Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Optimization-Evaluation Agricultural Water Planning Approach Based on Interval Linear Fractional Bi-Level Programming and IAHP-TOPSIS

In this study, an interval linear fractional bi-level programming (ILFBP) model was developed for managing irrigation-water resources under uncertainty. The ILFBP can fully address system fairness, uncertainties, and the leader–follower relationship of decision makers in the optimization process, which can better reflect the complexity of real decision-making process and help formulate reasonable water policies. An interactive fuzzy coordination algorithm based on satisfaction degree was introduced to solve the ILFBP model. In order to evaluate the applicability of optimization schemes, the interval analytic hierarchy process (IAHP) and the interval technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) method were integrated as IAHP-TOPSIS. To verify its validity, the developed optimization-evaluation framework was applied to an irrigation water management case study in the middle reaches of the Shiyang River Basin, located in the northwest China. The ILFBP model results show that the total water allocation is [6.73, 7.37] × 108 m3, saving nearly 0.9 × 108 m3 more than the current situation. The benefit per unit of water is [2.38, 2.95] yuan/m3, nearly 0.4 yuan/m3 more than the status quo, and the Gini coefficient is within a reasonable range of [0.35, 0.38]. The ILFBP model can well balance economic benefits and system fairness. Through the evaluation bases on IAHP-TOPSIS, the results of ILFBP show better water allocation effects and applicability than the other two models in this study area. Furthermore, due to various characteristics such as geographical location, population and area, there are three irrigation districts, Xiying, Donghe, and Qinghe, showing higher importance than others when considering regional water allocation. These findings can provide useful information for limited water resource managers and help decision makers determine effective alternatives of water resource planning under uncertainty.
Investigation of Fasting Ratio of C-Peptide/Glucose and Related Markers in Diabetes

Background: Authors have continued research concerning Low Carbohydrate Diet (LCD) and its related biomarkers. We also investigated correlation among several factors such as daily profile, fasting and average of blood glucose, Morbus value, and insulin and C-peptide. Subjects and Methods: Subjects were patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), classified into three groups due to HbA1c value. Methods included 1) basal blood exams, 2) intake of Calorie Restriction (CR) meal with 1400kcal/day with 60% of carbohydrates, 3) check of daily blood glucose 7 times a day, 4) calculation of average glucose and M value, 5) analyses of biomarkers. Results: Average blood glucose was 168 mg/dL, 206 mg/dL, 265mg/dL in low, middle, high group, respectively. Fasting ratio of C-peptide/glucose in 3 groups was 0.37, 0.34, 0.26, respectively period. There was significant correlation among HbA1c, M value and fasting ratio of C-peptide/glucose. Discussion and Conclusion: Among 3 groups, high group revealed lower tendency of fasting C-peptide and fasting ratio of C-peptide/glucose than other groups, suggesting that high group might has lower ability of insulin secretion. Fasting ratio of C-peptide/glucose would be useful for indicating beta cell function and predicting insulin requirement in clinical practice.
A Novel Method for Waterline Extraction from Remote Sensing Image Based on Quad-Tree and Multiple Active Contour Model

After the characteristics of geodesic active contour model (GAC), Chan-Vese model (CV) and local binary fitting model (LBF) are analyzed, and the active contour model based on regions and edges is combined with image segmentation method based on quad-tree, a waterline extraction method based on quad-tree and multiple active contour model is proposed in this paper. Firstly , the method provides an initial contour according to quad-tree segmentation; secondly, a new signed pressure force (SPF) function based on global image statistics information of CV model and local image statistics information of LBF model has been defined, and then, the edge stopping function(ESF) is replaced by the proposed SPF function, which solves the problem such as evolution stopped in advance and excessive evolution; finally, the Selective Binary and Gaussian Filtering Level Set method is used to avoid reinitializing and regularization to improve the evolution efficiency. The experimental results show that this method can effectively extract the weak edges and serious concave edges, and owns some properties such as sub-pixel accuracy, high efficiency and reliability for waterline extraction.
Digital and Interactive Social Media among Middle East Women: Empirical TAM Study

This study investigates the use of interactive media (WhatsApp) by Bahraini women to understand their decisions on how, why and when they use it. It supports the use of mobile technology applications to expand efficient communication and information among Arab women. Mobile technologies are very accessible to Arab women these days. A sample of 1,137 responses was collected, using a snowball sampling approach. Based on TAM literature, the study found that interactive media (e.g., WhatsApp) has enabled Bahraini women to communicate and share information with others. WhatsApp was used daily (23 hours) and also for sending comics and entertainment clips, important and rare news stories. Social interaction, communication, and escapism were found to be the most popular reasons for using WhatsApp. Overall, WhatsApp served as a platform used by Bahraini women to participate in social and communication activities.
Effect of Site Attributes and Matrix Composition on Neotropical Primate Species Richness and Functional Traits: A Comparison Among Regions

