Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental flow envelopes: quantifying global, ecosystem–threatening streamflow alterations

Abstract. Human actions and climate change have drastically altered river flows across the world, resulting in adverse effects on riverine ecosystems. Environmental flows (EFs) have emerged as a prominent tool for safeguarding riverine ecosystems. However, at the global scale, the assessment of EFs is associated with significant uncertainty. Here, we present a novel method to determine EFs by Environmental Flow Envelopes (EFE), which is an envelope of variability bounded by discharge limits within which riverine ecosystems are not seriously compromised. The EFE is defined globally in approximately 4,400 sub–basins at monthly time resolution, considering also the methodological uncertainties related with global EF studies. In addition to a lower bound of discharge, the EFE introduces an upper bound of discharge, identifying areas where streamflow has increased substantially. Further, instead of only showing whether EFs are violated, as commonly done, we quantify, for the first time, the frequency, severity, and trends of EFE violations, which can be considered as potential threats to riverine ecosystems. We use pre–industrial (1801–1860) quasi-natural discharge and a suite of hydrological EFR methods and global hydrological models to estimate EFE, applying data from the ISIMIP 2b ensemble. We then compare the EFEs to recent past (1976–2005) discharge to assess the violations of the EFE. We found that the EFE violations most commonly manifest themselves by insufficient streamflow during the low flow season, with less violations during intermediate flow season, and only few violations during high flow season. These violations are widespread: discharge in half of the sub–basins of the world has violated the EFE during more than 5 % of the months between 1976 and 2005. The trends in EFE violations have mainly been increasing during the past decades and will likely remain problematic with projected increases in anthropogenic water use and hydroclimatic changes. Indications of excessive streamflow through EFE upper bound violations are relatively scarce and spatially distributed, although signs of increasing trends can be identified and potentially attributed to climate change. While the EFE provides a quick and globally robust way of determining environmental flow allocations at the sub–basin scale, local fine–tuning is necessary for practical applications and further research on the coupling between quantitative discharge and riverine ecosystem responses is required.
A transdisciplinary approach to disease ecology: Emerging coronaviruses

Humankind is currently facing the effects of an unparalleled pandemic that has impacted healthcare, social, and economic systems worldwide. Numerous studies have been published since the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak began in Wuhan, China. Most have focused on virology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and therapeutic medicine, having been centered by reactive strategies to control the pandemic. Meanwhile, publications addressing the ecological, evolutionary, and anthropogenic drivers of virus emergence, and potential strategies to prevent future outbreaks have been sparse. Here, we highlight the necessity of complementary and transdisciplinary insight and methodologies from an integrated perspective to study emergent diseases. It is paramount to situate the consistently associated factors to understand the complexity of the current pandemic. Disease ecology can examine information to recognize the causes of emergence while appraising the role of interactions among pathogens, domestic animals, wildlife, and humans, integratively. Here we draw on a variety of disciplines and perspectives, from evolutionary biology, biogeography, ecology, molecular epidemiology and integrative health, to address the emergence of coronaviruses, with particular emphasis on SARS-CoV-2. We describe the process of the surfacing of zoonotic diseases, highlighting the interactions among wildlife, domestic animals, and humans, as well as the genetic, evolutionary, ecological, and anthropogenic processes that favor coronavirus epidemics and epizootics. We discuss specific results related to coronavirus investigations conducted in Mexico based on disease ecology methodologies. Finally, we describe alternative approaches for understanding and preventing future outbreaks and we suggest strategies to entice integrative and transdisciplinary research within the One Health/Ecohealth paradigm.
Students’ attitudes toward chemistry, environmental protection and information technology in a bilingual vocational secondary school in Budapest, Hungary

ABSTRACT Students’ attitudes toward science are complex phenomena depending on numerous factors. The factors studied in this work are students’ interest in science, their enjoyment of science lessons and career interest in science. Our objective was to investigate the attitudes of students based on these factors. The main question was whether the students enrolled in a bilingual vocational secondary school for chemistry, environmental protection and information technology had chosen the institution and their professional field according to their personal interests and whether this interest was independent of age and gender. Surveys were conducted in two academic years (2015–2016 and 2017–2018) among students from grade 0 or 9–12. Three factors of the Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA) questionnaire and self-constructed questions were used and analysed in our research. The results for the self-composed factors of our questionnaire provided evidence to state that the choice of school and that of profession is based on personal scientific interest of students. We have found a negative relationship among TOSRA items and age; regarding gender, there are differences among chemists and IT specialists.
Introducing the HERACLES Ontology—Semantics for Cultural Heritage Management

