Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Heavy Metals on Bacterial Community Structure and Functional Profile in Surface Soils of Baiji Oil Refinery and Baghdad City, Iraq

Abstract The increasing accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) due to various human activities is a significant concern. This study has employed 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) spectrometry to investigate HMS concentrations and identify bacterial strains exhibiting resistance to HMS, and used the PICRUSt tool to assess the metabolic pathways of bacterial communities. Our primary focus was to assess HMs concentrations in the soils of Baghdad (BG) and the Baiji Oil Refinery (BOR) area while examining the bacterial diversity in these regions. The results revealed that the average levels of Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) in BOR were higher than in BG and the global average. In BOR, the most prevalent bacterial genera were Flavobacterium, Shewanella, and Pseudomonas. Using the PICRUSt tool, we identified that Cd and Pb substantially impacted the metabolic pathways of these bacterial communities. This study marks the first report in Iraq to employ 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze bacterial communities in Iraqi soil and investigate how HMs affect them. However, this study can serve as a reference for future research and the development of innovative strategies for the sustainable management of soil ecosystems.
Response groups of plants from deciduous and semi-deciduous forests based on dynamic rates: evaluating impacts imposed by dams

The functional plant response groups can be useful to comprehend vegetation's reaction to an impact. The responses of tree species in seasonal forests under the influence of artificial damming were evaluated considering the hypothesis that deciduous forests may have more response groups due to their possession of species with higher tolerance to water deficit during the dry season than semi-deciduous forests, as it is an environment with greater water deficit during the dry season and possesses more species specialized in dry conditions. The hypothesis states that (1) increased water availability can hinder the maintenance and establishment of species adapted to dry environments, as they exhibit high tolerance to water deficit during dry seasons, and (2) deciduous forests will have more response groups with high demographic rates (recruitment, mortality, decrement, and increment) due to more dramatic changes in soil moisture. Response groups were detected by comparing dynamic rates of tree species near and far from the artificial lake's shore using Euclidean distance between species' dynamic rates and the Ward method. Few groups were formed away from the dams, and many groups emerged after the impact in both forests, indicating that changes resulting from damming were more prominent near the dam. More negative responses and groups affected by damming were formed in deciduous forests compared to semi-deciduous forests. Predicting the stabilization of these forests remains uncertain, necessitating long-term monitoring for obtaining robust data and additional explanations
Aiming to Complex Power Quality Disturbances: A Novel Decomposition and Detection Framework

In recent years, owing to the penetration of renewable energy and the widespread use of power electronic equipment, power quality disturbances (PQDs) have become more complex and hazardous. As the premise of power quality control, complex PQDs require more accurate and efficient detection. To address this issue, this article proposes a novel automatic method for detecting complex PQDs based on integrated intrinsic variable time-scale decomposition (I-IVTD) and weighted recurrent layer aggregation (WRLA) network. The proposed I-IVTD method reduces aliasing and endpoint effects and improves antinoise performance by innovative use of variable time scales and multiple integrations. The improved WRLA network enhances learning ability and accelerates convergence by adding three weights to each unit. The proposed framework can effectively detect 27 complex disturbances automatically and does not require manual feature design. Finally, a large number of experiments are conducted, including simulation experiments and tests on a PQD analysis platform. The test results based on the analysis platform indicate that the accuracy for complex disturbances is higher than 98%, which demonstrates the superior performance of the proposed framework. Notably, it is effective for detecting nonlinear disturbances as well.
Consequences of Exclusive Talent Management and the Mediating and Moderating Roles of Distributer Justice and Procedural Justice

The study examines the effect of exclusive talent management on turnover intention, employ engagement, and perceived distributive justice. Moreover, the impact of distributive justice on turnover intention and employee engagement was examined. Further, we also assess the mediating and moderating roles of distributive justice and procedural justice. The study has collected the data through a survey questionnaire from employees of private banks in Pakistan. The private bank context is suitable for the study because it is the most emerging services sector. There is a high degree of social interaction among management, peers, and customers in providing financial services. Two hundred eighty respondents provided complete responses, and hypothesis testing was analyzed using structural equation modeling with AMOS 24. We used bootstrapping method for mediation/moderation analysis. The study found that exclusive talent management simulates distributive justice, employee engagement, and turnover intention. Our results also show that distributive justice affects employee engagement and turnover intentions. We also found that distributive justice mediates employee engagement but not the turnover intention. However, we did not find any moderating role of procedural justice. This study was limited to the banking sector of Pakistan, and other studies may explore other sectors. A comparative study between service and manufacturing may also bring further insight into the discussed phenomenon. Â
In Ovo Vaccination with Recombinant Herpes Virus of the Turkey-Laryngotracheitis Vaccine Adjuvanted with CpG-Oligonucleotide Provides Protection against a Viral Challenge in Broiler Chickens

