Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wave Processes on Coral Reef Flats: Implications for Reef Geomorphology Using Australian Case Studies

Abstract Australian reef flats on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands atoll, Indian Ocean; Warraber Reef, Torres Strait; and Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef vary greatly in morphology (width, elevation) and hydrodynamic setting (wave and tidal regime). This study describes results from detailed wave and current measurements, under nonstorm conditions, along five reef flat transects on these reef systems and examines implications for surface geomorphic processes. Results show that wave frequency and transformation varies between reefs in a consistent manner dependent on tidal elevation, reef elevation, and reef width. A nondimensional reef energy window index (Ψ) is developed that incorporates these critical factors (water depth at spring high tide and reef width). A statistically significant relation (95% confidence interval) between Ψ and the proportion of time that wave energy propagates across reefs illustrates the index ability to characterise the wave process regime of reef flats and provide a physically meaningful descriptor of the efficacy of geomorphic processes on reefs. High values of Ψ indicate narrow and low-elevation reef flats, which are exposed to high wave energy and are geomorphically active. Low values reflect wide and high-elevation reef flats associated with less active wave and geomorphic processes. Results show that while incident energy is undoubtedly an important factor for reef geomorphology, the nature of wave modification across reef flats is equally important in governing levels of geomorphic activity that control development of surface geomorphic features on reef platforms.
S-Net: a multiple cross aggregation convolutional architecture for automatic segmentation of small/thin structures for cardiovascular applications

With the success of U-Net or its variants in automatic medical image segmentation, building a fully convolutional network (FCN) based on an encoder-decoder structure has become an effective end-to-end learning approach. However, the intrinsic property of FCNs is that as the encoder deepens, higher-level features are learned, and the receptive field size of the network increases, which results in unsatisfactory performance for detecting low-level small/thin structures such as atrial walls and small arteries. To address this issue, we propose to keep the different encoding layer features at their original sizes to constrain the receptive field from increasing as the network goes deeper. Accordingly, we develop a novel S-shaped multiple cross-aggregation segmentation architecture named S-Net, which has two branches in the encoding stage, i.e., a resampling branch to capture low-level fine-grained details and thin/small structures and a downsampling branch to learn high-level discriminative knowledge. In particular, these two branches learn complementary features by residual cross-aggregation; the fusion of the complementary features from different decoding layers can be effectively accomplished through lateral connections. Meanwhile, we perform supervised prediction at all decoding layers to incorporate coarse-level features with high semantic meaning and fine-level features with high localization capability to detect multi-scale structures, especially for small/thin volumes fully. To validate the effectiveness of our S-Net, we conducted extensive experiments on the segmentation of cardiac wall and intracranial aneurysm (IA) vasculature, and quantitative and qualitative evaluations demonstrated the superior performance of our method for predicting small/thin structures in medical images.
The future spouses to educate children in the family created in the second marriage

The article explores attitudes to child’s education in the second marriage. The research was conducted inquiring people who wanted to create a family or establish long-term relationships. They were members of the online dating site “Harmonious Couple”. In 2007, 4000 participants were interviewed. In 2012 the research was carried out again. A 1000 participants were interviewed. In both surveys, groups of participants who were to be interviewed were formed randomly. The research data showed that the predominant model of the family after divorce is mother and child(ren). This type of the family splits into two groups: the family in which the father is actively involved in child(ren’s) education and the family where he is excluded or opts out of this obligation. In the second case, a woman searching for a new marriage partner pays more attention to his paternal qualities and skills. However, many men who are planning the second marriage do not consider special preparations to communicate with a future spouse’s child (ren) as a prerequisite for the success of an intended marriage. The research confirmed that parents encounter many difficulties in adolescent education Parents of children of this age were in need of training in children’s psychology and education.
A Monostatic D-Band Doppler MMIC With Very Compact I/Q Mixer Realization in SiGe BiCMOS Technology

A novel concept to realize a highly compact low-cost <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I}/{Q}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> radar transceiver for Doppler radar measurements is presented. Based on a diode mixer approach, no couplers are needed to realize both its monostatic structure and the quadrature downconverter to generate the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I}/{Q}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> phase shift at the baseband output, which is connected to on-chip buffer amplifiers. An on-chip push–push <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${D}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) generates a transmitted signal with an output power of about −1.5 dBm within an operating bandwidth of 134–146 GHz. The total current consumption amounts to 75 mA from a 3.3-V supply, with the downconverter and baseband amplifiers only contributing about 3 mA, which makes the presented principle very suitable for applications, where low power consumption is important. The transceiver exhibits a noise figure of 14.9 dB including the integrated buffer amplifiers and shows reliable functionality over a wide range of silicon bulk temperature up to 125 °C. Despite its simple structure, it demonstrates high capability for continuous wave radar applications.
Clouds as Seen by Satellite Sounders (3I) and Imagers (ISCCP). Part III: Spatial Heterogeneity and Radiative Effects

