Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of food web interactions in promoting resilience to nutrient enrichment in a brackish water eelgrass (Zostera marina) ecosystem

Understanding the ecological interactions that enhance the resilience of threatened ecosystems is essential in assuring their conservation and restoration. Top‐down trophic interactions can increase resilience to bottom‐up nutrient enrichment, however, as many seagrass ecosystems are threatened by both eutrophication and trophic modifications, understanding how these processes interact is important. Using a combination of approaches, we explored how bottom‐up and top‐down processes, acting individually or in conjunction, can affect eelgrass meadows and associated communities in the northern Baltic Sea. Field surveys along with fish diet and stable isotope analyses revealed that the eelgrass trophic network included two main top predatory fish species, each of which feeds on a separate group of invertebrate mesograzers (crustaceans or gastropods). Mesograzer abundance in the study area was high, and capable of mitigating the effects of increased algal biomass that resulted from experimental nutrient enrichment in the field. When crustacean mesograzers were experimentally excluded, gastropod mesograzers were able to compensate and limit the effects of nutrient enrichment on eelgrass biomass and growth. Our results suggest that top‐down processes (i.e., suppression of algae by different mesograzer groups) may ensure eelgrass resilience to nutrient enrichment in the northern Baltic Sea, and the existence of multiple trophic pathways can provide additional resilience in the face of trophic modifications. However, the future resilience of these meadows is likely threatened by additional local stressors and global environmental change. Understanding the trophic links and interactions that ensure resilience is essential for managing and conserving these important ecosystems and the services they provide.
Effect of Rib Spacing on Heat Transfer in a Two Pass Rectangular Channel (AR=2:1) at High Rotation Numbers

In this paper the effect of rib spacing on heat transfer in a rotating two-passage channel (AR=2:1) at orientation angle of 135° was studied. Parallel ribs were applied on leading and trailing walls of the rotating channel at the flow angle of 45°. The rib-height-to-hydraulic diameter ratio (e/Dh ) was 0.098. The rib-pitch-to-rib-height (P/e) ratios studied were 5, 7.5, and 10. For each rib-spacing, tests were taken at five Reynolds numbers from 10,000 to 40,000 and for each Reynolds number, experiments were conducted at four rotational speeds up to 400 rpm. Results show that the heat transfer enhancement increases with decreasing P/e from 10 to 5 under non-rotation condition. However, the effect of rotation on the heat transfer enhancement remains about the same for varying P/e from 10 to 5. Heat transfer enhancement due to rotation can be correlated on all surfaces (leading, trailing, inner and outer walls and tip cap region) in the two-passage 2:1 aspect ratio channel. © 2011 ASME
Letter. A natural photoelectrochemical cell for water splitting: Implications for early Earth and Mars

Abstract The surface oxidation of pyrite can create a (hydr)oxide layer. This configuration constitutes a natural two-semiconductor (tandem) photoelectrochemical cell. Here, we show that an illuminated hematite-pyrite cell produces photocurrent, H2, and O2 by water splitting. Photocurrent is also observed with illumination of hematite alone. The observed current densities are in the same order of magnitude as estimates of banded iron formation deposition rates, and are 400 to 1000 times higher than needed to oxidize, over geologic time, all of the surface water thought to have existed on Mars. Mineral-based water splitting constitutes a potential source of O2 prior to the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis on Earth. Semiconducting minerals deserve study as photochemical sources of oxidizing power in low-oxygen environments.
Estimating VAIA Windstorm Damaged Forest Area in Italy Using Time Series Sentinel-2 Imagery and Continuous Change Detection Algorithms

