Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A climatology of tropical wind shear produced by clustering wind
profiles from a climate model

Abstract. A procedure for producing a climatology of tropical wind shear from climate-model output is presented. The procedure is designed to find grid columns in the model where the organization of convection may be present. The climate-model output consists of east–west and north–south wind profiles at 20 equally spaced pressure levels from 1000 hPa to 50 hPa, and the Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) as diagnosed by the model’s Convection Parametrization Scheme (CPS). The procedure begins by filtering the wind profiles based on their maximum shear, and on a CAPE threshold of 100 J kg−1. The filtered profiles are normalized using the maximum wind speed at each pressure level, and rotated to align the wind at 850 hPa. From each of the filtered profiles, a sample has been produced with 40 dimensions (20 for each wind direction). The number of dimensions is reduced by using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), where the requirement is that 90 % of the variance must be explained by the principal components. This requires keeping the first seven leading principal components. The samples, as represented by their principal components, can then be clustered using the K-Means Clustering Algorithm (KMCA). 10 clusters are chosen to represent the samples, and the median of each cluster defines a Representative Wind Profile (RWP) – a profile that represents the shear conditions of the wind profiles produced by the climate model. The RWPs are analysed, first in terms of their vertical structure, and then in terms of their geographical and temporal distributions. We find that the RWPs have some features often associated with the organization of convection, such as low-level and mid-level shear. Some of the RWPs can be matched with wind profiles taken from case studies of organization of convection, such as squall lines seen in Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere, Coupled Atmosphere Ocean Research Experiment (TOGA–COARE). The RWPs’ geographical distributions show that each RWP occurs preferentially in certain regions. Six of the RWPs occur preferentially over land, while three occur preferentially over oceans. The temporal distribution of RWPs shows that they occur preferentially at certain times of the year, with the distributions having mainly one or two modes. Their geographical and temporal distributions are compared with those seen in previous studies of organized convection, and some broad and specific similarities are noted. By performing the analysis on climate-model output, we lay the foundations for the development of the representation of shear-induced organization in a CPS. This would use the same methodology to diagnose where the organization of convection occurs, and modify the CPS in an appropriate manner to represent it.
Investment Opportunities, Market Feedback, and Voluntary Disclosure: Evidence from the Shale Oil Revolution

Recent theories posit that investment opportunities encourage managers to provide voluntary disclosures to elicit informational feedback from stock prices to improve investment decisions, even as doing so encourages informed trading and worsens adverse selection among investors. We test this prediction in a difference-in-differences framework using the shale oil revolution in the early 2010s as an exogenous shock to investment opportunities for oil and gas (“O&G”) firms. During this period, we find that O&G firms increased capex forecasts and decreased earnings forecasts relative to non-O&G firms and that these effects are concentrated among O&G firms with more informed trading and relatively poorer managerial information. We also find that O&G firms that shifted from earnings forecasts to capex forecasts display both an increase in investment-q sensitivity and a decrease in stock liquidity during the shale oil revolution. Taken together, these results suggest that managers adjust their portfolio of voluntary disclosures to facilitate managerial learning from stock prices to exploit investment opportunities, despite worsening adverse selection costs. JEL Classification: G12, G24, M4
Metabolic Changes in Phenolic Compounds in Buds during and after Dormancy Releasing in early and late (Malus sylvestris, Mill) Apple Varieties as Effected by Chilling Requirements

In order to study the relation between seasonal changes in phenolic compounds and flower opining date according to chilling requirements. The early and late-opining apple varieties, Barkhar, Local and Strakhan (Malussylvestris) were used. This study investigated variations in chilling requirements, bud burst and development in early and late varieties of apple trees. Results showed less bud burst in late varieties than in early ones. In the former, there were increased in phenolic compounds (conjugated and total phenols) at budburst in all varieties. As dormancy begins, free phenols are increased, coinciding with a reduction in the levels of conjugated phenols. Consequently, as dormancy breaks, these free phenols are conjugate with organic constituents, and a decrease in the concentrations of free phenols occurs, in order to reduce inhibitory effect on growth. We conclude that late varieties (Strakhan) are less economical in manufacturing new growth, as indicated by less bud vigor at budburst than early varieties (Barkhar and local) and show a marked differential phenols compound pattern throughout bud development compared to early varieties.
The Iranian Study of Opium and Cancer (IROPICAN): Rationale, Design, and Initial Findings.

