Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved GRACE regional mass balance estimates of the Greenland ice sheet cross-validated with the input-output method

Abstract. In this study, we use satellite gravimetry data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to estimate regional mass change of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) and neighboring glaciated regions using a least squares inversion approach. We also consider results from the input–output method (IOM). The IOM quantifies the difference between the mass input and output of the GrIS by studying the surface mass balance (SMB) and the ice discharge (D). We use the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model version 2.3 (RACMO2.3) to model the SMB and derive the ice discharge from 12 years of high-precision ice velocity and thickness surveys. We use a simulation model to quantify and correct for GRACE approximation errors in mass change between different subregions of the GrIS, and investigate the reliability of pre-1990s ice discharge estimates, which are based on the modeled runoff. We find that the difference between the IOM and our improved GRACE mass change estimates is reduced in terms of the long-term mass change when using a reference discharge derived from runoff estimates in several subareas. In most regions our GRACE and IOM solutions are consistent with other studies, but differences remain in the northwestern GrIS. We validate the GRACE mass balance in that region by considering several different GIA models and mass change estimates derived from data obtained by the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat). We conclude that the approximated mass balance between GRACE and IOM is consistent in most GrIS regions. The difference in the northwest is likely due to underestimated uncertainties in the IOM solutions.
Electricity markets meet the home through demand response

Demand response (DR) programs motivate home users through dynamic pricing to shift electricity consumption from peak demand periods. In this paper, we introduce a day ahead electricity market where the operator sets the prices and multiple home users respond by scheduling their demands. The objective of the operator is to minimize electricity generation cost, whereas each user maximizes her utility function that captures the trade-off between timely execution of demands and financial savings. Since the operator is unaware of the users' utility functions, coordination of demands is a challenging task. Our DR model captures the diverse energy characteristics of different home appliances and shows that, in contrast to existing simplified models, in reality optimal demand scheduling is NP-hard. We propose a waterfilling-inspired price setting strategy, which requires only knowledge of the aggregate demand. Based on daily appliance demand traces, we show that our scheme reduces electricity generation cost significantly and derive useful insights regarding the electricity market operation.
Facial expression recognition based orthogonal local fisher discriminant analysis

In recent years, feature extraction method make an achievement in pattern recognition. It extracts not only useful feature for classification, but also reduces the dimension of pattern sample. Linear discriminant analysis is an important method for image recognition, it achieve significant development both in theory and applications. Local fisher discriminant analysis redefines the between-class and with-class matrix, it can work well when with-class multimodality or outliers exist. Simultaneously, it can remove the limitation of tradition LDA which its embedding space dimension should be less than the number of classes. In this paper, we propose orthogonal local fisher discriminant analysis for facial expression recognition. Experiment on JAFFE database and Cohn-Kanade database show our method can get better performance than PCA, LDA, LFDA.
NEAR-INFRARED POLARIMETRY OF FLARES FROM Sgr A* WITH SUBARU/CIAO

We have performed near-infrared (NIR) monitoring observations of Sgr A*, the Galactic center radio source associated with a supermassive black hole, with the NIR camera CIAO and the 36 element adaptive optics system on the Subaru telescope. We observed three flares in the KS band (2.15 μm) during 220 minutes monitoring on 2008 May 28, and confirmed the flare emission is highly polarized, supporting the synchrotron radiation nature of the NIR emission. Clear variations in the degree and position angle of polarization were also detected: an increase of the degree of polarization of about 20%, and a swing of the position angle of ∼60°–70° in the declining phase of the flares. The correlation between the flux and the degree of polarization can be well explained by the flare emission coming from hotspot(s) orbiting Sgr A*. Comparison with calculations in the literature gives a constraint to the inclination angle i of the orbit of the hotspot around Sgr A*, as 45° ⩽ i < 90° (close to edge-on).
Simultaneous improvement of area, delay, and fault tolerance in quantum circuits

Fault tolerance is a necessity for successful realization of quantum circuits. Achieving fault tolerance in quantum circuits is more complicated than classic circuits due to their inherent characteristics such as error continuum, destruction of quantum state after measurement, and no-cloning. Adding fault tolerance should incur a reasonably minimal overhead in latency and area. In this paper, a new approach for implementation of fault tolerant quantum circuits is proposed. The correction blocks are arranged in such a way that the overall circuit area and delay are reduced. This will also lead to a reduction in error distance in the circuit. The correctness of the proposed approach is mathematically proven in the paper. Experimental results confirm the analytical expectations and show an average improvement of 47.8% in terms of delay, 17.6% in terms of area, and 47.8% in terms of error distance.
The Structure of Cold Dark Matter

