Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty and Trend Analysis—Radium in Ground Water and Drinking Water

Radium activity measurements in water samples are encumbered by relatively large error bars, including for activity values near the regulatory drinking water maximum contaminant level of 5 pCi/L. The large error bars create uncertainty in the evaluation of temporal trends. This uncertainty is often the object of debate and disagreement in regulatory determinations, the design of remedial actions, and/or in litigation. The Mann‐Kendall nonparametric test is perhaps the most commonly used test for trend evaluation in environmental sciences. The test is simple and easy to apply by nonstatisticians and is recommended in several regulations and guidance documents. As typically applied, the Mann‐Kendall test does not consider the uncertainty related to error bars for individual data values. Ignoring this uncertainty can result in misleading conclusions on the presence or absence of trends. In this article, a procedure for trend analysis that accounts for error bars is described. For each data series analyzed, the procedure creates 1000 new data series by randomly assigning values that fall within the error bar around each data point. Trend analysis is then performed on the randomly created data series. The approach is applied to the evaluation of a radium data base containing analytical results from 137 locations (407 water samples) in Escambia County, Florida. The evaluation of the radium data base using the Mann‐Kendall test without accounting for the uncertainty reveals 10 significant trends at the 90% confidence level. Only two of these trends are supported by the data when the uncertainty from analytical error is accounted for.
Spatial Pattern And Its Analysis of China’s Grassland Change in Recent Ten Years Using Remote Sensing and GIS

Human interventions in natural systems have resulted in large change in vegetation composition and distribution pattern. The Land Use Change and Climate Change (LUCC) study under the International Geosphere Biosphere Program(IGBP) is a major initiative in this regard. Grassland change plays an important role in global change. This paper dynamically monitors status of grassland change in China from 1980s to 2000 based on RS GIS. The data are extracted from LANDSAT TM image. From these data, the type of land use is decided on basis of the interactive MGE environment. To diminish the geometric error of the image, we adopt the processing method of Least-Square. As for pixel sampling method, we adopt the method of Nearest Neighbour Interpolation or Bilinear Interpolation. After the image processing, the maximum geometric errors are 2-3 pixels. The task of image classification is mainly taken by experts with the help of relief map, navigation photo etc, thus landuse coverage could be acquired. In the study, following conclusions can be drawn:(1)There is obviously zone difference of grassland dynamic change in China. From grassland being changed to farmland, mainly occurs in Heilongjiang province, Jilin province, Liaoning province and east Inner Mongolia. From the grassland being turned to urban, affects the relationship with regional population, economic development. From the grassland being changed to forest, mainly concentrates in southeast littoral; Grassland degradation is mainly distributed in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Qinghai. Grassland change bears on natural condition, but human activities have heavily impact on it. Grassland degradation has adverse impact on environment, especially north China and it will restrict regional economic development. (2)As for the grassland's change, there are many phenomena of farmlands occupy grasslands. The farmlands occupation of grasslands plays a leading role in the change. The occupation by farmlands is more serious in arid and semi-arid regions. The grassland's occupation by farmland at different levels for all coverage levels of grassland is mainly located in the non-monsoon zones. (3)The main reason of the grassland area decrease and coverage level reduction is that the resources' functions are continually greatly wrested under the push of human demand for economy and the dictate of benefit. This is also the contradiction between the development and ecologic administration which are faced by the west regions of our country.
A Pareto Based Comparison of DC/DC Converters for Variable DC-Link Voltage in Electric Vehicles

High battery voltages increase inverter switching and harmonic losses of the electric machine. These losses dominate at low speeds in the partial load range, where the customer relevant Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTC) driving cycle is located. By installing a bidirectional DC/DC converter between the inverter and the battery, the input voltage of the inverter can be adjusted to various torque/speed conditions, thereby enhancing the efficiency and range of the electric sports car. Outside of the WLTC, the DC/DC converter is not operated and is short-circuited by a bypass. Additionally, the utilization of synchronous modulation methods, as opposed to space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM), within the WLTC is made possible by the variable DC-Link voltage, further reducing switching and harmonic losses. In this paper, different topologies of DC/DC converters are proposed. The investigations are conducted on an 800 V system. To facilitate this, a script-based toolchain was developed based on analytic and fast calculating waveform models. The impact of the DC-Link voltage on energy efficiency during the WLTC is examined, and sensitivities are presented. A multi-objective optimization is carried out based on the WLTC driving cycle to demonstrate the maximum trade-offs between increasing the electric range and the power density of the DC/DC converter.
Study of the Visualization of Three-Dimension Urban Model

