Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How useful are transect surveys for studying carnivores in the tropical rainforests of Borneo

Transect surveys are a widely used tool in the study of wildlife populations. Here, we review different forms and objectives of transect surveys, discuss the need for and briefl y describe principles of good study design, and discuss various biological measurements employed in the study of carnivores in the rainforests of Borneo. We discuss the conservation value of these measurements, underlying assumptions in using different approaches, and why these assumptions cannot often be met in the study of Bornean carnivores. We argue that transect surveys are of little use as a stand-alone technique for carnivore studies in Borneo; numbers of encounters from genuinely random transects are too low to be amenable to quantitative analysis, whereas observations from non-random transects are biased and cannot be used for drawing any sort of wider inference. We consider approaches in which transect surveys could be implemented in conjunction with other techniques. In general, limited conservation resources could be better spent on other techniques and other measures that can usefully inform conservation.
Response Strategies by Agro-Pastoral Farmers to Effects of Climate Variability in Laikipia West Sub-County, Kenya

work in collaboration between all authors. Authors MRM, GOO and CWR designed the study, while author MRM performed the statistical analysis, wrote the protocol, wrote the first draft of the manuscript and managed literature searches. Authors GOO, CWR and LWN supervised and managed the research. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. ABSTRACT Aims: This study assessed the effects of Climate variability on Agro-pastoral farmers’ livelihoods and response strategies. Study Design: The study employed a social survey research design, to examine were: crop diversification, use of both organic and chemical fertilizers, planting drought tolerant crops and tree planting. Conclusion: Agro-pastoral farmers in Laikipia West Sub-County are engaging in various response strategies to climate variability. There are fundamental changes in livelihoods such as crop diversification, rainwater harvesting, irrigation, mixed cropping, mixed farming, keeping of browsers and tree planting. However, currently there is promotion of drought tolerant crops, use of greenhouses, fallow cropping amongst others. There is need for integration of scientific and traditional ecological knowledge as well as climate smart agriculture for better adaptation to the effects of climate variability.
BiGlobal stability analysis of the wake behind an isolated roughness element in hypersonic flow

Numerical results are presented for the stability analysis of the wake induced by a cuboidal roughness element mounted on a flat plate inside a Mach 6 freestream. Linear BiGlobal stability calculations are carried out for a single frequency on a spanwise plane located behind the roughness, using base flows obtained from laminar Navier–Stokes simulations. The results show that the Mack mode is the most unstable perturbation growing in the boundary layer, followed by varicose and sinuous deformations of the low-velocity streak that characterizes the wake flow structure. The shock wave induced at the leading edge of the flat plate is found to have a significant stabilizing effect on the flow field. The use of a higher wall temperature stabilizes the Mack mode but increases the growth rate of the varicose perturbation.
Household Division of Labor: Is There Any Escape From Traditional Gender Roles ?

The effects of women's strong investments in career and their relative positions on the household division of labor, particularly the share of male partners in household work, constitute important but somehow unaddressed issues. We use the French Time Use Survey, focusing on couples where both partners participate in the labor market, to build indicators of strong female investment in career, and look into the possible effect on the gender division of labor, particularly the male share of household work. We show that though a better relative position of the woman in the labor market increases her husband's share of household work, there is no role reversal in the division of labor.
Manufacture and Combustion Characteristics of Cellulose Flame-Retardant Plate through the Hot-Press Method

