Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TaxAI: A Dynamic Economic Simulator and Benchmark for Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning

Taxation and government spending are crucial tools for governments to promote economic growth and maintain social equity. However, the difficulty in accurately predicting the dynamic strategies of diverse self-interested households presents a challenge for governments to implement effective tax policies. Given its proficiency in modeling other agents in partially observable environments and adaptively learning to find optimal policies, Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) is highly suitable for solving dynamic games between the government and numerous households. Although MARL shows more potential than traditional methods such as the genetic algorithm and dynamic programming, there is a lack of large-scale multi-agent reinforcement learning economic simulators. Therefore, we propose a MARL environment, named \textbf{TaxAI}, for dynamic games involving $N$ households, government, firms, and financial intermediaries based on the Bewley-Aiyagari economic model. Our study benchmarks 2 traditional economic methods with 7 MARL methods on TaxAI, demonstrating the effectiveness and superiority of MARL algorithms. Moreover, TaxAI's scalability in simulating dynamic interactions between the government and 10,000 households, coupled with real-data calibration, grants it a substantial improvement in scale and reality over existing simulators. Therefore, TaxAI is the most realistic economic simulator for optimal tax policy, which aims to generate feasible recommendations for governments and individuals.
Deuterium excess in Greenland snow: Analysis with simple and complex models

A simple Rayleigh-type isotope model, typical of those used to develop algorithms for extracting climatic information from stable water isotope paleodata, is evaluated against the more complex and presumably more reliable calculations of a general circulation model (GCM) fitted with isotope tracer diagnostics. The evaluation centers on an analysis of how the temperature T e of an oceanic moisture source affects the deuterium excess d of Greenland precipitation. The annual T e -d relationship derived from the GCM diagnostics is largely reproduced by the simple isotope model when the latter is properly initialized. This, coupled with the fact that the GCM itself reproduces observed isotope behavior, suggests that the simpler model's atmospheric calculations are indeed adequate for isotope studies. Furthermore, the GCM results support the idea, originally developed with the simpler models, that polar deuterium excess values contain information on meteorological conditions at distant evaporative sources.
Pacing the post–Last Glacial Maximum demise of the Animas Valley glacier and the San Juan Mountain ice cap, Colorado

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), a 5000 km 2 ice cap covered the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. The largest valley glacier draining this ice cap occupied the Animas Valley and flowed 91 km to the south. To characterize the post-LGM demise of the Animas Valley glacier, we employ cosmogenic 10 Be to date the LGM terrace outside the terminal moraines and a suite of seven glacially polished bedrock samples. The 10 Be depth profile within the terrace sediments suggests abandonment at 19.4 ± 1.5 ka. As deglaciation began, the ponding of Glacial Lake Durango behind the terminal moraines shut off fluvial sediment supply and caused terrace abandonment. The age of the terrace therefore records the initiation of LGM retreat. Negligible 10 Be inheritance in the terrace profile suggests that glacial erosion of the bedrock valley floor from which sediments were derived erased all cosmogenic inventory. Glacial polish exposure ages monotonically decrease up-valley from 17.1 to 12.3 ka, with the single exception of a sample collected from a quartzite rib, yielding an average retreat rate of 15.4 m/yr. This trend and the lack of inherited cosmogenic nuclides in the terrace sediments imply that polish ages accurately record the glacial retreat history. Retreat of the Animas lobe began at a time of regional drying recorded in sediments and shoreline elevations of large lakes. Deglaciation lasted for ∼7.2 k.y. , and was complete by 12.3 ± 1.0 ka. The retreat history followed the pattern of increasing insolation and was perhaps fastest during a time of regional drying.
Sobrepoblación de venado cola blanca en el noreste de México

