Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An enhanced single‐channel algorithm for retrieving land surface temperature from Landsat series data

Land surface temperature (LST) is a critical parameter in the physics of Earth surface processes and is required for many applications related to ecology and environment. Landsat series satellites have provided more than 30 years of thermal information at medium spatial resolution. This paper proposes an enhanced single‐channel algorithm (SCen) for retrieving LST from Landsat series data (Landsat 4 to Landsat 8). The SCen algorithm includes three atmospheric functions (AFs), and the latitude and acquisition month of Landsat image were added to the AF models to improve LST retrieval. Performance of the SCen algorithm was assessed with both simulated and in situ data, and accuracy of three single‐channel algorithms (including the monowindow algorithm developed by Qin et al., SCQin, and the generalized single‐channel algorithm developed by Jiménez‐Muñoz and Sobrino, SCJ&S) were compared. The accuracy assessments with simulated data had root‐mean‐square deviations (RMSDs) for the SCen, SCJ&S, and SCQin algorithms of 1.363 K, 1.858 K, and 2.509 K, respectively. Validation with in situ data showed RMSDs for the SCen and SCJ&S algorithms of 1.04 K and 1.49 K, respectively. It was concluded that the SCen algorithm is very operational, has good precision, and can be used to develop an LST product for Landsat series data.
Regression-based Age Estimates of Yellow Pine Saplings, Jefferson National Forest, Virginia

Acknowledgements This thesis is for all of the little saplings out there. I owe more thanks to Georgina DeWeese Wight than I can put words onto paper. Not only was it her idea for me to write this paper, but she also guided me along in this endeavor. I am grateful for the opportunity to write a thesis while still an undergraduate and partake in all that comes along with it. I am glad I was put under Georgina's wing; otherwise I might have failed miserably. Also, I owe a great deal of thanks to her husband, Jason Wight, for his expertise in computer software and SAS. Dr. Henri Grissino-Mayer was instrumental in this work. He guided me through unfailingly to see that I not only become a better student, but also a better researcher and geographer. I cannot leave out all of the people whom I annoyed with many questions, and yet they all answered so graciously: Abstract For studies interested in determining the age structure of a forest stand, node counting is often used for trees too small to extract an increment core. However, node counting of yellow pine (e.g. Table Mountain pine (Pinus pungens Lamb.) and Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.)) saplings has yet to be proven as a reliable method for estimating age. The most common method currently used involves removing an entire cross-section from the sapling, thereby killing the tree. This method can be detrimental in areas where Table Mountain pine stands are now in decline. If node counting proves an accurate method for determining sapling age, then harvesting of saplings would no longer be necessary. This study evaluates the effectiveness of node counting on yellow pines as a means of estimating ages of pine saplings. At Griffith Knob, located in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, branch nodes on 130 yellow pine saplings were counted to estimate age in the field, then harvested and aged by ring counts. We found that a single node counted in the field approximates 1.2 yrs of actual age. Age can be estimated in the field using the following equation: estimated age = 0.7178 (nodes) + 7.3488. Our method of estimating ages of pine saplings suggests counting branch nodes on saplings in the field is a viable method for estimating actual age.
The determinants of postpartum contraceptive use in Nigeria

Introduction Postpartum contraception is vital for maternal and child health, and reduces the risk of infant mortality. The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a widely accepted framework for exploring health behaviors, such as contraceptive use. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors influencing postpartum contraceptive use in Nigeria and to contextualize the findings within the framework of the HBM. Methods This study was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data collected from the Demographic Health Survey conducted in Nigeria (NDHS). In total, 28,041 women were included in this study. Self-reported contraceptive use was the outcome, while the explanatory variables included maternal age, place of residence, region of residence, religion, marital status, educational level, household wealth quintiles, knowledge of the ovulatory cycle, decision-maker for health care, and distance to health care facilities. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were used to summarize and identify factors influencing postpartum contraceptive use. The HBM was used to discuss the main findings. Results The prevalence of postpartum contraceptive use in Nigeria is 27%. Our findings showed that the odds of using contraceptives during the postpartum period were higher among women who knew their ovulation cycles, lived in urban areas in the southern region, had no distance barriers to health care, and were 25–49 years old. Education, wealth, and marital status also increase the odds of contraceptive use. However, women who lived in the northeast and northwest regions or shared decision-making with their partners had lower odds. Conclusion This study highlights the need for region-specific and age-focused interventions to increase contraceptive use in Nigeria. Additionally, increasing accessibility and affordability of contraceptives for younger and economically disadvantaged women, along with promoting women's autonomy in decision-making, can further enhance contraceptive use across Nigeria.
Phase-Aware Speech Enhancement With Complex Wiener Filter