This study focuses on the increased risk of high heat release and asphyxiation (toxic gas poisoning) in the event of a fire involving polyurethane (PU)- and MDF-based building materials, which are commonly used in buildings. Among them, polyurethane (PU) building materials are very commonly used in buildings, except in Europe and some other countries, due to their excellent thermal insulation performance. Still, problems of short-term heat release and the spread of toxic gases in the event of a fire continue to occur. To overcome these problems, researchers are actively working on introducing various flame retardants into building materials. Therefore, in this study, we produced a laboratory-sized (500 mm × 500 mm) plate-like flame-retardant board that can be utilized as a building material with a lower heat release rate and a lower toxicity index. The material was made by mixing expanded graphite and ceramic binder as flame retardants in a material that is formulated based on the cellulose of waste paper, replacing the existing building materials with a hot-press method. According to the ISO-5660-1 test on the heat release rate of the plate-like flame-retardant board, the Total Heat Release (THR) value was 2.9 (MJ/m2) for 10 min, showing an effect of reducing the THR value by 36.3 (MJ/m2) compared to the THR value of 39.2 (MJ/m2) of the specimen made using only paper. In addition, the toxicity index of the flame-retardant board was checked through the NES (Naval Engineering Standards)-713 test. As a result, the test specimen showed a toxicity index of 0.7, which is 2.4 lower than the toxicity index of 3.1 of MDF, which is utilized as a conventional building material. Based on the results of this study, the cellulose fire-retardant board showed the effect of reducing the heat release rate and toxicity index of building materials in a building fire, which reduces the risk of rapid heat spread and smoke toxicity. This has the potential to improve the evacuation time (A-SET) of evacuees in fires. It is also important to show that recycling waste paper and utilizing it as the main material for building materials can be an alternative in terms of sustainable development.
Prediction of Stock Market Closing Rates Using Deep Learning and Machine Learning Algorithms

This research paper delves into the complex task of predicting stock prices, which represent securities that embody partial ownership in a company. Investors carefully select stocks from companies they anticipate will experience growth within the dynamic stock market, with the objective of realising profitable returns on future sales. Nevertheless, accurately forecasting stock values remains a formidable challenge due to their inherent volatility and the ever-changing trends influenced by a myriad of economic, political, and market factors. Additionally, the expanding number of companies, diverse stocks, and growing investor participation contribute to the exponential growth of stock data volume, posing further difficulties in analysis and prediction. To address these issues, this work makes use of current advances in deep learning and machine learning approaches. It sets itself apart as it has compared 3 different algorithms using 3 different data sets, which has helped us arrive at conclusions very effectively. Specifically, we conduct a comparative analysis of three widely used algorithms: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random forest, and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). The focus of our analysis centres around accurately predicting the closing stock prices of three prominent banks: HDFC Bank, AXIS Bank, and ICICI Bank. Through a thorough evaluation of these algorithms, our research aims to provide valuable insights into the most effective approach for stock price prediction within the specific context of these banks. The evaluation results, measured using R-Squared (R2) Score and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), consistently demonstrate that the Random Forest model outperforms the other models, exhibiting superior predictive accuracy. These findings greatly contribute to our understanding of stock market dynamics and provide investors and financial experts with trustworthy tools for making sound judgements.
Scaling of thermal tolerance with body mass and genome size in ectotherms: a comparison between water- and air-breathers

Global warming appears to favour smaller-bodied organisms, but whether larger species are also more vulnerable to thermal extremes, as suggested for past mass-extinction events, is still an open question. Here, we tested whether interspecific differences in thermal tolerance (heat and cold) of ectotherm organisms are linked to differences in their body mass and genome size (as a proxy for cell size). Since the vulnerability of larger, aquatic taxa to warming has been attributed to the oxygen limitation hypothesis, we also assessed how body mass and genome size modulate thermal tolerance in species with contrasting breathing modes, habitats and life-stages. A database with the upper (CTmax) and lower (CTmin) critical thermal limits and their methodological aspects was assembled comprising more than 500 species of ectotherms. Our results demonstrate that thermal tolerance in ectotherms is dependent on body mass and genome size and these relationships became especially evident in prolonged experimental trials where energy efficiency gains importance. During long-term trials, CTmax was impaired in larger-bodied water-breathers, consistent with a role for oxygen limitation. Variation in CTmin was mostly explained by the combined effects of body mass and genome size and it was enhanced in larger-celled, air-breathing species during long-term trials, consistent with a role for depolarization of cell membranes. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for phylogeny and exposure duration. Especially when considering long-term trials, the observed effects on thermal limits are more in line with the warming-induced reduction in body mass observed during long-term rearing experiments.
Morphological and Molecular Diagnosis the Fungus Species of Tilletia spp That Infect Wheat in Some Provinces of Iraq

