Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis Of Visitor Attendance At Polish Tourism Attractions

Abstract Tourism attractions are an important segment of the tourism market; they play an immense role in shaping the geography of the tourism movement. In spite of that studies devoted to tourism attractions are undertaken relatively rarely. In the present article, the author presents the results of research devoted to attendance at various types of tourism attraction in Poland, along with an attempt to identify the factors determining their popularity which is measured by the number of visitors. Among others, the author distinguishes the so-called flagship attractions which are of importance for the identity and general image of individual regions.
Pool Size of Soil Organic Carbon and Dynamics under Dfferent Land Use

This paper studied the size and the dynamics of different land use soil organic carbon in Xiashu and discussed the influence on soil carbon pool of land use change,based on the three pool theory.The results indicate: The total soil organic carbon for 0~20 cm,20~40 cm and 70~100 cm layers are 7 818.34~9 242.30 mg/kg,3 093.66~3 338.59 mg/kg and 2 337.27~3 188.40 mg/kg.The slow carbon pool in all layers reduced when the land use changes from forest to dry field; and the passive carbon pool increased in mid-layer.These differences will augment with the increase of cultivation time.The proportion of each carbon pool has no obvious change.The proportion for active,slow and passive pool are 0.41% ~3.81%,23.23%~79.11%,18.11%~74.80%. The mean residue time for active and slow pool are 3~40 days and 5~24 years.Soil organic carbon decomposition has two phases: fast decomposition in early time and slow decomposition in late time.The fast decomposition phase is the mean residue time of active carbon.The authors have the point of view that the dry field is more powerful than forest in carbon sequestration.The dry field will be a large carbon sink under good management and effective tillage control measure.
Evaluating temperature and precipitation variability over Gujarat, India from 1957-2007

The anthropogenic activities like industrialization, power production, deforestation, land use changes have all resulted into emissions of excess amounts of the greenhouse gases mainly carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N 2O), methane (CH 4), water vapour which have disturbed the normal energy balance of the Earth resulting into Enhanced greenhouse effect. This has caused the global mean temperature to rise by about 0.7°C and it is predicted that it will increase by 2-5°C by the year 2100. The rainfall has become more variable and the extreme events like cyclones, tsunamis, droughts, floods, heat and cold waves etc have also increased. All such climatic variability has a direct or indirect impact on the ecosystem involving plants, animals and humans. Climate change is likely to impact all the natural ecosystems as well as socio-economic systems. Climatic variability in terms of changes in temperature and precipitation pattern and their extremity pose a threat to the ecosystem and its services and therefore should be analysed in the past and present scenario to predict the future climate. In this paper past 50 years data of all IMD observatories in Gujarat state of India as obtained from IMD, Pune has been analyzed. The moving averages of maximum temperature during summer season and minimum temperature during winter season have been analysed and a significant increasing trend has been observed. The mean maximum temperature has been found to increase by 0.1°C and the mean maximum temperature has increased by 0.4°C over the past 50 years. Similarly the rainfall has also registered an increase in the past 50 years.
Composition and structure of the benthic diatom community from salt marshes of southern Brazil and their relationship to environmental variables

Abstract: Aim This study focused on the spatiotemporal variation of the benthic diatom community structure in salt marshes from the Patos Lagoon estuary and their relationship with environmental variables. Methods Samplings were carried out in the winter of 2010 and summer of 2011 (during El Niño and La Niña) in sites with different sediment granulometry, salinity, and distances from the Atlantic Ocean. The surface sediment was collected using a core (10 cm in diameter and 2 cm in depth) and the benthic diatoms were removed following the Trapping method, allowing the observation of live diatoms. Results The richness values (18 and 48 taxa), evenness (0.41 and 0.68), and Shannon diversity indices (2.02 and 3.31 bits/ind.) variations were not significative between the sites and seasons, although temperature and salinity differed significatively between winter and summer. However, the diatom's composition and distribution were related to temperature, salinity, and sediment particle size. Mainly the species Hippodonta hungarica, Luticola simplex Navicula cf. cryptotenelloides, N. erifuga, N. jacobii, Nitzschia filiformis var. conferta, Planothidium frequentissimum and Tryblionella calida were associated with lower temperature and lower salinity in the winter. The species Navicula cf. cryptocephala, N. phylleptosomaformis, Nitzschia pusilla, N. frustulum, N. scalpelliformis and Pseudostaurosiropsis geocollegarum were associated with higher temperature and higher salinity in the summer. Birraphid diatom taxa, mainly species of the genus Navicula and Nitzschia, were frequent or abundant in sandy sediments, and monoraphids, such as Planothidium frequentissimum, were frequent in sites where silt and clay predominated. Conclusions The composition of the benthic diatoms revealed variation between the sites in the winter and summer seasons, during El Niño and La Niña episodes. In winter, high rainfall and freshwater runoff maintained oligohaline condition in the marshes, while in summer, flooding with meso-poly-euhaline waters changed the diatom composition. The granulometry was an important factor in explaining the distribution of the birraphid and monorhapid taxa.
MFAGNet: multi-scale frequency attention gating network for land cover classification

