Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Processing and validation of refractivity from GRAS radio occultation data

Abstract. We discuss the processing of GRAS radio occultation (RO) data done at the GRAS Satellite Application Facility. The input data consists of operational near-real time bending angles from December 2010 from the Metop-A satellite operated by EUMETSAT. The data are processed by an Abel inversion algorithm in combination with statistical optimization based on a two-parameter fit to an MSIS climatology. We compare retrieved refractivity to analyses from ECMWF. It is found that for global averages, the mean differences to ECMWF analyses are smaller than 0.2% below 30 km (except near the surface), with standard deviations around 0.5% for altitudes between 8 and 25 km. The current processing is limited by several factors, which are discussed. In particular, the penetration depth for rising occultations is generally poor, which is related to the tracking of the L2 signal. Extrapolation of the difference between the L1 and L2 signals below the altitude where L2 is lost is possible and would generally allow deeper penetration of retrieved refractivity profiles into the lower troposphere.
Long-term variations of surface chlorophyll a and primary production in the open Black Sea

Extensive data sets on surface chlorophyll a (chl a), depth-integrated primary production (DIPP) and phosphate (PO4, µM) averaged for the upper 25 m layer in 1964, 1973, 1978 and for a period (1980 to 1996) of regular measurements have been used to evaluate long-term changes in the upper portion of the euphotic layer of the entire open (>1000 m) Black Sea. After preliminary analysis of sea- sonal dynamics, special attention was given to data obtained during those periods of the year with rel- atively stable values, revealing interannual and long-term fluctuations and trends. Of 2 phytoplankton characteristics (chl a and DIPP), long-term trends were obtained only for chl a since only these data covered the entire open sea and all periods investiged. A positive correlation was found between DIPP (using 2 different 14 C methods: actual in situ and simulated in situ) and the more numerous chl a data for different monthly intervals, with significant correlation coefficients (r = 0.51 to 0.82). This means that the observed patterns in long-term variability for chl a may be valid also for DIPP. The results show that interannual fluctuations in chl a are more pronounced during the warm months, from ap- proximately May to September. Chl a levels within this interval were moderate, with a mean of 0.15 ± 0.04 mg m -3 during the first 'quiet' period (1964 to 1986), but increased steadily at a rate of 0.06 mg m -3 yr -1 during 1988 to 1991 and sharply in 1992 (mainly due to high July values) to 0.99 ± 0.7 mg m -3 . In contrast, negative trends were characteristic of the third period (1993 to 1996): an abrupt decrease in chl a to 0.26 ± 0.08 mg m -3 in 1993 and a negative trend (-0.02 mg m -3 yr -1 ) during 1993 to 1996. Low concentrations of PO4 (0.015 to 0.138 µM) in the upper 25 m layer throughout the year and the absence of statistically reliable interannual trends in distribution suggest that this nutrient was limiting the level of primary production during the second period. This means that phosphate concentration in the upper 25 m layer cannot be considered a reliable indicator of the presence or absence of anthro- pogenic eutrophication in the open Black Sea. This long-term variability in phytoplankton character- istics agrees well with the data on interannual changes in other ecological variables of the open Black Sea characterized by a collapse of the Black Sea ecosystem during the second period and its recovery after 1992. Comparison of changes in the open and shelf areas of the Black Sea between these 3 peri- ods, and similar changes in the plankton community and in pelagic fish stocks in the second half of the 1980s to the beginning of the 1990s in other regions of the northern hemisphere, connected with changes in the climatic regime during this period, have led us to conclude that global climatic pro- cesses have played an important role in changing the phytoplankton characteristics of the open Black Sea and affecting the whole pelagic ecosystem, especially over the last 2 decades.
Assessment of Neonatal Mortality in Women Who Gave Birth Recently: A Community Based Cross Sectional Study in Lume District of Oromia Region, Eastern Ethiopia