This study was carried out in the Plant Protection Department - College of Agriculture - Anbar University for the agricultural season 2022. The study included the collection of infected samples from fields, stores and grain silos from some provinces of Iraq (Baghdad, Anbar, Salah ad-Din, Nineveh). The resulted showed spread of covered smut disease in wheat in all collection areas. The results of the morphology and molecular diagnosis showed the presence of the following species : Tilletia caries (synonymous T. tritici) which coincided with global isolation (MH855829.1 and MN633361.1) with a match rate of (99.69 and 98.42) respectively, T. controversa (synonymous T. brevifaciens) which coincided with global isolation (OL653703.1 and EU257561.1) with a match rate of (92.41 and 88.15) respectively and T. indica which coincided with global isolation (MT498030.1 and MT498030.1) with a match rate of (92.64 and 91.41) respectively . The results of culturing teliospores were shown that isolate the fungus Tilletia spp. (Salah AL-Din – Makisheva) It achieved the highest germination rate reached more than 50% compared to the other examined isolates, whose germination rates varied.
Understanding The Prevalence of Eco Guilt and Eco Grief among Adolescents: A Salutogenic Approach Towards Building ‘Pro-Environmental Behaviour’

Negative emotions within the context of environment such as eco guilt and eco grief help individuals understand their impact on the environment and motivate them to act favorable to the environment. Antonovsky’s Salutogenic theory, specifically the sense of coherence model consisting of 3 components, namely, Comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness has been used as a foundation for explaining the concept of eco-guilt, eco-grief, environmental locus of control and pro-environmental behavior in adolescents. This paper aims to examine the relationship between eco-guilt, eco-grief, environmental locus of control and pro-environmental behavior among adolescents. The Eco guilt questionnaire, Eco grief questionnaire and Adolescent Internal Environmental Locus of Control Questionnaire were administered to the subjects to measure the prevalence of eco guilt, eco grief, and environmental locus of control, respectively, and General Ecological Behavior scale was used to assess pro-environmental behavior. Upon analysis, it was found that eco-guilt, eco-grief, and environmental locus of control shared a positive association with pro-environmental behavior among adolescents. Moreover, eco-guilt, eco-grief, and environmental locus of control were found to predict pro-environmental behavior among adolescents. Further investigation may be conducted to deepen the understanding of the relationship between eco-guilt, eco-grief and environmental locus of control and pro-environmental behavior.
Growing (Pleurotus Pulmonarius) on Various Local Substrates in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

In this study the effect of five locally sourced organic substrates as raw material and supplemented with CaSO4 2%, CaCO3 2% and wheat bran10% and three levels of spawning rates (5, 10, and 15%) on growth, morphological characteristics and chemical composition of Pleurotus Pulmonarius mushrooms were examined. These organic ingredients include: (Wheat straw (WS), Rice straw (RS), cardboard, Populus Canadensis sawdust (PC), and Salix Alba sawdust(WW). The study found that organic substrates, such as wheat straw and rice straw, had a significant effect on the mushrooms’ fresh weight 1087.33g and 1030.67g respectively. Supplements increased the fruit content of crude protein15.3%, nitrogen2.44%, fiber15.44%, and carbohydrates 50.44% without affecting vitamin C 3.38 mg/100 g. It also found that a spawn rate of 15% was optimal for protein19.62%, nitrogen 3.13%, carbohydrates 52.26%, and vitamin C 4.1 mg/100 g content in the fruits, while the lowest content was observed at a spawn rate of 5% protein 8.87%, nitrogen 1.42%, carbohydrates 46.31%, and vitamin C 2.6 mg/100 g content in the fruits.
Use of Genetic Algorithm to Optimize Energy Efficiency, Construction Cost, and Daylight in Building Design

