Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global vegetation cover changes from coarse resolution satellite data

Land cover plays a key role in various biophysical processes related to global climate and terrestrial biogeochemistry. Although global land cover has dramatically changed over the last few centuries, until now there has been no consistent way of quantifying the changes globally. In this study we used long-term climate and soils data along with coarse resolution satellite observations to quantify the magnitude and spatial extent of large-scale land cover changes attributable to anthropogenic processes. Differences between potential leaf area index (LAI), derived from climate-soil-leaf area equilibrium, and actual leaf area index obtained from satellite data are used to estimate changes in land cover. Further, changes in LAI between potential and actual conditions are linked to climate by expressing them as possible changes in radiometric surface temperatures (Tr) resulting from changes in surface energy partitioning. As expected, areas with high population densities, such as India, China, and western Europe showed large reductions in LAI. Changes in global land cover expressed as summer, midafternoon Tr, ranged from −8° to +16°C. Deforestation resulted in an increase in Tr, while irrigated agriculture reduced the Tr. Many of the current general circulation models (GCMs) use potential vegetation maps to represent global vegetation. Our results indicate that there are widespread changes in global land cover due to deforestation and agriculture below the resolution of many GCMs, and these changes could have a significant impact on climate. Potential and actual LAI data sets are available for climate modelers at 0.5° × 0.5° resolution to study the possible impacts of land cover changes on global temperatures and circulation patterns.
NS-SOF: A non-feature matching approach for sparse optical flow

This paper presents a novel approach to compute sparse optical flow field, which is different from the traditional feature matching methods such as SURF. The approach consists mainly of three novel parts. First, the improved PatchMatch that is tailored to sparse optical flow computation is used to generate NNF quickly. And the NNF is smoothed using a threshold filtering rather than global optimization for low complexity. Next, we use the superpixel method to segment the NNF and choose the representative optical flow for each segment using the statistical filtering. Finally, the outliers that are mistaken for inliers in the previous processing steps are removed using a global statistical filtering in the form of histograms. In the experiment, the approach is evaluated using real datasets provided by the KITTI benchmarks and compared with SURF and ORB. The result shows that our approach can generate more uniform sparse optical flow field with fewer outliers.
Is there an ideal body weight.

Ultrasound screening for hip abnormalities NMP Clarke, FRcs; RA B Mollan, FRcs . 1026 Referral to medical outpatients department at teaching hospitals in Birmingham and Amsterdam C van Weel, MD, and H G M van der Velden, MD; R F Westerman, MD, and F M Hull, FRCGP . 1026 Risk factors for uterine fibroids: reduced risk associated with oral contraceptives H Ratner, MD; RK Ross, MD, and others . 1027 Angina pectoris-like pains provoked by intiravenous adenosine C Sylven, MD, and others . 1027 Beneficial effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on renal function in patients with diabetic nephropathy S Ahmad,MB . 1028 Obstetric anaesthetic services W Hotise, MRCP; BarbaraM Morgan, FFARcS; Felicity Reynolds, FFARcs . 1028 Reversible inhibition of leucocyte sodium pumps by a circulating serum factor in essential hypertension Lucilla Poston, PHD, and PJ Hilton, MD . 1029
New magnetic monopole flux limits from the IMB proton decay detector.

An improved limit on the flux of magnetic monopoles in the vicinity of the solar system is obtained, assuming that monopoles strongly catalyze nucleon decay (the Rubakov-Callan effect). Flux limits are presented for monopole velocities from 10{sup {minus}5}{ital c} to 10{sup {minus}1}{ital c} and for monopole-nucleon cross sections between 10{sup {minus}27} cm{sup 2} and 10{sup {minus}21} cm{sup 2}. For a representative velocity {beta}{approx}10{sup {minus}3}, and cross section {sigma}{approx}10{sup {minus}24} cm{sup 2}, we obtain a limit {ital F}{sub {ital m}}{lt}2.7{times}10{sup {minus}15} cm{sup {minus}2} sr{minus}1 sec {sup {minus}1} and for {sigma}{approx}10{sup {minus}25} cm{sup 2}, {ital F}{sub {ital m}}{lt}1.0{times}10{sup {minus}15} cm{sup {minus}2}sr{sup {minus}1}sec{sup {minus}1} at 90% C.L.
How to choose mitigation measures for supply chain risks

