Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial and Temporal Variation of the Extreme Saharan Dust Event over Turkey in March 2016

In this study, the influence of an extraordinary Saharan dust episode over Turkey on 23–24 March 2016 and the atmospheric conditions that triggered this event were evaluated in detail. PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 μm) observations from 97 air quality stations, METAR (Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report) observations at 64 airports, atmospheric soundings, and satellite products were used for the analysis. To determine the surface and upper levels of atmospheric circulation, National Centers of Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Reanalysis data were applied to the extreme dust episodes. On 23 March 2016, high southwesterly winds due to the interaction between surface low- and high-pressure centers over Italy and Levant basin brought thick dust particles from Libya to Turkey. The daily PM10 data from 43 stations exceeded their long-term spring means over Turkey (especially at the northern and western stations). As a consequence of the longitudinal movement of the surface low from Italy to the Balkan Peninsula, and the quasi-stationary conditions of the surface high-pressure center allowed for the penetration of strong south and southwesterly winds to inner parts of the country on the following day. As a consequence, 100%, 90%, 88%, and 87% of the monitoring stations in Marmara (NW Turkey), central Anatolia, western (Aegean) and northern (Black Sea) regions of Turkey, respectively, exhibited above-normal daily PM10 values. In addition, while strong subsidence at the low levels of the atmosphere plays a significant role in having excessive daily PM10 values in Black Sea, dry atmospheric conditions and thick inversion level near the ground surface of Marmara ensured this region to have peak PM10 values ~00 Local Time (LT).
Job satisfaction among brazilian federal public servants:

This research aimed to analyze and classify aspects of job satisfaction from the perspective of public servants in Brazil. A questionnaire based on the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) was used to collect data from a statistically significant sample composed of 139 employees of a Brazilian public higher education institution. Data were analyzed using a combination of descriptive, correlational, and multivariate statistical techniques, hypothesis testing, and cluster analysis. The psychometric quality of the scale (one-dimensionality, convergent, and discriminant validity) was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), complemented by reliability measures (Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Composite Reliability). The results of this study converged with other studies that assess the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) as valid, stable, and of good psychometric quality. Among the dimensions of the JSS, co-workers, managers, and the nature of work stood out as strengths in labor relations, and promotions and remuneration, as weaknesses. These results reflect the differences and imbalances in the various careers in public administration, especially about recognition for the work performed.
Smart photonic coating for civil engineering field: for a future inspection technology on concrete bridge

Here we will propose the conceptual new idea of the inspection of concrete bridge using smart materials and mobile IoT system. We apply opal photonic crystal film to detect cracks on concrete infrastructures. High quality opal photonic crystal films were coated on black color PET sheet over 1000 cm2 area. The opal film sheet was cut and adhered to concrete or mortar test pieces by epoxy resin. In the tensile test, the structural color of the opal sheet was changed when the crack was formed. As a demonstration, we have installated the opal film sheet on the wall of the concrete bridge. Our final purpose is the color change will be recorded by portable CCD devices, and send to expert via IoT network.
Contributions to the theory of near-vector spaces

Contribution to the theory of Near-vector spaces Sogo Pierre Sanon Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa. Thesis: MSc December 2017 The purpose of this thesis is to give an exposition and expand the theory of near-vector spaces. Near-vector space theory is a new and rich field of mathematics and has been used in several applications, including in secret sharing schemes in cryptography and to construct interesting new examples of planar near-rings. There are two type of near-vector spaces, we focus on the near-vector space defined by André in [2]. After giving several elementary definitions and properties in Chapter 2, we present the theory of nearvector spaces in Chapter 3. In [13] van der Walt showed how to construct an arbitrary finite-dimensional near-vector space, using a finite number of near-fields, all having isomorphic multiplicative semigroups. The majority of the results did not contain complete proofs and explanation. Chapter 4 is dedicated to the proofs and explanations of these results. In Chapter 5 we investigate the linear mappings of near-vector spaces. New results are presented in this section which have been accepted for publication. ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za
Four-body Effects in the 6He + 58Ni Scattering

a Universidade Federal de Itajubá, Campus Itabira, MG 35900-030, Brazil b Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ 24210-340, Brazil c Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Cornélio Procópio, PR 86300-000, Brazil d Instituto de Física, Universidade de São Paulo, C.P. 66318, 05389-970 São Paulo, Brazil e Departamento de FAMN, Facultad de Física, Universidad de Sevilla, Apdo. 1065, E-41080 Sevilla, Spain f Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, CBPF, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22290-180, Brazil g Departamento de Física da Terra e do Meio Ambiente, Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campus Ondina, BA 40210-340, Brazil h Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares – IPEN, 05508-000 São Paulo, Brazil i Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
Image matching with an improved descriptor based on SIFT

