Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
QBO of the Equatorial-Stratospheric Winds Revisited: New Methods to Verify the Dominance of 28-Month Cycle

The equatorial-stratospheric wind that shows a Quasi Biennial Oscillation (22–32 months) has been revisited using a dual statistical detail regarding the search of the dominance harmonics. Data were used from the Freie Universitat of Berlin since 1953 for different heights combining the observations of the three radiosonde stations. The dominant period of 28 months has been reaffirmed but with a discernible amplitude and a phase, respectively, inversely varying with height. Such a cycle suggests an estimate for the coming easterly equatorial wind occurrence at 15 hPa level at the end of 2009. The 28-month harmonic is found to take about a year to descend from 15 to 70 hPa with a progressive lag of about 1 month/km. At the top of the stratosphere, easterlies dominate, while at the bottom, westerlies are more likely to be found. Correlation with sunspot numbers and seasonal rainfall is discussed.
How to bring organizational aspects into teaching analysis and design

Because of the close connection between computer systems and organizations, organizational aspects should be taught in system development courses. Dataflow diagramming is a frequently taught technique that can model formal aspects of information processing. Socio-technical methods are intended to cover relations between people and technology in an organization. To avoid learning two techniques, the dataflow technique has been extended with two organizational aspects from socio-technical methods: goals and exceptions. Two versions of the extended technique have been used in a university course for systems analysis and design. Organizational issues were taught together with the technique. The students’ work has been evaluated. The technique is sufficiently easy to learn for students. The students also learnt to involve users in analysing their tasks through a wall graph session. However, many students did not learn sufficiently well to consider organizational impacts of computer systems or to design systems to fit organizational requirements. A possible way to cope is to give the students better background in knowledge of organizations.
Space Distribution of Phyto- and Microzooplankton in the Vlora Bay (Southern Albania, Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract The Vlora Bay is the only internal sea of the Albanian coastline. The site is of paramount interest for Albanian fishing, being a natural nursery for many fish species of economic importance. The composition of the plankton community in the Vlora Bay has been analysed and particular attention devoted to the unicellular eukaryotes by collecting samples from 16 stations during 2 seasonal cruises (May–June 2007, and January 2008), an effort to date never carried out to know the plankton biodiversity of the area. The microzooplankton community was composed of 122 phytoplankton and 105 microzooplankton taxa, of which 58.2% and 25.0%, respectively, were classified as seasonal (they were recorded only in one of the two considered times). Only four categories (all phytoplanktonic, the diatom Navicula sp., “undetermined naked dinoflagellates < 15 µm”, the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi, and the “undetermined phytoflagellates < 10 µm”) were recorded in all the sampling stations (at least in one period). The microzooplankton were particularly diversified and characteristic in their Ciliophora components. A statistical analysis of taxa distribution allowed us to identify three distinct areas in the Vlora Bay: internal, intermediate, and external. The extension or the border position of these areas varied with the seasons and according to the microzooplankton group examined. The microzooplankton assemblages of the Vlora Bay showed significant differences with many other sites in the Mediterranean Sea, probably due to the crucial geographic position the bay occupies among different Mediterranean basins.
Lyso-GM2 Ganglioside: A Possible Biomarker of Tay-Sachs Disease and Sandhoff Disease

To find a new biomarker of Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease. The lyso-GM2 ganglioside (lyso-GM2) levels in the brain and plasma in Sandhoff mice were measured by means of high performance liquid chromatography and the effect of a modified hexosaminidase (Hex) B exhibiting Hex A-like activity was examined. Then, the lyso-GM2 concentrations in human plasma samples were determined. The lyso-GM2 levels in the brain and plasma in Sandhoff mice were apparently increased compared with those in wild-type mice, and they decreased on intracerebroventricular administration of the modified Hex B. The lyso-GM2 levels in plasma of patients with Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease were increased, and the increase in lyso-GM2 was associated with a decrease in Hex A activity. Lyso-GM2 is expected to be a potential biomarker of Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease.
A 1994 detailed social accounting matrix for Colombia

