Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of air‐launched ground‐penetrating radar techniques to measure the soil surface water content

We analyze the common surface reflection and full‐wave inversion methods to retrieve the soil surface dielectric permittivity and correlated water content from air‐launched ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) measurements. In the full‐wave approach, antenna effects are filtered out from the raw radar data in the frequency domain, and full‐wave inversion is performed in the time domain, on a time window focused on the surface reflection. Synthetic experiments are performed to investigate the most critical hypotheses on which both techniques rely, namely, the negligible effects of the soil electric conductivity (σ) and layering. In the frequency range 1–2 GHz we show that for σ > 0.1 Sm−1, significant errors are made on the estimated parameters, e.g., an absolute error of 0.10 in water content may be observed for σ = 1 Sm−1. This threshold is more stringent with decreasing frequency. Contrasting surface layering may proportionally lead to significant errors when the thickness of the surface layer is close to one fourth the wavelength in the medium, which corresponds to the depth resolution. Absolute errors may be >0.10 in water content for large contrasts. Yet we show that full‐wave inversion presents valuable advantages compared to the common surface reflection method. First, filtering antenna effects may prevent absolute errors >0.04 in water content, depending of the antenna height. Second, the critical reference measurements above a perfect electric conductor (PEC) are not required, and the height of the antenna does not need to be known a priori. This averts absolute errors of 0.02–0.09 in water content when antenna height differences of 1–5 cm occur between the soil and the PEC. A laboratory experiment is finally presented to analyze the stability of the estimates with respect to actual measurement and modeling errors. While the conditions were particularly well suited for applying the common reflection method, better results were obtained using full‐wave inversion.
On the occurrence of sei whales, Balaenoptera borealis, in the south-western Atlantic

miguel in~i’guez, juan f. masello, ce’sar gribaudo, de’bora arcucci, florencia krohling and jimena belgrano Fundacion Cethus, Potosi 2087, (B1636BUA), Olivos, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Brookfield House, 38 St Paul Street, Chippenham, SN15 1LJ, UK, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Germany, Direccion de Museos de Caleta Olivia, Province of Santa Cruz, Argentina
The Relationship between Supply Chain Coordination and Quality Assurance Systems: A Case Study Approach on the German Meat Sector

The German meat industry faces a high demand for food safety and traceability. After several meat scandals in the recent past, efforts have to be made to regain consumer trust and to assure access to export markets. Apart from a few niche markets, there is no focal company in the German pork supply chain which efficiently coordinates food chain information, harmonizes the multiplicity of different IT systems or takes on professional public relations in charge of the whole sector. In cases of food crises, essential up- and downstream information slowly flows across the supply chain which hinders both seamless traceability and the harmonization of production processes between the various stages of the supply chain. This contribution focuses on the opportunities for more efficient coordination based on spot market environments. With reference to the theory of organization economics, a case study of the QS Qualitat und Sicherheit GmbH as the leading certification scheme that addresses the German meat industry was carried out. Several non-classical certification activities which fall within the scope of coordination were identified with QS. Based on the assumption that the company continuously improves the coordination of the supply chain, there are opportunities for the meat sector as a whole which are pointed out in the conclusion.
Geographical variation in the high-duty cycle echolocation of the cryptic common mustached bat Pteronotus cf. rubiginosus (Mormoopidae)

ABSTRACT The use of bioacoustics as a tool for bat research is rapidly increasing worldwide. There is substantial evidence that environmental factors such as weather conditions or habitat structure can affect echolocation call structure in bats and thus compromise proper species identification. However, intraspecific differences in echolocation due to geographical variation are poorly understood, which poses a number of issues in terms of method standardization. We examined acoustic data for Pteronotus cf. rubiginosus from the Central Amazon and the Guiana Shield. We provide the first evidence of intraspecific geographic variation in bat echolocation in the Neotropics, with calls significantly differing in almost all standard acoustic parameters for the two lineages of this clade. We complement our bioacoustic data with molecular and morphological data for both species. Considerable overlap in trait values prevents reliable discrimination between the two sympatric Pteronotus based on morphological characters. On the other hand, significant divergence in the frequency of maximum energy suggests that bioacoustics can be used to readily separate both taxa despite extensive intraspecific variability in their echolocation across the Amazon. Given the relative lack of barriers preventing contact between bat populations from the Central Amazon and French Guiana, the documented acoustic variation needs to be further studied in geographically intermediate locations to understand the potential isolation processes that could be causing the described divergence in echolocation and to determine whether this variation is either discrete or continuous.
Mechanism of swirl generation in sink flow

