Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Earth System Science: an oxymoron?

Since the idea of Earth System Science (ESS) was promulgated by NASA in the 1980s as the basis for structuring its research activity (especially that related to Earth observation), and the Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has emphasized it as an umbrella structure for strategic planning of its funding streams (Lawton, 2001), some exaggerated claims have been made for it. According to Pitman (2005, p. 6), for example, ‘Earth System Science is the study of the earth as a single, integrated physical and social system’. Most importantly, ‘. the expectation is that Earth System Science will provide solutions to major world problems because it moves away from reductionist approaches and does not recognise disciplinary boundaries . [and] is underpinned by a time series that, bar the first photographs from space, will have the greatest consequences on Human development since the Industrial Revolution’ (Pitman, 2005, pp. 10–11). It therefore seems timely and appropriate to analyse critically – indeed, in the social scientist’s language, to deconstruct – the increasingly hegemonic position of this structuring of science as applied to the environment, and its growth away from the more specific function it had in NASA to become something much broader in scope as a self-styled holistic super-discipline. Positions are now regularly being created with titles like ‘Chair in Earth (sometimes Environmental) Systems Science’, and in the UK, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) now has a sub-panel, which emerged through a rather mysterious lobbying process, confusingly entitled ‘Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences’ (confusing because it seems to imply that Environmental Science is not a systems science). Interestingly, in Canada, Church (1998) has already been asked to undertaken a careful analysis of the perceived conflict between the objectives and implications, for research, application and education, of ESS on the one hand and more traditional conceptions of the geosciences on the other. The purpose of this critique is to explore the meaning and implications of ESS for the environmental sciences. We do so by identifying a series of questions that we think require careful analysis and response. These are informed both by debates concerning the nature and role of science in contemporary society and by more pragmatic issues arising from the pursuit of ESS as an organizing theme for the environmental sciences. These point to some basic philosophical inconsistencies as well as practical limitations in the ESS approach; it certainly does not suffice to regard the value of ESS as an uncontroversial ‘given’!
Estimating porosity and solid dielectric permittivity in the Miami Limestone using high‐frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements at the laboratory scale

Subsurface water flow in South Florida is largely controlled by the heterogeneous nature of the karst limestone in the Biscayne aquifer and its upper formation, the Miami Limestone. These heterogeneities are amplified by dissolution structures that induce changes in the aquifer's material and physical properties (i.e., porosity and dielectric permittivity) and create preferential flow paths. Understanding such patterns are critical for the development of realistic groundwater flow models, particularly in the Everglades, where restoration of hydrological conditions is intended. In this work, we used noninvasive ground penetrating radar (GPR) to estimate the spatial variability in porosity and the dielectric permittivity of the solid phase of the limestone at centimeter‐scale resolution to evaluate the potential for field‐based GPR studies. A laboratory setup that included high‐frequency GPR measurements under completely unsaturated and saturated conditions was used to estimate changes in electromagnetic wave velocity through Miami Limestone samples. The Complex Refractive Index Model was used to derive estimates of porosity and dielectric permittivity of the solid phase of the limestone. Porosity estimates of the samples ranged between 45.2 and 66.0% and showed good correspondence with estimates of porosity using analytical and digital image techniques. Solid dielectric permittivity values ranged between 7.0 and 13.0. This study shows the ability of GPR to image the spatial variability of porosity and dielectric permittivity in the Miami Limestone and shows potential for expanding these results to larger scales and other karst aquifers.
Estimación de parámetros biofísicos de vegetación utilizando el método de la cámara hemisférica

In order to provide a successful validation of remote sensing products, it is necessary to accurately estimate the in-situ biophysical parameters of interest. Numerous advances in hemispherical photographs analysis have proven over the last decade to be a powerful indirect method. This work describes in-situ acquisition and processing of LAI, FVC and fAPAR from the indirect measurement of the gap fraction with the hemispherical camera. The ground data set was collected during the SPARC (Spectra bARax Campaign) campaign, which took place at Barrax test site in July 2003. The results have been validated with another ground data set collected by the optical instrument LI-COR LAI2000 during the same campaign. The hemispherical photographs have shown to provide accurate estimates of biophysical parameters in crop canopies with a margin of error with the LI-COR LAI2000 lower than 25%. On the other hand, the hemispherical camera shows significant advantages such as (i) the possibility to evaluate the gap fraction in all viewing direction and (ii) compared with the LICOR LAI2000 it provides LAI estimates corrected from non-desired influences (foliage clumping, presence of dry material, etc.).
Human Activity Recognition Based on Continuous-Wave Radar and Bidirectional Gate Recurrent Unit

