Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calibration and Validation of Environmental Controls on Planktic Foraminifera Mg/Ca Using Global Core‐Top Data

The Mg/Ca of planktic foraminifera is commonly assumed to be a univariate function of ocean temperature, but recent work suggests that nonthermal variables may have a secondary effect, thereby complicating an inverse approach for paleotemperature reconstructions. However, the significance of secondary variables has not been independently validated, and their inclusion may reflect statistical overfitting. Here we evaluate the significance of seven predictive variables on a global compilation (n = 1,124) of core‐top planktic foraminifera Mg/Ca spanning five species. An additive approach was used to construct models that included only variables with significant validation skill. Optimal models support the use of Mg/Ca as a paleothermometer but also find evidence for nonthermal variables: (a) Mg/Ca (N. pachy+incompta) = 0.186 ± 0.001 · exp(0.095 ± 0.002 · T) + 2.95E‐3 ± 5.4E‐6 · size; (b) Mg/Ca (G. ruber) = 0.685 ± 0.005 · exp(0.058 ± 0.001 · T) + 0.928 ± 0.02 · Omega(deep); (c); Mg/Ca (G. inflata) = 1.737 ± 0.007 · exp(0.065 ± 0.001 · T) · Omega(shallow)^‐0.734 ± 0.003; and (d) Mg/Ca (G. bulloides) = 0.623 ± 0.007 · exp(0.079 ± 0.001 · T) + 0.548 ± 0.007 · Omega(deep). Results highlight the importance of independent validation and suggest that Ω and size dependences may complicate univariate inversions for paleotemperature in some species. This is particularly true over timescales when secondary terms cannot be considered constant. Forward modeling is an attractive alternative, and improved Mg/Ca models may reduce bias in paleoceanographic data assimilation efforts. Salinity is absent from all relationships, suggesting that it may have a smaller influence than previously thought or may not vary sufficiently to be resolved at core‐top sites. The stepwise approach illustrated in this study is widely applicable, and validation exercises should be applied to the calibration of other paleoceanographic proxies.
Field evaluation of occupant satisfaction and energy performance in eight LEED-certified buildings using radiant systems

Author(s): Dawe, Megan | Abstract: In this study, we present the results of a post-occupancy assessment on thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and acoustical quality from 568 occupant surveys in eight LEED-certified buildings with radiant heating and cooling systems, and trends in low-energy consuming buildings based on building characteristics, radiant design, and building operator interviews. This study follows-up on a quantitative assessment of 60 office buildings that found radiant and all-air buildings have equal satisfaction with indoor environmental quality, with a tendency for increased thermal satisfaction in radiant buildings. Our objective was to investigate reasons of comfort and discomfort in the radiant subset, and to relate these to building characteristics and operations strategies. Our analysis revealed that the primary sources of temperature dissatisfaction are lack of control over the thermal environment (both temperature and air movement) and slow system response, both of which were seen to be alleviated with fast-response adaptive opportunities such as operable windows and personal fans. There was no optimal radiant design or operation that maximized thermal comfort, and building operators were pleased with reduced repair and maintenance associated with radiant systems compared to all-air systems. Occupants reported low satisfaction with acoustics. This was primarily due to sound privacy issues in open offices which may be exacerbated by highly reflective surfaces common in radiant spaces. Indoor air quality satisfaction appears to be aligned with thermal comfort more than ventilation strategy, and buildings with low annual energy consumption take advantage of free cooling and avoid heating and cooling in the same day or same season.
The Implications of Business English Mock Exams on Language Progress at Higher Education.

Language learning has been increasingly influenced by technology over the last decades thanks to its positive effects on language acquisition. It is thanks to the technology’s supportive role towards language learning that an increasing number of online foreign language courses have appeared. Besides, foreign language courses are more and more specialised covering a wide range of topics, from nursing to agricultural studies. However, this study is exclusively concerned with a well-known Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) subject: Business English. The objective of this research is twofold: on the one hand, to describe the implications of mock exams on foreign language learning; on the other hand, it aims at contributing to the field of computerised language testing by properly analysing the effects of these kinds of exams on learners’ foreign language progress. Previous studies have focused on the development of specific language skills (Dunkel, 1991; Larson, 2000), or have reported the improvement of computer adaptive testing on official language exams (Alderson, 2000), or have simply described the advantages and disadvantages of computerbased tests (Alderson, 2000; Brown, 1997; Dunkel, 1999). However, few studies have considered the role of mock exams as scaffolding activities for language learning. The present study involves adult participants at the higher education context undertaking online Business English as a compulsory subject of their degree on Economics. The paper discusses the importance of scaffolding activities such as mock exams and self1. Centro de Educación Infantil y Primaria La Moraña, Arévalo, Ávila, Spain; rgoromero@gmail.com How to cite this chapter: González Romero, R. (2016). The implications of business English mock exams on language progress at higher education. In A. Pareja-Lora, C. Calle-Martínez, & P. Rodríguez-Arancón (Eds), New perspectives on teaching and working with languages in the digital era (pp. 293-302). Dublin: Research-publishing.net. http://dx.doi. org/10.14705/rpnet.2016. tislid2014.442
Study of Non-predictive Patterns of Non-Ionizing Radiation in the City of Salta in Argentine

