Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Indian Easterly Jet During the Pre‐Monsoon Season in India

We identify for the first time an Indian Easterly Jet (IEJ) in the mid‐troposphere during the pre‐monsoon using reanalysis data. The IEJ is weaker and smaller than the African Easterly Jet over West Africa, with a climatological location of 10°N, 60–90°E, 700 hPa, and strength 6–7 m s−1 during March–May. The IEJ is a thermal wind associated with low‐level meridional gradients in temperature (positive) and moisture (negative), resulting from equatorward moist convection and poleward dry convection. The IEJ is associated with a negative meridional potential vorticity gradient, therefore satisfying the Charney‐Stern necessary condition for instability. However, no wave activity is detected, suggesting that the potential for combined barotropic‐baroclinic instability is not often realized. IEJ strong (weak) years feature increased (reduced) near‐surface temperatures and drier (wetter) conditions over India. This study provides an introduction to the IEJ's role in pre‐monsoon dynamics, and a platform for further research.
Analysis of Blanketing Sporadic‐E Layer and Associated Tidal Periodicities Over a Brazilian Station Undergoing a Transition From Low Latitude to Midlatitude

Analyses on a complete year of Digisonde data are conducted to investigate the sporadic‐E (Es) layers over Santa Maria (29.7°S, 53.8°W, dip lat.: −37°), Brazil. This region is undergoing a transition from low latitude to midlatitude within the South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA), which provides a key motivation to explore their behavior and the associated tidal periodicities. The Es are classified into four types: flat (Esf), low (Esl), high (Esh), and cusp (Esc). The diurnal and seasonal variations of their top (ftEs) and blanketing (fbEs) frequencies and virtual height (h′Es) are examined. The frequency parameters show the presence of intense Es during equinoxes besides summer. It is also remarkable that the higher values of mean h′Es during winter compared to the other seasons during daytime. These observations differ from previous theories about midlatitude Es layers. The diurnal occurrence rates of the Esb types exhibited distinct dependencies on both local time and seasons. The Esh and Esc were observed exclusively during the daytime, with the former dominating the occurrences in all seasons. To investigate any tidal periodicities embedded in the ftEs, fbEs, and h′Es time series, the Lomb‐Scargle technique was employed. The analysis revealed the presence of 24‐, 12‐, 8‐, and 6‐hr periodicities in both fbEs and h′Es when considering the entire year of data. However, when the data are fractioned into seasons, the predominant periodicities were found to be 24‐ and 12‐hr cycles. Furthermore, when considering the different Esb types, the Lomb‐Scargle analysis indicated varying periodicities.
SPREAD PARAMETER OF EXTREME WAVE HEIGHT DISTRIBUTION FOR PERFORMANCE-BASED DESIGN OF MARITIME STRUCTURES

A new parameter is proposed to characterize the tail spreading performance of extremal distribution functions as defined by the ratio of the 50-year return wave height to the 10-year height, and it is called the spread parameter. Extreme data sets of annual maximum wind speed and peaks-over-threshold significant wave heights have been analyzed for best-fitting distribution functions, for which the spread parameter is evaluated. The observed values of the spread parameter are in good agreement with the predicted values based on the coefficient of variation of an extreme data sample. Formulas are given to derive the scale and location parameters from a given value of the spread parameter. Some typical values of the spread parameter are presented for promotion of performance-based design of maritime structures in the world.
Investigating Pedestrian Crossing Patterns at Crossing Locations Based on Trajectory Data Collected by UAV

Previous studies on pedestrian crossing have mostly focused on pedestrian crossing decisions; while as an important behavioral aspect, the pedestrian crossing process, i.e., their motions during the entire crossing process, has been narrowly studied. Understanding how pedestrian moves across the street during their entire crossing process helps identify risky movements and reasons for such movements, which can further help in the implementation of effective countermeasures. Therefore, this paper proposed a new and easily applied approach for investigating and understanding the pattern of the pedestrian crossing process at crosswalks based on vision-based trajectory tracking technology and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) data. This study uses UAV for collecting video data which is timesaving and has a sufficient coverage area, compared to other methods. For trajectory extraction, the vision-based Deep-SORT-Yolov5 architecture is applied. An improved DBSCAN (density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise) algorithm is introduced for clustering and identification of patterns of pedestrian crossing processes based on their trajectories. This approach is tested via a case study involving six marked crosswalks in Shanghai, China. By using the proposed method, different crossing patterns are extracted and compared. The results show reasonable outputs of trajectory patterns, which reasonably explain the potential instincts of the pedestrians and affecting factors on the behavior of the pedestrian crossing process. Suggestions are made based on the results. This paper contributes to a more comprehensive safety analysis of pedestrian crossings by considering the pedestrian crossing process. The model, along with the UAV-based trajectory observation method, provides an easily-applied and low-cost way of traffic data collection for the purpose of pedestrian safety evaluation.
Impact of the stabilization of compacted cohesive soil – sandy clay on yield criterion improvement

