Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Diurnal Warm Layers on Atmospheric Convection

This manuscript presents a study of oceanic diurnal warm layers (DWLs) in kilometer‐scale global coupled simulations and their impact on atmospheric convection in the tropics. With the implementation of thin vertical levels in the ocean, DWLs are directly resolved, and sea surface temperature (SST) fluctuations of up to several Kelvin appear in regions with low wind and high solar radiation. The increase of SST during the day causes an abrupt afternoon increase of atmospheric moisture due to enhanced latent heat flux (LHF), followed by an increase in cloud cover (CC) and cloud liquid water (CLW). However, although the diurnal SST amplitude is even exaggerated in comparison to reanalysis, this effect only lasts for 5–6 hr and leads to an absolute difference of 1% for CC and 0.01 kg m−2 for CLW. This can be explained by the fact that the low wind over the SST anomalies dampens their potential effect on the LHF and hence clouds. All in all, the impact of DWLs on convective CC is found to be negligible in the tropical mean.
Hydrothermal process assists undoped and Cr-doped semiconducting ZnO nanorods: Frontier of dielectric property

The influence of the hydrothermal synthesis route on the grain morphology and thereby the modulation of dielectric response of undoped and Cr3+ ion doped semiconducting ZnO nanoparticles is investigated in this report. The X-ray diffraction study reveals that all the samples are in a polycrystalline single phase of a hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO. The field emission scanning electron microscopy study reveals the rod like structure of all the samples. The formation of synthesis route dependent morphology and the morphology dependent physical property of all the samples are the characteristic features of the present work and to date it has not been considered as the specific tool of dielectric property modulation by anyone else. The ultraviolet-visible measurement signifies the superior control over the charge density of the host semiconducting material due to the presence of Cr3+ ions in the structure of ZnO. In the photoluminescence measurement, no significant peak has been observed in the visible region. The frequency and temperature dependent dielectric constants of all the samples were investigated. The consequences of the dielectric measurement suggest that the hydrothermal synthesis route influences the growth mechanism of the semiconducting nanoparticles mostly towards the rod like structure and the doping element influences the charge density, nature of defects, and the defect densities inside the structure of ZnO nanomaterials. All these factors together make the semiconducting ZnO nanomaterials more effective for tailor made applications in magneto-dielectric devices.The influence of the hydrothermal synthesis route on the grain morphology and thereby the modulation of dielectric response of undoped and Cr3+ ion doped semiconducting ZnO nanoparticles is investigated in this report. The X-ray diffraction study reveals that all the samples are in a polycrystalline single phase of a hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO. The field emission scanning electron microscopy study reveals the rod like structure of all the samples. The formation of synthesis route dependent morphology and the morphology dependent physical property of all the samples are the characteristic features of the present work and to date it has not been considered as the specific tool of dielectric property modulation by anyone else. The ultraviolet-visible measurement signifies the superior control over the charge density of the host semiconducting material due to the presence of Cr3+ ions in the structure .
A Novel Method for Edge Detection in Images Based on Particle Swarm Optimization

Edges give important structural information about the images. Edge detection is a process of identifying and locating the edges in an image. Edges are the points where discontinuity of intensity occurs. It also represents the boundaries of objects in images. In this paper a new edge detection method based on Particle Swarm Optimization is discussed. The proposed method uses morphological operations and a thresholding technique to improve the result of edge detector. This algorithm performs better in images comparing to other traditional methods of edge detection. The performance of proposed method is compared with traditional edge detection methods such as Sobel, Prewitt, Laplacian of Gaussian and Canny with parameters Baddeley's Delta Metric. Statistical analysis is performed to evaluate accuracy of edge detection techniques.
Plant optics: underlying mechanisms in remotely sensed signals for phenotyping applications

Abstract Optical-based remote sensing offers great potential for phenotyping vegetation traits and functions for a range of applications including vegetation monitoring and assessment. A key strength of optical-based approaches is the underlying mechanistic link to vegetation physiology, biochemistry, and structure that influences a spectral signal. By exploiting spectral variation driven by plant physiological response to environment, remotely sensed products can be used to estimate vegetation traits and functions. However, oftentimes these products are proxies based on covariance, which can lead to misinterpretation and decoupling under certain scenarios. This viewpoint will discuss (i) the optical properties of vegetation, (ii) applications of vegetation indices, solar-induced fluorescence, and machine-learning approaches, and (iii) how covariance can lead to good empirical proximation of plant traits and functions. Understanding and acknowledging the underlying mechanistic basis of plant optics must be considered as remotely sensed data availability and applications continue to grow. Doing so will enable appropriate application and consideration of limitations for the use of optical-based remote sensing for phenotyping applications.
Merging data from multiple sources: pretest and shrinkage perspectives

