Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studying the vertical aerosol extinction coefficient by comparing in situ airborne data and elastic backscatter lidar

Abstract. Vertical profiles of aerosol particle optical properties were explored in a case study near the San Pietro Capofiume (SPC) ground station during the PEGASOS Po Valley campaign in the summer of 2012. A Zeppelin NT airship was employed to investigate the effect of the dynamics of the planetary boundary layer at altitudes between ∼ 50 and 800 m above ground. Determined properties included the aerosol particle size distribution, the hygroscopic growth factor, the effective index of refraction and the light absorption coefficient. The first three parameters were used to retrieve the light scattering coefficient. Simultaneously, direct measurements of both the scattering and absorption coefficient were carried out at the SPC ground station. Additionally, a single wavelength polarization diversity elastic lidar system provided estimates of aerosol extinction coefficients using the Klett method to accomplish the inversion of the signal, for a vertically resolved comparison between in situ and remote-sensing results. Note, however, that the comparison was for the most part done in the altitude range where the overlap function is incomplete and accordingly uncertainties are larger. First, the airborne results at low altitudes were validated with the ground measurements. Agreement within approximately ±25 and ±20 % was found for the dry scattering and absorption coefficient, respectively. The single scattering albedo, ranged between 0.83 and 0.95, indicating the importance of the absorbing particles in the Po Valley region. A clear layering of the atmosphere was observed during the beginning of the flight (until ∼ 10:00 LT – local time) before the mixing layer (ML) was fully developed. Highest extinction coefficients were found at low altitudes, in the new ML, while values in the residual layer, which could be probed at the beginning of the flight at elevated altitudes, were lower. At the end of the flight (after ∼ 12:00 LT) the ML was fully developed, resulting in constant extinction coefficients at all altitudes measured on the Zeppelin NT. Lidar estimates captured these dynamic features well and good agreement was found for the extinction coefficients compared to the in situ results, using fixed lidar ratios (LR) between 30 and 70 sr for the altitudes probed with the Zeppelin. These LR are consistent with values for continental aerosol particles that can be expected in this region.
Role of marine larval duration and growth rate of glass eels in determining the distribution of Anguilla reinhardtii and A. australis on Australian eastern coasts

The differences in geographical distribution between Anguilla reinhardtii and A. australis on the eastern coast of Australia can be understood by comparing otolith growth increments and microchemistry, the ages between species of the eels at metamorphosis from leptocephalus to glass eels and the ages of glass eels at estuarine arrival. The ages at metamorphosis were determined from where the increment width dramatically increased and the Sr/Ca ratio dropped. The mean age (± s.d.) of A. reinhardtii (n = 176) at metamorphosis was 144.5 ± 12.2 days and at estuarine arrival was182.7 ± 16.3 days. For A. australis (n = 150) it was 173.7 ± 20.5 days and 229.2 ± 29.4 days, respectively. The differences in age between species were significantly larger than the annual and seasonal variations within species. Australian eels are believed to spawn in the tropical oceans and larval eels drift in the South Equatorial Current to eastern Australia. The younger ages at estuarine arrival of A. reinhardtii suggest that the spawning grounds of this species lie closer to Australia than those of A. australis. In addition, the mean total length at recruitment of A. reinhardtii (49.9 ± 2.0 mm) was significantly smaller than for A. australis (54.6 ± 5.4 mm) (t = 3.8, P < 0.01). However, the growth rates of A. reinhardtii (0.25 ± 0.02 mm/d) were significantly faster than for A. australis (0.23 ± 0.022 mm/d)(t = 7.6, P < 0.01). The smaller sizes of A. reinhardtii at recruitment were likely due to the shorter marine larval period and faster growth rate compared with A. australis. The duration of the marine larval period and growth rate may be the principal factors in determining the geographical distribution of both A. reinhardtii, which tend to occur in tropical-subtropical waters, and A. australis, which predominate in more temperate waters. Extra keywords: otolith, early life history. M la t ar nt Jao et W A nd Y.
Unraveling hydrometeor mixtures in polarimetric radar measurements