We use N-body simulations to investigate the structure of dark halos in the standard Cold Dark Matter cosmogony. Halos are excised from simulations of cosmologically representative regions and are resimulated individually at high resolution. We study objects with masses ranging from those of dwarf galaxy halos to those of rich galaxy clusters. The spherically averaged density prooles of all our halos can be t over two decades in radius by scaling a simple \universal" proole. The characteristic overdensity of a halo, or equivalently its concentration, correlates strongly with halo mass in a way which reeects the mass dependence of the epoch of halo formation. Halo prooles are approximately isothermal over a large range in radii, but are signiicantly shallower than r 2 near the center and steeper than r 2 near the virial radius. Matching the observed rotation curves of disk galaxies requires disk mass-to-light ratios to increase systematically with luminosity. Further, it suggests that the halos of bright galaxies depend only weakly on galaxy luminosity and have circular velocities signiicantly lower than the disk rotation speed. This may explain why luminosity and dynamics are uncorrelated in observed samples of binary galaxies and of satellite/spiral systems. For galaxy clusters, our halo models are consistent both with the presence of giant arcs and with the observed structure of the intracluster medium, and they suggest a simple explanation for the disparate estimates of cluster core radii found by previous authors. Our results also highlight two shortcomings of the CDM model. CDM halos are too concentrated to be consistent with the halo parameters inferred for dwarf irregulars, and the predicted abundance of galaxy halos is larger than the observed abundance of galaxies. The rst problem may imply that the core structure of dwarf galaxies was altered by the galaxy formation process, the second that galaxies failed to form (or remain undetected) in many dark halos.
Label-Free Proteomic Analysis of Protein Changes in the Striatum during Chronic Ethanol Use and Early Withdrawal

The molecular mechanisms underlying the neuronal signaling changes in alcohol addiction and withdrawal are complex and multifaceted. The cortico-striatal circuit is highly implicated in these processes, and the striatum plays a significant role not only in the early stages of addiction, but in the developed-addictive state as well, including withdrawal symptoms. Transcriptional analysis is a useful method for determining changes in gene expression, however, the results do not always accurately correlate with protein levels. In this study, we employ label-free proteomic analysis to determine changes in protein expression within the striatum during chronic ethanol use and early withdrawal. The striatum, composed primarily of medium spiny GABAergic neurons, glutamatergic and dopaminergic nerve terminals and astrocytes, is relatively homogeneous for proteomic analysis. We were able to analyze more than 5000 proteins from both the dorsal (caudate and putamen) and ventral (nucleus accumbens) striatum and identified significant changes following chronic intermittent ethanol exposure and acute (8 h) withdrawal compared to ethanol naïve and ethanol exposure groups respectively. Our results showed significant changes in proteins involved in glutamate and opioid peptide signaling, and also uncovered novel pathways including mitochondrial function and lipid/cholesterol metabolism, as revealed by changes in electron transport chain proteins and RXR activation pathways. These results will be useful in the development of novel treatments for alcohol withdrawal and thereby aid in recovery from alcohol use disorder.
Monetary Disturbances Matter for Business Fluctuations in the G-7

This paper examines the importance of monetary disturbances for cyclical fluctuations in real activity and inflation. It employs a novel identification approach which uses the sign of the cross-correlation function in response to shocks to assign a structural interpretation to orthogonal innovations. We find that monetary shocks significantly drive output and inflation cycles in all G-7 countries; that they are the dominant source of fluctuations in three of the seven countries; that they contain an important policy component, and that their impact is time varying.
A clique-based approach to find binding and scheduling result in flow-based microfluidic biochips

Microfluidic biochips have been recently proposed to integrate all the necessary functions for biochemical analysis. There are several types of microfluidic biochips; among them there has been a great interest in flow-based microfluidic biochips, in which the flow of liquid is manipulated using integrated microvalves. By combining several microvalves, more complex resource units such as micropumps, switches and mixers can be built. For efficient execution, the flow of liquid routes in microfluidic biochips needs to be scheduled under some resource constraints or routing constraints. The execution time of the biochemical operations depends on the binding and scheduling results. The most previously developed binding and scheduling algorithms are based on heuristics, and there has been no method to obtain optimal results. Considering the above, this paper proposes an optimal method by casting the problem to a clique problem.
A Comparison of Measured Crab and Vela Glitch Healing Parameters with Predictions of Neutron Star Models

