Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vulnerability of Rice Production in Mekong River Delta under Impacts from Floods, Salinity and Climate Change

This study sought to estimate the floods and salinity impact index and climate change vulnerability index for the rice farming provinces in Mekong River Delta. In both indexes, Tra Vinh province and the communes within it have the highest index value, followed by other coastal provinces. The estimation showed that the rice production in these areas are being threatened and will be worsen if there is no appropriate plan to cope with the changes in climate condition and extreme events. The results for the simulation model of paddy yield under different scenarios showed decreases in the paddy yield in Mekong River Delta. Specifically, the yield of Spring paddy decreases 6%, Autumn paddy decreases 2%, Winter paddy decreases 4% and Autumn-winter paddy decreases 4% in 2050. From these results, the climate change adaptation and mitigation policies in this delta is suggested to be focused reducing the exposure to sea level rise; upgrading the irrigation system for paddy planting since the coastal provinces have high rate of rain-fed paddy, vulnerability can also be reduced by enhancing the adaptive capacity of provinces through subsidizing and providing farmers with new paddy varieties which are more tolerant to salinity.
Grouping dynamics of suspended matter in tidal channels

[1] Small-scale suspended sediment dynamics involve transport modes where grouping of suspended particulate matter (SPM) forms distinct patterns in the water. Field data on suspended matter dynamics at a particular location of a tidal channel show the frequent occurrence of turbidity clouds. These appear at spatial scales of tens of meters and temporal orders of minutes. In situ grain-size analysis reveals that the turbidity clouds are mainly composed of aggregates around 0.35 mm in size. Although the SPM signal reveals similar oscillations as the transporting current, no direct correlation was observed between the occurrence of clouds and local hydrodynamic characteristics. To test how the formation of turbidity clouds can be related to the hydrodynamic environment and particle motion, we developed a numerical model for the simulation of particle grouping. The simulations show stable and weakly stable modes of particle clustering, depending on the environmental conditions. A prominent dependence of group stability on the amplitude of current velocity oscillations is revealed. As the local dynamics can be considered to be near the derived threshold of stable and weakly stable grouping, the temporal occurrence of turbidity clouds is explained by the temporal exceedance of a critical oscillation amplitude and the availability of suspended matter as the main limiting factors.
A hybrid numerical method for the phase‐field model of fluid vesicles in three‐dimensional space

We propose an accurate and robust numerical method for the phase‐field model of fluid vesicles. An equilibrium shape of fluid vesicle is obtained by minimizing the bending energy with volume and surface area constraints. We propose a hybrid numerical scheme that combines the Lagrange multiplier and penalty methods for two constraints. The numerical method is based on a nonlinearly stabilized splitting scheme and a direct volume correction algorithm. A large penalty constant is generally required; however, it does not guarantee that the surface area converges to a given value. Thus, we propose an adaptive constraint algorithm for the penalty method. Various numerical examples are performed to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aggression and self injurious behaviors: the effects of behavior interventions in young adults with autism spectrum disorder

v List of Figures . viii Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Research Problem . 3 Key Terms . 3 Implications.4 Summary . 4 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 6 Self-Injurious Behavior . 6 Aggressive Behavior . 8 Sensory Diet . 11 Functional Communication Training . 15 Chapter 3: Methodology . 20 Setting and Subjects . 20 Participant 1 . 20 Participant 2 . 21 Procedure . 22 Variables . 24 Experimental Design . 25 Chapter 4: Results . 26 Summary . 26
Development and Standardization of a Test of Motor Proficiency in
 Children with Intellectual Disabilities in India

Purpose: To develop a scale for the assessment of gross and fine motor skills of the children with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities so that their skills could be assessed and accordingly interventions in physical activities could be specifically designed for them. Method: Thirty-eight items for the Test of Motor Proficiency scale was developed after initial try out, pilot study and final try-out by the researchers. Fifty children with mild intellectual disabilities (n = 26), and moderate intellectual disabilities (n = 24) aged between 6 to 17 years fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected from special schools in Jammu district, JK the correlation of BASIC-MR (M = 151.92, SD = 18.08, N = 50) and Test of Motor Proficiency (M = 49.22, SD = 12.23, N = 50) was highly significant r (48) = . 76, p< . 05. The construct validity assessed through test retest was r (48) =. 97, p< . 05. Implications: The Scale can be used in the assessment of gross and fine motor skills of children with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities for clinical and research purposes.
Density, size and distribution of stomata in 35 rainforest tree species in Central Amazonia

