Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The rock art of Kisar Island, Indonesia: a small island with a wealth and diversity of artistic expression

We report 40 recently discovered rock art sites from Kisar Island in eastern Indonesia and investigate the commonalities between this art and painted art in other islands of Indonesia and in Timor-Leste. Predominantly painted, the art can be broadly divided into three categories: 1) small figurative motifs including humans, animals, boats and items of material culture, 2) a range of geometrics, both curvilinear and rectilinear, and 3) hand and arm stencils. On the basis of geological features and weathering we suggest that the Kisar paintings span a considerable period of time, from the Pleistocene through to the Indonesian historic period. We argue that the oldest paintings in the Kisar repertoire are some of the red pigment hand and arm stencils. The small figurative motifs such as the anthropomorphs and some of the geometrics are remarkably similar to those featured in the rock art assemblages of nearby Timor-Leste, and at a number of locations throughout eastern Indonesia. One site with an engraved motif carved into a stalagmite formation was also recorded.
Longitudinal Study to Develop and Evaluate the Impacts of a “Transformational” Undergraduate ECE Design Program: Study Results and Best Practices Report

Results of the previously-published literature review portion of this study identified the following key programmatic influencers for transformative learning: critical awareness of culture, professional identity development, participation in communities of mentoring and learning, holistic skill integration through reflection, and development of professional integrity through affective awareness. To implement these Evidence-Based Instructional Practices (EBIPs), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) design capstone instructors and course developers at Oregon State University conducted a longitudinal study to investigate their efficacy. Emancipatory Action Research (EAR) methodology and a mixed-methods approach were used in the intervention phase of the study to measure the effects of these influencers when integrated into an ECE Capstone Design engineering program. Two programmatic interventions (Junior-level Design and Communities of Practice) were offered and evaluated using a control group that had no access to the interventions. Researchers found that both interventions did have significant impacts on students’ progression through a process of transformative learning. Participants were more likely than the control group to reach a “crossroads of questioning” where their identities and skill sets as engineers underwent critical examination.
Embodied mathematical imagination and cognition (EMIC) working group

Embodied cognition is growing in theoretical importance and as driving a set of design principles for curriculum activities and technology innovations for mathematics education. The central aim of the EMIC (Embodied Mathematical Imagination and Cognition) Working Group is to connect with inspired colleagues in this growing community of discourse around theoretical, technological, and methodological developments to advance the study of embodied cognition for mathematics education. Our thriving, informed, and interconnected community of scholars organized around embodied mathematical cognition will continue to broaden the range of activities, practices, and emerging technologies that contribute to mathematics teaching and lea ning a ell a o e ea ch on he e henomena. Thi ea o o ed EMIC o king g o builds upon our prior working groups with a specific focus on collaboratively creating embodied activities for mathematics learning that utilize different types of physicality, from full-body to gestural movements. In particular, we aim to develop and evaluate novel activities that apply principles of embodied cognition to foster mathematics learning through engaging in the enactment of carefully crafted movement. Our ongoing goal is to connect researchers and educators as we all create activities which can be implemented in mathematics classrooms.
Fusion-based simultaneous estimation of reflectance and illumination for low-light image enhancement

Low-light image enhancement is a challenging ﬁeld in image processing. Retinex-based methods perform well for low-light images. However, reﬂectance and illumination estimation is an ill-posed problem. This paper presents a new framework for the simultaneous estimation of reﬂectance and illumination for low-light image enhancement. The algorithm estimates multiple instances of illumination and reﬂectance and blends them to estimate the ﬁnal components. The proposed approach uses multi-scale fusion for illumination estimation and naive fusion for reﬂectance estimation. Extensive experimentation and analysis with a large set of low-light images validates the performance of the proposed approach. The comparison shows the superiority of the proposed approach over most of the existing low-light image enhancement methods. The proposed method provides colour constancy in low-light image enhancement and preserves the naturalness of the image.
How to protect reader lending privacy under a cloud environment: a technical method

PurposeIn this paper, the authors propose an effective mechanism for the protection of digital library readers' lending privacy under a cloud environment.Design/methodology/approachThe basic idea of the method is that for each literature circulation record, before being submitted to the untrusted cloud database of a digital library for storage, its reader number has to be encrypted strictly at a client, so as to make it unable for an attacker at the cloud to know the specific reader associated with each circulation record and thus protect readers' lending privacy. Moreover, the authors design an effective method for querying the encrypted literature circulation records, so as to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of each kind of database queries related to the encrypted reader number field of literature circulation records.FindingsFinally, both theoretical analysis and experimental evaluation demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.Originality/valueThis paper presents the first study attempt to the privacy protection of readers' literature circulations, which can improve the security of readers' lending privacy in the untrusted cloud, without compromising the accuracy and efficiency of each kind of database queries in the digital library. It is of positive significance to construct a privacy-preserving digital library platform.
Information landscapes as contexts of information practices