Mapping forest disturbances is an essential component of forest monitoring systems both to support local decisions and for international reporting. Between the 28 and 29 October 2018, the VAIA storm hit the Northeast regions of Italy with wind gusts exceeding 200 km h−1. The forests in these regions have been seriously damaged. Over 490 Municipalities in six administrative Regions in Northern Italy registered forest damages caused by VAIA, that destroyed or intensely damaged forest stands spread over an area of 67,000 km2. The present work tested the use of two continuous change detection algorithms, i.e., the Bayesian estimator of abrupt change, seasonal change, and trend (BEAST) and the continuous change detection and classification (CCDC) to map and estimate forest windstorm damage area using a normalized burned ration (NBR) time series calculated on three years Sentinel-2 (S2) images collection (i.e., January 2017–October 2019). We analyzed the accuracy of the maps and the damaged forest area using a probability-based stratified estimation within 12 months after the storm with an independent validation dataset. The results showed that close to the storm (i.e., 1 to 6 months November 2018–March 2019) it is not possible to obtain accurate results independently of the algorithm used, while accurate results were observed between 7 and 12 months from the storm (i.e., May 2019–October 2019) in terms of Standard Error (SE), percentage SE (SE%), overall accuracy (OA), producer accuracy (PA), user accuracy (UA), and gmean for both BEAST and CCDC (SE < 3725.3 ha, SE% < 9.69, OA > 89.7, PA and UA > 0.87, gmean > 0.83).
Efficient Stabilization of Na Storage Reversibility by Ti Integration into O′3-Type NaMnO2

The development of an energy storage system with abundant elements is a key challenge for a sustainable society, and the interest of Na intercalation chemistry is extending throughout the research community. Herein, the impact of Ti integration into NaMnO2 in a binary system of x NaMnO2–(1–x) TiO2 (0.5≤x≤1) is systematically examined for rechargeable Na battery applications. Stoichiometric NaMnO2, which is classified as an in-plane distorted O′3-type layered structure, delivers a large initial discharge capacity of approximately 200 mAh g-1, but insufficient capacity retention is observed, most probably associated with dissolution of Mn ions on electrochemical cycles. Ti-substituted samples show highly improved electrode performance as electrode materials. However, the appearance of a sodium-deficient phase, Na4Mn4Ti5O18 with a tunnel-type structure, is observed for Ti-rich phases. Among the samples in this binary system, Na0.8Mn0.8Ti0.2O2 (x=0.8), which is a mixture of a partially Ti-substituted O′3-type layered oxide (Na0.88Mn0.88Ti0.12O2) and tunnel-type Na4Mn4Ti5O18 as a minor phase elucidated by Rietveld analysis on both neutron and X-ray diffraction patterns, shows good electrode performance on the basis of energy density and cyclability. Both phases are electrochemically active as evidenced by in situ X-ray diffraction study, and the improvement of reversibility originates from the suppression of Mn dissolution on electrochemical cycles. From these results, the feasibility of Mn-based electrode materials for high-energy rechargeable Na batteries made from only abundant elements is discussed in detail.
Prediction of Surface Roughness after Turning of Duplex Stainless Steel (DSS)

تم تصميم نموذج الشبكة العصبية الاصطناعية للانتشار الخلفي باستخدام MATLAB Neural Network Toolbox للتنبؤ بخشونة سطح الفولاذ المقاوم للصدأ على الوجهين بعد الخراطة المتعامدة باستخدام أداة قطع نوع كربيد غير مصقول. كانت متغيرات الإدخال هي معدل التغذية (f) وسرعة القطع (V) وعمق القطع (d) لكل من التجارب العملية ونموذج التوقع ((ANN ، بينما كان متغير الإخراج هو خشونة السطح (Ra). باستخدام طريقة تصميم Taguchi التجريبية ، تم الحصول على بنية ANN مثالية مع خوارزمية تدريب Levenberg-Marquardt. تم إجراء بحث حدودي باستخدام بنية ANN المحسنة للإبلاغ عن تأثير كل متغير تحول على خشونة السطح. تشير النتائج التي تم تحقيقها إلى أن ANN هي أداة متعددة الاستخدامات ويمكن توسيعها بسهولة وثقة أكبر لعمليات قطع المعادن المختلفة.
Effect of Zinc Oxide Nanocrystals in Media Containing E. coli and C. xerosis Bacteria

