Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Greening Starbucks: Investigating the Relationship between Consumer Green Awareness and Purchase Intentions in Malaysia

Starbucks, a prominent player in the F&B industry, has integrated sustainability into its marketing strategies. Starbucks encourages environmentally and socially responsible behavior among customers. This research examines the impact of green awareness on consumer purchase intention. A survey was conducted with 120 Starbucks consumers in Malaysia, and the data was analyzed using SPSS. The findings reveal that environmental concerns, green price awareness, and social influence positively influence purchase intention. However, the study finds no significant association between green brand image, green products, and purchase intention. This research provides valuable insights into consumer perception of green awareness and its influence on purchasing decisions. It underscores the importance of genuine environmental action alongside marketing tactics. The study emphasizes the industry's role in advancing sustainable development aligned with the SDGs.
Spectrum representation, photometric invariants and shape recovery in imaging spectroscopy

This thesis addresses the issues of spectrum representation, photometric invariants and shape recovery in multispectral and hyperspectral imagery. We focus on the development of algorithms to recovery shape and photometric invariants from spectral images captured from a single view and the design of a compact spectrum representation for the purpose of recognition, reconstruction and storage of spectra. Our first contribution is a novel representation of reflectance spectra for imaging spectroscopy, based on the control points resulting from the interpolation of B-Spline curves to multispectral and hyperspectral reflectance data. Since this interpolation is based upon a knot removal scheme in the parameter domain, the representation can exploit the local support of Splines so as to recover a compact representation robust to noise and local perturbation of reflectance data. In addition, this representation permits the manipulation of image data by the use of numerically stable algorithms and methods commonly used to model smooth curves in graphics. The representation presented here also allows pattern recognition and computer vision tasks to be effected on spectra of dissimilar lengths. Furthermore, our Spline-based representation can be applied not only to single spectral reflectance curves but also multispectral and hyperspectral images by providing a common basis for spatially varying spectral reflectance over various materials. Secondly, we address the problem of photometric invariance in multispectral imaging making use of an optimisation approach based upon the dichromatic model. In this manner, we cast the recovery of the illuminant spectra and the surface reflectance spectra, the shading and the specular factors in a structural optimisation setting. To facilitate the recovery, we make use of the spectral information provided by multispectral imaging and the structure of image patches to formulate an objective function combin-
Relationship of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Stage and Hepatic Function to Health-Related Quality of Life: A Single Center Analysis

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is known to be an important prognostic indicator and clinical endpoint for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the correlation of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage with HRQoL in HCC has not been previously studied. We examined the relationship between BCLC stage, Child–Pugh (CP) score, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status on HRQoL for patients who presented at a multidisciplinary liver cancer clinic. HRQoL was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep) questionnaire. Fifty-one patients met our inclusion criteria. The FACT-Hep total and subscales showed no significant association with BCLC stages (p = 0.224). Patients with CP B had significantly more impairment in FACT-Hep than patients with CP A. These data indicate that in patients with HCC, impaired liver function is associated with reduced quality of life, whereas the BCLC stage poorly correlates with quality of life metrics. Impairment of quality of life is common in HCC patients and further studies are warranted to determine the impact of early supportive interventions on HRQoL and survival outcomes.
Application of stand density indices for Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) plantation management