The article examines the strengths and limitations of the analogy of information landscapes proposed by Annemaree Lloyd. The analogy offers a novel approach to the conceptualization of the spatial contexts of information practices. Drawing on the ideas of metaphor analysis, the analogy is scrutinized by comparing the similarities between its source domain, that is, natural landscape, and target domain, that is, information landscape. The study identified three main aspects of the analogy: (1) information landscapes as spaces affording the accomplishment of information practices, (2) information landscapes as spaces entwining physical and imaginary qualities and (3) information landscapes as socially constructed spatial contexts of information practices. The findings suggest that the construct of information landscapes represents a spatial analogy in which the properties of the source domain partially elucidate the nature of the contexts of information practices. The analogy works best with regard to similarities between affordances offered by natural landscapes and information landscapes. The major limitation of the analogy deals with difficulties to map physical features of the source domain onto the cognitive and social qualifiers of the target domain.
Pendant Chain Effect on the Synthesis, Characterization, and Structure–Property Relations of Poly(di-n-alkyl itaconate-co-isoprene) Biobased Elastomers

A series of biobased elastomers, poly(di-n-alkyl itaconate-co-isoprene)s (PDAIIs), were prepared by using itaconic acid as a renewable starting material. It is revealed that pendent chain profoundly affected the structure and properties of PDAIIs. The molecular structures of the PDAIIs were analyzed by 1H NMR and FTIR. Dialkyl itaconate to isoprene reactivity ratios measured by Kelen–Tudos method demonstrated that PDAIIs with short side chains tended to alternate copolymerized and the long side chain ones tented to gradient copolymerized. Glass transition temperature, dielectric properties, and thermal stability of the PDAIIs were studied and these properties were tunable by varying the side chain length. Tensile tests revealed that cross-linked PDAIIs are elastic with a high elongation at break. With renewable resources and the side chain adjustability, PDAII elastomers potentially have a positive economic and ecological impact.
An Algorithm and a Tool for the Automatic Grading of MOOC Learners from Their Contributions in the Discussion Forum

MOOCs (massive open online courses) have a built-in forum where learners can share experiences as well as ask questions and get answers. Nevertheless, the work of the learners in the MOOC forum is usually not taken into account when calculating their grade in the course, due to the difficulty of automating the calculation of that grade in a context with a very large number of learners. In some situations, discussion forums might even be the only available evidence to grade learners. In other situations, forum interactions could serve as a complement for calculating the grade in addition to traditional summative assessment activities. This paper proposes an algorithm to automatically calculate learners’ grades in the MOOC forum, considering both the quantitative dimension and the relevance in their contributions. In addition, the algorithm has been implemented within a web application, providing instructors with a visual and a numerical representation of the grade for each learner. An exploratory analysis is carried out to assess the algorithm and the tool with a MOOC on programming, obtaining a moderate positive correlation between the forum grades provided by the algorithm and the grades obtained through the summative assessment activities. Nevertheless, the complementary analysis conducted indicates that this correlation may not be enough to use the forum grades as predictors of the grades obtained through summative assessment activities.
Identification of Indices for Empirical Selection of Dolichos Bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) Var. Lignosus] Genotypes for Tolerance to Terminal Moisture Stress

Background: Detection and quantification of variability among germplasm accessions/segregating populations/advance breeding lines is a pre-requisite (among others) for breeding crop plants for drought tolerance. Indices that integrate yield under moisture stress free (MSF) and moisture stress (MS) have been developed and used for screening and selection of moisture stress tolerant genotypes in several crops. The present study was aimed at identifying desirable indices from among those reported for screening and selection of terminal moisture stress (TMS) tolerant genotypes. Methods: Two experiments were conducted at experimental fields of Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, University of Agricultural Sciences Bengaluru during 2017 post rainy season. The first experiment consisted of 33 genotypes which included 31 selected genotypes from F3 populations and two released varieties. The second experiment consisted of 13 genotypes which included 5 advanced breeding lines, 2 released varieties and 6 land races. The genotypes of both the experiments were evaluated for dry seed yield under two moisture regimes (MR), namely, MSF and TMS environments in separate trials following Randomized Block Design. Conclusion: Based on the criterion of significant correlation of indices with dry seed yield under both MSF and TMS environments, two indices namely, mean productivity (MP) and geometric mean productivity (GMP) were found desirable to identify TMS tolerant genotypes of both the experiments. Based on rank mean of the two indices, two F3 selections and one released variety from first experiment; four landraces, one advanced breeding line and one released variety from second experiment were found TMS tolerant.
FİSHER HİPOTEZİNİN GEÇERLİLİĞİNİN OECD ÜLKELERİ İÇİN SINANMASI

