Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antecedents and consequences of green supply chain management practices in Ghana’s manufacturing sector

PurposeThe study explores manufacturers' supply chain social capital (SCSC) (structural social capital and relational social capital) and supply chain performance, respectively, as drivers and outcome of green supply chain management practices (GSCMPs). Additionally, the study explores the direct relationship between SCSC and supply chain performance of manufacturers.Design/methodology/approachThe author develops and tests a research model grounded in the resource-based view and the natural resource-based view theory using survey data from 100 manufacturing firms operating in Ghana. The measurement model and hypothesized paths were examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings revealed that relational social capital of manufacturers has a positive and significant relationship with supply chain performance, but structural social capital does not. Additionally, manufacturers' structural social capital and relational social capital were found to have a positive and significant relationship with GSCMPs. Lastly, GSCMPs were found to have a positive and significant relationship with supply chain performance.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the limited literature demonstrating the contribution of intangible relational assets, specifically SCSC, toward GSCMPs implementation.
TTSR: A Transformer-Based Topography Neural Network for Digital Elevation Model Super-Resolution

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are crucial geographical data sources, whereas the resolution of commonly used DEM products is low and cannot meet the requirement of detailed geo-related applications. Deep learning-based methods have demonstrated to be effective in super-resolution (SR) techniques, which reconstruct high-resolution (HR) images from low-resolution (LR) images. However, existing deep learning methods have not fully considered the multiscale spatial heterogeneity and topographic knowledge of DEM data that differentiate them from traditional images. These defects inevitably lead to the localized smoothing of the reconstructed DEM and influence the reliability of downstream geographical analysis. This study proposes a transformer-based topography neural network (TTSR) for DEM SR incorporating a local-global deformable block (LGDB) for capturing the multiscale spatial heterogeneity and topographic knowledge, a spatio-channel coupled channel attention (SimAM) mechanism for reallocating channel weights and providing a supplement of the global spatial features, and an improved terrain loss function (iLoss) for mitigating noise across datasets. TTSR was validated using two publicly available real-world DEM datasets for recovering DEM from 30 to 10 m. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the proposed method was reduced by approximately 6%–30%, 4%–16%, and 1%–9% in elevation accuracy, slope accuracy, and aspect accuracy, respectively, compared to the best one of those state-of-the-art methods. This research provides new insights for improving the accuracy of the DEM SR, which will help generate global HR terrain products for geographical studies in the future.
Phenological Patterns in Central Asia: Monitoring Vegetation Dynamics Using Remote Sensing at Different Scales

Phenology is an important indicator for climate conditions. Thus studying vegetation dynamics could lead to a better understanding of present and future climate changes. For assessing of vegetation dynamics on a regional scale remote sensing is currently the only method that offers at the same time the possibility for continuous monitoring over long time spans. In this study, we extracted and analyzed phenological parameters from remotely sensed time series data for Central Asia at different scales. At regional (Central Asia) level time series of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) derived from imagery of the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument were utilized. These data cover a time period of 25 years (1982-2006) and have a spatial resolution of 8 km. At the sub-regional level (Naryn, Karadarya and Zerafshan catchments, Fergana Valley and Fergana and Chatkal ranges of Tien-Shan) 250 m NDVI products of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were processed for the years 2001-2009. Different methods for filtering satellite time series and extracting phenological parameters were employed using TIMESAT software. The Asymmetric Gaussian method with a 25% threshold was selected for computation of the start of the spring season (SOS) and length of season (LOS) from the two data- sets. We show the general pattern of spring phenology for Central Asia with an early start south- west and continuing towards north-east up to 3 months later. Agricultural sites show a later start and longer vegetation season than surrounding areas. However for arid regions the method is not suitable due to the very low vegetation signal in these areas. The results revealed additionally that this satellite based method offers rather relative than absolute measures of seasonality and that phenological metrics are sensible to resolution level.
Hacia un modelo de referencia de procesos de gestión del conocimiento para organizaciones desarrolladoras de software: validación por expertos