The technology for human activity recognition has diverse applications within the Internet of Things spectrum, including medical sensing, security measures, smart home systems, and more. Predominantly, human activity recognition methods have relied on contact sensors, and some research uses inertial sensors embedded in smartphones or other devices, which present several limitations. Additionally, most research has concentrated on recognizing discrete activities, even though activities in real-life scenarios tend to be continuous. In this paper, we introduce a method to classify continuous human activities, such as walking, running, squatting, standing, and jumping. Our approach hinges on the micro-Doppler (MD) features derived from continuous-wave radar signals. We first process the radar echo signals generated from human activities to produce MD spectrograms. Subsequently, a bidirectional gate recurrent unit (Bi-GRU) network is employed to train and test these extracted features. Preliminary results highlight the efficacy of our approach, with an average recognition accuracy exceeding 90%.
Improving chemical, rheological and sensory properties of commercial low-fat cream by concentrate addition of whey proteins

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of whey protein concentrate (WPC) addition on the commercial low-fat cream's chemical, rheological and sensory properties. WPC was added to the low-fat cream (10% fat) in ratios of 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0% to represent the treatments C1, C2, and C3, respectively.In addition, a fat-rich, positive control treatment (C +) with a fat percentage of 30% and a negative low-fat control treatment (C-) with a fat percentage of 10% were investigated without adding WPC. Chemical tests were carried out, including the percentage of moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrates, total acidity, and pH, as well as rheological tests that included; hardness, springiness, and Cohesiveness. Also, a sensory evaluation was conducted. The results showed a decrease in the moisture percentage of the added treatments with the increment of the added WPC quantity. Also, a decrease in the fat percentage and pH of the WPC addition treatments was observed, combined with an increment in the percentage of protein, carbohydrates, ash, and total acidity. Regarding the microbiological properties, no bacterial or mycological contamination was observed during the manufacturing and storage periods. The results also showed the improvement of rheological and sensory characteristics by increasing the percentage of WPC addition compared with the positive and negative control treatments. The present study would be helpful in the production of low-fat cream fortified with whey proteins with high nutritional value.
Recent strike-slip deformation of the northern Tien Shan

Abstract The paper presents a geodynamic interpretation of the deep structure and active tectonics of the northern Tien Shan, with particular emphasis on strike-slip motions, which produced a pull-apart in the centre of the Issyk-Kul basin. The study is based on a detailed interpretation of satellite imagery, fault plane solutions of earthquakes, seismic, and geodetic data. Seismic and magnetotelluric studies show tectonic layering of the Tien Shan lithosphere, with several nearly horizontal viscoelastic layers and the lower layer underthrust northward in the northern Tien Shan. This active process may be responsible for the intricate present-day tectonic framework of the northern Tien Shan. The recent tectonics of the northern Tien Shan inherits the earlier structure: The lens-shaped Issyk-Kul microcontinent comprising Precambrian-Palaeozoic metamorphic and magmatic rocks is surrounded by thick shear zones which have been involved in the activity over most of the Cenozoic. In the Quaternary the strain propagated as far as the central part of the Issyk-Kul basin.
Effect of Expansion Decisions on the Financial Performance of SACCOs in Bungoma County, Kenya

The financial performance of Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (SACCOs) in Kenya has been a major concern in recent years, as they play a critical role in promoting financial inclusion and economic development in the country. SACCOs in Kenya have been criticized for making poor expansion decisions, leading to losses and declining financial performance. Several studies have explored the effects of expansion decisions on the financial performance of SACCOs. However, these studies have not been able to fully solve the financial performance problem facing SACCOs in Kenya due to various factors. The study on expansion decisions' effects on SACCOs' financial performance in Bungoma County was significant for promoting financial inclusion and overcoming challenges faced by SACCOs, including competition from digital financial services. The study aimed at examining the effect of expansion decisions on the financial performance of savings and credit cooperative organizations in Bungoma County, Kenya. Transaction cost theory served as the study's guide. To achieve its objectives, the study used a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. A total of 640 respondents were targeted, and 240 respondents were sampled, including the Chief Executive Officers (CEO), Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), accounting staff, and administrative staff. Stratified, proportionate and simple random sampling were used. To ensure the validity and reliability of the data collected, the researcher used various methods. Firstly, expert review, construct validity, and criterion validity were employed to ensure the validity of the questionnaires used. Secondly, the Cronbach alpha method was used to test the reliability of the questionnaires. A pilot study was conducted to identify any issues with the questionnaires before the actual study. After collecting data, it was cleaned and coded to ensure that it was ready for analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentages were computed to summarize the expansion decisions and financial performance. The findings were that the expansion decision was fairly agreed upon at 83 (51.2%) in relation to financial performance. Expansion decisions were a significant predictor of financial performance (t =12.678, p<0.05). An R-squared of 0.01 implied that the variation in financial performance at 50.1% was explained by an expansion decision. The recommendations were that SACCOs should make expansion decisions by opening more branches and increasing assets and portfolios so as to maintain the significance level of financial performance.
Observing tectonic plate motions and deformations from satellite laser ranging

