Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topological Characterization of Haze Episodes Using Persistent 1 Homology 2 3

1 Topological Characterization of Haze Episodes Using Persistent 1 Homology 2 3 Nur Fariha Syaqina Zulkepli, Mohd Salmi Md Noorani, Fatimah Abdul 4 Razak, Munira Ismail and Mohd Almie Alias 5 6 1 School of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan 7 Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. 8 9 Abstract 10 11 Haze phenomenon is one of the major environmental issues that have continuously vexed 12 countries worldwide, including Malaysia, for the last three decades. Therefore, this study aims to 13 investigate the differences between topological features of months with and without haze 14 episodes at air quality monitoring stations located in the areas of Jerantut, Klang, Petaling Jaya, 15 and Shah Alam. This is achieved by opting for persistent homology, which is a method in 16 topological data analysis (TDA) that analyses data in a qualitative (topological) sense via a focus 17 on topological features, such as connected components and holes of the data. Topological 18 features from particulate matter ( 10 PM ) data with summary statistics are subsequently utilized to 19 summarize them. The results have consequently shown drastic changes present in the summary 20 statistics of the lifetimes of topological features during haze episodes. These characteristics have 21 been consistently observed in each air quality monitoring station involved in this study. Thus, this 22 finding highlights the potential application for the development of an early warning system for 23 haze detection based on the topological approach. 24 25
Serological Investigation against Recombinant Hepatitis B Virus Surface Mutants in Vaccinated Healthcare Workers and HBV Chronic Carriers with Anti-HBs

Aims: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still a worldwide public health problem despite regular vaccination programs around the world. This study was performed to investigate the serological pattern of vaccinated subjects against recombinant repeatedly isolates of hepatitis B virus surface mutants, and evaluate the characteristics of HBsAg positive patients having HBs antibodies concurrently. Methods: Fifty vaccinated health care staffs participated in this study accompanied with five patients simultaneously carry HBsAg and anti-HBs antibody. For all the samples, the anti-HBs Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed for detecting antibody against thirteen recombinant mutants. Findings: The results showed that all vaccinated individuals had clinically sufficient protective antibody values (greater than 10 MIU/ml) with the mean value of 165 mIU/ml ± 29 mIU/ml. whereas, only 30% of individuals showed the complete protective neutralizing immune response to all specific HBsAg recombinant mutants. The lack of responsiveness mainly observed in three of HBV mutants; D144A (70%), Q129R (48.5%) and G145R (ad) (30%) respectively. The HBV chronic carriers with anti-HBs showed having the Q129R, G145R (ay), D144A, T126 N, T126s and G145 (ad) escaped mutants. Conclusion: The lack of responsiveness to some specific HBV mutants in vaccinated subjects, point out the potential risk of exposure to hepatitis B virus mutants.
Impact of Social Media on Power Relations of Korean Health Activism

This case study explores how the Korea Leukemia Patient Group (KLPG) uses social media in its internal communication strategy and how that empowers its relationship with external counterparts. This study’s findings indicate that the communication strategy of the local health Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is changing in response to the increased effectiveness and impact of social media. Using social media (e.g., Twitter) the KLPG can quickly and effectively construct an issue-based advocacy group. Consequently, more legitimacy and representativeness through collected support from the general public have further empowered the KLPG. Yet, the sustainability component in the relationships built through social media use was not evidenced in the current findings. The effects of social media use were analyzed based on data from interviews with top-level KLPG executive members and general members, and from documentation and archival materials. Limitations and suggestions for future research are included.
A Risk Assessment of Intangible Asset Valuation: The Post-Hoc Association Between Goodwill Impairments and Risk Hazards in Mergers and Acquisitions