Abstract Impact of the stabilization of compacted cohesive soil - sandy clay on yield criterion improvement. Soft soils, exhibiting low strength properties in the case of external load, require improvement. Chemical stabilization is easy in preparing and presents very good results in improving mechanical properties. In this paper, results of CBR and unconfined compressive strength test are presented for cohesive soil - sandy clay. Stabilization medium was Reymix, which is a cement derivative. Conducted tests define the characteristics of mechanical properties improvement and estimate yield criterion for stabilized soil during the time of stabilization, which is different for non-stabilized soils Streszczenie Wpływ stabilizacji zagęszczonego gruntu spoistego - iłu piaszczystego na wzrost granicy sprężystości. Grunty słabe, które przejawiają niewielką wytrzymałość mechaniczną na obciążenia zewnętrzne, wymagają wzmocnienia. Stabilizacja chemiczna jest łatwa w wykonaniu i daje bardzo dobre wyniki wzrostu właściwości mechanicznych. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badania CBR oraz jednoosiowego ściskania gruntu spoistego - iłu piaszczystego ulepszonego za pomocą preparatu Reymix, który jest pochodną cementu. Przeprowadzone badania miały na celu określenie charakterystyki poprawy właściwości mechanicznych oraz wyznaczenie dla stabilizowanego gruntu granicy sprężystości, która jest inna niż w przypadku gruntów niestabilizowanych
Forest Land use and Cover Change in Ho Municipality of the Volta Region, Ghana

Forests comprise an essential life support of the rural people of Ghana. This is particularly the case in the Ho Municipality area, as far as the provision of fertile land for food crop production, timber for housing, medicine, and creating suitable micro climates conducive for rainfall are concerned. Small scale industrial activities, trading and the services sector have recently expanded the scope of employment option in the Ho Municipality. The agricultural sector continues, however, to be a leading employer. Production pressure on forest cover in the area due to agriculture and related activities have accelerated deforestation, destroyed animal habitat and contributed to the loss of valuable tree species. While farmers are aware of accelerated forest cover loss, they do not have access to accurate data on the extent and rate of deforestation in order to understand deforestation dynamics to plan remedial measures. In view of the data gap, the study described here was designed to assess the nature, extent and rate of deforestation in the Ho Municipality in Ghana. Data analysis was undertaken by classifying Landsat images from 1975 to 2001 and through analysis of questionnaire data. Study results show loss of forest cover by 6562 hectares from 1975 to 1991, and a further loss of 2949 hectares from 1975 to 2001. It is evident that the accelerated pace of deforestation has negatively affected the biophysical environment.
Critique on the psychometric properties of a measurement scale for psychosocial risk factors proposed in NOM 1 035 of the STPS 2 in Mexico 3

The purpose of this study was to show in a critical and proactive way the psychometric properties of the “Psychosocial Risk Factors Identification and Organizational Environment Scale” proposed by STPS (2017), for more than 50 employees of NOM 035 (GRIII), with a sample of workers stratified by gender from Mexico City and the interior of the republic of a service company (n=114). The study consisted in first obtaining indicators of central tendency and dispersion of the questionnaire per item, as well as its reliability of Cronbach (between 67% and 93%); Confirmatory factorial analyzes (CFA) with structural equations (IBM-AMOS) were carried out for purposes of validity; And finally, Pearson correlations and One Way variance analysis were performed to know some relationships. The results showed that the STPS instrument has very good reliability, however, the CFA did not show properties of validity for adjustments and qualification, reason why it is recommended to Secretary of Labor (STPS) consider for other studies to do discrimination of items, to add some items, to increase the sample 10 subjects per item, analyze also by main components and with second order factorials, among others. Relationships between gender, job hierarchy and marital status were observed with some specific domains.
Insulin infusion sets associated with adverse events: strategies for improved diabetes education

