Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Renewable Energy and Electricity Prices: Indirect Empirical Evidence from Hydro Power

Many countries have introduced policies to stimulate the production of electricity in a sustainable or renewable way. Theoretical and simulation studies provide evidence that the introduction of renewable energy promotion policies lead to lower electricity prices as sustainable energy supply as wind and solar have very low or even zero marginal costs. Empirical support for this result is relatively scarce. The motivation for this study is to provide additional empirical evidence on how the growth of low marginal costs renewable energy supply such as wind and solar influences power prices. We do so indirectly studying Nord Pool market prices where hydro power is the dominant supply source. We argue that the marginal costs of hydro production varies depending on reservoir levels that determine hydro production capacity. Hydro power producers have an option to produce or to delay production and the value of the option to delay increases when the reservoir levels decrease and the option to delay decreases in value when reservoir levels increase and producers face the risk of spillovers. Hence, an increase in reservoir levels mimics the situation of an increase of low marginal costs renewable energy in a market. Our results show that higher reservoir levels, more hydro capacity, lead to significant lower power prices. From this we conclude that an increase in low marginal costs renewable power supply reduces the power prices. The second contribution of this paper is that we develop a market clearing price model by modelling the supply curve of power that varies over time depending on fundamentals such as hydro capacity and the prices of alternative power sources and that deals with maximum prices which apply to all power markets that we know. With our result, we strengthen support for the view that an increase in wind and solar supply lowers the power price. This is good news for consumers, but it increases the costs of sustainable energy policies such as feed-in tariffs and at the same time lowers revenues and profits for power producers in case governments would abandon such policies. This effect makes the economic and policy support for renewable energy less sustainable. Policy makers have to account for this if they want to stimulate a sustainable growth of sustainable energy supply.
From THE INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE, UNIT OF CARDIOVASCULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), divided in two major subsets defined by presence or absence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), is chronic inflammatory disease which lead to joint damage and bone destruction. It is a complex disease where both genetic and environmental factors contribute to its development. The overall aim of my research was to mount greater knowledge of how some environmental and potentially modifiable lifestyle factors are related to the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. More specifically the aim was to study the association between body mass index (BMI) at symptom onset, as well as intake of oily fish and fish oil supplements, life events and physical workload five year prior symptom onset and the risk of developing RA. The thesis is based on information from the EIRA (Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid Arthritis) study. EIRA is a population based case-control study comprised of information from incident cases of RA, diagnosed in accordance with the 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria, and randomly selected controls aged 1870 years matched by age, sex and residential area. Cases and controls answered an extensive questionnaire with regard to environmental, lifestyle and occupational exposures and provided a blood sample for genetic and serological analyses. The response proportion was 94% for cases and 78% for controls. Several lifestyle factors have been raised for the contribution in the pathogenesis of RA e.g. smoking, vitamin D, and alcohol). Consuming oily fish 1-7 times per week five year prior to symptom onset was associated with a decreased risk of developing RA, without major differences according to ACPA status. A BMI>30 was associated with an increased risk of developing ACPA-negative RA in women, while for ACPApositive RA in men the association was reverse. Experience of life events (impaired economic situation, unemployment, marriage) five year prior symptom onset was associated with and increased risk of developing RA in women, independent of ACPA status. For men an association was observed with an increased risk of developing ACPA-positive RA. Substantial physical workload five year prior to symptom onset was associated with an increased risk of developing ACPA positive and ACPA negative RA in foremost in men.
Model Features and Horizon Line Estimation for Pedestrian Detection in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

In this paper we propose a novel stereo– based technique to estimate the horizon line, which corresponds to a pitch angle, to determine a set of candidate windows to be classified. Then, we study the best feature sets (Haar wavelets, Differential Invariants and Local Jet, Edge Orientation Histograms and Structure Tensor Orientation) that will define a pedestrian model to be used by an AdaBoost classifier. The experiments, which have used our own database, show that combining Simple Haar sets together with Edge Orientation Histograms provide the best detector performance. Finally, we show some snapshots of the system in real urban scenarios.
Canopy openness and lai estimates in two seasonally deciduous forests on limestone outcrops in central Brazil using hemispherical photographs

