Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of unconventional water resources interventions on the management of Gaza coastal aquifer in Palestine

The non-conventional water resources of seawater desalination, wastewater treatment, and stormwater harvesting are promising water resources to enhance the water supply and to cope with the groundwater depletion of the Gaza coastal aquifer (GCA). In total, the current daily operation of the short-term low-volume (STLV) seawater desalination plants produces 36,000 m3 and, on the large-scale perspective, the seawater desalination capacity is planned to increase from 150,000 to 300,000 m3 per day by the years 2025 and 2035, respectively. The wastewater treatment and reuse activities are processed through three wastewater treatment plants with a total daily capacity of 130,000 m3 which is proposed to be increased to a capacity of 235,000 m3 by the beginning of 2025. Stormwater collecting and harvesting supply the water sector by about 550–820 cubic meters per day. The proposed stochastic and artificial intelligence model that was developed in this study to simulate the interactive conditions between the groundwater and the water intervention plan showed proper performance in terms of (r) = 0.95–0.99 and the root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.09–0.21. The model outputs reveal that the annual groundwater abstractions will reach 192 million cubic meters by 2040 with an annual increasing rate of +3%. By applying the model, the optimum utilization of the unconventional water resources contributes positively to the recovery of the GCA, which is experiencing a decline hot spot in the water level that reaches to −19 m below mean sea level (MSL) and is expected to drop to −28 m MSL by 2040. The impact of unconventional water resources interventions was investigated by simulating the water table trend using stochastic models and artificial neural networks (ANNs) through three scenarios. The first scenario, which addresses the non-intervention status, indicates that the groundwater table will decline by −1.5% in the northern governorates and by −51% in the southern governorates of the Gaza Strip within 2020–2040. The second scenario demonstrates the impact of the existing water interventions that revealed an interim recovery in the groundwater balance until 2025 in which the water consumption tended to increase rapidly. The third scenario illustrates the impact of applying the full water management intervention plan in which the depression cone in the groundwater level will be restored by about +10 m.
Controlled spawning and rearing of the sea cucumber,
 
 Parastichopus tremulus

The red sea cucumber, Parastichopus tremulus , a cold water species with commercial potential, has recently attracted attention for wild harvest as well as for potential use in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture in Scandinavian countries. Overharvesting has put natural stocks of sea cucumbers at risk in several countries. Our goal was to develop a rearing protocol for P. tremulus to enable sustainable production of this species. This study presents results from spawning and larval rearing conducted in both Norway (NO) and Sweden (SWE) during May – August 2019. We describe spawning induction and behavior, fertilization success, embryonic and auricularia larval development rate for this species under laboratory conditions. The larvae were fed a mixture of three species of live microalgae (SWE) and algal paste (NO). Larval development rate and survival were monitored at four different temperatures (7, 10, 13, and 16
Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy for Teaching LGBTQ Youth

Abstract The current study examined multiple factors in predicting whether preservice teachers felt self-efficacious for instructing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. Among the predictive factors, heterosexist beliefs had the strongest relationship with self-efficacy for teaching LGBTQ students, with participants who reported lower levels of heterosexism demonstrating higher self-efficacy. Contrary to expectations, general teacher self-efficacy was not a strong predictor of self-efficacy for teaching LGBTQ students. Implications for these findings suggest that teacher-training programs should include components that focus on developing preservice teachers’ abilities to work with LGBTQ students, including addressing future educators’ heterosexist beliefs.
X-ray high resolution computed tomography for cultural heritage material micro-inspection

X-ray computed-tomography is an established inspection technique for cultural heritage objects, but it is rarely used for painted micro-samples. These small, delicate, and complex parts of historical objects offer important and unique insights to conservators and restorers, but there is no standard method for preparing them nondestructively and without contamination. Synchrotron computed tomography provides sufficient resolution to analyze them, but it is an expensive and time-demanding technique. In contrast, laboratory high resolution computed tomography, which offers comparable spatial resolution, is relatively accessible, making it an effective tool for the analysis of such samples. This work presents a comprehensive methodology developed specifically for analyzing painted samples using high resolution computed tomography, demonstrating the overall capabilities of this method in the field of cultural heritage. The preparation of the sample, the measurement and the post-processing were optimized with new dedicated designs and methodology. The result was then analyzed, identifying visible features including grains, material density, layering, and strand. High resolution computed tomography provides sufficient quality of measurements for good interpretative studies, and the workflow presented here makes data acquisition and processing quick and easy while emphasizing conservation of the micro-sample. The resulting dataset is also an invaluable contribution to museum archives, and it can serve as a basis for further experiments.
Chemotherapy Choice in Neoadjuvant Dual Her2 Blockade; is it Really Necessary to add Anthracycline?