Properly managing supply chain risks is at the top of many supply chain managers’ agendas. However, the process of selecting preventive measures to mitigate supply chain risks is often unstructured in practice. This is also reflected in academic literature, where selecting appropriate mitigation measures is performed via qualitative and rather informal approaches. In order to fill this gap in industrial practice and academic research, the purpose of this study is to provide a quantitative DSS to select mitigation measures for supply chain risks. The support system is theoretically grounded via a decision framework and is consistent with previous studies adopting the risk management process. The analytical tool is based on a stochastic integer linear programming approach, including supply chain managers’ judgements by way of utility functions and fuzzy-extended pairwise comparisons. In comparison with previous studies, the support system explicitly models the relationships between risks and their expected impact and considers the risk prioritisation step and the measures selection step jointly to enable risk profile reduction. The usefulness of the tool proposed is shown via the application of the support system to the case of the global sourcing process of Chicco–Artsana, a large manufacturer and distributor of baby care products.
erbB3 Is an Active Tyrosine Kinase Capable of Homo- and Heterointeractions

ABSTRACT Often considered to be a “dead” kinase, erbB3 is implicated in escape from erbB-targeted cancer therapies. Here, heregulin stimulation is shown to markedly upregulate kinase activity in erbB3 immunoprecipitates. Intact, activated erbB3 phosphorylates tyrosine sites in an exogenous peptide substrate, and this activity is abolished by mutagenesis of lysine 723 in the catalytic domain. Enhanced erbB3 kinase activity is linked to heterointeractions with catalytically active erbB2, since it is largely blocked in cells pretreated with lapatinib or pertuzumab. erbB2 activation of erbB3 is not dependent on equal surface levels of these receptors, since it occurs even in erbB3-transfected CHO cells with disproportionally small amounts of erbB2. We tested a model in which transient erbB3/erbB2 heterointeractions set the stage for erbB3 homodimers to be signaling competent. erbB3 homo- and heterodimerization events were captured in real time on live cells using single-particle tracking of quantum dot probes bound to ligand or hemagglutinin tags on recombinant receptors.
Does Social Media Brand Community Membership Translate to Real Sales? A Critical Evaluation of Purchase Behavior by Fans and Non-Fans of a Facebook Fan Page

The emerging social media brand communities provide a good platform for marketers to promote brands to their members. Marketers are devoting time and efforts to building their social media fan pages; however, the elusive question of whether their social media fans exhibit any behavioural loyalty in terms of actual purchase behaviour remains unanswered. Based on the characteristics of social media, we treat social media fan membership as the objective indicator of attitudinal loyalty. This study validates the positive relationship between social media attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty by proposing three models on purchase expenditure, quantity and frequency. We used treatment effects model to account for selection bias problem. Our data for model estimation consist of an apparel retailer brand’s customer transaction data and their Facebook fan page membership data. This study shows that fans of the brand have higher behavioural loyalty than non-fans in terms of all the three purchase behaviour aspects.
Optimal direct voltage control of MTDC grids for integration of offshore wind power

This paper presents an optimal control of multiterminal high voltage DC (MTDC) networks. The conventional methods of controlling direct voltages of MTDC networks suffered from serials of issues, such as lack of ability to steer the power flow, less expandability to scale up and poor dynamic responses. In this paper, an innovative strategy of regulating DC voltages is derived through three main steps: calculation of DC loads flow, optimization of power flow and N-1 security for MTDC networks. Further, this strategy is numerically tested by incorporating the loss minimization in a MTDC network. The advantages of the control strategy are verified by simulations using MATLAB/Simulink package.
Annual pattern of photosynthesis in Scots pine in the boreal zone.

To detect seasonal changes in photosynthetic rate in the field, a set of 18,000 photosynthetic measurements made between April and October on three shoots of Scots pine growing near the northern timberline was studied. The measurements were analyzed in the framework of an optimal stomatal control model of photosynthesis, in which irradiance (photosynthetically active radiation, I), air humidity and ambient temperature are driving variables. All driving variables were monitored concomitantly with gas exchange measurements throughout the growing season. The model has nine parameters, of which six were assumed to be constant over the growing season and were fixed based on previous information. The three variable parameters were the initial slope (alpha) and saturation value (gamma) of the light-response curve of carboxylation efficiency in the intercellular cavity, and the cost of transpiration (lambda), in carbon units, regulating the degree of stomatal opening. These parameters could not be estimated independently, nor could their values be satisfactorily found by standard nonlinear regression techniques. A Monte Carlo based simulation procedure was devised to analyze the best-fit parameters and their mutual correlations near the minimum of the residual sum of squares. This was accomplished by replacing the saturation value of the light-response curve with a linearity parameter that determined the shape of the curve. In the best fit solutions, only alpha and lambda varied from day to day, whereas the shape of the curve was constant (i.e., gamma was proportional to alpha). Both alpha and lambda showed consistent patterns from spring to autumn, but the seasonal variation was considerably greater for alpha than for lambda. The optimal stomatal control model with the seven fixed and two daily parameter values gave a good overall fit for photosynthetic rate over the season (PEV > 95%).
INVOLVEMENT AND TRUST IN A BRAND AS PREDICTORS OF LOYALTY CATEGORIES Licen

