Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plastic Response of Tracheids in Pinus pinaster in a Water-Limited Environment: Adjusting Lumen Size instead of Wall Thickness

The formation of wood results from cambial activity and its anatomical properties reflect the variability of environmental conditions during the growing season. Recently, it was found that wood density variations in conifers growing under cold-limited environment result from the adjustment of cell wall thickness (CWT) to temperature. Additionally, it is known that intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) are formed in response to precipitation after the summer drought. Although IADFs are frequent in Mediterranean conifers no study has yet been conducted to determine if these structures result from the adjustment of lumen diameter (LD) or CWT to soil water availability. Our main objective is to investigate the intra-ring variation of wood anatomical features (LD and CWT) in Pinus pinaster Ait. growing under a water-limited environment. We compared the tracheidograms of LD and CWT for the years 2010–2013 in P. pinaster growing in the west coast of Portugal. Our results suggest a close association between LD and soil moisture content along the growing season, reinforcing the role of water availability in determining tracheid size. Compared with CWT, LD showed a higher intra- and inter-annual variability suggesting its strong adjustment value to variations in water availability. The formation of a latewood IADF appears to be predisposed by higher rates of cell production in spring and triggered by early autumn precipitation. Our findings reinforce the crucial role of water availability on cambial activity and wood formation in Mediterranean conifers, and emphasize the high plasticity of wood anatomical features under Mediterranean climate.
DLIC: Decoded loop instructions caching for energy-aware embedded processors

With the explosive proliferation of embedded systems, especially through countless portable devices and wireless equipment used, embedded systems have become indispensable to the modern society and people's life. Those devices are often battery driven. Therefore, low energy consumption in embedded processors is important and becomes critical in step with the system complexity. The on-chip instruction cache (I-cache) is usually the most energy-consuming component on the processor chip due to its large size and frequent access operations. To reduce such energy consumption, the existing loop cache approaches use a tiny decoded cache to filter the I-cache access and instruction decode activity for repeated loop iterations. However, such designs are effective for small and simple loops, and only suitable for DSP kernel-like applications. They are not effectual for many embedded applications where complex loops are common. In this article, we propose a decoded loop instruction cache (DLIC) that is small, hence energy efficient, yet can capture most loops, including large nested ones with branch executions, so that a significant amount of I-cache accesses and instruction decoding can be eradicated. The experiments on a set of embedded benchmarks show that our proposed DLIC scheme can reduce energy consumption by up to 87% as compared to normal cache-only design. On average, 66% energy can be saved on instruction fetching and decoding, while at a performance overhead of only 1.4%.
Market-Driven Public Housing Reforms: Inadequacy for Poverty Alleviation

The three preceding articles in this symposium raise the similar question of how very low-income households (some of whom move with the assistance of the Housing Choice Voucher Program [HCVP]) fare across a range of potential outcomes, including employment, residential stability, housing satisfaction, school quality, and neighborhood economic conditions. In this commentary, I first briefly frame the historical and political context that led to public housing policy reforms, before summarizing the findings from the three articles in this section. Coinciding with the implica tions suggested by the authors, I make strategic recommendations for programmatic and structural changes that aim to create greater access to affordable rental apartments and to supportive housing interventions. My central argument throughout this commentary is that market-based housing strategies aimed at mobility alone will not significantly shift economic and social outcomes for extremely low-income households. As these articles suggest, poverty alleviation requires more than access to private-market rental housing. In closing, I offer policy recommendations that aim to reallocate federal housing assistance by increasing the supply of affordable housing units, providing universal tax incentives for renters, expanding the use of vouchers to unsaturated neighborhoods, and creating supportive housing interventions to address deep and persistent poverty.
Incorporating Liquidity Risk in Value-at-Risk Based on Liquidity Adjusted Returns

In this paper, based on Acharya and Pedersen’s overlapping generation model, we show that liquidity risk could influence the market risk forecasting through at least two ways. Then we argue that traditional liquidity adjusted VaR measure, the simply adding of the two risk measure, would underestimate the risk. Hence another approach, by modeling the liquidity adjusted returns (LAr) directly, was employed to incorporate liquidity risk in VaR measure in this study. Under such an approach, China’s stock market is specifically studied. We estimate the one-day-ahead “standard” VaR and liquidity adjusted VaR by forming a skewed Student’s t AR-GJR model to capture the asymmetric effect, non-normality and excess skewness of return, illiquidity and LAr. The empirical results support our theoretical arguments very well. We find that for the most illiquidity portfolio, liquidity risk represents more than 22% of total risk. We also find that simply adding of the two risk measure would underestimate the risk. The accuracy testing show that our approach is more accurate than the method of simply adding.
Using unlabeled dependency parsing for pre-reordering for Chinese-to-Japanese statistical machine translation