This paper aims to study the possibility of swirl generation in the sink flow in the absence of external fac-tors, i.e., self-rotation. It is motivated by the fact that there is no consensus among the researchers about either the possibility or impossibility of this phenomenon. The axi-symmetric model of the problem is simulated using a stream function-vorticity-circulation formulation. The results showed that there is not sudden change in the value of azimuthal velocity and circulation. Therefore the flow is stable for all the Re numbers tested (i.e., 0.265 < Re < 5.3). In addition, it is concluded that, in general, the self-rotation phenomenon would not occur for two reasons: first, the net value of circulation in the flow domain would not increase relative to its inlet value; second, the current numerical simulations, which also agree with the previous experimental results, show that appearance and non-appearance of swirl is related to viscous force. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.mech. 19.6. 5998
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Barnase: Contribution of Noncovalent Intramolecular Interaction to Thermostability

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ribonuclease Barnase (RNase Ba) is a 12 kD (kilodalton) small extracellular ribonuclease. It has broad application prospects in agriculture, clinical medicine, pharmaceutical, and so forth. In this work, the thermal stability of Barnase has been studied using molecular dynamics simulation at different temperatures. The present study focuses on the contribution of noncovalent intramolecular interaction to protein stability and how they affect the thermal stability of the enzyme. Profiles of root mean square deviation and root mean square fluctuation identify thermostable and thermosensitive regions of Barnase. Analyses of trajectories in terms of secondary structure content, intramolecular hydrogen bonds and salt bridge interactions indicate distinct differences in different temperature simulations. In the simulations, Four three-member salt bridge networks (Asp8-Arg110-Asp12, Arg83-Asp75-Arg87, Lys66-Asp93-Arg69, and Asp54-Lys27-Glu73) have been identified as critical salt bridges for thermostability which are maintained stably at higher temperature enhancing stability of three hydrophobic cores. The study may help enlighten our knowledge of protein structural properties, noncovalent interactions which can stabilize secondary peptide structures or promote folding, and also help understand their actions better. Such an understanding is required for designing efficient enzymes with characteristics for particular applications at desired working temperatures.
Smectite clay adsorbents of aflatoxin B1 to amend animal feed

Smectite Clay Adsorbents of Aflatoxin B1 to Amend Animal Feed. (December 2006) Ines Kannewischer, Dip. , University of Hannover, Germany Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Joe B. Dixon Dr. Richard H. Loeppert Smectite clay has been shown in studies over the past 20 years to sorb aflatoxin B1 (AfB1) in animal feed and thereby reduce its toxic influence on animals. In this study, 20 smectite samples were selected from industrial products or reference minerals. In the initial steps, it was shown that AfB1 entered the interlayer galleries of smectites and a 10-fold range in sorption ability was observed in a set of 20 smectite samples. Yet, it was not clear which clay properties (CEC, pH, base saturation) influenced this variation. In an effort to further explore properties that might influence the sorption of AfB1, three good sorbent samples were chosen from our set of 20 samples along with one sample of low sorption capacity. Those samples were fractionated into sand, silt, coarse clay (CC), and fine clay (FC) fractions. From all sample fractions, sorption isotherms and X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained. Additionally, a vermiculite and a palygorskite were examined with regard to sorption capacity. Concentration of smectite and their adsorption test suggest that differences in smectite composition are responsible for difference in sorption, not so much their relative abundance or other mineral phases. Initial infrared analysis indicates that weathered aluminous smectites, which have no octahedral iron or magnesium, belong to the poor AfB1 sorbents. Palygorskite and vermiculite are not effective sorbents. Based on the findings in this study, tentative quality criteria of sorbent selection for their use in animal feed were established. These criteria are: pH between 6.5 and 8.5, CEC >
Comprehensive Synthesis Study of Well-Dispersed and Solution-Processed Metal Nanowires for Transparent Heaters

We review and extend the numerous polyol-based synthesis protocols and postdeposition treatments that have been reported for silver nanowires (AgNWs). After tailoring substantial process parameters such as the process time, temperature as well as the stirring speed, the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to silver nitrate (AgNO3) ratio, and the type of PVP, a high mean aspect ratio of 800 could be achieved. Interestingly, the addition of a small portion of potassium chloride (KCl) not only leads to a reduction in diameter but also extremely enhances the nanowire dispersion and its stability. This effect is attributed to the role of KCl, which, along with PVP, acts as a cocapping agent. Furthermore, sprayed AgNW and copper nanowire (CuNW) films were tested as transparent heaters. The AgNWs could be operated at a power density of at least 0.72 W/cm2, which corresponds to a temperature of 213°C, whereas the CuNWs failed at a power density and temperature of 0.4 W/cm2 and 150°C, respectively. Interestingly, the degradation of AgNWs shows a step-wise behavior and is mainly dominated by fragmentation, while the CuNWs are gradually oxidized.
Note on Pontryagin maximum principle with running state constraints and smooth dynamics - Proof based on the Ekeland variational principle

