Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drought, fires and flood on the pastoral frontier: 1820 to 1855

Drought, fires and flood were experienced by settlers in Van Diemen's Land from the very beginnings of European settlement. The variability of the island's climate was foreign to many British settlers and resulted in the need to adapt and innovate in establishing both towns and farms. Even though four seasons approximating to the summer, winter, autumn and spring of the northern hemisphere were discernible, the weather was often highly variable from one year to the next. Periods characterised by oppressive heat, drought and bushfires could quickly be replaced by flooding rains and punishing cold. The uncertainty of rainfall, in particular, could make life extremely difficult. As settlement spread across the island regional climatic variation also became apparent.
Analysis of false alarm causes in video fire detection systems

Video-based fire detection systems represent an innovative path in fire signalling. Thanks to a suitably designed algorithm, a system of this kind can enable the detection of a flame based on its characteristics such as colour or shape, which were not previously used in classical fire detection systems. Video-based detection systems, due to their early stage of development in the fire protection market, are not yet a certified, fully tested method for early fire detection. This paper focuses on the analysis of possible causes of false alarms occurring in video-based fire detection systems in relation to classical Fire Alarm Systems (FAS). For this purpose, a video-based flame detection algorithm is designed and implemented to further analyse the phenomena occurring in such systems.
Fabrication of a Highly NO2-Sensitive Gas Sensor Based on a Defective ZnO Nanofilm and Using Electron Beam Lithography

Hazardous substances produced by anthropic activities threaten human health and the green environment. Gas sensors, especially those based on metal oxides, are widely used to monitor toxic gases with low cost and efficient performance. In this study, electron beam lithography with two-step exposure was used to minimize the geometries of the gas sensor hotplate to a submicron size in order to reduce the power consumption, reaching 100 °C with 0.09 W. The sensing capabilities of the ZnO nanofilm against NO2 were optimized by introducing an enrichment of oxygen vacancies through N2 calcination at 650 °C. The presence of oxygen vacancies was proven using EDX and XPS. It was found that oxygen vacancies did not significantly change the crystallographic structure of ZnO, but they significantly improved the electrical conductivity and sensing behaviors of ZnO film toward 5 ppm of dry air.
In silico Exploration on The Potency of Basil (Ocimum basilicum) as an Anti-Aging Skin Agent

New and improved skin care products and procedures have been established by technological advances and scientific investigation. By increasing the skin's moisture, firmness, and elasticity, anti-aging skin care can enhance the skin's overall condition. The objective of this study was to examine the potential of basil's chemical compounds as an in silicoanti-aging agent. Exploration of online databases, scholarly articles from national and international journals, and analysis using docking software are selected as examples of data collection methods. Matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1), with PDB code 966C, is one of the targeted proteins related to skin anti-aging. Ladanein, acacetin, luteolin, 5-hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavone and genkwanin are five basil compounds that are predicted to exhibit anti-aging agents based on the presence of the binding affinity score indicator and the similarity of the appropriate attachment sites compared to the native ligand used. The scores for the binding affinity of luteolin, ladanein, acacetin, 5-hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavone, and genkwanin are -10, -9.9, -9.9, -9.8, and -9.6 kcal/mol, respectively. At the attachment positions of five basil compounds, the interactions with ASN 180, LEU 181 and ALA 182 key amino acids, which are the attachment sites for the native ligands, were also formed.
Glacial-interglacial variability in denitrification in the World's Oceans: Causes and consequences

The late Quaternary history of water-column denitrifcation of the eastern Pacific margins and the Arabian Sea is reconstructed using sedimentary δ15N measurements. The δ15N values in six piston cores raised from these regions show remarkably similar cyclic variations, being heavy (9–10.5‰) during the interglacials and 2–3‰ lighter during the glacials. This implies that denitrification in these regions decreased substantially during the glacial periods. The glacial decline in denitrification is attributed to reduced upwelling and flux of organic material through the oxygen minimum zone. Since water-column denitrification in these areas accounts for about half of the fixed-nitrogen loss in the modern ocean, the inferred decrease in denitrification should have increased the oceanic nitrate inventory during glacial periods. Because nitrate is a limiting nutrient, oceanic productivity and attendant changes in CO2 may therefore have been modulated on glacial-interglacial timescales by variations in the oceanic NO3 content.
Prediction and Ranking of Moisture Severity of Climate Years Using Supervised Projection to Latent Structures Applied to Tall Wood Buildings

