Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spring protection - sustainable water supply

WATER SUPPLIES ARE a vital element of rural infrastructure and are an important area for government action, most Ugandans live in rural areas and are confronted with high mobility and mortality rate due to disease caused by unsafe water, and improper sanitation and immunisable disease. Rukungiri in South Western Uganda is one of the most density populated districts in the country with 200 people per square kilometre. Like most rural areas in Uganda the people earn a living through subsistence agriculture. The main water sources are rivers, springs and rainwater. There is a minimum average annual rainfall of 1500mm distributed throughout the year. Drier seasons are not as pronounced and regular as elsewhere in Africa but can last for 3 or 4 months with only light rains. With good climate, food production is successful and consequently in 1991 the per capital income of the local people was Us and 61.19 which was higher ($) than the national average of Us dollar 49.18. Prices in this report are given in Uganda shillings and the exchange rate in April 1994 was Us$ 1.00 to 1000/=. History of spring project Since 1985 the church of Uganda North Kigezi Diocese in Rukungiri has run a water programme funded by Water Aid, a U.K. charity. Initial Projects included rehabilitation of hospitals, spring protection and also rainwater collection systems for clinics, schools and churches. These projects involved the construction of large tanks, and installation of plastic guttering imported from U.K. Within the first two years, half of the rainwater projects were in a very bad shape. Communities were not keen to maintain them because of their disadvantage of providing a limited amount of water from an intermittent supply. On the other hand the pumped schemes were “off and on” due to the high running costs. The only project which was working as designed was the spring project. For these reasons pumped schemes and rainwater collection systems were discontinued in order to concentrate on water sources that benefited more people at a lower cost. The spring programme Community mobilisation The use of spring water is not a new idea in the village life in this part of the country. Traditionally people collect spring water which may either be in a pool (collected by dipping in a collection container) or by use of a banana fibre in the form of a gutter (for springs from steep slopes). Taking advantage of the socio-acceptability of the spring water, the spring project was encouraged. This was done by mobilising people using church leaders who talked to people during Sunday services about the advantages of safe drinking water. The church here is a very strong indigenous organization whose involvement makes the project achieve the intended impacts. Consequently the church leaders are very respectable and their words are taken serious. This implementation strategy has two advantages: One is that it is much cheaper than employing a separate mobilizer (since they do it as part of their work) and two is that the impact is permanent as the church is also permanent.
Analysis of FRP-Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Electromechanical Impedance Technique and Digital Image Correlation System

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strengthening systems have been considered an effective technique to retrofit concrete structures, and their use nowadays is more and more extensive. Externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) and near-surface mounted (NSM) technologies are the two most widely recognized and applied FRP strengthening methods for enhancing structural performance worldwide. However, one of the main disadvantages of both approaches is a possible brittle failure mode provided by a sudden debonding of the FRP. Therefore, methodologies able to monitor the long-term efficiency of this kind of strengthening constitute a challenge to be overcome. In this work, two reinforced concrete (RC) specimens strengthened with FRP and subjected to increasing load tests were monitored. One specimen was strengthened using the EBR method, while for the other, the NSM technique was used. The multiple cracks emanating in both specimens in the static tests, as possible origins of a future debonding failure, were monitored using a piezoelectric (PZT)-transducer-based electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique and a digital image correlation (DIC) system. Clustering approaches based on impedance measurements of the healthy and damaged states of the specimens allowed us to suspect the occurrence of cracks and their growth. The strain profiles captured in the images of the DIC system allowed us to depict surface hair-line cracks and their propagation. The combined implementation of the two techniques to look for correlations during incremental bending tests was addressed in this study as a means of improving the prediction of early cracks and potentially anticipating the complete failure of the strengthened specimens.
The Spatio-Temporal Variations of Snow Cover in China from the Snow Depth Time Series Dataset Based on Passive Microwave Remote Sensing

Using the long-term(1978-2005) snow depth dataset of China,the spatial distribution,the seasonal snow cover changes and the inter-annual spatio-temporal variations of snow depth and snow cover days over China were analyzed.It is found that the Southeast Tibetan Plateau,the western and southern margins of the Tibetan Plateau,the Northern Xinjiang Region and the mountain regions of Northeast China are the four areas of deeper snow cover over China.In the period from 1978 to 2005,when the snow depth and snow cover days increased in general,with a remarkable increased area in the Tibetan Plateau,there was a pronounced increase phase in the 1990s and a quasi-stational phase from 2000 to 2005.The regions of central and eastern Tibetan Plateau,Northern Xinjiang Region and the mountain regions of Northeast China are sensitive to the inter-annual anomaly variation of snow depth,and the western Tibetan Plateau is sensitive to the inter-annual anomaly variation of snow cover days.
Using Multiple Questioning Strategies Viewed from Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives

The current study was carried out to identify teachers’ perspectives regarding their knowledge and comprehension towards questioning strategies and its implementation as well as the extent to which it effects towards students’ acceptance in improving their learning motivation, critical thinking skills and English proficiency. Meanwhile, from the students’ perspectives, the focus of the study was on the extent to which their acceptance towards their learning motivation, critical thinking skills and English proficiency. This survey utilised a set of questionnaires as the main instrument. A number of 160 English teachers and as 1600 secondary school students from Pekanbaru, Riau Indonesia involved in this study. They were recruited by using stratified random sampling. An overall pilot test result using Chronbach’s Aplha analysis revealed that there was a high reliability for all the constructs i.e. 0.772 to 0.962. Data analysis of the present study uses SPSS 22.0 involving descriptive analysis (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics involving MANOVA and regression. Overall results demonstrated that the teachers’ knowledge and comprehension regarding questioning strategies and its implementation were at the moderate levels. Meanwhile, differential analysis revealed that there was no significant difference between genders and teaching experience for some constructs. Regression analysis showed that questions’ preparation was a dominant contribution towards its implementation (55.5%). From the students’ perspectives, overall results revealed that students’ acceptance towards various questioning strategies were at the moderatelevels where some of them were at the higher level. Differential statistical analyses results showed that there were some differences between genders with regards to the questioning strategies implemented. Regression analysis demonstrated that types or formats of questions contributed 55.4% towards English proficiency among students. Implications of this study have highlighted using multiple questioning strategies can be used as an approach to overcome English language problems among students.
The Functions of an NAC Transcription Factor, GhNAC2-A06, in Cotton Response to Drought Stress

Drought stress imposes severe constraints on crop growth and yield. The NAC transcription factors (TF) play a pivotal role in regulating plant stress responses. However, the biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of many cotton NACs have not been explored. In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of GhNAC2-A06, a gene encoding a typical cotton NAC TF. The expression of GhNAC2-A06 was induced by PEG treatment, drought stress, and ABA treatment. Furthermore, we investigated its function using the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method. GhNAC2-A06 silenced plants exhibited a poorer growth status under drought stress conditions compared to the controls. The GhNAC2-A06 silenced cotton plants had a lower leaf relative water and chlorophyll content and a higher MDA content compared to the controls under the drought treatment. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) enzyme activity in the GhNAC2-A06 silenced plants were found to be lower compared to the controls when exposed to drought stress. Additionally, the downregulation of the drought stress-related genes, GhSAP12-D07, GhNCED1-A01, GhLEA14-A11, GhZAT10-D02, GhPROT2-A05, GhABF3-A03, GhABF2-D05, GhSAP3-D07, and GhCPK1-D04, was observed in the GhNAC2-A06 silenced cotton. Together, our research reveals that GhNAC2-A06 plays a role in the reaction of cotton to drought stress by affecting the expression of genes related to drought stress. The data obtained from this study lay the theoretical foundation for further in-depth research on the biological function and regulatory mechanisms of GhNAC2-A06.
Study of Love and Rayleigh waves from earthquakes with fault plane solutions or with known faulting. Part 1. A phase difference method based on a new model of earthquake source

For the purpose of examining the basic assumptions underlying the surface wave method of earthquake mechanism study, we investigated Love and Rayleigh waves from earthquakes with known faulting and/or fault plane solutions obtained from initial motion studies. In order to eliminate the effect of the source time function and finiteness of the fault and to concentrate on the nature of the earthquake force system and its space parameters, we are primarily concerned with the phase differences between Love and Rayleigh waves and their amplitude ratios. We studied about 30 earthquakes which occurred in the Mediterranean region, California, and Japan. The results are given in Part 2, and the method used is described in the present paper. The theoretical phase and amplitude of Love and Rayleigh waves were computed on the basis of observed faulting or fault plane solution under various hypotheses about the equivalent force system. Then, we obtained from the record, the Fourier phase difference of Love and Rayleigh waves, corrected it for propagation in a layered earth and compared it with the corresponding theoretical value. In computing the theoretical values, we assumed a homogeneous half space for Rayleigh waves. For Love waves, the layered structure of the earth was taken into account in an approximate way. We have constructed a table of the theoretical values for all possible parameters of fault system and also for various focal depths. A part of the table is given in a concise form in Part 3. The measurement of the phase difference between Love and Rayleigh waves was made by two methods. One is the stationary phase analysis, first applied to seismograms by Brune, Nafe and Oliver (1960), and the other is a filtering-correlation method. The latter method is appropriate for those records where the waves are less dispersed and noise is a factor. It was found that the single couple hypothesis fails to explain the observations on surface waves, and must be modified in some way. A modified single couple hypothesis is proposed which appears to explain the observations generally better than the double couple hypothesis as will be shown in Part 2.
Quantitative and monetary benefit assessments - Assessing improved water resource use and its adaptation to climate change