Introduction: Childhood mortality often used as a specific health indicator where child health programs were given low attention; especially neonatal health lacks adequate information in the study setup. This study aimed to assess neonatal mortality and factors affecting health care utilization. Methods: A cross sectional study design was employed in Lume District using Multistage sampling technique. Five rural kebele (sub unit of administration) were selected using simple random sampling and systematic random sampling technique to select study population. Structured questionnaire used to collect data and analyzed by SPSS version 20. Result: Nineteen neonatal death per one thousand live birth happened. Mothers who live in urban were two times sought health institution for delivery than rural mothers [AOR=1.9, 95% CI: (1.1, 4.0)]. Merchant mothers were three times more likely to seek professional help than daily laborer [AOR=3.0, 95% CI: (1.1, 14.5). Mothers who road was accessible were 2.8 times more likely to seek health institution for their neonate than non-road accessible mother [AOR=2.8, 95% CI: (1.2, 6.4). Neonatal sickness and neonatal death were negatively associated with mothers seeking health institution [AOR=0.02, 95% CI: (0.1, .02) and [AOR=0.07, 95% CI: (.01, .8) respectively. Conclusion and recommendation: In this study it is learnt that neonatal mortality is low and institutional delivery was high. Road accessibility, residence, occupation of the mother, neonatal sickness, neonatal death and postnatal care were significantly associated with utilization of mother’s modern health institution for last delivery.
Finite-State Contract Theory with a Principal and a Field of Agents

We use the recently developed probabilistic analysis of mean field games with finitely many states in the weak formulation to set up a principal/agent contract theory model where the principal faces a large population of agents interacting in a mean field manner. We reduce the problem to the optimal control of dynamics of the McKean-Vlasov type, and we solve this problem explicitly for a class of models with concave rewards. The paper concludes with a numerical example demonstrating the power of the results when applied to an example of epidemic containment. This paper was accepted by Baris Ata, stochastic models and simulation.
Current Knowledge on Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN) and its Causative Betanodaviruses

Viral nervous necrosis (VNN) or viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER) caused by betanodaviruses (Nodaviridae) has seriously damaged global marine aquaculture since its first appearance in the late 1980s. In the past two decades, more than 100 papers have been published on the disease. Although information is still limited, we now have more knowledge on the taxonomic position and molecular characteristics of betanodaviruses, and on the diagnosis, control, and infection mechanisms of the disease. This paper briefly reviews studies on VNN and betanodaviruses.
The Implications of Global Ecological Elasticities for Carbon Control: A STIRPAT Formulation

In this paper, we analyze the impact of real energy price on CO2 emissions for OECD countries using an ordinary least squares regression estimation of a STIRPAT model formulation for environmental impact. We model country-level CO2 emissions over the 1978-2007 period as a function of an index of real energy price, population, and gross domestic product per capita. We find that, although rising real energy prices generally have a negative impact on CO2 emissions, the ecological impact elasticity is inelastic for all countries, suggesting that a cap-and-trade system may be preferred to a carbon tax system for global carbon control.
Reduction of Forward Difference Operators in Principal G-bundles

