Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison and Analysis of Data Assimilation Algorithms for Predicting the Leaf Area Index of Crop Canopies

Data assimilation as an approach for crop Leaf Area Index (LAI) estimation has been rapidly developed in the field of agricultural remote sensing. Many studies have attempted to integrate sequential remotely sensed observations in the dynamical operation of physical models, aiming to improve model performance of LAI estimation by using various data assimilation schemes. In this study, a new data assimilation algorithm is proposed. For this algorithm, the background field of free parameters is constructed according to the ensemble construction scheme of EnKF algorithm, and a cost function is constructed based on the cost function construction strategy in 4DVAR algorithm in order to analyse and update the free parameters. The last updated free parameters are input into the model for LAI estimation until all the observations are assimilated. Additionally, the cost function in data assimilation procedure is optimised using VFSA algorithm. Winter wheat in Beijing in 2002 is selected as the experimental object. The crop growth model CERES-Wheat and the radiative transfer model PROSAIL are coupled in the assimilation process. Sequentially observed NDVI of winter wheat are assimilated into the coupled model using different assimilation algorithms to quantitatively compare and analyse the LAI estimation results. The performance of the new algorithm is better than CERES-Wheat model, EnKF algorithm, and 4DVAR algorithm, with a lesser RMSE by 43.68%, 41.67%, and 28.99%, respectively, and with increased R$^{2}$ by 110.53%, 90.48%, and 33.33%, respectively. Moreover, for the subset LAI $\geq$ 3.00, higher estimation precision and greater efficiency of the new algorithm are obtained.
Newspaper coverage of water issues in China from 1950 to 2000

Mass media are important sources of information about water issues that significantly influence civil life. This paper presents a content analysis approach to contextualize the water issues reporting of the People9s Daily. The intent of our approach is to uncover the reporting pattern of water issues and the relationship between government policies and their news reports. Using the newspaper with the second widest circulation in China, the content analysis approach reveals that the document frequency of water issues had shown a flat trend since the 1970s. Water-related articles were given more significance by providing additional front pages. The results suggest that newspapers have been focusing more on the recreational function and protection of water since the 1980s. The results also show that there was a relative shortage of coverage on certain types of water-related central government documents. Lacking persistence was another feature of policy propaganda. These factors could work against public engagement in water issues and undermine the public9s understanding of and confidence in water management measures. We believe these results could help water resource managers to interpret media content of water issues and improve the propaganda of their policies, which would contribute to better administration of water resources.
Sleep duration is associated with body fat and muscle mass and waist‐to‐height ratio beyond conventional obesity parameters in Korean adolescent boys

While evidence has supported a strong association between sleep duration and obesity globally, results from studies of children and adolescents have been conflicting, and information about a sex‐specific association has been limited. This study aimed to investigate the association of sleep duration with various parameters of obesity among South Korean adolescents. This population‐based, cross‐sectional study analysed the data obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) 2009 and 2010. Data of 990 adolescents were analysed. Sleep duration was based on a self‐reported questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist‐to‐height ratio (WHtR), body fat percentage (BFP) and skeletal muscle index (SMI, appendicular skeletal muscle mass as a percentage of body weight) were assessed as parameters of obesity. Mean sleep duration in boys was associated inversely with BMI, WC, WHtR and BFP and positively with SMI. Proportions of the highest quartile of BMI, WC, WHtR and BFP and the lowest quartile of SMI increased significantly with increased sleep duration only in boys. Also, in boys, decreased sleep duration was associated significantly with the increased risk of the highest quartile of BMI, WC, WHtR and BFP and the lowest quartile of SMI, even after adjusting for confounding factors. However, in girls, there was no significant association between sleep duration and obesity parameters except WC. Periodic assessment of sleep duration in relation to body fat or muscle mass in male adolescents may be considered, especially in those who are at risk for obesity or related disorders.
Human clock genes

Rhythmic variations in physiological and behavioural processes are mediated by both endogenous and exogenous factors. Endogenous factors include self-sustaining biological pacemakers or clocks which in the absence of strong external influences self-sustain periodic rhythms in such diverse physiological and psychological processes as core body temperature, food intake, cognitive performance and mood. Clocks with endogenous periods near or at 24 h (called circadian clocks from the Latin, circa dies, meaning about one day) have been documented from prokaryotes to single cell eukaryotes to multi-cellular, complex animals such as flies, rodents and humans. Over the past few years, a revolution in the understanding of the molecular basis of these clocks has led to the identification of a number of core clock genes and their proteins, and the development of elegant feedback models to explain the molecular gears of circadian clocks. At least eight human orthologs of mouse core clock genes have been identified, and polymorphisms in two of these, hClock and hPer2, have been implicated in human sleep disorders. Remarkably, knowledge of these core clock genes and the development of sophisticated reporter systems to monitor clock gene promoter activity have led to the astonishing observation that our body is actually composed of millions of cellular clocks and oscillators whose co-ordinated activity gives rise to pronounced daily, monthly, and seasonal rhythms in physiology and behaviour. An idea that is gaining favour is that our physical and mental well-being is probably determined by the appropriate phasing of these millions of cellular clocks with recurring, meaningful events in the environment.
ADHD Symptoms as Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and Victimization