Following a brief introduction of the central methodology, this paper illustrates ways in which the quantitative and monetary benefits of improving water resource use can be assessed by using the country study of Israel. Quantitative benefits can be assessed by means of an in-depth assessment of water footprints in the agricultural sector, including production and trade patterns. The monetary benefits can be assessed by the application of the rationales of “costs of water supply uncertainty” in agriculture and of “costs avoided” from water produced by desalination. It needs to be stressed that as the project is still ongoing, the results of the central methodology as well as certain background information may not be included in this paper. The project is expected to be completed in mid-2011, which is when all information will be made publicly available.
Comparative analysis of Fuzzy Regression and Fuzzy ARIMA models for forecasting real gross domestic product of Nigeria

Over the years, a number of studies have been conducted in terms of forecasting the real gross domestic product (GDP) of Nigeria. The GDP growth rate measures the annual growth rate in percentage of the monetary value of all finished goods and services made within a country. It is an important indicator of economic growth. This paper presents Fuzzy ARIMA and Regression to determine the interval of possibility for predicting the real GDP. The Fuzzy ARIMA (FARIMA) and Fuzzy Regression (FR) methods requires small size data as compared to the classical time series. Comparison between FARIMA and Fuzzy Regression with a threshold level of zero (ℎ=0) is performed by calibrating the models on existing data. The minimum values of the total spreads for FARIMA and FR are 0.791 and 4.077 respectively. In addition, the MAPE values for FARIMA is smaller than that of FR. Furthermore, the results indicate that the FARIMA gives a narrower interval of possibility for prediction than the FR.
Clave para ninfas y adultos de las familias y generos de ephemeroptera ( insecta ) sudamericanos

Con esta clave para la identificacion de las ninfas y adultos de los generos y familias sudamericanos de efemeropteros, los especialistas Eduardo Dominguez, Michael D. Hubbard y William L. Peters, han realizado un aporte sustantivo al conocimiento de la entomofauna acuatica de la region. A pesar de la reconocida importancia de este taxon en la ecologia trofica de los ecosistemas acuaticos, asi como por el papel que muchas de sus especies cumplen como bioindicadoras de la calidad del agua, no se habian realizado hasta el presente trabajos de conjunto que reunieran al elenco de familias y generos de America del Sur. El conocimiento de muchos grupos de insectos acuaticos es especialmente fragmentario en lo que concierne a las formas preimaginales. En consecuencia, la inclusion, en esta investigacion, de las ninfas, a nivel familiar y generico, suple una importante demanda en la catalogacion de los componentes de la entomofauna acuatica sudamericana. Entre los aspectos dignos de encomio que brinda este trabajo, se destaca la adecuada eleccion de los caracteres diagnosticos, las excelentes ilustraciones y la completa y actualizada literatura relativa al grupo tratado. Queda documentada en esta contribucion, la exposicion que el primero de los autores anticipara en la Mesa de Trabajo de Entomologia de la II Reunion Argentina de Limnologia (RAL’91), que tuviera lugar en la ciudad de La Plata, en noviembre de 1991.
Multiyear measurements of the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers at the Brazil‐Malvinas confluence region

[1] This study analyzes and discusses data taken from oceanic and atmospheric measurements performed simultaneously at the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence (BMC) region in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. This area is one of the most dynamical frontal regions of the world ocean. Data were collected during four research cruises in the region once a year in consecutive years between 2004 and 2007. Very few studies have addressed the importance of studying the air-sea coupling at the BMC region. Lateral temperature gradients at the study region were as high as 0.3°C km−1 at the surface and subsurface. In the oceanic boundary layer, the vertical temperature gradient reached 0.08°C m−1 at 500 m depth. Our results show that the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) at the BMC region is modulated by the strong sea surface temperature (SST) gradients present at the sea surface. The mean MABL structure is thicker over the warmside of the BMC where Brazil Current (BC) waters predominate. The opposite occurs over the coldside of the confluence where waters from the Malvinas (Falkland) Current (MC) are found. The warmside of the confluence presented systematically higher MABL top height compared to the coldside. This type of modulation at the synoptic scale is consistent to what happens in other frontal regions of the world ocean, where the MABL adjusts itself to modifications along the SST gradients. Over warm waters at the BMC region, the MABL static instability and turbulence were increased while winds at the lower portion of the MABL were strong. Over the coldside of the BC/MC front an opposite behavior is found: the MABL is thinner and more stable. Our results suggest that the sea-level pressure (SLP) was also modulated locally, together with static stability vertical mixing mechanism, by the surface condition during all cruises. SST gradients at the BMC region modulate the synoptic atmospheric pressure gradient. Postfrontal and prefrontal conditions produce opposite thermal advections in the MABL that lead to different pressure intensification patterns across the confluence.
Viability of human dental pulp stem cells: The potential of L-arginine-based culture media