Abstract The most important issues in Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) management are the quantitative determination of stand density and the selection of appropriate density. Different stand density index models have advantages for special tree species, and this study aimed to estimate the carrying capacity of planted stands of Chinese fir and to select simple and reliable stand density indexes. Based on special experiment of different initial density, the maximum carrying capacity was estimated using Reineke’s self-thinning rule, Nilson’s sparsity theory, Beekhuis’s relative-spacing hypothesis, Zhang’s nutrient-competition rule, Curtis’s maximum stand basal area and Hui’s crowding degree based on mean tree distance. The restricted maximum likelihood method (REML) implemented with ‘nlme’ package in R software was used to refine the parameters of thinning age in Richard’s growth model. The results showed that stand density index models can describe the trends of stand density in response to tree growth: the higher the plantation initial density, the earlier age and stronger self-thinning capacity of stands. Reineke’s SDI and Zhang’s Z model are the most stable and suitable to estimate changes in the density of Chinese fir plantations, competition intensification, and the thinning age. The RD model can also be used, except at low Chinese fir densities. K, which can be affected by the mean crown width of trees, directly reflects the forest area of photosynthesis; this index is easy and simple to apply, but more research is needed to optimize the equation to evaluate whether a forest requires management and to determine the appropriate time for the first thinning and its intensity.
Qualitative and in silico evaluation of phytochemical constituents of leaf, peel and bark extracts of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Introduction and Aim: The qualitative evaluation of phytochemicals is the most important consideration in the evaluation of phytochemicals as biomedicines. The present study deals with qualitative assessment of phytochemical components of leaf, peel and bark extract of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.). Materials and Methods: The phytochemical components were biochemically qualitatively assessed and their profiles analyzed using TLC and HPLC techniques. Solvent extracts were prepared in methanol, chloroform, hexane, and water. The methanol leaf fraction was further subjected to LC-MS, FTIR and NMR. The identified compound in silico analyzed for inhibition towards topoisomerase I (1A36) and topoisomerase II (5GWK). Results: Methanol recovered the highest amount of phytoconstituents, specifically 2.30 g (11.5%), 2.80 g (14%) and 3.20 g (16%) for leaves, peel and bark. The methanol extract of the leaf (LE), peel (PE) and bark (BE) showed two bands in the TLC profile. On HPLC analysis LE confirmed a purity of 82.49 % with an area of 24729443 24729443 and an RT of 2.129. The PE showed a purity of 98.93% with an area of 16074171 and an RT of 2.176. The BE confirmed 99.63% purity with a range of 35396516 and an RT of 2.168. LC-MS, FTIR and NMR analysis identified the compound as Ethyl Heneicosanoate (EHO). In in silico analysis, EHO showed good binding affinity to topoisomerase I (1A36) and topoisomerase II (5GWK) with binding energies of -6.8 kcal/mol and -6.4 kcal/mol, respectively. Conclusion: Our study suggested that EHO may have anticancer potential and could be further explored as an anticancer drug.
The Singular Optics of Random Light : a 2D vectorial investigation

In this thesis, we explore the physics of optical singularities. We investigate them in light waves propagating randomly in a planar nanophotonic chip. With a custom-built nearfield microscope, we map the electromagnetic field resulting from the interference of these light waves. Our technique gives access to the full vectorial and complex nature of such an electromagnetic field, with subwavelength resolution. The resulting information allows us to precisely pinpoint and characterize the multitude of singularities that arise in the random light field. We detect phase singularities in the Cartesian components of light’s vector field, i.e., points where the phase of the field components is undetermined and it circulates in a vortical flow around them (Part II). Moreover, we identify polarization singularities, e.g., C points: locations where the vector of light’s electric field describes a perfect circle in time (Part III).
Snake Optimization-Based Variable-Step Multiscale Single Threshold Slope Entropy for Complexity Analysis of Signals

Slope entropy (SloEn) is an effective complexity analysis measure of signals that has been applied to many areas in recent years. Whereas SloEn can only reflect the complexity information of signal at a single scale and SloEn is sensitive to its threshold value, the choice of the threshold value will affect the SloEn value. In this article, the variable-step multiscale single threshold SloEn (VSM-StSloEn) is proposed, not only reflecting the complexity information hidden in different time scales but also compensating for the shortcomings of traditional multiscale processing, which is based on the recently proposed single threshold SloEn (StSloEn) that simplifies the calculation process of SloEn and combines variable-step multiscale processing. Furthermore, to overcome the threshold selection problem of VSM-StSloEn, this article proposes snake optimization-based VSM-StSloEn (SO-VSM-StSloEn) by introducing snake optimizer (SO). Finally, we have verified the performance of SO-VSM-StSloEn on simulated and real-world experiments, and the results demonstrate that SO-VSM-StSloEn is insensitive to signal length, independent on the threshold and has stronger distinguishing capability than other similar improved algorithms based on SloEn; furthermore, SO-VSM-StSloEn is superior to other commonly used entropies in classifying different categories of real-world signals.
Mechanomyographic Analysis for Muscle Activity Assessment during a Load-Lifting Task

The purpose of this study was to compare electromyographic (EMG) with mechanomyographic (MMG) recordings during isometric conditions, and during a simulated load-lifting task. Twenty-two males (age: 25.5 ± 5.3 years) first performed maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) and submaximal isometric contractions of upper limb muscles at 25%, 50% and 75% MVC. Participants then executed repetitions of a functional activity simulating a load-lifting task above shoulder level, at 25%, 50% and 75% of their maximum activity (based on MVC). The low-frequency part of the accelerometer signal (<5 Hz) was used to segment the six phases of the motion. EMG and MMG were both recorded during the entire experimental procedure. Root mean square (RMS) and mean power frequency (MPF) were selected as signal extraction features. During isometric contractions, EMG and MMG exhibited similar repeatability scores. They also shared similar RMS vs. force relationship, with RMS increasing to 75% MVC and plateauing to 100%. MPF decreased with increasing force to 75% MVC. In dynamic condition, RMSMMG exhibited higher sensitivity to changes in load than RMSEMG. These results confirm the feasibility of MMG measurements to be used during functional activities outside the laboratory. It opens new perspectives for future applications in sports science, ergonomics and human–machine interface conception.
Tourism and Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities

1 Introduction 2 The Tourism-Climate System 3 Case-studies of the Tourism-Climate System 4 An Overview of Tourism 5 Global and Regional Climate Change 6 Methodologies for Greenhouse Gas Accounting 7 Climate Change Mitigation Measures 8 Climate Change-related Risks and Adaptation 9 Climate Change Policies and Practices for Tourism 10 Conclusion
Jurassic and early Cretaceous plate kinematics of central Gondwana

Existing models of Jurassic and early Cretaceous relative motions between Antarctica and Africa significantly misrepresent the traces of fracture zones in the Riiser-Larsen Sea and Mozambique Basin. Improved visual fits of fracture zones, together with fits of magnetic reversal anomalies and other isochrons, provide a more reliable model. The model independently predicts fracture zone azimuths and magnetic isochron ages in the West Somali Basin, from which it is simplest to conclude that the West Somali Basin, Riiser-Larsen Sea and Mozambique Basin all formed simultaneously between the same two separating plates. This conclusion, together with the new rotations, supports the idea that Madagascar broke away from Antarctica at about chron M9, forming the west Enderby Basin. Combining data from all these basins in a joint inversion yields a set of finite rotations that more precisely describes the continuity of plate separation than the visually derived rotations do. The rotations can be used to generate a reconstruction that shows the Lebombo and Mateke-Sabi monoclines in Mozambique and the submarine Mozambique and Astrid ridges to be two sets of conjugate volcanic margins. Extrapolating the models extension rates back in time suggests that breakup and formation of these margins was closely associated in time with Karoo volcanism. The position of Madagascar in Gondwana determined with this reconstruction can be used as a constraint on the position of India in the supercontinent, which in turn may force a reassessment of the original locations of microcontinents such as Sri Lanka and Elan Bank.
Assessment of lignin and extractive content based models used in estimation of higher heating value of lignocellulosics: Use of model mixtures

Cellulose, lignin and extractive material are mixed in certain proportions by having isolated from lignocellulosic materials, such as Zeyrek stem, hazelnut shell and Scotch pine, respectively. Their higher heating values (HHVs) are determined by using a bomb calorimeter system. Estimated HHVs are calculated by applying these mixture ratios to some Multiple (Non)-Linear Regression (M(N)LR) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models from the literature. MLR3 model is developed from the data of this study and this model reveals the highest R2 (0.974), lowest MAPE (0.012) and RMSE (0.278) values. The closest estimation accuracy to the MLR3 model is obtained from MLR2 (R2:0.972, MAPE:0.066 and RMSE:1.714) in the comparative analysis. MNLR and ANN equations containing quadratic terms are found to show deviations up to 132.6% (ANN3). It is attributed to the lower size and poor homogeneity of the individual group of samples from which model equations are developed.
Adult thermoregulatory behaviour does not provide, by itself, an adaptive explanation for the reflectance–climate relationship (Bogert's pattern) in Iberian butterflies

The association of darker, less reflective insect wings with cooler environments (Bogert's rule) is thought to be related to adult thermoregulation, but the adaptive explanation and the implications for sensitivity to climate warming are yet to be tested. We re‐evaluate the pattern for butterflies using finer resolution data than in previous approaches, both geographically and morphologically, and test its correlation with recent evidence of impacts of warming on butterflies. We compared reflectance–climate relationships at different grid sizes, selected the best subset of reflectance measurements and tested the contribution of the species basking mode, the phylogenetic structure of the data and the correlation between reflectance and published abundance or altitudinal shifts. We used standardised RGB (Red, Green, Blue) values from 222 species from the Iberian Peninsula, and regional mean temperature and precipitation data from the study area (10 and 50‐km resolutions) and Europe (50‐km resolution). Correlations between reflectance and temperature increased at finer geographical and morphological resolutions. However, the butterfly basking mode did not improve the statistical explanation of the pattern. Reflectance shows a strong phylogenetic structure, while variance partitioning indicated a poor pure contribution of the climate variables in the reflectance–climate correlation. Overall, mean temperature and precipitation were only modest predictors of butterfly reflectance. No correlation between reflectance and recent abundance or altitudinal shifts was found using the hypothesised best estimates of reflectance. Although significant correlations between butterfly shading and altitudinal shifts were found for two of the reflectance measurements, this is interpreted as weak, probably artifactual evidence on the predictive power of this relationship. The strong phylogenetic pattern of the reflectance and the low fraction of the reflectance measures analysed suggest that tests for alternative explanations are still needed to shed light on the meaning of the colour–environment relationships in butterflies, which probably are of a complex nature. From an adaptive point of view, unravelling the basis of Bogert's pattern in butterflies requires a closer, habitat‐level approach and alternative variables to adult thermoregulatory behaviour to be tested.
Improving Stream Crossings for Fish Passage: Final Report