Customer loyalty is the most valuable asset for the firm. Several researchs find that customer loyalty is positively related with profitability. The purpose of this research is to investigate the power of involvement and trust in a brand (as cognitive and conative antecedent of loyalty) to predict loyalty categories. Dick and Basu (1994) conceptualization of loyaly is used as the main reference in this research. The object of this research is facial whitening product, and the subjects are women. Data is collected in two central locations in Yogyakarta. The finding of this research indicates that involvement and trust in a brand has a contribution to predict loyalty categories, such as loyal, latent loyalty, spurious loyal, and no loyalty. The results also support that trust in a brand has more important contribution to predict loyalty categories.
Moving towards effective chronic illness management: asthma as an exemplar

The United States health care system is at a pivotal point in its ability to manage chronic illness. The demands and philosophical differences between the management of acute and chronic illnesses suggest the need for different strategies for effective and efficient management of chronic illness. The purpose of this article is to discuss the Chronic Care Model and the collaborative approach to managing chronic illnesses. Asthma, as an exemplar, will be used to illustrate the need for the development of new models of collaborative care for the treatment of chronic illnesses.
Application of an expanded multiplex genotyping assay for the simultaneous detection of Hemoglobin Constant Spring and common deletional α‐thalassemia mutations

Hemoglobin Constant Spring (HbCS) is the most common nondeletional α‐thalassemia variant causing HbH disease, making its detection crucial in populations at risk. Universal newborn screening for HbH is carried out in California. Identification of α‐thalassemia genotypes responsible for HbH and HbH‐CS requires rapid, accurate and cost‐effective genotyping methods suitable for population screening. We incorporated the HbCS mutation into our existing seven‐plex genotyping assay for common α‐thalassemia deletions. To assess the feasibility and diagnostic utility of this expanded multiplex gap‐PCR assay, we determined genotypic frequencies of HbCS in samples referred for α‐thalassemia testing between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2008. During the 3‐year study period, 1436 samples were genotyped for α‐thalassemia. HbH‐CS accounted for 23 (13%) of the 176 cases of HbH disease identified. In a subset of 145 newborns referred by the California NBS program with an elevated Hb Bart’s level at birth, HbH disease was confirmed in 134 (93%) and HbH‐CS identified in 13 (10%) of these. This expanded genotyping assay has proven to be a rapid, reliable and clinically useful diagnostic tool for the detection of HbH‐CS disease.
Controlling for Potential Confounding by Occupational Exposures

Occupational exposure is an important potential confounder in air pollution studies because it is plausible that individuals who live in highly polluted areas also work in more polluted environments. While the original investigators made some efforts to control for possible confounding by occupational variables, it was felt that these could be improved upon. The reanalysis team attempted to control for occupational confounding by supplementing the original data sets with two new variables, an indicator of the "dirtiness" of a subject's job and an indicator of possible exposure to occupational lung carcinogens. The attribution of these variables was based on the job title recorded by the original investigators and on the judgment of our experts concerning typical exposure patterns in different occupations. We fitted Cox proportional-hazards models identical to those that had been used by the original investigators while also including one or both of the new occupational covariates in the models. In none of the analyses did the inclusion of the occupational variables materially change the results. It would therefore appear that, in general, the results reported by the original investigators were not distorted by inadequate control of occupational variables. We also carried out some analyses using the dirtiness index as a stratification variable to assess effect modification. There was some indication, albeit inconsistent, that the effect of air pollution on mortality was greater among subjects with dirty jobs than among those with clean jobs.
Comprehension and production of relative clauses: a comparison between Swedish impaired and unimpaired children

The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between language comprehension and language production in Swedish children. This was done longitudinally with 10 children with specific language impairment (SLI), aged 4;0 to 6;3 at Time I, and 10 children with unimpaired language development, aged 3;1 to 3;7 at Time I. The target structure was subordination, more precisely relative clauses. The children's comprehension was tested with picture pointing, act-out and oral response tests. Their production was tested with elicited imitation and sentence completion tests. Data were collected twice, with an interval of six months. The results from the unimpaired children at Time I showed a difference between comprehension and production. At Time II these children scored higher on production than on comprehension. The children with SLI scored significantly higher on comprehension than on production at Time I. In half of the SLI group there was a clear development between the two data collection sessions, diminishing the dissociation. On neither testing did the children with SLI differ significantly from the unimpaired children in comprehension. At both testings, however, the children with SLI had significantly more responses where they did not insert the complementizer in relative clauses. The results indicate that the relationship between comprehension and production is different at different stages in development. They also show that structures involving dependency relations are particularly difficult to produce for children with SLI.
The effect of cooling prior to and during exercise on exercise performance and capacity in the heat: a meta-analysis