Dental pulp is built by proteins that have various roles in the biological process of pulp, such as structural protein, regulation protein, and catalytic protein. L-arginine, an amino acid and one of the building blocks of proteins, regulates pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory activity. Therefore, L-arginine-based culture has potential to promote dental pulp regeneration. This study aimed to investigate the potential of L-arginine-based culture in improving the viability of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). We evaluated the viability of hDPSCs in culture media supplemented with different concentrations of L-arginine amino acid (250, 300, 350, and 400 μmol/L) and Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium plus fetal bovine serum 10% (control) using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay after 24-h incubation time. Statistical analysis was conducted using a one-way analysis of variance and post hoc least significant difference test. In qualitative analysis, the 4´, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining method was used. The evaluation has shown a significant result when 250, 300, and 350 μmol/L concentration of L-arginine amino acid culture media compared with control, and 400 μmol/L has the best result and was not significantly different with control toward viability of hDPSCs.
SCIENTIFIC OCEAN DRILLING AND GAS-HYDRATES

Gas hydrates are solid compounds similar to ice crystals where cages of water molecules enclose molecules of natural gas mostly being methane a well as ethane, propane, etc. It has long been known that the natural gas hydrates occur globally in sediments mainly in the continental slope and in permafrost regions of the continent. Over the past years, geoscientists had acquired a lot of information about the physical and chemical characteristics, geological conditions of formation and concentration, distribution of the gas hydrate, the technology and methold of explorating and exploitating, as well as the potentially influence on environment. Scientific ocean drilling provided the only avenue for us to gain sample of gashydrate and bearinggashydrate sediments and free gas from deep setting, especially Leg164 and Leg204 of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). By studying the data from ODP, geoscientists had analyzed in situ property of bearinggashydrate sediments, discussed reacting mechanism among gas, water, sediment and gashydrate. The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide a new opportunity for us to research the Earth's history and the System's Processing (ESP), and will reveal the importance of gashydrate in the process. 
Efficacy of Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Monoclonal Antibodies in Resectable Colon Cancer

of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) has been proved in the treatment of left-sided RAS wild-type unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer. However, their effectiveness in the early stages of the disease has been questioned. Previous studies have shown that the use of these drugs in an adjuvant setting was not effective and recent evidence suggests that they are also ineffective in patients with resectable liver metastases. Neoadjuvant therapy is currently the standard of care for many types of cancer, and studies in this field are ongoing. There is limited data available on the efficacy of anti-EGFR MoAbs in the treatment of locally advanced colon cancer, and a recent study showed no benefit. This review focused on the perioperative use of anti-EGFR MoAbs in the treat-ment of resectable colon cancer and explored possible explanations for their low effectiveness.
Molecular identification and cross-immunogenic study on two field isolates of Mycoplasma synoviae isolated from broilers in five districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Background: Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) is an important poultry pathogen causing heavy economic losses Worldwide. Subclinical persistence of this pathogen is the major issue to control its prevalence. Aim: This study aimed to determine the molecular and cross-immunogenicity of MS among broilers in five Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Methods: This study was conducted by collecting 434 specimen samples from 40 broiler farms and desi poultry in five districts of KP. Specimen samples from the broiler birds (n = 150), broiler farm environment (n = 264), and desi poultry birds (n = 20) were aseptically collected and serially passaged in Modified Frey’s broth. The homologous and heterologous antibody reactions were studied in rabbits. Before inoculation into rabbits, the MS isolates were inactivated by formalin and adjuvanted with Montanide. Results: The overall turbidity prevalence in Frey’s broth was observed as 109/434 (25.11%) samples, and these turbidity-positive samples were shifted on Frey’s agar. After the appearance of classic fried egg colonies, the Biochemical confirmation was supported by the production of catalase and phosphatase, reduction of tetrazolium, film and spot assay, and fermentation of glucose for species differentiation in avian mycoplasma. The MS prevalence percentage was recorded as 2% (9/434) through biochemical tests. The PCR results showed 0.5% MS prevalence with two field isolates (named MS-1 and MS-2). Both MS-1 and MS-2 field isolates showed similar values (42.2) of homologous geometric mean titer (GMT). While the heterologous GMT for MS-1 serum against MS-2 isolate was lower (27.9) as compared to MS-2 serum against MS1 isolate (38.9). No titer was detected in the control group (Group-III). Conclusion: In conclusion, the results indicated the existence of MS in broiler birds and high homologous titers recorded between field isolates, which is a perpetual menace to poultry.