Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient Parameter Estimation of Sampled Random Fields

We provide a computationally and statistically efficient method for estimating the parameters of a stochastic Gaussian model observed on a spatial grid, which need not be rectangular. Standard methods are plagued by computational intractability, where designing methods that can be implemented for realistically sized problems has been an issue for a long time. This has motivated the use of the Fourier Transform and the Whittle likelihood approximation. The challenge of frequency-domain methods is to determine and account for observational boundary effects, missing data, and the shape of the observed spatial grid. In this paper we address these effects explicitly by proposing a new quasi-likelihood estimator. We prove consistency and asymptotic normality of our estimator in settings that include irregularly shaped grids. Our simulations show that the proposed method solves boundary issues with Whittle estimation for random fields, yielding parameter estimates with significantly reduced bias and error. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method for incomplete lattices, in comparison to other recent methods. Finally, we apply our method to estimate the parameters of a Mat\'ern process used to model data from Venus' topography.
High-Speed Uni-Travelling Carrier Photodiodes for InP Photonic Integrated Circuits

We report on the design, growth and fabrication, and experimental assessment of Ultra-Fast InGaAsP/InP UniTravelling Carrier Photodiodes (UTC-PDs) suitable for activepassive monolithic integration with various Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) devices. The final Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) are expected to enable high bit rate (>10 Gbps) wireless transmission at a carrier frequency of 120 GHz. The proposed devices achieved a high 3-dB bandwidth of up to 110 GHz and a generated output power of more than 0 dBm (1 mW) at 120 GHz. Keywords—Uni-Travelling Carrier Photodiode (UTC-PD), Wireless Transmission, Monolithic Integration, Microwave Photonics, Millimeter-waves.
Quantum gravity and gravitational-wave astronomy

We investigate possible signatures of quantum gravity which could be tested with current and future gravitational-wave (GW) observations. In particular, we analyze how quantum gravity can influence the GW luminosity distance, the time dependence of the effective Planck mass and the instrumental strain noise of interferometers. Using both model-dependent and model-independent formulæ, we show that these quantities can encode a non-perturbative effect typical of all quantum-gravity theories, namely the way the dimension of spacetime changes with the probed scale. Effects associated with such dimensional flow might be tested with GW observations and constrained significantly in theories with a microscopically discrete spacetime geometry, more strongly than from propagation-speed constraints. Making use of public LIGO data as well as of a simulated higher-redshift LISA source, we impose the first, respectively, actual and mock constraints on quantum-gravity parameters affecting the GW luminosity distance and discuss specific theoretical examples. If also the Newtonian potential is modified but light geodesics are not, then solar-system bounds may be stronger than GW ones. Yet, for some theories GW astronomy can give unique information not available from solar-system tests.
Phase‐retrieved pupil functions in wide‐field fluorescence microscopy

Pupil functions are compact and modifiable descriptions of the three‐dimensional (3D) imaging properties of wide‐field optical systems. The pupil function of a microscope can be computationally estimated from the measured point spread function (PSF) using phase retrieval algorithms. The compaction of a 3D PSF into a 2D pupil function suppresses artefacts and measurement noise without resorting to rotational averaging. We show here that such ‘phase‐retrieved’ pupil functions can reproduce features in the optical path, both near the sample and in the microscope. Unlike the PSF, the pupil function can be easily modified to include known aberrations, such as those induced by index‐mismatched mounting media, simply by multiplying the pupil function by a calculated aberration function. PSFs calculated from such a modified pupil function closely match the corresponding measured PSFs collected under the aberrated imaging conditions. When used for image deconvolution of simulated objects, these phase‐retrieved, calculated PSFs perform similarly to directly measured PSFs.
UC Berkeley Building Efficiency and Sustainability in the Tropics ( SinBerBEST )

