Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Equatorial Rossby Waves in Tropical Cyclogenesis. Part I: Idealized Numerical Simulations in an Initially Quiescent Background Environment

Abstract This two-part series of papers examines the role of equatorial Rossby (ER) waves in tropical cyclone (TC) genesis. To do this, a unique initialization procedure is utilized to insert n = 1 ER waves into a numerical model that is able to faithfully produce TCs. In this first paper, experiments are carried out under the idealized condition of an initially quiescent background environment. Experiments are performed with varying initial wave amplitudes and with and without diabatic effects. This is done to both investigate how the properties of the simulated ER waves compare to the properties of observed ER waves and explore the role of the initial perturbation strength of the ER wave on genesis. In the dry, frictionless ER wave simulation the phase speed is slightly slower than the phase speed predicted from linear theory. Large-scale ascent develops in the region of low-level poleward flow, which is in good agreement with the theoretical structure of an n = 1 ER wave. The structures and phase speed.
Accounting Disclosure, Value Relevance and Firm Life Cycle: Evidence from Iran

In this study the effect of accounting disclosure on value relevance in different stages of firm life cycle has been investigated. In order to do so, 101 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (Iran) between years 2005 to 2011 were chosen as sample. The sample firms were classified into four stages in the life cycle as Introduction, growth, maturity and Shake-Out (decline), by taking benefit from the cash flows pattern as a proxy for firm life cycle. Then in each of these stages of life cycle, the firms were classified into as high or low disclosure quality. The results of regression in ordinary least squares and Wald Test methods (to examine the significance of difference in the adjusted R squares) indicate that the relation between earnings and changes in earnings with stocks return (value relevance model) among the high and low quality disclosing companies at each stages of the life cycle are not significantly different from each other.
Reuse as heuristic: from transmission to nurture in learning activity design

In recent years a combination of ever more flexible and sophisticated Web technologies and an explosion in the quantity of online content has sparked learning technologists around the world to pursue the promise of the ‘reusable learning object’ or RLO with the idea that RLOs could be reused in different educational contexts, thereby providing greater overall flexibility and return on investment. In 2002 the ACETS Project undertook a three‐year study in the UK to investigate whether RLOs worked in practice and how the pursuit of reuse affected the teacher and their teaching. Teachers working in healthcare‐related subjects in Higher and Further Education were asked to create an original learning design or activity from third‐party digital resources and to reflect both on the process and its outcomes. The expectation was that teachers would be the ones selecting and reusing third‐party materials. This paper describes how one of the ACETS exemplifiers reinterpreted this remit, challenged the anticipated transmissive model of learning, and instead, gave their students an opportunity to create their own original learning designs and learning activities from third‐party digital resources. By describing the educational enhancements, the resulting heightened levels of critical thinking, and sensitivity to patient needs, ‘reuse’ will be shown to be an effective heuristic for student self‐direction and professional development.
A New Optimisation-Based Methodology for Determination of Small-Signal Equivalent Circuit Model Parameters for a Si / SiGe HBT Process

An accurate and simple method for determining the small-signal equivalent circuit model parameters of Si/SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors is presented. This method differs from the previous ones in that it overcomes the often less accurate parasitic elements’ extraction by finding out the proper equivalent circuits for the dummy structures, used to assess the access interconnects’ contribution, and incorporate those in the complete circuit of the model. The method is based on optimization and requires the S-parameter measurements of the dummy structure and the active device. It is shown that it can be easily implemented in commercial software. To validate our methodology, we determined the model elements of a Si/SiGe HBT in the active region. Excellent results were obtained up to 20 GHz.
A Randomised Crossover Study Comparing The Disposable Laryngeal Mask Airway Supreme With The Laryngeal Mask Airway Proseal In Unparalysed Anaesthetised Patients