Preliminary evidence underscores links between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and victimization. However, little is known about whether ADHD symptoms are uniquely associated with IPV perpetration and victimization beyond well-established risk factors of IPV commonly associated with the disorder. In a cross-sectional design, 433 college students rated their ADHD symptoms as well as frequencies of psychological and physical IPV perpetration and victimization. Additional risk factors of IPV included childhood maltreatment, primary psychopathy, alcohol abuse, and illicit drug use. Correlational analyses indicated that students with greater ADHD symptom severity reported higher rates of psychological and physical IPV perpetration, and higher rates of psychological IPV victimization. Regression analyses indicated that ADHD symptoms were not additive risk factors of psychological IPV perpetration and victimization. Students reporting any alcohol abuse or illicit drug use endorsed high rates of psychological IPV perpetration and victimization, regardless of their level of ADHD symptoms. However, students who reported no alcohol abuse or drug use, but did report greater ADHD symptom severity—particularly inattention, indicated higher rates of psychological IPV perpetration and victimization than those reporting no alcohol abuse or drug use and low ADHD symptoms. These findings extend prior research by indicating that alcohol abuse and illicit drug use moderate associations between ADHD symptoms and psychological IPV perpetration and victimization. Investigations are needed to identify mechanisms of the association between ADHD symptoms and IPV perpetration and victimization, particularly those abusing alcohol and drugs, for appropriate prevention and intervention efforts to be developed.
The Protein Kinase A‐Anchoring Protein Moesin is Bound to Pigment Granules in Melanophores

Major signaling cascades have been shown to play a role in the regulation of intracellular transport of organelles. In Xenopus melanophores, aggregation and dispersion of pigment granules are regulated by the second messenger cyclic AMP through the protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway. PKA is bound to pigment granules where it forms complexes with molecular motors involved in pigment transport. Association of PKA with pigment granules occurs through binding to A‐kinase‐anchoring proteins (AKAPs), whose identity remains largely unknown. In this study, we used mass spectrometry to examine an 80 kDa AKAP detected in preparations of purified pigment granules. We found that tryptic digests of granule protein fractions enriched in the 80 kDa AKAP contained peptides that corresponded to the actin‐binding protein moesin, which has been shown to function as an AKAP in mammalian cells. We also found that recombinant Xenopus moesin interacted with PKA in vitro, copurified with pigment granules and bound to pigment granules in cells. Overexpression in melanophores of a mutant moesin lacking conserved PKA‐binding domain did not affect aggregation of pigment granules but partially inhibited their dispersion. We conclude that Xenopus moesin is an AKAP whose PKA‐scaffolding activity plays a role in the regulation of pigment dispersion in Xenopus melanophores.
The effect of smoking and hypertensive disorders on abruptio placentae in Norway 1999–2002

Objective. To assess the effects of smoking and hypertension on abruptio placentae and whether the effect of hypertension is modified by smoking and vice versa. To quantify the proportion of abruptio placentae cases attributable to hypertension and smoking. Design. Registry based national cohort study. Materiasl and methods. 814 cases of abruptio placentae among a total of 211,868 births in Norway during the period 1999–2002. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess whether the risk of abruptio placentae is influenced by maternal smoking habits and hypertensive disorders and to evaluate interactions in the effects on abruptio placentae of smoking and hypertension. Results. In occasionally and daily smokers at the onset of pregnancy, abruptio placentae occurred in 5.4 and 5.7 per 1000, respectively, against 3.4 per 1000 in non‐smokers (adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for maternal age and birth order 1.6–1.7). No significant dose‐response effect was found. Adjusted ORs for abruptio placentae in women with pre‐eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension, transient hypertension, mild and severe pre‐eclampsia, and pre‐eclampsia with onset before 34th weeks of gestation were significantly increased (ORs 1.6–4.1). The combined effects of smoking and hypertensive disorder were additive. Hypertension explained 3.3% of abruptio placentae, while smoking explained 6.9% of abruptio placentae cases. Conclusions. The effects on abruptio placentae of hypertensive pregnancy disorders and smoking are independent and additive, indicating that smoking and hypertension have their effects though separate mechanisms. If smoking were eliminated in pregnant women, the number of abruptio placentae cases would be reduced by 7%.
E-commerce and e-customer satisfaction during the economic crisis