Abstract. Radar-based hydrometeor classification typically comes down to determining the dominant type of hydrometeor populating a given radar sampling volume. In this paper we address the subsequent problem of inferring the secondary hydrometeor types present in a volume – the issue of hydrometeor de-mixing. The present study relies on the semi-supervised hydrometeor classification proposed by Besic et al. (2016) but nevertheless results in solutions and conclusions of a more general character and applicability. In the first part, oriented towards synthesis, a bin-based de-mixing approach is proposed, inspired by the conventional coherent and linear decomposition methods widely employed across different remote-sensing disciplines. Intrinsically related to the concept of entropy, introduced in the context of the radar hydrometeor classification in Besic et al. (2016), the proposed method, based on the hypothesis of the reduced random interferences of backscattered signals, estimates the proportions of different hydrometeor types in a given radar sampling volume, without considering the neighboring spatial context. Plausibility and performances of the method are evaluated using C- and X-band radar measurements, compared with hydrometeor properties derived from a Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera instrument. In the second part, we examine the influence of the potential residual random interference contribution in the backscattering from different hydrometeors populating a radar sampling volume. This part consists in adapting and testing the techniques commonly used in conventional incoherent decomposition methods to the context of weather radar polarimetry. The impact of the residual incoherency is found to be limited, justifying the hypothesis of the reduced random interferences even in a case of mixed volumes and confirming the applicability of the proposed bin-based approach, which essentially relies on first-order statistics.
Bring your own device to secondary school: The perceptions of teachers, students and parents.

: This paper reports on the first two years of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative in a New Zealand secondary school, using data derived from a series of surveys of teachers, parents and students, who are the main stakeholders in the transformation to a BYOD school. In this paper we analyse data gathered from these surveys, which consists primarily of qualitative data from free text questions, but also includes some quantitative data from structured questions, giving insights into the challenges faced by teachers, students and parents in moving to a BYOD classroom, and the potential benefits for teaching and learning, and preparing students for a digital world. We frame our analysis from a sociocultural perspective that takes account of structures, agency and cultural practices and the interactions between these domains. Thematic analysis was performed by considering these domains from the responses of the three stakeholder groups. We found that there were some tensions in these domain relationships, with contexts and practices having to be renegotiated as the BYOD classroom and the structures within which it operates have evolved. On the surface, it appears that many of the changes to cultural practice are substitution or augmentation of previous activities, for example using one-to-one devices for researching and presenting material. However, when we look deeper, it is evident that apparently straightforward adoption of digital media is having a more profound impact on structure and agency within the classroom. While the structural impact of digital infrastructures does raise some concerns from all stakeholders, it is clear that it is the curricular structure that is the most contentious area of debate, given its impact on both agency and cultural practice. While the majority of respondents reported positive changes in classroom management and learning, there were nevertheless some concerns about the radical nature of the change to BYOD, though very rarely from teachers. If there is an area where agency may be most problematic, it is in the responses of parents, who may feel increasingly alienated from their children’s learning activities if their own digital skills are lacking. These findings will be of interest to anyone who is engaged in BYOD projects, particularly those who are planning such initiatives or in the early stages of implementation.
0 Korean bank governance reform after the Asian financial crisis

We discuss corporate governance reforms in the Korean banking sector, which include reforms in board composition and executive compensation, implemented after the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and examine the stock market’s response to the reforms. We find that the banking returns and volatilities became more Granger-causally prior to both KOSPI and finance sector returns after 1998. The announcements of banking governance reforms are generally associated with significant increases in banking sector stock returns. The KIF survey finds that board governance is considered essential in assessing the value of the firm. The participants in the McKinsey survey indicate that they are willing to pay a premium of 24% on average for firms with outstanding corporate governance systems. JEL Classification: G15, G3
Vector quantized radial basis function neural networks with embedded multiple local linear models for financial prediction