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is an economically important disease in chickens. We previously showed that an in ovo adjuvantation of recombinant herpesvirus of the turkey-Laryngotracheitis (rHVT-LT) vaccine with CpG-oligonucleotides (ODN) can boost vaccine-induced responses in one-day-old broiler chickens. Here, we evaluated the protective efficacy of in ovo administered rHVT-LT + CpG-ODN vaccination against a wild-type ILT virus (ILTV) challenge at 28 days of age and assessed splenic immune gene expression as well as cellular responses. A chicken-embryo-origin (CEO)-ILT vaccine administered in water at 14 days of age was also used as a comparative control for the protection assessment. The results showed that the rHVT-LT + CpG-ODN or the CEO vaccinations provided significant protection against the ILTV challenge and that the level of protection induced by both the vaccines was statistically similar. The protected birds had a significantly upregulated expression of interferon (IFN)γ or interleukin (IL)-12 cytokine genes. Furthermore, the chickens vaccinated with the rHVT-LT + CpG-ODN or CEO vaccine had a significantly higher frequency of γδ T cells and activated CD4+ or CD8+ T cells, compared to the unvaccinated-ILTV challenge control. Collectively, our findings suggest that CpG-ODN can be used as an effective adjuvant for rHVT-LT in ovo vaccination to induce protective immunity against ILT in broiler chickens.
Analyzing the dynamics of social media texts using coherency network analysis: a case study of the tweets with the co-hashtags of #BlackLivesMatter and #StopAsianHate

Introduction This study examines the associations between time series, termed “coherency,” using spectral analysis. Coherence squared, analogous to the squared correlation coefficient, serves as a metric to quantify the degree of interdependence and co-evolution of individual nodes. Methods We utilized spectral analysis to compute coherence squared, unveiling relationships and co-evolution patterns among individual nodes. The resultant matrix of these relationships was subjected to network analysis. Results By conducting a case study analyzing tweets associated with the co-hashtags #StopAsianHate and #BlackLivesMatter, we present a novel approach utilizing coherency network analysis to investigate the dynamics of social media text. Frequency domain analysis aided in calculating coherence squared, effectively illustrating the relationships and co-evolution of individual nodes. Furthermore, an analysis of the phase spectrum's slope facilitated the determination of time lag and potential causality direction between highly co-evolved node pairs. Discussion Our findings underline the potential of coherency network analysis in comprehending the intricate dynamics of social media text. This approach offers valuable insights into how topics, sentiments, or movements manifest and evolve within the digital realm. Future research should explore diverse datasets and domains to broaden our understanding of this novel analytical technique.
Advancing Faculty Research in a “Bricolage” Environment"

In the typical, academic career path, individuals enter faculty roles immediately after graduate school, commencing their academic careers with research skills and a fledgling research agenda. Many faculty, however, take an indirect route to research. They may work in the commercial or nonprofit sector for years before joining the academy, allowing their research skills to fade. Some individuals who never completed research training are recruited as faculty due to their years of professional experience; this is especially true in business, engineering, and health care. When institutional expectations and personal goals change, however, these individuals may suddenly face the need to conduct research. They have the motivation but lack the necessary skills and confidence. This is especially true when institutions decide to seek accreditation that requires research activity among faculty. To help Bolivian faculty achieve research success, we developed a condensed workshop on qualitative, applied research and conducted it four times, in-person and online, following the action research model. The condensed workshop proved effective in helping faculty boost their research productivity, though participants expressed a desire for more extended coaching and support. Future workshops will include increased opportunity for collaboration. The workshop can be adapted to other regions.
Phytoplankton of a dynamic Amazon sandy beach

ABSTRACT Costa, R.M. da, Matos, J.B. , Pinto, K.S. T. , Pereira, L.C. C. , 2013. Phytoplankton of a dynamic Amazon sandy beach The present study was developed to characterize the structure and the temporal variation of the phytoplankton of the surf zone of Atalaia beach (Pará, Brazil) and to investigate the effect of certain environmental variables on this community. Nyctemeral sampling was carried out in November/08, March/09, June/09 and September/09. Ninety- eight taxa were identified. The diatoms dominated the local microphytoplankton with the species Coscinodiscus perforatus Ehrenberg, Dimeregramma minor (Gregory) Ralfs, Ditylum brightwellii (West) Grunow and Odontella sinensis (Greville) Grunow having the highest frequency of occurrence and relative abundance. The maximum phytoplankton density was 1,723 ± 257 ×103 cell L−1 in September/09 (F=18.8; p <0.05), while biomass (chlorophyll-a content) was significantly higher in November/08 (U= 0.00; p <0.05). The highest densities of D. minor in September resulted in the lowest observed diversity and evenness. Cluster Analysis showed the formation of three groups, with 55% similarity. The separation of the groups was influenced primarily by the seasonal distribution of samples. Overall, rainfall and consequently variation in salinity showed a strong influence on local phytoplankton composition, density and biomass. Furthermore, the strong local hydrodynamics, as well as the action of the winds and currents promoted the ressuspension of tychoplankton species that characterized the structure of the local phytoplankton.
Recent changes in tropical forest biomass and dynamics

