Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HazMatMapper: an online and interactive geographic visualization tool for exploring transnational flows of hazardous waste and environmental justice

ABSTRACT HazMatMapper is an online and interactive geographic visualization tool designed to facilitate exploration of transnational flows of hazardous waste in North America (http://geography.wisc.edu/hazardouswaste/map/). While conventional narratives suggest that wealthier countries such as Canada and the United States (US) export waste to poorer countries like Mexico, little is known about how waste trading may affect specific sites within any of the three countries. To move beyond anecdotal discussions and national aggregates, we assembled a novel geographic dataset describing transnational hazardous waste shipments from 2007 to 2012 through two Freedom of Information Act requests for documents held by the US Environmental Protection Agency. While not yet detailing all of the transnational hazardous waste trade in North America, HazMatMapper supports multiscale and site-specific visual exploration of US imports of hazardous waste from Canada and Mexico. It thus enables academic researchers, waste regulators, and the general public to generate hypotheses on regional clustering, transnational corporate structuring, and environmental justice concerns, as well as to understand the limitations of existing regulatory data collection itself. Here, we discuss the dataset and design process behind HazMatMapper and demonstrate its utility for understanding the transnational hazardous waste trade.
Évolution de la surface réactive du feldspath potassique au cours de son altération en contexte géothermal : étude expérimentale et modélisation

L’objectif de cette these est de quantifier l’evolution de la surface reactive d’un silicate modele (orthose) lors de son alteration hydrothermale et estimer son impact sur la cinetique reactionnelle. L’etude porte sur : (1) l’influence de la presence de couverture de phases secondaires a meme la surface de l’orthose, (2) l’impact de l’anisotropie de la structure cristalline de l’orthose et (3) l’effet de la formation de puits de corrosion en surface. Les resultats experimentaux et numeriques mettent en evidence que la vitesse de dissolution de l’orthose et son evolution au cours du temps dependent essentiellement de sa morphologie.Certaines faces cristallines se dissolvent 10 fois plus rapidement que d’autres, entrainant une augmentation de la proportion de faces rapides au cours du processus et une elevation, jusqu’a un ordre de grandeur, de la vitesse de dissolution globale de l’orthose. Ces resultats ouvrent d’importantes pistes de reflexion sur la methode adequate pour rendre compte des cinetiques des interactions fluide/roche sur le terrain ainsi que sur la signification des lois de vitesse et des mecanismes reactionnels determines a partir d’experiences sur poudre.
Reconstruction and Deformation of Objects from Sampled Point Clouds

Reconstructing a quality mesh representing an unknown surface from a set of points sampled on that surface is a fundamental problem in geometric modeling, with many applications in science and engineering. In the past decades, many reconstruction methods have been proposed. Among them, Delaunay triangulation and its dual, Voronoi diagram, have been proven to be powerful tools for reconstruction of smooth surface with moderate size of sampling. However, the application of Delaunay triangulation for reconstruction faces two problems: large data sets and samples from piece-wise smooth surfaces with possible noise. In this dissertation, we improve the scalability, versatility and robustness of Delaunay/Voronoi based reconstruction methods. For a large data set, the entire Delaunay triangulation may not be loaded into memory due to its large number of simplices. We extend a surface reconstruction algorithm suitable for large point sets. This method is an octree-based version of the well-known Cocone reconstruction algorithm. It allows independent processing of small subsets of the total input point set. When the points are sufficiently sampled from a smooth surface, the global guarantee of topological correctness of the original Cocone is preserved, together with its guarantees on geometric accuracy. The presence of “singularities” such as boundaries, sharp features and non-manifolds makes the reconstruction of piece-wise smooth surfaces a difficult problem. Existence of
Predicting the Direction of the Lq45 Stock Market in Indonesia

To cope with the unpredictability of the stock market, investors should have a solid understanding of the ups and downs of bullish and bearish phases. This is especially true when looking at Indonesia's LQ45 index, which consists of 45 of the most liquid stocks in Indonesia. This study carefully predicts the future direction of movement of the LQ45 stock price index by first figuring out its bearish and bullish periods, and then finding important macroeconomic factors. In this study, techniques such as X13 ARIMA SEATS, Bry-Boschan, and Binomial Logistic Regression are used to find clear bullish and bearish phases in the LQ45 index time frame. These techniques also point out certain macroeconomic indicators, such as Motor Sales, Retail Sales, Oil Price, BI Rate, 1-month Deposito Rate Working Capital Rate, Rupiah Exchange Rate, Inflation Narrow Money, Broad Money, US PMI Manufacture, and US Inflation, which have a great effect on these market conditions, as indicated by their p-values. Based on these insights, predictive models were created to show how the LQ45 index may change in the future. These models provide asset management companies with a solid basis for making smart investment decisions, with a tendency to be more aggressive when the market is up and more cautious when the market is down. This study is special because it combines the analysis of LQ45 index market trends with important macroeconomic factors in a way that has never been done before in the Indonesian market.
Development of an Active helical drive Self-Balancing in-pipe robot based on Compound Planetary gearing