Abstract Their relatively good spectral resolution makes infrared sounders very useful for the determination of cloud properties (day and night), and their coarse spatial resolution has less effect on clouds with large spatial extents like cirrus clouds. The Improved Initialization Inversion (3I) algorithms convert TIROS-N Operational Vertical Sounder observations from the NOAA Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites into atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles and into cloud and surface properties. On the other hand, the relatively high spatial resolution of the imagers from the geostationary and polar orbiting satellites used in the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) is important for the determination of properties of clouds with smaller spatial extents like boundary layer clouds. By combining these quite different datasets some insight into the behavior of retrieved cloud properties with spatial heterogeneity is gained. The effective cloud amount as determined by 3I and ISC.
Protecting Incapacitated Patients’ Rights and Best Interests

Contemporary medical ethics requires providing healthcare services in accordance with the patient’s values, preferences and interests based on the rights to self-determination and privacy. Incapacitated patients utilise these rights through substitute decision-makers in light of the substituted judgement and best interest standards. In this context, the article aims to briefly study informed consent and focus on protecting incapacitated patients’ rights and best interests. The article underscores the importance of promoting the autonomy of every patient as much as possible. However, in the case of the lack of decisional capacity and advance directives, surrogates should decide for incapacitated patients based on patients’ known/documented/expressed wishes/ preferences and best interests. Nevertheless, due to the high possibility of the misinterpretation of patients’ values, preferences and interests by surrogates as well as potential financial and social conflicts between patients and their surrogates, in the event of medical procedures with serious consequences, such as life-sustaining support, surrogates should be requested to provide convincing evidence proving that their decisions are in line with the patient’s values, preferences and interests.
Ocean temperature thresholds for Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is considered the major contributor to global sea level rise in the Last Interglacial (LIG) and potentially in the future. Exposed fossil reef terraces suggest sea levels in excess of 7 m in the last warm era, of which probably not much more than 2 m are considered to originate from melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. We simulate the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the LIG with a 3‐D thermomechanical ice sheet model forced by an atmosphere‐ocean general circulation model (AOGCM). Our results show that high LIG sea levels cannot be reproduced with the atmosphere‐ocean forcing delivered by current AOGCMs. However, when taking reconstructed Southern Ocean temperature anomalies of several degrees, sensitivity studies indicate a Southern Ocean temperature anomaly threshold for total WAIS collapse of 2–3°C, accounting for a sea level rise of 3–4 m during the LIG. Potential future Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics range from a moderate retreat to a complete collapse, depending on rate and amplitude of warming.
On Multimodal Criticism of The Kitchen God’s Wife

Studying the covers of the three editions of The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan, a famous female Chinese American writer, the author finds Chinese cultural elements stood out in publishers’ earliest recommendations, but later were replaced by immigrant mother-daughter relationship, and then were overwhelmed by the concern for human beings. It is interesting that this change fits the changing focuses of Chinese American writers in the 21st century.
Valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services to improve spatial management of near-shore marine areas in New Zealand

i Acknowledgements iv Table of contents v List of tables vi List of figures viii Abbreviations ix Glossary of Māori terms x Chapter 1 General introduction 1 Chapter 2 Towards marine spatial allocation and ecosystem-based management: A potential application of choice experiments 9 Chapter 3 People, profit and the environment: Conflicting goals and values surrounding spatial allocations of near-shore marine management in New Zealand 27 Chapter 4 Public preferences for management of near-shore marine ecosystems: A choice experiment in New Zealand 63 Chapter 5 Public willingness to pay for near-shore marine biodiversity and ecosystem services in New Zealand 101 Chapter 6 Implications for policy and issues for future research 133 References 146 Appendices 163
Exploring the Interactions of Soybean 7S Globulin with Gallic Acid, Chlorogenic Acid and (−)-Epigallocatechin Gallate