Hygrothermal simulation tools are commonly used to assess the moisture performance of building envelope components. Owing to the computational costs required to complete simulations over the long-term, one approach to reduce simulation time when undertaking hygrothermal design analysis is to select representative year(s) amongst sets of long-term climate data. To properly select these moisture reference year(s), a method is required to rank or predict the moisture severity of climate years for sets of long-term climate data. Several methods are used in the literature for this purpose, but none seems to be sufficiently accurate. In this study, the supervised projection to latent structures, also known as partial least squares regression, was trained and validated on data obtained from hygrothermal simulations of tall wood building wall assemblies for several cities across Canada. Models developed at the city level, for a given greenhouse gas emission scenario or time period, or encompassing historical and future time periods, showed comparable scores for ranking. In respect to prediction of the moisture severity of climate year sets, models developed at the city level were shown to be more accurate.
Remote-sensing observations relevant to ocean acidification

Ocean acidification, a consequence of the ocean absorbing about a third of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere, is poised to affect biogeochemical cycles and the seawater chemical system. Traditional research methods, such as field and in situ sampling, are precise and reliable, but are inherently limited in spatial and temporal coverage and resolution. This article summarizes remotely sensed products, including air-sea CO2 fluxes, total alkalinity, suspended calcite (particulate inorganic carbon), particulate organic carbon and calcification rates, which can be used to observe ocean acidification indirectly. Confounding factors and limitations of algorithms are major sources of errors. This article also discusses remote-sensing algorithms and satellite technology developments. Remote sensing, considering its great advantages and successful applications in climate change, will be an important tool in future studies of ocean acidification.
The Importance of Evaluating Hematologic Parameters in the Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis Among Pregnant Patients

Objectives: The most frequently occurring non-obstetric surgical issue during pregnancy is acute appendicitis (AA). The aim of this study was to examine the diagnostic accuracy of hematological parameters such as neutrophil-lympho-cyte ratio (NLR), platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), red cell distribution width (RDW) and systemic inflammatory index (SII) in the diagnosis of AA among pregnant women. Methods: In this retrospective study, patients were examined in two groups: 52 pregnant patients who underwent appendectomy (appendectomy group) and 156 healthy pregnant women (control group). The diagnostic accuracy of hematology parameters was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and logistic regression analysis. Results: According to ROC analysis, the sensitivity and specificity values of WBC, NLR, PLR, RDW and SII were found as follows, respectively: 69.2%, 91.03%; 78.4%, 82.1%; 62.7%, 59.0%; 67.2%, 52.6%; 73.1%, 85.9%. According to the logistic regression model in AA cases in pregnant women, an accuracy rate of 87.9% was determined by using WBC, NLR, PLR and RDW and SII values. Conclusion: Combined evaluation of easily accessible tests such as NLR, PLR, RDW, and SII together with physical examination, anamnesis and imaging methods is useful in the diagnosis of AA in pregnant women.
EFFECTS OF REHABILITATION PROGRAM FOCUSED ON IMPROVING REAL-LIFE DAILY ACTIVITIES OF PATIENTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS OR DEMENTIA AND THEIR CAREGIVERS

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of a dyadic outpatient rehabilitation program focused on improving the real-life daily activities of patients with mild cognitive impairments or dementia and their caregivers. Design Retrospective study. Subjects Eight patients with mild cognitive impairments or dementia and their caregivers. Methods The rehabilitation program comprised eight 1-hour sessions by occupational therapists with patients and his/her caregivers. Patients were assessed for motor function, cognitive function, and quality of life, and their caregivers were assessed for depression and caregiver burden. Participants were assessed at pre-program and post-program, and 3-month follow-up. Results The scores of caregiver-assessed Quality of life in Alzheimer’s disease scale in patients significantly improved at post-program (median [interquartile range], 30.0 [7.0]) compared with pre-program (27.0 [2.8], effect size = 0.77, p = 0.029). In caregivers, the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview scores decreased significantly at post-program (16.5 [13.0]) compared with pre-program (22.0 [17.5], effect size = 0.72, p = 0.042). There were no significant differences in other assessments. Conclusions The rehabilitation program focused on real daily activities and demonstrated to improve patients’ quality of life and caregivers’ depression and caring burden through patient-caregiver interaction. Future enhanced follow-up systems are warranted. LAY ABSTRACT Although various non-pharmacological interventions have been reported for patients with dementia, few studies have reported interventions focussing on improving activities in the real daily lives of patients and their caregivers. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a dyadic outpatient rehabilitation program focused on the real-life daily activities of patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia and their caregivers. It consisted of 8 individual 1-hour sessions by occupational therapists to 8 patient-caregiver pairs. Patients were assessed for motor function, cognitive function, and quality of life, and caregivers were assessed for depression and caregiver burden. Participants were assessed before and after the program and at a 3-month follow-up. After the program, patients’ motor and cognitive functions did not change; however, their quality of life improved significantly and caregivers’ sense of caregiver burden decreased significantly. The rehabilitation program demonstrated positive effects on both patients and their caregivers.
Multifeature-Based Outdoor Fingerprint Localization With Accuracy Enhancement for Cellular Network

