Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The 100 000-Yr Cycle in Tropical SST, Greenhouse Forcing, and Climate Sensitivity

Abstract The key scientific uncertainty in the global warming debate is the equilibrium climate sensitivity. Coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation models predict a wide range of equilibrium climate sensitivities, with a consequently large spread of societal implications. Comparison of models with instrumental data has not been able to reduce the uncertainty in climate sensitivity. An alternative way to gauge equilibrium climate sensitivity is to use paleoclimatic data. Two recent advances, the development and application of proxy recorders of tropical sea surface temperature (SST) and the synchronization of the deep-sea and Antarctic ice-core time scales, make it possible to directly relate past changes in tropical SST to atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. The strong correspondence of a proxy SST record from the eastern equatorial Pacific and the Vostok CO2 record suggests that varying atmospheric carbon dioxide is the dominant control on tropical climate on orbital time scales. This effect i.
Implicit Artificial Syntax Processing: Genes, Preference, and Bounded Recursion

The first objective of this study was to compare the brain network engaged by preference classification and the standard grammaticality classification after implicit artificial syntax acquisition by re-analyzing previously reported event-related fMRI data. The results show that preference and grammaticality classification engage virtually identical brain networks, including Broca’s region, consistent with previous behavioral findings. Moreover, the results showed that the effects related to artificial syntax in Broca’s region were essentially the same when masked with variability related to natural syntax processing in the same participants. The second objective was to explore CNTNAP2-related effects in implicit artificial syntax learning by analyzing behavioral and event-related fMRI data from a subsample. The CNTNAP2 gene has been linked to specific language impairment and is con-trolled by the FOXP2 transcription factor. CNTNAP2 is expressed in language related brain networks in the developing human brain and the FOXP2–CNTNAP2 pathway provides a mechanistic link between clinically distinct syndromes involving disrupted language. Finally, we discuss the implication of taking natural language to be a neurobiological system in terms of bounded recursion and suggest that the left inferior frontal region is a generic on-line sequence processor that unifies information from various sources in an incremental and recursive manner.
Dental caries and associated factors in Mexican schoolchildren aged 6–13 years

The objectives of the present study were to establish dental caries prevalence (percentage with caries) and experience in the primary and permanent dentition (dmft and DMFT) of 6 to 13-year-old schoolchildren in Campeche, Mexico, and to estimate the contributing roles of the likely risk indicators. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 1,644 children aged 6–13 years. Self-administered questionnaires obtained information on social, economic, behavioral, and demographic variables. The primary dentition of 1,309 children and the permanent dentition of 1,640 children were evaluated in the oral examinations. The main outcome measures were DMFT, dmft, and SiC indices. Data were modeled using logistic regression analysis. The overall caries prevalence was 77.4%, 73.6% in the primary dentition (61.6% in 6-year-olds), and 49.4% in the permanent dentition. The dmft and DMFT indices were 2.85±2.73 and 1.44±2.05, respectively (DMFT=3.11±2.62 in 12-year-olds). The SiC index was 6.05 at 12 years of age. Associated variables to dental caries in both dentitions were presence of enamel defects, presence of dental plaque, low socio-economic status, female sex, and older age. Mother's schooling was negatively associated (OR=0.95) with caries in primary dentition. Caries experience in the primary dentition (OR=6.02) was positively associated with caries in the permanent dentition. Dental caries status in these Mexican children was closer to the goals proposed by the WHO/FDI for 2000 than previous studies. This study has identified clinical, socio-economic, and behavioral determinants for dental caries in primary and permanent dentition on Mexican schoolchildren.
Do Secondary Buyouts Create Value ? Evidence from the United Kingdom

We examine whether secondary buyouts create value for financial sponsors and target companies over the entire holding period, from the time of a buyout to exit. Using a unique hand-collected dataset of 101 secondary buyouts from the United Kingdom completed between 1999 and 2008, we find evidence that these transactions generate statistically significant returns for their sponsors. In contrast, operating performance for the target companies does not seem to improve or even worsens, depending on the measure. Firm pre-buyout performance, improved governance, and, to a smaller degree, higher leverage and monitoring by private equity owners play a role in explaining the cross sectional variation in the post-SBO target performance over the life of the deal. JEL: G11, G14, G34
Consumption Strikes Back? Measuring Long‐Run Risk