In speech enhancement, accurate phase reconstruction can significantly improve speech quality. While phase-aware speech enhancement methods using the complex ideal ratio mask (cIRM) have shown promise, the estimation difficulty of the phase is shared with the real and imaginary parts of the cIRM. The pattern lacking in the imaginary part poses particular difficulties. To address this issue, we proposed a phase-aware speech enhancement method that uses a complex Wiener filter, which delegates the estimation of speech and noise amplitude properties and the phase property to different models, mitigating the issues with the cIRM and improving the effectiveness of neural-network training. Our method uses a speech-variance estimation model with a noise-robust vector-quantized variational autoencoder and a phase corrector that maximizes the scale-invariant signal-to-noise ratio in the time domain. To further improve speech-variance estimation, we propose a loss function that uses a categorical distribution of fundamental frequency (F0) for enhancing the spectral fine structure of estimated speech variance. We evaluated our method on the open dataset released by Valentini et al. to directly compare it with other speech-enhancement methods. Our method achieved a perceptual evaluation of speech quality score of 2.86 and short-time objective intelligibility score of 0.94, better than the state-of-the-art method based on cIRM estimation during the 2020 Deep Noise Challenge. Our comprehensive analysis shows that incorporating the proposed loss function for spectral-fine-structure enhancement improves speech quality, especially when the F0 is low.
Intranasal Delivery of Ketamine Induces Cortical Disinhibition

Our previous studies find that subcutaneously administered (s.c.) subanesthetic ketamine promotes sustained cortical disinhibition and plasticity in adult mouse binocular visual cortex (bV1). We hypothesized that intranasal delivery (i.n.) of subanesthetic ketamine may have similar actions. To test this, we delivered ketamine (10 mg/kg, i.n.) to adult mice and then recorded excitatory pyramidal neurons or PV+ interneurons in L2/3 of bV1 slices. In pyramidal neurons the baseline IPSC amplitudes from mice treated with ketamine are significantly weaker than those in control mice. Acute bath application of neuregulin-1 (NRG1) to cortical slices increases these IPSC amplitudes in mice treated with ketamine but not in controls. In PV+ interneurons, the baseline EPSC amplitudes from mice treated with ketamine are significantly weaker than those in control mice. Acute bath application of NRG1 to cortical slices increases these EPSC amplitudes in mice treated with ketamine but not in controls. We also found that mice treated with ketamine exhibit increased pCREB staining in L2/3 of bV1. Together, our results show that a single intranasal delivery of ketamine reduces PV+ interneuron excitation and reduces pyramidal neuron inhibition and that these effects are acutely reversed by NRG1. These results are significant as they show that intranasal delivery of ketamine induces cortical disinhibition, which has implications for the treatment of psychiatric, neurologic, and ophthalmic disorders.
Case report: A case of primary angiitis of the central nervous system: misdiagnosed for 3.5 years

Introduction Primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) is an uncommon inflammatory condition that exclusively affects blood vessels within the brain parenchyma, leptomeninges, and spinal cord. Due to its infrequency and the variability in its clinical presentation and imaging findings, diagnosing PACNS can be challenging. Case description In this study, we present the case of a teenager who initially presented with headaches and epilepsy. Comprehensive laboratory tests yield normal results. A series of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a progression of changes, starting from localized cerebral atrophy and culminating in the development of a contrast-enhanced mass with vasogenic edema. Immune-associated encephalitis and mitochondrial encephalopathy were suspected, but immunologic investigations, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (nDNA) sequencing using biopsied muscle, and muscle pathologies were all negative. Ultimately, a diagnosis of PACNS was confirmed through a stereotactic brain biopsy, which took place 3.5 years after the onset of symptoms. The patient responded favorably to treatment with glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide. Conclusion In summary, we have described a case of PACNS characterized by localized cerebral atrophy and tumor-like MRI findings, who was misdiagnosed as immune-associated encephalitis or mitochondrial encephalopathy for 3.5 years. We emphasize the importance of dynamic observation of MRI changes, as well as brain biopsy.
Phytosanitary management of ICARDA’s germplasm seed collections for safe movement and better future use