Localization technology is a critical element in obtaining spatial data for the Internet of Things (IoT) and represents one of the most promising development areas for the next generation of IoT. In this regard, this article proposes a multifeature-based outdoor fingerprint localization technique with accuracy enhancement for the cellular network. The fingerprint collection scenarios are carefully designed to include diverse urban environments and seasonal characteristics. Based on these scenarios, a new set of cellular network parameters is introduced as a multifeature composition of fingerprint, resulting in marked improvements in localization accuracy. Furthermore, to alleviate the interfering information brought by multifeature, an adaptive bistage feature processing (BFP) method is proposed. At the stage of location matching, a hybrid model combines deep learning and $K$ -nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithms is implemented to enhance the localization accuracy. Finally, a unique error detection (UED) method is proposed to check the predicted real-time fingerprint position. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique achieves a median localization error (MLE) of about 8 m and an average localization error (ALE) of 15.4 m in a complex urban outdoor environment, improving localization accuracy by 41.6% compared to other state-of-the-art fingerprint localization techniques. The proposed technique shows the potential to be an effective alternative to outdoor IoT nodes utilizing other localization sensors.
Impact of a rural sanitation policy in Brazil

Brazil has more than 23 million rural people with unimproved sanitation, which corresponds to about 75% of rural population. This study aimed to measure the social, environmental and economic impacts caused by implementation of a technological proposal for sanitation: “septic cesspool biodigester”. It was found that, per year, the implementation of this technology in rural homes with unimproved sanitation could: reduce about 250 deaths and 5.5 million infections caused by diarrheal diseases; reduce pollution of waterways by about 250 thousand tons of BOD and; that every R$1.00 invested in the implementation of alternative technology evaluated could cause a return to the society of R$2.55 in GDP. Moreover, the jobs would increase from 51 thousand.
Investigating The Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Retention: Moderating Role of Employee Engagement

The purpose of current study is to examine the moderating effect of employee engagement on the relationship between organizational culture (OC) (Shared values, Organizational structure, Communication, Leadership, Teamwork and Adaptability) and employee retention from perspective of all employees within industrial organizations operating in the state of Kuwait. The method employed to reach the main aim was the quantitative methodology, and a survey was distributed on a sample of (371) employees within industrial organizations operating in the state of Kuwait. SPSS was used so as to realize aim through primary data and results indicated the acceptance of the hypotheses arguing that there is a positive relationship between organizational culture and employee retention through the moderating role of employee engagement, it meant that positive organizational culture can make employees more engaged in their work which leads to better retention and more intention to stay in their organization for longer time. Study recommended creating a strong sense of purpose and a set of guiding principles can help employees feel more connected to the organization and its goals, and feel like they are part of something meaningful. Further recommendations were presented in the study.
Global Nonlinear Model for the Evolution of the Dst Index

The NARMAX (Nonlinear Auto Regressive Moving Average model with eXogenous inputs) approach is used to analyse simultaneous measurements of the geomagnetic Dst Index and the merging rate of the IMF and the geomagnetic field VBs. A nonlinear discrete relation which describes the dynamics of the Dst index driven by VBs is derived directly from experimental measurements. This relation can be used to forecast the evolution of Dst index. Higher order spectral analysis of the identified model provides information about nonlinear coupling between the various spectral components.
The South Pacific Meridional Mode: A Mechanism for ENSO-like Variability

AbstractIn this study, the authors investigate the connection between the South Pacific atmospheric variability and the tropical Pacific climate in models of different degrees of coupling between the atmosphere and ocean. A robust mode of variability, defined as the South Pacific meridional mode (SPMM), is identified in a multimodel ensemble of climate model experiments where the atmosphere is only thermodynamically coupled to a slab ocean mixed layer. The physical interpretation of the SPMM is nearly identical to the North Pacific meridional mode (NPMM) with the off-equatorial southeast trade wind variability altering the latent heat flux and sea surface temperature (SST) and initiating a wind–evaporation–SST feedback that propagates signals into the tropics. The authors also show that a positive cloud feedback plays a role in the development of this mode, but this effect is model dependent. While physically analogous to the NPMM, the SPMM has a stronger expression in the equatorial Pacific and directly .
The role of shelterbelt for soil management in Ethiopia