In this paper, a model is proposed which combines multiple local linear models with a novel modified probabilistic neural network (MPNN). The proposed model is developed to approximate multiple nonlinear model with reduced computational requirement. The proposed model shows to provide both low bias and variance with reduced computations by utilizing semiparametric local linear approximation and efficient vector quantization of data space. The proposed model is shown to provide comparable performance to other state-of-the-art models in terms of bias, variance and computational requirement in short-term financial prediction.
Pain Intensity and Perceived Social Support among Patients with Pancreatic Tumors

Abstract Purpose: Patients with pancreatic malignancy suffer from intractable and persistent pain that can only be effectively treated by the use of opioids. Such pain significantly impacts quality of life and becomes the stigma of the disease and dying. The aim of the study was to evaluate the psychosocial correlates of pain among the pancreatic cancer patients, with a special emphasis on social support. Methods: One hundred and thirty one patients (52 women and 79 men) diagnosed with pancreatic cancer participated in the study. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to assess current pain intensity. Social support was assessed by the subscale “Family and social living” of FACT–G and the Visual Representation Scale PRISM. Results: There was a strong correlation between pain intensity and the social support measured by subscale of FACT-G in the opioid-using group (measured by VAS r=0.47, p<0.05) and measured with the PRISM (r=0.81, p<0.05). In the opioid-naive group, there was no relationship between pain and perceived social support level. In women, pain strongly correlated with social support: VAS/FACT correlation was r=-0.64, VAS/PRISM r=-0.62 (both p<0.05). Conclusions: In patients suffering from pancreatic cancer that use opioids, higher level of pain is connected with higher perceived positive impact of illness on social relations and with higher level of perceived social support. In contrary, in female patients, lower social support is associated with higher level of pain. Social support is an important contributor to pain perception in patients receiving opioids and in female patients.
Does Stigma predict mental illness? A study of HIV/AIDS and Cancer patients in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Aim: This study is aimed at exploring whether HIV patients suffer more stigma than cancer patients and the consequences of this for mental health and to understand the influence of stigma on mental health. Method: Using a factorial design, data was collected from a conveniently sampled 100 patients diagnosed with cancer and HIV in clinics and hospitals around Gauteng Province. Majority of the participants were females 62 (62, 0%) while 38 (38.0%) were males. Age of respondents ranged from 20-73 years with a mean age of 44.4 years (SD = 11.6). Results: Results revealed a significant main effect for enacted stigma F = (1.98), = 17.629, p < . 001 and anxiety F = (1.98) = 5.750, p < . 001. A post hoc Bonferroni also showed that HIV patients had a higher mean score of enacted stigma ( X = 4.22) than cancer patients ( X = 1.28) and also HIV patients reported more anxiety ( X = 8.81) than cancer patients ( X = 6.42). Enacted stigma significantly influenced GHQ Total, (F= (98) = 1.700, p < . 05); Anxiety (F= (97) = 2.578, p < . 004); and Depression (F= (97) = 3.390 p < . 001). Perceived community stigma had one main effect for depression (F= (1.98) = 1.452, p < . 05). There were no significant main effects for internal felt stigma and psychological dysfunctions. Conclusion: Recommendations included tailoring interventions to meet the cultural needs of patients. Other recommendation were made in accordance with the findings of the study Keywords: Stigma/Mental Health/Mental Illness/Psychological Dysfunction/Psychopathology/HIV/AIDS/ Cancer/Gauteng Province.
Thorn fish Terapon jarbua ( Forskål ) predation on juvenile white shrimp Penaeus indicus H . Milne Edwards and brown shrimp Metapenaeus monoceros ( Fabricius ) : the effect of turbidity , prey density , substrate type and pneumatophore density

