Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advances in reference materials and measurement techniques for greenhouse gas atmospheric observations

We present the global research landscape which aims to deliver a measurement infrastructure to underpin atmospheric observations of key greenhouse gases governing changes in the Earth’s climate. These measurements present a significant challenge to the metrological community, analytical laboratories and major producers of reference materials. The review focuses on the progress made in the Gas Analysis Working Group of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM-GAWG) in establishing the primary realisation of the amount-of-substance fraction for carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in an air matrix. It also focuses on the importance of providing traceable measurements of isotopic composition of these components for commutability of reference materials and for isotope ratio measurements for greenhouse gas source attribution. The review examines the developments in the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for providing the framework for the development and implementation of integrated greenhouse gas observations, which is vital for understanding the global carbon cycle and the role greenhouse gases play in climate change. The developments in analytical techniques are also discussed which have shaped the direction of the metrology required to meet the evolving and future needs of stakeholders.
By Miranda, Mary Hamilton, Mrs Dickenson … Self-reference in Late Modern English private correspondence

This paper is set in the late Georgian period, when letter writing became a widespread social practice and letter-writing manuals established norms of propriety and elegance of style for addressing persons of all ranks. More specifically, it turns its attention to author-oriented address with a focus on the use of personal names in self-reference expressions, as these address the recipient of the letter at the same time as they describe the status of the writer. The aim is to explore their role as a means of socially-governed linguistic practice and as an index of politeness on the positive-negative continuum, as proposed for Early Modern English correspondence. The study is based on a set of private letters written by Mary Hamilton (1776–1814), a well-connected figure in royal, aristocratic and literary circles. The analysis traces intra-speaker variation in the use of self-reference in the main text and in the signature, and explores sociolinguistic factors (gender) as well as notions traditionally connected with pragmatic language use (distance, relative power). The research presented here will thus contribute to the growing body of literature that considers ego-documents as representations of the self, of particular interest in the fields of historical sociolinguistics and historical sociopragmatics.
Rainfall simulation: A tool for best management practice education

RAINFALL simulators are ideal educational tools for demonstrating what agricultural nonpoint-source pollution is and how it can be controlled. The simulators are effective because they allow controlled rainstorms to be applied to various cover plots when and where desired. Educational activities can be scheduled to coincide with artificial rainfall events, and the actual processes affecting erosion and pollutant transport can be observed and discussed. This, of course, is not practical with natural rainfall. With rainfall simulation, the effectiveness of best management practices for soil erosion control and nonpoint-source pollution control is particularly evident if an area can be subdivided into two or more smaller areas, one with a conventional practice andthe other with a BMP, such as no-till. If the discharge points for surface runoff from the plots are adjacent, observers can determine visually the differences in runoff quantity and quality from the plots. Virginia conservationists are using a rainfall simulator to demonstrate visually the effectiveness of agricultural BMPs for water quality improvement in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Program and to educate farmers, public officials, and the general public about the potential benefits of BMP implementation. In addition, water quality data collected during the …
Assessing the stability of surface lights for use in retrievals of nocturnal atmospheric parameters

Abstract. The detection and characterization of aerosols are inherently limited at night because the important information provided by visible spectrum observations is not available and infrared bands have limited sensitivity to aerosols. The VIIRS Day–Night Band (DNB) onboard the Suomi-NPP satellite is a first-of-its-kind calibrated sensor capable of collecting visible and near-infrared observations during both day and night. Multiple studies have suggested that anthropogenic light emissions such as those from cities and gas flares may be useable as light sources for the retrieval of atmospheric properties, including cloud and aerosol optical depth. However, their use in this capacity requires proper characterization of their intrinsic variation, which represents a source of retrieval uncertainty. In this study we use 18 months of cloud-cleared VIIRS data collected over five selected geographic domains to assess the stability of anthropogenic light emissions and their response to varied satellite and lunar geometries. Time series are developed for each location in each domain for DNB radiance, four infrared channels, and satellite and lunar geometric variables, and spatially resolved correlation coefficients are computed between DNB radiance and each of the other variables. This analysis finds that while many emissive light sources are too unstable to be used reliably for atmospheric retrievals, some sources exhibit a sufficient stability (relative standard deviation <20 %). Additionally, we find that while the radiance variability of surrounding surfaces (i.e., unpopulated land and ocean) is largely dependent on lunar geometry, the anthropogenic light sources are more strongly correlated with satellite viewing geometry. Understanding the spatially resolved relationships between DNB radiance and other parameters is a necessary first step towards characterizing anthropogenic light emissions and establishes a framework for a model to describe variability in a more general sense.
Stability-indicating HPLC-PDA assay for simultaneous determination of paracetamol, thiamine and pyridoxal phosphate in tablet formulations