After an analysis of existing 3D urban model, the method for building modeling is discussed and a layer combined model is presented for building modeling. Depend on this model, the algorithm of dynamic display, spatial analysis and interactive operation are developed. And, application system (3DTOOL) for 3D urban modeling is developed which includes 3D visualization and operation about topography and buildings. Finally, a test area about 4 km 2 is used to create 3D urban model through 3DTOOL system.
Human N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) gene variability in Brazilian populations from different geographical areas

Introduction: Several polymorphisms altering the NAT2 activity have already been identified. The geographical distribution of NAT2 variants has been extensively studied and has been demonstrated to vary significantly among different ethnic population. Here, we describe the genetic variability of human N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) gene and the predominant genotype-deduced acetylation profiles of Brazilians. Methods: A total of 964 individuals, from five geographical different regions, were genotyped for NAT2 by sequencing the entire coding exon. Results: Twenty-three previously described NAT2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, including the seven most common ones globally (c.191G>A, c.282C>T, c.341T>C, c.481C>T, c.590G>A, c.803A>G and c.857G>A). The main allelic groups were NAT2*5 (36%) and NAT2*6 (18.2%), followed to the reference allele NAT2*4 (20.4%). Combined into genotypes, the most prevalent allelic groups were NAT2*5/*5 (14.6%), NAT2*5/*6 (11.9%) and NAT2*6/*6 (6.2%). The genotype deduced NAT2 slow acetylation phenotype was predominant but showed significant variability between geographical regions. The prevalence of slow acetylation phenotype was higher in the Northeast, North and Midwest (51.3%, 45.5% and 41.5%, respectively) of the country. In the Southeast, the intermediate acetylation phenotype was the most prevalent (40.3%) and, in the South, the prevalence of rapid acetylation phenotype was significantly higher (36.7%), when compared to other Brazilian states (p < 0.0001). Comparison of the predicted acetylation profile among regions showed homogeneity among the North and Northeast but was significantly different when compared to the Southeast (p = 0.0396). The Southern region was significantly different from all other regions (p < 0.0001). Discussion: This study contributes not only to current knowledge of the NAT2 population genetic diversity in different geographical regions of Brazil, but also to the reconstruction of a more accurate phenotypic picture of NAT2 acetylator profiles in those regions.
1 kV Self-Aligned Vertical GaN Superjunction Diode

This work demonstrates vertical GaN superjunction (SJ) diodes fabricated via a novel self-aligned process. The SJ comprises n-GaN pillars wrapped by the charge-balanced p-type nickel oxide (NiO). After the NiO sputtering around GaN pillars, the self-aligned process exposes the top pillar surfaces without the need for additional lithography or a patterned NiO etching which is usually difficult. The GaN SJ diode shows a breakdown voltage (B V) of 1100 V, a specific on-resistance (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text {ON}}{)}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 0.4 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}\Omega \cdot $ </tex-math></inline-formula>cm2, and a SJ drift-region resistance (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text {dr}}{)}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 0.13 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}\Omega \cdot $ </tex-math></inline-formula>cm2. The device also exhibits good thermal stability with B V retained over 1 kV and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text {ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dropped to 0.3 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}\Omega \cdot $ </tex-math></inline-formula>cm2 at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$125 ^{\text {o}}\text{C}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The trade-off between B V and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text {dr}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is superior to the 1D GaN limit. These results show the promise of vertical GaN SJ power devices. The self-aligned process is applicable for fabricating the heterogeneous SJ based on various wide- and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors.
Linking genetic algorithms with stochastic dynamic programming to the long‐term operation of a multireservoir system

The objective of this paper is to present a genetic algorithm‐based stochastic dynamic programming (GA‐based SDP) to cope with the dimensionality problem of a multiple‐reservoir system. The joint long‐term operation of a parallel reservoir system in the Feitsui and Shihmen reservoirs in northern Taiwan demonstrates the successful application of the proposed GA‐based SDP model. Within the case study system it is believed that GA is a useful technique in supporting optimization. Though the employment of GA‐based SDP may be time consuming as it proceeds through generation by generation, the model can overcome the “dimensionality curse” in searching solutions. Simulation results show Feitsui's surplus water can be utilized efficiently to fill Shihmen's deficit water without affecting Feitsui's main purpose as Taipei city's water supply. The optimal joint operation suggests that Feitsui, on average, can provide 650,000 m3/day and 920,000 m3/day to Shihmen during the wet season and dry season, respectively.
Acetylcholine facilitates localized synaptic potentiation and location specific feature binding