BACKGROUND The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently classified opium use as a Group 1 carcinogen. However, much remains to be studied on the relation between opium and cancer. We designed the Iranian Opium and Cancer (IROPICAN) study to further investigate the association of opium use and cancers of the head and neck, bladder, lung, and colon and rectum. In this paper, we describe the rationale, design, and some initial results of the IROPICAN Study. METHODS The IROPICAN is a multi-center case-control study conducted in 10 provinces of Iran. The cases were all histologically confirmed and the controls were selected from hospital visitors who were free of cancer, were not family members or friends of the cancer patients, and were visiting the hospital for reasons other than their own ailment. The questionnaires included detailed questions on opium use (including age at initiation, duration, frequency, typical amount, and route), and potential confounders, such as tobacco use (e.g., cigarettes, nass and water-pipe), and dietary factors. Biological samples, including blood and saliva, were also collected. RESULTS The validation and pilot phases showed reasonably good validity, with sensitivities of 70% and 69% for the cases and controls, respectively, in reporting opium use. The results also showed excellent reliability, with intra-class correlation coefficients of 0.96 for ever opium use and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.80, 0.92) for regular opium use. In the main phase, we recruited 3299 cancer cases (99% response rate) and 3477 hospital visitor controls (89% response rate). The proportion of ever-use of opium was 40% among cases and 18% among controls. CONCLUSION The IROPICAN study will serve as a major resource in studies addressing the effect of opium on risk of cancers of the head and neck, bladder, lung, and colon and rectum.
Aptian-Albian clumped isotopes from northwest China: Cool temperatures, variable atmospheric pCO2 and regional shifts in hydrologic cycle

Abstract. The Early Cretaceous is characterized by warm background temperatures (i.e., greenhouse climate) and carbon cycle perturbations that are often marked by Ocean Anoxic Events (OAEs) and associated shifts in the hydrologic cycle. Higher-resolution records of terrestrial and marine δ13C and δ18O (both carbonates and organics) suggest climate shifts during the Aptian-Albian, including a warm period associated with OAE 1a in the early Aptian and subsequent cold snap near the Aptian-Albian boundary prior to the Kilian and OAE 1b. Understanding the continental system is an important factor in determining the triggers and feedbacks to these events. Here, we present new paleosol carbonate stable isotopic (δ13C, δ18O and Δ47) and CALMAG weathering parameter results from the Xiagou and Zhonggou Formations (part of the Xinminpu Group in the Yujingzi Basin of NW China) spanning the Aptian-Albian. Published mean annual air temperature (MAAT) records of the Barremian-Albian from Asia are relatively cool with respect to the Early Cretaceous. However, these records are largely based on coupled δ18O measurements of dinosaur apatite phosphate (δ18Op) and carbonate (δ18Ocarb), and therefore rely on estimates of meteoric water δ18O (δ18Omw) from δ18Op. Significant shifts in the hydrologic cycle likely influenced δ18Omw in the region, complicating these MAAT estimates. Thus, temperature records independent of δ18Omw (e.g., clumped isotopes or Δ47) are desirable, and required to confirm temperatures estimated with δ18Op and δ18Oc, and to reliably determine regional shifts in δ18Omw. Primary carbonate material was identified using traditional petrography, cathodoluminescence inspection, and δ13C and δ18O subsampling. Our preliminary Δ47-based temperature reconstructions (record mean of 14.9 ºC), which we interpret as likely being representative of MAAT, match prior estimates from similar paleolatitudes of Asian MAAT (average ~15 ºC) across the Aptian-Albian. This, supported by our estimated mean atmospheric paleo-pCO2 concentration of 396 ppmv, indicates relatively cooler mid-latitude terrestrial climate. Additionally, our coupled δ18O and Δ47 records suggest shifts in the regional hydrologic cycle (i.e., ΔMAP and Δδ18Omw) that may track Aptian-Albian climate perturbations (i.e., a drying of Asian continental climate associated with the cool interval).
Short Communication: Analysis of purity and concentration of extracted DNA on salted fish processed food products

Abstract. Sophian A. 2021. Short Communication: Analysis of purity and concentration of extracted DNA on salted fish processed food products. Asian J Nat Prod Biochem 19: 21-24. Analysis of purity and concentration of extracted DNA on salted fish processed food products was carried out in the microbiology and molecular biology testing laboratory of the Food and Drug Administration in Gorontalo. The purpose of this study was to analyze the extracted DNA on salted fish processed food products based on the concentration and purity values in the A260 / A230 and A260 / A280 wavelengths. The method used for purity and concentration analysis was the absorbance method using a nanophotometer. The samples used were 10 types of salted fish processed food products sampled from 5 (five) traditional markets in Gorontalo City. The sample was extracted using the spin column method with the Dneasy Mericon Food Kit (50) paint kit. 69514 (Qiagen). The research data showed that extracted sample concentration was in the range of 24,600 - 27,150 with an average of 25,745, while purity value measured at A260 / A280 wavelength was obtained with a purity range between 1,668 - 1,768 with an average of 1,729. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the results of DNA extraction carried out on salted fish processed food products show a value that is in the category of good DNA extraction results.
Marine Meteorological forecasts for Coastal Ocean Users –
Perceptions, Usability and Uptake

