Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving precipitation estimates from weather radar using quality control and correction techniques

Errors and uncertainty in radar estimates of precipitation result both from errors in the basic measurement of reflectivity and from attempts to relate this to the precipitation falling at the ground. If radar data are to be used to their full potential, it is essential that effective measures are taken to mitigate these problems. The automatic processing of radar data that forms part of the UK Met. Office's Nimrod system addresses a number of specific sources of error. These include the identification and removal of spurious echoes resulting from anomalous propagation of the radar beam, errors resulting from variations in the vertical profile of reflectivity and radar sensitivity errors. Routine verification of the surface precipitation estimates has been undertaken, largely through comparison with rain gauge observations, over a range of timescales, which has allowed the benefits of the quality control and correction processes to be quantified. Although the improvement derived varies according to the dominant synoptic situation, an average reduction in the root‐mean‐square difference between gauge and radar data of 30% can be achieved. Copyright © 2000 Royal Meteorological Society
Risk-consistency of cross-validation with lasso-type procedures

The lasso and related sparsity inducing algorithms have been the target of substantial theoretical and applied research. Correspondingly, many results are known about their behavior for a fixed or optimally chosen tuning parameter specified up to unknown constants. In practice, however, this oracle tuning parameter is inaccessible so one must use the data to select one. Common statistical practice is to use a variant of cross-validation for this task. However, little is known about the theoretical properties of the resulting predictions with such data-dependent methods. We consider the high-dimensional setting with random design wherein the number of predictors $p$ grows with the number of observations $n$. Under typical assumptions on the data generating process, similar to those in the literature, we recover oracle rates up to a log factor when choosing the tuning parameter with cross-validation. Under weaker conditions, when the true model is not necessarily linear, we show that the lasso remains risk consistent relative to its linear oracle. We also generalize these results to the group lasso and square-root lasso and investigate the predictive and model selection performance of cross-validation via simulation.
Two-Parameter Model of Barred Galaxies and its Testification

Natural structure is unique and galaxies are natural structure. In our previous work, we showed that rational structure is unique. In this paper, the unique two-parameter rational structure is used to model barred galaxies. The model fits to galaxy images satisfactorily and the prediction on galaxy arms is consistent with observation. Today the accepted theory applied to galaxies is Newton’s universal gravity which, however, fails to galactic observation generally. Accordingly, dark matter was introduced but has never been observed. A simple glimpse of the images of edge-on spiral galaxies suggests that Newton’s concept of action at a distance should be rejected. It is hard to imagine that the stars far away from the galaxy center suffer an instant force from the center. In our previous work we suggested a new universal gravity which generalizes Newton’s one and is uniquely determined by rational structure. The new gravity results from local curvature of Darwin surfaces and simply explains the kinematic phenomenon of constant rotation curves. In this paper, a preliminary study on the new gravity with Poisson’s equation is presented which verifies the phenomenon. keywords: Spiral Galaxy, Rational Structure, Exponential Disk PACS: 98.52. Nr, 02.60. Lj
Collaboration networks within a French cluster: Do partners really interact with each other?

We discuss the common hypothesis that, in collaborative projects, all partners interact with each other in homogeneous ways. More precisely, this research aims to determine the existence and frequency of Partner interactions in a collaborative project. From a survey of participants involved in innovation projects approved by a cluster, we collect information about 754 collaboration ties. We then test the impact of several determinants on the existence and frequency of their observed interactions.
CLINICAL PROFILE OF DENGUE INFECTION IN PEDIATRIC AGE GROUP IN WEST INDIA

INTRODUCTION: Dengue viral infections are among the most important mosquito- borne diseases of the Indian subcontinent and have become a major global public health concern. Spread of disease has led to increased recognition of atypical manifestations, apart from the classical clinical features of dengue infection. METHODOLOGY: This case study was conducted at the department of Pediatrics in collaboration with the Microbiology Department of Dr. Ulhas Patil Medical College, Jalgaon District of Maharashtra in West India during the period of 2 years from July 2012 to June 2014. Clinically suspected and serologically confirmed cases of dengue fever were included in the study. Clinical and biochemical parameters were compared between the two groups of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever. RESULTS: 247 patients clinically suspected and serologically confirmed cases of dengue infection were enrolled in the study. One sixty one (65%) patients were males and 86 (35%) were females. One seventy three (70%) patients had a classical dengue fever while 74 (30%) had dengue hemorrhagic fever. The most common symptoms were headache (212, 86%), skin rash (163, 66%), abdominal pain (131, 53%), vomiting (119, 48%), and hemorrhagic manifestations were present in 84 (34%) patients. Atypical manifestations were recorded. Notably, 9% of patients had neurological involvement and 5% had multi-organ failure. Overall mortality was 4.5%. CONCLUSION: Dengue infection poses a huge burden to the healthcare system; its spectrum ranges from mild self-limiting illness to severe fatal disease. It can have varied and multi-systemic manifestations which can go unrecognized. Deaths occurred in 55% (6/11) cases were associated with dengue neurological manifestations needs support to the clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for atypical manifestations in dengue endemic countries.
A test of satisfaction, experience and hours of work as mediators of the relationship between education and informal earnings