In this paper, we propose a novel 30-dimension descriptor named SIFTRO(SIFT of Ring Order) to promote the matching speed, which is generated from 3 local ring areas. A new element reordering method is presented to ensure the descriptor’s rotation invariance. To obtain the best scale factor for SIFTRO descriptor, the weight hierarchy decision model based on AHP is designed. The experiments show that the SIFTRO descriptor inherits the advantages of the invariance to image scaling, rotation and affine, and it also speeds up greatly in image matching, while the precision is improved compared with that of original SIFT.
A Quantitative Concordance Measure for Comparing and Combining Treatment Selection Markers

Abstract Motivated by an HIV example, we consider how to compare and combine treatment selection markers, which are essential to the notion of precision medicine. The current literature on precision medicine is focused on evaluating and optimizing treatment regimes, which can be obtained by dichotomizing treatment selection markers. In practice, treatment decisions are based not only on efficacy but also on safety, cost and individual preference, making it difficult to choose a single cutoff value for all patients in all settings. It is therefore desirable to have a statistical framework for comparing and combining treatment selection markers without dichotomization. We provide such a framework based on a quantitative concordance measure, which quantifies the extent to which higher marker values are predictive of larger treatment effects. For a given marker, the proposed concordance measure can be estimated from clinical trial data using a U-statistic, which can incorporate auxiliary covariate information through an augmentation term. For combining multiple markers, we propose to maximize the estimated concordance measure among a specified family of combination markers. A cross-validation procedure can be used to remove any re-substitution bias in assessing the quality of an optimized combination marker. The proposed methodology is applied to the HIV example and evaluated in simulation studies.
A Cognitive Viewpoint on Building Detection from Remotely Sensed Multispectral Images

ABSTRACT This research work introduces a new cognitive-based automated approach for detecting buildings from very high-resolution (VHR) multispectral images. VHR satellite imagery is a valuable source of information to many researchers working in extraction of geospatial information. In this study, cognitive processes used by humans are emulated and incorporated with cognitive task analysis (CTA) in order to detect buildings from VHR multispectral images. CTA is carried out in five stages. The performance of the proposed method is assessed over 14 test images of an urban region. The average f-score, precision, and recall for all test patches are computed as 62.50%, 68.45%, and 59.80%, respectively.
Consecutive induction melting of nickel-based superalloy in electrode induction gas atomization

The crucible-free electrode induction melting gas atomization (EIGA) technology is an advanced technology for preparing ultra-clean nickel-based superalloy powders. One of the key issues for fabricating powders with high quality and yield is the consecutive induction melting of a superalloy electrode. The coupling of a superalloy electrode and coil, frequency, output power, and heat conduction are investigated to improve the controllable electrode induction melting process. Numerical simulation results show that when the coil frequency is 400 kHz, the output power is 100 kW, superalloy liquid flow with a diameter of about 5 mm is not consecutive. When the coil frequency is reduced to 40 kHz, the output power is 120 kW, superalloy liquid flow is consecutive, and its diameter is about 7 mm.
Queer Gender and Bicycling in Santa Cruz, CA

Researchers in the geographic subfield of gender & mobility have considered the way gender and mobility shape each other within the lived experiences of women bicycle riders. The literature has neglected to explicitly consider the lived experiences of queer bicycle riders. To fill this gap, this thesis presents a qualitative case study examining the relationship between gender and mobility in the lived experiences of queer bicycle riders in Santa Cruz County, California. This study collects data from adult queer bicycle riders who resided in Santa Cruz County using both an online survey and a semi-structured interview. The survey data was used to contextualize the beliefs and experiences of participants and discourse analysis was used to understand the themes present in our interview transcripts. This process resulted in an understanding of the participant’s experiences occurring at two scales. First, at the scale of the body through queer and intersectional subjectivities and, second, at the local scale of infrastructure, both urban and rural. The study theorizes a radical queer conception of ‘cyclist-subjectivity,’ by using a queer lens to understand the ‘cyclist’ as a normative mobile subject contrasted with the more general ‘bicycle rider. ’ Cyclist-subjectivity is enacted through norms of gender, sexuality, race, and class; and through the bicycle community and its community spaces. The study analyzes bicycle space— the cyclescape—through a queer approach to space drawn from queer geography, considering the experiences of queerly-gendered mobile subjects at the infrastructural scale, as they move through Santa Cruz County. This presents the cyclescape as a site of normative gendered processes. This study reframes thinking about the gender dynamics at play in bicycle communities, particularly regarding non-normative forms of gender outside of the cisgender heterosexual norm. Through centering non-normative queer voices, this study makes clear the subjects who are excluded from these communities. This clarity can then provide the basis for radical interventions into cycling to develop queer, or queer-inclusive, cycling communities. The study also provides an example of the way normativities operate within mobility spaces like the cyclescape, which can serve as a basis to evaluate the operation of normativities within mobility more broadly. In this sense, one can employ a queer geographic lens to further a larger goal of more just mobilities.
The political economy of the African Continental Free Trade Area and structural transformation in Africa