Chinese and Japanese have a different sentence structure. Reordering methods are effective, but need reliable parsers to extract the syntactic structure of the source sentences. However, Chinese has a loose word order, and Chinese parsers that extract the phrase structure do not perform well. We propose a framework where only POS tags and unlabeled dependency parse trees are necessary, and linguistic knowledge on structural difference can be encoded in the form of reordering rules. We show significant improvements in translation quality of sentences from news domain, when compared to state-of-the-art reordering methods.
Spitzer Observations of the Brightest Galaxies in X-Ray-Luminous Clusters

We have studied the infrared properties of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) located in the cores of X-ray-luminous clusters at 0.15 < z < 0.35. The majority of the BCGs are not particularly infrared-luminous compared with other massive early-type galaxies, suggesting that the cluster environment has little influence on the infrared luminosities of the BCGs. The exceptions, however, are the BCGs in the three X-ray-brightest clusters in the sample, A1835, Z3146, and A2390. These BCGs have a prominent far-infrared peak in their spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and two of them (those in A1835 and Z3146) can be classified as luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs: LIR > 1011 L☉). Although radio AGNs (active galactic nuclei) are found to be prevalent among the BCGs, the infrared luminosities of these three BCGs, judged from the infrared SED signatures, are likely to be powered by star formation. Considering the overall trend that clusters with shorter radiative gas cooling times harbor more infrared-luminous BCGs, the enhanced star formation may be caused by the cooling cluster gas accreting onto the BCGs.
A subjective evaluation of multimodal notifications

The primary users of home care technology often have significant sensory impairments. Multimodal interaction can make home care technology more accessible and appropriate, but most research in the field of multimodal notifications is aimed at office or high-pressure environments instead of the home. Two experiments were carried out that evaluated the subjective workload of responding to visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory notifications (simulating home care reminders) while carrying out a primary task (a card matching memory game). The subjective measurements and observations revealed that participants were open-minded about the possibilities and applications of these modalities, suggesting that home care technology should embrace a much wider range of interaction methods than are currently used.
Re-examining the relationship between income and child health on both sides of the Atlantic

There has been a significant amount of literature on the relationship between household income and children’s health, and in particular, whether this relationship is constant as a child ages. That is, are there breaks in the income-health profile according to the age of the child? In this paper we re-examine this relationship but hypothesize that the use of ‘standard’ age ranges (as in the existing literature) may mask ‘true’ changing gradients and breakpoints: there is no reason to suppose that the ‘standard’ age bands used to date reflect the actual ages at which breakpoints occur. Indeed, we allow the data to endogenously determine if, and where, breaks occur. We find positive gradients in both US and English data sets, and breakpoints which coincide with school changeover ages. Our results have significant policy implications in terms of allocation of resources. This papersis written by Mark N. Harrisa, Bruce Hollingsworth, Brett Indera and Pushkar Maitrac.
A hierarchical classification of freshwater mussel diversity in North America

Aim North America harbours the most diverse freshwater mussel fauna on Earth. This fauna has high endemism at the continental scale and within individual river systems. Previous faunal classifications for North America were based on intuitive, subjective assessments of species distributions, primarily the occurrence of endemic species, and do not portray continent‐wide patterns of faunal similarity. The aim of this study is to provide an analytical portrayal of patterns of mussel diversity in a hierarchical framework that informs the biogeographical history of the fauna.
Spatial Patterns in Abundance and Biomass of Tropical Zooplankton : The Role of Scale and Environmental Factors

A study was conducted to assess the leading physical and biological processes influencing the spatial patterns of tropical mesozooplankton in a coral reef lagoon in Guadeloupe (French West Indies, Caribbean Sea), considering two size classes (190–600 μm and > 600 μm). The spatial variability of mesozooplankton biomass and abundance was xamined along a transect, and related to environmental heterogeneity. Using a high capacity pump, sampling was carried out during the dry season (March 1999) at 51 stations arranged along a cross-shelf transect from the coast to the open sea. The method of principal coordinates of neighbour matrices—a new form of multiscale ana lysis—was used to determine the spatial patterns of zooplankton fr m fine to broad scales. Spatial patterns for the two mesozooplankton fractions changed along the continuum of scales. (1) Although the small and large zooplankton displayed different scales of spatial dependency, they showed common patterns at some scales. (2) The small zooplankton (190–600 μm) exhibited more multiscale variability in biomass and abundance than large zooplankton (> 600 μm). (3) The spatial scales of variability in biomass and abundance of the small zooplankton were similar, whereas (4) large zooplankton presented different multiscale patterns for biomass and abundance. Our results suggest that local hydrodynamics, coastal and oceanic influences, phytoplankton patchiness, zooplankton behaviour, and habitat patterning generated the observed spatial patterns. The types and effects of these processes depended upon spatial scale.
Informal Online Decision Making: Current Practices and Support System Design