We tested whether the change from SFAS 141 to SFAS 141r/ASC 805 had any effect on restatements due to goodwill impairment. Our findings suggest that the implementation of SFAS 141r increased the likelihood of a financial restatement by 2.5 times. Board of Director and Audit Committee involvement in the goodwill impairment decision reduced the likelihood of a restatement occurring. Service industry companies were 3.2 times more likely to restate their assets due to goodwill impairment. Companies who were audited by a Big4 firm reduced the odds of restatement by 47%.
Blast injury to the ear: management and long term follow up at a tertiary care hospital in a terrorism affected area of North India

Background: A large proportion of blast victims suffers ear injuries; however, these injuries are often overlooked.Methods: We assessed 411 blast victims to detect ear injury employing detailed history, otological examination, pure tone audiometry, auditory steady state response and distortion product otoacoustic emissions. TM perforations were managed by thorough cleaning of ear by suctioning, edges approximation and gelfoam splinting in group A and only suctioning in group B. Prednisolone in tapering doses was prescribed for managing hearing loss in all except those in whom it was contraindicated. Results: Out of 411 blast victims, 228 (55.47%) had aural trauma. All cases were males (being serving soldiers) between ages of 21 and 57 years. (Mean 37.77 years, SD 10.38). 285 ears had a perforated TM. Of these, 145 were assigned to group A while 140 were in group B. There was no significant difference in spontaneous healing of perforation between the two groups but at 5 years’ follow up group A had significantly higher number of unscarred, healthy TMs than group B (Z score=2.2111, p=0.0271). Mean pure tone average was 51.16 dB (SD 8.79 dB) at presentation and 38.91 dB (SD 7.86 dB) at 5 years. Recovery of SNHL component was significantly better in steroid treated patients.Conclusions: Edges approximation and gelfoam splinting helped in reducing scarring of TM on healing, on long follow up. Steroid treated group showed better recovery of hearing loss.
Specification Analysis of Structural Quantile Regression Models

This paper introduces a broad family of tests for the hypothesis of linearity in parameters of functions that are identified by conditional quantile restrictions involving instrumental variables. These tests are tantamount to assessments of lack of fit for quantile regression models involving endogenous conditioning variables, and may be applied to assess the validity of post-estimation inferences regarding the counterfactual effect of endogenous treatments on the distribution of outcomes. We show that the use of an orthogonal projection on the tangent space of nuisance parameters at each quantile index improves power performance and facilitates the simulation of critical values via the application of simple multiplier-type bootstrap procedures. Monte Carlo evidence is included, along with an application to an empirical analysis of the structure of demand for a particular subsegment of the market for anti-bacterial drugs in India.
Numerical Results for a Colocated Finite-Volume Scheme on Voronoi Meshes for Navier-Stokes Equations

An application of Newton’s method for linearization of advective terms given by the discretization on unstructured Voronoi meshes for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations is proposed and evaluated in this article. One of the major advantages of the unstructured approach is its application to very complex geometrical domains and the mesh is adaptable to features of the flow. Moreover, in this work comparisons with the literature results in bi-dimensional liddriven cavities for different Reynolds numbers allow us to assess the numerical properties of the new proposed finite-volume scheme. Results for the components of the velocity, and the pressure collocated at the centers of the control volumes are presented and discussed. On the basis of the numerical experiments reported in this article is seems that the method under investigation has no difficulty at capturing the formation of primary and secondary vortices as Reynolds number increases. Keyword: Newton method, Voronoi Diagram, Navier-Stokes equations, cavity.
A comparison of grey seal population models incorporating density dependent pup survival and fecundity

We fitted state-space models for density dependent pup survival and density dependent fecundity to regional estimates of British grey seal pup production. The results provide inconclusive evidence for one model over the other, but this could be because of limitations in the fitting algorithm used. Nevertheless, the results illustrate the very large difference in estimated total population size in 2003 under the two models: 96,000 under the density dependent pup survival model and 394,000 under the density dependent fecundity model.
Motivation and Pedagogical Relationship: A Case Study in Rabo de Peixe, Azores, Portugal