Virtual-Sensing, which is achieved through the disaggregation of composite power metering signals, is a solution towards achieving fine-grained smart power monitoring. In this work we discuss the challenging issues in Virtual-Sensing, introduce and ultimately combine the Hidden Markov Model and the Edge-based methods. T he resulting solution, based on a Multiple-hypothesis Sequential Probability Ratio Test, combines the advantages of the two methods and delivers significant improvement in disaggregation performance. A robust version of the test is also proposed to filter the impulse noise common in real-time monitoring of the plug-in loads power consumption.
Unger Lessons from ALLHAT Are low budget diuretics first line therapy in hypertension ?

n Zusammenfassung Diuretika sind bewährte und heutzutage auch billige kardiovaskuläre Therapeutika. Im Gegensatz zu den jüngsten US-amerikanischen Hypertonie-Leitlinien (JNC 7), welche unter einseitiger Auslegung der ALLHAT-Ergebnisse den Diuretika einen singulären Platz in der Erstbehandlung der Hypertonie einräumen, werden sie in den ausgewogenen, 2003 veröffentlichten, Leitlinien der European Society of Hypertension (ESH) als Mittel der ersten Wahl den BetaBlockern, ACE-Hemmern, Sartanen und Calciumantagonisten zur Seite, aber nicht vorangestellt. Mit einer derartigen Einordung der Diuretika vertragen sich bisherige wissenschaftliche Evidenz und klinische Erfahrung einigermaßen. Aufgrund des unbestreitbaren, dosisabhängigen Potenzials an Nebenwirkungen wie Hypokaliämie, Diabetogenität und Stimulation neurohumoraler Systeme halte ich persönlich die Diuretika den neueren Substanzgruppen, insbesondere den RAS-Hemmstoffen, für unterlegen. Ich würde es daher begrüßen, wenn man die Diuretika in Zukunft aus der Monotherapie der Hypertonie hinausnehmen und von vorne herein als niedrig dosierte Kombinationspartner für RAS-Hemmstoffe, Beta-Blocker und auch Calciumantagonisten anbieten könnte. In dieser Rolle können sie nur Gutes bewirken und keinen Schaden anrichten.
TEXT2PLAN: TESTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TAILORED TEXT MESSAGES FOR PROMOTING PLANNING FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Text messages can promote physical activity plan execution (Prestwich, Perugini & Hurling, 2010), but it is unknown if they can promote plan formation. Our study investigated whether text messages could be used to promote the formation of physical activity plans. We determined if 1) text messages about planning increased planning more than text messages about physical activity, 2) if tailored text messages about planning increased planning more than generic text messages about planning, and 3) if planning was maintained over time. Participants were inactive adults (n=239, Mage=30.7±4.8yrs) with access to email and text messaging. Participants received generic messages about physical activity, generic messages about planning or tailored messages about planning. Each week for two months, participants were emailed a tool to plan their physical activity. Whether participants used this tool was assessed at baseline (T0), after one month of receiving text messages (T1) and after an additional month without text messages (T2). There were no differences in planning between groups that received messages about planning or physical activity at T1 or T2, ps>. 05. More participants who received tailored text messages about planning made at least one plan by T1 than participants who received generic messages about planning, χ2(1)=3.889, p . 05. For all groups, planning was maintained from T0 to T1, ps>. 05, but decreased from T1 to T2, McNemars χ2(1)>17.455, ps<. 001. Generic text messages about physical activity or tailored messages about planning can increase planning, but planning may not be sustained over time.
Curative effect analysis of urapidil on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether urapidil, an a1-adrenoceptor antagonist and 5-HT1A receptor agonist, could provide additional therapeutic benefits compared with nitroglycerin (NG) in acute heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) or acute heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) concomitant by hypertension. This study enrolled a total of 194 patients who had been diagnosed with acute HFpEF or acute HFrEF from multiple medical centers between August 2011 and November 2013. Urapidil (100 mg/day) and NG (10 mg/day) were diluted in 50 mL of 0.9% normal saline and intravenously delivered to patients within periods of 48 to 140 hours. Related clinical indexes were routinely monitored and analyzed with specific statistical procedure. In both acute HFpEF group and acute HFrEF group, compared with NG, urapidil has a remarkable time-dependent reducing effect on multiple clinical indexes, including SBP, DBP, HR and NT-proBNP (72-hour and 7-day). Compared with HFrEF group, HFpEF group had lower levels of SBP, NT-proBNP (72-hour and 7-day) and LA response to urapidil treatment, and LVEF level in HFpEF group was improved significantly after 7-day urapidil treatment, suggesting that urapidil treatment make HFpEF patients benefit more. There was no significant difference of blood pressure between two groups after urapidil treatment. For acute HFpEF and HFrEF patients with hypertension, intravenous administration of urapidil is a promising treatment for the better control of blood pressure and preserved cardiac function. Urapidil treatment should be recommended for HFpEF.
Performance Study of Moldboard Plow with Two Types of Disc Harrows and Their Effect on Some Soil Properties Under Different Operating Conditions