Existing group decision support systems are too complex to support lightweight, informal decision making made popular by the amount of information available on the Web. From an examination of related work, an online survey and a formative study to examine how people currently use the Web for decision support, we present a set of design recommendations towards the development of an informal Web decision support tool.
Does the within-difference between dichotomous choice and open-ended questions measure certainty?

The first paper examines the value of a statistical life (VSL) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) victims. We found VSL values to be higher for OHCA victims than for people who die in road traffic accidents and a lower-bound estimate of VSL for OHCA would be in the range of 20 to 30 million Swedish crowns (SEK). The second paper concerns hypothetical bias in contingent valuation (CV) studies. We investigate the link between the determinants and empirical treatment of uncertainty through certainty calibration and find that the higher the confidence of the respondents the more we can trust that stated WTP is correlated to actual WTP. The third paper investigates the performance of two communication aids (a flexible community analogy and an array of dots) in valuing mortality risk reductions for OHCA. The results do not support the prediction of expected utility theory, i.e. that WTP for a mortality risk reduction increases with the amount of risk reduction (weak scope sensitivity), for any of the communication aids. The fourth paper presents a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the effects of dual dispatch defibrillation by ambulance and fire services in the County of Stockholm. The intervention had positive economic effects, yielding a benefit-cost ratio of 36, a cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of € 13 000 and the cost per saved life was € 60 000. The fifth paper explores how different response times from OHCA to defibrillation affect patients’ survival rates by using geographic information systems (GIS). The model predicted a baseline survival rate of 3.9% and reducing the ambulance response time by 1 minute increased survival to 4.6%. The sixth paper analyzes demographic determinants of incident experience and risk perception, and the relationship between the two, for eight different risk domains. Males and highly educated respondents perceive their risks lower than what is expected compared to actual incident experience.
Do Options-Implied Rnd Functions on G3 Currencies Move Around the Times of Interventions on the Jpy/Usd Exchange Rate?

This paper focuses on changes in the currency options market’s assessment of likely future exchange rate developments around the times of official interventions in the JPY/USD exchange rate. We estimate the options-implied risk-neutral density functions (RNDs) using daily OTC quotes for options prices with fixed moneyness that avoids the biases that typically characterise the exchange traded price quotes. We find that the episodes of interventions on the JPY/USD exchange rate coincide with systematic changes in all moments of the estimated RNDs on the JPY/USD currency pair, and in several of the moments of the estimated RNDs on the JPY/EUR and USD/EUR currency pairs. In particular, the operations where Japanese yen is sold coincide with a movement in the mean of the RND towards a weaker yen both against the US dollar and the euro, as well as with an increase in implied standard deviations. Prior to the interventions, the RNDs tend to move into opposite direction suggesting, on the average, increasingly unfavourable market conditions and leaning-against-the wind by the Japanese authorities. JEL Classification: E58, F31, F33
Chemical abundances in 43 metal-poor stars

We have derived abundances of O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Ni and Ba for 43 metal-poor field stars, mostly stars at the turn-off point and on the subgiant branch, in the interval ${-}3.0{<}$[Fe/H]${<}{-}0.4$. The analysis is differential relative to the Sun. Oxygen abundances, with consideration of NLTE effects, were derived from the OI 777.4 nm triplet lines. We find [O/Fe] to gradually increase with decreasing [Fe/H], though considerably slower than has earlier been obtained from OH lines in the UV. A scatter in [O,Mg,Ca,Ti/Fe] at a given [Fe/H] is found and we argue that this scatter is partly real. The deviations from the mean trends of abundance ratios vs [Fe/H] are found to correlate in non-trivial ways for different abundances. Similar trends are found from results of accurate studies by other groups. This seems to give further evidence for the hypothesis that the stars once formed in different subsystems, with different star-formation rates. The paper is in press in A&A, may be obtained as astro-ph/0505118.
The Liquid Hand-to-Mouth: Evidence from Personal Finance Management Software