ABSTRACT In this article, we have developed asymptotic theory for the simultaneous estimation of the k means of arbitrary populations under the common mean hypothesis and further assuming that corresponding population variances are unknown and unequal. The unrestricted estimator, the Graybill-Deal-type restricted estimator, the preliminary test, and the Stein-type shrinkage estimators are suggested. A large sample test statistic is also proposed as a pretest for testing the common mean hypothesis. Under the sequence of local alternatives and squared error loss, we have compared the asymptotic properties of the estimators by means of asymptotic distributional quadratic bias and risk. Comprehensive Monte-Carlo simulation experiments were conducted to study the relative risk performance of the estimators with reference to the unrestricted estimator in finite samples. Two real-data examples are also furnished to illustrate the application of the suggested estimation strategies.
A META-ANALYSIS ON PUBLICATIONS FOR LECTURERS’ PERCEPTION OF BLENDED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION FROM 2020-2022

In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted on 14 articles published between 2020 and 2022, with the Fisher r-to-z transformed correlation coefficient used as the measure of outcome. A random-effects model was employed, using JAMOVI software, to calculate the average Fisher r-to-z transformed correlation coefficient, and the degree of heterogeneity was evaluated using the restricted maximum-likelihood estimator, Q-test for heterogeneity, and I² statistic. The findings revealed that the average correlation coefficient was positive as moderate effect size (0.3528) of the 14 studie<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0021/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>s. The study also provided recommendations for improving meta-analyses.
Effects of Plastic Anisotropy and Void Shape on Full Three-Dimensional Void Growth

Void growth in an anisotropic ductile solid is studied by numerical analyses for three dimensional unit cells initially containing a void. The effect of plastic anisotropy on void growth is the main focus, but the studies include effects of different void shapes, including oblate, prolate or general ellipsoidal voids. Also other 3D effects such as those of different spacings of voids in different material directions, and effects of different macroscopic principal stresses in three directions are accounted for. It is found that the presence of plastic anisotropy ampliﬁes the differences between predictions obtained for different initial void shapes. Also, differences between principal transverse stresses show a strong interaction with the plastic anisotropy, such that the response is very different for different anisotropies. The studies are carried out for one particular choice of void volume fraction and stress triaxiality.
Crossing Boundaries: Autoethnography of Subjective Experiences During Meditation

In this autoethnographic quadrologue, the authors aim to show how meditation experiences defy verbalization in a qualitative research setting. This leads to the insight that an autoethnographic approach may be a much better fit for such an experience, where complex and inexpressible things can be found. This is especially the case since autoethnographic texts include and immerse the reader in the experience. Even though in the case of meditation this can hardly be achieved, this quadrologue aims at conveying some of the struggles and peculiarities of meditation practice. It focuses on the research process leading to the decision to employ an autoethnography paradigm. Thus, the focus of this article is the differentiation of autoethnography from other methodological approaches and the conscious decision in favour of this method, which is rather unusual in German-speaking countries. The authors develop the thesis that both the meditation experience and the decision to employ an autoethnographic paradigm led to the experience of “wandering off the beaten track” and crossing the boundaries of what is usually done in society and social science respectively.
From Korea to the world: women’s role as peer-leaders in K-pop transnational online brand communities

ABSTRACT Focusing on online brand communities (OBCs) centred around K-pop music consumption, this study explores the influential role of women as peer-leaders. By analysing data from Twitter using social network analysis (SNA) and sentiment analysis techniques, we observe that (1) OBCs naturally form transnational consumer segments, (2) where peer leadership emerges organically, and (3) women often occupy these leadership positions due to their social capital and engagement in relevant conversation topics. This study contributes to demonstrating the increasing empowerment of women in a realm that has long been criticized for its portrayal of gender-related issues.
Control of scattered coherent light and photoacoustic imaging : toward light focusing in deep tissue and enhanced, sub-acoustic resolution photoacoustic imaging

Light focusing is a crucial requirement for high resolution optical imaging. In biological tissue though, refractive index inhomogeneities scatter light, preventing any focusing beyond one millimeter. Wavefront shaping techniques have been recently developed to partially compensate for light scattering after propagation through a scattering medium. These techniques require a measurement of the light intensity at the target point. These techniques hold much promise for performing wavefront correction in order to focus light deep inside scattering media. This would require a non-invasive measure of the light intensity at depth. In this PhD study, we propose to use the photoacoustic effect for such task. An optically absorbing structure under pulsed illumination indeed generates ultrasonic waves, whose amplitude is proportional to the absorbed light intensity. These ultrasounds mostly propagate in a ballistic way, and can therefore be detected with an external transducer. We have shown that photoacoustic imaging could be used to measure the transmission matrix of a scattering sample, enabling to focus light on absorbing structures as well as to retrieve mesoscopic properties of the medium. We have shown that the broadband spectral content of the photoacoustic signals can be harnessed to improve the focusing performances. Finally, we demonstrated that coherent illumination could be used to remove fundamentals artefacts, as well as to break the acoustic resolution limit of conventional deep tissue photoacoustic imaging.
Novel motion estimation algorithm for image stabilizer