In this study, the noncovalent interaction mechanisms between soybean 7S globulin and three polyphenols (gallic acid (GA), chlorogenic acid (CA) and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) were explored and compared using various techniques. Fluorescence experiments showed that GA and EGCG had strong static quenching effects on 7S fluorescence, and that of CA was the result of multiple mechanisms. The interactions caused changes to the secondary and tertiary structure of 7S, and the surface hydrophobicity was decreased. Thermodynamic experiments showed that the combinations of polyphenols with 7S were exothermic processes. Hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces were the primary driving forces promoting the binding of EGCG and CA to 7S. The combination of GA was mainly affected by electrostatic interaction. The results showed that the structure and molecular weight of polyphenols play an important role in their interactions. This work is helpful for developing products containing polyphenols and soybean protein.
Father-infant synchrony and infant vagal tone as an index of emotion regulation: father-infant shared times in Switzerland as moderators

ABSTRACT Research has shown that the quality of mother-infant interactions, as measured by mother-infant synchrony, is associated with infants’ vagal tone, a physiological indicator of emotion regulation. However, little is known about the association between the infant’s vagal tone and the quality of father-infant interactions. Existing literature suggests that the greater quantity of time a father spends with the infant, either alone (dyadic time) or with others (social time) may strengthen this association. In this study we investigated the association between father-infant synchrony and infants’ vagal tone in 77 dyads made up of fathers and their 3-month-old infants, considering the moderating roles of dyadic time and social time. Results revealed no direct associations between father-infant synchrony and infants’ vagal tone. Moderation analyses revealed that more social time increases the association between synchrony and vagal tone. This result indicates a potential influence of family interactive processes. Key findings Father-infant synchrony is not associated with infants’ vagal tone in father-infant interactions. The time that fathers share with infants facilitates associations between father-infant synchrony and infants’ vagal tone during father-infant interactions. Further investigations should explore whether interactive processes during shared family time influence dyadic father-infant interactions and the infant’s physiological emotion regulation at 3 months.
How far can the self be extended? Automatic attention capture is triggered not only by the self-face

The preferential processing of self-related information is thought to be driven by its high level of familiarity. However, some behavioral studies have shown that people may exhibit a preference for initially unfamiliar stimuli that have been associated with themselves arbitrarily. One of the key questions that needs to be addressed concerns the role of early attention in the prioritization of newly acquired information associated with the self. Another question is whether both highly familiar as well as new information referring to a subjectively significant person (i.e. close-other) benefits from preferential attentional processing. We aimed to tackle both questions by investigating the neural mechanisms involved in processing extremely familiar stimuli, like one’s own face or the face of a close-other, as well as stimuli (abstract shapes) that were newly linked to each person. We used a dot-probe paradigm that allowed us to investigate the early stages of attentional prioritization. Our analysis of the N2pc component unveiled that attention was automatically captured by the self-face, a shape associated with oneself, and the face of the close person. However, a shape associated with the close-other did not elicit the same attentional response, as the N2pc was absent. Thus, both the self-face and information referring to the extended self (self-assigned shape, close-other’s face) benefit from preferential early and automatic attentional processing.
Sources of occupational stress for teachers, with specific reference to the inclusive education module in the Western Cape

Stress is an occurrence that must be recognised and addressed in various professionsthe teaching profession is no exception (Oliver & Venter, 2003). In recent years, inclusive education has risen to prominence, which changed the traditional roles of teachers, from using a “talk and chalk” method, to being more pupil-centred. Within the South African context, learners traditionally seen as having special needs are accommodated within the inclusive education environment (National Department of Education, 2001). Research highlights that teacher’s experience with respect to inclusive education is very limited, and that they do not have the skill and disposition to handle diversity (Engelbrecht & Eloff, 2001). The role of teachers in mainstream schools has become more varied and challenging. Research has shown that casual factors for stress include role overload, poor learner behaviour, lack of resources (Kyriacou, 1998); the number of individuals for whom teachers are responsible, diversity in individuals with whom they have to work, resistance and lack of motivation of co-workers (Smylie, 1999). The aim of this paper was to identify the sources of stress for teachers involved with inclusive education as well as whether there is a statistically significant difference in stress experienced by teachers based on their biographical details. A stratified random sample of 115 teachers was selected from a population of 300 teachers, teaching at the various schools, located in the Cape Town area of the Western Cape. The measuring
RF Characterization of GaAs HBT under Load Mismatch with Reverse Wave Injection Technique