This paper aims to present the results of content and structure validation of a proposal of a reference model for knowledge management (KM) processes for software-developing organizations. Particularly, experts on KM affiliated with Latin America based institutions were surveyed. They completed an online survey asking about the descriptive elements of the model processes, the potential relevance and feasibility of implementing the model processes across Latin American organizations, as well as the influence that a set of factors might have on successfully implementing the model processes. The results obtained showed a high level of consensus among experts with respect to meeting the criteria established for validation. In addition, areas for improvement were detected in the description of the model processes which serve as a departure point for adjusting and developing a new version of the model.
Whether Post-Merger Higher Education Institutions Operate Efficiently in the Long-Run? A Follow-up Study in Taiwan

This study applied DEA to verify the effects of mergers on the three cases of HEIs in Taiwan from 2012 to 2020. The results revealed NKUST’s merger promoted his PTE. Though, that was not the case in other mergers. The efficiency HEI can still maintain its PTE, as shown as NPTU, whereas inefficiency HEI became more inefficient, as shown as NTHU. Moreover, although the merger may bring in economies of scale and scope, the effects cannot be sustained, as shown as NPTU and NKUAS. Indeed, from the lengthy perspective, all of them experienced diseconomies of scale and scope, among others, NTHU and NKUST have been even into DRS. Finally, the TE of all three HEIs decayed, and both of the SE and TE did not yet recover to the levels before the mergers, by 2020. To sum up, the results recommended governments and HEIs should be prudential on the mergers of HEIs, especially in Taiwan suffering from the vivid and persistent drops in fertility rates. Moreover, HEIs should capitalize on their multi-field, interdisciplinarity, and multi-campus to develop and innovate the new courses, programs, and research meeting the needs of the times, and optimize their SE by the economy of scope.
Microbial reductive dehalogenation of persistent halogenated aromatic contaminants in sediments of the Hackensack River in New Jersey

Organohalogen pollutants are of concern in many river and estuarine environments, such as the New York-New Jersey Harbor estuary and its tributaries. The Hackensack River is contaminated with various metals, hydrocarbons and halogenated organics, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins. The Hackensack River and its associated wetlands provide an important habitat for migratory birds and sediment and water contaminants are thus of concern. In order to examine the potential for microbial reductive dechlorination by indigenous microorganisms of the Hackensack River, sediment samples were collected from five different locations (designated H1 to H5) along the river. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexabromobenzene (HBB), and pentachloroaniline (PCA) were selected as model organohalogen pollutants to assess anaerobic dehalogenating potential in the river sediments. Dechlorinating activity of HCB and PCA was observed in sediment microcosms for all sampling sites. HCB was dechlorinated via pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) and trichlorobenzene (TriCB) to dichlorobenzene (DCB). PCA was dechlorinated via tetrachloroaniline (TeCA), trichloroaniline (TriCA), and dichloroaniline (DCA) to monochloroaniline (MCA). However, no HBB debromination was observed over 12 months of incubation. Dehalococcoides species were detected by PCR-DGGE in sediments of the freshwater location (H1) but not in the estuarine site (H5). Other possible dehalogenators,
Clinical and sonographic characteristics of Warthin-like variant papillary thyroid carcinomas.