Purpose The motion vector estimation algorithm is very widely used in many image process applications, such as the image stabilization and object tracking algorithms. The conventional searching algorithm, based on the block matching manipulation, is used to estimate the motion vectors in conventional image processing algorithms. During the block matching manipulation, the violent motion will result in greater amount of computation. However, too large amount of calculation will reduce the effectiveness of the motion vector estimation algorithm. This paper aims to present a novel searching method to estimate the motion vectors effectively. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a novel searching method to estimate the motion vectors for high-resolution image sequences. The searching strategy of this algorithm includes three steps: the larger area searching, the adaptive directional searching and the small area searching. Findings The achievement of this paper is to develop a motion vector searching strategy to improve the computation efficiency. Compared with the conventional motion vector searching algorithms, the novel motion vector searching algorithm can reduce the motion matching manipulation effectively by 50 per cent. Originality/value This paper presents a novel searching strategy to estimate the motion vectors effectively. From the experimental results, the novel motion vector searching algorithm can reduce the motion matching manipulation effectively, compared with the conventional motion vector searching algorithms.
Analysis of The Influence of Product Price and Service Quality on Consumer Loyalty at Coffee Harbor Shop Kemayoran Using Electronic Word of Mouth as A Moderating Variable

This study aims to analyze (1) the effect of product prices on Harbor Coffee Consumer Loyalty. (2) the influence of Service Quality on Coffee Harbor Consumer Loyalty. (3) the effect of product prices on consumer loyalty with electronic word of mouth as a moderating variable. (4) the influence of Service Quality on Consumer Loyalty with Electronic Word of Mouth as a moderating variable. The research population is all consumers (3) the effect of product prices on consumer loyalty with electronic word of mouth as a moderating variable with a sample of 30 respondents. Data collection techniques using questionnaires through the stages of validity and reliability testing. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). This study concludes that (1) Product Prices Affect Consumer Loyalty, (2) Service Quality Affects Consumer Loyalty, (3) Product Prices and Service Quality Affect Consumer Loyalty, (4) Electronic Word of Mouth is able to moderate the effect of Product Price on Consumer Loyalty. Consumer Loyalty and (5) Electronic Word of Mouth are able to moderate the influence of Service Quality on Consumer Loyalty.
Tone-accent and prosodic domains in Wolaitta

In Wolaitta, an Omotic language spoken in the south-central pan of Ethiopia. simple phonological words are usually restricted to one high tone-accent per word. Nouns and adjectives have a similar tone-accent pattern, while verb roots differ from these in many respects. Morphology may alter the pattern in simple lexical forms in the sense that derivation and inflection may result in the presence of more than one high tone-accent in a word or, alternatively, in that they cause shift of the original tone accent. In nouns this depends on definiteness and the location of tone-accent in the citation form, while in verbs it is determined by the presence or absence of high tone-accent on the verb root and the type of suffix attached to it. High tone-accent marking in phrases can be predicted from the tone-accent pattern of the citation form of the modifier(s).
Impact of Cerebral Microbleeds on Gait, Balance, and Upper Extremities Function in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE White matter hyperintensites (WMHs) , lacunes and brain atrophy have been demonstrated to be positively related to gait disorder. However, cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) as a manifestation of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is still under-investigated. Therefore, correlations between CMBs and upper extremity, gait and balance performance were investigated in this study. METHODS A cross-sectional study of middle-aged to older adults was conducted. CSVD burden was measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the location and number of CMBs were analysed. Gait and balance functions were evaluated using a four meter walkway, Tinetti, Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) tests. Upper extremity function was measured by 10 repeated pronation-supination time, 10 repeated finger tapping time, and 10 repeated opening and closings of the hands. RESULTS A total of 224 participants were included in this study, with a mean age of 60.6 ± 10.5 years. The prevalence of CMB was 34.8% and most was lobar. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that CMB was associated with lower gait velocity, wider stride width, longer TUG test time, and poor performance on Tinetti and SPPB tests independently of other coexisting CSVD markers and risk factors. These relationships appeared to be explained by CMBs in the frontal, temporal, basal ganglia and infratentorial regions. The motor function of upper extremity also had independent correlations with CMBs especially in frontal, parietal, and temporal areas, and in the basal ganglia. CONCLUSIONS CMBs were found to be associated with both gait, balance and upper extremity disturbances. The presence of CMB seems to be another major driving force for CSVD on lower and upper extremity impairment in healthy elderly subjects.
Chronic intermittent hypoxia promotes glomerular hyperfiltration and potentiates hypoxia-evoked decreases in renal perfusion and PO2