Soil is a vital component for the growth of trees and shrubs in the shelterbelts agroforestry practices. Management of trees has a critical contribution to soil improvements. People's use of shelterbelts is varying across agroecology zones of Ethiopia. Some nations use it as their cultural expression, while the others use it as area demarcation (farming and home). In shelterbelt agroforestry practice, Millettia ferruginea, Sesbania sesban and Acacia abyssinica legumes tree species were deliberately planted for soil management across agro-ecologies. Considering the population and the farm size of farmers in Ethiopia, most farmers' knowledge of shelterbelts for soil management is scantly documented. This is due to a low level of awareness and expert consultancy. Therefore, this paper reviews the soil management roles and possible threats, opportunities, and challenges of shelterbelts. This review paper was developed through using related published papers. Scientists reported that areas covered by well-managed shelterbelts had good soil physical, biological, and chemical properties. The soil quality and fertility of the area further improved through good soil microbial activities. The tree crop compatibility, climatic factors, land use policy, and scarcity of land were among the possible threat and challenges to shelterbelts establishment. Generally, good tree and shrub management skills result in a high level of land productivity. Therefore, further development planners should focus on the extensive demonstration of shelterbelt practices as well as training and monitoring of farmers on such issues for their livelihood improvements.
Regulation of Flowering Time and Other Developmental Plasticities by 3’ Splicing Factor-Mediated Alternative Splicing in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plants, as sessile organisms, show a high degree of plasticity in their growth and development and have various strategies to cope with these alterations under continuously changing environments and unfavorable stress conditions. In particular, the floral transition from the vegetative and reproductive phases in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) is one of the most important developmental changes in plants. In addition, meristem regions, such as the SAM and root apical meristem (RAM), which continually generate new lateral organs throughout the plant life cycle, are important sites for developmental plasticity. Recent findings have shown that the prevailing type of alternative splicing (AS) in plants is intron retention (IR) unlike in animals; thus, AS is an important regulatory mechanism conferring plasticity for plant growth and development under various environmental conditions. Although eukaryotes exhibit some similarities in the composition and dynamics of their splicing machinery, plants have differences in the 3’ splicing characteristics governing AS. Here, we summarize recent findings on the roles of 3’ splicing factors and their interacting partners in regulating the flowering time and other developmental plasticities in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Impact of 5S on productivity and quality in an Indo-Japanese auto-component manufacturing company: An empirical study

The present work probes the relationship between 5S vis-a-vis productivity and quality. 5S is an extraordinarily economical yet highly effective method of business management. Two hypotheses were formulated for testing with the random sample survey with a reliable and valid questionnaire on the targeted population. The collected data were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS Statistics V23. The statistical tests, namely, multiple correlations, regression analysis, and Pearson- Correlation analysis, were performed. The results show a strong positive correlation between productivity and 5S. The relationship between quality and 5s was also positively related but had moderate significance. This study was limited to a single joint venture Indo- Japanese auto-joint venture situated in the Delhi-NCR region. Further enlarged studies must be performed on more such companies in this location and various geographical regions of India.
Road Network Extraction in Suburban Areas

In this paper, an algorithm for the extraction of road networks in suburban areas is presented. The algorithm is region‐based and uses high‐resolution colour infrared images as well as, optionally, a digital surface model (DSM). The road extraction starts with a segmentation using the normalised cuts algorithm; afterwards the segments are grouped. Road sections are extracted from the grouped segments. Road sections that are likely to belong to the same road are connected to subgraphs in the next step. To eliminate false connections in the subgraphs, context objects such as vehicles, buildings and trees are employed. The remaining road strings, represented by their centre lines, are connected to a road network. The process employs combinations of radiometric and geometric features, derived from knowledge about the appearance of roads in suburban areas. Results are presented for two test data‐sets, acquired by different sensors. A quantitative analysis is performed for the quality of the road extraction as well as the topological quality of the extracted network.
All nonhomologous chromosomes and rearrangements in Saccharum officinarum × Saccharum spontaneum allopolyploids identified by oligo-based painting

Modern sugarcane cultivars (Saccharum spp., 2n = 100~120) are complex polyploids primarily derived from interspecific hybridization between S. officinarum and S. spontaneum. Nobilization is the theory of utilizing wild germplasm in sugarcane breeding, and is the foundation for utilizing S. spontaneum for stress resistance. However, the exact chromosomal transmission remains elusive due to a lack of chromosome-specific markers. Here, we applied chromosome-specific oligonucleotide (oligo)-based probes for identifying chromosomes 1-10 of the F1 hybrids between S. officinarum and S. spontaneum. Then, S. spontaneum-specific repetitive DNA probes were used to distinguish S. spontaneum in these hybrids. This oligo- fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) system proved to be an efficient tool for revealing individual chromosomal inheritance during nobilization. We discovered the complete doubling of S. officinarum-derived chromosomes in most F1 hybrids. Notably, we also found defective S. officinarum-derived chromosome doubling in the F1 hybrid Yacheng75-4191, which exhibited 1.5n transmission for all nonhomologous chromosomes. Altogether, these results highlight the presence of variable chromosome transmission in nobilization between S. officinarum and S. spontaneum, including 1.5n + n and 2n + n. These findings provide robust chromosome markers for in-depth studies into the molecular mechanism underlying chromosome doubling during the nobilization, as well as tracing chromosomal inheritance for sugarcane breeding.