AIM To summarize the clinical, ultrasonographic (US) and pathological characteristics of Warthin-like variant papillary thyroid carcinomas (WVPTC). MATERIAL AND METHODS Medical records and US images of 32 cases of WVPTCs diagnosed between December, 2006 and September, 2018 were reviewed. Clinical, pathological and US characteristics of these cases were collected and summarized. ACR TI-RADS was followed during the analysis of the US features of the lesions. Results: Totally, 32 patients with 33 WVPTC nodules were reviewed. WVPTC was more often seen in female patients (27/32,84.4%) with a relatively high age (mean age, 51.0±10.8 years old). Hyperthyroidism was observed in 14 patients; 2 patients were diagnosed as subclinical hyperthyroidism and 1 patient as subclinical hypothyroidism. Abnormal thyroglobulin antibody was detected in 22 patients. Mean size of the nodule was 1.2±0.5 cm (range, 0.5~2.99 cm) on US. Pathologically, tumor margin of 63.6% carcinomas were infiltrative but most (72.9%) of the enrolled carcinomas were intra-thyroidal. Lymphocytic thyroiditis was detected in 87.5% (28/32) patients. On US, most WVPTCs were solid or almost complete solid (32/33, 97.0%) and very hypoechoic (26/33, 78.8%). Taller-than-wide shape (6/33, 18.2%) and punctate echogenic foci (9/33, 27.3%) were not popular. All the nodules were scored higher than 5 points according to the ACR TI-RADS, including 9 nodules that were classified into TR4 and 24 nodules as TR5. Follow-up information was available in 31 patients and no recurrence or distal metastasis was detected. CONCLUSIONS WVPTC is a rare variant of PTCs with favorable outcomes. Very hypoechoic echogenicity, solid or almost complete solid composition are the vital indicators for biopsy, even though the nodule may be wider-than-tall and have a lack of punctuate echoic foci.
Pain Catastrophizing in Cancer Patients

Simple Summary Catastrophism was not associated with the levels of pain intensity, PSG, PSGR, and PGI for pain, except the rumination subscale that was independently associated with pain intensity at T0. A comprehensive palliative care management provided the relevant changes in symptom burden and annulled the pain expression associated with rumination. Abstract Background: Pain catastrophizing is a group of negative irrational cognitions in the context of anticipated or actual pain. The aim of this study was to decipher the possible role of catastrophism on pain expression and outcomes after a comprehensive palliative care treatment. Methods: A consecutive sample of patients with uncontrolled pain was assessed. Demographic characteristics, symptom intensity included in the Edmonton symptom assessment system (ESAS), and opioid drugs used were recorded at admission (T0). The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) was measured for patients. Patients were also asked about their personalized symptom goal (PSG) for each symptom of ESAS. One week after a comprehensive palliative care treatment (T7), ESAS and opioid doses used were recorded again, and the number of patients who achieved their PSG (PSGR) were calculated. At the same interval (T7), Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) was calculated using patient global impression (PGI). Results: Ninety-five patients were eligible. A significant decrease in symptom intensity was reported for all ESAS items. PGI was positive for all symptoms, with higher values for pain, poor well-being, and poor sleep. Only the rumination subscale of catastrophism was significantly associated with pain at T0 (B = 0.540; p = 0.034). Conclusions: Catastrophism was not associated with the levels of pain intensity, PSG, PSGR, and PGI for pain, except the rumination subscale that was associated with pain intensity at T0. A comprehensive palliative care management provided the relevant changes in symptom burden, undoing the pain expression associated with rumination.
Fluvial Geomorphic Evidence for Late Quaternary Reactivation of a Synclinally Folded Nappe in Kumaun Lesser Himalaya

In parts of the Kumaun Lesser Himalayan terrane that is defined by the very active Main Boundary Thrust and Main Central Thrust, tectonic strain is progressively building up due to horizontal compression with resultant crustal shortening. Consequently, the thrust that bounds a synclinal nappe of Precambrian crystalline rocks has been reactivated in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene times. The neotectonic movements along the nappe-bounding thrust and associated faults within the nappe and in the adjacent autochthonous terrane are manifest in the pronounced geomorphic rejuvenation of the landscape, the development of rugged mountain barriers along the active thrusts and the dismemberment and dislocation of Late Quaternary fluvial terraces, lacustrine flats and colluvial cones. The resultant stream ponding culminated in the formation of lakes behind recently uplifted blocks upstream of active faults. Formed within the fluvial regimes and stretching 7 to 11 km upstream of the neotectonic impediments, the lakes are represented by 10 to 13 m thick succession of clays and muds. Radiocarbon dates of the lacustrine clay and mud in eastern Kumaun indicate the timings of the reactivation of these faults of the synclinal Almora Nappe at >35 ka and 9 ka. Several other palaeolakes in the Himalayan province originated in the temporal interval of 35 to 40 ka.
Features of the effective potential formed by multipole ion trap