Retraction maps on Lie groups can be successfully used in mechanics and control theory to generate numerical integration schemes, for ordinary differential equations with a variational origin, recovering at the same time a discrete version of the energy and symplectic structure conservation properties, that are characteristic of smooth variational mechanics. The present work fixes the specific tool that plays in gauge field theories the same role as retraction maps on geometric mechanics. This tool, the covariant reduced projectable forward difference operator, can be used for a covariant discretization of the main elements of a variational theory: the jet bundle, the Lagrangian density and the associated action functional. Particular interest is dedicated to the trivialized formulation of a gauge field theory, and its reduction into a theory where fields are given as principal connections and $H$-structures. Main characteristics of the presented method are its covariance by gauge transformations and the commutation of the discretization and the reduction processes.
ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS IN DIFFERENT BODY PARTS OF Sarotherodon galillaeus FROM ILO-IDIMU RIVER, OTA OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Ilo-Idimu River is a tropical zone lying between 60.47oN of the equator and 20.33oE, and 30.18oE of the Greenwich meridian. The aim of this research is to determine the concentration of heavy metals in Sarotherodon galilaeus ; a predominant fish species in Ilo-Idimu River, and its public health significance. Water samples were collected from the River at different locations and depth. Samples were also taken with the use of dissecting instruments from the scale, skin, flesh, gill, and gut of S. galilaeus . Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer was used to determine the concentration of heavy metals in the water samples and various body parts of the fish. From the result obtained, the levels of heavy metals concentrations ranged between 0.00-3.14, 0.00-2.18, 0.52-3.08, 0.00-0.68 and 0.00-1.48 mg/kg in the gill, flesh, gut, skin and scale respectively. The highest level of heavy metals was recorded in the gill while the lowest was recorded in the skin. The concentration of each of the heavy metals was significantly different across body parts (P˂0.05) except lead. Concentration of most of these heavy metals exceeded the maximum permissible limit. Our results indicated that there is inherent danger in consuming fishes from Ilo-Idimu river.
Perspectives of teachers on the implementation of Life Orientation in Grades R–11 from selected Western Cape schools

Educational transformation in South Africa not only brought about Outcomesbased Education and Curriculum 2005 but also a new Learning Area/Subject, called Life Orientation (LO). A major challenge for LO as a new Learning Area/Subject is the preconceptions that exist about it, and the fact that the attitude of school principals is not conducive to the successful implementation of LO. Against this background it was deemed necessary to investigate teachers' perspectives regarding the implementation of LO in Grades R to 11. For the survey 248 schools (124 primary, 124 secondary) were randomly selected, of which 157 returned questionnaires. Summary statistics were done using frequency tables and histograms. Comparisons of ordinal variables were performed using one-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test. For the majority of the schools the learning outcomes, related to the movement component of LO in the General and Further Education and Training bands, are presented. The fact that most of the schools do not have qualified Physical Education teachers holds certain implications for the status of LO in general and more specifically for the growth and development of the learners. To address this situation it is recommended that in-service and preservice education and training of teachers commences immediately and that Higher Education Institutions become more involved in different forms of training initiatives than currently the practice. Keywords : Curriculum 2005; Further Education and Training Band; General Education and Training Band; Life Orientation; National Curriculum Statement; outcomes-based education; physical education; teacher training; teachers' perspectives. South African Journal of Education Vol. 29 (1) 2009: pp. 127-145
The AKARI NEP-Deep survey: a mid-infrared source catalogue

We present a new catalogue of mid-IR sources using the AKARI NEP-Deep survey. The InfraRed Camera (IRC) onboard AKARI has a comprehensive mid-IR wavelength coverage with 9 photometric bands at 2–24 μm. We utilized all of these bands to cover a nearly circular area adjacent to the north ecliptic pole (NEP). We designed the catalogue to include most of sources detected in 7, 9, 11, 15 and 18 μm bands, and found 7284 sources in a 0.67 deg 2 area. From our simulations, we estimate that the catalogue is ~80 per cent complete to 200 μJy at 15–18 μm, and ~10 per cent of sources are missed, owing to source blending. Star-galaxy separation is conducted using only AKARI photometry, as a result of which 10 per cent of catalogued sources are found to be stars. The number counts at 11, 15, 18, and 24 μm are presented for both stars and galaxies. A drastic increase in the source density is found in between 11 and 15 μm at the flux level of ~ 300 μJy. This is likely due to the redshifted PAH emission at 8 μm, given our rough estimate of redshifts from an AKARI colour–colour plot. Along with the mid-IR source catalogue, we present optical-NIR photometry for sources falling inside a Subaru/Sprime-cam image covering part of the AKARI NEP-Deep field, which is deep enough to detect most of AKARI mid-IR sources, and useful to study optical characteristics of a complete mid-IR source sample.
Bayesian integration of flux tower data into a process-based simulator for quantifying uncertainty in simulated output

