Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-Calibration and Long-Term Monitoring of the Microwave Radiometers of ERS, TOPEX, GFO, Jason, and Envisat

The radiometers on board the satellites ERS-1, TOPEX/Poseidon, ERS-2, GFO, Jason-1, and Envisat measure brightness temperatures at two or three different frequencies to determine the total columnal water vapor content and wet tropospheric path delay, a major correction to the altimeter range measurements. In order to asses the long-term stability of the path delay, the radiometers are calibrated against vicarious cold and hot references, against each other, and against several atmospheric models. Four of these radiometers exhibit significant drifts in at least one of the channels, resulting in yet unmodeled errors in path delay of up to 1 mm/year, thus limiting the accuracy at which global sea level rise can be inferred from the altimeter range measurements.
Imitation of a model's hand movements: age changes in transposition of left-right relations.

240 Ss in 6 age groups (8-18 years) each faced and imitated a person who, over 12 trials, touched a body part or object on his left or right side with his left or right hand. With increasing age, the mean number of responses paralleling the moders movement as in a mirror decreased, the mean number of correct transpositions of the moders movement increased, and the mean number of excessive right-handed and unilateral responses decreased (all significant, p < .001). The findings support the idea that left-right transposition requires the internalization of the left-right distinction occurring in action and the representational coordination of perspectives.
Anisotropic reflection and transmission calculations with application to a crustal seismic survey from the East Greenland Shelf

A three-component refraction data set recorded over the East Greenland Shelf contained two anomalous shear wave arrivals. The direct-S phase emerged at the receiver as an apparent SH wave even though the airgun source was purely compressional. We have concluded that this arrival is the result of anisotropy in the upper crust. By employing a number of fairly simple techniques we were able to highlight a second, delayed quasi-shear arrival and interpret shear wave splitting. Modeling of the polarization, amplitude, and delay time of direct-S suggested that the anisotropy is due to aligned subvertical fractures perpendicular to the local seafloor spreading direction. The second shear arrival of interest is a P to S conversion from the Moho (PmS). The relative strength of this arrival suggests that the Moho is a sharp transition in this region. PmS also contained a significant transverse component but attempts to identify shear wave splitting were inconclusive. However, modeling revealed that the transverse PmS displacement may be due to anisotropy in the upper mantle (alignment of olivine crystals with the spreading direction), which causes the converted S reflection to have a significant SH (transverse) component. An understanding of, and ability to model, anisotropic reflection and transmission effects are essential to these interpretations. Therefore we also outline an efficient method to obtain all of the reflection and transmission coefficients at boundaries between anisotropic media. This has been incorporated into a new ray tracing package, A-TRAK, based on asymptotic ray theory, capable of modeling three-dimensional inhomogeneous media separated by curved interfaces.
Shadow detection and removal based on the saliency map

The detection of shadow is the first step to reduce the imaging effect that is caused by the interactions of the light source with surfaces, and then shadow removal can recover the vein information from the dark region. In this paper, we have presented a new method to detect the shadow in a single nature image with the saliency map and to remove the shadow. Firstly, RGB image is transferred to 2D module in order to improve the blue component. Secondly, saliency map of blue component is extracted via graph-based manifold ranking. Then the edge of the shadow can be detected in order to recover the transitional region between the shadow and non-shadow region. Finally, shadow is compensated by enhancing the image in RGB space. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Expected trends of regional climate change for the Carpathian Basin for the 21st century

The Regional Climate Models (RCMs) nested into Global Climate Models (GCMs) are expected to improve the regional climate change scenarios for the European subregions. This paper discusses the RCM experiments for the end of the 21st century using the model Providing REgional Climates for Impact Studies (PRECIS) for the Carpathian Basin. Expected future changes in mean values, distributions and empirical probabilities are analysed for the period 2071–2100 (compared to 1961–1990, as a reference period). Significant warming and annual drying is projected, together with substantial changes in the distribution of daily mean temperature and monthly mean precipitation.
Design of a Stabilizing Second-Order Congestion Controller for Large-Delay Networks

This paper addresses the problem of the stability of congestion control for networks with large round-trip communication delays. Nearly all the existed AQM schemes neglect the impact on system behavior, such as stability, robustness and convergence, caused by large communication delay. The drastic queue oscillations in large delay networks of PI, REM and DC-AQM decrease the link utilization and introduce the avoidable delay jitter. To address this problem, we develop a robust IMC-PID congestion controller based on internal model control principle to restrict the negative impact on the stability caused by the large delay. Simulation results demonstrate that the integrated performance of proposed scheme outperforms others as communication delay increases, and achieves high link utilization and small delay jitter.
New strategies for synthesizing short sections of carbon nanotubes.