This technical paper, prepared as a part of FEDESARROLLO's research programme on Colombian economic policy analysis, presents the new database developed for the its long-run Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model. The database takes the form of a detailed Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) estimated for the 1994 year. The dociment list all the relevant data sources and data adjustments that were necessary to archive a consistent SAM.
1 Movements of People for Movements of Goods ? *

While it is well established to think of international tourism as a type of exports, namely ‘home’ exports, the potential of tourism flows as an engine for fostering trade among countries is a poorly studied topic. In this paper we show that this relationship can be studied at a very detailed level by exploiting the disaggregation of existing information on international trade and inbound tourism. We consider a sample of 25 countries belonging to the European Union, a region which has been interested by common shocks such as the establishment of the Euro as the new currency for many countries and the liberalization in the air transport market. We carry out a panel data analysis by means of which we assess whether international tourist arrivals by a given country activate additional exports towards the same country. We find not only that tourism can promote exports, but also that this effect displays important differences depending on whether or not consumption goods are considered. This finding is consistent with the idea that the experience of tourists in a given destination reduces the fixed costs of trade, thus facilitating access to the advantages of international trade for more peripheral economies.
Image reconstruction for tomographic mapping of cerebral hemodynamics using time-domain detection: simulation and phantom studies

One of the primary applications of diffuse optical imaging is to localize the changes in the cerebral oxygenation during physical or mental activities. Up to now, data from an optical imager is simply presented as a two-dimensional (2-D) topographic map using the modified Beer-Lambert law that assumes the homogeneous optical properties beneath each optode. Due to the highly heterogeneous nature of the optical properties in the brain, the assumption are evidently invalid, leading to both low spatial resolution and inaccurate quantification in the assessment of hemodynamic changes. To cope with the difficulties, we propose a nonlinear image reconstruction algorithm for a two-layered slab geometry using time-resolved reflected light. The algorithm is based on the previously developed generalized pulse spectrum technique, and implemented within a semi three-dimensional (3-D) framework to conform to the topographic visualization and to reduce computational load. We demonstrate the advantages of the algorithm in quantifying simulated changes in hemoglobin concentrations and investigate its robustness to the uncertainties in the cortical structure and optical properties. The methodology is also validated with experiments on a layered phantom.
Live Colonocytes in Newborn Stool: Surrogates for Evaluation of Gut Physiology and Disease Pathogenesis

Studies of gastrointestinal pathophysiology are not feasible by biopsies in human neonates. We examined the utility of live colonocytes in stool in studying cellular markers during early neonatal life. Expression of IgA, IgG, cluster of differentiation-45 cells (CD45), and toll-like receptors-2 and 4 (TLR2 and TLR4) were analyzed by flow cytometry. Colonocyte RNA extracts were used in quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to examine the expression of cytokeratin-19, ribosomal protein-24, and tight-junction (Tj) protein zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). Colonocyte yield varied between 5 × 104 to 2 × 106 cells/g of stool. Meconium samples yielded a highly enriched population of viable cells. Although low, all samples showed CD45-positive cells during the initial weeks of life. Starting as early as d 2, IgA expression was observed in 69% of the cells. Low to moderate expression of IgG was observed with a linear increase as the infants grew. There was an almost total lack of TLR2 staining; however, >55% of the colonocytes showed TLR4 expression. Although high levels of IgA in gut cells may serve as a natural protectant during neonatal period, increased TLR4 may provide a niche for lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated epithelial damage. Use of stool colonocytes can be a valuable noninvasive approach for studying gut pathophysiology in the neonatal period.
A Comparative Analysis of MRI Brain Tumor Segmentation Technique