The present investigation is centered on the study of the growth curves of E. coli and C. xerosis bacteria in the presence of nanosize particles of Zinc Oxide. Previous works demonstrated the sensitivity of the bacteria, when these were reproduced in media that contain nanoparticles of luminescent silicon and Cobalt Ferrite. Doped ZnO nanocrystals were synthesized by conventional precipitation in ethanol solutions as reported by Spanhel and Anderson for bare ZnO. In our case, the syntheses were carried out under room-temperature conditions. The experimental results of E. coli bacteria in contact with a stable suspension of nanoparticles of Zinc Oxide, shows a growth curve without adaptation period. Moreover a short and slowly logarithmic stage has been observed, reaching the stationary stage after approximately four hours compared with one in absence of the nanoparticles (standard curve). During the observations, a change in the lifetime of the bacteria (metabolism) with particulate was noticed,as well as the beginning of the mortality stage. However, different results were recorded for silicon and ferrite. For the case of the bacteria C. xerosis , the curve with particles is above its standard curve, for all times with none of the oscillations which occured in the nanometer silicon. For these bacteria the beginning of the mortality stage is observed when they have particles. For both bacteria with Zinc Oxide nanoparticles this occurs approximately after nine hours.
A Roadmap towards Breast Cancer Therapies Supported by Explainable Artificial Intelligence

In recent years personalized medicine reached an increasing importance, especially in the design of oncological therapies. In particular, the development of patients’ profiling strategies suggests the possibility of promising rewards. In this work, we present an explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) framework based on an adaptive dimensional reduction which (i) outlines the most important clinical features for oncological patients’ profiling and (ii), based on these features, determines the profile, i.e., the cluster a patient belongs to. For these purposes, we collected a cohort of 267 breast cancer patients. The adopted dimensional reduction method determines the relevant subspace where distances among patients are used by a hierarchical clustering procedure to identify the corresponding optimal categories. Our results demonstrate how the molecular subtype is the most important feature for clustering. Then, we assessed the robustness of current therapies and guidelines; our findings show a striking correspondence between available patients’ profiles determined in an unsupervised way and either molecular subtypes or therapies chosen according to guidelines, which guarantees the interpretability characterizing explainable approaches to machine learning techniques. Accordingly, our work suggests the possibility to design data-driven therapies to emphasize the differences observed among the patients.
Reject inference methods in credit scoring

The granting process is based on the probability that the applicant will refund his/her loan given his/her characteristics. This probability, also called score, is learnt based on a dataset in which rejected applicants are excluded. Thus, the population on which the score is used is different from the learning population. Many “reject inference” methods try to exploit the data available from the rejected applicants in the learning process. However, most of these methods are empirical and lack of formalization of their assumptions, and of their expected theoretical properties. We formalize such hidden assumptions in a general missing data setting for some of the most common reject inference methods. It reveals that hidden modelling is mostly incomplete, thus prohibiting to compare existing methods within the general model selection mechanism (except by financing “non-fundable” applicants). So, we assess performance of the methods on both simulated data and real data (from CACF, a major European loan issuer). Unsurprisingly, no method seems uniformly dominant. Both these theoretical and empirical results not only reinforce the idea to carefully use the classical reject inference methods but also to invest in future research works for designing model-based reject inference methods (without financing “non-fundable” applicants).
Prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension and associated factors among hypertensive patients attending medical outpatient clinic, Thika level 5 hospital, Kenya