Forebrain acetylcholine (ACh) signaling has been shown to drive attention and learning. Recent experimental evidence of spatially and temporally constrained cholinergic signaling has sparked interest to investigate how it facilitates stimulus-induced learning. We use biophysical excitatory-inhibitory (E-I) multi-module neural network models to show that external stimuli and ACh signaling can mediate spatially constrained synaptic potentiation patterns. The effects of ACh on neural excitability are simulated by varying the conductance of a muscarinic receptor-regulated hyperpolarizing slow K+ current (m-current). Each network module consists of an E-I network with local excitatory connectivity and global inhibitory connectivity. The modules are interconnected with plastic excitatory synaptic connections, that change via a spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) rule. Our results indicate that spatially constrained ACh release influences the information flow represented by network dynamics resulting in selective reorganization of inter-module interactions. Moreover the information flow depends on the level of synchrony in the network. For highly synchronous networks, the more excitable module leads firing in the less excitable one resulting in strengthening of the outgoing connections from the former and weakening of its incoming synapses. For networks with more noisy firing patterns, activity in high ACh regions is prone to induce feedback firing of synchronous volleys and thus strengthening of the incoming synapses to the more excitable region and weakening of outgoing synapses. Overall, these results suggest that spatially and directionally specific plasticity patterns, as are presumed necessary for feature binding, can be mediated by spatially constrained ACh release.
Posttraumatic Growth, Maladaptive Cognitive Schemas and Psychological Distress in Individuals Involved in Road Traffic Accidents—A Conservation of Resources Theory Perspective

Road traffic accidents can have profound psychological impacts on the individuals involved, encompassing both negative distress and positive growth. This study, guided by the conservation of resources (COR) theory, investigates the intricate relationship between posttraumatic growth (PTG), maladaptive cognitive schemas, and psychological distress in individuals involved in road traffic accidents. PTG reflects an individual’s ability to derive positive changes from adversity, while maladaptive schemas represent negative cognitive patterns. Using a 122 sample of individuals involved in road traffic accidents, we examined direct and indirect effects within this complex network. Our findings reveal significant direct effects of PTG on psychological distress (β = 0.101, p = 0.02). Particularly noteworthy are the indirect effects mediated by cognitive schemas, emphasizing the role of impaired autonomy and perceived performance deficiencies (β = 0.102, p = 0.05). This suggests that individuals involved in road traffic accidents experiencing higher PTG levels may indirectly experience greater psychological distress through these maladaptive cognitive schemas. This study not only advances our understanding of the psychological consequences of road traffic accidents but also aligns with self-determination theory, emphasizing autonomy and competence as fundamental needs. Individuals involved in road traffic accidents may undergo profound shifts in perspective following the trauma, which our results support. Recognizing the nuanced relationship between PTG, maladaptive cognitive schemas, and psychological distress is crucial for tailoring interventions and support systems for individuals involved in traffic accidents. As PTG can coexist with distress, interventions should foster adaptive growth while addressing maladaptive schemas to promote resilience in the face of traumatic events.
Tuvalu : balancing climate change and development initiatives in a small island developing state

Climate change has become an important issue in the field of development, one that can strongly affect development priorities. Each country will be impacted in its own way by climate change, and socioeconomic, and political factors. Therefore balancing development initiatives and climate change efforts is crucial. Small Island Developing States are a category of countries that must deal with the effects of climate change now, and plan for the future effects that scientists are predicting. This thesis explores the different perspectives of what constitutes an optimal balance of attention to climate change versus development in the country of Tuvalu. This involves analyzing and comparing (1) the priorities set by the government and donor agencies for the allocation of time, effort, and money, with those of the local citizens, and (2) how the state of development indicators today compares with the situation twenty years ago, prior to the emergence of concern about climate change.
A High Resolution Unstructured Model to Study Storm Surge in the Pacific Island of Guam

A high resolution storm surge modeling framework for Guam has been developed. The objective is to provide reliable information on the future storm hazard. Located nearly 3,000 miles west of Hawaii, Guam boasts the westernmost point of U.S. territory. Guam hosts the Apra Naval Base and Andersen Air Force Base - now major components of the US Pacific Command (PACOM). Because of its location and physical characteristics, the Pacific island of Guam is subject to strong meteorological, hydrologic and geologic extremes. Meteorological hazards such as tropical storms and typhoons (or hurricanes) pose the most frequent and visible threat and cause major economic losses in Guam. Development of a high-resolution modeling framework for Guam, therefore, supports a variety of applications in the context of emergency management and development decision-making related to hazard and risk information. Reliable information on maximum probable wave height and storm surge of a given storm with sufficiently high resolution to show variation along the Guam coast and inland is essential for the cost-effective design and operation of military and public works projects.
Carbon dioxide fluxes across the air-water interface and its impact on carbon availability in aquatic systems.

