Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Creating a forestry for the 21st century : the science of ecosystem management

Over the past decade, a sea change has occurred in the field of forestry. A vastly increased understanding of how ecological systems function has transformed the science from one focused on simplifying systems, producing wood, and managing at the stand-level to one concerned with understanding and managing complexity, providing a wide range of ecological goods and services, and managing across broad landscapes.Creating a Forestry for the 21st Century is an authoritative and multidisciplinary examination of the current state of forestry and its relation to the emergent field of ecosystem management. Drawing upon the expertise of top professionals in the field, it provides an up-to-date synthesis of principles of ecosystem management and their implications for forest policy. Leading scientists, including Malcolm Hunter, Jr., Bruce G. Marcot, James K. Agee, Thomas R. Crow, Robert J. Naiman, John C. Gordon, R.W. Behan, Steven L. Yaffee, and many others examine topics that are central to the future of forestry: new understandings of ecological processes and principles, from stand structure and function to disturbance processes and the movement of organisms across landscapes challenges to long-held assumptions: the rationale for clearcutting, the wisdom of short rotations, the exclusion of fire traditional tools in light of expanded goals for forest landscapes managing at larger spatial scales, including practical information and ideas for managing large landscapes over long time periods the economic, organizational, and political issues that are critical to implementing successful ecosystem management and developing institutions to transform knowledge into action Featuring a 16-page centersection with color photographs that illustrate some of the best on-the-ground examples of ecosystem management from around the world, Creating a Forestry for the 21st Century is the definitive text on managing ecosystems. It provides a compelling case for thinking creatively beyond the bounds of traditional forest resource management, and will be essential reading for students; scientists working in state, federal, and private research institutions; public and private forest managers; staff members of environmental/conservation organizations; and policymakers.
The Impact of Ecological Regulations and Management on National Competitiveness in the Balkan States

The object of this research is to describe the impact that ecological regulations and management have on the national competitiveness in the Balkan states. The thesis of the present article is that increasing regulation along with the development of ecological sustainability will lead to higher competitiveness in the Balkan states of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Croatia and Serbia. The effect of basic ecological regulations and management will be shown and analysed both in the region as a whole as well as on a state-by-state basis in terms of national competitiveness, with the correlation between the ecological regulation and competitiveness measured. The time frame reflected is from 2013 to 2017, and a Pearson linear correlation will be applied. In a summary and conclusion, we shall show that regulation plays a prominent role both in reaching ecological sustainability, as well as in the positive development of the Balkan states’ competitiveness.
Endothelial activation and fibrotic changes are impeded by laminar flow-induced CHK1-SENP2 activity through mechanisms distinct from endothelial-to-mesenchymal cell transition

Background The deSUMOylase sentrin-specific isopeptidase 2 (SENP2) plays a crucial role in atheroprotection. However, the phosphorylation of SENP2 at T368 under disturbed flow (D-flow) conditions hinders its nuclear function and promotes endothelial cell (EC) activation. SUMOylation has been implicated in D-flow-induced endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (endoMT), but the precise role of SENP2 in counteracting this process remains unclear. Method We developed a phospho-specific SENP2 S344 antibody and generated knock-in (KI) mice with a phospho-site mutation of SENP2 S344A using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We then investigated the effects of SENP2 S344 phosphorylation under two distinct flow patterns and during hypercholesteremia (HC)-mediated EC activation. Result Our findings demonstrate that laminar flow (L-flow) induces phosphorylation of SENP2 at S344 through the activation of checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1), leading to the inhibition of ERK5 and p53 SUMOylation and subsequent suppression of EC activation. We observed a significant increase in lipid-laden lesions in both the aortic arch (under D-flow) and descending aorta (under L-flow) of female hypercholesterolemic SENP2 S344A KI mice. In male hypercholesterolemic SENP2 S344A KI mice, larger lipid-laden lesions were only observed in the aortic arch area, suggesting a weaker HC-mediated atherogenesis in male mice compared to females. Ionizing radiation (IR) reduced CHK1 expression and SENP2 S344 phosphorylation, attenuating the pro-atherosclerotic effects observed in female SENP2 S344A KI mice after bone marrow transplantation (BMT), particularly in L-flow areas. The phospho-site mutation SENP2 S344A upregulates processes associated with EC activation, including inflammation, migration, and proliferation. Additionally, fibrotic changes and up-regulated expression of EC marker genes were observed. Apoptosis was augmented in ECs derived from the lungs of SENP2 S344A KI mice, primarily through the inhibition of ERK5-mediated expression of DNA damage-induced apoptosis suppressor (DDIAS). Summary In this study, we have revealed a novel mechanism underlying the suppressive effects of L-flow on EC inflammation, migration, proliferation, apoptosis, and fibrotic changes through promoting CHK1-induced SENP2 S344 phosphorylation. The phospho-site mutation SENP2 S344A responds to L-flow through a distinct mechanism, which involves the upregulation of both mesenchymal and EC marker genes.
Detection of Pedestrians in Reverse Camera Using Multimodal Convolutional Neural Networks