A series of laboratory experiments was conducted at Inhaca Island Marine Biological Station, Mozambique, in order to assess the separate effects of turbidity, prey density, substrate type, pneumatophore density, and the combined effects of turbidity with the latter three, on rate of predation by the thorn fish Terapon jarbua (Forskål, 1775) on white shrimp Penaeus indicus and brown shrimp Metapenaeus monoceros. Significant interactions between turbidity and the other three factors on shrimp predation for both prey species were detected. Regardless of prey density, increasing turbidity decreased predation on P. indicus, but not on M. monoceros, for which increasing densities reduced the protective effect of turbidity. Increasing prey density increased predation on P. indicus in clear water, and increased predation on M. monoceros in low and high, but not in intermediate turbidity or clear water. The presence of a substrate suitable for burying decreased predation on M. monoceros in clear water, but not in the turbidity levels used. In clear water, solely sandy-shell substrate afforded protection to P. indicus, while in turbid water, no substrate offered significant protection and muddy substrate even increased prey vulnerability to fish probably as a result of increased preys’ locomotor activity. Raising pneumatophores density seems to lower the protective 0022-0981/03/$ see front matter D 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0022-0981(03)00097-2 * Corresponding author. E-mail address: Adriano@zebra.uem. mz (A. Macia). A. Macia et al. / J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 291 (2003) 29–56 30 value of turbidity for both species. In clear water, only low and high structure density provided a deterrent effect on predation on P. indicus; in turbid water, intermediate and higher structure density increased predation. Increasing structural complexity reduced predation on M. monoceros linearly in clear water; but in low turbid water it increased. In high turbid waters, the increase was only significant in intermediate pneumatophore density. High structural complexities impair the pursuing capacity of fish and thus decreased predation rates. The results indicate that the effective provision of shelter of different habitats depends not only on the various environmental parameters analysed, but also on the way they interact and on the behaviour of prey and predator as well. D 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The Influence of Family, Social, and Work Socialization on the Construction of the Professional Identity of Young Adults

The article examines the role of social and professional experiences undertaken by young adults in order to construct their Professional Identity. More particularly, two determining dimensions in this identity construction are studied. The first one concerns socialization for work which corresponds to social experience undergone in the family and in education from childhood. The second one concerns socialization by work which corresponds to professional experience undergone by young adults. The latter dimension is studied from a perspective which comprises two methods: direct integration and assisted integration in the world of work. This article ends by pinpointing the most significant characteristics of the contexts and experiences undergone by young adults in the construction of their Professional Identity, and by discussing what measures might be useful to accompany the school to work transition.
On the inconsistency of the unrestricted estimator of the information matrix near a unit root

converges to a non-degenerate random variable and contributes to the asymptotic distribution of a Wald test for the null hypothesis of a random walk versus a stable AR(1) alternative. With this newly derived asymptotic distribution, the above Wald test is found to improve its performance. A non-local criterion of asymptotic relative efficiency based on Bahadur slopes has been employed for the first time to the problem of unit root testing. The Wald test derived in the paper is found to be as efficient as the Dickey Fuller t ratio test and to outperform the non-studentised Dickey Fuller test and a Lagrange Multiplier test. Copyright Royal Economic Society 2007
Speak Loud and Clear: Relating Intergenerational Service-Learning To Ageism and Elderspeak

