Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrating climate change in agriculture and food security policies and strategies: Experiences and lessons from East Africa

Africa’s agriculture is at a crossroads. Under optimistic lower-end projections of global warming, climate change may reduce crop yields by between 10‒20 percent in most parts of Africa (Schlenker and Lobell 2010). Increased warming, drought and aridity will contribute to loss of 40‒80 percent of Africa’s cropland suitable for growing maize, millet, and sorghum by the 2030s‒2040s. By 2050, for example, three percent of Africa’s land will no longer be suitable for growing maize—a major staple crop for over 200 million people in East and Southern Africa. Food security, therefore, will be the overarching challenge, with increased droughts, flooding, and changes in rainfall patterns.
Estimating the Time Tag Bias of HY-2A Radar Altimeter and Its Application to Dual-frequency Ionosphere Correction

ABSTRACT The sea surface height (SSH) derived from radar altimetry is determined by the distance from the satellite to the sea surface and the altitude of the satellite above a reference ellipsoid. The former is measured by the radar altimeter, while the latter is determined by the precision orbit determination (POD). The clock for the POD equipment is independent from that of the radar altimeter onboard the HY-2A satellite. The time tag bias, which is the bias between the time tags provided by the two independent clocks, can greatly affect the SSH measurement accuracy of HY-2A altimeter. This paper estimates the time tag bias of HY-2A radar altimeter using the crossover differences obtained from the sensor geophysical dataset records (SGDR) from February 2014. We obtained a −0.61-ms Ku-band time tag bias and a −5.61-ms C-band time tag bias. After we added the time tag bias corrections to the SSH measurements from Ku and C bands, respectively, the means and standard deviations of the global crossover differences can be significantly reduced. We then applied the SSH measurements with the time tag biases corrected to calculate the HY-2A dual-frequency ionosphere correction, significantly improving the accuracy of the HY-2A dual-frequency ionosphere correction.
Prestasi kursus bahasa Jepun di kalangan pelajar Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Tujuan utama kajian ini adalah untuk menentukan prestasi Bahasa Jepun di kalangan pelajar Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), terutama menentukan sama ada terdapat perbezaan antara pelajar yang berpendidikan Bahasa Cina dengan pelajar yang tak berpendidikan Bahasa Cina. Data diperolehi daripada 250 pelajar yang mendaftar kursus Bahasa Jepun tahap 1 dengan prestasi Bahasa Jepun berdasarkan keputusan ujian lisan, ujian pertengahan semester dan peperiksaan akhir. Kajian ini juga, menentukan hubungan antara ujian lisan, ujian pertengahan semester dan peperiksaan akhir kursus Bahasa Jepun, dan mengkaji sama ada terdapat perbezaan prestasi Bahasa Jepun yang signifikan antara etnik, latarbelakang pendidikan dan tahap pendidikan pelajar. Kaedah statistik berperihalan, analisis korelasi, ujian t tak bersandar dan analisis varians digunakan untuk memperihalkan prestasi Bahasa Jepun. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa pelajar yang mempunyai latar belakang Bahasa Cina mempunyai prestasi yang lebih baik daripada pelajar yang tidak mempunyai latar belakang Bahasa Cina. Selain itu, kajian ini juga membuktikan bahawa terdapat hubungan positif antara ujian lisan, ujian pertengahan semester dan peperiksaan Akhir bagi kursus Bahasa Jepun. Selain itu, hasil menunjukkan bahawa etnik dan tahap pendidikan kemasukan tidak mempengaruhi prestasi Bahasa Jepun pelajar.
Magnetic reconnection with a fast perpendicular sheared flow