Background: Uncontrolled hypertension is a key risk factor for stroke and heart and kidney disease. A study was conducted to determine the factors associated with the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension among hypertensive patients (study participants) attending a medical outpatient clinic, Thika level 5 Hospital (TL5H), Kenya.Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional study design and a mixed-methods approach. While the quantitative arm sampled 394 study participants using systematic random sampling, purposive sampling selected 18 health care workers who served as key informant sand 35 study participants took part in focus group discussions in the qualitative arm. Uncontrolled hypertension was defined as systolic and or diastolic blood pressure ≥140 and or ≥90 in one or both previous and current readings during clinic visits. Quantitative data including socio-demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical characteristics of study subjects were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Qualitative data were collected using guides and checklists. Data were analysed descriptively and inferentially using Pearson’s chi-square statistics, Fishers exact tests and regression modelling to determine associations between independent variables and uncontrolled hypertension using STATA 14. Qualitative data were organized thematically using NVIVO.Results: 48% of the study participants had uncontrolled hypertension at the time of the study. Univariable analyses returned level of education (p=0.017), source of financing for hypertensive drugs (p=0.011), BMI (p=0.005) as significant factors.Conclusions: The study recommends community health promotion activities to increase awareness of how to modify these significant factors to reduce hypertension.
Plasma Treatment Effects on Oral Candida albicans Biofilms

The objective of this study is to evaluate the plasma treatment effects on oral fungal biofilms. Candida albicans biofilms were developed on the 48-well plate to serve as a model of oral fungal biofilm. The treatment of 0.2% chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) was used as a positive control compared with plasma treatments. The efficacy of treatments was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). The survival percentage of Candida albicans decreased from 52% to 27% as the plasma power increased from 6mA to 8mA and plasma exposure time extended from 2 min to 10 min. Moreover, it was found that there is a synergistic effect of the combination of plasma and CHX treatments. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination indicated severe cell damages resulting from plasma treatment. In conclusion, the low-temperature plasma treatment is effective in deactivating Candida albicans biofilms and thus provides a promising alternative to disinfect oral fungal biofilms.
Biomass Valorization in High-temperature Liquid Water

Conversion of biomass resources to fuels and chemicals is a highly effective approach for a biomass valorization as a prospective alternative to petrochemical processes. Biomass conversion using water as a reaction medium is desirable because water is non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Biomass valorization techniques in high-temperature liquid water and supercritical water are reviewed, such as (i) dehydration reactions of biomass-derived polyalcohols to cyclic ethers and (ii) gasification reactions of lignin to fuel gases. (i) Cyclic ethers were produced by the intramolecular dehydration reactions of biomass-derived polyalcohols in high-temperature liquid water without acid catalysts. Addition of carbon dioxide accelerated the dehydration in high-temperature liquid water because the added carbon dioxide dissolves in water to form carbonic acid. (ii) Charcoal-supported ruthenium salts were active for lignin gasification at 673 K in supercritical water, in which ruthenium (III) species were reduced to ruthenium metal particles.
Are Employees in Oil and Gas Companies More Vulnerable to Hypertension Than the General Population of Working Age? Evidence From Men and Women in Northwest of China

Objective To examine whether the employees of an oil and gas company in Shaanxi Province are more vulnerable to hypertension than the general residents, aged 18-60, living in the same geographical region. Design Cross-sectional analysis of the hypertension prevalence of two different population by using propensity score matching (PSM). Participants Employees of Changqing Oil Field Filiale took part in Health Risk Factors Survey (2013) and residents took part in the National Health Service Survey (2013) in Shaanxi Province, China. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was hypertention which was defined as systolic blood pressure of at least 140 mm Hg, or diastolic blood pressure of at least 90 mm Hg, or self-reported antihypertensive medication use in the previous 2 weeks, or self-reported history of hypertention. Results Changqing employees were much younger, with a higher proportion of men, and their lifestyle was less healthy, with higher BMI, more drinkers and smokers. Before PSM, hypertension prevalence of Changqing employees was slightly lower than Shaanxi residents (5.8% vs 7.6%). After PSM, the results of the adjusted logistic model showed that Changqing employees were more likely to be hypertensive (OR =1.10, 95% CI =1.02-1.19, P =0.01). Among the male samples, Changqing employees were more likely to be hypertensive (OR =1.43, 95% CI =1.31-1.58, P <0.01), while the opposite was true for the female samples (OR=0.64, 95%CI=0.56-0.73, P<0.01). Conclusion Changqing’s employees, as a whole, and male employees in particular, were more vulnerable to hypertension than the general residents of the region. However, the reverse was found for female employees.
Erkrankungen der Orbita – vom Zufallsbefund bis zum Exophthalmus