Bu calismada Fisher hipotezinin gecerliligi 15 OECD ve Avrupa Birligi (19 ulke) ulkesi icin 2002-2017 araligindaki aylik veriler esas alinarak sinanmistir. Nominal faiz orani ve tuketici fiyat endeksi ile hesaplanan beklenen enflasyon orani serilerinin duraganligi Bai ve Ng (2004) birim kok testi ile sinanmistir. Serilerin duragan olmadigina karar verildikten sonra Westerlund (2008) tarafindan onerilen test ile es butunlesme iliskisi incelenmistir. Analiz sonuclarina gore ele alinan donem ve ulkeler icin serilerin esbutunlesik oldugu sonucuna ulasilmistir. Son olarak beklenen enflasyon ve nominal faiz orani arasindaki iliski AMG (Augmented Mean Group) ile tahmin edilmistir. Elde edilen bulgulara gore tahmin edilen modelde birden daha dusuk bir katsayi elde edildigi icin nominal faiz orani ve beklenen enflasyon arasinda birebir iliski olmadigi ancak zayif Fisher hipotezininin gecerli oldugunu sonucuna ulasilmistir.
Application of HEC-HMS Model for Flow Simulation for Dungun River Basin

The uncertainty in climate can result in droughts, extreme floods and an imbalance in agriculture, natural resources and ecosystem. Special attention should be given to operations management, reservoirs and water catchment to address water-related issues arising from climate change. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a rainfall-runoff model and to assess the runoff potential for the catchment, to calibrate and validate the model, and to use the calibrated values for future hydrological research. The Hydrological Modelling System (HEC-HMS) is used to simulate rainfall-runoff processed in the watershed. The rainfall data for this study were obtained from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Malaysia, covering from the year 2007 to 2018. There are three rainfall gauging stations and one stream-flow data stations in the study area. The rainfall-runoff simulation has been conducted using different data set for calibration and validation. Preliminary data shows that there is a clear difference between the observed and simulated peak flows. Model calibrations with the optimization process and sensitivity analysis were performed to obtain the optimal parameters for this watershed. The values of the parameters obtained and model validation using optimized parameter values from the calibration curve show a reasonable difference in peak flow. Generally the results of the study showed a good simulation between observed and estimated value with NSE = 0.85, R2 = 0.86, relative error peak = -4.14% and relative error volume = -22.5%. This study intended to help managers of the river basin and related agencies to forecast and analyze management options for conducting planning and potential measures of the river basin.
An Overview of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment: Source, Fate, Risk and Regulations

The current article reviews the state of art of the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) compounds and provides an overview of PFASs occurrence in the environment, wildlife, and humans. This study reviews the issues concerning PFASs exposure and potential risks generated with a focus on PFAS occurrence and transformation in various media, discusses their physicochemical characterization and treatment technologies, before discussing the potential human exposure routes. The various toxicological impacts to human health are also discussed. The article pays particular attention to the complexity and challenging issue of regulating PFAS compounds due to the arising uncertainty and lack of epidemiological evidence encountered. The variation in PFAS regulatory values across the globe can be easily addressed due to the influence of multiple scientific, technical, and social factors. The varied toxicology and the insufficient definition of PFAS exposure rate are among the main factors contributing to this discrepancy. The lack of proven standard approaches for examining PFAS in surface water, groundwater, wastewater, or solids adds more technical complexity. Although it is agreed that PFASs pose potential health risks in various media, the link between the extent of PFAS exposure and the significance of PFAS risk remain among the evolving research areas. There is a growing need to address the correlation between the frequency and the likelihood of human exposure to PFAS and the possible health risks encountered. Although USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) recommends the 70 ng/L lifetime health advisory in drinking water for both perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFO) perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is similar to the Australian regulations, the German Ministry of Health proposed a health-based guidance of maximum of 300 ng/L for the combination of PFOA and PFOS. Moreover, there are significant discrepancies among the US states where the water guideline levels for the different states ranged from 13 to 1000 ng L−1 for PFOA and/or PFOS. The current review highlighted the significance of the future research required to fill in the knowledge gap in PFAS toxicology and to better understand this through real field data and long-term monitoring programs.
Comparative study of game-based learning on preschoolers’ English vocabulary acquisition in Taiwan