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a powerful visualization tool that permits to acquire images of internal anatomy of human body in a secure and non-invasive manner. The important task in the diagnosis of brain tumor is to determine the exact location, orientation and area of the abnormal tissues. This paper presents a performance analysis of image segmentation techniques, viz., Genetic algorithm, KMeans Clustering and Fuzzy C-Means clustering for detection of brain tumor from brain MRI images. The performance evaluation of these techniques is carried out on the real time database on the basis of error percentage compared to ground truth. General Terms Segmentation algorithms, Brain tumor
Explaining European Emission Allowance Price Dynamics: Evidence from Phase II

Abstract We empirically investigate potential determinants of the allowance price dynamics in the European Union Emission Trading Scheme during Phase II. In contrast to previous studies, we place particular emphasis on the fuel price selection. We show that results are extremely sensitive to choosing different price series of potential determinants, such as coal and gas prices. In general, only the influence of economic activity in Europe and hydropower provision in Norway is robustly explaining allowance price dynamics. The influence of fuel switching on allowance prices and, therefore, equalization of marginal abatement costs - in particular in the long run - is still rather small.
Improved bounds on weak ε-nets for convex sets

AbstractLetS be a set ofn points in ℝd. A setW is aweak ε-net for (convex ranges of)S if, for anyT⊆S containing εn points, the convex hull ofT intersectsW. We show the existence of weak ε-nets of size % MathType! MTEF! 2! 1! +-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfKttLearuqr1ngBPrgarmWu51MyVXgatC% vAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaeHbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharyavP1wz% ZbItLDhis9wBH5garqqtubsr4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbb% L8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpe% pae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-xfr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaam% aaeaqbaaGcbaGaem4ta8KaeiikaGIaeiikaGIaeGymaeJaei4la8Ia% eqyTdu2aaWbaaSqabeaacqWGKbazaaGccqGGPaqkcyGGSbaBcqGGVb% WBcqGGNbWzdaahaaWcbeqaaiabek7aInaaBaaameaacqWGKbazaeqa% aaaakiabcIcaOiabigdaXiabc+caViabew7aLjabcMcaPiabcMcaPa% aa! 50FE! $$O((1/\varepsilon ^d )\log ^{\beta _d } (1/\varepsilon ))$$ , whereβ2=0,β3=1, andβd≈0.149·2d-1(d-1)! , improving a previous bound of Alonet al. Such a net can be computed effectively. We also consider two special cases: whenS is a planar point set in convex position, we prove the existence of a net of sizeO((1/ε) log1.6(1/ε)). In the case whereS consists of the vertices of a regular polygon, we use an argument from hyperbolic geometry to exhibit an optimal net of sizeO(1/ε), which improves a previous bound of Capoyleas.
Design and operation of very slow-speed generators for a Bristol cylinder sea wave generating device

This paper describes the operation of a direct-drive brushless generator for a Bristol cylinder ocean wave device. This is a very low speed device so the pole number and diameter is very large. While the machine may be large the pole pitch and axial length is low. The application is described and simulated using analytical and finite element analysis techniques. A 248 pole design with surface rotor magnets is developed with both surface and slotted windings. An analysis of the control is put forward.
The Mardudjara Aborigines: Living the Dream in Australia's Desert

Characterized by a simple technology and a complex socioreligious system, the Mardudjara have survived with much of their traditional culture intact. The Mardu culture challenges common assumptions about the relation between technology and progress. This edition describes changes as the Mardu adapt to social, economic, and political realities.
The study of integration about measurable image and 4D production