A field experiment was conducted in two different locations at Agricultural Research Station of Garmat Ali in Basrah-Iraq. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the effective field capacity, field efficiency, draft force, pulverization index (PI), soil bulk density and soil porosity for moldboard plow (primary tillage), mounted disk harrow and offset disk harrow (secondary tillage) under different operating speed (2.54 (S1), 3.84 (S2) and 5.77 (S3) km hr-1) in two different soil textures (silty loam soil and clay soil). The design of the experiment was complete randomized blocks design in factorial experiment. The results showed that the moldboard plow had high values of draft force, pulverization index (PI) and soil porosity and lower soil bulk density, effective field capacity and field efficiency than that of mounted disk harrow and offset disk harrow in both soils. The operating speed and the interaction between operating speed and implements tillage type had significantly affect (p < 0.05) on all the studied parameters. The silty loam soil achieved higher effective field capacity, field efficiency, soil porosity (low bulk density) and considerable pulverization of soil clods than that of clay soil. The results also showed that the optimal operation conditions of implements tillage were associated with high operating speed of 5.77 km hr-1 in silty loam soil especially with using the disks harrow.
Ultrasound versus Magnetic Resonance Cholangio-Pancreatography in the Diagnosis of Suspected Extra-hepatic Intrinsic Biliary Obstruction

Background Evaluation of obstructive jaundice is a common clinical problem. Objective To compare diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Cholangio-Pancreatography in the diagnosis of intrinsic obstructive biliary disease. Methods One hundred and sixty patients with an obstructive jaundice for whom ultrasound (U/S), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Cholangio-Pancreatography (MRCP) were performed. The final diagnosis was confirmed by surgery, tissue biopsy and/or Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography (ERCP) in some cases. Results Of the 164 patients, 102 (62.2%) were found to have choledocholithiasis, 42 patients (25.6%) with benign stenosis and 20 patients (12.2%) had cholangiocarcinomas. Regarding choledocholithiasis, U/S examination showed a diagnostic accuracy of 80.15% with sensitivity of 71.08% and a specificity of 95.83 %. Conversely, MRCP showed a diagnostic accuracy of 93.89%, sensitivity of 93.97% and a specificity of 93.75 %. Regarding benign stenosis: U/S showed a diagnostic accuracy of 78.62% with a sensitivity of 16.67 % and a specificity of 97.29%. The diagnostic accuracy of MRCP was 93.13%, with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 94.05%. In malignant stenosis: of the 20 patients with cholangiocarcinomas, 6 were localized in the upper third or hilar biliary tract (Klatskin tumor), 4 in the mid third and 10 in the distal third of the common bile duct (CBD). The diagnostic accuracy of US in malignant stenosis was 93.13%, with a sensitivity of 61.12% and a specificity of 98.23%. For MRCP, the diagnostic accuracy in detecting malignant stenosis was 93.89%, with a sensitivity of 72.23% and specificity of 97.34%. In all cases, no difference was noticed when comparing US and MRCP. Conclusion Lithiasis was the most common cause of extra-hepatic intrinsic biliary obstructions. U/S is considered the first choice option in the diagnostic imaging of obstructive disease. If laboratory and clinical findings are supported by U/S, ERCP is required for therapeutic purposes, or if necessary surgery is performed. Ultrasound is highly reliable for ruling out benign stenosis, though not for demonstrating their presence. MRCP is required only for staging of malignant stenosis, or if the suspicion posed by clinical and laboratory findings is not confirmed at U/S.
Long Distance Revisions in Drafting and Post-editing