Abstract. Parameters of a process-based forest growth simulator are difficult or impossible to obtain from field observations. Reliable estimates can be obtained using calibration against observations of output and state variables. In this study, we present a Bayesian framework to calibrate the widely used process-based simulator Biome-BGC against estimates of gross primary production (GPP) data. We used GPP partitioned from flux tower measurements of a net ecosystem exchange over a 55-year-old Douglas fir stand as an example. The uncertainties of both the Biome-BGC parameters and the simulated GPP values were estimated. The calibrated parameters leaf and fine root turnover (LFRT), ratio of fine root carbon to leaf carbon (FRC : LC), ratio of carbon to nitrogen in leaf (C : Nleaf), canopy water interception coefficient (Wint), fraction of leaf nitrogen in RuBisCO (FLNR), and effective soil rooting depth (SD) characterize the photosynthesis and carbon and nitrogen allocation in the forest. The calibration improved the root mean square error and enhanced Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency between simulated and flux tower daily GPP compared to the uncalibrated Biome-BGC. Nevertheless, the seasonal cycle for flux tower GPP was not reproduced exactly and some overestimation in spring and underestimation in summer remained after calibration. We hypothesized that the phenology exhibited a seasonal cycle that was not accurately reproduced by the simulator. We investigated this by calibrating the Biome-BGC to each month's flux tower GPP separately. As expected, the simulated GPP improved, but the calibrated parameter values suggested that the seasonal cycle of state variables in the simulator could be improved. It was concluded that the Bayesian framework for calibration can reveal features of the modelled physical processes and identify aspects of the process simulator that are too rigid.
The Association between Corporate Governance and Auditor Switching Decision

The purpose of this study is to examine the association between corporate governance and the propensity of auditor switching. In particular, the study seeks to investigate whether board independence and Chairman-CEO duality, influence the auditor-client realignment exercise. Understanding the reasons why companies switch auditor is very important as auditor switching could inhibit the flow of capital in the securities markets, and subsequently, increase the capital costs. Based on the analysis of 712 non-financial companies listed on Bursa Malaysia during the period from 31st December, 2009 to 2011, the results suggest that the companies with higher non-executive directors than the sample median tend to switch auditor. The Chairman-CEO duality, however, has no effect on the decision. The results also suggest that the provision of non-audit service, changes in key management, company size and Big 4 are significant determinants of auditor switch decision. The outcome of the study indicates the importance of sound governance on auditor switch decision and might provide insightful knowledge which helps shareholders to realize the importance of having balance BODs.
A “Human Growth” Perspective on Organizational Resources and Firm Performance

We define immaterial satisfaction as the degree of wellbeing that workers derive from creativity, autonomy, and personal growth, overall se f-fulfillment. These are dimensions of satisfaction that we relate, from American pragmati sm, to the use of creative intelligence. The paper deals with the mediating role of immateri l satisfaction between organizational processes (defined by teamwork, on-the-job autonomy and involvement) and organizational performance (defined in terms of improvements in pr oduct quality and innovation). We address this relationship in the Italian social ser vic sector. To this end, we implement a structural equation model including both observed a n l tent variables using a survey dataset that concerns 4134 workers and 320 not-for-profit s cial cooperatives. The analysis of direct, indirect and total effects in the structural model shows that autonomous innovation positively influences performance. It also shows that impact i mmaterial satisfaction adds to the impact of worker involvement in making involvement bear po sitively on performance, while it also reduces the negative impact of task-autonomy. Comm n ethod bias is controlled for by resorting to post-hoc testing and by introducing th ree distal sources of subjective data from directors, managers and paid workers.
Stranded Zostera marina L. vs wrack fauna community interactions on a Baltic sandy beach (Hel, Poland): a short-term pilot study. Part I. Driftline effects of fragmented detritivory, leaching and decay rates