Patches of seasonally dry tropical forests occur on limestone outcrops in Central Brazil surrounded by the dominant savanna vegetation. They contain valuable timber species but are threatened by farming and mining activities. The objective of this study was to describe canopy opening and light relations in two seasonally deciduous dry forests on slopes and limestone outcrops, in the Parana valley at the northeastern region of the Goias state, Brazil. The studied forests were in the Fazenda Sabonete in Iaciara-Go and Fazenda Forquilha in Guarani-GO. Woody plants were sampled in 25 (20 x 20 m) plots in each forest. In the Sabonete forest 40 species, 705 ind. /ha-1 with a basal area of 15.78 m²/ha-1 were found, while in Forquilha there were 55 species, 956 ind. /ha-1 with a basal area of 24.76 m²/ha-1. Using hemispherical photographic techniques, 25 black and white photographs were taken at each site, during the dry season, totaling 50 photographs. These were taken at the beginning of each vegetation-sampling plot. The photographs were scanned in grey tones and saved as 'Bitmap'. The canopy opening and leaf area index (LAI) were calculated using the software Winphot. The mean canopy opening was 54.0% (±9.36) for Fazenda Sabonete and 64.6% (±11.8) in Fazenda Forquilha, with both sites presenting significant differences in the opening estimates (P < 0.05). Their floristic richness and structure also differed with the more open canopy forest, Forquilha, being richer and denser, suggesting the need for further studies on species-environment relationships in these forests.
MRI-driven angular momentum transport in protoplanetary disks

Angular momentum transport in accretion disk has been the focus of intense research in theoretical astrophysics for many decades. In the past twenty years, MHD turbulence driven by the magnetorotational instability has emerged as an efficient mechanism to achieve that goal. Yet, many questions and uncertainties remain, among which the saturation level of the turbulence. The consequences of the magnetorotational instability for planet formation models are still being investigated. This lecture, given in September 2012 at the school "Role and mechanisms of angular momentum transport in the formation and early evolution of stars" in Aussois (France), aims at introducing the historical developments, current status and outstanding questions related to the magnetorotational instability that are currently at the forefront of academic research.
An Overview of Convolutional Neural Network: Its Architecture and Applications

With the increase of the Artificial Neural Network (ANN), machine learning has taken a forceful twist in recent times. One of the most spectacular kinds of ANN design is the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is a technology that mixes artificial neural networks and up to date deep learning strategies. In deep learning, Convolutional Neural Network is at the center of spectacular advances. This artificial neural network has been applied to several image recognition tasks for decades and attracted the eye of the researchers of the many countries in recent years as the CNN has shown promising performances in several computer vision and machine learning tasks. This paper describes the underlying architecture and various applications of Convolutional Neural Network.
Changes in Structure and Function of Fish Assemblages along Environmental Gradients in an Intensive Agricultural Region of Subtropical Taiwan1

Abstract: Intensive agriculture has degraded streams in subtropical Taiwan, but agricultural impacts on fish assemblages are not well studied. The goal of this study was to understand changes in structure and function of fish assemblages along environmental gradients in an agricultural region of South-central Taiwan. Nineteen sites in the hill and upper plain regions were selected for fish sampling during the base flow period. Water chemistry analyses and rapid habitat assessment were also conducted. Cluster analysis separated fish assemblages into four assemblage groups and a single site. A redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that environmental variables explained 73.9% of species variance. RDA axis 1 represented a habitat-diversity, cover, and nutrient gradient, whereas RDA axis 2 represented a complex riparian condition gradient. Relative abundances of dominant fish species and assemblage groups were related to water and habitat variables. Trophic and tolerance guilds were correlated with RDA axes. Number of fish species increased with decreasing elevation. Both structure and function of fish assemblages changed with water and habitat gradients in these subtropical agricultural streams.
CERN – EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH

The CLIC study is investigating a number of different materials at different frequencies in order to find ways to increase achievable accelerating gradient and to understand what are the important parameters for high-gradient operation. So far a series of rf tests have been made with a set of identical-geometry 30 GHz and X-band structures in copper, tungsten and molybdenum. A new test of a 30 GHz copper accelerating structure has been completed in CTF3 with pulse lengths up to 70 ns. The new results are presented and compared to the previous structures to determine dependencies of quantities such accelerating gradient, material, frequency, pulse length, conditioning rate, breakdown rate and surface damage. Presented at LINAC06, Knoxville, TN, US, August 21-25, 2006 Geneva, Switzerland November 2006 C E R N -O PE N -2 00 607 1
High strain rate characterisation of unidirectional carbon-epoxy IM 7-8552 in transverse compression and in-plane shear using digital image correlation

This paper presents an experimental investigation of strain rate effects on polymer-based composite materials. Quasi-static and dynamic experiments at strain rates up to 350 s 1 were performed with end-loaded, rectangular off-axis compression and transverse compression specimens. The dynamic tests were performed on a split-Hopkinson pressure bar, where pulse shaping ensured early dynamic equilibrium and near constant strain rates for all specimen types. The in-plane strain field of the specimen was obtained via digital image correlation. With the high speed camera used for the dynamic tests, the failure process of the specimen was monitored and the fracture angle was measured. The strain rate effect on modulus, yield, ultimate strength, strain to failure and on the in-plane shear properties was studied. The experimental failure envelope for combined transverse compression and in-plane shear loading was compared with the Puck failure criterion for matrix compression and excellent correlation between experimental and predicted failure envelopes was observed for both strain rate regimes. The quasi-static and dynamic yield envelopes for combined loading are also presented. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cats in Czech Rural and Urban Households