This paper investigates properties of translation processes, as observed in the translation behaviour of student and professional translators. The translation process can be divided into a gisting , drafting and post-editing phase. We ﬁnd that student translators have longer gisting phases whereas professional translators have longer post-editing phases. Long-distance revisions, which would typically be expected during post-editing, occur to the same extent during drafting as during post-editing. Further, both groups of translators seem to face the same translation problems. We suggest how those ﬁndings might be taken into account in the design of computer assisted translation tools.
ASSESSMENT THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF BULGARIAN RASPBERRY GERMPLASM COLLECTION BY MICROSATELLITE AND RAPD MARKERS

As an important producer of soft fruits Bulgaria has a rich germplasm collection of both Bulgarian and foreign varieties with valuable agronomic characters of commercial value. In addition to morphological descriptions used for classification of species and cultivars the molecular characterization of raspberry germplasm collection should enable breeders to expand genetic diversity in breeding material and can facilitate the accurate selection of genotypes with valuable agronomic characters in breeding programmes. In this article we present our initial study on the assessment of genetic diversity among Bulgarian and foreign raspberry accessions using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSRs) and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) markers. Twenty eight raspberry genotypes (nineteen Bulgarian, eight foreign and two wild accessions) were screened for their polymorphism at four microsatellite loci. The value determined for genetic variation demonstrated a high genetic diversity in the Bulgarian raspberry germplasm collection. Genetic diversity (GD) calculated from SSR data ranged from 0.816 to 0.925 with a mean GD – 0.863. RAPD assay using 4 arbitrary 10-base primers was applied as complementary marker system for gene diversity studies in 14 varieties and elite raspberry lines. A total of 56 fragments were recorded, of which 87.5% were polymorphic. The Genetic Similarity (GS) among genotypes evaluated from RAPD data ranged from 0.480 to 0.952 thus indicating that a high level of gene diversity is present in the selected genotypes. RAPD analysis proved to be efficient for discrimination of elite raspberry lines with common pedigree.
Sensitivity analysis of sea scallop larvae trajectories to hydrodynamic model configuration on Georges Bank and adjacent coastal regions

The previous larval-trajectory modeling studies on Georges Bank were assessed through process-oriented Lagrangian-tracking comparison experiments using the high-resolution Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model (GOM-FVCOM). The results indicate that in a strong nonlinear system such as Georges Bank, the passive tracer movement is driven by a fully three-dimensional Lagrangian flow field that varies in space and time due to large tidal excursion and steep bottom topography. The particle tracking methods developed based on the assumption of weak nonlinearity of the flow field are not applicable to Georges Bank. The results of previous larval transport studies driven by circulation fields constructed under weak-nonlinearity assumption need to be interpreted with caution. In the present work, the influence of model physical setups on sea scallop larval dispersal and settlement on Georges Bank and adjacent shelf regions is examined. Distinct differences in the spatial distribution of the passive larvae predicted by the model under various physical conditions suggest that a fully nonlinear model driven by realistic spatially and temporally varying forcing should be employed for Lagrangian-based studies of fishery population dynamics on Georges Bank.
Influence of evaporative cooling and near infrared reflection storage on the chemical properties of mangoes

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a valuable fruit crop in Kenya due to its nutritive and economic value. However, at least 40 to 45% of the fruit is lost during postharvest handling attributed to inadequate availability of affordable storage systems by the peasant farmers. An applicable technology (SNR -) is the use of combination of evaporative cooling and near infrared reflection to lower the temperature of the storage environment. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the effect of storage environment of the SNR store on the chemical properties of mangoes against those stored in the identical evapoaratively cooled non-near infrared reflecting store (SNNR) and room conditions (RC) as a control experiment. The fresh and mature Apple and Kent were stored under the three storage conditions and the chemical properties such as total soluble solids (TTS), total titratable acids (TTA) and pH were determined and recorded on daily basis. The analysis of variance results did not show significant difference (P>0.05) in the TTA and pH of the fruits stored in the three conditions except TTS however, the rate of ripening was lower for the fruits stored in the SNR compared to those in the SNNR and RC. Therefore, the SNR store can be considered as an alternative storage system for preserving the quality mangoes.
JEL Classifications : G 14 Keywords : Employee Satisfaction , Market Efficiency