The action-research project that supports the present communication aims, through a Motivation Program implementation, to contribute to the understanding of the effect of motivation in students with a school record of failure background, integrated in classes with alternative school programs, its relevance to improve school results and the importance of the pedagogical relationship in the motivation for learning. It focused on 71 individuals in a total of 154, from Rabo de Peixe Azores, 53.5% males and 46.5% females, between the ages of 10 and 17, with an age average of 11.6. 43 of these students benefited from a mentoring program. It was shown that students integrated in Education Recovery Programs show motivation levels and school results below the average. It was also proven that the Motivation Program significantly improved the motivation and the academic performance and unequivocally minimized social, family, financial and cultural inequalities. The students considered as decisive for motivation and for success the investment in self-efficacy beliefs, the development of self-concept, the promotion of education through affection and the quality of the pedagogical relationship.
NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION OF FODDER TREE LEAVES OF NORTHERN GRASSLANDS OF PAKISTAN

The Intent of this experiment was to figure out the nutritive value of fodder tree leaves of Chagharzai vlley in Bunair district, North Western Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. Leaves of 12 fodder trees (Grewia oppsitifolia, Morus alba, Betula celtis, Celtus australis, Diospyros lotus, Aesculus indica, Celtis caucasica, Robinia pseudoacacia, Olea ferruginea, Melia azedarach, Ailanthus chinensis and Quercus incana) were selected and analyzed for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), ash, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), hemi-cellulose and lignin contents. The mean percentage values for DM, OM, ash, CP, NDF, ADF, hemi-cellulose and lignin were 27.65±1.64, 26.87±1.37, 5.72±0.43, 14.29±1.00, 55.50±1.82, 28.83±1.63, 26.67±1.09 and 6.02±0.54, respectively. In fodder tree leaves the highest potential intake rate (PIR) was observed for Grewia oppsitifolia (72.80±16.35 g/4 minute) and the lowest for Quercus incana (18.24±2.38 g/4 minute). The relative preference (RP) was the highest for Betula celtis (84.25±1.50%) and the lowest for Quercus incana (2.08±0.24%). The mean In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) of fodder tree leaves were 54.16±2.06% and 7.24±0.30 MJ/kg DM, respectively.The chemical and structural composition, IVDMD, RP and PIR values indicate that fodder tree leaves can be fed to livestock with some supplementation for different levels of production and types of livestock.
Above ground biomass and tree species richness estimation with airborne lidar in tropical Ghana forests Postprint version

Estimates of forest aboveground biomass are fundamental for carbon monitoring and accounting; delivering information at very high spatial resolution is especially valuable for local management, conservation and selective logging purposes. In tropical areas, hosting large biomass and biodiversity resources which are often threatened by unsustainable anthropogenic pressures, frequent forest resources monitoring is needed. Lidar is a powerful tool to estimate aboveground biomass at fine resolution; however its application in tropical forests has been limited, with high variability in the accuracy of results. Lidar pulses scan the forest vertical profile, and can provide structure information which is also linked to biodiversity. In the last decade the remote sensing of biodiversity has received great attention, but few studies focused on the use of lidar for assessing tree species richness in tropical forests. This research aims at estimating aboveground biomass and tree species richness using discrete return airborne lidar in Ghana forests. We tested an advanced statistical technique, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), which does not require assumptions on data distribution or on the relationships between variables, being suitable for studying ecological variables. We compared the MARS regression results with those obtained by multilinear regression and found that both algorithms were effective, but MARS provided higher accuracy either for biomass (R2 = 0.72) and species richness (R2 = 0.64). We also noted strong correlation between biodiversity and biomass field values. Even if the forest areas under analysis are limited in extent and represent peculiar ecosystems, the preliminary indications produced by our study suggest that instrument such as lidar, specifically useful for pinpointing forest structure, can also be exploited as a support for tree species richness assessment. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Genomic selection of dairy cattle: A review of methods, strategies, and impact

