Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frontiers of Population Forecasting

Most users of demographic data in government and industry require population forecasts-soundly based information on future population trends at the local, national, or global level. In the eyes of the public this is a principal justification for the discipline of demography And increasingly, sophisticated users expect not a single "best guess" of a population trajectory - perhaps straddled by "high" and "low" variants - but a range of demographic futures with associated indications of uncertainty, or even formal confidence intervals. Or they may want full-fledged scenarios of the development of the demographic system in different economic or environmental circumstances. Many population agencies, on the other hand, continue to generate population "projections" by methods that have been virtually unchanged for decades, with no assessment of probability and often claiming no ambition to predict. It is time to reexamine the procedures of population forecasting and to respond to these emerging demands by users. The nine chapters in this volume take on this task. The key issues they address include: What population characteristics beyond the standard variables of age and sex should routinely enter population forecasts? When should forecasts take account of economic or environmental feedbacks? How is forecasting accuracy to be assessed and what is the past record? What is the state of the art of stochastic time series modeling of population change? How can users cope with probability distributions? What scope is there for application of methods to incorporate expert opinion into population forecasting? Recent years have seen substantial advances in forecasting methods. These are beginning to be applied in population. For end users of forecasts who are familiar mainly with UN or similar population projection series and for the many professional demographers whose knowledge of projections has not progressed much since graduate, school, this volume opens a window on significant new developments in this field.
The determinants of investment in industrial research and development in the United Kingdom and in Germany

Investment in R&D has long been recognised as one of the main determinants of innovation and economic growth. This has led to the adoption of ambitious targets for increased R&D in the Lisbon agenda. But the UK’s chances of meeting those targets are receding: R&D intensity in the UK has actually declined since their adoption. In Germany, over the same period, it has risen significantly and consistently. This report seeks to identify the reasons behind the R&D intensity gap between the two countries and to suggest policies which could increase the amount of investment in R&D undertaken by business enterprises.
On standard solutions to the Ricci flow

Standard solutions on R3 have been introduced in the fundamental paper of Perelman about Ricci flow and surgery. We show that their generalizations to Rn+1 due to Lu and Tian, with n ≥ 2, are Type-II and converge to the Bryant soliton, once suitably rescaled; that proves a conjecture by Chow and Tian. We also analyse a few properties related to the formation and nature of the singularity.
Variations saisonnières des flux de CO2 et H2O au niveau des feuilles et des troncs des arbres de la canopée en forêt tropicale humide guyanaise

L’objectif de ce travail etait de caracteriser la variabilite saisonniere des echanges gazeux des arbres de la canopee en foret tropicale humide guyanaise confrontes a des saisons seches.L’etude s’est orientee sur la mesure des flux de carbone et d’eau au cours des saisons seches dans deux habitats contrastes du point de vue hydrique, afin de preciser leur sensibilite et reponse a la secheresse. Nos resultats montrent qu’une proportion non negligeable d’arbres ne subit pas de secheresse marquee en saison seche, malgre la forte diminution de la teneur en eau du sol en surface. Nous faisons l’hypothese que ces arbres possedent alors des racines en profondeur qui leur permettent d’acceder aux horizons qui restent humides malgre la faible pluviometrie. Durant les longues saisons seches, nous observons une diminution de l’assimilation nette de CO2 foliaire, de l’efflux de CO2 des troncs ou de la densite de flux de seve, et dans une moindre mesure de la respiration foliaire. Cette diminution concerne un nombre plus important d’arbres, quand l’intensite de la secheresse est plus forte (2008 par rapport a 2007). Neanmoins, de grandes differences de reponse a la secheresse du sol ont ete observees, suggerant des sensibilites et des mecanismes de reponse differents entre ces arbres. En habitat de bas-fond, nous montrons une plus faible diminution des flux carbones et hydriques en saison seche, suggerant un acces pour ces arbres aux horizons humides, proches de la nappe phreatique. Par ailleurs, nos resultats suggerent pour certains arbres un effet negatif des conditions d’anoxie sur ces flux en saison des pluies.Si l’accentuation de l’intensite des saisons seches en foret tropicale humide Amazonienne se confirme, comme suggeree par les modeles climatiques, ce travail suggere des modifications rapides de la composition specifique des forets, au profit des especes plus resistantes aux contraintes hydriques
Late or Earlier Information Fusion From Depth and Spectral Data? Large-Scale Digital Surface Model Refinement by Hybrid-CGAN