1. BackgroundAddition of trastuzumab and pertuzumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER-2) positive patients is the current clinical standard today. In studies on neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the primary endpoint is pathological complete response (pCR). More real-life data are needed to answer whether the presence of anthracycline in the chemotherapy regimen enhances complete response with neoadjuvant dual HER-2 blockade, and whether cardiotoxicity increases with dual HER-2 blockade after anthracycline.2. Methods52 patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were retrospectively evaluated. Three centers participated in the study (İzmir Kent Hospital, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Ege University). The effects of chemotherapy regimen and several other factors such as age, stage, menopause status, lymph node positivity, hormone receptor positivity on pCR were evaluated. Also presence of cardiotoxicity was evaluated.3. ResultsThe mean age of diagnosis was 46 ± 9 (range: 26-67), and 50% (26) of the patients were postmenopausal. The pCR rate was 71.2% (37) in the entire study group. In terms of pCR, there was no significant difference between those who use an anthracycline containing and non-anthracycline containing regimens (71.4% vs 70%, p=1.000), those with negative and positive hormone receptors (64.7% vs 74.3%, p=0.525), those with Ki67 levels of %20 or less and those over 20% (60% vs 73.8%, p=0.447), premenopausal and postmenopausal ones (76.9% vs 65.4%, p=0.054). 4. ConclusionsAs a result of the data we obtained, it was concluded that adding anthracycline regimen to dual HER-2 blockade in the neoadjuvant period did not bring additional benefits in terms of pCR. Additional studies are needed on whether the use of anthracycline-containing regimen contributes additionally in patients who will use the neoadjuvant pertuzumab-trastuzumab combination.
Assessing the methodology used to study the ascending aorta haemodynamics in bicuspid aortic valve

Abstract Aims Modern imaging techniques provide evermore-detailed anatomical and physiological information for use in computational fluid dynamics to predict the behaviour of physiological phenomena. Computer modelling can help plan suitable interventions. Our group used magnetic resonance imaging and computational fluid dynamics to study the haemodynamic variables in the ascending aorta in patients with bicuspid aortic valve before and after isolated tissue aortic valve replacement. Computer modelling requires turning a physiological model into a mathematical one, solvable by equations that undergo multiple iterations in four dimensions. Creating these models involves several steps with manual inputs, making the process prone to errors and limiting its inter- and intra-operator reproducibility. Despite these challenges, we created computational models for each patient to study ascending aorta blood flow before and after surgery. Methods and results Magnetic resonance imaging provided the anatomical and velocity data required for the blood flow simulation. Patient-specific in- and outflow boundary conditions were used for the computational fluid dynamics analysis. Haemodynamic variables pertaining to blood flow pattern and derived from the magnetic resonance imaging data were calculated. However, we encountered problems in our multi-step methodology, most notably processing the flow data. This meant that other variables requiring computation with computational fluid dynamics could not be calculated. Conclusion Creating a model for computational fluid dynamics analysis is as complex as the physiology under scrutiny. We discuss some of the difficulties associated with creating such models, along with suggestions for improvements in order to yield reliable and beneficial results.
A new opilioacarid species (Parasitiformes: Opilioacarida) from Crete (Greece) with notes on its karyotype

A new species of opilioacarid mite, Opilioacarus thaleri n. sp. , is described from mid-level elevation close to the seashore in Crete (Greece). It was found on moister sites, under stones or inside stone accumulations in phrygana vegetation. The peak of activity was found to be in early May. The diagnostic morphological characters include 7–8 eugenital setae (female), 5/7 setae on each sclerite at pregenital and genital areas, 11 setae on genital area (male), anterior dorsal shield with two pairs of eyes and 60–70 stout, ribbed setae, 5 (female) or 6 (male) leaf setae plus one pectinate seta on the palp tarsus, and the "simple" type of ovipositor with two pairs of glands, a pair of ducts plus a basal structure. The female karyotype comprises 16 monocentric chromosomes, predominantly with acrocentric morphology. Comparison with data of the ixodids and mesostigmatids indicates that a low number of chromosomes and predomination of acrocentric chromosomes could be plesiomorphies of the parasitiform mites.
Planar Shared-Aperture Array Antenna With a High Isolation for Millimeter-Wave Low Earth Orbit Satellite Communication System