As pipelines increase in age, the required number of pipeline inspections and maintenance also increases on a yearly basis. Regular inspection and maintenance of pipelines using in-pipe robots can eliminate safety hazards in time and ensure production safety. The current study proposes an active helical drive self-balancing in-pipe robot that is based on compound planetary gearing. The design of the driving and supporting systems is described. The gear ratio and obstacle negotiating of the robot are analysed. Traction experiment of the prototype is conducted to demonstrate the eﬀectiveness of the proposed structure. Within the same length, the proposed conﬁguration can be connected in series to a multi-section drive system. The presented in-pipe robot has larger traction force than an active helical drive support-balanced in-pipe robot. The robot can conduct further inspections and implement repair tools to complete pipeline inspection and maintenance work simultaneously.
Flexible and responsive growth strategy of the Ediacaran skeletal Cloudina from the Nama Group, Namibia

The Ediacaran skeletal tubular putative metazoan Cloudina occurs globally in carbonate settings, which both provided lithified substrates and minimized the cost of skeletonization. Habitat and substrate preferences and the relationship of Cloudina to other metazoans have not been fully documented, so we know little as to its ecological demands or community dynamics. In situ Cloudina from the Nama Group, Namibia (ca. 550–541 Ma), formed mutually attached reefs composed of successive assemblages in shallow, high-energy environments, and also communities attached to either stromatolites in storm-influenced deep inner-ramp settings or thin microbial mats in lower-energy habitats. Each assemblage shows statistically distinct tube diameter cohorts, but in sum, Cloudina shows an exponential frequency distribution of diameter size. In reefs, we document a periodicity of size variation, where mean, minimum, and maximum tube diameters vary together and show a systematic increase toward the top of each assemblage. We conclude that most Nama Group Cloudina represent one ecologically generalist taxon with highly variable size, that size was environmentally mediated, and that Cloudina could respond rapidly to periodic environmental changes. While Nama Group skeletal metazoans coexisted with soft-bodied biota, there was no apparent ecological interaction, as they were segregated into lithified carbonate and non-lithified clastic microbial mat communities, respectively. We infer that ecological flexibility allowed Cloudina to form varied communities that colonized diverse carbonate substrates under low levels of interspecific substrate competition. This is in notable contrast to the earliest Cambrian skeletal epibenthos that formed biodiverse reef communities with specialist niche occupancy.
Sediment bypass tunnel design – review and outlook

Reservoir sedimentation is increasingly affecting the majority of reservoirs all over the world. As many dams are more than 50 years of age, this problem is becoming more and more seriou403s nowadays. Reservoir sedimentation leads to various severe problems such as a decisive decrease of the active reservoir volume leading to both loss of energy production and water available for water supply and irrigation. These problems will intensify in the very next future, because sediment supply tends to increase due to climate change. Therefore countermeasures have to be developed. They can be divided into the three main categories sediment yield reduction, sediment routing and sediment removal. This paper focuses on sediment routing by means of sediment bypass tunnels. Sediment bypass tunnels are an effective measure to stop or at least decrease the reservoir sedimentation process. By routing the sediments around the reservoir into the tailwater in case of flood events sediment accumulation of both bed load and suspended load is reduced significantly. However, the number of sediment bypass tunnels in the world is limited primarily due to high investment and above all maintenance costs. The state-ofthe-art design criteria of constructing bypass tunnels are summarized herein; major problems such as tunnel invert abrasion are discussed. The need for further research regarding sediment transport in bypass tunnels and invert abrasion is highlighted.
Uso del paisaje en el sector sur del

La descripcion del territorio puede abordarse desde diferentes perspectivas, segun los alcances y objetivos del estudio. Dentro de la perspectiva de la etnoecologia es posible estudiar la dimension social del territorio. Dentro del enfoque de la ecologia del paisaje se aborda una descripcion integral desde la dimension fisico - biotica. En este contexto, se realizo el proceso de investigacion descriptiva orientado a elaborar un diagnostico espacio - temporal sobre la percepcion, aprovechamiento y manejo de recursos naturales realizado por tres comunidades indigenas ticuna que habitan dentro y en la zona de amortiguacion del Parque Natural Nacional Amacayacu en la Amazonia colombiana
Provendo múltiplas transferências de dados em massa em redes ópticas elásticas

