Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Real-Time Permittivity Estimation Method for Stepped-Frequency Ground-Penetrating Radar by Full-Waveform Inversion

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been widely used in estimating the permittivity of mediums. The radar echo amplitude method is an important method used by GPR in this estimation, the basic step of which is to deduce the magnitude of the permittivity according to the relationship between the reflection coefficient and the permittivity. Based on the basic principle of the radar echo amplitude method, this paper proposes a full-wave inversion real-time permittivity estimation method that can be used for stepped-frequency GPR (SFGPR), which offers high efficiency, accuracy, and generalization ability. The characteristics of this method are mainly reflected in the following four aspects: Using the SFGPR system and introducing a layered media detection model, we can complete waveform compensation optimization with high precision. The distance between the antenna and the surface of the reflective medium is extracted from the time domain waveform without manual measurement, avoiding human measurement errors. The inversion of the total reflection waveform at the required height works under the principle of an electromagnetic field, eliminating the need for repeated metal plate calibration experiments and improving work efficiency and waveform accuracy. In a continuous measurement line, the total reflection waveform inversion on each measurement point can be efficiently completed, and the change of permittivity on the measurement line can be obtained. To evaluate the feasibility of the proposed method, we performed experiments on a wall of known thickness, and the permittivity estimation was basically consistent with that of the dielectric probe, physical model calculation, and wall penetration. We also successfully applied this method to the dielectric property analysis of adobe samples. The results indicate that the proposed method can help grasp the condition of a measured medium, which can ensure the accuracy of detection and improve subsequent data processing efficiency.
High-resolution mapping using a sub-audio magnetic survey at the Comet Gold Mine,Western Australia

The Comet Gold Mine in the Murchison mineral field lies within the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia. Gold mineralization in this area is associated with a series of north-northeasterly trending structures, and has a long exploration history with some previous geophysical information. Other exploration information, such as geology and drill hole data, are integrated with the geophysical results to study the geophysical responses and generate a geophysical interpretation map. The response from the sub-audio magnetic (SAM) survey was investigated over an area of 13 sq km. The SAM survey was completed using a transmitter current of 5 8 Amp with a 50% duty cycle at 4 Hz frequency, which was considered a good instrumental setting for the Comet area. SAM anomalies were compared to results obtained from other geophysical methods and then integrated with geological data to generate a geophysical interpretation map at a 1 : 5000 scale. The new interpretation of geological units and structures at the Comet area should provide a better understanding of the geological and structural setting for mineralization in the Comet area. Our results show that the Comet Fault represents a faulted limb of the Comet fold structure that has both limbs dipping to the southeast and a plunge to the northeast. Magnetic anomalies associated with sedimentary iron formation (SIF) are considered to be well correlated with some gold bearing horizons and the location of the Comet Fault, which has become more siliceous and has been altered by sulphide minerals and magnetite minerals.
Another paradise lost? : A case study of nation building in East Timor

This thesis examines the form of reconstruction intervention known as 'nation building', through a case study of the United Nations led operation in East Timor that began in 1999. It examines how the idea of the nation and statehood first arose, and how these ideals are still prevalent in modern nation building interventions. The thesis also examines the weaknesses and ambiguities that have become associated with nation building, and how such weaknesses have found a common thread through subsequent interventions The thesis then uses the case study of the intervention in East Timor, dividing the operation in to three stages; the initial stabilising operation, the institution building phase, and the final withdrawal in 2002. The examination of these phases forms the central focus of the thesis, as such an assessment provides insight into the various challenges that accompany such operations. The thesis assesses the success of these different phases, and from this provides findings that give insight the causes behind the crisis of governance that arose within East Timor during 2006. From this the thesis will provide limited findings on what areas such interventions face particular challenges, and on the overall viability of nation building as a solution to state failure.
CBP-QSNN: Spiking Neural Networks Quantized Using Constrained Backpropagation

Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) support sparse event-based data processing at high power efficiency when implemented in event-based neuromorphic processors. However, the limited on- chip memory capacity of neuromorphic processors strictly delimits the depth and width of SNNs implemented. A direct solution is the use of quantized SNNs (QSNNs) in place of SNNs with FP32 weights. To this end, we propose a method to quantize the weights using constrained backpropagation (CBP) with the Lagrangian function (conventional loss function plus well-defined weight-constraint functions) as an objective function. This work utilizes CBP as a post-training algorithm for deep SNNs pre-trained using various state-of-the-art methods including direct training (TSSL-BP, STBP, and surrogate gradient) and DNN-to-SNN conversion (SNN-Calibration), validating CBP as a general framework for QSNNs. CBP-QSNNs highlight their high accuracy insomuch as the degradation of accuracy on CIFAR-10, DVS128 Gesture, and CIFAR10-DVS in the worst case is less than 1%. Particularly, CBP-QSNNs for SNN-Calibration-pretrained SNNs on CIFAR-100 highlight an unexpected large increase in accuracy by 3.72% while using small weight-memory (3.5% of the FP32 case).
Characterisation of the coupling between oceanic turbulence and the variability of coastal waters optical properties using in situ measurements and satellite data

