Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Dynamic Vegetation Senescence Indicator for Near-Real-Time Desert Locust Habitat Monitoring with MODIS

Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) represent a major threat for agro-pastoral resources and food security over almost 30 million km2 from northern Africa to the Arabian peninsula and India. Given the differential food preferences of this insect pest and the extent and remoteness of the their distribution area, near-real-time remotely-sensed information on potential habitats support control operations by narrowing down field surveys to areas favorable for their development and prone to gregarization and outbreaks. The development of dynamic greenness maps, which detect the onset of photosynthetic vegetation, allowed national control centers to identify potential habitats to survey, as locusts prefer green and fresh vegetation. Their successful integration into the daily control operations led to a new need: the near-real-time identification of the onset of dryness, a synonym for the loss of habitat attractiveness, likely to be abandoned by locusts. The timely availability of this information would enable control centers to focus their surveys on areas more prone to gregarization, leading to more efficiency in the allocation of resources and in decision making. In this context, this work developed an original method to detect in near-real-time the onset of vegetation senescence. The design of the detection relies on the temporal behavior of two indices: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, depending on the green vegetation, and the Normalized Difference Tillage Index, sensitive to both green and dry vegetation. The method is demonstrated in Mauritania, an ever-affected country, with 10-day MODIS mean composites for the years 2010 and 2011. The discrimination performance of three classes (“growth”, “density reduction” and “drying”) were analyzed for three classification methods: maximum likelihood (61.4% of overall accuracy), decision tree (71.5%) and support vector machine (72.3%). The classification accuracy is heterogeneous in both time and space and is affected by several factors, such as vegetation density, the north-south climatic gradient and the relief. Smoothing the vegetation time series resulted in an increase of the overall accuracy of about 5% at the expense of a loss in timeliness of ten days. To simulate near-real-time monitoring conditions, the decision tree was applied to the decade of 2010. Overall, the seasonal vegetation cycle appeared clear and consistent. The results obtained pave the way for an operational implementation of the senescence dynamic mapping and, consequently, to further strengthen the capacity of the locust control management.
Translation initiation sites prediction with mixture Gaussian models in human cDNA sequences

Translation initiation sites (TISs) are important signals in cDNA sequences. Many research efforts have tried to predict TISs in cDNA sequences. In this paper, we propose to use mixture Gaussian models for TIS prediction. Using both local features and some features generated from global measures, the proposed method predicts TISs with a sensitivity of 98 percent and a specificity of 93.6 percent. Our method outperforms many other existing methods in sensitivity while keeping specificity high. We attribute the improvement in sensitivity to the nature of the global features and the mixture Gaussian models.
The unholy trinity: taxonomy, species delimitation and DNA barcoding

Recent excitement over the development of an initiative to generate DNA sequences for all named species on the planet has in our opinion generated two major areas of contention as to how this ‘DNA barcoding’ initiative should proceed. It is critical that these two issues are clarified and resolved, before the use of DNA as a tool for taxonomy and species delimitation can be universalized. The first issue concerns how DNA data are to be used in the context of this initiative; this is the DNA barcode reader problem (or barcoder problem). Currently, many of the published studies under this initiative have used tree building methods and more precisely distance approaches to the construction of the trees that are used to place certain DNA sequences into a taxonomic context. The second problem involves the reaction of the taxonomic community to the directives of the ‘DNA barcoding’ initiative. This issue is extremely important in that the classical taxonomic approach and the DNA approach will need to be reconciled in order for the ‘DNA barcoding’ initiative to proceed with any kind of community acceptance. In fact, we feel that DNA barcoding is a misnomer. Our preference is for the title of the London meetings—Barcoding Life. In this paper we discuss these two concerns generated around the DNA barcoding initiative and attempt to present a phylogenetic systematic framework for an improved barcoder as well as a taxonomic framework for interweaving classical taxonomy with the goals of ‘DNA barcoding’.
Joint composite estimating functions in spatiotemporal models

Summary. Modelling of spatiotemporal processes has received considerable attention in recent statistical research. However, owing to the high dimensionality of the data, the joint modelling of spatial and temporal processes presents a great computational challenge, in both likelihood‐based and Bayesian approaches. We propose a joint composite estimating function approach to estimating spatiotemporal covariance structures. This substantially reduces the computational complexity and is more efficient than existing composite likelihood methods. The novelty of the proposed joint composite estimating function is rooted in the construction of three sets of estimating functions from spatial, temporal and spatiotemporal cross‐pairs, which results in overidentified estimating functions. Thus, we form a joint inference function in a spirit that is similar to Hansen's generalized method of moments. We show that under practical scenarios the estimator proposed is consistent and asymptotically normal. Simulation studies prove that our method performs well in finite samples. Finally, we illustrate the joint composite estimating function method by estimating the spatiotemporal dependence structure of airborne particulates (PM10) in the north‐eastern USA over a 32‐month period.
Information Transmission Concept Based Model of Wave Propagation in Discrete Excitable Media