Here we present a new model of the effective field in multielectrode ion traps. The proposed method involves averaging over radio frequency oscillations, through which we derive stationary equations of ion motion in the trap. We apply our approach to the 22-pole trap and compare the resulting potential distribution with both numerical calculations and experimental data. We show that the multipole trap with 2n electrodes excluding quadrupole traps has n points of stable quasi-equilibrium. We also calculate the stability diagram for the 22-pole trap, the main features of which can also be described by the proposed method. The proposed approach is of importance for particle trap dynamics analysis and mass-to-charge selection techniques.
Genomic surveillance of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from poultry in the UK from 2016 to 2020

Introduction Surveillance is vital for monitoring the increasing risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria leading to failures in humans and animals to treat infections. In a One Health context, AMR bacteria from livestock and food can transfer through the food chain to humans, and vice versa, which can be characterized in detail through genomics. We investigated the critical aspects of AMR and the dynamics of AMR in poultry in the UK. Methods In this study, we performed whole genome sequencing for genomic characterization of 761 extended-spectrum cephalosporinases (ESCs) harboring Escherichia coli isolated from poultry caeca and meat through EU harmonized monitoring of AMR in zoonotic and commensal bacteria from 2016 and 2018 and UK national monitoring in 2020. Results The most common ESC in 2016 and 2018 was blaCTX-M-1; however, 2020 had a greater diversity of ESCs with blaCTX-M-55 dominant in chickens and blaCTX-M-15 more prevalent in turkeys. Co-resistance to sulphonamides, tetracycline, and trimethoprim was widespread, and there were several positive correlations between the sequence types (STs) and ESC genes. We identified certain AMR genotypes and STs that were frequent each year but not as successful in subsequent years, e.g., ST350 harboring blaCTX-M-1, sul2, and tetA-v4.Phylogenetic comparison of isolates prevalent in our panel with global ones from the same STs available in public databases showed that isolates from the UK generally clustered together, suggesting greater within-country than between-country transmission. Discussion We conclude that future genomic surveillance of indicator organisms will be invaluable as it will enable detailed comparisons of AMR between and within neighboring countries, potentially identifying the most successful sequence types, plasmids, or emerging threats.
Suppressing growth and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by celecoxib through inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2

Purpose: Biomarkers are lacking in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and its metabolites play crucial roles in the process of inflammation-tumor transformation. This study was aimed to detect COX-2 expression in HCC tissues and evaluate the effects of a COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, on biological behaviors of HCC cell lines in vitro. Methods: COX-2 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry on a human HCC tissue microarray. The correlations of COX-2 expression with tumor clinicopathological variables and overall survival were analyzed. The proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, invasion capacity, and related signaling molecules of HCC cells after incubated with COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib were evaluated in vitro. Results: Expression levels of COX-2 in HCC tissues were significantly higher than those in paracancerous tissues. The TNM stage III-IV, tumor size >5 cm, lymphovascular invasion and distant metastasis was higher in high COX-2 expression group compared with that in low COX-2 expression group. Patients with low COX-2 expression achieved better 5-year overall survival than those with high COX-2 expression. Treatment with celecoxib was sufficient to inhibit cell proliferation, promote apoptosis, and induce G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in HCC cells with concentration- and time-dependent manners. Celecoxib up-regulated E-cadherin protein through inhibiting COX-2-prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-PGE2 receptor 2 (EP2)-p-Akt/p-ERK signaling pathway to suppress HCC cells migration and invasion. Conclusion: High COX-2 expression was associated with advanced TNM stage, larger tumor size, increased lymphovascular invasion and short survival. Targeting inhibition of COX-2 by celecoxib exhibited anti-tumor activities by suppressing proliferation, promoting apoptosis, and inhibiting the aggressive properties of HCC cells.
Conservation Agriculture and Soil Carbon Sequestration; Summary of a Critical Review