Buildings are a major consumer of energy and electricity in the overall energy consumption profile of a city. According to the IPCC AR6 report, buildings contribute to 40% of the overall GHG emissions. Widespread transformations in system and performance are required to achieve the global target of 1.5 °C. Since the overall process of energy efficiency is based on several parameters and their associated cost functions, it is necessary to use suitable optimization techniques to find the most effective outcome focusing primarily on productivity, utilization, and efficiency. The study involves the application of a Genetic Algorithm for optimization techniques toward energy efficiency, construction cost, and daylight. A single-floor office building having a floor area of 1000 m2 has been simulated in EnergyPlus. Two optimization variables – Window-to-Wall Ratio and Glass SHGC have been considered for the study keeping the rest of the variables constant. The associated cost functions were the First Cost of the Building, Annual Operational Energy, and the Daylight Area. The Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) was applied for the study. The results were compared with the simulation values and optimal solution convergence was observed.
Nature Relatedness, Eco-centric Concerns, Future Time Perspective, and Pro-ecological Behavior in Young Adults

Human civilization poses a grave threat to global biodiversity, evident in climate change, species extinction, infectious diseases, food production challenges, droughts, and floods. To reverse this peril, societal structures and individual behavior must transform. Embracing pro-ecological behavior is pivotal in combating environmental issues, reducing waste, curbing pollutants, and minimizing harm. Furthermore, fostering a connection to nature, embracing sustainability, and adopting a long-term perspective can aid in resolving these challenges. This research explores the link between nature-relatedness, eco-centric concerns, future time perspective, and pro-ecological behavior among 210 young adults. Utilizing multiple regression and Pearson’s correlation, the study reveals significant positive correlations between pro-ecological behavior and nature-relatedness, eco-centric concerns, and future time perspective. Moreover, these factors significantly predict pro-ecological behavior in young adults. These findings offer insights for developing strategies and interventions to nurture pro-ecological and sustainable behavior in future generations, bolstering environmental preservation efforts. The study discusses the limitation and their repercussions.
Identification of Some Fungi Causing Okra Root Rot Disease from Different Regions of Anbar and Waist and Testing Pathogenicity

The study was conducted in the Department of Plant Protection - College of Agriculture - University of Anbar for the year 2022, as the results of collecting samples from the regions of Anbar and Waist governorates showed the spread of okra root rot disease in most of the study areas, and the results of phenotypic and molecular diagnosis showed the presence of the fungal species Pythium Aphanidermatum, Fusarium proliferatum, Epicoccum nigrum, Itersonilia perplexans, Fusarium chlamydosporum, Rhizoctonia solani, which were deposited in the International Genbank OQ572440, OQ540926, OQ566939, OQ540927, OQ540928, OQ540929 (NCBI) seeds, respectively. Okra, as the tested isolates achieved a significant decrease in the germination of okra seeds on the culture medium (W.A. Water agar) compared with the control treatment that was not contaminated with any of the tested isolates, in which the infection rate was 0.0%.
Chemotaxonomy of Twelve Mimosoideae Species in Iraq

Samples of twelve species belong to mimosoideae were collected from baghdad. The current study aimed to screen the bioactive compounds from leaves methanol extracts of twelve species from Mimosoideae to assess the phytochemical compounds properties. The twelve species of Mimosoideae were Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. , Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. , Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. , Albizia julibrissin Durazz, Calliandra haematocephala, Leucaena leucocephala subsp leucocephala, Leucaena leucocephala subsp. glabrata, Mimosa pudica L. , Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth. , Prosopis farcta (Banks &Sol.) J.F. Macbr. , and Prosopis juliflora (SW.) DC. , belong to seven genera grown in Baghdad/ Iraq. Methanolic leave extracts of these species were subjected to GC/MS analysis. Data obtained from GC/MS isolation revealed that these species were qualitatively and quantitatively differed. Where, C. haematocephala leaves extract contained predominantly 9-Octadecenoic acid, (E)-(cis-oleic acid) of 11.60%, M. pudica possessed 21.03% of Methyl (methyl 4-O-methyl-α-d-mannopyranoside) urinate, L. leucocephala sups. leucocephala had 54% of Methyl (methyl 4-O-methyl-α-d, P. farcta involved 29.32 % of 4,6-Di-O-methyl-α-d-galactose. Conclusively, these species were chemically differed. Therefore, the chemical compounds could be used as tool for categorizing the mimosoids species.
MORPHOLOGICAL ASPECTS FOR SELECTING NEW BEDDING PLANTS