We find that firms experiencing improvements in crowdsourced employer ratings significantly outperform firms with declines. The return effect is concentrated among reviews from current employees, stronger among early firm reviews, and also stronger when the employee works in the headquarters state. Decomposing employer ratings, we find the return effect is related to changing employee assessments of career opportunities and views of senior management. It is unrelated to work-life balance. Changing employer reviews predict contemporaneous growth in sales and profitability and help forecast one-quarter ahead earnings announcement surprises. The evidence is consistent with employee reviews revealing fundamental information about the firm. JEL Classifications: G14
Tree Biomass Equations from Terrestrial LiDAR: A Case Study in Guyana

Large uncertainties in tree and forest carbon estimates weaken national efforts to accurately estimate aboveground biomass (AGB) for their national monitoring, measurement, reporting and verification system. Allometric equations to estimate biomass have improved, but remain limited. They rely on destructive sampling; large trees are under-represented in the data used to create them; and they cannot always be applied to different regions. These factors lead to uncertainties and systematic errors in biomass estimations. We developed allometric models to estimate tree AGB in Guyana. These models were based on tree attributes (diameter, height, crown diameter) obtained from terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point clouds from 72 tropical trees and wood density. We validated our methods and models with data from 26 additional destructively harvested trees. We found that our best TLS-derived allometric models included crown diameter, provided more accurate AGB estimates ( R 2 = 0.92–0.93) than traditional pantropical models ( R 2 = 0.85–0.89), and were especially accurate for large trees (diameter > 70 cm). The assessed pantropical models underestimated AGB by 4 to 13%. Nevertheless, one pantropical model (Chave et al. 2005 without height) consistently performed best among the pantropical models tested ( R 2 = 0.89) and predicted AGB accurately across all size classes—which but for this could not be known without destructive or TLS-derived validation data. Our methods also demonstrate that tree height is difficult to measure in situ, and the inclusion of height in allometric models consistently worsened AGB estimates. We determined that TLS-derived AGB estimates were unbiased. Our approach advances methods to be able to develop, test, and choose allometric models without the need to harvest trees.
Healing of Growth Plate Cartilage by Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α Inhibitor Apigenin on Thiram Induced Tibial Dyschondroplasia

Received: Revised: Accepted: Published online: August 08, 2017 December 05, 2017 February 21, 2018 March 28, 2018 Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) is a long bone abnormality of many avian species, characterized by distended and unvascularized cartilage of proximal tibiotarsal bone and leads to economic losses and major animal welfare problem in poultry industry. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the mechanism of hypoxiainducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) inhibition and antioxidant capacity of apigenin in thiram induced TD. One hundred and fifty broiler chicks were equally divided into 3 groups: control; thiram fed; and apigenin group. The genotypic expression of HIF1α was analyzed by using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR) and the protein levels of HIF-1α were determined by western blot analysis. The results showed that HIF-1α mRNA levels were significantly (P<0.05) increased during the course of disease in thiram induced TD birds as compared to control. However, the mRNA levels of HIF-1α was significantly decreased by HIF-1α inhibition factor in apigenin group with diminishes growth plate size and lameness. Moreover, thiram induction also increased the levels of AST, ALT and MDA contents in liver, whereas decreased the antioxidant enzymes and ALP values in thiram group, while these values were found close to normal range in apigenin group as compared to control group in response to apigenin. In conclusion, HIF-1α inhibition can heal lameness and avascularized growth plate in broiler chickens; moreover, apigenin may be efficient through rectifying the liver damage and oxidative imbalance induced by thiram. ©2018 PVJ. All rights reserved