A new information transmission concept based model of excit able media with continuous outputs of the model’s cells and varia ble excitation time is proposed. Continuous character of the outputs insti gates infinitesimal inaccuracies in calculations. It generates countless numb er of the cells’ excitation variants that occur in front of the wave even in the h omogenous and isotropic grid. New approach allows obtain many wave propag ation patterns observed in real world experiments and known simulation stu dies. The model suggests a new spiral breakup mechanism based on tensions an d gradually deepening clefts that appear in front of the wave caused by un even propagation speed of curved and planar segments of the wave. The analysis hints that the wave breakdown and daughter wavelet bursting behavior poss ibly i inherent peculiarity of excitable media with weak ties between the ce lls, short refractory period and granular structure. The model suggested is locat ed between cellular automaton with discrete outputs and differential equation based models and gives a new tool to simulate wave propagation patterns in app lied disciplines. It is also a new line of attack aimed to understand wave bursting , propagation and annihilation processes in isotropic homogenous media.
Implementation and optimization of a thermal Lattice Boltzmann algorithm on a multi-GPU cluster

Lattice Boltzmann (LB) methods are widely used today to describe the dynamics of fluids. Key advantages of this approach are the relative ease with which complex physics behavior, e.g. associated to multi-phase flows or irregular boundary conditions can be modeled, and - from a computational perspective - the large degree of available parallelism, that can be easily exploited on massively parallel systems. The advent of multi-core and many-core processors, including General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit (GP-GPU), has pushed the quest for parallelization also at the intra-processor level. From this point of view, LB methods may strongly benefit from these new architectures. In this paper we describe the implementation and optimization of a recently proposed thermal LB model - the so called D2Q37 model - on multi-GPU systems. We describe in details the optimization techniques that we have used at both the intra-processor and inter-processor level, present performance and scaling figures and analyze bottlenecks associated to this implementation.
Financial Valuation and Risk Management Working Paper No . 590 Liquidity in the Foreign Exchange Market : Measurement , Commonality , and Risk Premiums

This paper develops a liquidity measure tailored to the foreign exchange (FX) market, quantifies the amount of commonality in liquidity across different exchange rates, and determines the extent of liquidity risk premiums embedded in FX returns. The new liquidity measure utilizes ultra high frequency data and captures cross-sectional and temporal variation in FX liquidity during the financial crisis of 2007–2008. As sudden shocks to market-wide liquidity have important implications for regulators and investors, liquidity is decomposed into an idiosyncratic and a common component. Empirical results show that liquidity co-moves strongly across currency pairs and that systematic FX liquidity decreases dramatically during the financial crisis. To investigate whether investors require a return premium for bearing liquidity risk, a factor model for FX returns is extended by a novel liquidity risk factor constructed from shocks to market-wide liquidity. Estimation results suggest that liquidity risk is a heavily priced state variable.
Retrospective study of 145 supernumerary teeth.

OBJECTIVE The goal of the present retrospective study is to describe the distribution of the supernumerary teeth in a population of patients that have been attended at the Public Clinic of the Department of Oral Surgery. BACKGROUND Supernumerary teeth and multiple hyperdontia are usually associated with different syndromes, such as Gardner syndrome, or with facial fissures; however, they can appear in patients without any pathology. Their prevalence oscillates to 0.5-3.8% in patients with permanent teeth and to 0.35-0.6% in patients with primary teeth. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 36,057 clinical histories of patients that were admitted at the clinic between September of 1991 and March of 2003 were revised. The following data were extrapolated: age, sex, number of extracted supernumerary teeth, localization, morphology and type of supernumerary teeth. Consequently, 102 patients were included into the present study. RESULTS Of the 147 supernumerary teeth identified in the oral cavities of patients 145 were extracted. The most frequent supernumerary teeth identified were mesiodens (46.9%), followed by premolars (24.1%) and fourth molars or distal molars (18%). As for location, 74.5% of the supernumerary teeth were found in the superior maxillary bone and 46.9% of the supernumerary teeth were present in the palatine/lingual area. Heteromorphology was found in two thirds of the supernumerary teeth, with conical shape being the most frequent. Finally, 29.7% of the supernumerary teeth had occlusion with permanent teeth, and mesiodens were the predominating type of supernumerary teeth that showed this feature. CONCLUSIONS Mesiodens very frequently cause retention of permanent incisors, which erupt spontaneously after the extraction of supernumerary teeth, if there is sufficient space in the dental arch and if they conserve the eruptive force. Generally, supernumerary premolars are eumorphic and are casually discovered during radiological exam, if not producing any symptomology.
Testosterone Inhibits Trust but Promotes Reciprocity