Magnetic reconnection at the Earth's low‐latitude magnetopause near the flank region is likely associated with a large sheared flow, being frequently quasi‐perpendicular to the antiparallel magnetic field components. The magnitude of a fast sheared flow can be super‐Alfvénic and even overcome the local fast mode speed. A scaling analysis implies a contradiction between the Walén relation and the balance of the total pressure for magnetic reconnection with a supercritical perpendicular sheared flow. This study uses one‐ and two‐dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to demonstrate that the traditional reconnection layer violates the Walén relation but still maintains the total pressure balance in such a configuration. The results show an expanded outflow region, consistent with the presence of divergent normal flow, and a significant decrease of the plasma density as well as the thermal pressure in the outflow region. In contrast, the magnitude of the magnetic field in the outflow region matches the value in the inflow region due to the total pressure balance, which is fundamentally different from the classical reconnection layer under sub‐Alfvénic perpendicular sheared flow conditions. In three‐dimensional geometry, the fast sheared flow without being stabilized by the magnetic field is expected to be Kelvin‐Helmholtz unstable. However, the three‐dimensional MHD simulation suggests that such structure can be KH stable. Although, the presence of surface waves modulates some two‐dimensional features, the major characteristics of the expanded outflow region are likely to be observed by in situ satellites.
Bayesian nitrate source apportionment to individual groundwater wells in the Central Valley by use of elemental and isotopic tracers

Groundwater quality is a concern in alluvial aquifers that underlie agricultural areas, such as in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Shallow domestic wells (less than 150 m deep) in agricultural areas are often contaminated by nitrate. Agricultural and rural nitrate sources include dairy manure, synthetic fertilizers, and septic waste. Knowledge of the relative proportion that each of these sources contributes to nitrate concentration in individual wells can aid future regulatory and land management decisions. We show that nitrogen and oxygen isotopes of nitrate, boron isotopes, and iodine concentrations are a useful, novel combination of groundwater tracers to differentiate between manure, fertilizers, septic waste, and natural sources of nitrate. Furthermore, in this work, we develop a new Bayesian mixing model in which these isotopic and elemental tracers were used to estimate the probability distribution of the fractional contributions of manure, fertilizers, septic waste, and natural sources to the nitrate concentration found in an individual well. The approach was applied to 56 nitrate‐impacted private domestic wells located in the San Joaquin Valley. Model analysis found that some domestic wells were clearly dominated by the manure source and suggests evidence for majority contributions from either the septic or fertilizer source for other wells. But, predictions of fractional contributions for septic and fertilizer sources were often of similar magnitude, perhaps because modeled uncertainty about the fraction of each was large. For validation of the Bayesian model, fractional estimates were compared to surrounding land use and estimated source contributions were broadly consistent with nearby land use types.
Impact of Epicardial Adipose Tissue on Infarct Size and Left Ventricular Systolic Function in Patients with Anterior ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

We aimed to assess the correlation of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) with infarct size (IS) and residual systolic function in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We enrolled patients discharged for a first anterior reperfused STEMI submitted to undergo CMR. EAT, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF), and IS were quantified at the 1-week (n = 221) and at 6-month CMR (n = 167). At 1-week CMR, mean EAT was 31 ± 13 mL/m2. Patients with high EAT volume (n = 72) showed larger 1-week IS. After adjustment, EAT extent was independently related to 1-week IS. In patients with large IS at 1 week (>30% of LV mass, n = 88), those with high EAT showed more preserved 6-month LVEF. This association persisted after adjustment and in a 1:1 propensity score-matched patient subset. Overall, EAT decreased at 6 months. In patients with large IS, a greater reduction of EAT was associated with more preserved 6-month LVEF. In STEMI, a higher presence of EAT was associated with a larger IS. Nevertheless, in patients with large infarctions, high EAT and greater subsequent EAT reduction were linked to more preserved LVEF in the chronic phase. This dual and paradoxical effect of EAT fuels the need for further research in this field.
Epstein-Barr virus: the mastermind of immune chaos