“Bent and battered benzene rings” have captivated organic chemists since the middle of the last century. Most commonly, the bending is enforced by bridging the para (or meta) positions of benzene with short chains of atoms to produce “cyclophanes”. 2] The degree of bending depends inversely on the length of the tether, and these strained macrocycles sometimes contain more than one bridged benzene ring. Cyclophanes incorporating bent naphthalene units or even larger polyarenes have also been prepared. In recent months, one of the highest unclimbed pinnacles in this field was finally conquered, and shortly thereafter, the impressive record for bending was resoundingly shattered. Figure 1 depicts the new cyclophanes that have recently rocked this venerable branch of chemistry. The scientists responsible for their synthesis have noted the structural features that these compounds share with carbon nanotubes (Figure 1), and they are already contemplating ways to extend their successes toward the rational, chemical synthesis of carbon nanotubes. The first of these recent breakthroughs was reported in late 2008 by Bertozzi and co-workers. As newcomers to cyclophane chemistry, this creative team conceived a fresh strategy for synthesizing macrocycles composed entirely of para-substituted benzene rings. Implementing the plan required a novel solution to one particularly challenging latestage transformation, but, ultimately, they prepared and spectroscopically characterized three members of the previously unknown family of [N]cycloparaphenylenes (CPP-9, CPP-12, and CPP-18 ; N = 9, 12, and 18, respectively). Besides solving one of the longest standing problems in cyclophane chemistry, this synthesis is also remarkable for its brevity: only five steps were required to assemble the fully aromatized macrocycles from 1,4-diiodobenzene (Scheme 1). The syn-selective addition of 4-iodophenyllithium to parabenzoquinone provided the key building block (1), from which the final target molecules were all assembled. A portion of 1 was converted into the corresponding diboronate (2), and Suzuki coupling of 1 with 2 gave macrocycles 3a, 3b,
B Cell Adaptor Containing Src Homology 2 Domain (Bash) Links B Cell Receptor Signaling to the Activation of Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1

The B cell adaptor containing src homology 2 domain (BASH; also termed BLNK or SLP-65), is crucial for B cell antigen receptor (BCR)-mediated activation, proliferation, and differentiation of B cells. BCR-mediated tyrosine-phosphorylation of BASH creates binding sites for signaling effectors such as phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ)2 and Vav, while the function of its COOH-terminal src homology 2 domain is unknown. We have now identified hematopoietic progenitor kinase (HPK)1, a STE20-related serine/threonine kinase, as a protein that inducibly interacts with the BASH SH2 domain. BCR ligation induced rapid tyrosine-phosphorylation of HPK1 mainly by Syk and Lyn, resulting in its association with BASH and catalytic activation. BCR-mediated activation of HPK1 was impaired in Syk- or BASH-deficient B cells. The functional SH2 domain of BASH and Tyr-379 within HPK1 which we identified as a Syk-phosphorylation site were both necessary for interaction of both proteins and efficient HPK1 activation after BCR stimulation. Furthermore, HPK1 augmented, whereas its kinase-dead mutant inhibited IκB kinase β (IKKβ) activation by BCR engagement. These results reveal a novel BCR signaling pathway leading to the activation of HPK1 and subsequently IKKβ, in which BASH recruits tyrosine-phosphorylated HPK1 into the BCR signaling complex.
Plan Explicability for Robot Task Planning

A desirable capability of agents is to respond to goaloriented commands by autonomously constructing task plans. However, such autonomy can add significant cognitive load and potentially introduce safety risks to humans when agents behave unexpectedly. Hence, one important requirement is for such agents to synthesize plans that can be easily understood by humans. While there exists previous work that studied socially acceptable robots that interact with humans in “natural ways”, and work that investigated legible motion planning, there exists no general solutions for high level task planning. To address this issue, we introduce the notion of plan explicability. To compute this measure for plans, first, we postulate that humans understand agent plans by associating abstract tasks with agent actions, which can be considered as a labeling process. We learn the labeling scheme of humans for agent plans from training examples using conditional random fields (CRFs). Then, we use the learned model to label a new plan to compute its explicability, which are used to guide the search.
Major mental disorders, substance use disorders, comorbidity, and HIV-AIDS risk behaviors in juvenile detainees.