We use a very accurate panel of all individual spending, income, balances, and credit limits from a personal finance software to document spending responses to the arrival of both regular and irregular income. These payday responses are robust and homogeneous for all income and spending categories throughout the income distribution. Moreover, we find that few people hold little or no liquidity. We then analyze whether people hold liquidity cushions to cope with future liquidity constraints. However, we find that peoples’ responses are consistent with standard models without illiquid savings, in which neither present nor future liquidity constraints are frequently binding.Received May 31, 2016; editorial decision September 30, 2017 by Editor Itay Goldstein.
Diapause in the boll weevil (Coleoptera : Curculionidae) : Seasonal occurrence in Mississippi populations

This study examines the diapause response among boll weevils collected as immatures in squares at different times of the summer and held under simulated field photoperiods and temperatures of northern Mississippi. The percentage of adults exhibiting prediapause increased seasonally, starting with the 1st generation in July and achieving a maximal rate of 96.7% late in the year. A greater proportion of males achieved diapause than females at any given time, except late in the season when convergence in the diapause response of both sexes occurred. These results suggest that individuals in a population have different thresholds of sensitivity to the environmental cues regulating the onset of diapause. Models described the percentage of males and females in prediapause as a function of Julian date of emergence and daylength on the day of emergence. The latter models have potential application over a wide region of the Cotton Belt. Information from this study was used to suggest August starting dates for diapause control applications in the mid-South- recommendations that subsequently were implemented in eradication programs in Alabama and Mississippi.
"A Mere Pretense of Justice": Complementarity, Sham Trials, and Victor's Justice at the Rwanda Tribunal

This Article beings by sketching the background of the recent Rwandan Patriotic Front (”RPF”) trial, focusing on domestic impunity for RPF crimes and strained relations between Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (”ICTR”). It next describes and analyzes the components of the ICTR-Rwanda agreement: the agreement itself, the RPF trial, and the ICTR prosecutor’s assessment of the trial. The Article then explores the larger issues of prosecutorial discretion and independence, complementarily, and victor’s justice, while examining the implications for the International Criminal Court (”ICC”).
Dense and reliable DSM generation from VHR stereo pairs in urban environments

Photogrammetric terrain reconstruction from aerial and space stereopairs of images occupies a prominent place in cartography and remote sensing. Stereo vision systems determine depth from two or more images using automated techniques. The most important and time consuming task for a stereo vision system is the registration of both images, i.e. the matching of corresponding pixels. Area based stereo attempts to determine the correspondence for every pixel, which results in a dense depth map. Correlation is the basic method used to find corresponding pixels. However, correlation assumes that the depth is equal for all pixels of a correlation window, which is violated at depth discontinuities. The result is that object borders are blurred and small details or objects are removed, depending on the size of the correlation window. In this paper, we focus on the generation of reliable surface models using dense techniques. An overview is given of correlation-based techniques using adaptive windows. These adaptive techniques separate forefrom background information in a correlation window using structure specific information (e.g. gradient, segmentation) and are able to compensate for the blurring effect that occurs at object boundaries. The result is a dense surface model with an emphasis on reliability. A case study that compares the different techniques is presented.
Numerical Simulation in Combustion Space of an Oxy-Fuel Glass Furnace with the First Pair of Burners Arrangement Changed

To reduce energy consumption and prolong furnace life, numerical simulation in the combustion space of an oxy-fuel float glass furnace was carried out. The gas phase is expressed with k-ε two-equation model; the combustion is described with non-premixed model; the radiation is expressed with Discrete Ordinates Radiation Model. The simulation results agree well with the related reference. The results show that, on the whole there is a rational flow field in the combustion space except near the burner No.2, around which fuel combust inadequately. To improve this condition, the case of changing the arrangement of the first pair of burners was studied. When the staggered arrangement of the first pair of burners was changed into opposed arrangement, not only the average temperature around the first pair of burners increased, but also the heat transfer to the bottom increased, being beneficial for melting glass melt effectually. Keywords-glass furnace; combustion space; oxy-fuel combustion; numerical simulation; burner arrangement
Industrial Tourism: Opportunities for City and Enterprise

The global economy has transformed during the last few decades. Though the changes have benefited some, many mature industrial economies have not been treated well by the changes they have seen and have been forced to adapt to dramatically altered circumstances. In this collection of original papers, economists and geographers from Asia, North America and Europe examine the policy initiatives that have succeeded in their countries.