Exercise is impaired in hot, compared with moderate, conditions. The development of hyperthermia is strongly linked to the impairment and as a result various strategies have been investigated to combat this condition. This meta-analysis focused on the most popular strategy: cooling. Precooling has received the most attention but recently cooling applied during the bout of exercise has been investigated and both were reviewed. We conducted a literature search and retrieved 28 articles which investigated the effect of cooling administered either prior to (n=23) or during (n=5) an exercise test in hot (wet bulb globe temperature >26°C) conditions. Mean and weighted effect size (Cohen's d) were calculated. Overall, precooling has a moderate (d=0.73) effect on subsequent performance but the magnitude of the effect is dependent on the nature of the test. Sprint performance is impaired (d=−0.26) but intermittent performance and prolonged exercise are both improved following cooling (d=0.47 and d=1.91, respectively). Cooling during exercise has a positive effect on performance and capacity (d=0.76). Improvements were observed in studies with and without cooling-induced physiological alterations, and the literature supports the suggestion of a dose–response relationship among cooling, thermal strain and improvements in performance and capacity. In summary, precooling can improve subsequent intermittent and prolonged exercise performance and capacity in a hot environment but sprint performance is impaired. Cooling during exercise also has a positive effect on exercise performance and capacity in a hot environment.
Principles of some novel rapid dipstick methods for detection and characterization of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Aims: The verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) serotype most commonly associated with verotoxin (VT) production is O157:H7, but other serotypes have also been implicated in food‐borne illness. These serotypes exhibit much greater genetic and biochemical diversity than E. coli O157:H7, making screening for all VTEC difficult. Here we describe development and testing of novel multi‐analyte antibody‐based dipstick methods for presumptive detection of VTEC cells and VTs, including non‐O157 serotypes.
A Silicon Photonic Broken Racetrack Resonator for Large-Scale Tuning of FSR

We propose and demonstrate experimentally a novel racetrack resonator, in which the perimeter is broken into two sections that are coupled together by forming directional couplers. Simulation and experimental results confirm the performance of the broken racetrack geometry. We demonstrate that the free spectral range of the resonator shrinks from 5.7 to 0.3 nm by testing seven devices with discrete variations in the displacement of the inner segment.
The control of apoptosis in lymphocyte selection

Summary: The stochastic nature of rearrangement and diversification of the gene segments encoding immunoglobulins (Igs) and T cell receptors (TCRs) inevitably gives rise to immature B and T lymphocytes that lack antigen receptors or express useless or dangerous (self‐antigen‐specific) ones. Signaling through antigen receptors promotes survival, proliferative expansion and further differentiation of useful cells and deletion of the useless and dangerous ones. During immune responses, pathogen‐specific B and T lymphocytes, as well as cells of the innate immune system, undergo extensive proliferation and develop effector functions, such as antibody secretion, cytotoxicity or cytokine production. To prevent tissue damage by these effector molecules, activated lymphocytes are removed when an infection has been overcome. Together with other mechanisms, including developmental arrest and induction of unresponsiveness (anergy), programmed cell death (apoptosis) of autoreactive lymphocytes safeguards immunological tolerance to self and assists in the development of an effective immune system. We have been investigating the molecular mechanisms that control programmed cell death. This review describes some of our experiments using transgenic and knockout mice, which overexpress or lack apoptosis regulators, that led to discoveries on how life and death decisions are made during development and functioning of the immune system.
Development of the PROMIS coping expectancies of smoking item banks.

OBJECTIVE Smoking is a coping strategy for many smokers who then have difficulty finding new ways to cope with negative affect when they quit. This paper describes analyses conducted to develop and evaluate item banks for assessing the coping expectancies of smoking for daily and nondaily smokers. METHODS Using data from a large sample of daily (N = 4,201) and nondaily (N = 1,183) smokers, we conducted a series of item factor analyses, item response theory analyses, and differential item functioning (DIF) analyses (according to gender, age, and ethnicity) to arrive at a unidimensional set of items for daily and nondaily smokers. We also evaluated performance of short forms (SFs) and computer adaptive tests (CATs) for assessing coping expectancies of smoking. RESULTS For both daily and nondaily smokers, the unidimensional Coping Expectancies item banks (21 items) are relatively DIF free and are highly reliable (0.96 and 0.97, respectively). A common 4-item SF for daily and nondaily smokers also showed good reliability (0.85). Adaptive tests required an average of 4.3 and 3.7 items for simulated daily and nondaily respondents, respectively, and achieved reliabilities of 0.91 for both when the maximum test length was 10 items. CONCLUSIONS This research provides a new set of items that can be used to reliably assess coping expectancies of smoking, through a SF, CAT, or a tailored set selected for a specific research purpose.