Stomata are turgor-operated valves that control water loss and CO2 uptake during photosynthesis, and thereby water relation and plant biomass accumulation is closely related to stomatal functioning. The aims of this work were to document how stomata are distributed on the leaf surface and to determine if there is any significant variation in stomatal characteristics among Amazonian tree species, and finally to study the relationship between stomatal density (SD) and tree height. Thirty five trees (>17 m tall) of different species were selected. Stomatal type, density (SD), size (SS) and stomatal distribution on the leaf surface were determined using nail polish imprints taken from both leaf surfaces. Irrespective of tree species, stomata were located only on the abaxial surface (hypostomaty), with large variation in both SD and SS among species. SD ranged from 110 mm-2 in Neea altissima to 846 mm-2 in Qualea acuminata. However, in most species SD ranges between 271 and 543 mm-2, with a negative relationship between SD and SS. We also found a positive relationship between SD and tree height (r2 = 0.14, p < 0.01), but no correlation was found between SD and leaf thickness. The most common stomatal type was anomocytic (37%), followed by paracytic (26%) and anisocytic (11%). We conclude that in Amazonian tree species, stomatal distribution on the leaf surface is a response most likely dependent on the genetic background of every species, rather than a reaction to environmental changes, and that somehow SD is influenced by environmental factors dependent on tree height.
On-line hypergraph coloring ∗

In this paper we investigate the online hypergraph coloring problem. In this online problem the algorithm receives the vertices of the hypergraph in some order v1, . , vn and it must color vi by only looking at the subhypergraph Hi = (Vi, Ei) where Vi = {v1, . , vi} and Ei contains the edges of the hypergraph which are subsets of Vi. We show that there exists no online hypergraph coloring algorithm with sublinear competitive ratio. Furthermore we investigate some particular classes of hypergraphs (k-uniform hypergraphs, hypergraphs with max degree k, hypergraphs with bounded matching number, projective planes), we analyse the online algorithm FF and give matching lower bounds for these classes. keywords: online algorithms, combinatorial problems
Application of Cox's Proportional Hazard Model and Construction of Life Table for Under-Five

A primary data of 836 eligible women in the age group of 15-49 years is used to determine the causal effects of covariates on under-five mortality. The eight covariates viz., number of family members (NHM), type of toilet facility (TTF), total children ever born (TCB), parity (PAR), duration of breastfeeding (DBF), use contraceptive (CMT), DPT and ideal number of girl (ING) are considered as covariates of the study. By applying Cox's regression analysis, six covariates viz., TTF, NHM, CMT, DBF, DPT and ING have substantially and significantly effect on under-five mortality. Further, a life table of under-five children under study is constructed using the estimate of survival function obtained from Cox's regression model.
Design Consideration for Configuration, Topology & Control Schemes of DSTATCOM Implemented on Distribution Systems

With the increasing need of electrical energy, the demand for receiving the high quality electrical energy is being increased in distribution systems. But due to the different disturbances affecting the power quality, the power quality in the present day distribution systems is deteriorated due to high reactive power burden, harmonic current, load unbalance, excessive neutral current etc. There are various power quality problems faced by utilities, industrial consumer, equipment like PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), & ASD (Adjustable Speed Drives). The different custom power devices are available for mitigation of power quality problems. DSTATCOM (Distribution Static Compensator) is one of the shunt connected device used for compensating various power quality problems in distribution systems. This paper presents a comprehensive review of DSTATCOM configuration, topology & different control schemes used for power quality improvement on distribution system incorporating multiple applications. 
Distance maps to estimate cell volume from two‐dimensional plankton images

We describe and evaluate an algorithm that uses a distance map to automatically calculate the biovolume of a planktonic organism from its two‐dimensional boundary. Compared with existing approaches, this algorithm dramatically increases the speed and accuracy of biomass estimates from plankton images, and is thus especially suited for use with automated cell imaging technologies that produce large quantities of data. The algorithm operates on a two‐dimensional image processed to identify organism boundaries. First, the distance of each interior pixel to the nearest boundary is calculated; next these same distances are assumed to apply for projection in the third dimension; and finally the resulting volume is adjusted by a multiplicative factor assuming locally circular cross‐sections in the third dimension. Other cross‐sectional shape factors can be applied as needed. In this way, the simple, computationally efficient, volume calculation can be refined to include taxon‐specific shape information if available. We show that compared to traditional manual microscopic analysis, the distance map algorithm is unbiased and accurate (mean difference = −0.25%, standard deviation = 17%) for a range of cell morphologies, including those with concave boundaries that deviate from simple geometric shapes and whose volumes are not well represented by a solid of revolution around a single axis. Automated calculation of cell volumes can now be implemented with a combination of this new distance map algorithm for complex shapes and the solid of revolution approach for simple shapes, with an automated decision criterion to choose the appropriate approach for each image.
Four species in one: multigene analyses reveal phylogenetic patterns within Hardwicke's woolly bat, Kerivoula hardwickii -complex (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in Asia

1Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205 MNHN CNRS UPMC, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Case postale N°51–55, rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France 2Service de Systématique Moléculaire, UMS 2700, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Case postale N°26–43, rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France 3Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet road, Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam 4Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet road, Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam 5Fauna & Flora International, Cambodia Programme, 19 Street 360, Boeng Keng Kang 1, Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 6Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross u. 13. , H-1088, Budapest, Hungary
Coupled hydro-mechanical cracking of concrete using XFEM in 3D

This paper presents a computational method for simulation of 3D hydrofracturation using a segregated and a coupled algorithm hydraulic model. The crack propagation is modeled using a combination of continuous damage and XFEM. The poroelastic problem in the first stage of cracking is modeled using a poro-damage model, where the permeability is linked to the damage coefficient. Once the crack is modeled using XFEM, a hydraulic mesh is automatically generated on the fracture surface with the possibility of including features such as drains. The pressure is computed on the hydraulic mesh taking into account the crack opening computed with the structural model and the different types of flow in a crack: laminar or turbulent, parallel or non-parallel. The pressure computed with the hydraulic mesh is transferred to the structural mesh to recompute the structural response. This procedure, iterated until convergence, can predict hydraulic fracturing taking into account complex flows. A validation example on a wedge-splitting specimen is presented.
Ancient DNA techniques: Applications for deep-water corals

The potential applications of ancient DNA (aDNA) techniques have been realized relatively recently, and have been revolutionized by the advent of PCR techniques in the mid 1980s. Although these techniques have been proven valuable in ancient specimens of up to 100,000 yrs old, their use in the marine realm has been largely limited to mammals and fish. Using modifications of techniques developed for skeletons of whales and mammals, we have produced a method for extracting and amplifying aDNA from sub-fossil (not embedded in rock) deep-water corals that has been successful in yielding 351 base pairs of the ITS2 region in sub-fossil Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794) and Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus, 1758). The comparison of DNA sequences from fossil and live specimens resulted in clustering by species, demonstrating the validity of this new aDNA method. Sub-fossil scleractinian corals are readily dated using U-series techniques, and so the abundance of directly-dateable skeletons in the world's oceans, provides an extremely useful archive for investigating the interactions of environmental pressures (in particular ocean circulation, climate change) on the past distribution, and the evolution of deep-water corals across the globe.
Interactions between endothelial and bone marrow stromal cells of relevance to bone tissue engineering

Much research effort is being directed towards the development of bone tissue engineering techniques as alternatives to grafts for the treatment of bone defects. A major challenge is that following implantation of the tissue engineered construct, inadequate vascularity limits the supply of nutrients to the proliferating osteoprogenitor cells within the scaffolding. One proposed means of addressing this issue is the addition of endothelial cells (EC), major components of vessel-formation, to bone marrow stromal cells (MSC) seeded onto a biodegradable scaffold. The aim of the present series of studies was to investigate interactions between endothelial cells and bone marrow stromal cells, with special reference to osteogenic differentiation of MSC and bone formation. In study I, the addition of EC to MSC at a ratio of 1:5 resulted in significant increases in cell proliferation and cellular bridges between the two cell types. At the same time, increased mRNA expression of alkaline phosphatase was observed; this effect was greater than that achieved by the addition of osteogenic factors such as dexamethasone, ascorbic acid and glycerophosphate to the culture medium. This interesting finding suggests that under conditions of direct contact culturing, endothelial cells influence the osteogenic differentiation of MSC. Study II was designed to select an appropriate copolymer scaffold to support the cells during the initial stages. MSC were seeded onto two porous test scaffolds, made of poly(LLAco-CL) and poly(LLA-co-DXO). The cellular response was determined in terms of attachment, proliferation and differentiation. The results showed that poly(LLA-co-CL) and poly(LLA-co-DXO) promoted better cell attachment and growth than the control scaffolding, poly(LLA). Moreover, MSC retained their osteogenic differentiation potential on the scaffolds.
INFLUENCE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE ON JOB SATISFACTION AMONG THE STAFF.