There are currently two well-accepted models that explain how pulsars exhibit glitches, sudden changes in their regular rotational spin-down. According to the starquake model, the glitch healing parameter Q, which is measurable in some cases from pulsar timing, should be equal to the ratio of the moment of inertia of the superfluid core of a neutron star (NS) to its total moment of inertia. Measured values of the healing parameter from pulsar glitches can therefore be used in combination with realistic NS structure models as one test of the feasibility of the starquake model as a glitch mechanism. We have constructed NS models using seven representative equations of state of superdense matter to test whether starquakes can account for glitches observed in the Crab and Vela pulsars, for which the most extensive and accurate glitch data are available. We also present a compilation of all measured values of Q for Crab and Vela glitches to date that have been separately published in the literature. We have computed the fractional core moment of inertia for stellar models covering a range of NS masses and find that for stable NSs in the realistic mass range 1.4 ± 0.2 M☉, the fraction is greater than 0.55 in all cases. This range is not consistent with the observational restriction Q ≲ 0.2 for Vela if starquakes are the cause of its glitches. This confirms results of previous studies of the Vela pulsar that have suggested that starquakes are not a feasible mechanism for Vela glitches. The much larger values of Q observed for Crab glitches (Q ≳ 0.7) are consistent with starquake model predictions and support previous conclusions that starquakes can be the cause of Crab glitches.
From Innovation Community to Community Innovation

The role of users in innovation processes has gained increasing attention in innovation studies, technology studies, and media studies. Scholars have identified users and use practices as a source of innovation. So far, however, little insight has been generated in innovation processes in which communities of users are the driving force in all phases of the innovation process. This article explores the conceptual vocabularies of innovation studies and actor— network theory and discusses their adequacy for describing and understanding the dynamics of user-initiated innovation processes in which community and innovation are closely intertwined. The authors introduce the concept of community innovation and argue for its relevance for understanding the full dynamics of innovations initiated and shaped by user collectives. The article elaborates a qualitative case study of Wireless Leiden, a local wireless network infrastructure in the Dutch town of Leiden initiated, designed, and maintained by a local community of users.
Characterizing fish communities associated with drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the Western Indian Ocean using underwater visual surveys

We adapted a visual census method, mainly used in demersal and reef fish studies, to characterize fish communities associated to drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the Western Indian Ocean. Drifting FAD associ- ated fishes from both equatorial (Seychelles) and tropical waters (Reunion Island) were examined by divers. A total of 32 species (belonging to 16 families) were observed associated with drifting FADs in equatorial waters, and 24 species (14 families) were found around FADs in tropical waters. Twenty species were found in both regions. The highest number of species observed at a single FAD was 18 (12 ± 2, mean ± SD) in equatorial and 13 (10 ± 3) in tropical waters, not counting circumnatant species loosely associated with the FAD. Some species like Kyphosus vaigiensis, Canthidermis maculata, Elagatis bipinnulata, Acanthocybium solandri and Coryphaena hippurus were observed on all or most of the surveys. In this study, the contribution in biomass of the 18 common species associated with drifting FADs (but excluding circumnatant species), represents more than 98% of the biomass. The overall biomass values of closely associated species remains well below tuna biomass estimates for circumnatant tuna schools at FADs, estimated as high as 200 tons. The species that most significantly contribute to the by-catch in tuna purse-seines logically match those that showing the highest biomass values in our surveys (Carcharhinus spp., Elagatis bipinnulata, Coryphaena hippurus, Canthidermis maculata ,a ndAcanthocybium solandri). One of the most abundant and ubiquitous species in our study was the spotted oceanic triggerfish Canthidermis maculata that sometimes formed massive schools of many thousands individuals around the drifting FADs. Future research is needed to explore the role of such non tuna species in the attraction and aggregation processes of tuna around drifting FADs.
Shared predation: positive effects of predator distraction

Simple rules based on population equilibria can characterize indirect interactions in three-species systems but fail to predict them when considering behavioral mechanisms. In this paper, we revisit the effects of shared predation, i.e. the situation in which two prey are consumed by a common predator. Such predation usually induces negative indirect interactions between prey, or apparent competition, through an increase of predator density and thus of predation pressure. Two mechanisms can however weaken apparent competition and lead to equivocal signs of indirect interactions. On the one hand, predator distraction, which stems from the difficulty to efficiently forage for different prey at the same moment in time and diminishes the number of prey captured per predator. On the other hand, predator negative density dependence limits predator growth. To get further insights into simple rules describing indirect interactions brought about by shared predation, we studied two classes of one-predator-two-prey models exhibiting these two mechanisms. We found robust simple rules derived from predator equilibria which state that at least one prey is favored by the presence of the other when the predators partition their foraging effort between them. These rules thus characterize a surprising wide range of indirect effects including apparent predation, apparent commensalism and apparent mutualism. They also highlight different situations in which larger predator populations do not entail smaller prey populations and in which neither prey species can be negatively affected by the other.
Determinants of National Savings: A Short and Long Run Investigation in Ghana