Cultural Heritage (CH) (In the context of this paper, we consider cultural heritage built tangible cultural heritage, such as buildings or monuments.) is an important source of identity for humankind and needs to be conserved for future generations. Climate change (CC) will morph the environmental landscape, thus leading to climate stress imposed on CH. Experts from different domains, including, but not limited to, material scientists, conservators and managers of cultural heritage collaborate to find out how CC affects CH and how potentially harmful impacts can be mitigated. To find and understand correlations and effects of different factors, researchers collect and analyse vast amounts of data. Still, experts often cannot exchange or make efficient use of data since it often is unstructured, incompatible, or its plain existence is simply unknown. This article introduces means to achieve consent about available knowledge, to exploit synergy effects through the combination of available information and to provide a flexible multisource information platform in collaborative cultural heritage management projects. In the context of the European project HERACLES (HERACLES—HEritage Resilience Against CLimate Events on Site. Further information: http://www.heracles-project.eu/), an application-ontology was developed. The ontology facilitates reuse and integration of data through structuring and representing its semantics. The involvement in the HERACLES project guaranteed end-user driven development, practical results and encompassment of all domains represented in the project.
EFFECTS OF ISO-OSMOTIC SALT AND WATER STRESSES ON GROWTH AND IONIC DISTRIBUTION IN ALOE SEEDLINGS

Among many kinds of stresses, drought and salinity are the most se rious ones that limit plant growth and crop productivity in agriculture with the ir damage exceeding the sum of that attributed to all other natural disasters. P lant responses to drought and salinity have much in common: Water stress in its broadest sense encompasses both drought and salt stress; Salt stress occu rs from both osmotic stress due to low water potentials and salt-specific effect s. However, studies on the comparative physiology of plants to water and salt st ress are few. Aloe is a typical xerophyte with important economic and social val ue, but is not a halophyte. Little information was available on its response to s alt and its mechanisms of tolerance. In this paper, dry matter accumulation of s eedlings, growth rates, water content, electrolytic leakage of leaves and ionic absorption and distribution of organ and tissue levels in six-leaf Aloe vera seedlings exposed to iso-osmotic conditions of -0.44 Mpa and -0.88 Mpa using Na Cl, a nd compared to exposure to polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000) concentrations to understand the responses of plants to water and salt stress. The results showed that leaf elongation was inhibited, plant dry matter accum ulation rates decreased significantly, water content in leaves decreased, and le af electrolytic leakage increased 10 days after treatments using NaCl and PEG. G rowth inhibition of salt-treated Aloe seedlings greatly exceeded that of PEG -treated seedlings. Ion content analysis in different organs and X-ray microanal ysis of root and leaf cross sections indicated that Na +、Cl - content increa sed s ignificantly and K +、Ca 2+ absorption in the roots and transport to leave s were i nhibited in seedlings exposed to NaCl stress. Maintenance of better ion homeosta sis under the PEG treatment was a primary reason for the greater adaptation to w ater stress than to iso-osmotic salt stress in Aloe. However, Aloe seedl ings als o showed some specific adaptations to -0.44--0.88 NaCl stress in Aloe seed ling s: 1) Ionic selective absorption and transport were high in Aloe roots under salt stress and increased with increasing salt stress; 2) Salt accumulation i n aqueous tissues was significantly higher than that in the other tissues of A loe lea ves. Also, as a CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) plant, the transpiration rate in Aloe seedlings was very low and the rate of salt accumulation in the sho ots was also slow.
Digital game-based learning of information literacy: Effects of gameplay modes on university students’ learning performance, motivation, self-efficacy and flow experiences

Information literacy (IL) is important for university students. In this research, we developed a digital role-playing game to enhance students’ learning of IL and investigated the effects of gameplay modes on their learning performance, motivation, self-efficacy and flow experiences. A total of 90 students participated in the study and played the game in collaborative, competitive and solo modes. Their IL knowledge was measured through a post-test after they completed the game and associated exercises. Their motivation, self-efficacy and flow experiences were evaluated through a questionnaire survey. The results indicated statistically significant effects of the gameplay modes on the students’ learning performance, motivation, self-efficacy and flow experiences. The solo mode was inferior to the other two in all four aspects. The collaborative mode significantly outperformed the competitive mode in terms of enhancing learning performance and flow experience, while the competitive mode was significantly better in terms of promoting self-efficacy. These two modes were similarly effective in the dimension of motivation. Based on the results, we suggest that students play games in the collaborative or competitive modes when conditions permit. We also advise teachers to provide students with rich opportunities for discussion, collaboration and interaction and believe that an appropriate competitive atmosphere is important.
How working memory capacity modulates the time course of indirect replies comprehension: an event-related potential study