ABSTRACT The post-colonial economy of African countries has continued to manifest all the characteristics of its colonial origins in terms of its structure, direction, and composition. Export of primary commodities continue to take precedence over exports of manufactured products. The African Continental Free Trade Area emerged after series of negotiations to address the problem of structural transformation through value added production, services and increased agglomeration in African economies. This paper examines the extent to which the AfCFTA can foster structural transformation and socio-economic development in Africa. The paper found that despite the challenges that may affect the implementation of the agreement, AfCFTA holds great potentials for the realisation of the social transformation in Africa through creation of regional value chains, unlocking the opportunities in free movement of factors of production and enhancing a stronger voice for Africa in the negotiation of trade and investment agreements with other regions of the world.
Broadband plasmonic-enhanced forward and backward multiplex coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy

Abstract. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is an attractive technique for label-free biochemical-specific characterization of biological specimens. However, it has very low sensitivity in monitoring and imaging molecules present in extremely low concentrations or at fast speeds. To improve this sensitivity, especially for multiplex CARS, the intensity of the pump beam and broadband Stokes beam should be enhanced simultaneously. Therefore, the gold shell particle and gold surface are demonstrated to enhance the forward and backward CARS, respectively. Results show that a signal enhancement factor of ∼25,000 can be achieved for the gold surface and an even higher enhancement factor can be achieved for the gold shell particles. Thus, we can obtain an enhanced CARS signal in a broad spectral range, which will substantially improve the detection sensitivity of hyperspectral CARS spectroscopy and imaging.
A Proposed Scheduling Algorithm for IoT Applications in a Merged Environment of Edge, Fog, and Cloud

With the rapid increase of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and applications, the ordinary cloud computing paradigm soon becomes outdated. Fog computing paradigm extends services provided by a cloud to the edge of network in order to satisfy requirements of IoT applications such as low latency, locality awareness, low network traffic, mobility support, and so forth. Task scheduling in a Cloud-Fog environment plays a great role to assure diverse computational demands are met. However, the quest for an optimal solution for task scheduling in the such environment is exceedingly hard due to diversity of IoT applications, heterogeneity of computational resources, and multiple criteria. This study approaches the task scheduling problem with aims at improving service quality and load balancing in a merged computing system of Edge-Fog-Cloud. We propose a Multi-Objective Scheduling Algorithm (MOSA) that takes into account the job characteristics and utilization of different computational resources. The proposed solution is evaluated in comparison to other existing policies named LB, WRR, and MPSO. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm improves the average response time while maintaining load balancing in comparison to three existing policies. Obtained results with the use of real workloads validate the outcomes.
Periodically pulsed laser-assisted tunneling may generate terahertz radiation

A mode-locked ultrafast laser focused on the tunneling junction of a scanning tunneling microscope superimposes harmonics of the laser pulse repetition frequency on the direct current tunneling current. The power measured at the first 200 harmonics (up to 14.85 GHz) varies as the inverse square of the frequency due to shunting by the stray capacitance and the resistance in the circuit. However, Fourier analysis suggests that within the tunneling junction there is no significant decay of the harmonics until terahertz frequencies comparable to the reciprocal of the laser pulse-width. Two different types of analysis are used to model the generation of the frequency comb within the tunneling junction. Similar results are obtained, suggesting that the harmonics may extend to terahertz frequencies. Thus, the tunneling junction may be used as a subnanometer sized source of terahertz radiation.
ON NUMERICAL METHODS FOR SOLVING RUN-UP PROBLEMS. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NUMERICAL ALGORITHMS AND NUMERICAL RESULTS.