Study Objective: To compare performance of the LMA Supreme and LMA ProSeal in unparalysed adult patients.Design: A randomised crossover study, using a non-inferiority study design aiming to demonstrate that first time insertion success rate with the LMA Supreme is no more than 15% lower than with the LMA ProSeal.Setting: Operating theatre.Patients: 50 ASA 1 or 2 adult patients undergoing general anaesthesia for elective surgery, without neuromuscular blocking agents. Interventions: After a standardised induction of anaesthesia and adequate jaw relaxation, the initial airway was inserted, in a randomized order. Adequate placement was confirmed by a square wave form on the capnograph. A maximum of two attempts was allowed. Measurements were taken before the device was removed and replaced by the second and the measurements repeated. Measurements: Number of insertion attempts with each device was recorded. Insertion time (from picking up the device until one complete capnograph square wave seen), oropharyngeal leak pressure, fibreoptic laryngeal view and ease of insertion and removal were recorded. Blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturations were recorded before and after insertion of each device.Main Results: First time insertion success rates were 88% (44/50) and 94% (47/50) (95% CI -19 to 7%) for the LMA Supreme and LMA ProSeal respectively. The lower limit of the 95% CI (-19%) lies outside the -15% limit of non-inferiority. Overall success was 96% (48/50) and 98% (49/50), (95% CI -12% to 7%), mean leak pressures were 22cmH2O and 26cmH2O (p=0.005) and insertion times were 23 and 26 seconds (p=0.198) for the LMA Supreme and LMA ProSeal respectively. There was no significant difference in the fibreoptic view obtained (p=0.086). Conclusions: We failed to demonstrate that the LMA Supreme is non-inferior to the LMA ProSeal in terms of its first time insertion success rate in unparalysed patients, and must conclude our results to be equivocal. This work was supported by Intavent Orthofix Ltd who donated all Laryngeal Mask Airways, free of charge.
Optimal pilot design for multipath channel estimation of a single carrier cyclic prefix-assisted CDMA system

This paper investigates the effects of pilot choice for the channel estimation of the single carrier cyclic prefix-assisted CDMA system. The optimal pilot problem for die least square channel estimation is formed as a discrete optimization problem. Because the computation to Find the optimal solution is too huge the heuristic method is applied to get several sub-optimal pilots. Different equalization methods are also applied to test the channel estimation performance. The simulation results demonstrate that even the sub-optimal pilots can give more accurate estimation of the channel and improve the system performance considerably.
Can downwelling far-infrared radiances over Antarctica be estimated from mid-infrared information?

Abstract. Far-infrared (FIR: 100cm-1<wavenumber, ν<667 cm−1) radiation emitted by the Earth and its atmosphere plays a key role in the Earth's energy budget. However, because of a lack of spectrally resolved measurements, radiation schemes in climate models suffer from a lack of constraint across this spectral range. Exploiting a method developed to estimate upwelling far-infrared radiation from mid-infrared (MIR: 667cm-1<ν<1400 cm−1) observations, we explore the possibility of inferring zenith FIR downwelling radiances in zenith-looking observation geometry, focusing on clear-sky conditions in Antarctica. The methodology selects a MIR predictor wavenumber for each FIR wavenumber based on the maximum correlation seen between the different spectral ranges. Observations from the REFIR-PAD instrument (Radiation Explorer in the Far Infrared – Prototype for Application and Development) and high-resolution radiance simulations generated from co-located radio soundings are used to develop and assess the method. We highlight the impact of noise on the correlation between MIR and FIR radiances by comparing the observational and theoretical cases. Using the observed values in isolation, between 150 and 360 cm−1, differences between the “true” and “extended” radiances are less than 5 %. However, in spectral bands of low signal, between 360 and 667 cm−1, the impact of instrument noise is strong and increases the differences seen. When the extension of the observed spectra is performed using regression coefficients based on noise-free radiative transfer simulations the results show strong biases, exceeding 100 % where the signal is low. These biases are reduced to just a few percent if the noise in the observations is accounted for in the simulation procedure. Our results imply that while it is feasible to use this type of approach to extend mid-infrared spectral measurements to the far-infrared, the quality of the extension will be strongly dependent on the noise characteristics of the observations. A good knowledge of the atmospheric state associated with the measurements is also required in order to build a representative regression model.
Nanotechnology and Public Engagement: A New Kind of (Social) Science?