OBJECTIVES This study determined the prevalence of 20 HIV-AIDS risk behaviors of four groups of juvenile detainees: those with major mental disorders alone, those with substance use disorders alone, those with comorbid mental and substance use disorders, and those without any major mental or substance use disorder. METHODS Interviewers administered the AIDS Risk Behavior Assessment to 800 randomly selected juvenile detainees aged ten to 18 years who were initially arrested between 1997 and 1998. Diagnoses were determined with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version 2.3. RESULTS The sample included 340 females and 460 males. As with the other groups of detainees, youths with major mental disorders had a high prevalence of most HIV-AIDS risk behaviors, much higher than the rates found among youths in the general population. Comorbid substance use disorders substantially increased risk; 96 percent of youths in this group had been sexually active, 62 percent had had multiple partners within the past three months, and 59 percent had had unprotected vaginal sex in the past month. Among youths with a substance use disorder, either alone or with a comorbid major mental disorder, more than 63 percent had engaged in five or more sexual risk behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Delinquents with substance use disorders, either with or without comorbid major mental disorders, are at particular risk of HIV-AIDS. The juvenile justice and public health systems must provide HIV-AIDS interventions as well as mental health and substance abuse treatment. Greater coordination between community services and correctional facilities can reduce the prevalence of HIV-AIDS risk behaviors of juvenile delinquents and stem the spread of HIV infection among young people.
The effect of customized growth charts on the identification of large for gestational age newborns

Objective: To determine the effect of using customized vs. standard population birthweight curves to define large for gestational age (LGA) infants. Methods: We analyzed data obtained from 2,097 singleton pregnancies using three different methods of classifying newborn birthweight: standard population curves, British or Spanish customized curves. We recorded maternal characteristics, proportion of LGA newborns when using each method, percentage of LGA according to one method but not for the others, and concordance between the different methods. Results: The proportion of LGA newborns according to Spanish customized curves was significantly lower than that calculated using either standard general population birthweight curves or British curves (p < 0.001). A third (33.9%) of the infants classified as LGA according to the general population method were adequate for gestational age (AGA) when the Spanish customized curves were used, and 18.5% of non-LGA were LGA according to customized curves (p < 0.001). Concordance between the different models high, but on excluding AGA the concordance coefficient was low (Cohen’s κ <0.4). Conclusions: The use of customized curves allows differentiation between constitutional LGA and cases of fetal overgrowth, leading to a decrease in the rate of both false-positives and negatives as well as the overall proportion of LGA babies.
Identification of a 200-kD, brefeldin-sensitive protein on Golgi membranes

A mAb AD7, raised against canine liver Golgi membranes, recognizes a novel, 200-kD protein (p200) which is found in a wide variety of cultured cell lines. Immunofluorescence staining of cultured cells with the AD7 antibody produced intense staining of p200 in the juxtanuclear Golgi complex and more diffuse staining of p200 in the cytoplasm. The p200 protein in the Golgi complex was colocalized with other Golgi proteins, including mannosidase II and beta-COP, a coatomer protein. Localization of p200 by immunoperoxidase staining at the electron microscopic level revealed concentrations of p200 at the dilated rims of Golgi cisternae. Biochemical studies showed that p200 is a peripheral membrane protein which partitions to the aqueous phase of Triton X-114 solutions and is phosphorylated. The p200 protein is located on the cytoplasmic face of membranes, since it was accessible to trypsin digestion in microsomal preparations, and is recovered in approximately equal amounts in membrane pellets and in the cytosol of homogenized cells. Immunofluorescence staining of normal rat kidney cells exposed to the toxin brefeldin A (BFA), showed that there was very rapid redistribution of p200, which was dissociated from Golgi membranes in the presence of this drug. The effect of BFA was reversible, since upon removal of the toxin, AD7 rapidly reassociated with the Golgi complex. In the BFA-resistant cell line PtK1, BFA failed to cause redistribution of p200 from Golgi membranes. Taken together, these results indicate that the p200 Golgi membrane-associated protein has many properties in common with the coatomer protein, beta-COP.
Petrologic characteristics and Rb-Sr age dating of lamprophyre dikes of Tsagaan Tsahir Uul gold deposit, Mongolia

Geochemical, mineralogical and geochronological investigations have been carried out on the lamprophyre dike in the Tsagaan Tsahir Uul gold deposit area, Bayankhongor, Central Mongolia. The lamprophyre is composed of olivine, amphibole, and clinopyroxene as phenocrysts with plagioclase, potassium feldspar, biotite, and amphibole as the groundmass. The amphibole is mostly pargasite; some grains are rich in titanium and constitute kaersutite. Pyroxene is slightly enriched in titanium. Although the olivine ranges from Fo92.9 to Fo84.6, a distinct compositional variation between the core and rim in a single grain is lacking. Biotite and phlogopite are dominant. Plagioclase is mainly andesine (An45Ab49Or6) and oligoclase (An12Ab74Or14), and potassium feldspar is orthoclase. The major oxides content of the lamprophyre has a good correlation with SiO2. TiO2, FeOt, MgO, CaO, and MnO decrease, and Al2O3 and K2O increase with increased SiO2. Trace element composition is characterized by high values of Large Ion Lithophile Elements (LILE) (Ba, Rb, Sr) and also some compatible elements (Cr and Ni). The MORB normalized spider diagram shows slight depletion of Nb in contrast to Ba and Ce. The REE pattern shows LREE enrichment, and rapid decrease in HREE practically without an Eu anomaly. The Rb-Sr internal isochron yields an age of 248.61 ± 18.5 Ma (Zechstein, Late Permian) with 87Sr/86Sr initial ratio of 0.706096 ± 0.00002. Mineral assemblage and chemical characteristics are close to those of calc-alkaline lamprophyres (CALs). An Al2O3 versus TiO2 tectonic discrimination diagram of the shoshonitic and potassic igneous rock shows that the Tsagaan Tsahir Uul lamprophyre might have originated within an intra-plate tectonic setting. The high-Ti content of the lamprophyre also suggests that the magma could have originated in an intra-continental tectonic setting. Small but similar intrusions emplaced during the Permian period are spatially and temporally associated with the main gold and copper mineralization in the Bayankhongor metallogenic belt. The obtained age of the lamprophyre dike (248.61 ± 18.5 Ma) demonstrates that its intrusion was a contemporary event. This was the youngest plutonic body in the Tsagaan Tsahir Uul area, which is close in age to the gold-bearing quartz veins. Although there is no direct genetic evidence associating the auriferous veins and the lamprophyre in the field, they occur together and possibly share a similar tectonic setting.
Modification of the electron density profile near the upper hybrid layer during radio wave heating of the ionosphere