Diffusion of CO, across the air-water interface was analyzed with a model that simulates both transport and reaction of CO, in a stagnant boundary layer. The atmospheric C influx was determined in relation to several environmental variables: pH, total dissolved inorganic C, temperature, and the thickness of the stagnant boundary layer in relation to ambient windspeed. We used the model to calculate the atmospheric CO, influx into six experimental ditches for a period of 6 or 8 months, starting in early spring. Three of the six ditches were dominated by aquatic macrophytes and three by benthic algae. Each series received three levels of external N and P input. A comparison with net C assimilation during the same period, as estimated from continuous oxygen measurements, showed that, especially in the ditches dominated by submersed macrophytes, a sizable fraction of the C requirements during this period could have been obtained from atmospheric CO,. In the ditches dominated by benthic algae, this fraction was considerably less, but nonetheless substantial, and was related to the level of N and P loading. Increased primary production due to enhanced external N and P loading increased the atmospheric C input due to the resultant higher pH values. The trophic state with respect to N and P and the availability of C are therefore interrelate& In this paper we discuss the transport of CO2 across the air-water interface. Our aims are to quantify the cnhancement of the C influx due to chemical reactions and to establish the extent to which atmospheric C influx can contribute to the carbon needs of aquatic communities in relation to their trophic state. We also examine the ecological significance. The rate of photosynthesis by aquatic plants in surface waters can be limited by the availability of inorganic C, inorganic nutrients (N, P, and, in case of diatoms, Si), micronutrients, and light irradiance (Kirk 1983; SandJensen 1989). Eutrophication of surface waters can enhance primary production by removing P or N limitation. During periods of high primary production and u’nder saturating light conditions, the availability of dissolved inorganic C (DIC) may become rate limiting. Adams et al. (1978) found that photosynthesis of
PROMOTING STUDENT TEACHERS' TEACHING PRACTICUM WITHIN DESIGNATED SPEAKING CLASS

This study aims at promoting undergraduate student teachers’ teaching practicum that highlights the pedagogical and teaching performance within the designated speaking class. Four senior student teachers participated in five weeks’ teaching practicum through the purposive sampling selection. The method of this study used observation, questionnaire, and teaching practicum documents to facilitate the qualitative analysis in relevance with student teachers’ teaching files, running-methods course, and classroom observations. The core practices of probing pedagogical activities engaged student teachers in intrinsic discussions explicitly and implicitly. The substantial pedagogical matters and their sub-matters were experientially derived from the relevant practicality into the common sense of instruction criteria on planning, implementation, and reflection stages. The discussion substance highlighted daily speaking performance in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and content among freshmen and sophomores. This study recommends student teachers improve their theoretical and practical teaching methods by accommodating enumeration and sense-making classroom discussion.
Collaborative Approaches to the Post-Disaster Recovery of Organisations

Organisations play a vital role in assisting communities to recover from disasters. They are the key providers of goods and services needed in both response and recovery efforts. They provide the employment which both anchors people to place and supports the taxation base to allow for necessary recovery spending. Finally, organisations are an integral part of much day to day functioning contributing immensely to people’s sense of ‘normality’ and psychological wellbeing. Yet, despite their overall importance in the recovery process, there are significant gaps in our existing knowledge with regard to how organisations respond and recover following disaster. This research fills one part of this gap by examining collaboration as an adaptive strategy enacted by organisations in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, which was heavily impacted by a series of major earthquakes, occurring in 2010 and 2011. Collaboration has been extensively investigated in a variety of settings and from numerous disciplinary perspectives. However, there are few studies that investigate the role of collaborative approaches to support post-disaster business recovery. This study investigates the type of collaborations that have occurred and how they evolved as organisations reacted to the resource and environmental change caused by the disaster. Using data collected through semi-structured interviews, survey and document analysis, a rich and detailed picture of the recovery journey is created for 26 Canterbury organisations including 14 collaborators, six non-traders, five continued traders and one new business. Collaborations included two or more individual businesses collaborating along with two multi-party, place based projects. Comparative analysis of the organisations’ experiences enabled the assessment of decisions, processes and outcomes of collaboration, as well as insight into the overall process of business recovery. This research adopted a primarily inductive, qualitative approach, drawing from both grounded theory and case study methodologies in order to generate theory from this rich and contextually situated data. Important findings include the importance of creating an enabling context which allows organisations to lead their own recovery, the creation of a framework for effective post-disaster collaboration and the importance of considering both economic and other outcomes. Collaboration is found to be an effective strategy enabling resumption of trade at a time when there seemed few other options available. While solving this need, many collaborators have discovered significant and unexpected benefits not just in terms of long term strategy but also with regard to wellbeing. Economic outcomes were less clear-cut. However, with approximately 70% of the Central Business District demolished and rebuilding only gaining momentum in late 2014, many organisations are still in a transition stage moving towards a new ‘normal’.