L'objectif de cette these est de comprendre les processus de couplage entre la turbulence et la matiere particulaire (sediments en suspension et phytoplancton). La premiere partie de la these porte sur des mesures in situ effectuees sous differentes situations meteorologiques. Nous avons considere le coefficient d'attenuation, indicateur de la concentration totale de particules in situ, et le spectre de tailles des particules in situ (particle size distribution - PSD). Cette etude a montre que la dynamique de la PSD est controlee par plusieurs parametres oceanographiques, tels que les courants de maree, les vagues et la turbulence. Nous avons egalement etudie les caracteristiques multifractales de ces PSD pour diverses classes de taille (limon, sable fin, sable grossier, particules macro). Pour cela, nous avons utilise la decomposition modale empirique avec avec l'analyse spectrale de Hilbert. La deuxieme partie de la these porte sur l'analyse multi-echelle d'images couleur de l'ocean et SST (sea surface temperature). L'heterogeneite spatiale des scalaires oceaniques sous l'influence de la turbulence est consideree a multi-echelles. Cette methode fonctionne egalement avec des images ayant des donnees manquantes. Cette methodologie a ete appliquee a des images reelles de Chl-a, SST, Rrs-443 et Rrs-555 en utilisant les fonctions de structure 2D. Il est possible de caracteriser, pour toutes les echelles spatiales, les heterogeneites et intermittences des champs scalaires etudies, a l'aide de quelques parametres (deux parametres dans le cadre de l'approximation log-normale). Les valeurs de ces parametres, pour sept endroits differents du globe, sont examines et compares.
The perception of halal concept of hoteliers in the light of social exchange theory: a Swedish study

PurposeThis paper aims at from the perspective of the social exchange theory (SET) gaining an understanding of how promotion of halal concept in Sweden is perceived by Swedish hoteliers.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods approach has been used consisting of 62 completed surveys with closed-ended and open-ended questions, follow-up comments and five in-depth interviews with hoteliers in the mid-Sweden region. Content analysis has been employed.FindingsThree categories of meanings are the main findings: general perception, safeguarding Swedish secular values and financially unjustifiable have been discovered. Most of the respondents have been sceptical towards halal and Muslim-friendly hotel concepts due to financial and cultural challenges these two concepts have for the Swedish tourism and hotel industries. Based on the SET, this entails more costs than benefits and is especially at odds with Swedish-rooted secular values.Practical implicationsThis study provides practical implications and increased knowledge for tourism stakeholders including hotels in Sweden.Originality/valueThis is one of the very few studies on halal tourism in Scandinavia and the first Scandinavian study on hoteliers' attitudes towards halal tourism.
Understanding the use intention and influencing factors of telerehabilitation in people with rehabilitation needs: a cross-sectional survey

Objective This study aimed to investigate the use intention and influencing factors of telerehabilitation in people with rehabilitation needs. Methods This cross-sectional survey recruited a total of 183 participants with rehabilitation needs from May 2022 to December 2022. Sociodemographic and medical data were collected by a structured questionnaire. The factors influencing the use intention of telerehabilitation were measured by the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses were performed. Results A total of 150 valid questionnaires were included for analysis. The results indicated that the use intention of telerehabilitation was overall high in people with rehabilitation needs. Health condition (β = −0.21, p = 0.03), performance expectancy (β = 0.21, p = 0.01), facilitating conditions (β = 0.25, p = 0.03), perceived trust (β = 0.25, p < 0.01), and self-efficacy (β = 0.19, p = 0.04) were significant factors influencing the use intention of telerehabilitation. Conclusion Overall, the use intention of telerehabilitation is high in individuals with rehabilitation needs. Health conditions, performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, perceived trust, and self-efficacy are important factors influencing the use intention of telerehabilitation in individuals with rehabilitation needs.
The Incompatible Element Characteristics of an Ancient Subducted Sedimentary Component in Ocean Island Basalts from French Polynesia

marized by Woodhouse & Dziewonski, 1984; Castillo,1988; Zhang & Tanimoto, 1992; Nataf & VanDecar,1993; White & Duncan, 1996). The isotopic char-acteristics of the end-member mantle components areproposed to be derived by (1) ancient subduction ofoceanic crust, (2) delamination and subsequent sinkingof subcontinental lithosphere deep into the mantle, or (3)
Renoprotective Effects of Solid-State Cultivated Antrodia cinnamomea in Juvenile Rats with Chronic Kidney Disease