At the heart of policies aimed at eliminating informal street trading seems to be a ‘marginalist’ perspective of the sector which does not see it as contributing to socio-economic development. What is not clear, however, is what underlies the financial dysfunctionality associated with the sector. Using a sample of 303 inner city street traders drawn from Johannesburg, a large South African city, tests of regression and mediated regression were used to test theory that predicts the existence of certain human capital relationships that may contribute to increased earnings for these traders. Findings suggest that certain human capital relationships in this sector may differ from those normally found in formal working contexts, in that although education is significantly associated with earnings, continuance satisfaction, experience and expenditure of effort, or hours worked per day, all do not mediate relationships between education and earnings. It is suggested that current policies might be keeping traders in a state of ‘flux’, where human capital transmission to financial performance might be unable to take root through seeking to ‘crack down’ on the sector instead of investing in the sector to enable its functionality, and hence its potential contribution to economic development.
Can Future Uncertainty Keep Children Out of School

There is little doubt in the literature, that poverty and liquidity constraints can drive children out of school and into child labour in developing countries. But are there other important explanations for low primary school enrolment rates? The child labour and schooling literature often ignores that uncertainty about future returns results in a need for risk diversification, that children function as old-age security providers when there are no available pension systems, that the human capital investment decision of one child is likely to be influenced by that of his/her siblings, and that rural parents face a choice of investing in either specific or general human capital of their children. In this paper, I investigate the effects of future income uncertainty on the joint human capital investment decision of children in a household. I develop and calibrate a simple illustrative human capital portfolio model and show that existing levels of uncertainty can indeed result in less than full school enrolment within a household, even in a world of perfect credit markets. The paper thus offers an alternative explanation for why it might be optimal for rural parents not to send all of their children to school.
Effects of Pinching, Cycocel and B-nine Treatments on Branching Habit of Pot Poinsettia ( Euphobia pulcherrima Willd)

Poinsettia ( Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd ) is a popular pot plant in many countries and there is a high potential to introduce it to the Sri Lankan floriculture markets. Naturally, poinsettia becomes colourful under short day conditions. However, artificial induction of flowers is necessary for it to produce marketable plants throughout the year. In the natural condition, plants show a vigorous growth and the height is undesirable to accept as a pot plant. Hence, pinching and application of growth retardants were practiced in this study to obtain short bushy plants. Potted rooted cuttings of Euphobia pulcherrima Willd were subjected to single and double pinching and to cycocel and B-nine applications, in 12 combinations. Significantly greater height reduction of shoots (20 cm) and highest number of shoots per plant (36) were obtained when the plants were exposed to double pinching followed by 1500 ppm cycocel application at 14 day intervals. Application of plant growth regulator, B-nine (5000 ppm) did not exert much effect on reducing the shoot height. However, it had some effect on increased shoot production in combination with double pinch. Double pinch gave significantly greater height reduction and increased shoot number when growth regulators were applied. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4038/tar.v21i3. 3303 TAR 2010; 21(3): 284-292
Determination of ppt Level Chromium(VI) Using the Gold Nano-Flakes Electrodeposited on Platinum Rotating Disk Electrode and Modified with 4-Thiopyridinium

The nano-gold layer formed on the platinum rotating disk electrode (nano-Au/Pt-RD) inherited the catalytic property for Cr(VI) reduction from platinum surface and owned the good features of nano-gold such as insensitivity with hydrogen ion, high surface area, augmenting diffusion of Cr(VI) and ability for self-assembling with 4-pyridine-ethanethiol (PET) through Au←S linkages, to form PET/nano-Au/Pt-RD electrode capable of accumulating Cr(VI) from sample. The obtained PET/ nano-Au/Pt-RD electrode showed an extreme sensitivity to Cr(VI). By using this electrode, 1.09 ng·L﹣1 was the detection limit of differential pulse adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry for Cr(VI) with the accumulation time of only 2 min. Moreover, this electrode was reproducible with 3.5% RSD for 30 times of Cr(VI) accumulating and stripping. In addition, this electrode was also selective for Cr(VI) determination, which was not almost interfered by other inorganic ions.
Effect of stabilizer on flutter stability of truss girder suspension bridges