Morphological properties are the first factors considered when choosing new ornamental plants. For bedding plants thick foliage and rich in blooming are traditionally appreciated. However, plants with modest growth habit may form a very decorative group if planted in great numbers. Therefore, to determine the suitability of a species for bedding purposes, not only single plant should be evaluated. Data collected during several years from the experimental collection of many ornamental bedding plants form the basis of this research. All species were planted in groups, with minimum 30 plants in each. The evaluations of decorative properties of species were analysed per group. In addition to height, number and diameter of flowers, thickness of a plant group were considered as an important property. Thickness was characterized by the vertical distribution of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in a plant group. New aspects to be followed in choosing species suitable for bedding plants and some methods to be used in comparing new bedding plants are discussed.
Estimating tree heights with images from an unmanned aerial vehicle

ABSTRACT Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have been used in a variety of fields in the last decade. In forestry, they have been used to estimate tree heights and crowns with different sensors. This approach, with a consumer-grade onboard system camera, is becoming popular because it is cheaper and faster than traditional photogrammetric methods and UAV-light detecting and ranging systems (UAV-LiDAR). In this study, UAV-based imagery reconstruction, processing, and local maximum filter methods are used to obtain individual tree heights from a coniferous urban forest. A low-cost onboard camera and a UAV with a 96-cm wingspan made it possible to acquire high resolution aerial images (6.41 cm average ground sampling distance), ortho-images, digital elevation models, and point clouds in one flight. Canopy height model, obtained by extracting the digital surface model from the digital terrain model, was filtered locally based on the pixel-based window size using the provided algorithm. For accuracy assessment, ground-based tree height measurements were made. There was a high 94% correlation and a root-mean-square error of 28 cm. This study highlights the accuracy of the method and compares favourably to more expensive methods.
Arcuate thrust systems in sandbox experiments: A comparison to the external arcs of the Western Alps

In the external Western Alps, two regional structural arcs were generated during Tertiary northwest-directed collision between the Apulian indenter and the European passive margin. These arcs, distinguished by their geographic position and their age, are examined by using a new compilation of structural data and comparing these to the results of sandbox-analogue experiments. The principal Western Alpine arc comprises two orthogonal, synchronous thrust systems. In the late Eocene–early Miocene, major shortening (105 km) was toward the northwest to west-northwest, and minor shortening (11 km) was toward the southwest. Shortening in each branch decreased toward the core of the arc. During the late Miocene and Pliocene, the Jura arc accommodated 35 km of northwest- directed shortening, while 10.5 km of southwest- to south-southwest–directed shortening was accommodated on the Digne thrust system. Sandbox experiments were used to investigate the role of the motion vector of a rigid rectangular indenter (orthogonal, diagonal, curved, or rotational paths) and the mechanical stratigraphy of the foreland in the evolution of upper-crustal arcuate systems (e.g., presence of a basal easy-slip [silicone] horizon). Comparison of experimental results with the external Alpine arc suggests that the indenter followed a slightly diagonal path with respect to the European margin from the Eocene to the early Miocene and curved counterclockwise by 10°–15° in the middle Miocene. Mechanical stratigraphy experiments support the hypothesis that thick Triassic evaporites played a primary role in the evolution of the Jura arc. The influence of mechanical stratigraphy was most prominent during weak deformation at the external boundaries of the Alpine orogen (Jura fold-and-thrust belt, Digne thrust).