chi-square = 10.648, df = 4, p < 0.05), they kept the cat pedigrees (R = 37.0%, U = 75.4%, chisquare = 24.661, df = 1, p < 0.001), paid more attention to their cats ((R = 93.0%, U = 100.0%, chi-square = 8.950, df = 1, p < 0.005), talked to them daily (R = 87.0%, U = 98.6%, chi-square = 12.024, df = 1, p < 0.001), allowed them to use furniture (R = 77.8%, U = 100.0%, chi-square = 33.839, df = 1, p < 0.001), sleep in beds of family members (R = 61.1%, U = 95.1%, chi-square = 37.149, df = 1, p < 0.001), and celebrated their birthdays (R = 25.9%, U = 100.0%, chi-square = 7.014, df = 2, p < 0.05). Their cats were more destructive than R cats, hunted less and were less aggressive when stroked. However, they showed a slightly larger scope of aggressive behaviours and were more frequently described as nervous and restless. The nature of the significant differences found in this study indicates that the co-existence of cats with people in the urbanized world is becoming more intimate. More interactions occur between the two species. The relationships between people and their cats deserve further study not only in order to gain more insight but also for a practical application of this knowledge. Questionnaire, behaviour, human-cat interactions, housing,
Phylogenetic position and composition of Zygiellinae and Caerostris, with new insight into orb‐web evolution and gigantism

Orb-weaving spiders are good objects for evolutionary research, but phylogenetic relationships among and within orb-weaving lineages are poorly understood. Here we present the first species-level molecular phylogeny that includes the enigmatic orb weavers ‘Zygiellidae’ and Caerostris. Zygiellidae is interesting for the evolution of the sector web, and Caerostris is noteworthy for web gigantism and extraordinary silk biomechanics. We assembled a molecular data set using mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and nuclear (H3, 18S, 28S, ITS2) gene fragments for 112 orbicularian exemplars, focusing on taxa with diverse web architecture and size. We show that ‘Zygiellidae’ contains the Holarctic Zygiella genus group (Leviellus, Parazygiella, Stroemiellus, and Zygiella) and the Australasian Phonognatha and Deliochus. As this clade is placed with Araneidae in all analyses we treat it as a subfamily, Zygiellinae. Using the new phylogeny, we show that the sector web evolved eight times, and coevolved with the silk tube retreat, but that these features are not zygielline synapomorphies. Zygiellinae, Caerostris, and some other araneids form a basal grade of araneids that differ from ‘classical’ araneids in web-building and preying behaviour. We also confirm that Caerostris represents the most striking case of spider-web gigantism. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London
Black carbon enrichment in atmospheric ice particle residuals observed in lower tropospheric mixed phase clouds

[1] The enrichment of black carbon (BC) mass in residuals of small ice crystals was investigated during intensive experiments in winter 2004 and 2005 at the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch (3580 m asl, Switzerland). Two inlets were used to sample the bulk aerosol (residuals of cloud droplets and ice crystals and nonactivated aerosol particles) and the residual particles of small ice crystals (diameter 5–20 μm). An enrichment of the BC mass fraction in the ice particle residuals was observed by investigating the measured BC mass concentration as a fraction of the bulk (submicrometer) aerosol mass concentration sampled by the two inlets. On the average, the BC mass fraction was 5% for the bulk aerosol but 27% for the ice particle residuals. The observed enrichment of BC in ice particle residuals suggests that some BC-containing particles may preferentially act as ice nuclei, with important implications for the indirect aerosol effect via glaciation of clouds if these particles represent a significant fraction of the number of ice crystals nucleated.
Unstable Unsmoothing - An Evaluation of Correction Procedures for Appraisal-Based Real Estate Indices

Some authors claim that the volatilities of appraisal-based index returns are (downward) biased compared to the volatilities of their corresponding true market returns. They argue that professional appraisers are insecure about true market values of properties due to imperfect information. So in appraisal processes pure random errors as well as biases could occur, and value estimates fall apart from true market values. While estimates are performed on levels of single properties, appraisal-based indices for whole real estate markets are of interest for investors and economic experts. Since index values are aggregated from values of single properties, it is suspected that appraisal errors are transferred to index values. In the past, some authors suggested to correct (or “unsmooth”) appraisal-based indices from biases resulting from the behaviour of surveyors in appraisal processes. They claimed that the “corrected” index returns should meet the returns of true market values. This study shows that a variety of “corrected” returns time series can be gained by the different correction procedures and gives insights about the credibility of each of these correction procedures.
Behavior in the Market for U.S. Army Recruits: PLS and 2SPLS Analysis of the Impact of Health Insurance Unavailability in the Non-Military Sector, 2003-2007