An aerodynamic optimization measure of the flutter stability of long-span suspension bridges with truss girder is presented in this paper. At first, the improvement of several kinds of central stabilizers and horizontal stabilizers on flutter stability is examined through series of section model and full aeroelastic model wind tunnel tests. Subsequently, the flutter derivatives of the truss girder with and without stabilizer are identified based on two degrees of freedom coupling free vibration method. Furthermore, based on the identified flutter derivatives, the critical flutter velocities of the truss girder section with and without stabilizer are analyzed through two dimensional flutter analysis method and the critical flutter velocities of the full bridge with and without stabilizer are analyzed through three dimensional method. Afterwards, the influence of each flutter derivative on the flutter stability of the truss girder is investigated. The results indicate that central upper stabilizer can effectively increase the critical flutter velocity of the truss girder. In contrast, the central lower stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer have less influence. Setting up central upper stabilizer leads to an obvious decrease in the value of the flutter derivatives A2* and H2*, while the flutter derivatives H1*, H4*, A1* and A3* are little influenced. The two dimensional and three dimensional flutter analysis results agree well with the sectional model and full model wind tunnel test results respectively.
Quality of e-Learning: An Analysis Based on e-Learners' Perception of e-Learning.

e-Learning, of late, has been witnessing an unprecedented expansion as an opportunity for higher education. This expanding alternative mode calls for ensuring and imparting a sound and qualitative education. The present study made an attempt to investigate the issues related to the quality dimensions of e-learning. Our results revealed the presence of both strengths and weaknesses in the e-learning system. It is interesting to note, that the e-learners have expressed diverse opinions with regard to administrative issues, instruction materials, instructors’ support, viper sessions (VIPER, Voice Internet Protocol Extended Reach is a software which helps interactive learning through the Internet) , grading and assessment. The findings of the study further demonstrate that if the concept of e-learning is imparted with a better approach and perspective, the reach will be phenomenal. This study reiterates the relevance of imparting qualitative education through elearning.
The Historical Roots of Corruption and Economic Development in Italy

We claim that a sequential mechanism linking history to development exists: first, history defines the quality of social capital; then, social capital determines the level of corruption; finally, corruption affects economic performance. We test this hypothesis on a dataset of Italian provinces, and address the possible endogeneity of corruption by applying an IV model. We use three sets of historical instruments for corruption: 1) foreign dominations in 16th-17th century, 2) autocracy/autonomous rule in the 14th century, and 3) an index of social capital between in the 19th-20th century. The results indicate a significant impact of historically-driven corruption on development.
Ugandan schoolchildren selects for Plasmodium falciparum transporter

baze, P.; Wandera, B. ; Brooker, S.J.; Staedke, S.G. ; Kamya, M.R. ; Nsobya, S.L. ; Dorsey, G. ; Rosenthal, P.J. (2016) [Accepted Manuscript] Intermittent preventive treatment with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine in Ugandan schoolchildren selects for Plasmodium falciparum transporter polymorphisms that modify drug sensitivity. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. ISSN 0066-4804 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.0092016 (In Press)
When the Use of Positive Language Backfires: The Joint Effect of Tone, Readability, and Investor Sophistication on Earnings Judgments

Recent studies document that market participants react positively to the positive language sentiment or tone embedded in financial disclosures, and that investors’ reactions to negative news are more muted with poor disclosure readability. However, while language sentiment and readability co-occur in practice, their joint effects remain largely unexplored. In an experiment with MBA students as participants, we investigate how the effect of language sentiment varies with readability and investor sophistication level. We find that language sentiment influences investors’ judgments when readability is low, but not when readability is high. Specifically, when readability is low, disclosures couched in positive language lead to higher earnings judgments for less sophisticated investors, but lower earnings judgments for more sophisticated investors. These findings show that the main effects of readability and language sentiment documented in prior studies have boundary effects, and may reverse when both variables are jointly considered along with investor sophistication.
Does board diversity influence innovation? The impact of gender and age diversity on innovation types