Antrodia cinnamomea (AC), a medicinal mushroom, has multiple beneficial actions, such as acting as a prebiotic. The incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children has steadily increased year by year, and CKD is related to gut microbiota dysbiosis. Herein, we investigated the renoprotection of solid-state cultivated AC in adenine-induced CKD juvenile rats. CKD was induced in 3-week-old male rats by feeding with adenine (0.5%) for three weeks. Treated groups received oral administration of AC extracts at either a low (10 mg/kg/day) or high dose (100 mg/kg/day) for six weeks. At nine weeks of age, the rats were sacrificed. Renal outcomes, blood pressure, and gut microbiome composition were examined. Our results revealed that AC treatment, either low- or high-dose, improved kidney function, proteinuria, and hypertension in CKD rats. Low-dose AC treatment increased plasma concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Additionally, we observed that AC acts like a prebiotic by enriching beneficial bacteria in the gut, such as Akkermansia and Turicibacter. Moreover, the beneficial action of AC against CKD-related hypertension might also be linked to the inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system. This study brings new insights into the potential application of AC as a prebiotic dietary supplement in the prevention and treatment of pediatric CKD.
Examining the role of perceived stress on learning satisfaction under the influence of academic burnout in the post-COVID world

BACKGROUND: In the last two years, due to the impact of COVID-19, students were forced to continue their education online because the government imposed restrictions to limit the spread of the virus. However, with the resumption of offline classes, the students seem to be suffering more from stress and isolation as they must face the challenges of the real world, which are quite different from the virtual one to which they have become accustomed. In this study, the effect of stress on students leading to their academic burnout and the influence of burnout on their learning satisfaction was studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data were collected from 343 students of final year postgraduation courses in business management studies in India. The collected data were subject to analysis using PLS-SEM through SmartPLS 4.0 software. RESULT: The results of the study state that the perceived stress significantly increases cynicism, and exhaustion with a coefficient value of 0.481 each and decreases self-efficacy with − 0.03. Additionally, exhaustion acts as a mediator that decreases the effect of perceived stress over learning satisfaction with a positive indirect effect of 0.176. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that not all types of stress are bad for students; hence, increasing perceived stress leads to increased learning satisfaction. Whereas, in the presence of burnout factors, such as exhaustion and cynicism, learning satisfaction decrease. However, self-inefficacy, one of the factors under burnout, doesn’t show any effect on learning satisfaction. The present study is widely applicable to industry and academia to deal with burnout to improve students learning satisfaction.
Evidence for protracted High Arctic large igneous province magmatism in the central Sverdrup Basin from stratigraphy, geochronology, and paleodepths of saucer-shaped sills

Field evidence, map compilation, geochemistry, geochronology, and potential field data document six intervals of Cretaceous magmatism in the central Sverdrup Basin. These are: (1) Hauterivian (ca. 130 Ma) volcaniclastic deposition in the lower Isachsen Formation; (2) 126.6 ± 1.2 Ma (U-Pb zircon) gabbroic intrusion; (3) 120.8 ± 0.8 Ma (U-Pb baddeleyite) diabasic intrusion; (4) 105.40 ± 0.22 Ma (U-Pb detrital zircon) pyroclastic deposition at the top of the Invincible Point Member, Christopher Formation; (5) upper Albian (ca. 103 Ma) pillow and hydroclastic breccia in the upper Christopher Formation; and (6) uppermost Albian (ca. 101 Ma) volcanic breccia and scoria in the Hassel Formation. Whole-rock geochemical data show that these magmatic rocks are similar to previously documented High Arctic large igneous province tholeiitic basalts, but analyses of fresh glass in tuffs reveal evolved ferroandesite to dacite compositions not recorded in whole-rock data. Approximate ages of saucer-shaped sills inferred from the relationship of sill width to depth of emplacement suggest at least three intervals of sill emplacement between 130 and 120 Ma. The new data show that volcanism in the Sverdrup Basin was of greater spatial extent, and that magmatism occurred more frequently, than was previously recognized. Comparison of the new central Sverdrup Basin data and interpretations with other data sets from the Sverdrup Basin, Svalbard, and Franz Josef Land suggests that High Arctic large igneous province magmatism occurred over a more extended period of time in the central Sverdrup Basin than in other regions.
Comparison of Naïve Decision Aides for Time-Pressured Degraded Environments

Decision accuracy often suffers when missing information and time-pressure are introduced, and there is little consensus on how best to support decision making in these conditions. In this study we compare two naïve decision aides which aim to improve decision accuracy in two environments biasing towards Take-the-Best and Weighted Additive decision strategies. The first support aide slowly acquires missing information for the participants and the second aide provides option suggestions based on estimates of missing information. We found that while both decision aides were able to significantly improve decision accuracy, the aide which provided option suggestions outperformed the decision aide which acquired missing information. We also find that both decision aides have unique mediating effects on the presence of information imbalance.
Prescribed-Time Disturbance Observer-Based Fully Distributed Prescribed-Time Containment Control of Multiagent Systems

