Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Eight Global Reanalysis Products for Atmospheric Correction of Thermal Infrared Sensor - Application to Landsat 8 TIRS10 Data

Global reanalysis products have been widely used for correcting the atmospheric effects of thermal infrared data, but their performances have not been comprehensively evaluated. In this paper, we evaluate eight global reanalysis products (NCEP/FNL; NCEP/DOE Reanalysis2; MERRA-3; MERRA-6; MERRA2-3; MERRA2-6; JRA-55; and ERA-Interim) commonly used in the atmospheric correction of Landsat 8 TIRS10 data by referencing global radiosonde observations collected from 163 stations. The atmospheric parameters (atmospheric transmittance, upward radiance, and downward radiance) simulated with MERRA-6 and ERA-Interim were accurate than those simulated with other reanalysis products for different water vapor contents and surface elevations. When global reanalysis products were applied to retrieve land surface temperature (LST) from simulated Landsat 8 TIRS10 data, ERA-Interim and MERRA-6 were accurate than other reanalysis products. The overall LST biases and RMSEs between the retrieved LSTs and LSTs that were used to generate the top-of-atmosphere radiances were less than 0.2 K and 1.09 K, respectively. When eight reanalysis products were used to estimate LSTs from thirty-two Landsat 8 TIRS10 images covering the Heihe River basin in China, the various reanalysis products showed similar validation accuracies for LSTs with low water vapor contents. The biases ranged from 0.07 K to 0.24 K, and the STDs (RMSEs) ranged from 1.93 K (1.93 K) to 2.02 K (2.04 K). Considering the above evaluation results, MERRA-6 and ERA-Interim are recommended for thermal infrared data atmospheric corrections.
The excess demand for subsidized child care in Germany

The extension of publicly provided or subsidized child care is currently one of the priorities of the political agenda in many European countries. In this article, the excess demand for subsidized child care slots in Germany is estimated using a partial observability model. The results show that there is considerable excess demand for child care for children aged less than 3 years in East and West Germany, even among children with working mothers.
The paradoxical extinction of the most charismatic animals

A widespread opinion is that conservation efforts disproportionately benefit charismatic species. However, this doesn’t mean that they are not threatened, and which species are “charismatic” remains unclear. Here, we identify the 10 most charismatic animals and show that they are at high risk of imminent extinction in the wild. We also find that the public ignores these animals’ predicament and we suggest it could be due to the observed biased perception of their abundance, based more on their profusion in our culture than on their natural populations. We hypothesize that this biased perception impairs conservation efforts because people are unaware that the animals they cherish face imminent extinction and do not perceive their urgent need for conservation. By freely using the image of rare and threatened species in their product marketing, many companies may participate in creating this biased perception, with unintended detrimental effects on conservation efforts, which should be compensated by channeling part of the associated profits to conservation. According to our hypothesis, this biased perception would be likely to last as long as the massive cultural and commercial presence of charismatic species is not accompanied by adequate information campaigns about the imminent threats they face.
Miniaturized Dual-Band SIW Filters Using E-Shaped Slotlines With Controllable Center Frequencies

In this letter, a simple method for miniaturized dual-band bandpass filters (BPFs) through E-shaped slotlines has been proposed. The slotlines are etched on the edge sides of the substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) cavities coupled with magnetic fields of the resonant modes, which makes the proposed cavity operate below its fundamental resonant frequency. Moreover, out-of-band rejection has been improved and the center frequencies of the passbands would be flexibly controlled. To prove the feasibility of the above method, a dual-band BPF based on two SIW cavities operating at 3.6 and 6.4 GHz has been realized. In addition, another dual-frequency filter with only one SIW cavity has been designed, where both the slotlines and the SIW cavity are regarded as resonators. They have been fabricated on a single layer and the test results are in good agreement with the simulations.
MONEY AND MONETARY POLICY IN THE EUROZONE: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS DURING CRISES

This paper analyzes the role of money and monetary policy as well as the forecasting performance of New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models with and without separability between consumption and money. The study is conducted over three crisis periods in the Eurozone, namely, the ERM crisis, the dot-com crisis, and the global financial crisis (GFC). The results of successive Bayesian estimations demonstrate that during these crises, the nonseparable model generally provides better out-of-sample output forecasts than the baseline model. We also demonstrate that money shocks have some impact on output variations during crises, especially in the case of the GFC. Furthermore, the response of output to a money shock is more persistent during the GFC than during the other crises. The impact of monetary policy also changes during crises. Insofar as the GFC is concerned, this impact increases at the beginning of the crisis, but decreases sharply thereafter.
The Potential of Using Indigenous Pesticidal Plants for Insect Pest Control to Small Scale Farmers in Africa