As anadromous fish swim to headwater streams to spawn, they often encounter stream crossing structures (culverts, fords, bridges, etc.) at roads. How fish pass—or fail to pass—through existing culverts is the focus of this study. Culvert designs capable of passing fish are well understood and readily available, yet culverts continue to be fish barriers because: • Some culverts are installed incorrectly or improperly maintained, • After a culvert is installed, stream geomorphology changes, so the culvert design no longer allows fish passage, and • Opportunities for improving fish passage are lost due to the " emergency " status of culvert replacements following a flood or other culvert failure. This project was initiated to " improve criteria for fish passage at…culverts by field verification and analysis " and to implement " a quality assurance process from design to field installation of culverts…in California " (NMFS, 1998). Specifically, this study examines: 1) culverts designed to current fish passage standards and their effectiveness, 2) causes of unsuccessful fish passage through culverts, and 3) new standards for culvert design, construction, maintenance, and monitoring. Culverts at twenty-two sites, throughout Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino Counties, California, were considered. Ten of those sites were selected for detailed study because they were known to support several species and age classes of fish. These ten sites were monitored by continuous stage recorders; by observers counting, identifying, and describing fish passage success; and by remote sensing of tagged fish. In this study, we attempted to characterize each site's watershed hydrology, fisheries biology, and culvert hydraulics. We then synthesized and integrated these factors to evaluate how well fish pass through culverts. Our synthesis and subsequent recommendations are the focus of this Executive Summary. Our findings include: Juvenile and adult salmonids generally attempt to pass through culverts after the peak flow, on the falling limb of the hydrograph. On a per storm basis, adult attempts to pass through culverts generally occur before (at higher flows) the juveniles' attempts. On a seasonal basis, juvenile attempts occur earlier in the water year (late November to early January) than adult attempts (mid-December through March). Whether a water year is " wet " or " dry " affects the length of time fish spend in the mainstem, before migrating through culverts and up the tributaries. Storm distribution plays an important role in the rate of upstream migration. Monitoring tagged fish showed that they enter the …
Some decompositions of filters in residuated lattices

In this paper we introduce a new class of residuated lattice: residuated lattice with (C∧&→) property and we prove that (C∧&→) ⇔ (C →) + (C∧). Also, we introduce and characterize C →, C∨, C∧ and C∧ & → filters in residuated lattices (i.e., we characterize the filters for which the quotient algebra that is constructed via these filters is a residuated lattice with C → (C∨ or C∧ or C∧&→ property). We state and prove some results which establish the relationships between these filters and other filters of residuated lattices: BL filters, MTL filters, divisible filters and, by some examples, we show that these filters are different. Starting from the results of algebras, we present for MTL filters, BL filters and C∧&→ filters the decomposition conditions.
MoTI: A Multi-Stage Algorithm for Moving Object Identification in SLAM

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms are widely applied in fields such as autonomous driving and target tracking. However, the effect of moving objects on localization and mapping remains a challenge in natural dynamic scenarios. To overcome this challenge, this paper proposes an algorithm for dynamic point cloud detection that fuses laser and visual identification data, the multi-stage moving object identification algorithm (MoTI). The MoTI algorithm consists of two stages: rough processing and precise processing. In the rough processing stage, a statistical method is employed to preliminarily detect dynamic points based on the range image error of the point cloud. In the precise processing stage, the radius search strategy is used to statistically test the nearest neighbor points. Next, visual identification information and point cloud registration results are fused using a method of statistics and information weighting to construct a probability model for identifying whether a point cloud cluster originates from a moving object. The algorithm is integrated into the front-end of the LOAM system, which significantly improves the localization accuracy. The MoTI algorithm is evaluated on an actual indoor dynamic environment and several KITTI datasets, and the results demonstrate its ability to accurately detect dynamic targets in the background and improve the localization accuracy of the robot.