Non-ionizing radiation (NIR) is a subject of continuous debate despite having been regulated internationally and at the level of organizations in all countries. This debate is focused on the level of population exposure to non-ionizing radiation density, since there is no certain evidence of the level of safety of the values adopted ranging from 0.2 mW/cm 2 to 0.2 uW/cm 2 according to the regulations of each state. The radiation precisions are made with models that evolve to take into account most of the factors that can attenuate the radiation emitted from an antenna from free space to models that take reflection and diffraction as attenuation factors. However, our work deepens in a phenomenon that is verified in measurement campaigns that is one of the values that do not fit with predictive models and that, on the contrary instead of showing attenuation, have higher values than expected. This work shows the results of observation campaigns of these points and their relationship with environmental conditions, which present diverse probabilities to explain their condition.
Developing visitors' perception indicators on natural resource conservation in Tasik Kenyir, Malaysia

The purpose of this paper is to develop scale to measure the indicators of the visitors’ perception on natural resources conservation for ecotourism development in Tasik Kenyir, Malaysia. Constructed questionnaires were distributed to visitors in Tasik Kenyir who were selected using the convenience sampling method which is a non-probability sampling technique. The data collection method used in this study was the face-to-face interview. Descriptive analysis was used to describe the socio-demographic profiles of the respondents in this study, while factor analysis was used to develop the scale for the visitors’ perception on natural resource conservation. Results obtained in this study indicate that 24 variables have significant contribution in determining the perception on the indicators of natural resource conservation and are distributed into nine factors. These findings can be used undertaking the conservation of natural resource for the development of ecotourism.
Analog testing stimulus optimization for generating by means of Sigma-Delta modulation

This paper proposes the evolutionary technique of the stimulus signal optimization for the analog electronic circuit testing purpose. The obtained signal is coded with Sigma-Delta modulation usage that allows to generate it easily by simple microcontrollers without the necessity of expensive D/A peripherals applying. The signal with the controlled impulses density may be obtained on the external output terminal of the typical timer and finally, it defines the analog signal that can be reconstructed after low pass filtering.
Anaerobic processes for waste biomass treatment: applications and mathematical modeling

The increasing global energy demand and depletion of fossil fuels are driving international policies to promote the use of alternative energy sources, leading to the mitigation of global warming and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this context, the sustainable valorisation via biological anaerobic processes of organic waste biomasses represents a promising technology for producing renewable energy and value added chemicals in a biorefinery concept. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and Dark Fermentation (DF) are the most explored biological routes to produce renewable energy in the form of methane and hydrogen gas, respectively. Due to its high flexibility and applicability to a wide range of organic substrates, AD has been largely adopted in full scale applications, with increasing interest from both academia and industries. Conversely, low biohydrogen yields and incomplete biomass conversion limit DF scaled-up applications as a self-standing biotechnology for energy production. Moreover, the combination of different anaerobic processes, such as DF-AD or DF-Photo-Fermentation (PF), might be adopted to overcome the main drawbacks deriving from the application of DF processes. A significant example is represented by the use of DF by-products, such as organic acids and alcohols, for H2 production via PF. The combined DF-PF process results in the increase of the total hydrogen yield (usually evaluated in terms of mol H2 mol C6H12O6-1) and the production of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), which are stored by Purple Non-Sulphur Bacteria, performing the PF step, as a carbon reserve available under nutrient starvation. In this thesis, different anaerobic technologies have been applied to achieve higher biogas yields and/or by-products valorisation in a biorefinery concept. In particular, the enhancement of AD performances, in terms of biogas productivity, has been addressed by optimizing the crucial start-up phase of an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor. The stability of DF and enhancement of biohydrogen yields have been obtained by optimizing the operative conditions of a DF reactor continuously fed with cheese whey in thermophilic regimen, and by adopting a combined DF-PF configuration for the energetic valorisation of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes, respectively. Contextually, the valorisation of Dark Fermentation effluents (DFE) was achieved by i) producing PHB via PF, ii) extracting value added acids with anionic resins or iii) using DFE as a complex media for the dissolution of recalcitrant materials. Furthermore, a 1-D mathematical model has been presented to analyse and predict the microbial colonization of anaerobic multispecies biofilms.
Influence of Habitat Heterogeneity on Small Mammals in the Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska

Although the loss of prairie is substantial across the extent of its historic range, large portions of native rangeland still remain throughout Nebraska. It is critical that resource managers and private landowners manage rangelands in a manner that will enhance ecosystem integrity by using techniques that provide disturbance regimes. Heterogeneity based management, such as patch-burn grazing and rest-rotation grazing, can be used as a conservation tool to increase biodiversity within management units and at a landscape level. Heterogeneity-based management has received much attention in the literature within the past decade, but there has been little focus on how these management systems influence small mammal communities. I trapped small mammals and surveyed vegetation structure among rangelands during 2009 and 2010 at the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust in the Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska to determine the influence of structural heterogeneity on small mammals. Vertical height, litter depth, bare ground, and standing dead vegetation were different among burn units during both years. My data indicated no difference in grasses, forbs, or litter cover among burn units for either year. I used the significant variables in a direct gradient analysis to identify which variables were critical in determining small mammal species presence. The species identified with vegetation variables for 2009 but not 2010 suggested there were other variables not considered in my study. Species diversity measurements indicated the recently disturbed burn units had the lowest small mammal diversity and the undisturbed burn units had the greatest diversity. Community similarity was highest among similar burn units, which indicated that small mammal communities were similar among similar burn units during 2009 and 2010. Resource managers should recognize that alternative grazing systems that create a mosaic of vegetation structure can provide evolutionary processes necessary for prairie ecosystem function. Small mammals play a crucial role in grassland ecosystems and by using heterogeneity-based management, small mammal diversity increased which can lead to a healthier ecosystem.
Reviewing the discoverability and accessibility to data and information products linked to Essential Climate Variables

ABSTRACT Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) are geophysical records generated from systematic Earth Observations associated with climate variations, changes, and impacts. ECVs products support the data and information needs of international frameworks and policies such as the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We map the main networks and initiatives publishing ECVs, by presenting an overview of existing satellite-based ECVs, their general data creation characteristics, discoverability and accessibility methods from an end-user perspective. We investigate key initiatives providing or coordinating access to ECV data records, such as the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS), Joint Working Group on Climate (WGClimate), the Remote Sensing Systems (REMSS), and the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (ESA CCI). We find that ECV data discovery and access is difficult and time consuming due to the lack of common data and metadata catalogues. In addition, the selection of fit-for-purpose data records by end-users requires the implementation of interoperable standards and scalable data infrastructures to allow the generation of tailored applications and data-driven information products in support of decision-making processes.
Widespread Initiation, Reactivation, and Acceleration of Landslides in the Northern California Coast Ranges due to Extreme Rainfall

Episodically to continuously active slow‐moving landslides are driven by precipitation. Climate change, which is altering both the frequency and magnitude of precipitation worldwide, is therefore predicted to have a major impact on landslides. Here we examine the behavior of hundreds of slow‐moving landslides in northern California in response to large changes in annual precipitation that occurred between 2016 and 2018. We quantify the landslide displacement using repeat‐pass radar interferometry and pixel offset tracking techniques on a novel data set from the airborne NASA/JPL Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar. We found that 312 landslides were moving due to extreme rainfall during 2017, compared to 119 during 2016, which was the final year of a historic multiyear drought. However, with a return to below to average rainfall in 2018, only 146 landslides remained in motion. The increased number of landslides during 2017 was primarily accommodated by landslides that were smaller than the landslides that remained active between 2016 and 2018. Furthermore, by examining a subset of 51 landslides, we found that 49 had increased velocities during 2017 when compared to 2016. Our results show that slow‐moving landslides are sensitive to large changes in annual precipitation, particularly the smaller and thinner landslides that likely experience larger basal pore‐water pressure changes. Based on climate model predictions for the next century in California, which include increases in average annual precipitation and increases in the frequency of dry‐to‐wet extremes, we hypothesize that there will be an overall increase in landslide activity.
Quantifying the impact of protected areas on near-global waterbird population trends, a pre-analysis plan