This empirical study addresses a largely heretofore-ignored issue, namely, does the unavailability of health insurance in the non-military sector of the U.S. act as a marginal incentive for persons to enlist in the U.S. Army? Within a cost-benefit framework, the present study endeavors to provide insight into this issue. The empirical analysis includes a variety of economic and non-economic control variables and takes the form of a panel data study for the years 2003 through 2007. Panel least squares and two-stage panel least squares estimates demonstrate, among other things, that the greater the percentage of the civilian population without health insurance, the greater the rate of enlistment in the U.S. Army.
The 492 GHz emission of Sgr A* constrained by ALMA

We report linearly polarized continuum emission properties of Sgr A* at $\sim$492 GHz, based on the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations. We used the observations of the likely unpolarized continuum emission of Titan, and the observations of C\textsc{i} line emission, to gauge the degree of spurious polarization. The Stokes I flux of 3.6$\pm$0.72 Jy during our run is consistent with extrapolations from the previous, lower frequency observations. We found that the continuum emission of Sgr A* at $\sim$492 GHz shows large amplitude differences between the XX and the YY correlations. The observed intensity ratio between the XX and YY correlations as a function of parallactic angle may be explained by a constant polarization position angle of $\sim$158$^{\circ}$$\pm$3$^{\circ}$. The fitted polarization percentage of Sgr A* during our observational period is 14\%$\pm$1.2\%. The calibrator quasar J1744-3116 we observed at the same night can be fitted to Stokes I = 252 mJy, with 7.9\%$\pm$0.9\% polarization in position angle P.A. = 4.1$^{\circ}$$\pm$4.2$^{\circ}$. The observed polarization percentage and polarization position angle in the present work appear consistent with those expected from longer wavelength observations in the period of 1999-2005. In particular, the polarization position angle at 492 GHz, expected from the previously fitted 167$^{\circ}$$\pm$7$^{\circ}$ intrinsic polarization position angle and (-5.6$\pm$0.7)$\times$10$^{5}$ rotation measure, is 155$^{+9}_{-8}$, which is consistent with our new measurement of polarization position angle within 1$\sigma$. The polarization percentage and the polarization position angle may be varying over the period of our ALMA 12m Array observations, which demands further investigation with future polarization observations.
Failure mode and effect analysis as a tool for risk management in construction planning

Construction projects are known for having an inherent risk affecting both schedule and cost considerably. High levels of uncertainty and risk are typical for the construction industry and are significantly manifested as project size and complexity increase. Risk management practices are underutilized in the construction industry. This paper focuses on the use of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) within the Last Planner System (LPS) as a tool for risk management at the lookahead planning level which connects master and phase scheduling to production planning. FMEA has been widely used in the manufacturing industry to study potential failures along with their impacts and suggest remedial measures. However, its use in construction remains very limited especially at the planning level. The purpose of this paper is to study the integration of FMEA into construction planning for projects using the Last Planner System and its impact on workflow and project performance. The paper introduces a planning process model with integrated risk management employing FMEA at the lookahead planning level and combining aspects of first-run studies. The model involves: risk identification, risk assessment and analysis, risk monitoring, and contingency planning. The study contributes to the overall understanding of construction planning by laying-out a framework for identifying risks, mitigating those risks, and allocating contingencies.
From Receptors to Ligands: Fragment-assisted Drug Design for GPCRsApplied to the Discovery of H3 and H4 Receptor Antagonists

G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) have enormous physiological and biomedical importance, being the primary target of a large number of modern drugs. The availability of structural information of the binding site of the targeted GPCR plays a key role in rationalization, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the drug discovery process. However, obtaining structural information on GPCRs using X-ray crystallography or NMR requires a large investment of time and is technically very challenging. This situation significantly limits the ability of these methods to have an impact in drug discovery for GPCR targets in the short term and hence there is an urgent need for other effective and cost-efficient alternatives. We present here a practical approach that integrates GPCR modelling with fragment based screening to provide structural insights on the H3 and H4 histamine receptor binding sites. This approach creates a cost-efficient new avenue for structure-based drug design (SBDD) against GPCR targets. We report here a success of using this protocol for the discovery of selective and dual H3 and H4 antagonists. Our fragment screen yielded 44 H3, 21 H4 selective and 20 dual fragment hits. These fragments were used to construct high- quality H3 and H4 models followed by binding site exploration and structure based virtual screening (VS). Overall, 172 compounds were purchased for testing based on the virtual screening results. Of the 74 compounds predicted to have dual activity, 33 had activity against one or other of the two receptors (44%), of which 17 had activity against both. Of the 19 compounds predicted to be H3 selective, 13 were active against H3 (68%) and 10 of these also had selectivity over H4. Of the 79 compounds predicted to be H4 selective, 36 were active against H4 (45%) and 2 of these also had selectivity over H3