Debido a que la caceria de hembras de venado cola blanca texano (Odocoileus virginianus texanus) era ilegal en Mexico, las poblaciones de venado en algunos ranchos de la region fronteriza del noreste del pais, alcanzan densidades muy altas por lo que la condicion nutricional de los animales y la calidad del habitat puede verse afectada. En el presente estudio se determino el estatus nutricional de 350 hembras capturadas en el noreste de Mexico entre febrero y marzo de 1994 y 1995. Los indices nutricionales utilizados fueron triyodotironina (T3), tiroxina (T4) y la relacion entre el ancho del torax y el peso corporal. Se detectaron diferencias significativas en el estatus nutricional de los venados entre los diferentes ranchos, no obstante que la clasificacion de los ranchos no fue consistente entre los indices. Los venados de un rancho en 1994 y de seis ranchos en 1995 tuvieron niveles de T3 que sugirieron que estos estaban consumiendo dietas que no llenaban sus requerimientos de energia. La caceria de hembras como herramienta para reducir las poblacio- nes de venado cola blanca texano beneficiara el manejo de las poblaciones de venado y de su habitat en Mexico.
An appraisal of landuse and landcover mapping in Nigeria

Land use and landcover change have emerged as a global phenomenon and perhaps the most significant regional anthropogenic disturbance to the environ-ment, especially in the 20th century. Rapid urbanization/industrialization and large scale agriculture and major changes in human activities have been identified as the major causes of the dramatic changes in land cover and land use patterns globally. Dramatic land cover and land use changes that would have once required centuries now take place within a few decades. Africa is said to have the fastest rate of deforestation in the world as a result of over-dependence on primary resources with direct effect on the bio-diversity. All these call for an urgent need for proper geo-management of land; that is concomitant upon the availability of a detailed, accurate and up-to-date data. Although, there has been a world wide increase in awareness and studies on land use and land cover change analysis in the last four to five decades, there is still an extremely low level of research attention on land use and land cover change studies in Nigeria. Also, some of the few prominent land use and land cover analysis and change detection attempts in the country relied heavily on manual analysis procedure as against the modern recognized digital image interpretation and analysis procedure. It is against this background that this paper attempts the appraisal of some landuse/landcover mapping studies in Nigeria, with a view to ascertaining their usefulness and, more importantly, to suggest the usefulness and application of some of the ‘modern’ methods to relevant studies in Nigeria. Key words: Landcover, landuse, remote sensing, biodiversity, environment.
Investigation of Brillouin effects in small-core holey optical fiber: lasing and scattering.