There is increasing interest in the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) for supporting populations of wildlife. While there are a number of association studies showing a relationship between protected areas and abundance or trends in wild species, studies with an appropriate counterfactual (what would have happened in the absence of protection) are rare. We use the world’s largest database on waterbird counts (covering 587 species at 21,989 sites globally) to answer three questions: 1) Do PAs have a positive impact on waterbird population trends relative to a counterfactual (this includes cases where a PA has lessened, but not halted, a population decline)? ; 2) are PAs performing successfully by maintaining or increasing populations? and 3) what factors contribute to PA impact and performance? We selected 15,703 waterbird populations (here defined as a site species combination), consisting of 311 species at 870 protected sites, where PA designation occurred at least 5 years after the first survey date, and 5 years before the last. We will use this to compare trends before PA designation to those afterwards. We then matched these sites to unprotected sites with similar covariates in the years before PA designation, resulting in a matching dataset of 6,451 populations pairs consisting of 39 species at 769 pairs of protected and unprotected sites. We will use this to compare trends both before and after PA designation and inside and outside of PAs. Our results will shed light on the impact of PA on hundreds of waterbird species, providing much needed evidence regarding PA effectiveness. As PA performance is a sensitive subject and it is important to develop hypotheses before knowing the results (especially for the relatively complex data analysis used in matching protected and unprotected sites), we present a pre-analysis plan. This will ensure that the final paper’s analyses are hypotheses testing, rather than generating, and avoids the risk of, or perception of, data dredging.
A Double-Layer Electrically Controlled Birefringence Liquid-Crystal Display with a Wide-Viewing-Angle Cone

Electrically controlled birefringence (ECB) mode displays using liquid crystal with negative dielectric anisotropy are promising for highly multiplexed dot-matrix liquid-crystal displays. This mode, however, has the problem of a narrow viewing angle because it is based on the birefringence of the liquid-crystal molecule. To solve this problem, a double-layer electrically controlled birefringence (D-ECB) liquid-crystal display is proposed. In this device, each layer compensates the variation of retardation as a function of viewing angle. As a result, the liquid-crystal display with a wide-viewing-angle cone under the application of voltage was realized.
Thermokarst Effects on Carbon Dioxide and Methane Fluxes in Streams on the Peel Plateau (NWT, Canada)

Thermokarst can rapidly mobilize vast amounts of sediment, solutes, and organic carbon previously maintained in frozen soils to inland waters. Streams provide a critical pathway for transforming these materials into carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), yet the direct effects of thermokarst on fluvial C gas efflux from streams to the atmosphere are largely unknown. Working on the Peel Plateau in the western Canadian Arctic, we show that CO2 efflux in rill runoff thaw streams (runoff) within retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) was four times greater than in adjacent streams and contributed modestly but disproportionately to efflux at the landscape scale. In contrast, CH4 efflux was generally greater in adjacent streams than in RTS runoff and, overall, was within the range of values reported for other northern streams. While RTS occurrence was a primary driver of CO2 efflux, CH4 efflux was more strongly associated with conditions reflective of biological activity. Transects downstream of two RTSs revealed that CH4 consistently and rapidly degassed to the atmosphere, while elevated CO2 was sustained downstream of one RTS feature. At the watershed scale, streams adjacent to RTSs rather than runoff streams within RTSs dominated fluvial CO2 and CH4 efflux. Intensifying thermokarst activity in the western Canadian Arctic will likely amplify contributions from runoff streams in RTSs to watershed‐scale fluvial C gas efflux.
Security Architecture and Requirements for Wireless Sensor Networks

Recently, with the wider application and development of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), security issues become essential for many sensor network applications including environment monitoring, traffic controlling, military sensing, patient status monitoring and so on. In this paper, we summarize the security architecture and requirements, enumerate attacks and countermeasures in wireless sensor networks. In addition, we also summarize key management and introduce several typical key management methods. Which benefit researchers greatly to realizing the situation and trend of state-of-the-art of wireless sensor networks security.
Visual Fatigue and Mitigation for Stereoscopic Image Observation

There are a number of problems in the observation of stereoscopic images created by using parallax,in which visual fatigue is a most critical one.By means of exploring the causes and symptoms of visual fatigue in parallax-based stereoscopic image observation,the influencing mechanism of inconsistent visual convergence and focus adjustment on visual fatigue are discussed.Based on this,four strategies to mitigate the visual fatigue for parallax-based stereoscopic images observation are proposed,namely,by reducing the eye burden,by limiting the inconsistency of focus adjustment and convergence to a reasonable bound,by avoiding excessive parallax and its discontinuous variation,and by utilizing lens correction.