Nanotechnology is often framed as revolutionary, both within science and in the effects it will have on our lives. Increasingly, the relationship between nanotechnology and society is cast as a hallmark of this distinctiveness. In current debates concerning its governance and regulation nanotechnology is cast as an opportunity to ‘get things right’ and ‘avoid the mistakes of the past’. Recent emphasis on the responsible development of nanotechnology, for example, demonstrates the increasing incorporation of both ethics and public participation initiatives into nanotechnology research programmes. In this chapter we examine this trend, reviewing current research on the relations between laypeople and nanotechnology. We reflect on both quantitative and qualitative literatures as well as the broader difficulties of engaging with an emergent technology such as nano, ending by suggesting issues, problematics and challenges that future social science on public engagement with nanotechnology should engage with. Not least of these is the question of how to research public concerns about a technology that is ‘in-the-making’.
First Lapita Settlement and its Chronology in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga

Beginning approximately cal 1400 BC, Austronesian-speaking Lapita peoples began a colonizing migration across Oceania from the Bismarck Archipelago to western Polynesia. The first point of entry into Polynesia occurred on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga with subsequent spread northward to Samoa along a natural sailing corridor. Radiocarbon measurements from recent excavations at 4 sites in the northern Vava'u islands of Tonga provide a chronology for the final stage of this diaspora. These dates indicate that the northern expansion was almost immediate, that a paucity of Lapita sites to the north cannot be explained as a result of lag time in the settlement process, and that decorated Lapita ceramics disappeared rapidly after first landfalls.
Soybean yield and quality a function oflime and gypsum applications

Effects of lime and gypsum applications on the quality of soybeans grown under no-till (NT) are not well defined yet. A field trial established in 1998 on a dystrophic clayey Rhodic Hapludox, at Ponta Grossa, State of Parana, Brazil, evaluated grain yield and soybean quality based on oil, protein and nutrient content, after lime and gypsum applications under NT, in a randomized complete block design (n = 3), split-plot experiment. In the main plots, the treatments with dolomitic lime were: control (no lime), split application of lime on the surface (three yearly applications of 1.5 Mg ha1), surface lime (4.5 Mg ha1), and incorporated lime (4.5 Mg ha1). Subplots received four different rates of gypsum: 0, 3, 6, and 9 Mg ha-1. The soybean crop was evaluated in the agricultural years of 20022003 and 20032004. After 58 months, the correction of acidity through surface liming, with full or split rates, was more pronounced in the top layer (00.05 m) and there was greater reaction at the depths of 0.050. 10 and 0.100. 20 m when lime was incorporated. Surface or incorporated liming had no effect on grain yield, soybean oil and protein content. Gypsum improved chemical subsoil conditions, raising pH (0.01 mol L-1 CaCl2) as well as Ca2+ and S-SO42- contents; it also caused exchangeable Mg2+ leaching in the soil profile. The application of gypsum did not affect grain yield, yet it improved soybean quality through an increase in protein and S contents, in 20032004, and in grain P, K and Ca, in the two cropping years. The use of gypsum in NT soybeans can be especially important for fields of seeds production.
CD103 (αE Integrin) Undergoes Endosomal Trafficking in Human Dendritic Cells, but Does Not Mediate Epithelial Adhesion