The Elastic Optical Networks technology (EON) provides the necessary infrastructure to cope with Multiple Bulk Data Transfer (MBDT), being able to allocate dynamic and flexible optical circuits adapting itself to the demands. This work proposes solutions to circuit allocation in EON that are aware of the idiosyncrasies of MBDTs in a scenario of databases resynchronization in networks which interconnect data centers. The results obtained shows that the application-aware solutions establish up to three times more successful MBDTs calls if compared to conventional solutions.
Analisis Tingkat Kepuasan Mahasiswa Terhadap Aplikasi iPusnas Menggunakan Model End User Computing Satisfaction (EUCS)

Dengan menggunakan model End User Computing Satisfaction (EUCS), penelitian ini mengkaji tingkat kepuasan mahasiswa terhadap aplikasi iPusnas. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengukur seberapa puas mahasiswa terhadap aplikasi iPusnas. Model End User Computing Satisfaction (EUCS), yang mengukur kepuasan pengguna dengan sistem informasi berdasarkan pengalaman pengguna, digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Populasi penelitian ini adalah 167 mahasiswa pascasarjana dari Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta yang juga tergabung dalam grup WhatsApp Pascasarjana IIS 2021. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kuantitatif. 42 responden, atau 25% dari populasi, dipilih oleh peneliti sebagai sampel. Teknik analisis persentase digunakan untuk melakukan analisis. Temuan penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa 72,6% pengguna merasa puas dengan aplikasi iPusnas, menempatkannya dalam kategori puas. Responden penelitian ini sampai pada kesimpulan bahwa sistem iPusnas efektif dan efisien dalam penggunaan karena tidak memakan banyak waktu dan dapat diakses di mana saja, kapan saja.
Remote versus onsite proctored exams: comparing students’ results in physical fitness testing

Background and Study Aim. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, distance learning has become a widespread practice in educational institutions worldwide, leading to the adoption of remote electronic examinations (e-exams) as a primary method of assessment. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of admission tests for the sport sciences department, contrasting traditional face-to-face onsite testing with online-based remote testing. Material and Methods. A total of 500 students applied (n =177 distance learning students, n =323 onsite students). From the tests, differences in levels of physical fitness (long jump, sit-ups, burpees, and pull-ups/push-ups) were compared between the remote and the onsite participants. Results. According to univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA), there was a significant difference in the level of physical fitness (long jump, sit-up, burpees, and pull-up/push-up tests) between the remote participants (154.01 ± 83.1 cm; 13.85 ± 8.21 reps/60 sec; 6.76 ± 6.52 reps/30 sec; 11.36 ± 8.0 pull-ups/push-ups, respectively) and the onsite participants (172.34 ± 27.0; 15.28 ± 4.01 reps/60 sec; 27.29 ± 6.61 reps/30 sec; 14.76 ± 9.47 pull-ups/push-ups, respectively). Conclusions. The results of the present study indicate that the outcomes of physical fitness tests were significantly higher among onsite participants compared to remote participants. Despite the successful implementation of admission test procedures in the distance sport sciences department, the findings suggest a preference for physical fitness tests among onsite participants due to various factors, including 1) increased motivation, 2) model friction, and 3) competitive atmosphere.
INTEGRATING MULTI-SCALE DATA FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF WATER AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY IN THE KHARAA—ORKHON—SELENGA RIVER SYSTEM

The environmental and socio-enonomic impacts of water pollution are particularly severe in regions with relatively limited water resources [WWAP, 2012]. Water quantity and quality are closely interlinked aspects which are relevant for surface water ecology, water use, and integrated management approaches. However, an intensive monitoring of both is usually prohibitive for very large areas, particularly if it includes the investigation of underlying processes and causes. For the Kharaa - Orkhon - Selenga River system, this paper combines results from the micro (experimental plots, individual point data), meso (Kharaa River Basin) and macro (Selenge River Basin) scales. On the one hand, this integration allows an interpretation of existing data on surface water quantity and quality in a wider context. On the other hand, it empirically underpins the complimentary character of intensive monitoring in selected model regions with more extensive monitoring in larger areas.
Risk Screening of Introduced African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) (Burchell, 1822) in Sarawak Using the Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit (FISK v2)

African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is a popular non-native fish for aquaculture in Malaysia. The issues of non-native fish species have not been much discussed despite general perception of the negative effects of the species on the native biodiversity. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the possible risk of C. gariepinus in Sarawak using a semi-quantitative system of Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit version 2 (FISK v2). There are 49 questions in FISK v2 assessment which was assessed by three independent assessors with fisheries knowledge in Sarawak. Threshold was set at 19.0. Descriptive Statistics using SPSS 25.0 was used to run FISK score from three assessors. Result shows that Clarias gariepinus was categorised as “very high risk”. Clarias gariepinus has a FISK score of 43.00 ± 1.00 with a certainty factor of 0.89 ± 0.08. Environmental and biological criteria, followed by the economic impacts for this species and the gaps in legislation and framework in Sarawak were discussed thoroughly. It can be concluded that this preliminary assessment might have indicate a sign of invasion of this non-native species to the local biodiversity. The tool could be more robust if more comprehensive data are included which eventually be useful to assist in decisions regarding future management of non-native species in Sarawak.
Effect weight training on muscular hypertrophy: a systematic review