The steroid hormone testosterone has been associated with behavior intended to obtain or maintain high social status. Although such behavior is typically characterized as aggressive and competitive, it is clear that high social status is achieved and maintained not only through antisocial behavior but also through prosocial behavior. In the present experiment, we investigated the impact of testosterone administration on trust and reciprocity using a double-blind randomized control design. We found that a single dose of 0.5 mg of testosterone decreased trust but increased generosity when repaying trust. These findings suggest that testosterone may mediate different types of status-seeking behavior. It may increase competitive, potentially aggressive, and antisocial behavior when social challenges and threats (i.e., abuse of trust and betrayal) need to be considered; however, it may promote prosocial behavior in the absence of these threats, when high status and good reputation may be best served by prosocial behavior.
The Psychology behind People's Decision to Forward Disaster-Related Tweets

During a disaster, information spreads through social media. Although information that can save lives exists in social media, it can be difficult to find because it is buried under a sea of unverified information. One challenge in improving the use of social media for disaster management is to facilitate the spread of actionable information that improves people’s well-being and at the same time reduce the spread of misinformation that confuses people and interferes with the discovery of useful information. To this end, we study the psychology of message forwarding in social media. Based on the understanding of the psychology, we develop recommendations for designing tools that augment the forwarding decisions of individuals such that useful information spreads in social media. Here, we present the results from analyzing the forwarding of tweets related to the disasters caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. The results from questionnaires suggest that people will be more likely to share a disaster-related message in a social media environment when they perceive the message as more important, accurate, anxiety provoking, familiar, informative, and fluent. The implications of the results on improving the quality of information in social media during disaster response are discussed.
A BALANCED THEORY OF SOURCING AND COLLABORATION

In a synthesis of recent advances, this article gives a fresh, balanced theory of interorganizational relations. It integrates competence and governance perspectives. It considers the choice between mergers/acquisitions and alliances. It offers a toolbox of instruments to govern relational risk, and the contingencies for their selection. Relationships can last too long. Therefore, the article also looks at how to end relationships. Beyond dyads of collaborating firms, it includes effects of network structure and position.
Some like it hot: thermal feedback for mobile devices

Thermal stimulation is a rich, emotive and salient feedback channel that is well suited to HCI, but one that is yet to be fully investigated. Thermal feedback may be suited to environments that are too loud for audio or too bumpy for vibrotactile feedback. This paper presents two studies into how well users could detect hot and cold stimuli presented to the fingertips, the palm, the dorsal surface of the forearm and the dorsal surface of the upper arm. Evaluations were carried out in static and mobile settings. Results showed that the palm is most sensitive, cold is more perceivable and comfortable than warm and that stronger and faster-changing stimuli are more detectable but less comfortable. Guidelines for the design of thermal feedback are outlined, with attention paid to perceptual and hedonic factors.
Balance in everyday life : conceptions of men and women in dual-income couples with young children

ii PREFACE . iii TABLE OF CONTENTS . iv LIST OF TABLES . vi LIST OF FIGURES . vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ix DEDICATION . x 1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE . 1 1.
Independent Origins of Cultivated Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) in the Old World Tropics

As a portable source of food, water, fuel, and construction materials, the coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) played a fundamental role in human migrations and the development of civilization across the humid tropics. Here we investigated the coconut's domestication history and its population genetic structure as it relates to human dispersal patterns. A sample of 1,322 coconut accessions, representing the geographical and phenotypic diversity of the species, was examined using ten microsatellite loci. Bayesian analyses reveal two highly genetically differentiated subpopulations that correspond to the Pacific and Indo-Atlantic oceanic basins. This pattern suggests independent origins of coconut cultivation in these two world regions, with persistent population structure on a global scale despite long-term human cultivation and dispersal. Pacific coconuts show additional genetic substructure corresponding to phenotypic and geographical subgroups; moreover, the traits that are most clearly associated with selection under human cultivation (dwarf habit, self-pollination, and “niu vai” fruit morphology) arose only in the Pacific. Coconuts that show evidence of genetic admixture between the Pacific and Indo-Atlantic groups occur primarily in the southwestern Indian Ocean. This pattern is consistent with human introductions of Pacific coconuts along the ancient Austronesian trade route connecting Madagascar to Southeast Asia. Admixture in coastal east Africa may also reflect later historic Arab trading along the Indian Ocean coastline. We propose two geographical origins of coconut cultivation: island Southeast Asia and southern margins of the Indian subcontinent.
Please Scroll down for Article Communications in Statistics -theory and Methods Relative Potency Estimation in Parallel-line Assays -method Comparison and Some Extensions Relative Potency Estimation in Parallel-line Assays – Method Comparison and Some Extensions