Genomic selection has forever changed the field of animal breeding, and this technology has had a remarkable impact on dairy cattle improvement programs, where long generation intervals and sex-limited traits add complexity and expense to conventional pedigree-based selection schemes. Tens of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers dispersed across the genome can be used to track the inheritance of chromosomal segments from one generation to the next, and these markers tend to be inherited with nearby and typically unknown quantitative trait loci (QTL) that affect the phenotypes for traits of economic importance on dairy farms. More importantly, knowledge of the relationships between SNP markers and nearby QTL in older reference population animals with both genotypic and phenotypic data can be used to predict the genomic estimated breeding values (EBV) of young selection candidates for which only genomic test results are available. Development of statistical methods for estimation of SNP effects and prediction of genomic EBV, as well as methods for imputation of inexpensive low-density SNP genotypes to higher density, has been rapid. This technology has been adopted quickly in North America, where approximately two million dairy cattle have been genomic tested over the past eight years. The rate of genetic progress for most traits has doubled, due to much shorter generation intervals for the sires of males, sires of females, and dams of males selection pathways, in addition to greater accuracy of decisions involving female selection candidates. The next frontier in genomic selection is development of routine predictions for novel traits that are too difficult and expensive to measure in traditional milk-recording programs, such as feed efficiency, calfhood pneumonia, and early postpartum health. In the long-term, genome-guided decision tools offer promise as regards the management of animal health, performance, and welfare, but significant research is needed to make these opportunities, which are the bovine equivalent of personalized medicine, technically feasible and cost-effective on commercial dairy farms.
Laboratory-measured H 2 SO 4-H 2 O-NH 3 ternary homogeneous nucleation rates : Initial observations

[1] We have measured nucleation rates of sulfuric acidwater-ammonia (H2SO4-H2O-NH3) ternary homogeneous nucleation (THN), with a fast flow nucleation reactor attached to two chemical ionization mass spectrometers (CIMSs) to measure H2SO4 and NH3 concentrations simultaneously. Under our experimental conditions with a temperature of 288 K and RH from 4–42% and initial [H2SO4] in the 10 –10 cm 3 range and [NH3] from 10–50 ppbv ( 2 10–1 10 cm ), the enhancement factor (EF) compared to the binary system ranges up to 1,000 depending on [H2SO4], [NH3] and RH; EF also exponentially increases with decreasing RH and decreasing initial [H2SO4]. The numbers of H2SO4 (9–10) and H2O molecules (6–15) in the critical clusters are reduced in the presence of NH3 [(6–8) and (4–10), respectively]; the number of NH3 molecules in the critical clusters is smaller than 2, under our experimental conditions. Citation: Benson, D. R. , M. E. Erupe, and S. -H. Lee (2009), Laboratory-measured H2SO4-H2O-NH3 ternary homogeneous nucleation rates: Initial observations, Geophys. Res. Lett. , 36, L15818, doi:10.1029/2009GL038728.
Declining Trends in Female Labour Force Participation in India: Evidence from NSSO

The recent evidence from NSS reveals a decline in female labour force participation in India. The decline is difficult to explain in terms of economic variable as country is experiencing rapid economic changes. Perhaps age and cohort factors meaning that educational and time period advantages might be leading to postponement of labour market participation. The objective of the study is to investigate the declining trends in female labour force participation by sorting out the trends into age, period and cohort effect. To study this OLS regression model is used and the data for the study drawn from NSSO rounds. The findings suggest that age and period changes can account for a substantial decline in labour force participation though the importance of cohort is not undermined. Provision of higher education and creation of employment opportunities to younger cohorts of women will increase the labour force participation rate in near future.
Optimisation of Supply Air Temperature Control for VAV Systems in Temperate Australia