Abstract With the increased number of multi-drug formulations, there is a need to develop new methods for simultaneous determinations of drugs. A precise, accurate and reliable liquid chromatographic method was developed for simultaneous determination of paracetamol, thiamine, and pyridoxal phosphate in pharmaceutical formulations. Separation of analytes was carried out with an Agilent Poroshell C18 column. A mixture of ammonium phosphate buffer (pH = 3.0), acetonitrile and methanol in the ratio of 86:7:7 (V/V/V) was used as the mobile phase pumped at a flow rate of 1.8 mL min−1. Detection of all three components, impurities and degradation products was performed at the selected wavelength of 270 nm. The developed method was validated in terms of linearity, specificity, precision, accuracy, LOD and LOQ as per ICH guidelines. Linearity of the developed method was found in the range 17.5–30 µg mL−1 for thiamine, 35–60 µg mL−1 for pyridoxal phosphate and 87.5–150 µg mL−1 for paracetamol. The coefficient of determination was ≥ 0.9981 for all three analytes. The proposed HPLC method was found to be simple and reliable for the routine simultaneous analysis of paracetamol, thiamine and pyridoxal phosphate in tablet formulations. Complete separation of analytes in the presence of degradation products indicated selectivity of the method.
EVALUATION OF U-Net AND ResNet ARCHITECTURES FOR BIOMEDICAL IMAGE SEGMENTATION

Medical professionals need methods that provide reliable information in diagnosing and monitoring neurological diseases. Among such methods, studies based on medical image analysis are essential among the active research topics in this field. Tumor segmentation is a popular area, especially with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Early diagnosis of tumours plays an essential role in the treatment process. This situation also increases the survival rate of the patients. Manually segmenting a tumour from MR images is a difficult and time-consuming task within the anatomical knowledge of medical professionals. This has necessitated the need for automatic segmentation methods. Convolutional neural networks (CNN), one of the deep learning methods that provide the most advanced results in the field of tumour segmentation, play an important role. This study, tumor segmentation was performed from brain and heart MR images using CNN-based U-Net and ResNet50 deep network architectures. In the segmentation process, their performance was tested using Dice, Sensitivity, PPV and Jaccard metrics. High performance levels were sequentially achieved using the U-Net network architecture on brain images, with success rates of approximately 98.47%, 98.1%, 98.85%, and 96.07%
Creation of an Ensemble: Diversity Production Based Approach

: Generally in design of combinational classifier systems, the more diverse the results of the classifiers, the more appropriate final result. In this paper, a new method for combining classifiers is proposed which its main idea is heuristic retraining of classifiers. Specifically, in the new method named Combinational Classifiers using Heuristic Retraining (CCHR) which proposes a new way for generating diversity in ensemble pool, a classifier is first run, then, focusing on the drawbacks of this base classifier, other classifiers are retrained heuristically. Each of these classifiers looks at the data with its own attitude. The main concentration in the retrained classifiers is to leverage the error-prone data. So, retrained classifiers usually have different votes about the sample points which are close to boundaries and may be likely erroneous. Experiments show significant improvements in terms of accuracies of consensus classification. This study also investigates that focusing on which crucial data points can lead to more performance in base classifiers. Also, this study shows that adding the number of all “difficult” data points like boosting method, does not always cause a better performance. The experimental results show that the performance of the proposed algorithm outperforms some of the best methods in the literature. So empirically, the authors claim that forcing crucial data points to the training set as well as eliminating them from the training set can yield to the more accurate results, conditionally.
Application of phosphorus and zinc improved the nutrient dynamics, productivity, and profitability of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) cropping system

A field experiment was conducted at Durgapura, Jaipur, (SKNAU, Jobner), Rajasthan during winter and rainy seasons of 201516 and 201617 to evaluate the effect of phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) application on yield, eco- nomics and energetics and nutrient dynamics in fenugreekpearl millet cropping system. The experiment was con- sists of four levels of P as main-plot and six levels of Zn as sub-plot conducted in split plot design (SPD) replicated thrice. Results revealed that application of 60 kg P O /ha to fenugreek resulted in 42% higher pearl millet equiva- 2 5 lent grain yield (PMEGY) along with the highest net returns and B: C ratio as compared to rest of the treatments. Similarly, among the different Zn treatments, 33% higher PMEGY and the highest net returns were obtained with the application of 5 kg Zn/ha + zinc solubilizer to fenugreek. Combined application of 60 kg P O /ha + 5 kg Zn/ha + 2 5 zinc solubilizer, consumed the highest amount of energy but also gave the highest energy output. Overall, com- bined application of 60 kg P O /ha + 5 kg Zn/ha + zinc solubilizer improved the system productivity, profitability, en- 2 5 ergetics and nutrient (N, P, K and Zn) dynamics of fenugreekpearl millet cropping system.
Impact of weed management practices on weeds and okra crop