RF PAs need to be reliable enough to protect them from damage under load mismatch conditions. This paper investigated the characteristics of GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) under load mismatch conditions using a novel reverse wave injection technique to realize large VSWR ruggedness measurement with the circle centered at 50 Ohm and optimal impedance separately to analyze the device in real applications. With a real-time waveform measurement system, the RF voltage and current waveform information can be acquired, which provide a more-accurate view of what is occurring at the current generator plane of the HBT device. Thereby, the potential failure mechanisms and load impedance can be identified to design the most-suitable PA circuits in communication systems.
Quantifying the Impact: Evaluating Image Contrast Enhancement Methods in Modern Applications

In the realm of digital image processing, enhancing contrast is a fundamental step in improving visual quality and aiding in subsequent analysis tasks. This research paper delves into a comprehensive evaluation of contemporary image contrast enhancement techniques, aiming to provide a nuanced understanding of their efficacy in modern applications. The study scrutinizes six prominent methods, including Histogram Equalization, Probability and Statistics-based Segmentation, DCT-based Compression, Fourier Transforms, Image Restoration and Denoising, and Integration Techniques. Each technique is dissected, highlighting its mathematical foundation, crucial parameters, and experimental setup. The comparative analysis encompasses considerations of computational cost, user-friendliness, versatility, and potential synergies between methods. The findings illuminate the diverse strengths and limitations of each approach, empowering practitioners to make informed choices based on specific image processing requirements. This research contributes a comprehensive framework for quantifying the impact of image contrast enhancement techniques,
Modified-multi objective firefly optimization algorithm for object oriented applications test suites optimization

Model-based testing is a crucial but challenging stage of the software development process. The process of model-based testing needsto be optimized, which is a difficult task. In this article, we present an approach for selecting minimum test suites that is based on themeta-heuristic firefly algorithm. We modify the firefly algorithm and define the suitable multi-objective function to optimize the testsuites. The suggested approach uses firefly behavior to address the current issue. The modified approach chooses the best test suitesthat quickly find the maximum coverage in less time.
Isolation of endophytic fungi from Cotoneaster multiflorus and screening of drought-tolerant fungi and evaluation of their growth-promoting effects

In the context of climate change and human factors, the drought problem is a particularly serious one, and environmental pollution caused by the abuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is increasingly serious. Endophytic fungi can be used as a protection option, which is ecologically friendly, to alleviate abiotic stresses on plants, promote plant growth, and promote the sustainable development of agriculture and forestry. Therefore, it is of great significance to screen and isolate endophytic fungi that are beneficial to crops from plants in special habitats. In this study, endophytic fungi were isolated from Cotoneaster multiflorus, and drought-tolerant endophytic fungi were screened by simulating drought stress with different concentrations of PEG-6000, and the growth-promoting effects of these drought-tolerant strains were evaluated. A total of 113 strains of endophytic fungi were isolated and purified from different tissues of C. multiflorus. After simulated drought stress, 25 endophytic fungi showed strong drought tolerance. After ITS sequence identification, they belonged to 7 genera and 12 species, including Aspergillus, Fusarium, Colletotrichum, Penicillium, Diaporthe, Geotrichum, and Metarhizium. According to the identification and drought stress results, 12 strains of endophytic fungi with better drought tolerance were selected to study their abilities of dissolving inorganic phosphorus and potassium feldspar powder and producing indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). It was found that the amount of dissolved phosphorus in 7 strains of endophytic fungi was significantly higher than that of CK, and the content of soluble phosphorus was 101.98–414.51 μg. ml−1; 6 endophytic fungi had significantly higher potassium solubilization than CK, and the content of water-soluble potassium ranged from 19.17 to 30.94 mg·l−1; 6 strains have the ability to produce IAA, and the yield of IAA ranged between 0.04 and 0.42 mg. ml−1. This study for the first time identified the existence of endophytic fungi with drought tolerance and growth-promoting function in C. multiflorus, which could provide new direction for plant drought tolerance and growth promotion fungi strain resources. It also provides a theoretical basis for the subsequent application of endophytic fungi of C. multiflorus in agricultural and forestry production to improve plant tolerance.
ASSESSING THE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS OF WELFARE-TO-WORK PARTICIPANTS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Summary 1 Introduction 4 Deficiency Analysis 5 Neighborhood Deficiencies 5 Home to Work 6 Transit Utilization 9 Job Accessibility 13 Areas of Deficiency 15 Mode of Transportation Deficiencies 16 General Travel Patterns 16 Car Owners 17 Car Passengers 18 Public Transit 20 Family-Related Trip Deficiencies 22 Child-care 22 Health-care 24 Deficiencies Related to Stages in the Welfare-to-Work Process 25 Job Search 25 Employment 27 Conclusion 28 Endnotes 31