Introduction There is a major planet-wide experiment under way. Anthropogenic changes to the atmosphere–biosphere system mean that all ecosystems on Earth are now affected by our activities. While outright deforestation is physically obvious, other subtler processes, such as hunting and surface fires, also affect forests in ways that are less evident to the casual observer ( cf . Estes et al . 2011; Lewis, Malhi & Phillips 2004a; Malhi & Phillips 2004). Similarly, anthropogenic atmospheric change is intensifying. By the end of the century, carbon dioxide concentrations may reach levels unprecedented for at least 20 million years (e.g. Retallack 2001) and climates may move beyond Quaternary envelopes (Meehl et al . 2007). Moreover, the rate of change in these basic ecological drivers may be unprecedented in the evolutionary span of most species on Earth today. Additionally, these atmospheric changes are coinciding with the greatest global upheaval in vegetation cover and species’ distributions since at least the last mass extinction at ~65 million years ago (Ellis et al . 2011). Collectively, the evidence points to conditions with no clear past analogue. We have entered the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch dominated by human action (Crutzen 2002; Steffen et al . 2011). In this chapter we focus on the changes occurring within remaining tropical forests. Most forest vegetation carbon stocks lie within the tropics. Tropical forests store 460 billion tonnes of carbon in their biomass and soil (Pan et al . 2011), equivalent to more than half the total atmospheric stock, and annually process 40 billion tonnes (Beer et al . 2010). They have other planetary influences via the hydrological cycle, and emit aerosols and trace gases, and they are also characterised by their exceptional variety and diversity of life.
The World’s Largest Point Rainfall Found Using the Precipitation Intensity Duration Index

World extremes in meteorology are important as they can be used as indicators for climate change. This was one of the main reasons for the creation of the World Meteorological Organization’s World Weather and Climate Extremes Archive in 2006. In contrast to temperature, for instance, which can be described by a single parameter, point rainfall must be described by two parameters, for example, precipitation depth and duration. This makes it difficult to directly compare different rainfall records. In this article, however, it is shown that the world’s greatest rainfall events, with durations ranging from 1 min to 2 years, all have nearly the same precipitation intensity duration index, a new dimensionless number. As a theoretical consequence, the intensity of all these record rainfalls is inversely proportional to the square root of their duration. This physically based result is consistent with earlier statistically based findings. The last measured record rainfall on the World Meteorological Organization’s record list is the point rainfall with the largest precipitation intensity duration index since 1860. This 4-day rainfall that began on 24 February 2007 on Cratère Commerson, Réunion Island, can be considered the largest point rainfall within documented records. Floods resulting from extreme rainstorms can be very costly and deadly; thus, understanding such extreme events is very important. Knowledge of extreme rainstorms is also important in determining how much and how fast our climate is changing. In this article, a new dimensionless number, the precipitation intensity duration index (PID) is presented. The world’s greatest point rainfall events, with durations ranging from 1 min to 2 years, all have nearly the same PID. One rainfall event, however, has a considerably larger PID than all others, namely, a 4-day rainfall that began on 24 February 2007 on Cratère Commerson, Réunion Island. Therefore, this rainfall can be considered the largest point rainfall within documented records.
Single Ultrasonic-Assisted Washing for Eco-Efficient Production of Mackerel (Auxis thazard) Surimi

This study highlights a promising single washing method for producing dark-fleshed mackerel surimi aided by ultrasonication in conjunction with cold carbonated water containing 0.6% NaCl and mixed antioxidants (0.5% EDTA/0.2% sodium erythorbate/0.2% sodium tripolyphosphate) (CSA). Different washing periods (5, 10, and 15 min) with and without ultrasound were tested. Unwashed mince (A1) and conventional water-washed surimi (10 min/cycle, 3 cycles) (A2) were used as controls. A3, A4, and A5 were subjected to ultrasound-assisted washing for 5, 10, and 15 min, respectively, whereas A6, A7, and A8 had non-ultrasound-assisted washing for 5, 10, and 15 min. Results showed that the surimi yield decreased as the ultrasonic treatment time increased from 5 to 15 min (p < 0.05). Increased ultrasonic time resulted in greater protein denaturation, protein oxidation, myoglobin removal, and lipid oxidation in surimi (p < 0.05). Surimi produced by CSA ultrasonication for 5 min (A3), on the other hand, had a comparable overall quality to A2 surimi (p > 0.05). The correspondence gel (A3) outperformed the control gel (A2) in terms of gel strength, whiteness, and water-holding capacity (p < 0.05). The formation of regularly continuous, more organized, and smooth network structures in surimi gel was observed in A2 and A3 gels, whereas sparse and larger pore sizes were noticed in surimi gels produced by longer ultrasonic treatment. All of the surimi gels had identical FTIR spectra, indicating that the functional groups of the protein gel were consistent throughout. As a result, a single 5 min CSA-ultrasonic washing could potentially yield surimi of comparable quality to conventional washing. This could pave the way for the development of dark-fleshed fish surimi, which would require less washing time and produce less waste water.
Digital Twin Driven Fault Diagnosis Method for Subsea Control System