A preliminary study was conducted during the summer of 2014 and 2015 at the N.M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India to evaluate the 10 treatments of weed-management, i.e. stale seedbed, pre- and post-emergence herbicides alone and in combination, integrated weed-management and hand-weeding in summer okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench]. Almost 73.2% of weed infestation was dominated by grasses and sedges, followed by broad-leaf weeds (26.8%). Uncontrolled weed growth caused significant reduction in mean green pod yield of okra by 67%. Weed-free plot [3 hand-weedings (HW) at 20, 40 and 60 days after sowing (DAS)] showed the maximum weed-control efficiency (WCE) (88.4%), resulting in higher green pod yield (16.8 t/ha) and net returns (`105,233/ha). Statistically at par yields were also obtained from plots treated with not incorporated and 2 HW at 20 and 40 DAS (14.3 t/ha) and pendimethalin 1.0 kg/ha followed by (fb) quizalofop-ethyl 0.04 kg/ha at 30 DAS (13.9 t/ha) with net returns of `83,442 and `82,277/ha respectively. Application of pendimethalin 1.0 kg/ha (pre) fb quizalofop ethyl 0.04 kg/ha at 30 DAS supressed the weeds effectively (71.3% WCE) which not only reduced the drudgery of farm labour but also found practically more convenient and economically feasible weed-management option for higher production of okra fruit crop.
Spectral features of microearthquakes in volcanic areas: Attenuation in the crust and amplitude response of the site at Mt. Etna, Italy

Eighty-five earthquakes recorded in 1991 at the digital surveillance array of Mt. Etna are used for investigating the attenuation of the medium and the amplitude response of the sites. In order to evaluate the influence of the attenuation on seismic spectra, the quality factor Q is estimated for P and S waves by the single-station spectral ratios method, and spectral amplitude ratios calculated between 2 and 20 Hz. The P -wave quality factor Qp is computed from earthquakes recorded at the whole network, while Qs is obtained by S data recorded at three-component stations only. The results indicate that Qp and Qs increase as a function of the frequency according to the law Q = Qfn (with n ranging from 0.5 to 1.6) as a general rule. Reliable Qs / Qp ratios are obtained at three, three-component stations only, two of which display values ranging between 1.3 and 1.5, while the third displays anomalous values much lower than unity (≈0.5). Significant variations of Qp are found as a function of the depth (much lower Q values are obtained for focal depths less than 5 km) and of the source-station azimuths. After correction of seismic spectra by the geometrical spreading and the quality factor, spectral ratios are computed again at all stations for singling out the site response effects. The amplitude responses differ by up to 10-fold at the different sites. In a very few cases, larger amplification ratios (up to 2 orders of magnitude) are found to affect some frequency bands. Displacement spectra, corrected by the attenuation and the site responses, are then used for inverse determination of the low-frequency level Θ, the corner frequency ω c , and the fall-off γ of spectra beyond ω c . The latter typically displays ω−3 behavior. The inverse relationship between seismic moment and corner frequency does not hold for events located at shallow depth since very low Q values may locally mask ω c .
Enhanced Anticancer Effect of Green Synthesized Nanogold On Different Cell Lines

: Cancer is important cause of mortality, due to difficulty in finding safe, economical and specific effective therapeutic targets. The aim was to investigate the cytotoxicity of hybrid gold-chitosan nanospheres (Au@CsNs) on different cell lines using chitosan. Au@CsNs were analyzed by Zeta potential, UV-Visible spectroscopy, TEM and FTIR. Absorbance at 522 nm correlated to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of AuNPs. TEM images show that Au@CsNs are spherical, with an average size of 12 ± 2 nm. Results of DPSS (diode pumped solid-state) laser irradiation show the photothermal laser stability of Au@CsNs. Au@CsNs showed anticancer effect using SRP assay on different cancer cell lines HCT, FADU, H460, and HEPG2. Our results suggest that Au@CsNs have an antiproliferative effect as there were a significant decrease in cell viability but this depends on the type of cancer cell line. In conclusion, Au@CsNs exhibited great anticancer activity subsequently it will be used in drug delivery and photothermal therapy in future work.
The Effects of Expansive Shrubs on Plant Species Richness and Soils in Semi‐arid Communal Lands, South Africa