In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the automotive industry has led to the development of intelligent systems focused on road safety, aiming to improve protection for drivers and pedestrians worldwide to reduce the number of accidents yearly. One of the most critical functions of these systems is pedestrian detection, as it is crucial for the safety of everyone involved in road traffic. However, pedestrian detection goes beyond the front of the vehicle; it is also essential to consider the vehicle’s rear since pedestrian collisions occur when the car is in reverse drive. To contribute to the solution of this problem, this research proposes a model based on convolutional neural networks (CNN) using a proposed one-dimensional architecture and the Inception V3 architecture to fuse the information from the backup camera and the distance measured by the ultrasonic sensors, to detect pedestrians when the vehicle is reversing. In addition, specific data collection was performed to build a database for the research. The proposed model showed outstanding results with 99.85% accuracy and 99.86% correct classification performance, demonstrating that it is possible to achieve the goal of pedestrian detection using CNN by fusing two types of data.
Evaluation of MERRA-2 Black Carbon Characteristics and Potential Sources over China

Black carbon (BC), an important component of atmospheric aerosol, plays a significant role in regional climate, hydrological cycle, variation of monsoon rainfall, and human health. The 40-year detailed atmospheric BC over China from 1981 to 2020 is systematically investigated through the MERRA-2 reanalysis dataset. MERRA-2 BC generally showed a good correlation (R = 0.68) compared with 673 monthly samples from ground-based observation at 35 stations around China. The overall annual average of MERRA-2 BC concentration over China is 1.15 μg/m3, with a fast growth rate during 1981–2007 and a relatively slow decrease after that. The winter season has the highest mean concentration of BC, followed by autumn and spring, whereas summer shows relatively weaker values. The order of annual average BC concentrations during 1981–2020 is Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (BTH, 4.02 μg/m3) > Sichuan Basin (SB, 3.94 μg/m3) > Yangtze River Delta (YRD, 2.68 μg/m3) > Pearl River Delta (PRD, 1.47 μg/m3). The monthly mean BC concentrations over the BTH, YRD, PRD and SB are estimated to be smallest 3.18 μg/m3 in May, 1.94 μg/m3 in August, 0.82 μg/m3 in July, 3.04 μg/m3 in June, respectively, whilst largest consistently in December with 5.09 μg/m3, 3.83 μg/m3, 2.12 μg/m3, and 5.41 μg/m3, respectively. Our study indicates the primary potential source areas for BC are concentrated in the research city and its surroundings. Beijing and Chengdu are more BC-polluted areas than Shanghai and Guangzhou. Long-distance, regional transfer from south BTH contributes importantly to BC pollution in Beijing under the influence of prevailing southerly winds. The geographical location of Chengdu causes the transport and accumulation of BC inside the SB.
Towards location- and orientation-aware gaming: Research on Location-based Games with additional compass features

Location-Based Games have been around for over a decade. Despite never reaching a large audience, the increase in technology in mobile devices offers great possibilities for the genre. New features in mobile devices can be combined with Location-Based Games, which already use the GPS feature of mobile devices, to extend this genre. An example of such a combination is the addition of a compass to create an Orientation-aware Location-Based Game. Current mobile devices offer the components, but have not been examined to such an extent that the feasibility of these type of games is clear. In this master thesis we will look at this feasibility by first assessing the necessary components. When the capabilities of those components are known a straightforward game with locationand orientation-aware properties is examined in a user study. From the results, we conclude that current mobile devices include sensors that, despite data with inaccuracy, still can deliver a sufficient accuracy for some purposes in a locationand orientation-aware application. The users responded very positively to the game and had little trouble in carrying out its tasks. This provides us with a clear step towards developing games for mobile devices that include the location and orientation features in its game design.
School Leader Apprenticeships: Assessing the Characteristics of Interns, Internship Schools, and Mentor Principals