We present the workflow of a digital surface model (DSM) refinement methodology using a Hybrid-cGAN where the generative part consists of two encoders and a common decoder which blends the spectral and height information within one network. The inputs to the Hybrid-cGAN are single-channel photogrammetric DSMs with continuous values and single-channel pan-chromatic (PAN) half-meter resolution satellite images. Experimental results demonstrate that the earlier information fusion from data with different physical meanings helps to propagate fine details and complete an inaccurate or missing 3D information about building forms. Moreover, it improves the building boundaries making them more rectilinear.
Monetary and Fiscal Policy Interactions in the Euro Area

This paper studies the interactions between monetary and fiscal policies in the euro area. The focus is on the union central bank, the German government, and the French government. The policy targets are price stability in the union, full employment in Germany, and full employment in France. The policy instruments are union money supply, German government purchases, and French government purchases. As a rule, the spillovers of fiscal policy are negative. The policy decisions are taken sequentially or simultaneously. This paper carefully discusses the case for central bank independence and fiscal cooperation between Germany and France.
Outcomes of community health worker interventions.

OBJECTIVES To conduct a systematic review of the evidence on characteristics of community health workers (CHWs) and CHW interventions, outcomes of such interventions, costs and cost-effectiveness of CHW interventions, and characteristics of CHW training. DATA SOURCES We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Collaboration resources, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature for studies published in English from 1980 through November 2008. REVIEW METHODS We used standard Evidence-based Practice Center methods of dual review of abstracts, full-text articles, abstractions, quality ratings, and strength of evidence grades. We resolved disagreements by consensus. RESULTS We included 53 studies on characteristics and outcomes of CHW interventions, 6 on cost-effectiveness, and 9 on training. CHWs interacted with participants in a broad array of locations, using a spectrum of materials at varying levels of intensity. We classified 8 studies as low intensity, 18 as moderate intensity, and 27 as high intensity, based on the type and duration of interaction. Regarding outcomes, limited evidence (five studies) suggests that CHW interventions can improve participant knowledge when compared with alternative approaches such as no intervention, media, mail, or usual care plus pamphlets. We found mixed evidence for CHW effectiveness on participant behavior change (22 studies) and health outcomes (27 studies): some studies suggested that CHW interventions can result in greater improvements in participant behavior and health outcomes when compared with various alternatives, but other studies suggested that CHW interventions provide no statistically different benefits than alternatives. Low or moderate strength of evidence suggests that CHWs can increase appropriate health care utilization for some interventions (30 studies). The literature showed mixed results of effectiveness when analyzed by clinical context: CHW interventions had the greatest effectiveness relative to alternatives for some disease prevention, asthma management, cervical cancer screening, and mammography screening outcomes. CHW interventions were not significantly different from alternatives for clinical breast examination, breast self-examination, colorectal cancer screening, chronic disease management, or most maternal and child health interventions. Six studies with economic and cost information yielded insufficient data to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of CHW interventions relative to other community health interventions. Limited evidence described characteristics of CHW training; no studies examined the impact of CHW training on health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS CHWs can serve as a means of improving outcomes for underserved populations for some health conditions. The effectiveness of CHWs in numerous areas requires further research that addresses the methodological limitations of prior studies and that contributes to translating research into practice.
Robust Visual Detection and Tracking Strategies for Autonomous Aerial Refueling of UAVs