The effects of the beach community structure of macroand meiofauna on the process of beach wrack decay were investigated by means of a simple field colonisation experiment in a temperate, fine quartz sediment, sandy beach at the end of the Hel Peninsula in Poland. 1260 replicate litterbags of three mesh sizes (12 mm, 0.5 mm, 48 μm) containing fresh wrack were used to assess the role of faunal and non-faunal components in the breakdown of stranded Zostera marina. Wrack breakdown was determined during a three-year field study. This paper presents the first part of the results of this field experiment, which refer to the effects of fragmentation detritivory, leaching and decay rates. Material was lost from the bags at a rapid rate, with only 22–32% of the original dry mass remaining after 27 days in the field. This degradation was not directly related to * This study is supported by Polish State Committee for Scientific Research, grant No. 6 P04F 013 20 (0571 P04 2001 20). The paper was presented on International Workshop ‘Beaches –What Future? An Integrated Approach to the Ecology and Evolution of Beaches and Sand Dunes’ – Florence, Italy, 18–23 October 2001. 274 M. F. Jedrzejczak the faunal succession of the eelgrass tissue, which proceeded in two distinct phases throughout the study period. Exclusion of macrofauna from the wrack by the use of finer-mesh litterbags (< 1 mm) had no appreciable effect on the rate of dry matter loss. Microbial decay, and abiotic leaching and fragmentation are probably the major causes of seagrass weight loss from the litterbags.
System model for analyzing design productivity

Many engineering design companies collect data such as person hours to manage projects. But the relationships between operational variables and performance are usually not thoroughly analyzed and interpreted. This paper proposes a system model and procedure to relate influence variables to project productivity. The model was tested by analyzing 190 projects of an engineering consulting company. The relationships between design productivity and various input and process variables were identified and interpreted. For example, project size has a negative relationship with productivity, while the effect of quality assurance/quality control on productivity is not clear. Based on documented data and derived information, this model can help companies gain operational insight and thus improve productivity and profitability.
Trends in the Study of Pavlovian Conditioning

These introductory comments for the special issue on Pavlovian conditioning begin with a brief re- view of Rescorla's (1988) influential paper outlining how trends in the study of Pavlovian condition- ing changed the dominant view from an analysis of simple associations to an information seeking approach. I argue that current research trends in Pavlovian conditioning suggest possible ways of integrating the information-seeking approach with a more embodied, evolutionary approach. I briefly consider four trends reflected in the following papers that potentially add to our appreciation of how ecology and evolution are involved in conditioning: (1) Exploring an adaptive basis for Pavlovian conditioning; (2) Clarifying the relation of Pavlovian and operant conditioning; (3) Relating preexpo- sure and sensory preconditioning to the organization of exposure learning; and, (4) Integrating mod- els of Pavlovian conditioning. An influential paper by Rescorla (1988), published sixteen years ago in the American Psychologist, reviewed a variety of evidence that Pavlovian conditioning is considerably more complex than had been commonly assumed. In the tradi- tional view, repeated contiguous pairings of a CS (conditioned stimulus, a neutral stimulus) with the US (unconditioned stimulus, a reward) produced a simple asso- ciation between the two events. This association was typically expressed as a con- ditioned response to the CS that strongly resembled the unconditioned response to the US. Rescorla argued that Pavlovian conditioning was better viewed as reflect- ing the efforts of an information-seeking organism that produced sophisticated rep- resentations of the world based on logic, perceptual relations among events, and preconceptions. Rescorla cited three classes of evidence supporting this expanded view of conditioning. Two classes dealt primarily with informational and representational characteristics, while the third concerned the form of the conditioned response. (1) The first class of evidence concerned the circumstances producing conditioning, including: the critical importance of a contingency relation between the CS and US (rather than simple contiguity) and the unequal associability of particular CS-US combinations; (2) The second class of evidence concerned the complexity of what is learned, including: relations to the context, within event relations, and hierarchi- cal and "competitive" relations among predictive stimulus elements. (3) The third class of evidence pointed out the failure of traditional Pavlovian theory to account for the varied nature of the conditioned response, including: the frequent lack of resemblance between the unconditioned response to the US and the conditioned response to the CS, the emergence of different CRs to different CSs predicting the same US, and the ability of a CS presentation to influence multiple forms of oper- ant behavior.