Fragmentation threatens biodiversity and forest-dwelling animals can be especially vulnerable. Neotropical primates inhabit forests and play ecological roles in maintaining forest biodiversity. Currently, many primate communities are restricted to forest fragments. We (1) evaluated the influence of environmental, matrix, and site attributes on species richness and functional traits of primates in the Neotropics; and (2) evaluated the effect of the sub-region on the relationships between primates and environmental, matrix, and site attributes. We conducted literature searches to find published data on primate communities in forest fragments throughout the Neotropics. Each fragment was assigned to 1 of 11 sub-regions: Mesoamerica, Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena, Caribbean, Orinoco, Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Chaco, Andes, Caatinga, and Pampa. Based on actual and expected species occurrences, we calculated the proportion of primate species retained in the fragments, the mass retained, and dietary items retained considering reproductive and vegetative plant parts and prey. We used linear mixed models to correlate primate variables with environmental, matrix, and site attributes. Fragment area was more important for primate retention than environmental, matrix, and site attributes, with primate retention being higher in larger fragments. Fragment size was positively correlated with all primate variables, except for retention of prey consumption, whose retention decreased as water bodies and density of buildings in the matrix increased. Fragments within protected areas retained larger species than unprotected fragments. The proportion of extant mass retained and vegetative plant parts in the diet were highest in Mesoamerica and lowest in the Atlantic Forest. Conservation planning of Neotropical primates should consider both the differences among sub-regions, forest restoration to increase fragment size, and the creation of new protected areas, even in fragmented landscapes.
Mask Video Projection-Based Stereolithography With Continuous Resin Flow

The mask image projection-based stereolithography (MIP-SL) is a low-cost and high-resolution additive manufacturing (AM) process. However, the slow speed of part separation and resin refilling is the primary bottleneck that limits the fabrication speed of the MIP-SL process. In addition, the stair-stepping effect due to the layer-based fabrication process limits the surface quality of built parts. To address the critical issues in the MIP-SL process related to resin refilling and layer-based fabrication, we present a mask video projection-based stereolithography (MVP-SL) process with continuous resin flow and light exposure. The newly developed AM process enables the continuous fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) objects with ultra-high fabrication speed. In the paper, the system design to achieve mask video projection and the process settings to achieve ultrafast fabrication speed are presented. The relationship between process parameters and the surface quality of the built parts is discussed. Test results illustrate that the MVP-SL process with a continuous resin flow can build three-dimensional objects within minutes, and the surface quality of the fabricated objects is significantly improved.
Reassessing the success of experts and nonexperts at correctly differentiating between closely related species from camera trap images: A reply to Gooliaff and Hodges

We present a reply to a recent article in Ecology and Evolution (“Measuring agreement among experts in classifying camera images of similar species” by Gooliaff and Hodges) that demonstrated a lack of consistency in expert‐based classification of images of similar‐looking species. We disagree with several conclusions from the study, and show that with some training, and use of multiple images that is becoming standard practice in camera‐trapping studies, even nonexperts can identify similar sympatric species with high consistency.
Stick-Breaking Variational Autoencoders

We extend Stochastic Gradient Variational Bayes to perform posterior inference for the weights of Stick-Breaking processes. This development allows us to define a Stick-Breaking Variational Autoencoder (SB-VAE), a Bayesian nonparametric version of the variational autoencoder that has a latent representation with stochastic dimensionality. We experimentally demonstrate that the SB-VAE, and a semi-supervised variant, learn highly discriminative latent representations that often outperform the Gaussian VAE's.
Analysis of Urban Agricultural Effects by Factors According to the Urban Citizens Income Level: Socially Sustainable Effect, Negative Effect, and Economically Sustainable Effect

The role of urban agriculture should not be limited as a small-scale crop cultivation activity as it was, but it has to be considered as an entire process of a agriculture activity for the restoration of the city community. This study is based on the assumption that there has been a significant change in urban lifestyle and urban farming preference, considering the overall improvement in standard of living after implementation of five day work week system. It was conducted for urban citizens who were interested in actual urban agriculture for ages 19 and over who visited the Korea Urban Agriculture Exhibition in 2018. Only 115 valid samples were used for the empirical analysis. To analyze the demographic characteristics and effects of urban agriculture, frequency analysis and descriptive statistics were conducted. In order to analyze the reliability and validity of the measurement variables of the effect, the variables that deteriorate the validity were removed and 15 variables of the urban agricultural effect were selected. According to the result of factor analysis, three factors were extracted as follows: socially sustainable effect, negative effect and economically sustainable effect. In order to examine the effects of urban agriculture depending on income level, the one-way ANOVA, which is a statistical technique for verifying differences in the sample means, was performed. The psychological stability of people, the recovery of humanity through communion with nature, and the vitalization of agriculture linked with local agriculture had significant correlations with income level. The negative effect showed no significant correlation with income level. The improvement of the local environment was found to have an impact in relation with income level. We expect that there will be more studies on policies for the new types and models of urban agriculture in order to make it easier for urban citizens to approach it.
ACC/AHA PRACTICE GUIDELINES ACC/AHA Guidelines for Ambulatory Electrocardiography