We demonstrate for what is believed to be the first time a Brillouin laser based on a holey fiber (HF). Using a simple Fabry-Perot resonator scheme containing a 73.5-m-long highly nonlinear HF with an effective area of 2.85 microm(2) , we obtain a threshold of 125 mW and a slope efficiency of ~70% . Stimulated and spontaneous Brillouin scattering effects are investigated in the HF, and we show that the high lasing threshold is due mainly to reduction of the effective gain coefficient caused by structural nonuniformity along the fiber length.
Sudden coronary death. Frequency of active coronary lesions, inactive coronary lesions, and myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND The reported frequency of active coronary lesions (plaque rupture and coronary thrombosis) in sudden death due to coronary artery atherosclerosis (sudden coronary death) has varied from < 20% to > 80% of cases in previous series. In hearts lacking an active coronary lesion, sudden death has usually been attributed to a healed myocardial infarction. The purpose of the present study was to determine the frequency of active and inactive coronary lesions and myocardial infarction in individuals with sudden coronary death. METHODS AND RESULTS The hearts of persons who died as a result of sudden coronary death underwent perfusion-fixation and postmortem angiography. An active coronary lesion was defined as a disrupted plaque, luminal fibrin/platelet thrombus, or both. We defined an inactive lesion as having a cross-sectional luminal stenosis of > or = 75% with neither plaque disruption nor luminal thrombus. Ninety hearts were examined (from 72 men and 18 women; mean age at the time of death, 51 +/- 10 years). Acute myocardial infarction was present in 19 (21% [acute myocardial infarction only in 9, both acute and healed myocardial infarction in 10]), healed myocardial infarction only in 37 (41%), and no myocardial infarction in 34 (38%). Active coronary lesions were identified in 51 (57%): acute thrombi plus disrupted plaques in 27, acute thrombi only in 21, and disrupted plaques only in 3. In hearts with acute myocardial infarction, active coronary lesions were significantly more prevalent than in hearts with only healed myocardial infarction or hearts lacking an acute or a healed myocardial infarction (89%, 46%, and 50%, respectively; P < .005). Hearts without acute or healed myocardial infarction and without active lesions were similar to hearts with active lesions with respect to heart weight and severity of epicardial coronary disease. CONCLUSIONS Acute changes in coronary plaque morphology (thrombus, plaque disruption, or both) were found in 57% of cases of sudden coronary death. In hearts with myocardial scars and no acute infarction, active coronary lesions were identified in 46% of cases. Neither myocardial infarction (acute or healed) nor an active coronary lesion was present in 19% of hearts.
Osteopontin is an adhesive factor for myeloma cells and is found in increased levels in plasma from patients with multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Osteopontin (OPN) is a non-collagenous matrix protein produced by various cells including osteoblasts, osteoclasts and several types of tumor cells. It is involved in a number of physiologic and pathologic events including adhesion, angiogenesis, apoptosis, inflammation, wound healing and tumor metastasis. We wanted to investigate the potential role of OPN in multiple myeloma. DESIGN AND METHODS Myeloma cells and stromal cells from myeloma patients were investigated as potential OPN-producers. Furthermore, OPN was tested in proliferation, migration and adhesion assays with myeloma cells. Serum and plasma OPN in myeloma patients were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). OPN levels were correlated to disease variables at diagnosis and to disease outcome. RESULTS Myeloma cells produce OPN, and stromal cells from myeloma patients express higher levels of OPN than stromal cells from healthy controls. The myeloma cell lines ANBL-6 and INA-6 adhered to OPN. NOD/SCID mice inoculated with OPN-producing ANBL-6 cells had elevated levels of murine OPN in serum, whereas human OPN was not detectable. Plasma and serum levels of OPN were significantly higher in myeloma patients than in healthy individuals. Interpretation and Conclusions. Myeloma cell lines adhere to OPN, indicating that elevated stromal expression of OPN may be one of the factors responsible for the retention of myeloma cells in the bone marrow. The elevated plasma OPN levels in myeloma patients could be due to both production of OPN by the tumor cells and tumor-induced production of OPN by non-tumor cells.
Energy Dissipation of Unsteady Wave Breaking on Currents

Energy dissipation for unsteady deep-water breaking in wave groups on following and opposing currents, including partial wave-blocking conditions, was investigated by detailed laboratory measurements. A range of focusing wave conditions, including current strengths, wave spectrum slopes, and breaking intensities, were examined. Observations show that weak following and opposing currents do not alter the limiting wave steepness. The kinematics of unsteady breaking can be characterized as the one without currents simply by the Doppler shift. In contrast, strong opposing currents can cause partial wave blockings that narrow the spectral frequency bandwidth and increase the mean spectral slope. Dependence of the significant spectral peak steepness on the spectral bandwidth parameter was identified, confirming threshold behavior of breaking inception of nonlinear wave group dynamics. Loss of excessive energy fluxes due to breaking was found to depend strongly on the mean spectral slope. Wave groups of a steeper spectral slope yield fewer energy losses. In addition, the spectral distribution of energy dissipation due to breaking has the following two main characteristics: (a) significant energy dissipation occurred at frequency components that were higher than the spectral peak frequency, and little energy change at the peak frequency was found; (b) below the spectral peak frequency a small energy gain was observed. The energy-gain-to-loss ratio varies with the spectral bandwidth parameter. Higher gain‐ loss ratios (up to 40%) were observed for breakers on strong opposing currents under the partial wave-blocking condition. Comparison and assessment of proposed and existing parameterizations for breaking-wave energy dissipation were made using the measured data. The new proposed form provides the features for addressing these two main spectral energy distribution characteristics due to breaking with and without currents.
Mapping asperities by minima of local recurrence time: San Jacinto‐Elsinore fault zones