Bram GOVAERTS1*, Nele VERHULST1,2, Antonio CASTELLANOS-NAVARRETE1, Ken D. SAYRE1, John DIXON1, Luc DENDOOVEN3 1 International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F. , Mexico; 2 Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Soil and Water Management Division; Celestijnenlaan 200 E, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; 3 Cinvestav, Departamento de Biotecnologia y Bioingenieria, Avenida Instituto Politecnico Nacional 2508, C. P. 07360, Mexico D. F. , Mexico * Corresponding author (Email: b.govaerts@cgiar.org)
The expected of monthly temperature for next climate period of the holy city of Najaf by using Liner Trend analysis

The purpose of this study is to prediction the monthly average of maximum and minimum temperature of the holy city of Najaf for next eleven years (2011-2021), by using the Liner Trend analysis to reveal the nature of the periodic behavior pattern of the monthly average temperature via a series of long time extending from December 1971 to January 2010 (480 months), then hire it to get a model of directional linear regression to predict the average temperature monthly.The results showed that there are different values of the climate cycle and varied from month to month, it has been shown that there is a trend toward rising rates of heat and that so important for climate change study and desertification phenomenon.
Family in Crisis: Do Halfway Houses Perform Better Than Families with Expressed Emotion toward Patients with Schizophrenia? A Direct Adjusted Comparison

Expressed emotion (EE) toward patients with schizophrenia is typically reported to be lower in psychiatric halfway houses than in families. This is the first study directly comparing EE between these settings and investigating the pathways mediating EE differences. We included 40 inpatients in halfway houses and 40 outpatients living with their families and recorded 22 psychiatric nurses’ and 56 parents’ EE, respectively, through Five Minutes Speech Samples. Each inpatient was rated by 2–5 nurses and each outpatient by 1–2 parents. As EE ratings had a multilevel structure, generalized linear mixed models were fitted, adjusting for patient-related confounders and caregiver demographics. Mediatory effects were investigated in multilevel structural equation models. Outpatients were younger, less chronic, and better educated, with higher negative symptoms and perceived criticism than inpatients. Nurses were younger and better educated than parents. Before adjustment, EE rates were equally high across settings. After adjusting for patient-related confounders, emotional overinvolvement was significantly higher in parents. However, after also adjusting for caregiver demographics, only criticism was significantly higher in nurses. Patients’ age, negative symptoms, and perceived criticism and caregivers’ age and sex significantly mediated EE group differences. Our findings highlight pathways underlying EE differences between halfway houses and families and underscore the importance of staff and family psychoeducation.
SVS-VPR: A Semantic Visual and Spatial Information-Based Hierarchical Visual Place Recognition for Autonomous Navigation in Challenging Environmental Conditions

Robust visual place recognition (VPR) enables mobile robots to identify previously visited locations. For this purpose, the extracted visual information and place matching method plays a significant role. In this paper, we critically review the existing VPR methods and group them into three major categories based on visual information used, i.e., handcrafted features, deep features, and semantics. Focusing the benefits of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and semantics, and limitations of existing research, we propose a robust appearance-based place recognition method, termed SVS-VPR, which is implemented as a hierarchical model consisting of two major components: global scene-based and local feature-based matching. The global scene semantics are extracted and compared with pre-visited images to filter the match candidates while reducing the search space and computational cost. The local feature-based matching involves the extraction of robust local features from CNN possessing invariant properties against environmental conditions and a place matching method utilizing semantic, visual, and spatial information. SVS-VPR is evaluated on publicly available benchmark datasets using true positive detection rate, recall at 100% precision, and area under the curve. Experimental findings demonstrate that SVS-VPR surpasses several state-of-the-art deep learning-based methods, boosting robustness against significant changes in viewpoint and appearance while maintaining efficient matching time performance.