Abstract Previous research brought evidence of the influence of board composition for bringing strategic resources for innovation, as well as evidence of positive outcomes of board diversity. Only a few studies have investigated the effects of various indicators of board diversity on innovation. In this article, we will explore the relationship between several aspects of board diversity (gender and age) and four types of innovation, i.e. product, process, organizational, and marketing, from a sample of 176 French firms based on data from French Community Innovation Survey (CIS) in 2008 and annual reports. Our results show evidence of the influence of board diversity on all types of innovation except process innovation. We find significant evidence of a positive relationship between gender diversity on boards and marketing innovation, and a negative relationship between gender diversity and product innovation. Age diversity shows a positive relationship with product innovation, and a negative impact one on organizational innovation. Findings provide discussions for the impact of board diversity on innovation.
PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THE FRUIT BATS IN TWO HORTICULTURALLY IMPORTANT DISTRICTS OF PAKISTAN

This study reflects the awareness level and public attitude towards bats in two northern districts of Pakistan that are important for their horticulture -based economy. A tota l of 225 persons were interviewed in Peshawar (n = 103) and Charsadda (n = 122) districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP). 100% of the respondents were unaware of the ecological services rendered by bats and reflected a negative attitude towards them. They did neitherlike to eat them (99.6%) nor did they consider them to be hematophagous (blood sucking) (96.9%). Bats were of no use (98.7%) and were symbols of bad omen (78.2%). All of them (100%) refused to have bat roosts close to their house. There was a firm belief that bats feed solely on fruit, particularly persimmon Diospyros kaki(81.5%) and inflict heavy economic losses (43.8%). This aversive attitude is leading to unnecessary killing of the bats in the area and 16.4% of the respondents claim to have killed bats. Conservation education and non -consumptive wildlife -oriented tourism is needed to convince the people that
Effects of electron temperature anisotropy on proton mirror instability evolution

Proton mirror modes are large amplitude nonpropagating structures frequently observed in the magnetosheath. It has been suggested that electron temperature anisotropy can enhance the proton mirror instability growth rate while leaving the proton cyclotron instability largely unaffected, therefore causing the proton mirror instability to dominate the proton cyclotron instability in Earth's magnetosheath. Here we use particle‐in‐cell simulations to investigate the electron temperature anisotropy effects on proton mirror instability evolution. Contrary to the hypothesis, electron temperature anisotropy leads to excitement of the electron whistler instability. Our results show that the electron whistler instability grows much faster than the proton mirror instability and quickly consumes the electron‐free energy so that there is no electron temperature anisotropy left to significantly impact the evolution of the proton mirror instability.
Testing Dimensionality of the Consumer Ethnocentrism Scale (CETSCALE): Assessing Reliability and Validity in a Multicultural Context

The purpose of this paper is to test and validate the 2 component CETSCALE measurement proposed by Luque-Martinez et al. (2000) in the Malaysian context. Based on a larger survey this paper focuses on validating the reliability and validity of the measurement using a sample of motorcycle buyers. The findings show support for the 2 component model that was proposed with good reliability values and validity assessment. Implications for researchers and practitioners are proposed based on the findings.
Economic Growth and Changes in Policies: The Role of Veto Players in Latin American and East Asian Countries

The majority of the literature considers that the establishment of stable institutions, providing better levels of security of property rights, is the key-factor to economic growth, taking into account the creation of favorable conditions to new investments and technological developments, especially considering an environment of globalization. In this sense, these “good institutions”, or the so-called good governance, are closely related to the maintenance of the status quo, that is, the permanence of political and economic stabilities. On the other hand, economic growth requires, in a large way, political and economic changes to allow reforms, to make it possible. We verify, using statistical methods as Ordinary Least Squares ( OLS ), Least Square in TwoStages ( 2QLS ), Generalized Method of Moments ( GMM ), among others, that, despite the relevance of variables associated with good governance, the Brazilian economic growth is related negatively with the large numbers of veto players ( agents with power veto) and the same happened to South American and East Asian countries. In some cases, the income growth rate is negatively related to the tenure of the veto players and their drop rate from the government basis. Thus, the weaker capacity to veto political and economic changes were associated to better economic growth rates, which does not mean one must not have institutional stability, but points out that the capacity to change the status quo is fundamental to generate conditions to economic growth in developing countries. Key-Words: Economic Growth. Institutions . Governance.Veto Players. * Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Latin American Studies – ILAS , Columbia University – New York, Researcher at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Professor at the Catholic University of Pernambuco (UNICAP) and Fiscal Auditor at the State of Pernambuco (SEFAZ – PE) e-mail: jf2547@columbia.edu or jose.ferreira@sefaz.pe. gov.br