Minima of the local recurrence time, TL(M), are correlated with the locations of historical main shocks in the San Jacinto (SJ)-Elsinore (E) fault zones of southern California. We define TL(M) as the recurrence time calculated from the local b and a values of the frequency-magnitude distribution (earthquakes within 6 and 10 km from each point in the SJ and E fault zones, respectively). We propose that anomalously low TL(M) values map asperities. Out of six historic main shocks (1899–1968), five ruptured substantial parts of four asperities mapped by our method, which uses solely the modern earthquake catalog (M ≥ 1.2, 1981.0–1998.8). We estimate the probability for this correlation to occur at random as ∼10−2 to 10−3, depending on the scenario chosen. It appears that the minima in TL(M) are tied to minima in b values more than to maxima in a values. Thus locations of low b values can also be used as an indication where asperities may be located and where main shocks are most likely. The Anza gap, a segment of the San Jacinto fault with low a values, is mapped as an asperity by our method. The heterogeneity in b values is strong throughout the study area. The b values range from 0.5 to 1.8 over distances of 10 km. Volumes with approximately constant b values have radii of r = 8±6 km. Our results suggest that detailed mapping of b values and local recurrence times in volumes with a few kilometers radius reveals important information about the local seismic hazard, hitherto untapped by conventional seismicity analyses.
Investigation of the loss processes for peroxyacetyl nitrate in the atmosphere: UV photolysis and reaction with OH

The UV absorption cross sections of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), CH 3 C(O)O 2 NO 2 , have been measured as a function of temperature (298, 273, and 250 K) between 195 and 345 nm using a diode array spectrometer. The absorption cross sections decrease monotonically with increasing wavelength. The cross sections also decrease as the temperature is lowered. Upper limits for the rate coefficients for the reaction of OH with PAN at atmospheric temperatures were determined to be <3×10 −14 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 using the pulsed photolysis laser induced fluorescence technique. Photolysis becomes the most important atmospheric loss process for PAN above ∼7 km, and the OH reaction is found to be unimportant throughout the troposphere. These results are compared with previous measurements, and the significance of the revised values on the atmospheric loss rates of PAN is discussed.
The Future of the Brazilian Amazon

The Brazilian Amazon is currently experiencing the world9s highest absolute rate of forest destruction and is likely to suffer even greater degradation in the future because of government plans to invest $40 billion from 2000 to 2007 in dozens of major new highways and infrastructure projects. We developed two computer models that integrate spatial data on deforestation, logging, mining, highways and roads, navigable rivers, vulnerability to wildfires, protected areas, and existing and planned infrastructure projects, in an effort to predict the condition of Brazilian Amazonian forests by the year 2020. Both models suggest that the region9s forests will be drastically altered by current development schemes and land-use trends over the next 20 years.
Behavior of the Wyrtki Jet observed with surface drifting buoys and satellite altimeter

Analyses of up‐to‐date data from satellite‐tracked surface drifters indicate that the Wyrtki Jets (WJ) of the equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) are developed firstly in the central EIO between 75°E and 80°E and then propagate westward along the equator at speeds of about 0.7 m s−1. Climatologically, the fall jet is both stronger and wider than its spring counterpart. This westward propagation phenomenon is supported by altimetry observation. It is suggested that the westward propagation of the jets in the western EIO (55°–75°E) is primarily forced directly by the westward propagating zonal winds. Whereas in the eastern EIO (east to 80°E), propagation of the jet signals is ambiguous although the zonal wind pattern is observed moving east. It is also evident that the WJs are subject to strong interannual variability, which may associate with El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).
Cavity expansion in cross‐anisotropic rock

Schistous rock can be considered—in a first approximation—as cross‐anisotropic linear elastic material. The determination of the corresponding material constants on the basis of the laboratory investigation of rock samples often fails, as the extraction of appropriate cores proves to be unfeasible (the cores disintegrate if the schistosity is pronounced). In this paper a new method is presented to determine the material constants of a linear elastic cross‐anisotropic rock on the basis of cavity expansion field tests, e.g. with a radial jack. To this purpose, an analytic approximation for the deformation of a hydrostatically loaded cylindrical cavity in cross‐anisotropic rock is derived which serves to the inverse analysis of the material parameters. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Standard soil methods for long-term ecological research