ABSTRACT This is a comparative study that explores preschoolers’ English vocabulary acquisition in Taiwan and tries to look for a better pedagogy. After Taiwan’s government announced the policy of developing a “Bilingual Nation,” English is the second language in Taiwan. The reforming of English instruction is in urgent need. Under this background, this research aims to investigate whether English vocabulary acquisition will occur in a variety of GBL. In this study, we grouped participants into four instructional groups. Two groups are designed as instructional groups of “flashcard game” in learning 2 words or 3 words per day. Another two groups are designed as groups of “driving games” in learning 2 words or 3 words per day. Without explicit instruction, the study’s result showed that preschoolers’ English vocabulary acquisition can occur autonomously by GBL, and “2 words per day” is the best and suitable vocabulary size for preschoolers to acquire English in their memory. We found that games can produce children's autonomous learning, and the numbers of children’s vocabulary memory can be taken into consideration. Besides, the appropriate amount of information can train children to enter long-term memory. The above findings will benefit language learning, game-based learning (GBL), and interactive learning.
Effect of Nature Chemical Linker on the Formation of a Zeolitic Layer on Zirconia Substrates

Zeolites posses a high stability, high specific surface area and pores tridimensional system that make them useful to formation of inorganic membranes. During membranes synthesis different parameters should be considered such as nature substrate and the method used in order to obtain a membrane according to its application field. In the present work the formation of a zeolitic layer on the functionalized surface of zirconia substrates was studied. Zirconia disks of ten millimeters of diameter were prepared. They were submitted a chemical functionalization with three different chemical linkers: polyethylenimine (PEI), polydialildimethylamine chloride (PDDA) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (γ-APS). Subsequently the substrates were submitted to a seeding process, where their surface was grafted with zeolitic crystals corresponding to W zeolite. In order to promote the formation of zeolitic layer the substrates were submitted a hydrothermal treatment with a batch composition similar to that used in the W zeolite synthesis, at 150°C for 48 h. The crystallization products were characterized by XRD and SEM techniques. The results indicated that the chemical linker enhances the formation of a homogeneous zeolitic layer on the substrate and besides acts as structural directing agent allowing to crystallization of a different zeolitic phase to that used in the seeding process, the merlinoite. The morphology, crystalline phase and thickness of zeolitic layer formed on the surface of the substrate depend of the nature of chemical linker used and its interaction with the substrate.
Natural Protected Areas as Providers of Ecological Connectivity in the Landscape: The Case of the Iberian Lynx

The design of conservation plans for the improvement of habitats of threatened species constitutes one of the most plausible possibilities of intervention in the structure and composition of the landscape of a large territory. In this work we focus on the Iberian lynx in order to establish potential ecological corridors using ecoinformatic tools from the GIS environment to improve connectivity between the existing natural spaces within the scope of its historical distribution. We processed 669 records of the presence of the lynx and six predictor variables linked to the habitat of the species. With this, corridors have been generated between natural areas. The determination of possible bottlenecks or dangerous areas (e.g., hitches on highways) allows for focusing efforts on their conservation. This type of approach seeks to improve efficiency in the design of measures aimed at expanding the territory’s capacity to host its populations, improving both its viability and that of all the other species that are linked to it. The proposals for action on the specific areas defined by the models elaborated in this work would imply interventions on the land uses and existing vegetation types in order to improve connectivity throughout the territory and increase the resilience of its ecosystems.
Factors affecting prediction error after cataract surgery with implantation of various multifocal IOLs in patients with previous refractive laser surgery

Background This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of implantation of various multifocal intraocular lenses (mIOLs) and the prediction accuracy of two intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas for eyes that underwent previous corneal refractive surgery. Methods Four types of mIOLs [TECNIS Symfony (Group I), AcrySof IQ PanOptix (Group II), LENTIS Mplus (Group III), and TECNIS ZLB00 (Group IV)] were used and the IOL power was calculated with the two no-history methods, Shammas-PL and Barrett True-K. Visual acuity and refractive outcomes including manifest refraction, prediction error (PE), absolute error (AE), and median absolute error (MedAE) were evaluated at three months after the cataract surgery. Results For all groups the Barrett True-K formula produced a narrower range of PEs and lower MedAE than Shammas-PL. Eyes of lower predictive accuracy (group B, AE >0.5D) showed weak uncorrected distance visual acuity resulting from myopic refractive error and target refraction when compared to that of higher predictive accuracy (group A, AE ≤0.5 D). Conclusions Targeting emmetropia using the Barrett True-K, which considers both anterior and posterior corneal curvature is recommended in patients undergoing mIOL implantation with prior corneal refractive surgery. Additionally, history of prior large amount of laser ablation seems to be an important factor related to low predictive accuracy.