Pesticidal plants are scientifically proven for their effectiveness in controlling insect pests. Their activity is enhanced by active compounds contained, which are known for their repellant and antifeedant potentials to the insects. Use of pesticidal plants by local small scale farmers has been a point of concern following information that majority of farmers do not widely use pesticidal plants despite of an indigenous knowledge that they possess. Improvement of the technologies used by local farmers in previous times, that are easy and effective need to help farmers abstain from the use of synthetic pesticides that are detrimental to the environment and to their own health. This paper reviews the potentiality of pesticidal plants to small holder farmers. It also gives the status of pesticidal plants use, their possible effectiveness against insect pests, persistence as well as the knowledge that indigenous people possess in their use. Again, the paper suggests the need for more instrumental research on practical improvement of indigenous knowledge on the use of pesticidal plants with scientific evidences.
Production and Characterization of Uniform and Graded Porous Polyamide Structures Using Selective Laser Sintering

In this study, uniform and graded porous polyamide structures are produced using selective laser sintering process by varying three processing parameters: hatching distance, laser power, and scanning speed. The PA 2200 polyamide powder is used to produce parts and the production is carried out in EOSINT P 380 laser sintering system. The effect of the three process parameters on porosity and mechanical properties are investigated on uniform porous structures using 2 3 factorial design. The produced samples are characterized in terms of apparent density, pore size distribution and microstructure. Tensile tests are carried out to assess the part mechanical properties with changing part porosities. Graded porous structures are then produced by varying the three process parameters during production, and characterized. It is concluded that a desired porosity grade within the limits of the machine capabilities can be induced in polyamide samples produced via SLS.
Local Knowledge and Management of the Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis L.) in Northern Spain: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation

Abstract This study reports the harvesting, management, trading and use of the royal fern (Osmunda regalis) in Cantabria (Spain), where medicinal plant gathering has been mainly abandoned and nowadays only few species are still commonly gathered. We interviewed 50 adults of different age, sex, and origins to obtain information on local knowledge and management practices of royal fern. Osmunda regalis is locally considered a highly efficient remedy. The rhizome has been traditionally employed in Cantabria mainly for the treatment of bone fractures, joint disorders and rheumatic and arthritic pain. Its consumption prevails in rural areas but it is also employed in towns and cities and its demand has led to small-scale marketing. More than half of the interviewees (54%) had only passive knowledge about their medicinal uses while the rest of informants (46%) were consumers, collectors or sellers (22% ‘collector-consumers’, 6% ‘non collector-consumers’, 4% ‘collector-sellers’ and 14% ‘non collector-sellers’). People from villages harvested O. regalis for their own consumption and expressed concern about overexploitation by a rising demand from urban areas, whereas people from cities were unaware of the ecology of the fern. The scarcity of the fern has led to rural residents to develop local management practices that contribute to the species conservation. These practices included keeping the location of the fern secret, not harvesting the complete rhizome for not killing the plant and allowing its regeneration, and cultivating the species in home-gardens. The inclusion of local knowledge in harvesting regulations might result in environmental norms accepted and internalized by the local population.
National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement: Preparticipation physical examinations and disqualifying conditions.

OBJECTIVE To present athletic trainers with recommendations for the content and administration of the preparticipation physical examination (PPE) as well as considerations for determining safe participation in sports and identifying disqualifying conditions. BACKGROUND Preparticipation physical examinations have been used routinely for nearly 40 years. However, considerable debate exists as to their efficacy due to the lack of standardization in the process and the lack of conformity in the information that is gathered. With the continuing rise in sports participation at all levels and the growing number of reported cases of sudden death in organized athletics, the sports medicine community should consider adopting a standardized process for conducting the PPE to protect all parties. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations are provided to equip the sports medicine community with the tools necessary to conduct the PPE as effectively and efficiently as possible using available scientific evidence and best practices. In addition, the recommendations will help clinicians identify those conditions that may threaten the health and safety of participants in organized sports, may require further evaluation and intervention, or may result in potential disqualification.
Chemical and Nutritional Composition of Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu Plum) Kernels: A Novel Nutrition Source

Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum) is a native Australian fruit. Industrial processing of T. ferdinandiana fruits into puree generates seeds as a by-product, which are generally discarded. The aim of our present study was to process the seed to separate the kernel and determine its nutritional composition. The proximate, mineral and fatty acid compositions were analysed in this study. Kernels are composed of 35% fat, while proteins account for 32% dry weight (DW). The energy content and fiber were 2065 kJ/100 g and 21.2% DW, respectively. Furthermore, the study showed that kernels were a very rich source of minerals and trace elements, such as potassium (6693 mg/kg), calcium (5385 mg/kg), iron (61 mg/kg) and zinc (60 mg/kg) DW, and had low levels of heavy metals. The fatty acid composition of the kernels consisted of omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid (50.2%), monounsaturated oleic acid (29.3%) and two saturated fatty acids namely palmitic acid (12.0%) and stearic acid (7.2%). The results indicate that T. ferdinandiana kernels have the potential to be utilized as a novel protein source for dietary purposes and non-conventional supply of linoleic, palmitic and oleic acids.
World Models

We explore building generative neural network models of popular reinforcement learning environments. Our world model can be trained quickly in an unsupervised manner to learn a compressed spatial and temporal representation of the environment. By using features extracted from the world model as inputs to an agent, we can train a very compact and simple policy that can solve the required task. We can even train our agent entirely inside of its own hallucinated dream generated by its world model, and transfer this policy back into the actual environment. An interactive version of this paper is available at https://worldmodels.github. io/
Does Decentralization Increase Government Responsiveness to Local Needs? Evidence from Bolivia

This paper examines whether decentralization increases the responsiveness of public investment to local needs using a unique database from Bolivia. Empirical tests show that investment patterns in human capital and social services changed significantly after decentralization. These changes are strongly and positively related to objective indicators of need. Nationally, these changes were driven by the smallest, poorest municipalities investing devolved funds in their highest-priority projects. The findings contradict common claims that local government is too corrupt, institutionally weak, or prone to interest-group capture to improve upon central government’s allocation of public resources. D 2002 Published by Elsevier B.V.
The Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on the Wingate Test for Anaerobic Power When Applying Individualized Frequencies

Abstract Surowiec, RK, Wang, H, Nagelkirk, PR, Frame, JW, and Dickin, DC. The effects of whole-body vibration on the Wingate test for anaerobic power when applying individualized frequencies. J Strength Cond Res 28(7): 2035–2041, 2014—Recently, individualized frequency (I-Freq) has been introduced with the notion that athletes may elicit a greater reflex response at differing levels (Hz) of vibration. The aim of the study was to evaluate acute whole-body vibration as a feasible intervention to increase power in trained cyclists and evaluate the efficacy of using I-Freq as an alternative to 30Hz, a common frequency seen in the literature. Twelve highly trained, competitive male cyclists (age, 29.9 ± 10.0 years; body height, 175.4 ± 7.8 cm; body mass, 77.3 ± 13.9 kg) participated in the study. A Wingate test for anaerobic power was administered on 3 occasions: following a control of no vibration, 30 Hz, or I-freq. Measures of peak power, average power (AP), and the rate of fatigue were recorded and compared with the vibration conditions using separate repeated measures analysis of variance. Peak power, AP, and the rate of fatigue were not significantly impacted by either the 30 Hz or I-Freq vibration interventions (p > 0.05). Given the trained status of the individuals in this study, the ability to elicit an acute response may have been muted. Future studies should further refine the vibration parameters used and assess changes in untrained or recreationally trained populations.
Controlling for Response Bias in Self-Ratings of Personality: A Comparison of Impression Management Scales and the Overclaiming Technique

Abstract Self-serving response distortions pose a threat to the validity of personality scales. A common approach to deal with this issue is to rely on impression management (IM) scales. More recently, the overclaiming technique (OCT) has been proposed as an alternative and arguably superior measure of such biases. In this study (N = 162), we tested these approaches in the context of self- and other-ratings using the HEXACO personality inventory. To the extent that the OCT and IM scales can be considered valid measures of response distortions, they are expected to account for inflated self-ratings in particular for those personality dimensions that are prone to socially desirable responding. However, the results show that neither the OCT nor IM account for overly favorable self-ratings. The validity of IM as a measure of response biases was further scrutinized by a substantial correlation with other-rated honesty-humility. As such, this study questions the use of both the OCT and IM to assess self-serving response distortions.
Quantitative Thresholds Enable Accurate Identification of Clostridium difficile Infection by the Luminex xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel

ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile colonizes the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, resulting in either asymptomatic carriage or a spectrum of diarrheal illness. If clinical suspicion for C. difficile is low, stool samples are often submitted for analysis by multiplex molecular assays capable of detecting multiple GI pathogens, and some institutions do not report this organism due to concerns for high false-positive rates. Since clinical disease correlates with organism burden and molecular assays yield quantitative data, we hypothesized that numerical cutoffs could be utilized to improve the specificity of the Luminex xTAG GI pathogen panel (GPP) for C. difficile infection. Analysis of cotested liquid stool samples (n = 1,105) identified a GPP median fluorescence intensity (MFI) value cutoff of ≥1,200 to be predictive of two-step algorithm (2-SA; 96.4% concordance) and toxin enzyme immunoassay (EIA) positivity. Application of this cutoff to a second cotested data set (n = 1,428) yielded 96.5% concordance. To determine test performance characteristics, concordant results were deemed positive or negative, and discordant results were adjudicated via chart review. Test performance characteristics for the MFI cutoff of ≥150 (standard), MFI cutoff of ≥1,200, and 2-SA were as follows (respectively): concordance, 95, 96, and 97%; sensitivity, 93, 78, and 90%; specificity, 95, 98, and 98%; positive predictive value, 67, 82, and 81%;, and negative predictive value, 99, 98, and 99%. To capture the high sensitivity for organism detection (MFI of ≥150) and high specificity for active infection (MFI of ≥1,200), we developed and applied a reporting algorithm to interpret GPP data from patients (n = 563) with clinician orders only for syndromic panel testing, thus enabling accurate reporting of C. difficile for 95% of samples (514 negative and 5 true positives) irrespective of initial clinical suspicion and without the need for additional testing.
Performance of Urinary Markers for Detection of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: Is Upper Tract Urine More Accurate than Urine from the Bladder?

Objectives To assess the performance of urine markers determined in urine samples from the bladder compared to samples collected from the upper urinary tract (UUT) for diagnosis of UUT urothelial carcinoma (UC). Patients and Methods The study comprised 758 urine samples either collected from the bladder (n = 373) or UUT (n = 385). All patients underwent urethrocystoscopy and UUT imaging or ureterorenoscopy. Cytology, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), immunocytology (uCyt+), and nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP22) were performed. Results UUT UC was diagnosed in 59 patients (19.1%) (UUT urine) and 27 patients (7.2%) (bladder-derived urine). For UUT-derived samples, sensitivities for cytology, FISH, NMP22, and uCyt+ were 74.6, 79.0, 100.0, and 100.0, while specificities were 66.6, 50.7, 5.9, and 66.7%, respectively. In bladder-derived samples, sensitivities were 59.3, 52.9, 62.5, and 50.0% whereas specificities were 82.9, 85.0, 31.3, and 69.8%. In UUT-derived samples, concomitant bladder cancer led to increased false-positive rates of cytology and FISH. Conclusions Urine markers determined in urine collected from the UUT exhibit better sensitivity but lower specificity compared to markers determined in bladder-derived urine. Concomitant or recent diagnosis of UC of the bladder can further influence markers determined in UUT urine.
Effects of Photoperiod on Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Development, Survival, and Reproduction

Abstract Effects of photoperiod on development, survival, feeding, and oviposition of boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, were assessed under five different photophases (24, 14, 12, 10, and 0 h) at a constant 27°C temperature and 65% RH in the laboratory. Analyses of our results detected positive relationships between photoperiod and puncturing (mean numbers of oviposition and feeding punctures per day), and oviposition (oviposition punctures/oviposition+feeding punctures) activities, and the proportion of squares attacked by boll weevil females. When boll weevil females developed in light:darkness cycles, they produced a significantly higher percentage of eggs developing to adulthood than those developed in 24-h light or dark conditions. In long photoperiod (24:0 and 14:10 h), the number of female progeny was significantly higher and their development time was significantly shorter than those developed in short photoperiod (0:24 and 10:14 h). Lifetime oviposition was significantly highest at 12- and 14-h photophase, lowest at 0- and 10-h photophase, and intermediate at 24 h of light. Life table calculations indicated that boll weevil populations developed in a photoperiod of 14:10 and 12:12 (L:D) h will increase an average of two-fold each generation (Ro) compared with boll weevils developed in 24:0- and 10:14-h photoperiods and 15-fold compared with those at 0:24 h. Knowledge of the photoperiod-dependent population growth potential is critical for understanding population dynamics to better develop sampling protocols and timing insecticide applications.
Emergent Communication through Negotiation

Multi-agent reinforcement learning offers a way to study how communication could emerge in communities of agents needing to solve specific problems. In this paper, we study the emergence of communication in the negotiation environment, a semi-cooperative model of agent interaction. We introduce two communication protocols -- one grounded in the semantics of the game, and one which is \textit{a priori} ungrounded and is a form of cheap talk. We show that self-interested agents can use the pre-grounded communication channel to negotiate fairly, but are unable to effectively use the ungrounded channel. However, prosocial agents do learn to use cheap talk to find an optimal negotiating strategy, suggesting that cooperation is necessary for language to emerge. We also study communication behaviour in a setting where one agent interacts with agents in a community with different levels of prosociality and show how agent identifiability can aid negotiation.