We characterize and measure a long‐term risk‐return trade‐off for the valuation of cash flows exposed to fluctuations in macroeconomic growth. This trade‐off features risk prices of cash flows that are realized far into the future but continue to be reflected in asset values. We apply this analysis to claims on aggregate cash flows and to cash flows from value and growth portfolios by imputing values to the long‐run dynamic responses of cash flows to macroeconomic shocks. We explore the sensitivity of our results to features of the economic valuation model and of the model cash flow dynamics.
A benchmark of gene expression tissue-specificity metrics

One of the major properties of genes is their expression pattern. Notably, genes are often classified as tissue-specific or housekeeping. This property is of interest to molecular evolution as an explanatory factor of, e.g., evolutionary rate, as well as a functional feature which may in itself evolve. While many different methods of measuring tissue specificity have been proposed and used for such studies, there has been no comparison or benchmarking of these methods to our knowledge, and little justification of their use. In this study we compare nine measures of tissue-specificity. Most methods were established for ESTs and microarrays, and several were later adapted to RNA-seq. We analyze their capacity to distinguish gene categories, their robustness to the choice and number of tissues used, and their capture of evolutionary conservation signal.
Polymorphism in the TNF-α(−863) locus associated with reduced risk of primary open angle glaucoma

Purpose Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), an important proinflammatory cytokine, exerts a variety of physiologic and pathogenic effects that lead to tissue destruction. Recent laboratory evidence indicates that TNF-α have either protective or adverse effects on primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Inheritance of the TNF-α (−863) C allele has been associated with an elevated risk of Alzheimer disease. The neuronal injuries associated with Alzheimer disease have several similarities with the optic nerve changes often seen with POAG. In this study we investigated the possible association between the TNF-α (−863) polymorphism and the development of POAG. Methods A total of 234 patients with POAG were recruited and compared with 230 healthy controls in a Chinese population. Sequence-specific primers with 3′ end mismatches were used to identify the presence of specific allelic variants by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Patients and controls were genotyped for the A/C polymorphism at position −863 of the TNF-α gene promoter region. Results The frequency of the TNF-α (−863)A allele (22% versus 30%, respectively; p=0.007) and the carriers of the TNF-α (−863)A allele (37% versus48%; p=0.017, OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.44–0.92) were lower in POAG patients compared with those in controls. There is a reduced risk of POAG associated with homozygosity for the TNF-α (−863)A allele (AA genotype) compared with that in the control population (AA genotype; 7% versus 11%, respectively, p=0.037; OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.26–0.98). Conclusions The TNF-α (−863)A allele polymorphism may be a protective factor in the development of POAG.
Hyperspectral image lossless compression using wavelet transforms and trellis coded quantization

Huge amounts of data of hyperspectral images have become a great challenge to data storage and transmission. In the mean time, as this kind of image is used extensively and any information shouldn't be lost during compression, the lossless compression method seems to be essential. Without an efficient compression scheme, the application of hyperspectral images will be limited. Trellis coded quantization (TCQ) uses the expanded signal set, set partitioning and trellis state transferring ideas from trellis coded modulation (TCM). The mean squared error (MSE) performance of TCQ is excellent with modest computing complexity. At present TCQ is often used for image lossy compression. In this paper, we aim to develop TCQ scheme to compress hyperspectral images losslessly taking advantage of the characteristics of hyperspectral data for compression. A scheme utilizing wavelet transform and trellis coded quantization is presented. Experiment results show that the method presented in this paper has good performance.
On Dialogue Cohesion

It has been claimed that conversations is the basic form of social organization (cf.Schegloff (1986) and it seems correct to say that conversation, or with a more general term dialogue (from the Greek dia logos through words), exhibits characteristics which are basic to social organization. It coordinates information and mutual understanding and it involves building social cohesion. This paper is about some aspects of how social cohesion is created through dialogue and addresses questions like: What is it that keeps a dialogue going? Why is it normally impossible to terminate a conversation by suddenly turning around and walking away, even if your interlocutor has finished his/her turn at speaking? To put it briefly, the aim is to analyze the glue of dialogue.
Beyond Inside-Out Growth: Formation and Evolution of Disk Outskirts

We have performed a high mass and force resolution simulation of an idealized galaxy forming from dissipational collapse of gas embedded in a spherical dark matter halo. The simulation includes star formation and effects of stellar feedback. In our simulation a stellar disk forms with a surface density profile consisting of an inner exponential breaking to a steeper outer exponential. The break forms early on and persists throughout the evolution, moving outward as more gas is able to cool and add mass to the disk. The parameters of the break are in excellent agreement with observations. The break corresponds to a rapid drop in the star formation rate associated with a drop in the cooled gas surface density, but the outer exponential is populated by stars that were scattered outward on nearly circular orbits from the inner disk by spiral arms. The resulting profile and its associated break are therefore a consequence of the interplay between a radial star formation cutoff and redistribution of stellar mass by secular processes. A consequence of such evolution is a sharp change in the radial mean stellar age profile at the break radius.
Direct, bodily or mobile interaction?: comparing interaction techniques for personalized public displays