This brief studies a fully distributed prescribed-time containment control method for multiagent systems modelled by single integrators subject to disturbances. Firstly, by resorting to a regulation function, a novel prescribed-time disturbance observer is proposed to estimate the lumped disturbances of the followers. Then, based on the estimated disturbances, a prescribed-time control protocol with adaptive strategy is designed for each follower under the directed communication topology, so that all the followers enter the convex hull spanned by the states of multiple leaders in a prescribed time. Different from the existing results of prescribed-time containment control, the proposed method is fully distributed in the sense that the global information of the Laplacian matrix is not required by all the followers. Moreover, by appropriately selecting the parameters of the regulation function, the system overshoot and control input magnitude can be effectively reduced. Finally, simulation results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of our method.
Duplicated gallbladder: an incidental anatomical variation in a patient with symptomatic cholelithiasis.

Congenital malformations of the biliary tract represent a relatively rare entity with which surgeons, radiologists and clinicians are not adequately familiarized. We present a rare case of gallbladder duplication in a 40-year-old female, with the accessory cystic duct entering the left hepatic duct, which depicts the fifth reported case in the international bibliography. Our case illustrates the importance of detailed knowledge of anatomical malformations of the biliary tree, serving the purpose of a preoperative diagnosis of symptomatic cholelithiasis. It is also of paramount importance to take under consideration biliary tract malformations to avoid inadvertent complications such as biliary duct injuries in case of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Foraging Behaviors of Red Imported Fire Ants (Hymenoptera Formicidae) in Response to Bait Containing Different Concentrations of Fipronil, Abamectin, or Indoxacarb

Simple Summary Both field and laboratory studies showed that 0.0125% fipronil bait is repellent against S. invicta workers; therefore, higher concentrations of fipronil should be avoided in fire ant bait production. In future studies evaluating the effectiveness of fire ant baits, we suggest considering the effect of active ingredients and their concentrations on bait acceptance. Abstract The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is a severe pest with agricultural, ecological, and medical significance. The baiting treatment is one of the main methods to control S. invicta. However, few studies have evaluated the acceptance of fire ant bait. Here, field and laboratory studies were conducted to investigate the foraging behaviors of S. invicta responding to fire ant baits containing different concentrations of active ingredients (fipronil, abamectin, or indoxacarb). Field studies showed that S. invicta transported significantly less 0.0125% fipronil bait than control bait (without toxicant) and 0.0001% fipronil bait. The number of foraging ants significantly decreased with an increase in fipronil concentration. Our previous study showed that S. invicta usually buries the food treated with repellent chemicals, and interestingly, significantly more soil particles were transported into tubes containing 0.0001% fipronil bait than tubes containing control bait or 0.0125% fipronil bait. In addition, S. invicta transported significantly less 0.0005% abamectin bait than control bait, and significantly fewer ants were found in tubes containing 0.0125% abamectin bait than control bait. However, there was no significant difference in bait transport, number of foraging ants, and weight of soil particles relocated in tubes containing different concentrations of indoxacarb bait. In addition, laboratory studies showed that S. invicta transported significantly less 0.0125% fipronil bait than control bait and bait containing abamectin (0.0025% or 0.0125%) or indoxacarb (0.0125% or 0.0625%). In addition, the transport speed for the 0.0125% fipronil bait was the slowest. These results show that specific concentrations of some active ingredients may negatively affect bait acceptance for S. invicta, and should be avoided in fire ant bait production.
Dual-Lifetime Referencing (t-DLR) Optical Fiber Fluorescent pH Sensor for Microenvironments

The pH behavior in the μm to cm thick diffusion boundary layer (DBL) surrounding many aquatic species is dependent on light-controlled metabolic activities. This DBL microenvironment exhibits different pH behavior to bulk seawater, which can reduce the exposure of calcifying species to ocean acidification conditions. A low-cost time-domain dual-lifetime referencing (t-DLR) interrogation system and an optical fiber fluorescent pH sensor were developed for pH measurements in the DBL interface. The pH sensor utilized dual-layer sol-gel coatings of pH-sensitive iminocoumarin and pH-insensitive Ru(dpp)3-PAN. The sensor has a dynamic range of 7.41 (±0.20) to 9.42 ± 0.23 pH units (95% CI, T = 20 °C, S = 35), a response time (t90) of 29 to 100 s, and minimal salinity dependency. The pH sensor has a precision of approximately 0.02 pHT units, which meets the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) “weather” measurement quality guideline. The suitability of the t-DLR optical fiber pH sensor was demonstrated through real-time measurements in the DBL of green seaweed Ulva sp. This research highlights the practicability of optical fiber pH sensors by demonstrating real-time pH measurements of metabolic-induced pH changes.