ABSTRACT As a classic problem of high-resolution remote sensing image tasks, land cover classification has many challenges, for instance, variable scales and low-edge discrimination. Traditional spatial semantic segmentation methods based on single-scale feature extraction are challenging to model multi-scale features. They cannot effectively fit high-resolution remote sensing images with variable scales and are prone to misclassification issues. On the other hand, spatial multi-scale semantic segmentation methods lack edge constraints, which can easily lead to edge segmentation ambiguity issues. We propose a segmentation network based on a multi-scale frequency-domain attention gating mechanism (MFAGNet) to solve the above problems. Specifically, we obtain multi-scale features through multi-scale input and design the discrete cosine transform channel attention module (DCTCAM). In DCTCAM, we extract global low-frequency features and effectively alleviate misclassification caused by scale changes. The edge features of the image are obtained through the high-frequency feature extraction module (HFEM) by using edge detection operators to enhance the model’s ability to recognize edges. Additionally, no further pooling operations are employed except for a single max pooling layer in the backbone network. In this paper, we design a new gating mechanism to dynamically control the extraction ratio of various frequency features so that it can adapt to input images of different scales. This paper conducts comparative experiments on three high-resolution land cover datasets: GID, Vaihingen, and Potsdam. The new algorithm proposed compares with classic semantic segmentation models such as DANet, PSPNet, SegNet, UNet, DeepLabv3+, FcaNet, BiSeNet, AFN, and FastFCN. The experimental results show that MFAGNet is superior to the comparison models. With no significant increase in computing overhead, MFAGNet obtains MIoU of 69.05%, 73.40%, and 79.42% on the standard data sets GID, Vaihingen, and Potsdam, respectively.
LEADERSHIP STYLE(S) PREDOMINANTLY USED IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON CREATION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

The article is an extract from PhD study that investigated leadership styles used by principals to administer four colleges of education in Zambia with the view to establishing the styles’ influence, pragmatism and suitability in creating conducive teaching and learning environments in the colleges studied. Using a cross section survey and mixed method research approach, the study analysed four leadership styles namely autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire and instructional to substantiate the most used style to manage two private and two government owned colleges studied. The analysis of generated data, guided by positivism paradigm, phenomenology and explanatory sequential strategy highlighted principals’ predominant use of autocratic leadership style which mostly had paucity influence towards creation of conducive teaching and learning environments much needed in institutions of learning for good academic performance. The Pearson Chi square p value of 0.760 obtained indicated that the style was statistically insignificant for positive creation of conducive environment, thus resulting in creation of poor to moderate environments inappropriate for effective teaching and learning and good performance of colleges in various aspects of college life. The researchers recommended intermittent use of this style to foster creation of conducive environments most needed for excellent performance of studied colleges.
The Impact of Perceived Surveillance on Continuance Usage Intention of Voice Assistants

Voice assistants (VAs) are devices that utilize AI, machine learning, and NLP to facilitate users to perform diverse tasks verbally. VAs also have a unique feature that allows them to be “always on” so that every sound generated in their background can be analyzed and start interacting with users when they recognize their wake-up command, for instance, “Hey Siri” or “Okay Google”, which implies that VAs have to be listening to users at all time. This raises the issue of privacy in the form of perceived surveillance. This study aims to assess how perceived surveillance affects the continuance usage intention of VAs in Indonesia with the addition of personal information disclosure as a mediator. Surveillance effect model was utilized to measure perceived surveillance. The model was calculated using PLS-SEM based on online survey data (N=222) distributed over social media. It was revealed that perceived surveillance affects the continuance usage intention of VAs negatively and is partially mediated by personal information disclosure. The result also affirmed that trust, perceived risk, and prior negative experiences are predictors of perceived surveillance. Therefore, VA companies should be mindful of how their customers’ continuance usage intention is affected by how much perceived surveillance they feel.
Acoustic screen structures, their properties for noise and vibration reduction