In this paper, we propose a robust detection and tracking strategy for autonomous aerial refueling of unmanned aerial vehicles. The proposed framework includes two modules: a faster deep-learning-based detector (DLD) and a more accurate reinforcement-learning-based tracker (RLT). In the detection stage, the DLD achieves faster speed by combining the efficient MoblieNet with the you only look once framework. In the tracking stage, RLT is proposed to obtain target’s position accurately and fastly by performing hierarchically positioning and adjusting target bounding box according to the reinforcement learning. The precision of drogue object tracking is 98.7%, which is obviously higher than the other comparison methods. The speed of our network can achieve 15 frames/s on GPU Titan X. The experimental results validate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed framework.
Characterization of photophysical and base-mimicking properties of a novel fluorescent adenine analogue in DNA

To increase the diversity of fluorescent base analogues with improved properties, we here present the straightforward click-chemistry-based synthesis of a novel fluorescent adenine-analogue triazole adenine (AT) and its photophysical characterization inside DNA. AT shows promising properties compared to the widely used adenine analogue 2-aminopurine. Quantum yields reach >20% and >5% in single- and double-stranded DNA, respectively, and show dependence on neighbouring bases. Moreover, AT shows only a minor destabilization of DNA duplexes, comparable to 2-aminopurine, and circular dichroism investigations suggest that AT only causes minimal structural perturbations to normal B-DNA. Furthermore, we find that AT shows favourable base-pairing properties with thymine and more surprisingly also with normal adenine. In conclusion, AT shows strong potential as a new fluorescent adenine analogue for monitoring changes within its microenvironment in DNA.
Effets de la pollution atmosphérique (pollution globale, fluorée et plombique) sur la végétation dans la région de Annaba (Algérie)

La region de Annaba (Est de l'Algerie) est soumise a une pollution atmospherique intense et variee. L'utilisation des vegetaux et notamment des lichens comme indicateurs biologiques a permis de preciser l'impact de la pollution globale, de la pollution fluoree et de la pollution plombique autour de Annaba. Ces trois aspects sont developpes apres la presentation des facteurs ecologiques de cette region. L'observation des necroses sur les feuilles de plusieurs especes phanerogamiques et l'etude de la repartition des lichens ont permis d'etablir une zonation de la pollution atmospherique globale. L'accumulation du fluor chez les vegetaux superieurs et chez les lichens a ete utilisee pour realiser la cartographie de la pollution fluoree avec quatre zones d'isopollution autour de l'agglomeration de Annaba. Enfin l'impact de la pollution plombique d'origine automobile a pu etre precise a partir de transects et de transplantation de lichens effectues de part et d'autre de trois principaux axes routiers desservant la ville de Annaba
Factors predisposing to obesity : a review of the literature

A famous ancient proverb states: eat breakfast like a king, lunch like an ordinary person, and your dinner like a beggar. These words of wisdom have long been discarded. Modern life has brought with it more food with high caloric density and better taste. New technology has made life easier and less active, and the result is a worldwide epidemic of obesity and its associated disorders.1,2 Obesity involves both increased fat cell size and number1 and occurs when energy intake is greater than energy expenditure. This balance between energy input and energy output can be affected by many factors including the quality and quantity of dietary intake, environmental and genetic inputs and physiological and psychological status.
God-apes and fossil men : paleoanthropology of South Asia