Germplasm exchange from international genebanks and breeding programs is vital for successful crop improvement programs. More than 10,000 different accessions of wheat, barley, lentil, faba bean, chickpea, grasspea, and pasture and forage crops are distributed by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) every year to around 70 countries. New accessions are added to the germplasm collections in the Center's genebank and utilized in the breeding programs. Recent years have witnessed an increasing global concern about the loss of plant genetic resources because of conflicts, human pandemic diseases, extreme weather events, pest and disease outbreaks, and natural calamities such as earthquakes, floods, etc., which led to disrupting access to germplasm and undermining social protection systems. Safety duplication of germplasm collections held in genebanks in other institutions, including international, regional, and national genebanks, as well as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (SGSV), is one of the essential measures to safeguard germplasm and also to replenish any lost accessions and resume use and distribution of seeds to users internationally. Germplasm distribution procedures are conducted per International Plant Protection Convention phytosanitary regulations to avoid the transboundary spread of seed-borne pests and pathogens. The ICARDA’s Seed Health Laboratory exercises maximum efforts to maintain the “phytosanitary clean” health status of germplasm during regeneration, conservation, distribution and ensure compliance with phytosanitary regulations in international germplasm distributions to guarantee minimum loss of genetic resources. These efforts include the development of new methods to detect and manage seed-borne pathogens. An increase in global awareness to preserve germplasm for current and future use is crucial to combat climate challenge, malnutrition, and food insecurity.
Anodic protection strategy for zinc ion batteries

With the advent of the national dual-carbon strategy, there is a burgeoning demand for large-scale energy storage systems within the national grid. Nevertheless, lithium-ion batteries have been constrained in large-scale energy storage systems due to their limitations, encompassing scarce raw materials, diminished safety profiles, and environmental concerns. In recent years, zinc-ion batteries have emerged as the most promising option for large-scale energy storage systems, owing to their cost-effectiveness, heightened safety attributes, substantial theoretical capacity, and environmental compatibility. Nonetheless, zinc anodes continue to grapple with significant challenges, including dendrite growth, corrosion passivation, and the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER), which impede the progressive advancement of zinc-ion battery anodes. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the principal failure modes and mechanisms inherent to zinc anodes derived from an in-depth analysis of their associated issues. Furthermore, it systematically reviews the primary strategies for modifying zinc-negative electrodes, encompassing diaphragm modifications, electrolyte additives, and anode modifications. This endeavor aims to offer insights and support for enhancing zinc-ion battery anodes.
Peripherally derived myeloid cells induce disease-dependent phenotypic changes in microglia

In central nervous system (CNS) injury and disease, peripherally derived myeloid cells infiltrate the CNS parenchyma and interact with resident cells, propagating the neuroinflammatory response. Because peripheral myeloid populations differ profoundly depending on the type and phase of injury, their crosstalk with CNS resident cells, particularly microglia, will lead to different functional outcomes. Thus, understanding how peripheral myeloid cells affect the phenotype and function of microglia in different disease conditions and phases may lead to a better understanding of disease-specific targetable pathways for neuroprotection and neurorepair. To this end, we set out to develop an in vitro system to investigate the communication between peripheral myeloid cells and microglia, with the goal of uncovering potential differences due to disease type and timing. We isolated peripheral myeloid cells from mice undergoing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis, or acute cerebral ischemia by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) at different times after disease and probed their ability to change the phenotype of primary microglia isolated from the brain of adult mice. We identified changes not only dependent on the disease model, but also on the timepoint after disease onset from which the myeloid cells were isolated. Peripheral myeloid cells from acute EAE induced morphological changes in microglia, followed by increases in expression of genes involved in inflammatory signaling. Conversely, it was the peripheral myeloid cells from the chronic phase of pMCAO that induced gene expression changes in genes involved in inflammatory signaling and phagocytosis, which was not followed by a change in morphology. This underscores the importance of understanding the role of infiltrating myeloid cells in different disease contexts and phases. Furthermore, we showed that our assay is a valuable tool for investigating myeloid cell interactions in a range of CNS neuroinflammatory conditions.
Bioactives and Technological Quality of Functional Biscuits Containing Flour and Liquid Extracts from Broccoli By-Products

Broccoli by-products are an important source of health-promoting bioactive compounds, although they are generally underutilized. This study aimed to valorize non-compliant broccoli florets by transforming them into functional ingredients for biscuit formulation. A broccoli flour and three water/ethanol extracts (100:0, 75:25, 50:50; v/v) were obtained. The rheological properties and the content of bioactive compounds of the functional ingredients and biscuits were evaluated. The 50:50 hydroalcoholic extract was the richest in glucosinolates (9749 µg·g−1 DW); however, the addition of a small amount strongly affected dough workability. The enrichment with 10% broccoli flour resulted the best formulation in terms of workability and color compared to the other enriched biscuits. The food matrix also contributed to protecting bioactive compounds from thermal degradation, leading to the highest total glucosinolate (33 µg·g−1 DW), carotenoid (46 µg·g−1 DW), and phenol (1.9 mg GAE·g−1 DW) contents being present in the final biscuit. Therefore, broccoli flour is a promising ingredient for innovative healthy bakery goods. Hydroalcoholic extracts could be valuable ingredients for liquid or semi-solid food formulation.
Short Communication: Molecular characteristic of taro white cattle based on DNA microsatellite markers