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Relative potency estimations in both multiple parallel-line and slope-ratio assays involve construction of simultaneous confidence intervals for ratios of linear combinations of general linear model parameters. The key problem here is that of determining multiplicity adjusted percentage points of a multivariate t-distribution, the correlation matrix R of which depends on the unknown relative potency parameters. Several methods have been proposed in the literature on how to deal with R. In this article, we introduce a method based on an estimate of R (also called the plug-in approach) and compare it with various methods including conservative procedures based on probability inequalities. Attention is restricted to parallel-line assays though the theory is applicable for any ratios of coefficients in the general linear model. Extension of the plug-in method to linear mixed effect models is also discussed. The methods will be compared with respect to their simultaneous coverage probabilities via Monte Carlo simulations. We also evaluate the methods in terms of confidence interval width through application to data on multiple parallel-line assay.
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Protects against Spinal Cord Ischemia Reperfusion Injury-Induced Apoptosis by Blocking Autophagy

The role of autophagy, neuroprotective mechanisms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), and their relationship in spinal cord ischemic reperfusion injury (SCIR) was assessed. Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: sham, ischemia reperfusion (I/R), 10 mg/kg NAD+, and 75 mg/kg NAD+. Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry were used to assess autophagy and apoptosis. Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scores were used to assess neurological function. Expression levels of Beclin-1, Atg12-Atg5, LC3B-II, cleaved caspase 3, and Bax were upregulated in the I/R group and downregulated in the 75 mg/kg NAD+ group; p-mTOR, p-AKT, p62, and Bcl-2 were downregulated in the I/R group and upregulated in the 75 mg/kg NAD+ group. Numbers of LC3B-positive, caspase 3-positive, Bax-positive, and TUNEL-positive cells were significantly increased in the I/R group and decreased in the 75 mg/kg NAD+ group. The mean integrated option density of Bax increased and that of Nissl decreased in the I/R group, and it decreased and increased, respectively, in the 75 mg/kg NAD+ group. BBB scores significantly increased in the 75 mg/kg NAD+ group relative to the I/R group. No difference was observed between I/R and 10 mg/kg NAD+ groups for these indicators. Therefore, excessive and sustained autophagy aggravates SCIR; administration of NAD+ alleviates injury.
FORMATION OF THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS FROM A NARROW ANNULUS

We show that the assembly of the solar system terrestrial planets can be successfully modeled with all of the mass initially confined to a narrow annulus between 0.7 and 1.0 AU. With this configuration, analogs of Mercury and Mars often form from the collisional evolution of material diffusing out of the annulus under the scattering of the forming Earth and Venus analogs. The final systems also possess eccentricities and inclinations that match the observations, without recourse to dynamical friction from remnant small body populations. Finally, the characteristic assembly timescale for Earth analogs is rapid in this model and consistent with cosmochemical models based on the 182Hf–182W isotopes. The agreement between this model and the observations suggests that terrestrial planet systems may also be formed in “planet traps,” as has been proposed recently for the cores of giant planets in our solar system and others.
Investigation of visual attention in day-night driving simulator during cybersickness occurrence

Studies involving simulator are often used to support scientific research, such as research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and fear of flying. However, the use of driving simulator may produce biomedical side effect, namely cybersickness. Although the research of simulator sickness has been done before, there is no study that focuses on how cybersickness affects visual attention during day and night driving condition. This study aims to investigate the effect of cybersickness on visual attention during day-night driving condition by observing SSQ score and user eye movements. SSQ analysis showed a significant difference of nausea score (F (2,18) = 5,434, p<0,05), oculomotor score (F (2,18) = 11,277, p<0,05), disorientation score (F (2,18) = 7,822, p<0,05), and total score (F (2,18) = 9,511, p<0,05). Correlation analysis of various eye movements and SSQ shows a significant relationship between the score of SSQ and the number of fixation. Experimental results imply that this research may be used as an alternative recommendation to avoid stress when using driving simulator.