II. AECG Equipment . 914 A. Continuous Recorders . 915 B. Methods of Electrode Preparation and Lead Systems Used . 916 C. Variability of Arrhythmias and Ischemia and Optimal Duration of Recording.916 D. Intermittent Recorders.916 E. AECG Recording Capabilities Associated With Pacemakers and ICDs . 917 F. Playback Systems and Methods of Analysis . 917 1. Arrhythmia Analysis . 917 2. Ischemia Analysis.917 G. Emerging Technologies.918
Effect of Hybrid Learning in Higher Education

— In recent years, thanks to the development of information and communication technologies, the computer and internet have been used widely in higher education. Internet-based education is impacting traditional higher education as online components increasingly become integrated into face- to- face (FTF) courses. The goal of combined internet-based and traditional education is to take full advantage of the benefits of each platform in order to provide an educational opportunity that can promote student learning better than can either platform alone. Research results show that the use of hybrid learning is more effective than online or FTF models in higher education. Due to the potential benefits, an increasing number of institutions are interested in developing hybrid courses, programs, and degrees. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of hybrid learning. This paper is designed to determine the impact of hybrid learning on higher education.
Structure Inference in Sum-Product Networks using Infinite Sum-Product Trees

Sum-Product Networks (SPNs) are a highly efficient type of a deep probabilistic model that allows exact inference in time linear in the size of the network. In previous work, several heuristic structure learning approaches for SPNs have been developed, which are prone to overfitting compared to a purely Bayesian model. In this work, we propose a principled approach to structure learning in SPNs by introducing infinite Sum-Product Trees (SPTs). Our approach is the first correct and successful extension of SPNs to a Bayesian nonparametric model. We show that infinite SPTs can be used successfully to discover SPN structures and outperform infinite Gaussian mixture models in the task of density estimation.
Live-in migrant care worker arrangements in Germany and the Netherlands: motivations and justifications in family decision-making

Private households in ageing societies increasingly employ live-in migrant carers (LIMCs) to care for relatives in need of 24/7 care and supervision. Whilst LIMC arrangements are a common practice in Germany, they are only recently emerging in the Netherlands. Taking this development as a starting point, this study uses the countries’ different long-term care (LTC) regimes as the analytical framework to explore and compare the motivations and justifications of German and Dutch family carers who opt for an LIMC arrangment. Findings show that Dutch and German LTC regimes impact differently the decision-making processes of families, as well as on patterns of justification, through a combination of policies and social norms and their related expectations towards care and care work in old age.
Cross-Listings and the Dynamics between Credit and Equity Returns

We study how listing in multiple markets affects the dynamics between firms’ credit default swap (CDS) and stock returns. We find that cross-listing increases (1) the sensitivity of CDS to stock returns, (2) the integration of CDS with world equity and bond markets, and (3) the statistical synchronicity of CDS and stock prices. Our results are stronger for firms with greater media attention, analyst and CDS coverage, and Google search intensity and for listings in familiar markets. We suggest that a firm’s presence in global equity markets comes with an improvement in the credit-equity integration through a reduction of informational frictions. Received April 20, 2017; editorial decision February 12, 2019 by Editor Andrew Karolyi. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
The Claybury Selection Battery Manual