The numerical simulation of the run-up of long surface waves on a plane slope is presented. Using a method based on the combination of the TVD scheme and the SPH method the shallow water approximation is applied to the solution of the well known model problem of a run-up of a wave approaching from an area of constant depth towards a plane slope. The numerical method has proved to be reliable and effective not only in the range of small amplitudes, but also outside of the theoretical limits of applicability of the shallow water theory, such as for the modelling of breaking waves. The qualitative and partially quantitative comparison with the results of numerical calculations of other authors are presented. The differences in the results caused by the differences in the numerical algorithms are highlighted.
Modulation of essential fatty acid levels in coconut oil with flaxseed oil

Coconut oil (CO) is a popular cooking medium but its lack of essential fatty acids (FA) is a health concern. Therefore, the aim of this work was to improve the FA profile of CO by blending with flaxseed oil (FO). Blends with various percentages of FO were prepared and studied for physicochemical characterization, thermal and long-term storage stability. The results indicated that the blends made favorable alterations in FA composition without adverse effects to the oxidative stability of the fatty acids and they resisted secondary thermal deterioration up to two hours at 180 ºC. The blend with the highest percentage of FO was stable for nine months. THP-1 cell line studies showed that ω-3 FA from the blend was incorporated into the cells with no adverse effect on cell viability but the inflammatory markers studied remained unaltered. Thus, CO and FO blends could be stored for at least nine months and could be used as cooking medium when prolonged heating is not involved.
Kirchoff Matrices and Pfaffians to Design Deterministic Polynomial-Space Parameterized Algorithms

In recent years, several powerful techniques have been developed to design {\em randomized} polynomial-space parameterized algorithms. In this paper, we present an easy-to-use framework to design deterministic polynomial-space parameterized algorithms, inspired by the principles underlying these techniques. Our framework is particularly relevant to out-branchings/spanning trees, though we demonstrate its wider applicability by considering perfect matchings. Specifically, we derive the following deterministic algorithms (see Introduction for problem definitions). 1. Polynomial-space $O^*(3.86^k)$-time (exponential-space $O^*(423^k)$-time) algorithm for {\sc $k$-Internal Out-Branching}, improving upon the previously fastest {\em exponential-space} $O^*(5.14^k)$-time algorithm for this problem. In comparison, no deterministic polynomial-space $O^*((4-\epsilon)^k)$-time algorithm for the related {\sc $k$-Path} problem is known. 2. Polynomial-space $O^*((2e)^{k+o(k)})$-time (exponential-space $O^*(4.32^k)$-time) algorithm for {\sc $k$-Colorful Out-Branching} on arc-colored digraphs and {\sc $k$-Colorful Perfect Matching} on planar edge-colored graphs. To obtain our polynomial space algorithms, we show that $(n,k,\alpha k)$-splitters ($\alpha\ge 1$) and in particular $(n,k)$-perfect hash families can be enumerated one by one with polynomial delay.
Disposable Device for Bacterial Vaginosis Detection

Due to the increasing demand for clinical testing of infectious diseases at the point-of-care, the global market claims alternatives for rapid diagnosis tools such as disposable biosensors, avoiding the need for specialized laboratories and skilled personnel. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infectious disease that commonly affects reproductive-age women and predisposes the infection of sexually transmitted diseases. Especially in asymptomatic cases, BV can lead to pelvic inflammatory conditions, postpartum endometritis, and preterm labor. Conventionally, BV diagnosis involves the microscopic analysis of vaginal swab samples; it thus requires highly trained personnel. In response, we report a novel microfluidic paper-based analytical device for BV diagnosis. Sialidase, a biomarker overexpressed in BV, was detected by exploiting an immunosensing mechanism previously discovered by our team. This technology employs a graphene oxide-coated surface as a quencher of fluorescence; the fluorescence of the immunoprobes that do not experiment immunoreactions (antibody–antigen) are deactivated by graphene oxide via non-radiative energy transfer, whereas those immunoprobes undergoing immunoreactions preserve their photoluminescence due to the distance and the low affinity between the immunocomplex and the graphene oxide-coated surface. Our paper-based test was typically carried out within 20 min, and the sample volume was 6 μL. Besides, it was tested with 14 vaginal swabs specimens to discriminate clinical samples of women with normal microbiota from those with BV. Our disposable device represents a new tool to prevent the consequences of BV.
Pandemic Covid-19: The Opportunities and Challenges to Using ICT in Mathematics Learning

Purpose: Social distance arrangements applied in all Indonesian educational institutions and even throughout the world including universities during Covid-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: All teaching and learning activities on campus turn to online learning that uses a variety of teaching media, such as Zoom cloud meetings, WhatsApp groups, and Google classrooms. Findings: The purpose of this study is to see how the opportunities and challenges of using information technology in learning mathematics during covid-19. Research limitations/implications: The approach in this study uses a qualitative approach and type of descriptive research. Intake of research subjects using a purposive technique. Practical implications: The subjects in this study conduct 8 students of the mathematics education department. The conclusions of this study are 1) The use of mathematics learning technology has been maximally carried out by students through online mathematics learning using various learning platforms. 2) In terms of understanding not all students can adapt to learn mathematics well because students have difficulty in understanding mathematics material through distance learning. 3) Factors that hinder learning are the availability of internet networks and the limitations of internet quotas. Paper type: This paper is study case type