High frequency (HF) radio waves can modify the electron density profile of the ionosphere in the upper hybrid resonance region (UHR). The spatial and temporal development of this modification was investigated using a multi‐frequency Doppler diagnostic system at the TROMSØ facility [ Lobachevsky et al., 1992 ]. We present the results of the simulations of the density profile modification near the upper hybrid resonance height for the parameters relevant to the experiment and show that the spatio‐temporal development of the density modification is quantitatively modelled by the mode conversion and the radio wave heating.
The Starlet Transform in Astronomical Data Processing : Application to Source Detection and Image Deconvolution

We begin with traditional source detection algorithms in astronomy. We then introduce the sparsity data model. The starlet wavelet transform serves as our main focus in this article. Sparse modeling, and noise modeling, are described. Applications to object detection and characterization, and to image filtering and deconvolution, are discussed. The multiscale vision model is a further development of this work, which can allow for image reconstruction when the point spread function is not known, or not known well. Bayesian and other algorithms are described for image restoration. A range of examples is used to illustrate the algorithms.
The modification and application of basin evapotranspiration simulation module in AVSWAT2000 distributed hydrological model

The objective of this study is to improve and modify the evapotranspiration module designed with Penman-Monteith (PM) approach embedded in SWAT2000 distributed hydrological model so as to improve the precision of evapotranspiration (ET) estimation in hydrological process simulation. For PM approach in SWAT2000 ET0 simulation, some of its daily parameters such as air pressure, albedo and soil heat flux were simplified, for overcoming this shortcoming, an improved Weather Generator (WGEN) were proposed. By means of the observed and WGEN simulated meteorological parameters, systematic study on the ET estimations with PM approach for arid, semi-arid Heihe River Basin and humid, precipitation-rich Hanjiang River Basin was conducted. It was found that the computed ET with PM approach fairly correlates with the field observed ones, but biased to be a little lower in quantity than the observed ones. Further study indicated a strong linear function between the slope of the linear function and the elevation of the station, which lead us to correct the PM approach yielded result with the elevation of the study plot. Consequently, the modified PM approach with improved WGEN was applied to the estimation of ET for the area where observed meteorological data were absent or missing. In annual time scale the relative error between simulated observed ET was found less than 3% and 20% respectively in both monthly time scale and annual totals, which suggested the reliability of the modifications for both WGEN and PM ET0 module in hydrological process studies. But in daily time scale, further improvements are required.
Quantifying Ambiguities in Inferring Vector-Based 3D Models

This paper presents a framework for directly addressing issues arising from self-occlusions and ambiguities due to the lack of depth information in vector-based representations. Visual data directly observed from an image are used to indirectly recover the parameters of an underlying dynamic model of an articulated object. The proposed framework allows us to learn the ambiguities of a representation from training examples. The resulting model is then used to measure the ambiguities of each estimated underlying model parameter given the available visual information. This provides an indication of how much we can “trust” the visual data for estimating certain parts of the model. We then provide a working example of multi-view data fusion for tracking 3D skeletons of articulated objects in a multi-camera environment.
Problems of WAQF administration and proposals for improvement : A study in Malaysia

The main purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of the existing Waqf administration in Malaysia. This paper first describes the problems of Waqf administration in Malaysia and then suggests proposals for improvement. Waqf administration requires new innovative avenues. It also needs to develop a hybrid viable model for generating more benefits for all involving parties of the society with sustainability characteristics. It is recognized that there is no ample study in the area of Waqf. Further, literature is very scanty relating to the Waqf administration. The exiting studies identify various facets of the Waqf and its administration issue to explore different aspects of theoretical dimensions and practices.