Until recently the scientific study of the prehistoric peoples of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the South Asian borderlands has been neglected, beyond some cursory comments in the popular literature about archaeological discoveries. Here is a book that offers much more: a broad survey of all prehistoric cultures of the Indian subcontinent from Paleolithic to Iron Age times.Written in a style accessible to the general reader, the book pioneers a new approach involving the integration of data from archaeological, paleontological, ecological, and anthropological investigations to offer a comprehensive picture of the origins, diversity, and lifeways of southern Asian populations. Complex scientific ideas are clearly and carefully explained in early chapters as the author considers the theories of human origins in Asia and the significance of the fossils of anthropoid apes recovered from the Siwalik hills (the "God-Apes"). Thereafter the text carries the story of human life on the subcontinent through distinct cultural periods from the Paleolithic to the Iron Age.Over the course of the book Kenneth A. R. Kennedy demonstrates that South Asian paleoanthropology has been formed by two intellectual forces: Western scientific traditions and native Vedic traditions. The interactions of Western and South Asian scholars have produced a unique approach to the study of ancient populations in this part of the world.No other book exists today on this subject, and "God-Apes and Fossil Men: Paleoanthro-pology of South Asia" serves as a model for future studies of ancient peoples and places.Kenneth A. R. Kennedy is Professor of Ecology, Anthropology, and Asian Studies in the Division of Biological Sciences, Cornell University. He has over thirty-five years of field and laboratory research in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the borderlands.
Invoicing and Pricing-to-Market - A Study of Price and Markup Elasticities of UK Exporters

In this paper, we provide novel micro evidence that the currency in which exports and imports are invoiced is a good proxy for the currency in which firms set prices. Using detailed data on UK customs transactions, we document that destination-specific markup adjustment is substantial only for export shipments which are invoiced in the destination market's currency, consistent with the view that firms invoicing in local currency price to market. Conversely, we find no destination-specific markup adjustments by firms that invoice a shipment in either their own currency or a vehicle currency, consistent with a firm setting one price either in their own or in a vehicle currency. However, we also document that, while the aggregate shares of invoicing currencies for the UK's exports and imports are stable over time, there is substantial heterogeneity at the firm-product-destination level. A firm's shipments of the same product to the same destination are often invoiced in multiple currencies, with a non-trivial degree of switching from one invoicing currency to another within a twelve-month period. This is more pronounced for firms that are multi-product and serve several destinations, pointing to a potentially important margin of adjustment so far understudied in the literature.
Comparing Dynamic Equilibrium Models to Data

This paper studies the properties of the Bayesian approach to estimation and comparison of dynamic equilibrium economies. Both tasks can be performed even if the models are nonnested, misspecified and nonlinear. First, we show that Bayesian methods have a classical interpretation: asymptotically the parameter point estimates converge to their pseudotrue values and the best model under the Kullback-Leibler distance will have the highest posterior probability. Second, we illustrate the strong small sample behavior of the approach using a well-known application: the U.S. cattle cycle. Bayesian estimates outperform Maximum Likelihood results and the proposed model is easily compared with a set of BVARs.
Calcaneal Quantitative Ultrasound Indicates Reduced Bone Status Among Physically Active Adult Forager‐Horticulturalists

Sedentary lifestyle contributes to osteoporosis and fragility fracture risks among modern humans, but whether such risks are prevalent in physically active preindustrial societies with lower life expectancies is unclear. Osteoporosis should be readily observable in preindustrial societies if it was regularly experienced over human history. In this study of 142 older adult Tsimane forager‐horticulturalists (mean age ± SD, 62.1 ± 8.6 years; range, 50 to 85 years; 51% female) we used calcaneal quantitative ultrasonography (qUS) to assess bone status, document prevalence of adults with reduced bone status, and identify factors (demographic, anthropometric, immunological, kinesthetic) associated with reduced bone status. Men (23%) are as likely as women (25%) to have reduced bone status, although age‐related decline in qUS parameters is attenuated for men. Adiposity and fat‐free mass positively co‐vary with qUS parameters for women but not men. Leukocyte count is inversely associated with qUS parameters controlling for potential confounders; leukocyte count is positively correlated within adults over time, and adults with persistently low counts have higher adjusted qUS parameters (6% to 8%) than adults with a high count. Reduced bone status characteristic of osteoporosis is common among active Tsimane with minimal exposure to osteoporosis risk factors found in industrialized societies, but with energetic constraints and high pathogen burden. © 2015 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
The Equilibrium State of the Eastern Half of the Ross Ice Shelf