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human pathogen linked to various diseases, including infectious mononucleosis and multiple types of cancer. To control and eliminate EBV, the host’s immune system deploys its most potent defenses, including pattern recognition receptors, Natural Killer cells, CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, among others. The interaction between EBV and the human immune system is complex and multifaceted. EBV employs a variety of strategies to evade detection and elimination by both the innate and adaptive immune systems. This demonstrates EBV’s mastery of navigating the complexities of the immunological landscape. Further investigation into these complex mechanisms is imperative to advance the development of enhanced therapeutic approaches with heightened efficacy. This review provides a comprehensive overview of various mechanisms known to date, employed by the EBV to elude the immune response, while establishing enduring latent infections or instigate its lytic replication.
A sedimentação em uma abordagem sistêmica

A sedimentacao pode ser vista como um sistema na superficie da Terra. A mesma apresenta um atributo fundamental de sistema, a equifinalidade, traduzida na busca da estabilidade entre erosao e deposicao. O sistema sedimentar possui entrada e saida de massa e energia e transferencia interna de massa. A energia adicionada e termica e gravitacional. A massa e incorporada por meio de absorcao de gases atmosfericos, chuva e neve, intemperismo e erosao, e fotossintese. A energia sai como de perda de calor e acumulacao de energia quimica nas rochas. A massa e perdida por intermedio da incorporacao ao registro estratigrafico, decomposicao da materia orgânica e liberacao de gases para a atmosfera. E possivel ainda uma divisao em subsistemas, combase na energia motora: (i) inercia, (ii) gradientes de densidade, (iii) mares e (iv) ondas. Em termos didaticos, a visao sistemica aproxima disciplinas como sedimentologia, paleontologia e geoquimica
Romancing the stones. The cultural construction of an archaeological landscape in the Western District of Victoria

L'A expose les problemes lies a l'interpretation des donnees de sites. En particulier l'A s'attache a montrer que l'emplacement des pierres qui peuvent etre interpretees comme des reliquats d'habitats ou des couloirs sont en fait des traces liees a la modification du paysage par la vegetation ou les animaux
A High-Performance System for Weak ECG Real-Time Detection

Wearable devices have been widely used for the home monitoring of physical activities and healthcare conditions, among which ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) stands out for the diagnostic cardiovascular information it contains. Continuous and unobtrusive sensing often requires the integration of wearable sensors to existing devices such as watches, armband, headphones, etc.; nonetheless, it is difficult to detect high-quality ECG due to the nature of low signal amplitude at these areas. In this paper, a high-performance system with multi-channel signal superposition for weak ECG real-time detection is proposed. Firstly, theoretical analysis and simulation is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this system design. The detection system, including electrode array, acquisition board, and the application (APP), is then developed and the electrical characteristics are measured. A common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of up to 100 dB and input inferred voltage noise below 1 μV are realized. Finally, the technique is implemented in form of ear-worn and armband devices, achieving an SNR over 20 dB. Results are also compared with the simultaneous recording of standard lead I ECG. The correlation between the heart rates derived from experimental and standard signals is higher than 0.99, showing the feasibility of the proposed technique.
Subtidal and Intertidal Three-Dimensionality at a High Energy Macrotidal Beach

ABSTRACT Stokes, C. ; Russell, P., and Davidson, M. , 2016. Subtidal and Intertidal Three-Dimensionality at a High Energy Macrotidal Beach. In: Vila-Concejo, A. ; Bruce, E. ; Kennedy, D.M. , and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 472–476. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Three-dimensional beach features such as crescentic sandbars and rip channels influence a beach's response to storm waves, as well as significantly affecting the safety and amenity provided by the surf-zone for beach water-users. A dataset of 5.5 years of quasi-weekly bar measurements, and quasi-monthly intertidal surveys from Perranporth beach (Cornwall, UK) were used to quantify seasonal to inter-annual changes in three-dimensionality. These changes were seen to be dictated by the cumulative effects of antecedent wave and tide conditions. Although tide range was seen to be important, particularly at the outer bar, a disequilibrium stress term was well correlated with three-dimensionality at the inner and outer bars and lower intertidal beach. This term examines the disparity between the instantaneous dimensionless fall velocity parameter (Ω), and the overall mean dimensionless fall velocity (Ω̄), and is moderated by the instantaneous wave power (P). Low values of disequilibrium stress correspond to Ω that are cumulatively smaller than previous values, indicating the waves have moved from high steepness to low steepness, as normally occurs in the months following winter. It is under such circumstances, as the beach begins to recover, that maximum values of beach three-dimensionality and associated rip channel development were seen to occur.
Implementasi Konsep Saemaul Undong Korea Selatan dalam Upaya Pembangunan Desa Bleberan, Kecamatan Playen, Kabupaten Gunung Kidul, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta

Korea Selatan adalah salah satu negara yang berhasil mengembangkan pembangunan ekonomi dimulai dari daerah. Meskipun memiliki kemajuan ekonomi yang sangat baik dari sector industry, Korea Selatan menyadari bahwa pembangunan tidak cukup terfokus pada sector tersebut. Harus ada cara untuk mencegah ketimpangan antara desa dan kota. Salah satu konsep yang digunakan dalam upaya pembangunan ekonomi Korea Selatan adalah Saemaul Undong atau New Community Movement. Sejak dicetuskan pada era Presiden Park Chung Hee, tepatnya pada 22 April 1970, Saemaul Undong telah berhasil menjadi kunci kesuksesan pembangunan daerah di Korea Selatan. Hingga saat ini dunia mulai menaruh perhatian pada konsep Saemaul Undong sebagai suatu model pembangunan daerah secara global. Pada penelitian ini, kita akan membahas bagaimana implementasi konsep Saemaul Undong Korea Selatan dalam upaya pembangunan Desa Bleberan, Kecamatan Playen, Kabupaten Gunung Kidul, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Dimulai dari melihat bagaimana implementasi Saemaul Undong di Korea Selatan sebagai suatu gambaran, hingga menganalisis bagaimana implementasinya di Desa Bleberan. Isu ini akan dianalisis dengan menggunakan pandangan strukturalisme, konsep civil society, serta konsep sustainable development. Sehingga kita dapat mengetahui pengaruh konsep tersebut terhadap struktur pembangunan ekonomi di masyarakat sebagai suatu civil society, sehingga mereka dapat meraih sustainable development. Hipotesis yang diajukan adalah bahwa konsep Saemaul Undong tidak sesuai untuk diterapkan sebagai suatu model pembangunan daerah di Indonesia. Keywords: Rural Development, Saemaul Undong, Civil Society, Sustainable Development, and Structuralism.
In Association with Other Risk Factors, Smoking Is the Main Predictor for Lower Transcutaneous Oxygen Pressure in Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) significantly increases the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD), and diabetes is the leading cause of nontraumatic amputations. This study investigated the risk factors for transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2) in T2DM, a noninvasive method to quantify skin oxygenation and the underlying microvascular circulation. The study included 119 T2DM patients (91 male/28 female). TcPO2 measurements were conducted with the Tina TCM4 Series transcutaneous monitor (Radiometer, Copenhagen, Sweden) and skin electrodes. Patients with TcPO2 < 40 mmHg were younger (p = 0.001), had significantly higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p = 0.023), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (p = 0.013), fasting plasma glucose (fPG) (p = 0.038), total cholesterol (p = 0.006), LDL cholesterol (p = 0.004), and had more frequent smoking habits (p = 0.001) than those with TcPO2 ≥ 40 mmHg. The main predictors for the TcPO2 value (R2 = 0.211) obtained via stepwise regression analysis were age, smoking, SBP, HbA1c, fPG, and total and LDL cholesterol. Among all the listed predictors, smoking, HbA1c, and LDL cholesterol were found to be the most significant, with negative parameter estimates of −3.051310 (p = 0.0007), −2.032018 (p = 0.0003), and −2.560353 (p = 0.0046). The results of our study suggest that in association with other risk factors, smoking is the main predictor for lower TcPO2 in T2DM.
Measurements of mesopause region winds over Central Europe from 1983 through 1995 at Collm, Germany