Digital twin driven fault diagnosis shows good performance in fault diagnosis of subsea control systems. However, the relation between digital twin and fault diagnosis is not clear. This cannot bring substantial improvement to fault diagnosis. A digital twin driven fault diagnosis method for subsea control system is proposed. Simulink is used for building a digital twin model and a fault diagnosis model is established based on Bayesian networks. The diagnosis results are input into the digital twin model to verify them. The results of verification are feedback to fault diagnosis model. Through this method, a framework that improves fault diagnosis by digital twin is proposed and provide a reference for related research. The performance of this method is verified by a redundant control system. The results show that in this framework, the digital twin model can improve diagnostic performance effectively.
Odin/SMR limb observations of stratospheric trace gases: Level 2 processing of ClO, N2O, HNO3, and O3

The Sub-Millimetre Radiometer (SMR) on board the Odin satellite, launched on 20 February 2001, observes key species with respect to stratospheric chemistry and dynamics such as O-3, ClO, N2O, and HNO3 using two bands centered at 501.8 and 544.6 GHz. We present the adopted methodology for level 2 processing and the achieved in-orbit measurement capabilities of the SMR radiometer for these species in terms of altitude range, altitude resolution, and measurement precision. The characteristics of the relevant level 2 data versions, namely version 1.2 of the operational processor as well as versions 222 and 223 of the reference code, are discussed and differences are evaluated. An analysis of systematic retrieval errors, resulting from spectroscopic and instrumental uncertainties, is also presented.
Downstream Dissipation of Storm Flow Heat Pulses: A Case Study and its Landscape‐Level Implications

Storms in urban areas route heat and other pollutants from impervious surfaces, via drainage networks, into streams with well‐described negative consequences on physical structure and biological integrity. We used heat pulses associated with urban storms as a tracer for pavement‐derived stormwater inputs, providing a conservative estimate of the frequency with which these pollutants are transported into and through protected stream reaches. Our study was conducted within a 1.5‐km reach in Durham, North Carolina, whose headwaters begin in suburban stormwater pipes before flowing through 1 km of protected, 100‐year‐old forest. We recorded heat‐pulse magnitudes and distances travelled downstream, analyzing how they varied with storm and antecedent flow conditions. We found heat pulses >1°C traveled more than 1 km downstream of urban inputs in 11 storms over one year. This best‐case management scenario of a reach within a protected forest shows that urban impacts can travel far downstream of inputs. Air temperature and flow intensity controlled heat‐pulse magnitude, while heat‐pulse size, mean flow, and total precipitation controlled dissipation distance. As temperatures and sudden storms intensify with climate change, heat‐pulse magnitude and dissipation distance will likely increase. Streams in urbanized landscapes, such as Durham municipality, where 98.9% of streams are within 1 downstream km of stormwater outfalls, will be increasingly impacted by urban stormwaters.
Recycling of Hard Disk Drive Platters via Plastic Consolidation

The paper presents the comparison of two methods of recycling aluminum from HDD platters—the melting method and the method of plastic consolidation. The main elements of HDD memory, i.e., data carriers (platters), were examined via the percentage share of the total HDD mass and also via EDS analysis. The most common are platters made of the aluminum alloy series 5XXX, which are covered with a thin magnetic layer made of nickel. The research involved removing data carriers from about 30 HDDs and fragmenting them. The next step was to divide the platters into three groups; one was melted, the second was subjected to plastic consolidation, and the third group was fragmented into chips and also subjected to the consolidation process. Then, in the process of co-extrusion, rods were extruded from each material, and were subjected to EDS analysis, microstructure testing, Vickers hardness, and uniaxial tensile tests, and then the obtained results were compared. The obtained results of the microstructural tests in the case of gravity cast material confirmed the presence of the Al3Ni globular phase in the matrix. In the case of pressed and extruded materials, the Al3Ni phase appeared at the Ni-AlMg contact. After plastic consolidation, all the tested rods were characterized by their comparable strength properties (a tensile strength of 250 MPa and yield strength of 105 MPa).