For the first time satellite laser ranging (SLR) measurements from LAGEOS are revealing changes in geodetic station positions suggestive of predicted global tectonic plate motions. A detailed discussion of the latest SLR results is given herein. Since the accuracy of tectonic plate velocities increases with the repetition rate and accuracy in the measurement of interplate distances, activities are also described for increasing the temporal resolution and precision of baseline determinations. The LAGEOS laser data for the period January 1979 to the end of 1982 have been reanalyzed. The results of this analysis are now approaching the useful accuracies required by geophysics. For the better annually determined stations they include consistencies of 2–3 cm in station heights and 2 cm in annual baselines. The SLR results show overall agreement with the geologic tectonic rate model of Minster and Jordan with a linear cross correlation of 0.61 for 34 observed interstation rates. Improved temporal resolution was obtained in the measurement of specific baselines of moderate length through the large number of simultaneously observed passes.
Editorial: Brain dopaminergic mechanisms

COPYRIGHT © 2023 Yang, Romanov, Xu and Mothet. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Editorial: Brain dopaminergic mechanisms
Geochemical and Geophysical Changes during Ammonia Gas Treatment of Vadose Zone Sediments for Uranium Remediation

Low water content sediments were treated with NH3 gas to evaluate changes in U mobility as a potential field remediation method for vadose zone contamination. Injection of NH3 gas created high dissolved NH3 concentrations that followed equilibrium behavior. High NH3 concentration led to an increase in pH from 8.0 to 11 to 13, depending on the water content and NH3 concentration. The increase in pore water pH resulted in a large increase in pore water cations and anions from mineral‐phase dissolution. Minerals showing the greatest dissolution included montmorillonite, muscovite, and kaolinite. Pore water ion concentrations then decreased with time. Simulations based on initial pore water ion concentrations indicated that quartz, chrysotile, calcite, diaspore, hematite, and Na‐boltwoodite (hydrous U silicate) should precipitate. Electrical resistivity and induced polarization tomography (ERT/IP) was able to nonintrusively track these NH3 partitioning, dissolution, and precipitations processes through changes in conductivity and chargeability. Ammonia treatment significantly decreases the amount of U present as adsorbed and aqueous species in field‐contaminated sediments. In contrast, sediments containing a large fraction of U associated with carbonates generally showed little change. Uranium leaching from sediments containing high Na‐boltwoodite decreased significantly by NH3 treatment, but x‐ray absorption near‐edge structure/extended x‐ray absorption fine structure showed no change in the Na‐boltwoodite concentration. Therefore, NH3 treatment of contaminated sediment acts to decrease the highly mobile aqueous and adsorbed U by incorporation into precipitates and appears to decrease mobility of some existing U precipitates (Na‐boltwoodite) as a result of mineral coating.
BACKGROUND OF THE NEED FOR TARGETED THERAPY OPTIONS AND PLATINUM-BASED THERAPY RESPONSES IN EGFR AND ALK-MUTATED LUNG ADENOCARCINOMA