Introduction Insulin Infusion Sets (IIS) play a crucial role in ensuring the safe delivery of insulin through a Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII) for individuals with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Recent advancements in therapy have highlighted the need to address issues such as unexplained hyperglycemia and IIS occlusion. Objective To investigate the adverse events (AEs) associated with IIS that impact the treatment of T1D, with a specific focus on promoting effective educational practices. Methods One hundred and eighteen patients under treatment at the Diabetes Center Insulin Pump Ambulatory, Federal University of São Paulo responded to a semi-structured questionnaire. Over 6 months, a nurse researcher interviewed them via video calls. Results Catheter-related adverse events (AEs) included catheter knots, folding, and accidental traction. AEs associated with cannula use were mainly related to cannula fixation adhesive, insulin leakage, bleeding episodes, and skin problems. The cannula patch tends to detach easily in hot conditions or when used for more than 3 days, leading to local itching. Adhesive glue can cause redness and pain. Insulin leakage typically occurs after the catheter disconnects from the cannula, accidental cannula traction, or beneath the cannula patch. Bleeding has been reported inside the cannula or at the insertion site, resulting in local pain and, in some cases, obstruction of insulin flow. When accidental cannula traction occurs, it is recommended to replace the entire IIS system. In situations involving bleeding, leakage, insulin odor, or unsuccessful attempts to correct hyperglycemic episodes with a “bolus” of insulin, it is advisable to change the IIS system and evaluate appropriate techniques for handling and infusing the device. Moreover, regular inspections of the device and reservoir/cartridge are essential. Conclusion Serious AEs can occur even in cases where the occlusion alarm is not activated, leading to interruptions in insulin flow. Conversely, in less severe situations, alarm activation can occur even in the absence of insulin flow interruption. Accidental catheter traction and catheter bending are commonly encountered in everyday situations, while issues related to the cannula directly affect blood glucose levels. AEs related to the IIS cannula often involve insulin leakage into the skin, bleeding, and skin events attributed to adhesive issues with the cannula.
Investigation of the Effects of Various Severe Plastic Deformation Techniques on the Microstructure of Laser Powder Bed Fusion AlSi10Mg Alloy

In this paper, we present a complete characterization of the microstructural changes that occur in an LPBF AlSi10Mg alloy subjected to various post-processing methods, including equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP), KoBo extrusion, and multi-axial forging. Kikuchi transmission diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine the microstructures. Our findings revealed that multi-axis forging produced an extremely fine subgrain structure. KoBo extrusion resulted in a practically dislocation-free microstructure. ECAP processing at temperatures between 100 °C and 200 °C generated moderate grain refinement, with subgrain diameters averaging from 300 nm to 700 nm. The obtained data highlighted the potential of severe plastic deformation as a versatile method for tailoring the microstructure of the AlSi10Mg alloy. The ability to precisely control grain size and dislocation density using specific SPD methods allows for the development of novel materials with ultrafine-grained microstructures that offer the potential for enhanced mechanical and functional properties.
The Roles of Machine Translation in Learning Among K-12 Students at the International Schools in the Great Bay Area, China

Intercultural foreign language learning among K -12 students at international schools involves the cross-cultural discovery of the changing habits of people whose mother tongue might be different instructive languages at schools. Bilingual education is essential in bridging the gap between the mother tongue and instructive languages. However, it needs effective strategies that combine in-classroom language learning with new technology. Several language learning and teaching trends concerning the digital environment and innovative technologies such as machine translation or digitalization are currently challenging K-12 schools and families. This research investigates the role of machine translation in learning among K-12 students at international schools in the cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai. It aims to identify these gaps in existing research and propose innovative strategies for boosting learning outcomes to recognize the learning habits they developed as young learners in the 21st century and their cultural motivations. Bilingual surveys are being handed out to K-12 families. These surveys are written in both English and Chinese. In total, 221 of them were collected. The data was analyzed to examine how helpful machine translation is for academic learning in both languages. The strengths and weaknesses were summarized among K-12 students using machine translation, highlighting strategies used with it at international K-12 schools.
Human‐caused fires limit convection in tropical Africa: First temporal observations and attribution

It is well established that smoke particles modify clouds, which in turn affects climate. However, no study has quantified the temporal dynamics of aerosol‐cloud interactions with direct observations. Here for the first time, we use temporally offset satellite observations from northern Africa between 2006 and 2010 to quantitatively measure the effect of fire aerosols on convective cloud dynamics. We attribute a reduction in cloud fraction during periods of high aerosol optical depths to a smoke‐driven inhibition of convection. We find that higher smoke burdens limit upward vertical motion, increase surface pressure, and increase low‐level divergence—meteorological indicators of convective suppression. These results are corroborated by climate simulations that show a smoke‐driven increase in regionally averaged shortwave tropospheric heating and decrease in convective precipitation during the fire season. Our results suggest that in tropical regions, anthropogenic fire initiates a positive feedback loop where increased aerosol emissions limit convection, dry the surface, and enable increased fire activity via human ignition.
Looming sounds as auditory warnings: Uses for enhancing visual contrast sensitivity?