Speech modification for older adults, commonly referred to as “elderspeak,” is a discriminatory behavior that affects older adults in interactions with family, friends, strangers, healthcare professionals, and long-term care facility staff. The current study investigates the relationship between Intergenerational Service-Learning (ISL) and both ageism and elderspeak. Undergraduate students enrolled in service-learning (SL) projects with older adults (N = 11) or children (N = 20), completed the Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA), an Implicit Associations test (IAT), and a communication map task. In the communication map task, students were asked to verbally describe a route on a given map to both a middle-aged adult and also to an older adult. It was hypothesized that students who completed SL with older adults would express less explicit ageism, similar amounts of implicit ageism, and a greater degree of speech modification than students who completed SL with children. While results showed that ISL was not related to ageism or to elderspeak, significant differences were found between the two SL groups (older adults, children) on verbal fluency and on ratings of confidence with the task. Overall, explicit attitudes toward older adults were generally positive, while implicit attitudes towards older adults were generally negative. On the map task, participants spoke more slowly to the perceived older adult than to the perceived middle-aged adults. Finally, the current study established a correlation between scores on the Fraboni Scale of Ageism and on the Implicit Associations Test, an unexpected result. SPEAK LOUD AND CLEAR: AGEISM AND ELDERSPEAK 3 Speak Loud and Clear: Relating Intergenerational Service-Learning to Ageism and Elderspeak Much like racism and sexism, ageism is prevalent in society and its effects are widespread (Nussbaum et al., 2005). Erdman B. Palmore, a prominent researcher on the topic, describes ageism as “the third great ‘ism’ after racism and sexism” (Palmore, 2004). Based on a review of previous research and taking into account the various cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of ageism, researchers offer the following comprehensive definition of
Trojanella serbica gen. n., sp. n., a remarkable new troglobitic travunioid (Opiliones, Laniatores, Travunioidea)

Trojanella serbica gen. n. , sp. n. , a remarkable new troglobitic travuni- oid (Opiliones, Laniatores, Travunioidea). - A new species of travunioid from Serbia, Mt. Stara Planina, is described and a new genus is established. The new species exhibits some characters and combination of characters not known from any other species. It cannot be placed at this time in any of the described families of the superfamily Travunioidea. Some unknown details of male morphology in Abasola hofferi (Travuniidae) are presented.
Effects of iron and cupper ions on sulforaphane content and peroxidase activity in Lepidium draba seedlings

Sulforaphane (SFN) is an isothiocyanate which is produced through glucoraphanin hydrolysis via myrosinase activity. In the present study, SFN content and peroxidase activity has been assessed in treated Lepidium draba seedlings with different concentrations of iron and copper during 8 and 16 hours treatment. The results showed that the SFN content drastically elevated at treatment with 1 mg/L Fe2+ after 8 hours treatment which was around two-fold compared to the control. But its content decreased in treated seedlings with higher Fe2+ concentrations as well as treatment with all concentrations of Cu2+. Furthermore, promotion of peroxidase activity was seen in the treated seedlings with the both elicitors. The data revealed that not only the inhibitory effect of Cu2+ on SFN production was stronger than Fe2+, but its stimulatory effect on peroxidase activity was also remarkable especially after 16 hours treatment. It seems that the metals induce triggering of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which at low Fe2+ concentration leads to induce glucoraphanin biosynthesis pathway. While at higher Fe2+ concentrations as well as treatment seedlings with Cu2+, ROS lead to induce antioxidant enzyme system.
Fiscal expansions and adjustments in OECD countries

Fiscal adjustments Fiscal expansions and adjustments in OECD countries In several countries policy-makers are striving to improve the budget balance, which can be done either by raising taxes or by cutting expenditures. But the two strategies are not equivalent. Drawing on the experience of twenty OECD countries after 1960, this article shows that large fiscal expansions typically occur through increases in expenditure, while large fiscal adjustments rely on tax increases. It also appears that permanent improvements in the fiscal balance crucially differ from fiscal adjustments that lead to a temporary improvement and are reversed in a short time. Permanent improvements are implemented mainly via cuts in two types of expenditure: transfer programmes and compensation of government employees. Temporary improvements are carried out almost exclusively via tax increases. Finally, coalition governments may often try to make substantial fiscal adjustments, but they are much less likely than others to carry out the two types of expenditure cut that make an adjustment successful. These findings convey a clear message: the composition of a fiscal adjustment is of fundamental importance in determining its success. A fiscal adjustment cannot have long-lasting effects unless it tackles two expenditures – government employment and social programmes – often regarded as untouchable by policy-makers and their advisers. — Alberto Alesina and Roberto Perotti