation of the bridge has good symmetry, there is obvious shear lag effect on the main girder, and the U-rib thickness, diaphragm spacing, and vehicle load could significantly affect the stress of the main girder top plate. The obtained analytical results lead to a better understanding of the mechanical performance and provide reference for the design of self-anchored suspension bridge with double-sided steel box girder.
Extended residual coherence with a financial application

Abstract Residual coherence is a graphical tool for selecting potential second-order interaction terms as functions of a single time series and its lags. This paper extends the notion of residual coherence to account for interaction terms of multiple time series. Moreover, an alternative criterion, integrated spectrum, is proposed to facilitate this graphical selection. A financial market application shows that new insights can be gained regarding implied market volatility.
Methods for Preventing Visual Attacks in Convolutional Neural Networks Based on Data Discard and Dimensionality Reduction

The article is devoted to the study of convolutional neural network inference in the task of image processing under the influence of visual attacks. Attacks of four different types were considered: simple, involving the addition of white Gaussian noise, impulse action on one pixel of an image, and attacks that change brightness values within a rectangular area. MNIST and Kaggle dogs vs. cats datasets were chosen. Recognition characteristics were obtained for the accuracy, depending on the number of images subjected to attacks and the types of attacks used in the training. The study was based on well-known convolutional neural network architectures used in pattern recognition tasks, such as VGG-16 and Inception_v3. The dependencies of the recognition accuracy on the parameters of visual attacks were obtained. Original methods were proposed to prevent visual attacks. Such methods are based on the selection of “incomprehensible” classes for the recognizer, and their subsequent correction based on neural network inference with reduced image sizes. As a result of applying these methods, gains in the accuracy metric by a factor of 1.3 were obtained after iteration by discarding incomprehensible images, and reducing the amount of uncertainty by 4–5% after iteration by applying the integration of the results of image analyses in reduced dimensions.
Pay Volatility and Employee Turnover in the Trucking Industry

Many organizations have turned to “just-in-time” pay systems to manage fluctuations in demand for products and services. For example, the trucking industry commonly pays truck drivers by the mile, and retail organizations fluctuate hours available to work to align with holiday demand. Based on the Unfolding Model of Turnover, we propose that the pay volatility, that is, fluctuations in individual pay over time, created by such systems create shocks that initiate thoughts of leaving the organization. We propose that these thoughts increase turnover likelihood. We also propose that pay level and pay trajectory moderate the pay volatility and turnover relationship. Based on a large dataset containing information on objective pay and turnover for truck drivers over a period of 34 weeks, the results of this study support the role of pay volatility, pay level, and pay trajectory in affecting voluntary turnover. Specifically, the results show that all three factors predict turnover likelihood and that pay volatility and pay level interact to predict turnover likelihood. The findings indicate that pay volatility has organizational downsides due to its effects on employee turnover in addition to its known upsides (i.e., flexibility).
ASOC: Adaptive Self-Aware Object Co-Localization

The primary goal of this paper is to localize objects in a group of semantically similar images jointly, also known as the object co-localization problem. Most related existing works are essentially weakly-supervised, relying prominently on the neighboring images’ weak-supervision. Although weak supervision is beneficial, it is not entirely reliable, for the results are quite sensitive to the neighboring images considered. In this paper, we combine it with a self-awareness phenomenon to mitigate this issue. By self-awareness here, we refer to the solution derived from the image itself in the form of saliency cue, which can also be unreliable if applied alone. Nevertheless, combining these two paradigms together can lead to a better co-localization ability. Specifically, we introduce a dynamic mediator that adaptively strikes a proper balance between the two static solutions to provide an optimal solution. Therefore, we call this method ASOC: Adaptive Self-aware Object Co-localization. We perform exhaustive experiments on several benchmark datasets and validate that weak-supervision supplemented with self-awareness has superior performance outperforming several compared competing methods.
Reference Evapotranspiration (ETo) Methods Implemented as ArcMap Models with Remote-Sensed and Ground-Based Inputs, Examined along with MODIS ET, for Peloponnese, Greece

The present study develops ArcMap models to implement the following three methods: FAO-56 Penman–Monteith (FAO PM), Hargreaves–Samani (HS) and Hansen, with the former used as a reference. Moreover, three models implementing statistical indices (RMSD, MB, NMB) are also created. The purpose is threefold, as follows: to investigate the variability in the daily mean reference evapotranspiration (ETo) for the Decembers and Augusts during 2016–2019, over Peloponnese, Greece. Furthermore, to investigate the agreement between the methods’ ETo estimates, and examine the former along with MODIS ET (daily) averaged products. The study area is a complex Mediterranean area. Meteorological data from sixty-two stations under the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), and MODIS Terra LST products, have been employed. FAO PM is found sensitive to wind speed and depicts interactions among climate parameters (T, evaporative demand and water availability) in the frame of climate change. The years 2016–2019 are four of the warmest since the preindustrial era. Hargreaves–Samani’s estimations for the Decembers of 2016–2019 were almost identical to MODIS ET, despite their different physical meaning. However, for the Augusts there are considerable discrepancies between the methods’ and MODIS’s estimates, attributed to the higher evaporative demand in the summertime. The GIS models are accurate, reliable, time-saving, and adjustable to any study area.
Poetic Commoning in European Cities – Or on the Alchemy of Concrete

This piece presents an exploration into how to write-do-think ineffable affective experiences that might cultivate more than human ethical relations in concrete environments. Learning from two urban commoning projects, I take guidance from Édouard Glissant’s aesthetic of the earth to recognize poetic practices that might seem anachronistic or naïve, awkward or intrusive, and in apparent contradiction to rational thought and critical politics. I adopt what Joan Retallack calls a “poethical attitude” to offer (reasoned) compositions with concrete as material and metaphor … mixed with a shimmer of alchemy.