Interaction with personalized data on a large public display represents a sensitive scenario: first, users expose the fact of interaction in public; and, personalized data may be private. In this work we investigate how interaction design can support the user in such a scenario. Through experimentation, we compare three interaction techniques: direct, bodily, and mobile-based. We report on the users' preferences with the presented techniques at different interaction phases (identification, navigation, and collecting results). We analyze how user preferences in the personalized display scenario are similar or different to other scenarios, such as interaction with physical objects or non-personalized public displays. The analysis is summarized in a form of design recommendations that should be considered when designing for interaction with personalized public displays.
The social brain paradigm and social norm puzzles

The use of neuroscience in political science inquiry has steadily increased over the last decade, yet many remain skeptical regarding its usefulness in explaining outcomes and solving puzzles. In this article we develop ramifications of the neuroscientific paradigm of the ‘social brain’ and critically assess its utility for political science. We argue that this model has promise in three distinct areas of research: challenging assumptions, clarifying conceptions, and specifying conditions. We then apply this theoretical framework to a specific puzzle in political science that transcends sub-field distinctions: social norm compliance. We argue that utilizing the social brain paradigm allows us to clarify precisely what social norms are at a physical level, challenge the underlying assumptions of current social norm research, and specify precise and testable conditions of compliance and non-compliance behavior. Ultimately we suggest that the social brain specifically and neuroscience generally offer much promise for political scientists, although scholars must be critical and careful in their justification and application of neuroscientific data.
Politics and practices of global health: Critical ethnographies of health systems

Over the past decade, growing recognition that weak health systems threaten global health progress has galvanised renewed global and national commitment to strengthening health systems (Hafner & Shiffman, 2012). Global health leaders from the World Health Organization to the GAVI Alliance, national governments and donors today endorse the goal of health system strengthening (HSS), though there is little, if any consensus on what this entails. Mirroring the business-oriented and technical bias of dominant global health actors (Birn, 2006), HSS is often approached as a technical challenge, focused on efforts to strengthen implementation and management structures within health service delivery, with little attention to the politics and social relations that shape health systems. This special issue aims to demonstrate the potential of ethnographic enquiry to reinvigorate a political – rather than technical – debate about ‘health systems’.
Advances in the application of the SWAT model for water resources management

Developments in computer technology have revolutionized the study of hydrologic systems and water resources management. Several computer‐based hydrologic/water quality models have been developed for applications in hydrologic modelling and water resources studies. Distributed parameter models, necessary for basin‐scale studies, have large input data requirements. Geographic information systems (GIS) and model–GIS interfaces aid the efficient creation of input data files required by such models. One such model available for the water resources professional is the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), a distributed parameter model developed by the United States Department of Agriculture. This paper describes some recent advances made in the application of SWAT and the SWAT–GIS interface for water resources management. Four case studies are presented. The Hydrologic Unit Model for the United States (HUMUS) project used SWAT to conduct a national‐scale analysis of the effect of management scenarios on water quantity and quality. Integration of the SWAT model with rainfall data available from the WSR‐88D radar network helps us to incorporate the spatial variability of rainfall into the modelling process. This study demonstrates the usefulness of radar rainfall data in distributed hydrologic studies and the potential of SWAT for application in flood analysis and prediction. A hydrologic modelling study of the Sondu river basin in Kenya using SWAT indicates the potential for application of the model in African watersheds and points to the need for development of better model input data sets in Africa, which are critical for detailed water resources studies. The application of SWAT for water quality analysis in the Bosque river basin, Texas demonstrates the strength of the model for analysing different management scenarios to minimize point and non‐point pollution, and its potential for application in total maximum daily load (TMDL) studies. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Underwater wireless network Energy efficiency and optimal data packet size

This paper addresses the issue of energy efficiency and the optimal data packet size/length in underwater wireless network communications in the context of effective and efficient data transmission. In light of the limited battery power of underwater sensor nodes, energy efficiency is investigated in relation to the optimization of data packet length to meet the low power constraints of the shallow water acoustic channel. The main contribution of this project is a data packet size optimization look-up table or graph of which viability is proven through virtual simulations using ns2 simulator and its MIRACLE packages on the Ubuntu platform.
Exploring mental models underlying PIN management strategies