Background: Recent empirical work shows that student teaching in a high-quality learning environment and with a highly effective cooperating teacher predicts the performance and retention of early-career teachers. Little is known about principal internships and their impacts on school leader outcomes. Purpose: To examine the characteristics of principal interns, internship schools, and mentor principals. Setting: Principal preparation programs and K-12 public schools in North Carolina. Sample: A total of 1,135 principal interns from 12 preparation programs in North Carolina over a 4-year period (2015–2016 to 2018–2019). Data: Preparation program data on principal interns and when/where their internship occurred and administrative data from the state of North Carolina, from 2011–2012 to 2018–2019, on all school personnel and schools. Research Methods: Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses to compare interns to noninterns, internship schools to noninternship schools, and mentor principals to nonmentor principals. Findings: We find that interns are more likely to be a person of color and have higher evaluation ratings and value-added estimates than teachers in their buildings. Internship schools have lower levels of quality than noninternship schools, particularly for interns of color. Mentor principals are slightly more effective than nonmentors. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that preparation programs and school districts could be working in closer partnership to make placements in high-quality learning environments and with more effective mentor principals. There is a need for future work to assess the geography of placements, the placement process, and the associations between placement schools and mentor principal characteristics and subsequent outcomes for principal interns.
A qualitative study of young peoples’ thoughts and attitudes to follow a more plant-based diet

Plant-based diets (PBDs) refer to dietary habits that reduce the consumption of animal-based products and increase the consumption of nutritionally rich plant foods. PBD’s have been shown to provide significant health benefits, such as reducing obesity and improving psychological wellbeing, and are environmentally friendly. However, few studies have investigated factors that influence young people’s thoughts and attitudes toward following a PBD in western societies, particularly in the United Kingdom. Understanding these factors may benefit public health interventions that encourage the consumption of more fruit and vegetables. The aim of this study was to explore the factors that affect young people’s intentions toward following a PBD. Twenty-one young people (18–24 years) participated in this qualitative study. Participants were asked about their views of PBDs in a semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis was utilized to explore views and the barriers and facilitators to following a PBD. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used as a framework to organise the findings. Within attitudes, the sub-themes identified were an awareness of a healthy diet, environmental concerns, health concerns and distrust, perceptions of PBDs and associated stereotypes, perceived restriction and lack of enjoyment, and need for education. Within subjective norms, the sub-themes identified were cultural and familial norms, peer influence, and exposure through social media. Within perceived behavioral control (PBC), the sub-themes identified were a lack of independence and parental control, lack of knowledge and perceived difficulty, lack of inclusiveness and accessibility, and inconvenience. Overall, the findings suggest that increased provision of education and knowledge about PBDs to young people, and widening access to PBDs, could encourage and help improve their understanding and intention to follow this dietary style. Tailored health promotion strategies, which also consider additional barriers and facilitators found within this study, could motivate young people to consume a more PBD.
Classification of ADHD with the Functional Connectivity by Usage of Different Atlases in Lahore, Pakistan

: Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric condition that affects children’s abilities. Nowadays computational diagnosis strategies of neuropsychiatric disorders are gaining more attention. Diagnosing this disorder based on fMRI is critical to determine the brain’s Functional Connectivity (FC). Millions of children have the symptoms of this disease.The brain is notoriously unreliable for diagnosing neurological conditions. This condition is referred to as a chronic disease.A great number of youngsters exhibit signs of this disease. As a result, the study endeavored to come up with a model and design that is both reliable and accurate for diagnosing ADHD.A variety of techniques used in this present study, such as the local binary encoding method (LBEM) is utilized for future extraction, and the hierarchical extreme learning machine (HELM)is used to extract information on the connectivity functionalities of the brain.To validate our approach, the data of One hundred fifty-three children serve as a sample for the diagnosis, from which one hundred children are ultimately determined to have ADHD.These affected ADHD children are used for our experimental purpose. According to the findings of the research, the results are based on comparing various Atlases given as AAL, CC200, and CC400. Our model gainssuperior performance with CC400 when comparedwith other Atlases.
Barriers and Intention to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19 and Associated Factors Among Adults in Southwest Ethiopia: A Theory of Planned Behavior Approach