The article presents the research on the reduction of noise an d vibrations carried out using screen theory and its implementation in practice. Acoustic screens are divided according to their application and structures. The article deals with the application of screens in practice, gives their theoretical evaluation and analyses inﬂuences of their structure and materials. The evaluation of positive and negative acoustic properties of the screens is given. The conclusion is that screen acoustic properties may be improved by including new elements into design of screens, thus increasing their eﬃciency in reducing noise eﬀect. Theoretical calculations are performed, and the obtained results are analyzed. In conclusion, it is stated that cylindrical, semi-cylindrical or conical elements have to be applied in the screens.
Cell response of Antarctic strain Penicillium griseofulvum against low temperature stress

: During the evolution organisms are subjected to the continuous impact of environmental factors. In recent years an increasing number of studies have focused on the physicochemical limits of life on Earth such as temperature, pressure, drought, salt content, pH, heavy metals, etc. Extreme environmental conditions disrupt the most important interactions that support the function and structure of biomolecules. For this reason, organisms inhabiting extreme habitats have recently become of particularly great interest. Although filamentous fungi are an important part of the polar ecosystem, information about their distribution and diversity, as well as their adaptation mechanisms, is insufficient. In the present study, the fungal strain Penicillium griseofulvum isolated from an Antarctic soil sample was used as a study model. The fungal cellular response against short term exposure to low temperature was observed. Our results clearly showed that short-term low temperature exposure caused oxidative stress in fungal cells and resulted in enhanced level of oxidative damaged proteins, accumulation of reserve carbohydrates and increased activity of the antioxidant enzyme defence. Ultrastructural changes in cell morphology were analysed. Different pattern of cell pathology provoked by the application of two stress temperatures was detected. Overall, this study aimed to observe the survival strategy of filamentous fungi in extremely cold habitats, and to acquire new knowledge about the relationship between low temperature and oxidative stress.
Spatial and thematic bias in the scientific literature on farmland birds across the globe

Abstract The global biodiversity crisis and constantly growing human impact on the natural environment call for more evidence where conservation actions are the most urgent. As the agricultural lands are under increased pressure of growing human food needs here the literature survey on farmland bird conservation (FBC) was conducted to reveal geographical distribution in research intensity, the topics addressed and to identify potential drivers for the worldwide scientific effort. The Scopus database search has revealed 2290 papers dedicated to FBC from the period 1990–2020. The distribution was spatially uneven with most papers published in Western Europe and North America. Scientific collaboration was also spatially biased in favor of countries located close to each other and having high scientific capacity. The analysis also revealed 139 terms representing main topics raised in FBC research. The number of FBC papers per country was positively correlated with Gross Domestic Production (GDP), the total number of scientific papers, and number of threatened species, and negatively with the GDP from agricultural production, whereas it was not related to area of agricultural lands or bird species richness. Spatial and thematic biases in studies of farmland birds may have important consequences since uneven scientific evidence constrains development of proper conservation solutions and limits their implementation. We conclude that research on FBC should be globally coordinated and flexible enough to undertake burning conservation problems adjusted to regional differences in agriculture, socio-economy, and bird diversity.
Determining key factors influencing SMEs’ performance: A systematic literature review and experts’ verification

Abstract In today’s competitive business environment, SMEs face challenges in strategic orientation, resource allocation, and adapting to market changes due to their limited size and resources, which hinders access to crucial data and insights, affecting decision-making and growth opportunities. Their innovation, learning, and entrepreneurial mindset are vital in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. To ensure their long-term success and growth, targeted government support and tailored strategies prioritising innovation and continuous learning are essential for empowering SMEs to thrive amidst intense competition. By combining these efforts, SMEs can unlock their potential and succeed in the dynamic business landscape. A systematic literature review addressed this gap, developing a comprehensive framework based on Resource Base View and Institutional Theory. The study involved identifying 469 articles from reputable databases and analysing the results using a one-sample T-test. Ultimately, 16 papers were deemed most relevant for building the conceptual framework. The findings indicate that 13 factors significantly impact a firm’s strategic orientation and performance in today’s knowledge-based and uncertain global business environment. It should be noted that other relevant factors may have been overlooked, and future research should consider a more detailed approach, such as meta-analysis, to broaden the field’s knowledge. The established framework establishes a relationship between strategic orientation and firm performance. It was developed by carefully selecting and confirming the most influential factors in SMEs’ performance literature using systematic literature review and expert verification methods. This framework has the potential to guide future research and offers valuable insights for firms aiming to enhance their strategic orientation and performance in the competitive business landscape. Overall, this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by synthesising previous research, providing insights into theoretical and conceptual frameworks, identifying key factors influencing strategic orientation, and highlighting best practices and lessons learned.
Lung Segmentation of Chest Radiograph Using Circular Window Based Local Contrast Thresholding (CWLCT) and Adaptive Median Outlier (CWAMO)