PINs have been around for half a century and many insecure PIN-related practices are used. We attempted to mitigate by developing two new PIN memorial assistance mechanisms that we tested in an online study. We were not able to show an improvement in memorability, mostly because people did not use the memorial aids. We realised that a greater insight into PIN Management mental models was needed, in order the better to formulate mitigation approaches. We proceeded to study PIN-related mental models, and we present our findings in this paper. The insights we gained convinced us that security researchers should not presume that people want, or need, our advice or help in any security context; they might well prefer to continue with their usual trusted practices. Yet advice should indeed still be offered, for those who do want it, and we make some suggestions about what this advice should look like in the PIN context.
Evaluation of AHRS algorithms for inertial personal localization in industrial environments

This paper presents a comparison among several state-of-the-art Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS). These algorithms can be used for 3D orientation and position estimation of users or devices. The robust performance of these AHRS algorithms is of paramount importance, specially in environments with potential external perturbations, such as industrial environments. The comparison among AHRS algorithms presented in this paper also includes an algorithm recently proposed by the authors (DLR-AHRS). In this paper the performance of the different AHRS will be studied, including the effect of magnetic perturbations on the performance of orientation estimation, and the effect of using different patterns of motion when the sensor is carried by a user at different locations (pocket, foot/shoe, hand). These AHRS algorithms are also compared with the Kalman-based commercially available AHRS algorithm of Xsens. The performance of the AHRS algorithms depends strongly on the strategies used to reject perturbations (sudden accelerations or deformations of the Earth magnetic field) and the ability of the systems to estimate the biases of the gyroscopes.
Modelling monthly runoff generation processes following land use changes: groundwater–surface runoff interactions

Abstract. A conceptual water balance model is presented to represent changes in monthly water balance following land use changes. Monthly rainfall–runoff, groundwater and soil moisture data from four experimental catchments in Western Australia have been analysed. Two of these catchments, "Ernies" (control, fully forested) and "Lemon" (54% cleared) are in a zone of mean annual rainfall of 725 mm, while "Salmon" (control, fully forested) and "Wights" (100% cleared) are in a zone with mean annual rainfall of 1125 mm. At the Salmon forested control catchment, streamflow comprises surface runoff, base flow and interflow components. In the Wights catchment, cleared of native forest for pasture development, all three components increased, groundwater levels rose significantly and stream zone saturated area increased from 1% to 15% of the catchment area. It took seven years after clearing for the rainfall–runoff generation process to stabilise in 1984. At the Ernies forested control catchment, the permanent groundwater system is 20 m below the stream bed and so does not contribute to streamflow. Following partial clearing of forest in the Lemon catchment, groundwater rose steadily and reached the stream bed by 1987. The streamflow increased in two phases: (i) immediately after clearing due to reduced evapotranspiration, and (ii) through an increase in the groundwater-induced stream zone saturated area after 1987. After analysing all the data available, a conceptual monthly model was created, comprising four inter-connecting stores: (i) an upper zone unsaturated store, (ii) a transient stream zone store, (ii) a lower zone unsaturated store and (iv) a saturated groundwater store. Data such as rooting depth, Leaf Area Index, soil porosity, profile thickness, depth to groundwater, stream length and surface slope were incorporated into the model as a priori defined attributes. The catchment average values for different stores were determined through matching observed and predicted monthly hydrographs. The observed and predicted monthly runoff for all catchments matched well with coefficients of determination (R2) ranging from 0.68 to 0.87. Predictions were relatively poor for: (i) the Ernies catchment (lowest rainfall, forested), and (ii) months with very high flows. Overall, the predicted mean annual streamflow was within ±8% of the observed values. Keywords: monthly streamflow, land use change, conceptual model, data-based approach, groundwater
Injury in traditional and sport rock climbing

The objective of this study was to compare patterns of injury found in traditional rock climbing with those found in sport climbing. A questionnaire was administered to rock climbers by mail, in person, and via the World Wide Web. Injuries that occurred while rope-protected climbing on rock were analyzed regarding the anatomical location and the mechanism and activity at the time of injury. Ninety-four climbers reported sustaining an injury while rope-protected climbing on rock. Most injuries occurred while leading and involved the upper extremity, especially the fingers. Falling was the predominant mechanism of injury on traditional climbs, and stress over a joint while attempting a difficult move was the most common mechanism on sport climbs. Potential for injury prevention lies in teaching climbers to recognize the limitations of the fingers as weight-bearing structures.