Measurements of mesopause region winds using the LF D1 method have been carried out at the Collm Observatory of the University of Leipzig since 1959. In addition to measurements of wind field parameters such as the prevailing wind and the semidiurnal tide, since 1983 reflection height measurements are also available, allowing the calculation of wind profiles in the height region of about 85-105 km. Continuous measurements, including more than one solar cycle, now allow the calculation of mean annual height-time cross-sections of prevailing and tidal wind parameters. The interannual variations exhibit a periodicity of about 2-5 years, a long-term trend and a possible dependence of some mesopause parameters on the solar cycle. Further, a possible influence of the quasibiennial oscillation (QBO) on the zonal prevailing wind is also found.
Design of self-regulated learning framework for professional development program through Learning Analytics

Integrating instructional design and educational technology into learning principles shifts the role of the learners and adds a new dimension to Learning Design (LD). The learning design is the logical framework that creates a path for self-regulated learning (SRL) in hybrid mode. Capturing the learners' details is a critical functionality for preparing the learners' logical learning path. Learning analytics (LA) would provide instructors with critical information that would support the learning design and improve training practice. Capturing learner data and performing learning analytics is a complex process in professional development programmes (PDP). In this paper, a dynamic logical framework is proposed to capture the learner data and provide a better SRL path for the trainees in the professional development programme. In this work, the MOODLE learning management system is used to collect learner data, which is then fed into learning analytics to better understand the various trainee's characteristics. The proposed framework will group the trainees using the hierarchical agglomerative clustering algorithm based on learning analytics. Each cluster is examined to provide a better training path and instructional materials through an appropriate learning design. During the professional development programme, the trainee's content learning and learning experiences are analyzed, and the output of assessment data is periodically provided into the framework, which dynamically moves the trainee from one cluster to another to provide a suitable training path. The impact of the proposed framework is assessed through an indirect assessment strategy, and the trainee is informed about their level of learning outcome from their professional development programme.
Design and Implementation of Spherical Robot Actuated by Omni-Wheels

This paper presents a spherical robot which is actuated by three sets of omni-wheels for omni-directional motion. The motion is given by the help of an internal driving unit placed inside the hollow spherical shell. This provides better protection for the driving unit and also more precise control over its motion. This paper consists of the model of the spherical robot, its kinematics of motion and control system of the robot. The robot can be used in various surface conditions and it can also be used in inspection of pipelines and tunnels.
Blockchain Based an Efficient and Secure Privacy Preserved Framework for Smart Cities

Building smart services for smart cities has become a significant focus of the Internet of Things (IoT). These IoT devices are able to sense their surroundings and react appropriately. Smart city applications emphasize the necessity of safe data sharing across heterogeneous devices. Certain behaviors taken while sharing could aim at compromising security, privacy, and integrity. The centralized repository that is currently in place made the majority of hacks possible. The sharing of sensitive data and authentication are essential stages in guaranteeing the security of applications associated with IoT. Blockchain and IoT are two widely used technologies, with IoT focusing on data collection via various devices and blockchain enabling data integrity. This paper introduces a novel blockchain-based framework to ensure the security and integrity aspects of IoT data. The proposed SecPrivPreserve framework ensures security through various phases including initialization, registration, data protection, authentication, data access control, validation, and data sharing and download. Diverse security mechanisms such as passwords (OTP), encryption, and hashing have been deployed in various phases to strengthen security merits confidentiality, privacy, and integrity. Since the SecPrivPreserve framework is simulated in a permissioned blockchain platform the merits and tamper-proof and non-repudiation are automatically considered. Moreover, data protection uses Chebyshev polynomials and interpolation. The presented framework has experimented with Fabric SDK. The experimental results of the proposed framework are compared with the BaseLine state-of-the-frameworks, The experimental analysis reveals that the proposed SecPrivPreserve approach achieved 34 Sec improvement in terms of responsiveness 94 Sec as computational time, encryption quality as 0.87 Sec and 0.82 Sec for detection rate.