The purpose of this research is to analyse e-customer satisfaction, the factors affecting it and the impact of the economic crisis on it. The research examines 350 e-commerce websites users' satisfaction. The research results indicate that e-customer satisfaction determinants are the purchasing process, the safety provided by the website, the brand name of the e-commerce firm, the possibility of interaction and communication with the website and other consumers and, the products delivery process. Regarding the utilitarian features of products, e-customers pay more attention to quality than to quantity and price.
High-dose Interleukin-2 Can Produce a High Rate of Response and Durable Remissions in Appropriately Selected Patients With Metastatic Renal Cancer

Metastatic renal cancer remains hard to treat and the treatment is generally palliative. However, high-dose interleukin-2 (HD IL-2) produced 5% to 10% complete remissions and most of these were durable. With the advent of newer treatments with less toxicity, the role of HD IL-2 is uncertain. We present here a case series of 72 patients with metastatic renal cancer given first-line treatment with HD IL-2. From 2003 to 2006, the patients were offered treatment with HD IL-2 irrespective of their histologic features (retrospective cohort). From 2006 to 2008, the treatment was only offered to patients after stratification into risk groups based on histologic criteria (prospective cohort). In the early series, the response rate to HD IL-2 was 27% (8/30), but with prospective stratification of patients by histology the response rate was 52% (21/40) in the group with favorable histologic features. Combining outcome for all patients with the favorable histology (including those identified retrospectively) 49% (28/57) responded with 25% (14/57) achieving a complete remission and these seem durable. Patients with metastatic renal cancer should be carefully assessed for their suitability to undergo treatment with first-line systemic therapy with HD IL-2 as in carefully selected patients it has a high-rate response and durable remissions.
Extraction of cardiac and respiratory motion cycles by use of projection data and its applications to nmr imaging

A technique of extracting cardiac and respiratory motion cycles by use of projection data is proposed and studied. These extracted cardiac and respiratory motion cycles are applied to the cine imaging of heart and motion artifact reduction in abdominal imaging instead of the conventional ECG gating devices. The basic concepts and their applications are discussed, Experimental results on human volunteers obtained with the KAIS 2.0‐T whole‐body NMR imaging system together with the pulse sequences used for the experiments are presented.
Learning at the museum

Museum attendance is often seen as a chance for visitors to learn and thus increase their cultural capital. However, a share of the visitors may decide to attend museums for reasons other than cultural capital accumulation. This article investigates whether learning process takes place also in the case of tourists whose main motivation for the visit is recreational. Different attitudes towards cultural consumption may have a role in explaining visit length, seen as a proxy for learning. We present an empirical analysis of the determinants of both willingness to stay and actual length of stay at a museum. Evidence is based on a survey of tourists visiting the Italian museum of Vittoriale. Generalized ordered logit under partial proportional odds assumption and Cox proportional hazard models are used to assess the role of the covariates. A set of economic, socio-demographic, trip-related and psychographic controls is tested, with particular emphasis on motivation.
Genetically modified bacteriophages in applied microbiology

Bacteriophages represent a simple viral model of basic research with many possibilities for practical application. Due to their ability to infect and kill bacteria, their potential in the treatment of bacterial infection has been examined since their discovery. With advances in molecular biology and gene engineering, the phage application spectrum has been expanded to various medical and biotechnological fields. The construction of bacteriophages with an extended host range or longer viability in the mammalian bloodstream enhances their potential as an alternative to conventional antibiotic treatment. Insertion of active depolymerase genes to their genomes can enforce the biofilm disposal. They can also be engineered to transfer various compounds to the eukaryotic organisms and the bacterial culture, applicable for the vaccine, drug or gene delivery. Phage recombinant lytic enzymes can be applied as enzybiotics in medicine as well as in biotechnology for pathogen detection or programmed cell death in bacterial expression strains. Besides, modified bacteriophages with high specificity can be applied as bioprobes in detection tools to estimate the presence of pathogens in food industry, or utilized in the control of food‐borne pathogens as part of the constructed phage‐based biosorbents.
Selective excitation of two‐dimensional arbitrarily shaped voxels with parallel excitation in spectroscopy