Dendritic cell (DC) expression of CD103, the α subunit of αEβ7 integrin, is thought to enable DC interactions with E-cadherin-expressing gastrointestinal epithelia for improved mucosal immunosurveillance. In the stomach, efficient DC surveillance of the epithelial barrier is crucial for the induction of immune responses to H. pylori, the causative agent of peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. However, gastric DCs express only low levels of surface CD103, as we previously showed. We here tested the hypothesis that intracellular pools of CD103 in human gastric DCs can be redistributed to the cell surface for engagement of epithelial cell-expressed E-cadherin to promote DC-epithelial cell adhesion. In support of our hypothesis, immunofluorescence analysis of tissue sections showed that CD103+ gastric DCs were preferentially localized within the gastric epithelial layer. Flow cytometry and imaging cytometry revealed that human gastric DCs expressed intracellular CD103, corroborating our previous findings in monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs). Using confocal microscopy, we show that CD103 was present in endosomal compartments, where CD103 partially co-localized with clathrin, early endosome antigen-1 and Rab11, suggesting that CD103 undergoes endosomal trafficking similar to β1 integrins. Dynamic expression of CD103 on human MoDCs was confirmed by internalization assay. To analyze whether DC-expressed CD103 promotes adhesion to E-cadherin, we performed adhesion and spreading assays on E-cadherin-coated glass slides. In MoDCs generated in the presence of retinoic acid, which express increased CD103, intracellular CD103 significantly redistributed toward the E-cadherin-coated glass surface. However, DCs spreading and adhesion did not differ between E-cadherin-coated slides and slides coated with serum alone. In adhesion assays using E-cadherin-positive HT-29 cells, DC binding was significantly improved by addition of Mn2+ and decreased in the presence of EGTA, consistent with the dependence of integrin-based interactions on divalent cations. However, retinoic acid failed to increase DC adhesion, and a CD103 neutralizing antibody was unable to inhibit DC binding to the E-cadherin positive cells. In contrast, a blocking antibody to DC-expressed E-cadherin significantly reduced DC binding to the epithelium. Overall, these data indicate that CD103 engages in DC-epithelial cell interactions upon contact with epithelial E-cadherin, but is not a major driver of DC adhesion to gastrointestinal epithelia.
Two-Phase Evaluation of the Validity of a Measure for Self-Regulated Learning in Sport Practice

Given the potential role of self-regulated learning (SRL) for enhancing practice and expertise development, we aimed to advance a valid and reliable athlete self-report measure of SRL for sport practice. We built on Toering et al. (2012a) initial SRL instrument along with Bartulovic et al. (2017) sport-specific modifications, and created new items to extend the conceptual breadth of the subscales. With a multi-sport sample of 482 athletes (Mage = 26.45, SD = 12.66; 55% female), two analytic phases tested (1) the factorial validity of the initial and the extended inventories, and (2) criterion validity, by examining how SRL scores distinguished skill groups ranging from local to international competitive levels. In Phase 1, the initial measurement model demonstrated psychometric concerns and we opted to pursue a refined model. The extended model demonstrated acceptable factorial validity but resulted in the fewest subscales. In Phase 2, subscales scores from all three models generally distinguished international-level senior (18 + years) athletes from lesser-skilled groups. Integrating the psychometric evidence and between-group effects across the initial, refined, and extended models, we conclude that the refined inventory, the Self-Regulated Learning for Sport Practice (SRL-SP) survey, is the preferred instrument.
Integration of SAR Data Into Monitoring of the 2014–2015 Holuhraun Eruption, Iceland: Contribution of the Icelandic Volcanoes Supersite and the FutureVolc Projects