Background and Study Aim. In the context of the growing importance of strength training, the analysis of the impact of strength loads on muscle hypertrophy becomes increasingly significant. Therefore, it is critical to comprehend both the effects of strength training on stimulating muscle growth and the potential ramifications. This study aimed to systematically analyze and collate the existing scientific evidence on the effects of weight training on muscle hypertrophy. Material and Methods. The research method involved the source selection of relevant studies from various databases, with predefined inclusion criteria. A thorough literature search was conducted, followed by data extraction focusing on study design, subject population, type of weight training, duration, and outcome measures of muscle hypertrophy. Databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus were the primary sources of literature searches. Results. The results of this systematic review indicated evidence supporting the positive effect of weight training on muscle hypertrophy in most of the studies included. However, some studies produced controversial findings or even showed no significant impact. Factors such as variations in exercise type, intensity, and frequency also influence the outcome of weight training on muscle growth. Conclusions. While weight training has the potential to stimulate muscle hypertrophy, its effects may vary based on various factors. Therefore, selecting the correct type of exercise, setting the appropriate intensity, and planning the frequency of activity is essential in achieving optimal results. This study has strong relevance in fostering effective and safe exercise programs.It can also serve as a basis for further research in exploring other factors that may influence weight training-induced muscle hypertrophy outcomes.
Enhancing Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis: Leveraging Convolutional Neural Networks for Feature Extraction and KNN Classification

Detecting Alzheimer's disease (AD) accurately is crucial for early patient management, allowing for proactive steps to minimize irreversible brain damage. AD-related cognitive decline varies in severity, from mild cognitive impairment to mild, moderate, and severe dementia. Early AD detection serves various purposes, such as reducing healthcare costs, slowing brain degeneration, and enhancing treatment outcomes. Machine learning techniques, especially in MRI image analysis, have gained significance in AD diagnosis. In our research, we've employed a deep learning model with convolutional layers for extracting essential information from MRI scans. Additionally, we've utilized the gray wolf meta-heuristic algorithm to identify optimal features. These features are then used in a K-nearest neighbors (KNN) classifier to categorize AD into three distinct types (very mild, mild, and moderate) while distinguishing normal and healthy cases. Our approach achieved an impressive accuracy rate of 95.6% when tested.
Student Perceptions of Community-Engaged Scholarship Courses: Developing a Sociolinguistic Corpus on the U.S.–Mexico Border

Community-based sociolinguistic corpora are collections of informal interviews with community members who comprise an important dataset in sociolinguistics. Although some scholars have involved students in developing sociolinguistic corpora, few studies have examined students’ perspectives on these projects. Furthermore, very few studies examine the perceptions of underrepresented college students who are themselves members of the surrounding community. The present study analyzes the perceptions of students involved in community-engaged scholarship (CES) courses at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on the U.S.–Mexico border. In these CES courses, predominantly Mexican American students contribute to the documentation of language in South Texas through the Corpus Bilingüe del Valle (Christoffersen & Bessett, 2019). A qualitative analysis of 38 student responses reveals six significant themes: a greater knowledge of transcription, increased connection with one’s own community, enhanced understanding from experiential learning and research experience, development of professional skills, a heightened appreciation of local language varieties, and pride in participating in a large-scale research project. These responses demonstrate the benefits of CES and serve to encourage sociolinguists to incorporate community-based corpora development in linguistics and language classes. More broadly, the results highlight the importance and impact of CES experiences for underrepresented college students, especially those incorporating course-based undergraduate research experiences.
Farmer preferences for conservation incentives that promote voluntary phosphorus abatement in agricultural watersheds

Financial incentives are commonly used to promote voluntary adoption of agricultural best management practices (BMPs), but little is known about farmer preferences among alternative incentives. Using experimental procurement auctions, we evaluate how different conservation incentives affect farmer willingness to adopt BMPs that reduce phosphorus (P) runoff, a major driver of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. We rank incentives (e.g., payment, BMP insurance, tax credit, and certification price premium) by the cost per pound of P runoff reduction. Payments and tax credits that target high impact areas of the watershed are more cost-effective than untargeted price premiums for product certification. Farmers demand higher payments for contracts offering BMP insurance (i.e., protection against yield loss from BMP use) due to uncertainty about how the program will be implemented and the reliability of indemnities, as well as anticipated transaction costs associated with the program. Understanding farmer preferences for different types of conservation incentives is critical to design agri-environmental programs that engage more farmers and cost-effectively enhance ecosystem services.