Zusammenfassung Orbitale Erkrankungen manifestieren sich mit einer Vielzahl an Symptomen oder sind Zufallsbefunde im Rahmen der Kopf-Hals-Bildgebung. Die Bildgebung ist entscheidend, um die Befunde differenzialdiagnostisch einordnen und die Therapie planen zu können. Diese Übersichtsarbeit stellt häufige Erkrankungen der Orbita im Erwachsenenalter, ihre typischen Bildbefunde und wichtige Differenzialdiagnosen vor.
Construction and Validation of the Classroom Learning Behavior Self-assessment Inventory

Classroom learning behavior self-assessment tool can be supportive to the teachers to understand students' learning readiness and learner type to design each lesson for everyday instruction and guide students for their learning promotion. The purpose of this study was to construct and validate the classroom learning behavior assessment inventory for the secondary level students to measure their classroom learning behaviors. To construct the inventory, students' learning activities and their traits that they demonstrate were selected from the three learning thoughts such as behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism and were listed categorically into six thematic areas. These three thematic areas were also divided into five subcategories and formulated 30 behavioral statements from each sub-category in the form of 5 points Likert scale. A sample of 600 high school students studying in grade X from Province No 1, Nepal has been drawn to verify and validate the students' classroom learning behavior instrument. In this research, each of the items was validated by using confirmatory factor analysis and their internal consistency of the instrument as a whole was assessed using Cronbach's coefficient alpha and found to be 0.86. Likewise, to ensure the validity, the internal structure, and the important features of the test like experts' judgment and verifications were employed. In this process, some statements and the terms were also revised. Thus, the result of the factor analysis and the value of internal consistency of the items were verified as the efficient inventory to measure the students' classroom learning behavior.
PENGARUH BRAND IMAGE TERHADAP LOYALITAS PELANGGAN SUSU SAPI MURNI KUD MEKAR SARI, PUJON MALANG

Artikel penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasikan implikasi pengaruh 3 komponen dasar citra merek (citra pembuat, citra pemakai, citra produk) terhadap peningkatan loyalitas pelanggan. Sampel penelitian terdiri dari 65 partisipan mengkonsumsi susu sapi murni di KUD Mekar Sari, Pujon Malang, melalui pendekatan accidental sampling method. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa citra pembuat, citra pemakai, citra produk berpengaruh secara bermakna terhadap peningkatan loyalitas pelanggan secara berkesinambungan. Disimpulkan bahwa citra merek merupakan sendi kekuatan bagi pihak korporasi bisnis, yang terbentuk secara aktual dalam benak konsumen guna mengaktualisasikan persepsi diri konsumen itu sendiri melalui identitas suatu merek. Dimana loyalitas pelanggan memegang peranan utama di dalam mengaktualisasikan kesuksesan citra merek suatu produk dewasa ini.
Inclusionary housing in the United States: dynamics of local policy and outcomes in diverse markets

Abstract Inclusionary housing (IH) ties the creation of affordable, below market-rate units with new development, and it is known to help address the affordable housing crisis and build inclusive communities. Yet, the absence of a national IH database limits our understanding of the prevalence, practice, and production of inclusionary housing in the U.S., and it creates barriers for further investigation and development of this affordable housing strategy. This study draws a national census of IH programs in the U.S. Through a comprehensive data collection between 2018 and 2019, a total of 1,019 local IH programs are documented in 734 local jurisdictions of 31 states and the District of Columbia. This study summarizes program design nationwide and features distinct patterns in California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, where state laws largely impact program adoption and production. A subset of 258 programs reported producing about 110,000 inclusionary units, and 123 programs have collected close to $1.8 billion in fees for affordable housing development.