Background Different vaccines have been approved for use against coronavirus disease and distributed globally in different regions. Efforts should be made on the vaccination to control the spread and impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the general population’s attitudes and intention to uptake coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations were poor. Objective This study aimed to assess the barriers to and intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the associated factors among adults in the Jimma zone, Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study with multistage sampling was conducted with 621 participants from 16 April to 17 May 2022. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the outcome of interest. Statistical p-value ≤0.05 was set at p ≤ 0.05. Qualitative data were supplemented with quantitative results. Results The majority of the study participants (382 [61.5%]) intended to uptake the COVID-19 vaccine. In this study, travel history (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.18, 95% CI 1.23–3.87), vaccination history (AOR = 2.64, 95% CI 1.69–4.12), perceptions of infection prevention for COVID-19 (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.28–3.03), subjective norm (AOR = 2.27, 95% CI 1.52–3.39), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) (AOR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.55–3.41) were significantly associated with the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Conclusion More than half of the adult participants intended to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The study participant’s traveling history, vaccination history, perception of infection prevention for COVID-19, subjective norms, and Perceived Behavioral Control were significantly associated with the intention to be vaccinated.
Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Multiple Myeloma after Daratumumab Failure

Anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (MoAB) therapy has significantly improved the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma. However, not all patients sustain durable responses. We aimed to describe the natural history of patients relapsed or refractory (R/R) to CD38 MoAB therapy. We performed a single-center, retrospective analysis of the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 81 patients with multiple myeloma who progressed after treatment with daratumumab. Our cohort was heavily pretreated, with a median of two lines prior to daratumumab and only 17 patients received daratumumab as a first line. A total of 38.2% had received a previous autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), and 61.7% had received both an immunomodulatory drug (IMID) and a proteasome inhibitor (PI). The median overall survival (OS) was 21 months for the global cohort but it decreased to 14 months for triple-class refractory patients and 5 months for penta-refractory patients. Most of the patients (83.9%) received treatment after daratumumab progression, in many cases with second generation IMID or PI, but seven patients were treated with anti-BCMA therapy and three patients received CART therapy within a clinical trial. In conclusion, patients R/R to daratumumab represent an unmet clinical need with poor prognosis and in need of incorporation of new treatments.
SEXUAL FUNCTION AND IN VITRO FERTILIZATION

SUMMARY The aim of the study was to investigate the sexuality of individuals undergoing in vitro fertilization as one of the methods of infertility treatment. The focus was on sexual dysfunction, sexual satisfaction and associated risk factors. Data were collected based on a validated, standardized procedure. The sample consisted of 119 individuals who had undergone in vitro fertilization, 61 (51.3%) women and 58 (48.7%) men, average age 35 years. Most of the 119 survey participants were in the 31-35 age group (37%), married (79.8%), with high school diploma (51.3%), Catholic denomination (89.9%), childless (78.2%), with a one sexual partner in their lifetime (51.3%), and in current sexual relationship for a period of 7 to 8 years (18.5%). The survey found statistically significantly higher satisfaction among male participants, participants in the 26-30 age group, those with a higher level of education, nonreligious, without children in marriage, with four sexual partners in life, over a period of 1 to 2 years in current partner (sexual) relationship, and without a diagnosed sexual disorder. There was a correlation between infertility, associated treatment, and sexuality. Infertility and involvement in treatment procedures increased the risk of sexual dysfunction. The risk factors identified in our study could help facilitate detection and timely treatment of sexual dysfunction, which would help maintain healthy sexuality in couples participating in in vitro fertilization procedures.
A Precision-Scalable Deep Neural Network Accelerator With Activation Sparsity Exploitation

To meet the demand in a wide range of practical applications, precision-scalable deep neural network (DNN) accelerators are becoming an unavoidable trend. On the other hand, it has been demonstrated that a DNN accelerator may achieve better computation efficiency through exploiting the sparsity. Therefore, DNN accelerators with both precision scalability and sparsity exploitation are expected to have better performance. In this article, we propose an efficient precision-scalable DNN accelerator that can exploit the sparsity of activations. The precision scalability is obtained from the decomposable multiplier which is inspired by the well-known design, Bit Fusion. Besides, a zero-skipping scheme is adopted to leverage the inherent sparsity of activations. We first modify the architecture of the conventional fusion unit (FU) to make it amenable to the zero-skipping scheme. Then, a segmentation approach is devised to tackle the memory access conflict. Furthermore, a sparsity-aware mapping method is proposed to balance the workload of processing elements (PEs). Moreover, we present a bit-splitting strategy which can take advantage of the sparsity in the bit level. Compared with the state-of-the-art precision-scalable designs, our proposed accelerator can provide speedups of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4.12\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4.07\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$6.62\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> in the precision modes <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$8b\times 8b$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4b\times 4b$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2b\times 2b$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, respectively. Meanwhile, it also achieves <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3.92\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> peak area efficiency and competitive peak energy efficiency.