1. Soil Sampling, Preparation, Archiving, and Quality Control 2. Site and Landscape Characterization for Ecological Studies I. SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 3. Soil Water and Temperature Status 4. Soil Structural and Other Physical Properties II. SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES 5. Soil Carbon and Nitrogen: Pools and Fractions 6. Exchangeable Ions, pH, and Cation Exchange Capacity 7. Soil Phosphorus: Characterization and Total Elemental Analysis 8. Analysis of Detritus and Organic Horizons for Mineral and Organic Constituents 9. Collection of Soil Solution III. SOIL BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES 10. Soil CO[2, N[2O, and CH[4 Exchange 11. Measuing Decomposition, Nutrient Turnover, and Stores in Plant Litter 12. Dinitrogen Fixation 13. Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Availability: Nitrogen Mineralization, Nitrification, and Soil Respiration Potentials 14. Denitrification IV. SOIL ORGANISMS 15. The Determination of Microbial Biomass 16. Characterizing Soil Microbial Communities 17. Soil Invertebrates 18. Methods for Ecological Studies of Mycorrhizae 19. Measurement of Static Root Parameters: Biomass, Length, and Distribution in the Soil Profile 20. Fine Root Production and Demography
Palaeomagnetism of some Indian rocks

i Hitherto, no palaeomagnetic data for India are available earlier than the Jurassic, 130 M.y. The remanent magnetic directions of oriented samples from one Jurassic and four pre-Cambrian rock formations in India have now been determined. One pre-Cambrian formation gave very scattered direction: the other four formations gave well-defined directions and their magnetic stability was demonstrated by a.c. and thermal demagnetization. The three pre-Cambrian results enable values of the ancient latitude and orientation of India to be estimated at 500, 600 and 750 M.y. , assuming the ancient field to have been an axial dipole. By making use of these new results, together with similar data by other workers for Australia, North America and Europe, it can be shown that, as far as the scanty data goes, the rate of drift in latitudes and orientation of the four continents has been of roughly the same magnitude throughout the period since 750 M.y.
The shrinkage and swelling behaviour of UK soils : the clays of the Lambeth Group

The report describes work carried out in the geotechnical laboratories of the BGS at Keyworth. A limited number of undisturbed samples were collected from outcrops of the Reading and Woolwich formations of the Lambeth Group at locations in England by taking hand-prepared block samples and tube samples. A variety of geotechnical laboratory tests, measuring shrinkage and swelling both directly and indirectly, were carried out. These included both standard tests and new methods, based on experimental research work, and included tests on both undisturbed and remoulded specimens. The report describes the results of these tests, compares them with the results of geotechnical index tests and mineralogical analyses, and examines the shrink/swell classification of formations within the Lambeth Group. Where appropriate, comparisons are made with data obtained for the Gault Formation and Mercia Mudstone Group previously reported on. Swelling and shrinkage are two mechanical properties of a soil, which though driven by related physico-chemical mechanisms, are usually treated separately in the laboratory. Swelling sensu stricto is mainly a function of the clay minerals present in the soil or rock. The engineering phenomena of heave and subsidence may be caused by factors other than swelling and shrinkage of clays, respectively, for example, by stress relief, dissolution etc. The geological processes affecting swelling and shrinkage were reviewed by Gostelow (1995). Usually, the assessment of swelling and shrinkage does not involve direct measurement, but rather indirect estimation of volume change potential from index tests on reworked samples. There has been little change over the years to the shrink/swell tests that are described in British Standards. Three shrinkage tests are described in BS1377 (BSI, 1990), two for shrinkage limit and one for linear shrinkage. Both shrinkage limit tests make use of mercury. The two simple swelling tests in BS1377 (BSI, 1990) are based on the oedometer apparatus and measure swelling pressure (surcharge) and swelling strain (no surcharge). A swelling test is also incorporated in the compaction test procedure.