Looming sounds have been shown to influence visual perception, suggesting they may make effective auditory warning tones for use with visual tasks. To explore the use of looming sounds as warning signals and to determine whether the strength of a looming sound will impact its effectiveness, we tested five looming sounds with different amplitude increases as warning tones in a contrast sensitivity task where participants made judgements concerning the orientation of low-contrast sinusoidal gratings. Reaction time, accuracy, and contrast threshold were measured for each sound condition. Our results indicate that accuracy was higher and reaction time was faster when a sound was present compared to when no sound was present, and contrast threshold was significantly lowered in sound trials compared to silent trials. However, there was no difference in accuracy, reaction time, or contrast threshold by strength of looming. These results suggest that while auditory warning sounds do enhance performance on a basic visual task, the benefit was not unique to looming sounds. This experiment will help inform the design of warnings by providing insight into the underlying effects of looming sounds on visual performance.
Regulatory Ability of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on Human Skin Health by Counteracting In Vitro Malassezia furfur Effects

The skin serves as the first barrier against pathogen attacks, thanks to its multifunctional microbial community. Malassezia furfur is a commensal organism of normal cutaneous microflora but is also a cause of skin diseases. It acts on different cell pattern recognition receptors (TLRs, AhR, NLRP3 inflammasome) leading to cellular damage, barrier impairment, and inflammatory cytokines production. Lactobacillus spp. Is an endogenous inhabitant of healthy skin, and studies have proven its beneficial role in wound healing, skin inflammation, and protection against pathogen infections. The aim of our study is to demonstrate the ability of live Lactiplantibacillus plantarum to interfere with the harmful effects of the yeast on human keratinocytes (HaCat) in vitro. To enable this, the cells were treated with M. furfur, either alone or in the presence of L. plantarum. To study the inflammasome activation, cells require a stimulus triggering inflammation (LPS) before M. furfur infection, with or without L. plantarum. L. plantarum effectively counteracts all the harmful strategies of yeast, reducing the phospholipase activity, accelerating wound repair, restoring barrier integrity, reducing AhR and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and, consequently, releasing inflammatory cytokines. Although lactobacilli have a long history of use in fermented foods, it can be speculated that they can also have health-promoting activities when topically applied.
Legacy earthen berms in ﬂ uence vegetation and hydrologic complexity in the Altar Valley, Arizona

Across the American Southwest water development has played a critical role in managing rangelands. Earthen berms have been constructed throughout US rangelands to manage runoff and reduce erosion. The berms altered runoff patterns to increase soil moisture with positive local vegetative response. However, altered runoff patterns can be considered a disturbance that affects broader scale vegetation patterns. We hypothesized that the hydrologic impacts of earthen berms in semiarid rangelands will be re ﬂ ected in contrasting upslope and downslope vegetation patterns. A supervised classi ﬁ cation of grass, shrubs, and bare soil was performed using orthographic imagery taken in June 2016 to quantify the effects of 181 earthen berms in the uplands and ﬂ oodplain of the Altar Valley in Southern Arizona, US. Intact berms blocked runoff, creating downslope runoff “ shadows ” within which the precipitation is the dominant water input. We documented more bare soil downslope of intact berms in comparison with upslope. Grass and shrub cover affected by berms were related to soil texture. Grass and shrub cover were not different above and below intact berms on ﬁ ne textured soils, but on sites with coarser textured soil, grass cover was lower downslope of berms. Where breaches occurred on coarser textured soils, the up and downslope differences in grass cover diminished. This study points to the role of conservation structures in adding
Spirituality as a Positive Youth Development Construct: A Spirituality as a Positive Youth Development Construct: A Conceptual Review Conceptual Review

The concept of spirituality as a positive youth development construct is reviewed in this paper. Both broad and narrow deﬁnitions of spirituality are examined and a working deﬁnition of spirituality is proposed. Regarding theories of spirituality, di ﬀ erent models pertinent to spiritual development and the relationship between spirituality and positive youth development are highlighted. Di ﬀ erent ecological factors, particularly family and peer inﬂuences, were found to inﬂuence spirituality. Research on the inﬂuence of spirituality on adolescent developmental outcomes is examined. Finally, ways to promote adolescent spirituality are discussed.
Seeing the Invisible: Next-Generation Cameras Leveraging Hidden Properties of Light

Conventional cameras, inspired by human vision, only capture the intensity and color of light, restricting our ability to fully comprehend the visual environment. My thesis aims to transcend the limitations of traditional RGB imaging by delving into three underexplored light properties: polarization, ray direction, and time-of-flight. Firstly, this thesis leverages polarization of surface reflections for geometry estimation, reflectance separation, and lighting estimation, resulting in accurate estimation and editing of visual appearance. Then this thesis demonstrates how to leverage reflections on multi-view images of glossy objects to recover the reflected 3D environment, essentially turning the glossy objects into cameras. Finally, this thesis develops imaging systems that exploit the distribution of time-of-flight of photons, also known as transients, to reconstruct objects hidden from the camera’s line of sight. By harnessing the full potential of light, this work lays the foundation for next-generation vision systems that can recover information seemingly invisible to human eyes and conventional cameras.