Abstract. The present study aims to address a proposed disconnect between science and the public. In this case, marine meteorological (metocean) information and the users of these data. Here, the focus is not only on the perceptions, usability and uptake of extreme event forecasts but rather focused on general, everyday situations. The research was conducted by means of a survey, designed around four research questions. Each question was then populated with propositions that were the guideline for the questionnaire. The research questions covered topics ranging from forecasting tool ergonomics, accuracy and consistency, usability, institutional reputation and uncertainties related to Climate Change (to name but a few). The survey was conducted in two southern hemisphere countries, South Africa and New Zealand. The online questionnaire was widely distributed to include both recreational and commercial users. Cultural Consensus Analysis (CCA) was used to investigate knowledge-based agreements within the total group of respondents as well as sectoral and community subgroups. The existence of subgroups within the communities (e.g. recreational and commercial) was also established. The general shared knowledge results are discussed together with user group demographic statistics. A comprehensive summery of all four research questions, with all the resulting propositions are also provide. The percentage of each subgroup’s agreement with the knowledge-based score (CCA model derived) is also provided with the beforementioned. Finally, a conceptual diagram is proposed to highlight the important interplay between forecast product co-development and scientific accuracy/consistency.
Award‑Winning Organizations: How Outstanding Organizations
 Manage the Registration, Access and use of the Knowledge of
 Employees

Organizations have managed information regarding knowledge of employees using various processes such as knowledge mapping, network analysis, codification and personalization. Some of these organizations have been chosen to receive awards for their outstanding performance, for instance for their finest use of knowledge. This paper examines how knowledge award-winning organizations distinguished themselves from other organizations, when it came to the registration, access and use of the knowledge of employees. The aim was to provide an understanding of how these organizations supported personal knowledge registration, and whether winning an award entailed a more comprehensive overview of the knowledge residing in employees. Whether the organizations benefitted financially from the registration process was also examined. This was a qualitative research. It was a multiple-case study, covering 18 organizations in Iceland, of which six had received the Knowledge Company of the Year award. A total of 35 semi-structured interviews were conducted and six award-winning verdicts analysed. A conceptual model was used to clarify the results. The findings indicate that the award-winning organizations received the award for outstanding success. Still, little emphasis was put on the management of the personal knowledge of employees. Interviewees experienced adversity regarding costs, time, limited access and use of personal knowledge. Most interviewees claimed that the registration of knowledge had a financial gain but found it difficult to measure and hard to confirm.
D AYLIGHT : A SSESSING G ENERALIZATION S KILLS OF D EEP R EINFORCEMENT L EARNING A GENTS

Deep reinforcement learning algorithms have recently achieved significant success in learning high-performing policies from purely visual observations. The ability to perform end-to-end learning from raw high dimensional input alone has led to deep reinforcement learning algorithms being deployed in a variety of fields. Thus, understanding and improving the ability of deep reinforcement learning agents to generalize to unseen data distributions is of critical importance. Much recent work has focused on assessing the generalization of deep reinforcement learning agents by introducing specifically crafted adversarial perturbations to their inputs. In this paper, we propose another approach that we call daylight: a framework to assess the generalization skills of trained deep reinforcement learning agents. Rather than focusing on worst-case analysis of distribution shift, our approach is based on black-box perturbations that correspond to semantically meaningful changes to the environment or the agent’s visual observation system ranging from brightness to compression artifacts. We demonstrate that even the smallest changes in the environment cause the performance of the agents to degrade significantly in various games from the Atari environment despite having orders of magnitude lower perceptual similarity distance compared to state-of-the-art adversarial attacks. We show that our framework captures a diverse set of bands in the Fourier spectrum, giving a better overall understanding of the agent’s generalization capabilities. We believe our work can be crucial towards building resilient and generalizable deep reinforcement learning agents.
Faunistic analysis and seasonal fluctuation of ladybeetles in an agro-ecological system installed for organic vegetable production