Abstract Measurements of ice thickness, velocity, snow accumulation rates, and surface strain-rates are used to examine the state of equilibrium of three flow bands of the Ross Ice Shelf. The analysis gives the rate of thickening of the ice shelf in terms of the basal freezing rate, which is unknown. However, indirect evidence suggests that the basal flux ranges from a small value of freezing in the south to a melting rate of about one meter of ice per year at the ice front. If these values are correct then the flow band in the south-east corner of the ice shelf appears to be thickening at an average value of (34 ± 15) cm of ice per year. Persistent thickening at this rate must lead to grounding of large areas of the ice shelf. This would restrict drainage from West Antarctic ice streams which feed this part of the ice shelf and these would tend to thicken and advance their grounding lines into the ice shelf. Further north, near the RISP bore-hole site, the ice shelf is probably in equilibrium. The largest flow band is to the south and east of Roosevelt Island, and this also may be in equilibrium if there is significant bottom melting from ice shelf that is more than 100 km from the ice front.
Geochemistry and Geochronology of the Cretaceous Igneous Rocks in the Mogpo Area

Igneous rocks of Mogpo area composed of mainly Cretaceous volcanic and granitic rocks, especially volcanic rocks included with some glassy rock. The glassy rock corresponded to pitchstone with waxy and resinous luster because of absorbed water from neighboring hydrous rock formations. The pitchstone occur as dike in Gajido, Momilhang and Gohado of Mogpo area, and as small stock in Geumdangdo area. The Cretaceous igneous rocks plot on trend of calc-alkaline and corresponded to sub-alkalic rock series, but pitchstone show different trend from these igneous rocks, and are a series of differentiated products from cogenetic magma. In minor elements, igneous activity of Mogpo area start from volcanic activity, and continued on intrusive rocks at end of the Cretaceous. Pitchstone with relatively high differentiation intrued into hydrous rock formation at early Tertiary (Eocene). In chondrite normalized REE pattern, REE pattern are similar to micrographic granite-pitchstone and rhyolite-tuff, respectively. The former enriched than the latter in LREE, and have high Eu(-) anomaly. Parental magma type of these igneous rocks correspond to mantle fractionation+Syn-collision(volcanics). VAG field in Pearce diagram, and NCA field in volcanic arc maturity. Isotopic age of igneous rocks in the Mogpo area are 82.8∼86.4 Ma, 61.6∼81.4 Ma, 71.8∼75 Ma and 81.2∼86.9 Ma and 41.4∼42.3 Ma in tuff, rhyolite, porphyries and pink feldspar granite, respectively. These isotopic and geochemical data suggest the Cretaceous igneous rocks of Mogpo area were intruded and emplaced at two orogeny associated with igneous activity (Bulkuksa and Youngil disturbance). Pitchstone intrued into hydrous rock formations at late Eocene (in MogPo area) and late Cretaceous (in Geumdangdo area). and concluded pitchstones of both area have similar geological environment that rhyolitic magma intruded into neighbouring hydrous rock formation.
Urban Design: Health and the Therapeutic Environment

Part 1: Theoretical And Conceptual Background 1. Epidaurus 2. Health and Well-Being in the City 3. The Healthy Citizen: Healing the City 4. Havana, Cuba Part 3: The Therapeutic Environment: The British Tradition 5. Bath 6. The Age of Protest 7. New Lanark 8. The City Sanitized 9. Port Sunlight: The Birth of the Garden Suburb Part 4: The Therapeutic Environment In The Twenty-First Century 10. Urban Design and the Environmental Challenge (Case Study: Nottingham) 11. Health and the Bioregion 12. The Healthy City Structure (Case Study: Copenhagen) 13. The Healthy Quarter: The Garden Suburb (Case Study: Freiburg) 14. A Suburban Renaissance (Case Study: The Meadows, Nottingham) 15. Conclusion