Abstract. Heryani LGSS, Wandia IN, Suarna IW, Puja IK, Susari NNW, Agustina KK. 2019. Short Communication: Molecular characteristic of taro white cattle based on DNA microsatellite markers. Biodiversitas 20: 671-675. This research was conducted to assess and characterize the genetics of Taro White cattle. Genetic characterizations of this cattle are essential to conservation and breeding program. A total of 18 samples and 4 pairs of microsatellite DNA markers (BM2113, BM1824, INRA023, and ETH225) were amplified by PCR and the products were run on 8% bis-Acrylamide gels. All microsatellite markers were successfully amplified with a mean allelic number of 3.25. Means of observed and expected heterozygosity were found to be 0,25 and 0,628. The Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) values ranged from 0.448 (BM1824) to 0.627 (BM2113) and fixation index were 0.620. The deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium revealed that Taro White cattle population exhibited significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and possessed a possibility of inbreeding. The microsatellite loci used or focused in the present study further validate their use for evaluation of genetic diversity of Taro White
Caracterización y distribución de germoplasma silvestre de Jatropha curcas l. (Euphorbiaceae) en el noroeste de México

Three wild populations of Jatropha curcas in the central and southern parts of Sinaloa were studied; Estacion Dimas, La Campana, and El Quelite. The objectives were to characterize plants and seeds morphologically to assess the relationship between morphological traits and environmental factors and the potential distribution of the species considering environmental factors from the study sites. All individuals/m2 and number of branches were counted, and height, diameter of cup, and basal diameter were measured. The number of seeds per kilogram was obtained, as well as color, weight, and seed length and width. Plant height ranged from 2.25 to 4.59 m; the crown diameter from 2.24 to 4.48 m; basal diameter from 18.75 to 24.81 cm; and branch number 2 to 4. No significant differences were found in morphological characteristics between plants from Estacion Dimas and El Quelite but those from La Campana were significantly smaller. Plant height was favored in sites with lower temperature, altitude, and wind speed, and with higher precipitation and relative humidity. Seed length ranged from 7.41 to 7.9 mm and seed width from 15.1 to 15.9 mm. Seed moisture ranged from 3.57 to 4.21%. The seed color ranged from 60.80 to 65.54° Hue. The highest tree density was found in Estacion Dimas (21 ind/ha), but agricultural practices threatens the vegetation in this site. The species has a high potential for distribution in the southern and central parts of the state. Germplasm from the studied populations may be useful for plans and management for species conservation; they also constitute an alternative to the establishment of crops in the state of Sinaloa with typical species of the region and possibly other regions of the country. Moreover, it was observed that the species has a high potential for distribution in the state mainly in the municipalities of Sinaloa de Leyva, Guasave, Guamuchil, Culiacan, Elota, San Ignacio, Mazatlan, Villa Union, Concordia, and Escuinapa.
Mechanical Fruit-Zone Leaf Removal and Deficit Irrigation Practices Interact to Affect Yield and Fruit Quality of Cabernet Sauvignon Grown in a Hot Climate

Background and goals The hot climate in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) makes it difficult to achieve the optimal berry color for Cabernet Sauvignon ( Vitis vinifera L.), and manual cultural practices are cost prohibitive because of low price paid per ton. A field study was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of irrigation and mechanical fruit-zone leaf removal on grapevine physiology, yield components, and berry anthocyanins of Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines grown in the SJV.
A New Zero-Order Algorithm to Solve the Maximum Hands-Off Control

A new zero-order algorithm to solve the maximum hands-off control is proposed. Maximum hands-off control is discretized into a convex linear programming problem by zero-order-hold discretization. The first-order necessary conditions for linear programming problems are presented. To ensure that the switching points meet the allowable error, the jump function is used to preliminarily determine the switching points of the control variable. The finite switch number lemma for the maximum hands-off control is used as the initial estimate of the number of switching points. Numerical example results show that the zero-order algorithm is more effective than the alternating direction method of multipliers in solving the maximum hands-off control.
Scaled Quail Reproduction in the Trans-Pecos Region of Texas

Scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) populations have declined markedly throughout their range. We monitored hatch rates and nest placement of radio-marked female scaled quail (n1⁄4 210) in Pecos County, Texas relative to the availability and location of ‘spreader dams’ (i.e., shallow water catchments) through the nesting seasons of 1999 and 2000. Hatch rates were high both years (i.e., 67 and 84% for 1999 and 2000, respectively). The predominant nesting microhabitat was tobosa (Pleuraphis mutica), which accounted for 85% of the nests located. We failed to document any direct impacts of spreader dams on nesting ecology of scaled quail. Citation: R. J. Buntyn, E. K. Lyons, D. Rollins, and K. A. Cearley. 2012. Scaled quail reproduction in the Trans-Pecos Region of Texas. Proceedings of the National Quail Symposium 7:360–363.