The study investigated the determinants of national savings by employing the Johansen cointegration technique and error correction model to examine the short run and long run dynamics of the system using time-series data for Ghana over the 1975-2008 period. The study found all the variables to be integrated of order one and the existence of co integration indicated a valid long run economic relationship among the determinants of national saving in Ghana. The empirical results established that in the long run, income and terms of trade have a positive and significant impact on savings while dependency ratio, political instability and the real interest rate have a negative impact on savings. In the short run however, only terms of trade positively affects savings. The other variables namely dependency ratio, political instability, financial deepening, income and interest rate have an insignificant impact on savings. The error correction term has a coefficient of -0.830376 which shows that there will be about 83.04 percent speed of adjustment toward long run equilibrium when there is any imbalance in the short run.
Trade credit in Italy: Evidence from individual firm data

Interfirm late payments are a hot issue in the EU, as witnessed by the 1998 bills passed in Italy and in the U.K. and by the soon to be approved EU Directive. Comprehensive information, especially on the effective own cost, is however almost absent in the literature. The paper provides the first detailed evidence of the trade debt own cost for the Italian manufacturing firms, arising out of discounts offered and of penalties for late payments. It is shown that, comparing also self-defined bank lending rationed and non rationed firms, interfirm credit received is, if ever, only slightly more expensive than bank credit. Cross-section econometric analysis, besides establishing the greater reactivity of credit received rather than granted to the external funds implicit cost, finds that the discount offered for early payments affects significantly credit granted to buyers. The estimates obtained for the basic specifications are robust when the sample is split according to various criteria; larger firms, probably because less financially constrained, react more strongly to sales reductions via longer credit and debt periods.
Risk management in international construction joint ventures in Egypt

Egypt is a developing country and the construction sector has a significant impact on GDP. The development and competitiveness of the Egyptian construction sector in local and international markets are affected by many risk factors. To overcome these risks, some joint ventures are arranged between the Egyptian and the International companies. These joint ventures needs studying to understand the risks and the changes, which are inherent in these companies, and the projects that they execute. Positioning this research to introduce the risk factors to address the risks associated with the joint ventures in Egyptian construction market. This research taken place before 25 January 2011 when the Egyptian revolution began, deposing President Mubarak. Since then many changes have faced the Egyptian and international companies and have created risks in the political and economic situation. Some of project contracts were examined to find out the risk environment faced by joint ventures. In addition, the research established a theoretical model to identify those risk factors for International construction joint ventures in Egypt based on the collection and analysis of quantitative data collected through questionnaires. The research investigated risk management process in the business of joint ventures in which a number of new risk factors identified for the Egyptian construction market, which can be added to the existing factors that noted from the literature review. The main contribution of this research is the identification of the risk factors in three levels, which are; the country, the joint venture company and the project specific levels. The top risks of the country level are: Different applicable law, Currency Exchange, Equipment Availability, Government act, and regulations; for the joint venture level are: Financial capability, Connections with the host government, Strategic complementary; and for the project specific level are: materials; location of the project; sub- contractor capacity. Considering these risk factors facilitates clear decision making in arranging joint ventures in Egypt. Moreover, it mitigates the potential of these risks to occur.
DEMAND AND CONSUMER WELFARE IMPACTS OF INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE LIBERALIZATION: THE CASE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC

Impacts of international airline bilateral liberalization on demand, fares, accessibility, and consumer welfare in the North Atlantic are studied, based on data for markets between the United States and five European countries. A demand model, estimated at the country-pair level, suggests that demand is slightly fare inelastic (e ~= -0.9), and that demand has responded positively, though inelastically (e~=0.2), to changes in accessibility (A measure of how much non-stop service is available). A yield model is estimated to assess the impact of bilateral liberalization status on fares, and it is found that liberal bilaterals have resulted in fare reductions of approximately 40 per cent. A similar analysis concerning accessibility reveals that liberalization increased this variable 55 per cent. In the case of both yield and accessibility, liberalization of a bilateral with one country was found to produce impacts on neighboring countries with restrictive bilaterals, suggesting that fear of traffic diversion influenced regulatory policy. Combining the estimated demand elasticities with the estimated impacts of liberalization on yields and accessibility, we estimate that, in the year 1989, passenger traffic between the U.S. and the five countries studied is 40-60 per cent greater as a result of liberalization, and that liberalization has produced consumer welfare increases of $3-5 billion, or $400-600 per traveler.