Parallel excitation is being studied intensively for applications in MR imaging and in particular for selecting arbitrary shapes as regions of interest. In this work, parallel excitation was applied to arbitrarily shaped voxel selection in spectroscopy and investigated for different excitation k‐space trajectories (radial, rectilinear, and spiral) and acceleration factors. Each trajectory was segmented into multiple excitations to increase the overall bandwidth during target selection. Acceleration by parallel excitation was used to decrease the number of segments. Evaluation of spatial and spectral localization of the target of interest was performed in simulation and phantom experiments, and was compared with the point resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) experiment with standard voxels. The selective excitation experiments demonstrated excellent spatial localization and a broad frequency response, although PRESS was superior in direct comparisons with respect to signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and outer volume suppression. Extensive SNR variation was observed dependent on trajectory (8%–90%), with the preferred radial case producing approximately 40%–60% SNR of the PRESS case. Accelerated trajectories at R = 4 provided comparable artifact signal and target excitation accuracy compared with their nonaccelerated counterparts; however, further acceleration (R = 8) resulted in increased artifact (33% increase at R = 8). Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
How Does Culture Matter? The Xin (Heart-Mind)-based Social Competence of Chinese Executives

ABSTRACT In this study we explore the emotional and cognitive dimensions of Chinese business leaders’ social competence. We argue for a culturally inclusive conceptualization of leader social competence and its internal structure, which takes into account Chinese indigenous features. Data were collected by critical incident interviews from 42 top executives of small- and medium-sized private enterprises in China. A total of 302 competency episodes were included in the current study. Grounded theory was used for data analysis. The following xin (heart-mind)-based social competencies were referenced in episodes of effective Chinese competency-relevant social interactions: guanxi building and maintenance, empathy, inspiration with wisdom, empowerment and developing others, resilience, and appreciation of problem solving. Each of these competencies includes an emotional and a cognitive element and embodies dynamic interplay between the emotional and cognitive dimensions of social competence. Xin-based social competencies impact effective interactions in relational contexts that implicate the individual self, the organizational self, and their interactions. The theoretical contributions and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Local Actor Strategies for Achieving Human Security Functionings

This article explores the experiences of community-level actors in the pursuit of greater human security in their communities. Utilizing a conceptual framework based on the capability approach, human security, and securitization theory it considers local actor perceptions of security and the strategies used to achieve their goals. It presents and discusses strategies employed by two distinct actors—a local non-governmental organization and an independent group of community dwellers—in their attempts to achieve security functionings. The results of this qualitative study suggest that while community-level actors view themselves as being empowered as agents in achieving certain human security functionings, the ability of local actors to achieve higher-level functionings is dependent on their recognition as legitimate securitizing agents by more powerful actors and potential partner groups.
Spatio-temporal rain attenuation model for application to fade mitigation techniques

We present a new stochastic-dynamic model useful for the planning and design of gigahertz satellite communications using fade mitigation techniques. It is a generalization of the Maseng-Bakken and targets dual-site dual-frequency rain attenuated satellite links. The outcome is a consistent and comprehensive model capable of yielding theoretical descriptions of: 1) long-term power spectral density of rain attenuation; 2) rain fade slope; 3) rain frequency scaling factor; 4) site diversity; and 5) fade duration statistics using a novel method based on Markov Chains. We also present a simple rain attenuation synthesizer matching the predictions of the theoretical model.
Affordable CD4+ T‐cell counts on ‘single‐platform’ flow cytometers I. Primary CD4 gating

Here, we demonstrate the flow cytometric concept of ‘primary CD4 gating’ utilizing three different CD4 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) conjugated with five different fluorochromes. CD4+ lymphocytes were defined by an autogate in a single histogram of CD4 fluorescence intensity (FI) (y‐axis) vs. side light scatter (x‐axis). A wide range of absolute counts for > 600 individuals, including HIV+ patients, were compared with those obtained by ‘state‐of‐the‐art’ single‐platform flow cytometers such as the volumetric Ortho CytoronAbsolute and the Becton Dickinson FACSCalibur using TruCount beads. The correlation between CD4 counts obtained with primary CD4 gating and the full test panel on the Ortho Cytoron was excellent (R2 = 0·999). Bland–Altman statistics showed a mean difference of −2 cells/mm3[confidence interval (CI) 95% = −3 to −1; limits of agreement −27 to +23]. In addition to absolute CD4 counts, CD4% values and CD4/CD8 ratios are also frequently requested. To obtain these, lymphocytes need to be counted using scatter gates, and a second tube stained with a CD8 mAb to count CD8++ lymphocytes can be incorporated. We conclude that primary CD4 gating on single‐platform volumetric flow cytometers is one of the most economical and flexible technologies for routine cost‐conscious service work, particularly during the follow‐up of patients undergoing anti‐HIV therapy and/or vaccination in the developing world.