Previous work by the authors has identified that the selection of supply air temperature control reset schedule has the potential to influence total HVAC energy use in Australian office buildings by up to 10%. This previous work has also identified a general but not uniform trend for lower supply air temperatures, which go hand-in-hand with lower airflows, to produce generally improved efficiency relative to high temperature high flow scenarios. However these results also indicated clear evidence that such a generalisation would not always produce the best outcomes. In this paper, the optimisation of supply air temperature control is considered in more detail using IES VE. Parameters investigated include the AHU configuration and zoning, reheat energy source, cooling energy source and the AHU load, across the temperate to subtropical climates represented by Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. The results are used to generate more specific observations as to the optimisation of AHU supply air temperature controls with a view to providing better insight into the general programming of AHU controls in practice. The potential performance impacts of optimised alternatives are compared to the standard base case scenario to evaluate the potential of more comprehensive optimisation to generate additional efficiency relative to standard practice.
Channel water balance and exchange with subsurface flow along a mountain headwater stream in Montana, United States

Channel water balances of contiguous reaches along streams represent a poorly understood scale of stream‐subsurface interaction. We measured reach water balances along a headwater stream in Montana, United States, during summer base flow recessions. Reach water balances were estimated from series of tracer tests in 13 consecutive reaches delineated evenly along a 2.6 km valley segment. For each reach, we estimated net change in discharge, gross hydrologic loss, and gross hydrologic gain from tracer dilution and mass recovery. Four series of tracer tests were performed during relatively high, intermediate, and low base flow conditions. The relative distribution of channel water along the stream was strongly related to a transition in valley structure, with a general increase in gross losses through the recession. During tracer tests at intermediate and low flows, there were frequent substantial losses of tracer mass (>10%) that could not be explained by net loss in flow over the reach, indicating that many of the study reaches were concurrently losing and gaining water. For example, one reach with little net change in discharge exchanged nearly 20% of upstream flow with gains and losses along the reach. These substantial bidirectional exchanges suggest that some channel interactions with subsurface flow paths were not measurable by net change in flow or transient storage of recovered tracer. Understanding bidirectional channel water balances in stream reaches along valleys is critical to an accurate assessment of stream solute fate and transport and to a full assessment of exchanges between the stream channel and surrounding subsurface.
Behavioral Change in First Time Expectant Fathers' Aggression

Thirty-two first time expectant fathers, 23-38 years of age, were recruited on a voluntary basis. They were tested on several behavioral measures throughout the course of their wives’ pregnancy. The Aggression Inventory (AI) was utilized during the first and third trimesters of the pregnancy in order to determine whether or not men become more aggressive over the course of a woman’s pregnancy. A two-way repeated measure Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was utilized. The Wilks’ Lambda Multivariate test of effect for time yielded an F of . 186. At an alpha level of . 05, it was not significant. The Wilks’ Lambda multivariate test of effect for the subscales yielded an F of 10.951, which was a significant main effect at an alpha level of . 05. Finally, when testing for an interaction between time and subscales the Wilks’ Lambda multivariate tests yielded an F of 1.024. It was not significant. Therefore, it appears that there is not a significant increase in aggression in males over the course of a pregnancy. However, there were significant limitations to this study.
Work-in-Progress : A Unified Runtime Framework for Weakly-hard Real-time Systems

A weakly-hard real-time system is a system that can tolerate a bounded number of timing violations. There have been various assumptions made by prior work on handling deadline-missed instances (jobs) of a task in weakly-hard systems, e.g., terminate it immediately or continue to execute it even after its deadline is missed. However, no prior work has presented a system-level framework to support such options and to quantitatively assess their effects on schedulability. In this paper, we present a unified runtime framework to execute weaklyhard tasks with the four major deadline-miss handling options: job abort, delayed completion, job pre-skip, and job post-skip. Our work is applicable to any type of operating systems that support preemptive scheduling with task control blocks. We have implemented our framework in the Linux platform running on Raspberry Pi. We evaluate the performance of each scheme and measure spatial and computational overheads.