This paper explored on the influence of training and development, employee performance on job satisfaction among the staff of School of Technology Management and Logistics (STML). The purpose of this research paper is to identify the influence of training & development program and employee performance on job satisfaction among university academic and administrative staff in STML. The quantitative analysis method of a primary source was utilized to collect the data from 81 staff respondents. Responses retrieved were 81. 73 responses were accepted and used for data analysis. The context of this study is in Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah (UUM) in the northern region of Malaysia. Seven Likert scales were used to measure the degree of training & development and employee performance on job satisfaction. (SPSS) 20.0 was utilized to analyze the collected data. The result found that training & development and employee performance positively influence on job satisfaction, and there is a significant relationship between training & development, employee performance, and job satisfaction. It also established that training & development and employee performance is an efficient and supportive strategic to organization and employee success. This paper presents significant theoretical contribution for academic knowledge purpose and managerial contributions for practitioners. Keywords: Human resource management, Human resource practices, Training & development, Employee performance, job Satisfaction.
Quantile Co-Movement in Financial Markets: A Panel Quantile Model With Unobserved Heterogeneity

Abstract This article introduces a new procedure for analyzing the quantile co-movement of a large number of financial time series based on a large-scale panel data model with factor structures. The proposed method attempts to capture the unobservable heterogeneity of each of the financial time series based on sensitivity to explanatory variables and to the unobservable factor structure. In our model, the dimension of the common factor structure varies across quantiles, and the explanatory variables is allowed to depend on the factor structure. The proposed method allows for both cross-sectional and serial dependence, and heteroscedasticity, which are common in financial markets. We propose new estimation procedures for both frequentist and Bayesian frameworks. Consistency and asymptotic normality of the proposed estimator are established. We also propose a new model selection criterion for determining the number of common factors together with theoretical support. We apply the method to analyze the returns for over 6000 international stocks from over 60 countries during the subprime crisis, European sovereign debt crisis, and subsequent period. The empirical analysis indicates that the common factor structure varies across quantiles. We find that the common factors for the quantiles and the common factors for the mean are different. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Annotated Image Datasets of Rosette Plants

While image-based approaches to plant phenotyping are gaining momentum, benchmark data focusing on typical imaging situations and tasks in plant phenotyping are still lacking, making it dicult to compare existing methodologies. This report describes a benchmark dataset of raw and annotated images of plants. We describe the plant material, environmental conditions, and imaging setup and procedures, as well as the datasets where this image selection stems from. We also describe the annotation process, since all of these images have been manually segmented by experts, such that each leaf has its own label. Color images in the dataset show top-down views on young rosette plants. Two datasets show dierent genotypes of Arabidopsis while another dataset shows tobacco (Nicoticana tobacum) under dierent treatments. A version of the dataset, described also in this report, is in the public domain at http://www.plant-phenotyping.org/CVPPP2014-dataset and can be used for the purpose of plant/leaf segmentation from background, with accompanying evaluation scripts. This version was used in the Leaf Segmentation Challenge (LSC) of the Computer Vision Problems in Plant Phenotyping (CVPPP 2014) workshop organized in conjunction with the
THERMAL TOMOGRAPHY OF ASTEROID SURFACE STRUCTURE

Knowledge of the surface thermal inertia of an asteroid can provide insight into its surface structure: porous material has a lower thermal inertia than rock. We develop a means to estimate thermal inertia values of asteroids and use it to show that thermal inertia appears to increase with spin period in the case of main-belt asteroids (MBAs). Similar behavior is found on the basis of thermophysical modeling for near-Earth objects (NEOs). We interpret our results in terms of rapidly increasing material density and thermal conductivity with depth, and provide evidence that thermal inertia increases by factors of 10 (MBAs) to 20 (NEOs) within a depth of just 10 cm. Our results are consistent with a very general picture of rapidly changing material properties in the topmost regolith layers of asteroids and have important implications for calculations of the Yarkovsky effect, including its perturbation of the orbits of potentially hazardous objects and those of asteroid family members after the break-up event. Evidence of a rapid increase of thermal inertia with depth is also an important result for studies of the ejecta-enhanced momentum transfer of impacting vehicles (“kinetic impactors”) in planetary defense.
Source Identification of Volatile Organic Compounds and Particulate Matters in an Urban and Industrial Areas of Turkey

Elevated levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matters have been observed in recent years in Kocaeli, Turkey, despite improvements in pollution prevention technology that have led to a reduction in gas and particulate emissions. Local authorities should devise alternative strategies to reduce the possible health effects of a variety of pollutants that affect air quality. The objective of this study was to identify potential sources of VOCs, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and coarse particulate matter (PM10) concentrations in atmospheric aerosols that were collected in the highly industrialised area of Kocaeli, Turkey, during the winter and summer months by using wind directions. Samples were collected from May 2006 to January 2007, and concentrations of eight elements (As, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) were measured using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometer. Samples were analysed for thirteen VOCs, including benzene, toluene, m/p-xylene, o-xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, cyclohexane, 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,4trimethylbenzene, hexane, nonane and dodecane using thermal desorption (TD) and a gas chromatography/flame ionisation detector (GC/FID). The results show that vehicular emissions, oil and coal combustions, petroleum refinery and hazardous and medical waste incinerator are the significant sources of VOCs, PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations in Kocaeli.