In this paper, we create the geospatial data of three-dimensional (3D) modeling by the combination of digital photogrammetry and digital close-range photogrammetry. For large-scale geographical background, we make the establishment of DEM and DOM combination of three-dimensional landscape model based on the digital photogrammetry which uses aerial image data to make "4D" (DOM: Digital Orthophoto Map, DEM: Digital Elevation Model, DLG: Digital Line Graphic and DRG: Digital Raster Graphic) production. For the range of building and other artificial features which the users are interested in, we realize that the real features of the three-dimensional reconstruction adopting the method of the digital close-range photogrammetry can come true on the basis of following steps : non-metric cameras for data collection, the camera calibration, feature extraction, image matching, and other steps. At last, we combine three-dimensional background and local measurements real images of these large geographic data and realize the integration of measurable real image and the 4D production.The article discussed the way of the whole flow and technology, achieved the three-dimensional reconstruction and the integration of the large-scale threedimensional landscape and the metric building.
Additional Evidence That Transaldolase Exchange, Isotope Discrimination During the Triose-Isomerase Reaction, or Both Occur in Humans

OBJECTIVE To determine whether deuterium enrichment on carbons 5 and 3 (C5/C3) in plasma glucose is influenced by processes other than gluconeogenesis and, if so, whether these processes are altered by type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In this study, 10 obese diabetic and 10 obese nondiabetic subjects were infused intravenously with [3,5-2H2] galactose enriched at a C5-to-C3 ratio of 1.0 as well as the enrichment of deuterium on C5 and C3 of plasma glucose, measured with nuclear magnetic resonance using the acetaminophen glucuronide method. RESULTS The ratio of deuterium enrichment on C5 and C3 of glucose was <1 (P < 0.001) in all of the diabetic and nondiabetic subjects, resulting in a means ± SE C5-to-C3 ratio that did not differ between groups (0.81 ± 0.01 vs. 0.79 ± 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS That the C5-to-C3 glucose ratio is <1 indicates that transaldolase exchange, selective retention of deuterium at the level of the triose-isomerase reaction, or both occur in humans. This also indicates that the net effect of these processes on the C5-to-C3 ratio is the same in people with and without type 2 diabetes. The possible effects of transaldolase exchange or selective retention of deuterium (or tritium) at the level of the triose-isomerase reaction on tracee labeling and tracer metabolism should be considered when the deuterated water method is used to measure gluconeogenesis or [3-3H] glucose is used to measure glucose turnover in humans.
Fluorescent and Bioluminescent Reporter Myxoviruses

The advent of virus reverse genetics has enabled the incorporation of genetically encoded reporter proteins into replication-competent viruses. These reporters include fluorescent proteins which have intrinsic chromophores that absorb light and re-emit it at lower wavelengths, and bioluminescent proteins which are luciferase enzymes that react with substrates to produce visible light. The incorporation of these reporters into replication-competent viruses has revolutionized our understanding of molecular virology and aspects of viral tropism and transmission. Reporter viruses have also enabled the development of high-throughput assays to screen antiviral compounds and antibodies and to perform neutralization assays. However, there remain technical challenges with the design of replication-competent reporter viruses, and each reporter has unique advantages and disadvantages for specific applications. This review describes currently available reporters, design strategies for incorporating reporters into replication-competent paramyxoviruses and orthomyxoviruses, and the variety of applications for which these tools can be utilized both in vitro and in vivo.
Secure and Optimal Content-centric Networking Caching Design

Due to accretion demand and size of the contents makes today's Internet architecture inefficient. This host centric model does not seem effective to cater current communication needs where users focus on desired content. As a result, translation between content information and networking domain should take place, typically consisting of an establishment of a delivery path between the content provider and the content consumer. This translation is generally an inefficient constraint, as data location and data popularity are neglected, which leads to over consumption of network resources. The increasing demands of highly scalable and efficient distribution of contents have motivated the development of future Internet architecture based on named data objects. Currently, Content Centric Networking (CCN) is gaining attention as the future Internet architecture where contents themselves are the primary focus, rather than the location of the content. This paper provides an insight into efficient caching management policies used currently for large file caching, our proposed approach along with its justification and validation behind the idea for designing the best caching strategy in CCN. However, caching policies can be misused if attackers use cache as storage to make their own content available for attacks or privacy leaks. We conclude with the need for security mechanisms for protecting the cache and the security measures to prevent any misuse of it.
Joint transmit beamforming and artificial noise design for QoS discrimination inwireless downlink