ABSTRACT To achieve successful communication, people should decode not only the literal meaning of an utterance, but also the intended meanings conveyed by the speaker. In the present study, event-related potential (ERP) technique was used to explore how working memory capacity modulates the processes of indirect replies comprehension. Conversations of Speaker A and Speaker B were constructed. Speaker A’s question renders Speaker B’s reply to be either direct or indirect replies. Participants of high and low working memory span were instructed to read for comprehension. Our results showed that for the high span group, indirect replies elicited a larger P200, a larger P300 and a larger delayed Late Positive Component (LPC) compared with direct replies. While for the low span group, only a delayed LPC effect was elicited by indirect replies. These findings provide evidence that readers’ working memory capacity modulates the early detection and immediate processing of indirect replies.
Correlation between the structure and the anticorrosion barrier properties of hybrid sol – gel coatings : application to the protection of AA 2024-T 3 alloys

Hybrid sol–gel materials have been extensively studied as viable alternatives to toxic chromate (VI)-based coatings for the corrosion protection of AA2024-T3 in the aerospace industry, due to the wide range of available chemistries they offer and the tremendous development potential of innovative functional coatings. However, so far, little work has been performed in identifying the effect of the employed chemistries on the structure and anticorrosion properties of the coatings. This work proposes to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship existing between the structure, morphology and anticorrosion properties of hybrid sol–gel coatings deposited on AA2024T3 aluminium surfaces, the most widely used alloy in the aerospace industry. The sol–gels are prepared employing two hybrid precursors; an organosilane, 3-trimethoxysilylpropylmethacrylate, and a zirconium complex prepared from the chelation of zirconium n-propoxide, and methacrylic acid. The structure of the hybrid sol–gel formulation is modified by altering the concentration of the transition metal complex. The structure and morphology of the coatings are characterised by dynamic light scattering, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, silicon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, atomic-force microscopy and the anticorrosion barrier properties characterised by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and neutral salt-spray. It is found that the transition metal concentration affected the morphology and structure, as well as the anticorrosion performances of the hybrid sol–gel coatings. A direct correlation between the morphology of the coatings and their final anticorrosion barrier properties is demonstrated, and the optimum material amongst this series is determined to be comprised of a concentration of between 20 and 30% of transition metal.
RP-HPLC Determination of Three Medicinal Bioactive Components in Different Parts of Swertia mussotii Franch

Objective:To establish an HPLC method for determining the contents of three medicinal bioactive components:gentiopicroside(S_1),mangiferin(S_2)and 7-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-1,8-dihydroxy-3- methoxyxanthone(S_3)in different parts of wild and cultivated Swertia mussotii Franch were determined by RP- HPLC.Methods:The analysis was performed on a Kromasil C_(18)(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm). The mobile phase con- sisted of CH_3OH and 0.02% aqueous phosphoric acid.The gradient condition was O min→50 min→55 min, CH_3OH 20%→80%→100%. The flow rate was 1 mL·min~(-1). The detection wavelength was at 260 nm.Results: The good linear relationships and recoveries were obtained under the optimum conditions for every component.Con- clusion:The method is simple,rapid and reliable.The flower of this herb contains more three medicinal bioactive components than its other parts do.
Person Identification by Footstep Sound Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Human gait is very individual and it may serve as biometric to identify people in camera recordings. Comparable results can be achieved while using the acoustic signature of human footstep sounds. This acoustic solution offers the opportunity of less installation space and the use of cost-efficient microphones when compared to visual system. In this paper, a method for person identification based on footstep sounds is proposed. First, step sounds are isolated from microphone recordings and separated into 500 ms samples. The samples are transformed with a sliding window into mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC). The result is represented as an image that serves as input to a convolutional neural network (CNN). The dataset for training and validating the CNN is recorded with five subjects in the acoustic lab of DLR. These experiments identify a total number of 1125 steps. The validation of the CNN reveals a minimum F1-score of 0.94 for all five classes and an accuracy of 0.98. The Grad-CAM method is applied to visualize the background of its decision in order to verify the functionality of the proposed CNN. Subsequently, two challenges for practical implementations, noise and different footwear, are discussed using experimental data.
Title : The intra-firm knowledge transfer in the outward M & A of EMNCs : evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms

This paper examines the intra-firm transfer of tacit and explicit knowledge in the post-acquisition integration stage in the outward mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of multinational corporations from emerging economies (EMNCs). It also explores rationales underlying the tacit and explicit knowledge transfer in the cross-cultural context. Drawing from the empirical evidence of three Chinese firms’ outward M&A in three European countries, we argue the Chinese acquiring firms emphasised the transfer of explicit over tacit knowledge in the post-acquisition integration in their outward M&A. This can be attributed to complementarity in explicit knowledge, home market advantage, scarcity of key staff and cultural differences.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY VS SUBJECTIVE COMFORT: A MULTIOBJECTIVE OPTIMISATION METHOD UNDER UNCERTAINTY

A multiobjective optimisation methodology is proposed to optimise building design against both physical performance (such as energy efficiency) and psychophysical performance (such as occupant comfort). The originality of the method is 1) the integration of subjective data obtained from psychophysical tests in multiobjective optimisation method and 2) the management of uncertainties inherent to subjective data through a Monte Carlo process. The methodology was developed through a case study of office lighting optimisation. Psychovisual tests were performed from computer generated images obtained using a light transport simulation package.
Climate variability and grain production in Scania, c. 1702–1911

Abstract. Scania (sw. Skåne), southern Sweden, offers a particularly interesting case for studying the historical relationship between climate variability and grain production, given the favourable natural conditions in terms of climate and soils for grain production, as well as the relative lack of heat-sensitive grain varieties like wheat in its production composition. In this article, I combine a contextual understanding of historical grain production in Scania, including historical, phenological and natural geographic aspects, with quantitative analysis of available empirical sources to estimate the relationship between climate variability and grain production between the years c. 1702–1911. The main result of this study is that grain production in Scania was primarily sensitive to climate variability during the high summer months of June and July, preferring relatively cool and humid conditions, and to some extent precipitation during the winter months, preferring relatively dry conditions. Furthermore, grain production was relatively insensitive to climate variability during the spring, autumn and harvest seasons. At the end of the study period, these relationships were shifting as the so-called early improved cultivars were being imported from other parts of Europe. Finally, I also shed new light on the climate history of the region, especially for the late 18th century, previously argued to be a particularly cold period, through homogenization of the early instrumental series from Lund (1753–1870).
Corporate Governance Mechanisms with Firm Performance: A Study on Malaysia's and Hong Kong's Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) Public Listed Companies

Corporate governance (CG) mechanisms might have a significant effect on firm performance (FP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate if CG mechanisms impact the FP among Malaysia's REITs (M-REITs) and Hong Kong's REITs (H-REITs). The effect of CG's variable on FP can be analyzed by using Panel data analysis. Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and Tobin's Q were employed to measure the FP. Data were collected from the annual report available on Bursa Malaysia and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited for 2010 until 2019. The finding suggests that H-REITs were more significantly affected by CG mechanisms as compared to M-REITs.
Characterization of Myrrh Essential Oil wıth GC-MS and Investigation Antibacterıal Effects on Salmonella spp.

Although Salmonella cause serious infections in animals, they are also of great importance with their zoonotic features. In this study, the antibacterial effects of myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) essential oil on poultry and human isolated Salmonella spp. , S. typhimurium ATCC 14028, also Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300), Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922) were investigated agar well diffusion method and minimum inhibition concentrations (MICs) were determined micro dilution methods. In addition bioactive components analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometer GC / MS. According to the results of GC-MS, major component of myrrh essential oil is curzerene with 24.99 % rate. This was followed by beta elemene with 21.75%. A total of 106 components were detected, and the other components detected were found at between 0.01% and 1.88% rate. Antibacterial test result showed that the zone diameter range of essential oil on Salmonella spp. isolates have been determined between 7.75 mm and 9.75 mm and MIC values ranging from 12.4 μg / ml to 49.6 μg / ml. In reference strains, it was seen that the most effective result was on Gram-positive bacteria.
Divergent Metastatic Patterns Between Esophageal Squamous-cell Carcinoma and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: a Propensity-matched Analysis

Background: To explore the different metastatic patterns between esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Methods: For this propensity-matched analysis, we used data from the latest iteration of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and included patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer from 2010 to 2017. Results: A total of 20,189 patients were identified, including 6,610 ESCC and 13,579 EAC. After propensity score matching, 4597 pairs were selected. Compared with ESCC, EAC had a higher rate of liver metastasis (P < 0.001) and brain metastasis (P < 0.001), and a lower rate of lung metastasis (P < 0.001), with no signiﬁcant diﬀerence in bone metastasis (P = 0.255). The liver preferentially co-metastasized with lung in both cohorts. Brain metastasis was commonly observed in combination with other organ metastases in EAC. Conclusions: There are major differences in metastatic patterns between ESCC and EAC. The patterns identified may reflect the underlying biology of metastatic esophageal cancer and have potential to influence future monitoring strategies depending on clinical settings.