Introduction: Sleep apnea (SA) is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease and may contribute to the development and/or progression of this condition. Previous studies suggest that dysregulation of renal hemodynamics and oxygen flux may play a key role in this process. The present study sought to determine how chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) associated with SA affects regulation of renal artery blood flow (RBF), renal microcirculatory perfusion (RP), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and cortical and medullary tissue PO2 as well as expression of genes that could contribute to renal injury. We hypothesized that normoxic RBF and tissue PO2 would be reduced after CIH, but that GFR would be increased relative to baseline, and that RBF, RP, and tissue PO2 would be decreased to a greater extent in CIH vs. sham during exposure to intermittent asphyxia (IA, FiO2 0.10/FiCO2 0.03). Additionally, we hypothesized that gene programs promoting oxidative stress and fibrosis would be activated by CIH in renal tissue. Methods: All physiological variables were measured at baseline (FiO2 0.21) and during exposure to 10 episodes of IA (excluding GFR). Results: GFR was higher in CIH-conditioned vs. sham (p < 0.05), whereas normoxic RBF and renal tissue PO2 were significantly lower in CIH vs. sham (p < 0.05). Reductions in RBF, RP, and renal tissue PO2 during IA occurred in both groups but to a greater extent in CIH (p < 0.05). Pro-oxidative and pro-fibrotic gene programs were activated in renal tissue from CIH but not sham. Conclusion: CIH adversely affects renal hemodynamic regulation and oxygen flux during both normoxia and IA and results in changes in renal tissue gene expression.
A comparison of imaging methods using GPR for landmine detection and a preliminary investigation into the SEM for identification of buried objects

Part I Various image reconstruction algorithms used for subsurface targets are reviewed. It is shown how some approximate wavefield inversion techniques: Stripmap Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Kirchhoff Migration (KM) and Frequency-Wavenumber (FK) migration are developed from various models for wavefield scattering. The similarities of these techniques are delineated both from a theoretical and practical perspective and it is shown that Stripmap SAR is, computationally, almost identical to FK migration. A plane wave interpretation of both Stripmap SAR and FK migration is used to show why they are so similar. The electromagnetic assumptions made in the image reconstruction algorithms are highlighted. In addition, it is shown that, theoretically, FK and KM are identical. Image reconstruction results for KM, Stripmap SAR and FK are shown for both synthetic and experimental Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data. Subjectively the reconstructed images show little difference, but computationally, Stripmap SAR (and therefore, FK migration) are much more efficient. Part II A preliminary investigation into the use of the Singularity Expansion Method (SEM) for use in identifying landmines is completed using a Finite-Difference TimeDomain code to simulate a simplified GPR system. The Total Least Squares Matrix Pencil Method (TLS-MPM) is used to determine the complex poles from an arbitrary late-time signal. Both dielectric and metallic targets buried in lossless and lossy half-spaces are considered. Complex poles (resonances) of targets change significantly when the objects are buried in an external medium, and perturbation formulae for Perfect Electric Conductor (PEC) and dielectric targets are highlighted and used. These perturbation formulae are developed for homogenous surrounding media, and their utilization for the half-space
A Study on the Online Food Delivery Services Market in Chandigarh From a Customer Perspective

Purpose: This study aimed at understanding the experiences of customers who have used online food delivery services in Chandigarh, India. Theoretical framework: With food delivery services having been established in numerous cities around the world for a significant duration, the intensifying competition among these services has resulted in heightened expectations from customers. Consequently, it becomes imperative to grasp the disparity between the aspects in which customers perceive online food delivery services are excelling and the areas where they are lacking. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve this, the researcher used a closed-ended structured questionnaire with 26 attributes to collect primary data from respondents who had used the service at least five times. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey design, and utilized non-probability purposive sampling. The sample size for the study was 390 respondents. To analyze the data, the researchers used Importance Performance Analysis (IPA), which involves measuring the mean ratings of the respondents on the 26 attributes. Findings: The study found that the ability to use the service anywhere anytime, order delivery time, and reasonable delivery and tax prices are among the attributes that the OFDS should prioritize to enhance the customer experience and satisfaction with online food delivery services. Research, Practical & Social implications: By focusing on these attributes, online food delivery services can improve their service quality and meet the needs and expectations of their customers. Originality/value: Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the experiences of customers who have used online food delivery apps in Chandigarh. The findings can be useful for stakeholders in the food delivery industry to improve their services and meet the needs of their customers.