Certain chest illnesses, such as TB, adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, atelectasis, etc., can be diagnosed in chest radiographs, and the development of a CAD system relies in part on accurate lung segmentation. In order to partition the lungs in chest radiographs, this work introduces an unsupervised learning approach based on a circular window and local thresholding. The procedure involves pre-processing, a preliminary estimate of the lung field, and the elimination of noise. Images are initially scaled down to 1024x1024 and enhanced using adaptive histogram equalization. Then chest radiographs are binarized using the proposed method. Based on the geometrical and special characteristics, lungs are separated from the chest radiographs. The final step in picture segmentation is the use of morphological processes. Local thresholding, omitting extraneous body parts, filling in gaps, and filtering regions based on their attributes all contribute to preliminary estimates of the lung field. Morphological processes are used as a means of eliminating background noise. A public bone shadow eliminated JSRT dataset consisting of 247 chest x-rays is used to measure the performance of the proposed method. The effectiveness of the proposed method results’ performance is evaluated by comparing it with Active Shape Model (ASM) based lung segmentation for various performance metrics such as F-score, overlap percentage, accuracy rate, sensitivity, specificity, and precision rates. All the parameters for the proposed method are over and above 90%. Our investigations indicate that the suggested method is an unsupervised learning approach that does not require any training.
On the formation and evolution of the Pannonian Basin: Constraints derived from the structure of the junction area between the Carpathians and Dinarides

The large number and distribution of rollback systems in Mediterranean orogens infer the possibility of interacting extensional back‐arc deformation driven by different slabs. The formation of the Pannonian back‐arc basin is generally related to the rapid Miocene rollback of a slab attached to the European continent. A key area of the entire system that is neglected by kinematic studies is the connection between the South Carpathians and Dinarides. In order to derive an evolutionary model, we interpreted regional seismic lines traversing the entire Serbian part of the Pannonian Basin. The observed deformation is dominantly expressed by the formation of Miocene extensional detachments and (half) grabens. The extensional geometries and associated synkinematic sedimentation that migrated in time and space allow the definition of a continuous and essentially asymmetric early to late Miocene extensional evolution. This evolution was followed by the formation of few uplifted areas during the subsequent latest Miocene–Quaternary inversion. The present‐day extensional geometry changing the strike across the basin is an effect of the clockwise rotation of the South Carpathians and Apuseni Mountains in respect to the Dinarides. Our study infers that the Carpathian rollback is not the only mechanism responsible for the formation of the Pannonian Basin; an additional middle Miocene rollback of a Dinaridic slab is required to explain the observed structures. Furthermore, the study provides constraints for the pre‐Neogene orogenic evolution of this junction zone, including the affinity of major crustal blocks, obducted ophiolitic sequences and the Sava suture zone.
What controls the mixed‐layer depth in deep‐sea sediments? The importance of POC flux

The depth of biogenic particle mixing, i.e., the mixed‐layer depth (L), is fundamental in models of organic‐matter recycling and paleoreconstructions for deep‐sea sediments. Factors postulated to control L in the oxygenated deep sea include particulate organic carbon (POC) flux, oxygen penetration into the sediment, and a balance between the downward mixing and decay of labile POC. We explore the dependence of L on biogeochemical characteristics by compiling, from 36 sites in three oceans, an internally consistent set of deep‐sea estimates of L, POC flux, biogenic mixing intensity (Db), and POC reactivity. We use excess 210Pb as a tracer for L and Db to avoid the confounding effects of tracer‐dependent mixing. We find that L, estimated from the penetration depth of excess 210Pb, varies systematically with POC flux, with an asymptotic function explaining 88% of the variance in L. Stepwise multiple regression suggests that the penetration depth of excess 210Pb (and estimated L) is much more likely to be controlled by POC flux than by (1) the sediment inventory of excess 210Pb or (2) biogenic mixing intensity (Db). In addition, L is negatively related to oxygen penetration into the sediment (r = ‐0.629) and not significantly related to predictions of L from a recent mixing/POC‐decay model. We conclude that in the food‐poor deep sea, POC flux substantially controls the size and activities of the sediment‐mixing benthos and, in turn, the thickness of the biogenic mixed layer. Thus, in contrast to previous suggestions, average mixed‐layer depth is not environmentally invariant but rather responds predictably to ecologically important parameters such as POC flux.