This paper considers a downlink wireless system where a multiple-antenna transmitter (Alice) aims to discriminate the reception performances between a legitimate receiver (Bob) and a set of unauthorized receivers (Eves). To this end, there has been great interest in the use of artificial noise (AN) together with transmit beamforming in order to effectively interfere Eves' reception. However, most of the existing works do not optimize the AN but simply allocate it in the left null space of the Alice-to-Bob channel. In the paper, we propose to jointly optimize the beamforming vector and the AN covariance matrix by minimizing the total transmit power subject to a target signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) constraint on Bob and limited SINR constraints on all Eves. While the considered beamforming problem is not convex and may be difficult to solve in general, it can be effectively handled by a convex approximation method called semidefinite program (SDP) relaxation. In addition to showing how SDP relaxation can be applied to this problem, we prove using the KKT optimality that SDP relaxation provides a global optimum solution of the proposed beamforming problem when Alice has perfect information of the channel from Alice to Bob. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed beamforming method.
Thermal plasticity of growth and development varies adaptively among alternative developmental pathways

Polyphenism, the expression of discrete alternative phenotypes, is often a consequence of a developmental switch. Physiological changes induced by a developmental switch potentially affect reaction norms, but the evolution and existence of alternative reaction norms remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that, in the butterfly Pieris napi (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), thermal reaction norms of several life history traits vary adaptively among switch‐induced alternative developmental pathways of diapause and direct development. The switch was affected both by photoperiod and temperature, ambient temperature during late development having the potential to override earlier photoperiodic cues. Directly developing larvae had higher development and growth rates than diapausing ones across the studied thermal gradient. Reaction norm shapes also differed between the alternative developmental pathways, indicating pathway‐specific selection on thermal sensitivity. Relative mass increments decreased linearly with increasing temperature and were higher under direct development than diapause. Contrary to predictions, population phenology did not explain trait variation or thermal sensitivity, but our experimental design probably lacks power for finding subtle phenology effects. We demonstrate adaptive differentiation in thermal reaction norms among alternative phenotypes, and suggest that the consequences of an environmentally dependent developmental switch primarily drive the evolution of alternative thermal reaction norms in P. napi.
Trajectory Prediction for Autonomous Driving Using a Transformer Network

Predicting the trajectories of surrounding agents is still considered one of the most challenging tasks for autonomous driving. In this paper, we introduce a multi-modal trajectory prediction framework based on the transformer network. The semantic maps of each agent are used as inputs to convolutional networks to automatically derive relevant contextual information. A novel auxiliary loss that penalizes unfeasible off-road predictions is also proposed in this study. Experiments on the Lyft l5kit dataset show that the proposed model achieves state-of-the-art performance, substantially improving the accuracy and feasibility of the prediction outcomes.
Influência da adubação nitrogenada sobre a interferência de plantas daninhas em feijoeiro

The competition between weeds and bean plants, especially because of nutrients in the environment, is extremelyimportant to minimize potential losses of crop productivity . Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate the ef fects ofusing nitrogen fertilization on the timing and extent of the period before interference (P AI), total period of interference(PTPI) and the critical period of interference control (PCPI) in bean cultivar ‘Ruby’. The seeds were sown in theconventional system and the trial was conducted in two areas at the same time, in which the nitrogen fertilization wasperformed only in one of them. Each area received 14 treatments consisting of two groups: first, the crop was free of
Tailored combination prevention packages and PrEP for young key populations

Young key populations, defined in this article as men who have sex with men, transgender persons, people who sell sex and people who inject drugs, are at particularly high risk for HIV. Due to the often marginalized and sometimes criminalized status of young people who identify as members of key populations, there is a need for HIV prevention packages that account for the unique and challenging circumstances they face. Pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is likely to become an important element of combination prevention for many young key populations.