A planar dual-band shared-aperture array antenna for the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${K}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-/<italic>Ka</italic>-band low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication is presented in this article. Substrate integrated coaxial line (SICL)-fed bow-tie transverse slots and substrate integrated waveguide (SIW)-fed slot pairs are employed to provide <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${K}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band horizontal polarization and <italic>Ka</italic>-band vertical polarization, respectively. The <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${K}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band and <italic>Ka</italic>-band radiating elements share a common metallic-via-array, which can effectively improve the port-to-port isolation. Furthermore, the port-to-port isolations in both bands can be also improved by introducing the high-pass characteristic of SIW and out-of-phase cancellation between two current paths. For the sake of achieving low-profile height and compact size, the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${K}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band feeding network is subtly buried between <italic>Ka</italic>-band shielding cavities. As a proof-of-concept example, a shared-aperture dual-polarized array antenna operating at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${K}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-/<italic>Ka</italic>-band is designed and fabricated for verification by using a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) technology. The measured results show a good concordance with the simulated one, indicating that the proposed antenna has the advantages of wideband, high isolations, low profile, and easy planar integration, which can be adopted for the millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) LEO satellite communication system.
Research on the Construction of Smart Tourism System Based on Wireless Sensor Network

With the rapid development of information technology represented by the Internet, the economic development of various countries in the world is closely related to information technology represented by computers. As a new growth point of economic development, tourism has attracted more and more attention from all parties. Traditional artificial travel agencies can no longer meet people’s needs. In the network information environment, tourists need systematic and large amounts of online travel information to provide support for their decision-making. This article first discusses the research significance and research status of wireless sensor networks at home and abroad and analyzes and optimizes the sensor network algorithms. Based on the existing wireless sensor network hardware experimental system, a tourism management system is designed and developed. Various user interfaces of the tourism management system are designed, including topology tree structure view, node list, program status and program package view, data management, real-time curve display, and node positioning functions. The simulation experiment results show that the efficiency of this system for tourism information integration is 20% higher than other systems, and it has certain practical value.
Effect of Daily Light Integral on Cucumber Plug Seedlings in Artificial Light Plant Factory

In a controlled environment, in an artificial light plant factory during early spring or midsummer, vegetable seedlings can be uniform, compact, and high quality. Appropriate light parameters can speed up the growth of seedlings and save on production costs. Two experiments were carried out in this study: (1) cucumber seedling growth under different daily light integrals (DLIs) (5.41–11.26 mol·m−2·d−1) and optimum DLI for seedling production were explored (experiment 1: Exp. 1); (2) under the same DLI selected by Exp. 1, the effects of different light intensities and photoperiods on cucumber seedlings were investigated (experiment 2: Exp. 2). The root biomass, root-to-shoot ratio, seedling index, and shoot dry matter rate increased as the DLI increased from 5.41 to 11.26 mol·m−2·d−1, while the shoot biomass and leaf area decreased in Exp. 1. The cucumber seedlings became more compact as DLI increased, but more flowers developed after transplanting when the DLI was 6.35 mol·m−2·d−1. Under the optimal DLI (6.35 mol·m−2·d−1), the optimal intensity was 110–125 μmol·m−2·s−1, and the optimal photoperiod was 14–16 h, in which plant biomass, shoot dry matter rate, seedling index, and photochemical efficiency were higher.
Changes in Power Plant NOx Emissions over Northwest Greece Using a Data Assimilation Technique

In this work, we investigate the ability of a data assimilation technique and space-borne observations to quantify and monitor changes in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions over North-Western Greece for the summers of 2018 and 2019. In this region, four lignite-burning power plants are located. The data assimilation technique, based on the Ensemble Kalman Filter method, is employed to combine space-borne atmospheric observations from the high spatial resolution Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) and simulations using the LOTOS-EUROS Chemical Transport model. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service-Regional European emissions (CAMS-REG, version 4.2) inventory based on year 2015 is used as the a priori in the simulations. Surface measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from air quality stations operating in the region are compared with the model surface NO2 output using either the a priori (base run) or the a posteriori (assimilated run) NOx emissions. The high biases found between the in situ NO2 measurements and the base run surface NO2 decrease in the assimilated run in most cases. The bias in the station near the largest power plant decreases to 2.0 μg/m3 (2.83 μg/m3) from 10.5 μg/m3 (8.46 μg/m3) in 2019 (2018 respectively). Concerning the estimated annual a posteriori NOx emissions it was found that, for the pixels hosting the two largest power plants, the assimilated run results in emissions decreased by ~40-50% for 2018 compared to 2015, whereas a larger decrease, of ~70% for both power plants, was found for 2019, after assimilating the space-born observations. For the same power plants, the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) reports decreased emissions in 2018 and 2019 compared to 2015 (-35% and -38% in 2018, -62% and -72% in 2019), in good agreement with the estimated emissions. We further compare the a posteriori emissions to the reported energy production of the power plants during the summer of 2018 and 2019. Mean decreases of about -35% and-63% in NOx emissions are estimated for the two larger power plants in summer of 2018 and 2019, respectively, which are supported by similar decreases in the reported energy production of the power plants (~-30% and -70%, respectively).
Finite Element Modelling of Air-Coupled Circular Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer for Anodic Bonding Process using SOI Wafer

Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT) provides an alternative to commercial piezoelectric-based ultrasonic transducers due to its wide bandwidth, improved efficiency, sensitivity, and design flexibility [1, 2]. In this paper, Finite Element Method-based design and simulations of circular capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) is presented. The FEM simulation of air-coupled CMUT was accomplished by using MEMCAD tools CoventorWare® and COMSOL™. The resonance frequency of 3.9 MHz was achieved for the designed circular CMUT device. A favourable agreement was found for the resonance frequency and pull-in voltage of the device using MEMSCAD tools and analytical calculations. For the proposed CMUT design, a circular cavity will be formed inside the glass substrate. Then, a free-standing membrane will be released using active layer of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The bulk silicon of SOI wafer will be removed after bonding it on the glass substrate using anodic bonding technique as described in fabrication process flow for CMUT.
Modeling coordinated operation of multiple hydropower reservoirs at a continental scale using artificial neural network: the case of Brazilian hydropower system

ABSTRACT Reservoirs considerably affect river streamflow and need to be accurately represented in environmental impact studies. Modeling reservoir outflow represents a challenge to hydrological studies since reservoir operations vary with flood risk, economic and demand aspects. The Brazilian Interconnected Energy System (SIN) is an example of a unique and complex system of coordinated operation composed by more than 160 large reservoirs. We proposed and evaluated an integrated approach to simulate daily outflows from most of the SIN reservoirs (138) using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model, distinguishing run-of-the-river and storage reservoirs and testing cases whether outflow and level data were available as input. Also, we investigated the influence of the proposed input features (14) on the simulated outflow, related to reservoir water balance, seasonality, and demand. As a result, we verified that the outputs of the ANN model were mainly influenced by local water balance variables, such as the reservoir inflow of the present day and outflow of the day before. However, other features such as the water level of 4 large reservoirs that represent different regions of the country, which infers about hydropower demand through water availability, seemed to influence to some extent reservoirs outflow estimates. This result indicates advantages in using an integrated approach rather than looking at each reservoir individually. In terms of data availability, it was tested scenarios with (WITH_Qout) and without (NO_Qout and SIM_Qout) observed outflow and water level as input features to the ANN model. The NO_Qout model is trained without outflow and water level while the SIM_Qout model is trained with all input features, but it is fed with simulated outflows and water levels rather than observations. These 3 ANN models were compared with two simple benchmarks: outflow is equal to the outflow of the day before (STEADY) and the outflow is equal to the inflow of the same day (INFLOW). For run-of-the-river reservoirs, an ANN model is not necessary as outflow is virtually equal to inflow. For storage reservoirs, the ANN estimates reached median Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies (NSE) of 0.91, 0.77 and 0.68 for WITH_, NO_ and SIM_Qout respectively, compared to a median NSE of 0.81 and 0.29 for the STEADY and INFLOW benchmarks respectively. In conclusion, the ANN models presented satisfactory performances: when outflow observations are available, WITH_Qout model outperforms STEADY; otherwise, NO_Qout and SIM_Qout models outperform INFLOW.
Resilience in Nicaragua: Preliminary Factor Analysis and Validation of the CYRM-28

Objectives: The current study used factor analytic techniques to examine the performance of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28) in Nicaragua. Methods: Nicaraguan youth from Managua, León, Chinandega, and Granada (n = 2,764) completed the CYRM-28 and the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI-A). The CYRM-28 and PWI-A are self-report measures that were translated into Spanish in previous studies. Results: A confirmatory factor analysis on the CYRM-28 did not support the eight-factor model from previous research. An exploratory factor analysis yielded a six-factor model: Social Belonging, Cultural Context, Caregiver Context, Social Skills, Spiritual Context, and Responsibility. Seven items were removed to improve model fit, reducing the CYRM-28 to only 21 items. We named the reduced measure the CYRM-21-N (Nicaragua). Implications: From our analyses, we constructed the CYRM-21-N, a briefer version of the CYRM-28 with a revised factor structure. The CYRM-21-N may be useful in studying resilience in youth populations or assessing intervention outcomes in Nicaragua.