Aim: To present our experience in EGFR and EML-4/ALK-mutated lung adenocarcinoma patients. Materials and Methods: 2580 patients were retrospectively evaluated. Only stage-4 lung adenocarcinoma patients who treated with at least 2-cycles of platinum-based regimens at frontline were included. Results: Among 105 eligible patients, EGFR and EML-4/ALK mutations was detected in 14 and 4 patients. 75 were wild-type for both mutations. The median age and age of diagnose was 61 and 58.5, respectively. 81% was male and 78% was smoker. EGFR and EML-4/ALK-mutant patients were predominantly female and non-smoker (EGFR; p=0.025 and 0.002, EML-4/ALK; p=0.003 and 0.012,respectively). EML-4/ALK-mutant patients were significantly younger than EML-4/ALK wild-type (p=0.02) (Table 1). EGFR exon-19, 20 and 21 mutations were associated with liver, bone and pleural metastases, respectively (p=0.046, 0.05 and 0.035, espectively). After firstline platinum-based chemotherapy, complete remission (CR) and partial remission (PR) rates were 4.7% and 24.6%,respectively. Concurrent radiotherapy and absence of bone metastases at diagnosis were significant factors influencing firstline platinum-based therapy responses (p=0.004 and p=0.046,respectively). EGFR or EML-4/ALK mutation status didn’t show significant difference in terms of platinum-based treatment response (p=0.933 and 0.184,respectively). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10 months. The observed effect of concurrent radiotherapy and the presence of bone metastases on treatment response didn’t reflected in the PFS results (p=0.079 and 0.285,respectively). Conclusion: The presence of EGFR and ALK mutations does not effect the treatment response of platinum-based regimens. The association of EGFR exon subsets with metastasis points is worth investigating. TKI and ALK inhibitors provide significant improvement in OR and PFS rates in frontline therapy when compared to platinum-based therapies.
Hospitality Business’ Attention to Food Safety and Hygiene

Food Safety and hygiene in hospitality establishments is to provide an overview of the importance of food safety and hygiene in the hospitality industry. This research used a quantitative survey to determine food safety and hygiene and HAACP in hospitality establishments in Kathmandu. The findings suggest a positive attitude towards food safety practices among the respondents, indicating a commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of both customers and food handlers in hospitality establishments. Improving food safety practices requires a collective effort from stakeholders, including owners, managers, and staff members, to create a culture of food safety.
Application of neural networks to identify lithofacies from well logs

Neural networks are physical cellular systems that can acquire, store, and utilise knowledge obtained by experience. They have a number of performance characteristics in common with biological neural networks or the human brain. They can simulate the nervous systems of living animals that work differently from conventional computing and analyse, compute and solve complex practical problems using computers. Studies show that neural networks can be used to solve a great number of practical problems that occur in modelling, predictions, assessments, recognition, and image processing. Especially, neural networks are suitable for application to problems where some results are known but the manner in which these results can be achieved is not known or is difficult to implement; or where the results themselves are not known. Lithofacies are, by definition, determined directly from the rock body, either an outcrop or conventional core. However, in subsurface studies it is important to be able to estimate the lithofacies of uncored wells or sections of wells. This is commonly done in a somewhat subjective manner using a wireline-log suite, and often using only the gamma-ray log. This paper presents an application of neural networking to identify lithofacies from wireline logs in a lithologically complex formation. The methodology provides a considerably more thorough, consistent, and less subjective means by which to estimate lithofacies, and indeed depositional facies, than is currently in use. Only conventional wireline-logs were available in this study. Nonetheless, it was possible to establish an identification network of lithofacies by integrating error back propagation and self-organising mapping algorithms. This network was applied to identify lithofacies in six wells. The results indicate that, given a reliable training set which is provided from a detailed lithofacies analysis of conventional cores within the formation under study, it is possible to estimate lithofacies from conventional well logs by means of neural network techniques.
Comparison of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D amongst black African prostate cancer patients with non-aggressive versus aggressive disease using the Gleason score

Background: Black men of African descent have higher risk for developing prostate cancer and present at a younger age with advanced disease and a poorer prognosis. Limited number of studies directly linking serum vitamin D with either prostate cancer prognosis or measures of prostate cancer aggressiveness have been done. The objective of this study is to compare serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D levels in patients with non-aggressive and aggressive prostate cancer using the Gleason score in black Africans in Jos. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted among fifty patients who presented to the urological surgical out-patient clinic of the Jos University Teaching Hospital who had clinical diagnosis of prostate cancer and were scheduled for prostate biopsy. Blood samples for serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D assay was analysed using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique, patients with histologically confirmed prostate cancer were analysed. Data was collected in a proforma, statistical analysis done using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS)(R) version 23 and t-test was used for comparison with a p value <0.05 considered significant. Results: Fifty patients were studied whose age ranged from 50-89 years. The mean level of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D was 37.90 ng/ml±17.92. The mean serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D of patients with non-aggressive disease (GS≤6) and aggressive disease (GS≥7) was 48.44±17.09 and 34.57±17.08 respectively with a p value of 0.018. Conclusions: This study showed that black African prostate cancer patients with high grade tumors (Gleason score ≥7) had significantly lower 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels compared to those with low grade tumors (Gleason score <7).