We report how data from satellite and aerial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations were integrated into monitoring of the 2014-2015 Holuhraun eruption in the Barðarbunga volcanic system, the largest effusive eruption in Iceland since the 1783-84 Laki eruption. A lava field formed in one of the most remote areas in Iceland, after the propagation of a ~50 km-long dyke beneath the Vatnajokull ice cap, where the Barðarbunga caldera is located. Due to the 6 month duration of the eruption, mainly in wintertime, daily monitoring was particularly challenging. During the eruption, the European volcanological project FutureVolc was ongoing, allowing collaboration of many European experts on volcano monitoring activities. Icelandic volcanoes are also a permanent Supersite within the Geohazard Supersites and Natural Laboratories (GSNL) initiative, with support from the Committee on Earth Observation Satellite (CEOS) in the form of a large collection of SAR images. SAR data were acquired by Cosmo-SkyMed (CSK) and TerraSAR-X (TSX) satellites and complemented by aerial SAR images. The large set of SAR satellite data significantly contributed to the daily monitoring during the unrest at Barðarbunga caldera, the Holuhraun eruption and the year following the eruption. Detection of surface changes using both SAR amplitude and phase information was conducted throughout the whole duration of the volcano-tectonic event, and in the following months, to quantify and track the evolution of volcanic processes at Holuhraun and geothermal activity at Barðarbunga volcano. Combination of SAR data with other data sets, e.g. satellite optical images and geodetic Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements, was essential for the evaluation of the volcanic hazard in the whole area. International collaboration within the Futurevolc project formed the basis for successful analyses and interpretation of the large SAR data set. Information was provided at Scientific Advisory Board meetings of the Icelandic Civil Protection and used in decision-making, as well as for supporting field-deployment and air-based surveys.
TLR3 Regulated Poly I:C-Induced Neutrophil Extracellular Traps and Acute Lung Injury Partly Through p38 MAP Kinase

Acute lung injury (ALI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been well documented in the ALI model of bacterial infection. In the present study, we demonstrated that poly I:C could induce pulmonary NETs. Upon poly I:C intratracheal inoculation, neutrophil infiltration in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was significantly increased. Furthermore, the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the lung were also significantly elevated. Neutrophil depletion abolished NETs and decreased both neutrophil infiltration and IL-1β in the lung. As expected, DNase I, an inhibitor of MPO and NADPH, decreased pulmonary inflammation and NETs. Blocking of the poly I:C receptor TLR3 reduced lung inflammation and NETs. The MAPK kinase inhibitor p38 diminished the formation of NETs and restored the expression of the tight junction protein claudin-5 in the mouse lung when challenged with poly I:C. In summary, poly I:C induced the formation of pulmonary NETs and ALI, which may be associated with the activation of p38 MAPK and the decreased expression of claudin-5.
1-s Productions: A Validation of an Efficient Measure of Clock Variability

Objective: Clock variance is an important statistic in many clinical and developmental studies. Existing methods require a large number of trials for accurate clock variability assessment, which is problematic in studies using clinical or either young or aged participants. Furthermore, these existing methods often implicitly convolute clock and memory processes, making it difficult to disentangle whether the clock or memory system are driving the observed deviations. Here we assessed whether 20 repeated productions of a well-engrained interval (1 s), a task that does not incorporate memory updating nor the processing of feedback, could provide an accurate assessment of clock variability. Method: Sixty-eight undergraduate students completed two tasks: a 1-s production task in which they were asked to produce a 1-s duration by ending a tone by a keypress, and a multi-duration reproduction task. Durations presented in the reproduction task were tones lasting 1.17, 1.4 and 1.68 s. No feedback was presented in either task, and the order of presentation was counterbalanced between participants. Results: The observed central tendency in the reproduction task was better explained by models including the measures of clock variability derived from the 1-s production task than by models without it. Three clock variability measures were calculated for each participant [standard deviation, root mean squared residuals (RMSRs) from an estimated linear slope, and RMSR scaled by mean production duration]. The model including the scaled RMSR was preferred over the alternative models, and no notable effects of the order of task presentation were observed. These results suggest that: (1) measures of variability should account for drift; (2) the presentation of another timing task before a 1-s production task did not influence the assessment of the clock variability; and (3) the observed variability adheres to the scalar property and predicts temporal performance, and is thus a usable index of clock variability. Conclusion: This study shows that just 20 repeated productions of 1 s provide a reliable index of clock variability. As administering this task is fast and easy, it could prove to be useful in a large variety of developmental and clinical populations.
Living Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides: The Search for Catalysts

Biodegradable poly(α-hydroxy acids) can be synthesized by means of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of O-carboxyanhydrides (OCAs). Numerous catalysts have been developed to control the living polymerization of OCAs. Here we review the rationale for the use of OCA, the desirable features for and important attributes of catalysts for the ROP of OCAs, and specific examples that have been developed.