Plans for an agro-ecological system for agricultural production must consider vegetal diversification in agricultural properties because, among other advantages, it can help the biological control of pests when it focuses on such an end. Predator ladybeetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) can be found in different environments; they play an important role in biological control. The aims of the present study were to feature ladybeetle populations through faunistic analysis and determine their fluctuations in an agroecological system comprising seven sub-systems subjected to different cultivation systems in Seropédica County, RJ. The experiment was conducted from December/2018 to December/2019 at Módulo de Cultivo Orgânico Intensivo de Hortaliças (MCOIH), which is located at Sistema Integrado de Produção Agroecológica (SIPA). In total, 1,231 adult ladybeetles were captured, distributed into 13 species, 3 genera and 2 tribes of Coccinellidae, which resulted in S (taxon richness) = 19, Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H’) = 0.65 (at 0 to 1 scale) and Margalef diversity index (α) = 2.53 (values lower than 2.0 represent low diversity sites). Equitability was low (E = 0.22), since one of the ladybeetle species has prevailed: Cycloneda sanguinea (most frequent, dominating and constant) in MCOIH, as well as in each of the sub-systems. However, the simplest sub-systems installed for vegetable production (monoculture gardens) were not favorable for ladybeetle diversity, whereas sub-systems installed for polyculture of leafy vegetables recorded the greatest taxa diversity of ladybeetles, including species that predate in aphids that attack vegetables [Coleomegilla maculata, Coleomegilla quadrifasciata, Cycloneda sanguinea, Eriopis connexa, Harmonia axyridis, Hippodamia convergens and Hyperaspis (Hyperaspis) festiva]. The sub-system comprising gliricidia was used to produce fertilization biomass and favored the predominance of C. sanguinea in comparison to the other ladybeetle species in MCOIH. Spring was the season mostly favoring the occurrence of C. sanguinea and H. convergens adults; which were dominant species in ladybeetle assemblage in MCOIH; however, C. sanguinea was constant and H. convergens was accessory.
How tinnitus and hearing thresholds above 8 kHz relate to cognitive performances

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Controllable Preparation of Zeolite P1 From Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers via a Hydrothermal Method

A more controllable method to synthesize particular zeolites from geopolymers is needed in order to effectively use these materials in industrial applications. In the present study, a well-crystallized zeolite P1 was synthesized from a metakaolin-based geopolymer (SiO2/Al2O3=3.2) using a hydrothermal method. The products obtained by hydrothermal treatment were identified using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and specific surface areas. The XRD patterns and SEM micrographs indicated that the structure and morphology of zeolite P1 could be controlled by the NaOH solution concentration, hydrothermal temperature, and the hydrothermal treatment time. The crystalline structure of the prepared zeolite P1 was refined using the Rietveld method and the crystal structure parameters were as follows: a = 10.01 Å, b = 10.01 Å and c = 10.03 Å. The optimal hydrothermal conditions to form zeolite P1 were 24 h at a hydrothermal temperature of 100°C and 2.0 M NaOH solution. Moreover, the synthesized zeolite P1 had a specific surface area of 36.56 m2/g.
The Effects of Import Competition on Unionization

We study direct and indirect effects of Chinese import competition on union membership in the United States, 1990–2014. Import competition in manufacturing induced a modest decline in unionization within manufacturing industries. The magnitude is small because unionized manufacturers competed in higher-quality product segments. Manufacturers in right-to-work states experienced more direct competition with low-quality Chinese imports. Outside of manufacturing, however, import competition causes an important increase in union membership, as less educated women shift away from retail and toward jobs in health care and education where unions are stronger. We calculate that Chinese imports prevented 26 percent of the union density decline that would have otherwise occurred. (JEL F14, F16, J16, J51, L60, P33)
FOLIAR SPRAYING OF A SEAWEED-BASED BIOSTIMULANT IN SOYBEAN

Biostimulants currently available on the market include those containing seaweed extract. There is sufficient scientific evidence to conclude that applying biostimulants to agricultural crops can positively impact plant growth and yield. However, results differ between plants species and environmental conditions. As such, the present study aimed to assess the effects of doses and application times of a biostimulant based on seaweed (Ecklonia maxima) extract on the morphology and yield of soybean crops. The experiment was conducted in a field in the municipality of Uberaba, Minas Gerais state (MG), Brazil, in dystrophic red latosol. A randomized block design was used, with four repetitions, in a 3 x 5 factorial scheme consisting of three application times (phenological growth stages: V4, R1 and V4+R1) and five doses of foliarapplied biostimulant (0, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mL ha). In general, biostimulant application influenced the number of branches, nodes, flowers, and pods on the soybean plants and, consequently, crop yield. A dose of 607 mL ha promoted a 6.1% greater grain yield (5379 kg ha) than that obtained without biostimulant spraying (5070 kg ha). Application in stage R1 resulted in plants with more flowers and pods.
Apart but Connected: Online Tutoring and Student Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the governments of most countries ordered the closure of schools, potentially exacerbating existing learning gaps. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of an intervention implemented in Italian middle schools that provides free individual tutoring online to disadvantaged students during lock-down. Tutors are university students who volunteer for 3 to 6 hours per week. They were randomly assigned to middle school students, from a list of potential beneficiaries compiled by school principals. Using original survey data collected from students, parents, teachers and tutors, we find that the program substantially increased students' academic performance (by 0.26 SD on average) and that it significantly improved their socio-emotional skills, aspirations, and psychological well-being. Effects are stronger for children from lower socioeconomic status and, in the case of psychological well-being, for immigrant children.