different from the monthly distribution of suicidal deaths due to poisons. They reported that the undetermined and accidental deaths due to poisons showed no monthly variation, but that suicidal deaths due to poisons peaked in May. The present study sought to replicate this finding in the USA and to examine differences for different poisons. Deaths due to poisons in the USA are classified as due to solids and liquids and as due to gases and vapors. Undetermined deaths due to poisons are not classified in the USA data. Data for the year of 1970 were obtained from the Vital Statistics of the United States, 1970. The mean number of deaths per day for each month from each of the officially defined causes is shown in the Table below. The seasonal variation in suicide differed for poisoningby solids and liquids and for poisoning by gas (x2= 33.75, df= 11,P<0.001). Suicidal deathsdueto solids and liquids peaked in May and September, whereas suicidal deaths due to gas peaked in February andOctober. The seasonal variation in accidental deaths due to drugs/medicaments/other solids/liquids also differed significantly from that due to gases and vapors (y@= 430.59, df = 11, P <0.001). Accidental deaths due to solids/liquids had a trough in February to March, whereas accidental deaths due to gases and vapors had atroughinJunetoSeptember. The seasonalvariation inpoisoning deathsas a whole by accident and by suicide also differed significantly (y@= 101.23, df = 11, P <0.001). Suicidal deaths peaked in March to May and September. Accidental deaths peaked in November to January. These results support those of Barraclough and White, namely that accidental deaths due to poisons haveadifferent seasonal variation thansuicidal deaths duetopoisons. The present studyfound,inaddition, different seasonal variations for different types ol poison. The present study supports, therefore, the conclusion of Barraclough and White that accidental deaths due to poison are not concealed suicides.
Equilibrium Real Exchange Rate Estimates Across Time and Space

Equilibrium real exchange rate and corresponding misalignment estimates differ tremendously depending on the panel estimation method used to derive them. Essentially, these methods differ in their treatment of the time-series (time) and the cross-section (space) variation in the panel. The study shows that conventional panel estimation methods (pooled OLS, fixed, random, and between effects) can be interpreted as restricted versions of a correlated random effects (CRE) model. It formally derives the distortion that arises if these restrictions are violated and uses two empirical applications from the literature to show that the distortion is generally very large. This suggests the use of the CRE model for the panel estimation of equilibrium real exchange rates and misalignments.
Comprehensive characterisation of bentonites from Croatia and neighbouring countries

There are several known deposits of bentonites in Croatia. Some of them have been used in the oil and casting industry and were thus studied with the focus on their appropriate properties. In the first comprehensive characterisation of the Croatian bentonite deposits mineralogical and petrological characterisation of investigated bentonites was performed leading to conclusions about their genesis. With the advancement of analytical methods and new findings about smectite characterisation in recent years, a demand for a full characterisation of known bentonite deposits occurred. Thirteen samples of bentonites were studied, most of them from Croatia (Poljanska Luka, Bednja, Draga – Gornja Jelenska, Loncarski Vis, Sjenicak, Paripovac, Divoselo and Bunaric - Maovice), but for comparison, samples from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sipovo), Slovenia (Zaloska Gorica), and Serbia (Vranjska Banja) were also analysed. Their mineralogical and chemical characteristics were analysed using several analytical methods on whole rock and <2µm samples. Mineralogical composition was determined using XRD and IR analyses. Chemical composition was determined using ICP/AES and ICP/MS. Additionally ; thermal analyses have been made, as well as determination of CEC and the exchanged cations. Layer charge was determined both by chemical formulae calculations using chemical analysis data and experimentally, observing the swelling behaviour of potassium saturated samples solvated with ethylene glycol. The results were then compared with the classification system proposed recently. According to this classification scheme, the main mineral component of most of the investigated bentonites is a calcium-rich dioctahedral montmorillonite with experimentally determined low layer-charge deriving from the substitutions mostly occurring in the octahedral sheet with variable share of tetrahedral substitutions. However, three of the investigated samples contain beidellite as the main mineral. All of the bentonites were formed from altered volcanic material, their age ranging from Late Jurassic to Late Miocene. Some samples proved to be difficult to characterise as they contain impurities, both mineralogical impurities and amorphous substances such as volcanic glass, which rendered some of the data obtained by chemical analyses problematic to interpret. Overall, the results present a systematic classification of local bentonites based on latest analytical data and in accordance with widely accepted classification schemes. Inevitably, however, this work opens up questions about the reliability of some analytical methods when dealing with samples containing impurities and the need to complement several different analytical methods in order to obtain accurate results.
Froude scaling modeling in an Atrium Fire equipped with natural and transient forced ventilation

Abstract In this paper, the capability of Froude scaling modeling to replicate the fire dynamics in full-scale Murcia Atrium Fires tests equipped with natural and transient forced ventilation was investigated experimentally and numerically by using a 2:27 physical Scale Down Model (SDM) of the full-scale Atrium and CFX-Ansys16.2, respectively. Five SDM experiments were conducted using different heptane fire capacities located at the center of the floor. Two different turbulence models were used for simulation i.e. Shear Stress Transport and k − ε. Experimental results of the SDM and full-scale atrium fire tests were compared with those predicted for SDM through the preservation of the Froude number to cover the gap in experimental facts and scientific understanding. This study focused primarily on the transient temperatures at near and far fire fields and the descending smoke layer. The predicted velocity and visibility were assessed. This study demonstrated that Froude scaling modelling is acceptable from a threshold of greater than 50% of the full-scale.