Expansion by expansive species can have severe ecological, social and economic impacts through the reduction of ecosystem goods and services and species richness. However, expansion by expansive species may also offer benefits to ecosystems and humans, through the supply of ecosystem goods and services (such as firewood, fodder and fruits), as well as potentially offering refugia in heavily used landscapes. Here, we examine the effects of four expansive dwarf shrub species (Aspalathus subtingens, Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis, Pteronia incana and Oedera genistifolia) on plant species richness (at the point scale), vegetation cover, soil properties and whether the expansive species offer refugia to other species. Plant species richness, cover and soil properties were recorded in 1‐m2 quadrats located within a mosaic of expanded and non‐expanded patches for the four expansive shrub species. Plant species richness was significantly higher in the non‐expanded areas compared to the expanded ones for all four expansive species. Some of the expansive shrubs provided refugia to certain plant species and limited the frequency of other species. With regard to species composition, there was little separation of expanded and non‐expanded samples within sites, indicating that the site factors were stronger determinants of plant species richness and composition than expansion. Therefore, it is more likely that the reduction in species richness in expanded sites is caused by multiple drivers, including vegetation attributes cover, litter cover and soil nutrients (organic C, Zn and P) and soil compaction. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A general formulation of collection rates of cloud and raindrops using the kinetic equation and comparison with parameterizations

Les taux generaux de collecte associes a la formation et a la croissance des gouttes de pluie a partir des gouttelettes de nuage par suite des processus de collision/coalescence sont formules mathematiquement sur base de l'equation cinetique de la physique des nuages. Les mecanismes a distinguer sont: l'autocollecte, l'autoconversion et l'accretion. Comme cas particuliers d'expressions generales, les taux de variation au cours du temps du nombre et de la masse volumique des gouttes de nuage et de pluie sont formules et evalues numeriquement. Les resultats donnent un apercu detaille de l'efficacite des divers modes de collecte. On trouve notamment que la forme initiale du spectre des dimensions des gouttelettes influence fortement l'ampleur et la dependance temporelle des taux individuels de conversion. De grandes differences sont observees pour tous les processus de collecte lorsqu'on compare les resultats de notre formulation detaillee avec les parametrisations habituellement utilisees
Snow‐covered soils produce N2O that is lost from forested catchments

The magnitude of net soil nitrous oxide (N2O) production from a snow‐covered catchment in a northern temperate forest was investigated. There was considerable net soil N2O‐N production and consumption through the snowpack, ranging from −6.6 to 26.2 g‐N ha−1 d−1. There was no difference in net N2O production among topographic positions despite significant variation in soil moisture, reduction‐oxidation conditions, and pore water dissolved organic carbon and nitrate. Soil temperatures did not vary among topographic positions, suggesting that temperatures at or above the freezing point allow N2O production to proceed under the snowpack. Redox conditions were lower at wetland positions compared to lowlands and uplands, suggesting that the biogeochemical pathway of N2O production varies with topography. Over the entire nongrowing season, 1.5 kg of N2O‐N was exported to the atmosphere from the 6.33 ha catchment, representing 31% of the growing season N2O‐N production. These results suggest that winter is an active time for gaseous N production in these forests and that N2O production under the snowpack represents an often unmonitored flux of N from catchments.
Immunotherapy-Induced Hypophysitis Following Treatment With Tislelizumab in an Elderly Patient With Bladder Cancer and Prostate Cancer: A Case Report

Immune checkpoint inhibitors represent a hopeful and emerging group of medications employed in the regulation of the immune response against cancer, displaying tremendous potential in cancer treatment. However, the administration of these drugs has been linked to the occurrence of adverse events, among which hypophysitis appears to be a prevailing complication affecting a substantial number of patients. Given the potential gravity of this condition, it is strongly recommended to actively monitor hormone levels throughout the treatment process, allowing for the prompt detection and provision of appropriate therapeutic measures. The present study showcases a case involving a 72-year-old individual afflicted with both bladder cancer and prostate cancer, who subsequently developed autoimmune hypophysitis and secondary adrenocortical insufficiency following the administration of programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors.
Analyse de la propagation des ondes de crues

Le present article decrit la propagation des ondes de crue dans les rivieres a faible pente. Il est montre comment peut etre resolu le probleme de la transformation des hauteurs en debits pour les stations non-biunivoques puis est presentee une modelisation du transfert de la crue dans des bassins a hydrographie complexe: nombreux affluents et defluents, zones d'inondations. Cette modelisation combine la cinematique a une procedure de calcul statistique et utilise les donnees hydrologiques aux extremites des biefs. Il est ainsi possible de modeliser le processus de la propagation en temps et en debit (ou hauteur) sans utiliser la topographie du bief