In this note our aim is to give a proof of the Pontryagin maximum principle for a general optimal control problem with running state constraints and smooth dynamics. Our proof is based on the classical Ekeland variational principle. The main result (and its proof) of this note are not new and are already well-known in the literature. The aim of the author is only to provide a complete and detailed proof of this classical theorem in the case of smooth dynamics. If you have any remarks or questions, do not hesitate to contact the author at loic.bourdin@unilim.fr.
Anterior subaxial cervical spine fi xation using a plate with single screw per vertebral body : A simple and effi cient construct – Clinical series and a cadaver study

Recent studies have conÞ rmed that alterations in the isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase (PK) provide tumor cells with selective growth advantage. [1] There are at least three isozymes of mammalian PK and in primary human brain tumors a shift occurs in the synthesis of M-type toward K-type. Isoenzyme shift can be documented with alanine-inhibition test as proposed initially by Van Veelen. [2] Most of the previous studies were concerned regarding PK inhibition. In this paper not only did we study PK inhibition but we also established the mean PK activity in astrocytomas.
Pressure Drop Correlation for the Design of Opensided Draft Tube Conical Spouted Beds

A hydrodynamic correlation has been proposed for calculating the operation pressure drop in conical spouted beds equipped with opensided draft tubes as a function of dimensionless moduli that take into account the geometric factors of the contactor and draft tube, particle characteristics and operating conditions. A statistical analysis of the data obtained shows that stagnant bed height, width of the faces of the tube and contactor angle are the parameters of greater influence.
Physical Therapy in Sport

Objectives: To determine the validity and inter-session reliability of the Vail Sport TestTM. Design: Cohort study-exploratory methodological research design. Setting: Clinical Research Laboratory. Participants: Forty-eight participants who underwent ACL-R. Main outcome measure: Participants performance on the Vail Sport TestTM was graded by an experienced rater in real-time, and simultaneously recorded by a three-dimensional (3D) motion capture system. Construct validity was assessed using the reference standards of the camera system and the IKDC short form. To determine the between-day reliability, a subset of participants returned to repeat the test. Results: There were no significant difference between the scores collected in real-time and from the kinematic data on the involved limb (p1⁄4 0.222). There was a significant difference for the uninvolved limb (p1⁄4 0.015). There was no significant difference between the scores collected in real time and those of the IKDC (p1⁄4 0.885). Good inter-session reliability (ICC1⁄4 0.787) was found for the involved limb. Conclusion: The results of this study showed good reliability and partially support the validity of the Vail Sport Test as a measure of readiness to return to play. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effects of forest and cave proximity on fruit set of tree crops in tropical orchards in Southern Thailand

Abstract: Deforestation and forest fragmentation are contributing to declines in crop pollinator populations worldwide. Several studies have examined the impact of forest proximity on plant pollination ecology, but concentrated on single crop species. However, it can be more informative to investigate multiple crop and pollinator species in a community, because different pollinator groups may respond differently to forest distance. We evaluated flower visitor diversity, visitation frequency, and fruit set for three crop species (rambutan, durian and mango) in 10 pairs of mixed fruit orchards. Each pair consisted of one orchard near to (< 1 km) and one orchard far from (> 7 km) the forest edge. Rambutan fruit set was significantly influenced by distance to forest. The main visitors of rambutan flowers were stingless bees. In contrast, the dominant visitors to durian and mango flowers were nectarivorous bats and flies, respectively, and the fruit set of these crops were not significantly influenced by distance to forest. However, durian fruit set was negatively affected by distance to the nearest cave inhabited by nectarivorous bats. This study demonstrates that both caves and forests can be important pollinator sources for agricultural crops, and that the dispersal success of pollinators is related to isolation from source habitats. Maintaining forest patches and limestone karsts may provide stepping stones across fragmented landscapes, and attract greater numbers of pollinators to agricultural areas.
Title MIMO-OFCDM systems with joint iterative detection and optimalpower allocation

This paper investigates the orthogonal frequency and code division multiplexing (OFCDM) systems with multiple input multiple output multiplexing (MIMO-OFCDM) and multicode transmission. Combining the iterative detection in the space domain and the hybrid multi-code interference (MDI) cancellation and minimum mean square error (MMSE) detection in the frequency domain, a joint iterative detection is proposed, which enables space and frequency diversity gains to be jointly exploited. Moreover, using a two-dimensional (2-D) averaging channel estimation algorithm, a close form expression is derived for the optimal power allocation between the pilot and all data channels that achieves the best system performance. It is shown that the optimal power ratio mainly depends on the channel estimation algorithm, the number of transmit antennas as well as the number of pilot and data symbols in a packet, but is not sensitive to the changes in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and diversity gains. Simulations are conducted to verify the derived optimal power ratio and study the performance of the proposed joint detection algorithm. It is shown that considerable improvement can be obtained when the number of loops in the joint iterative detection increases. Moreover, the system performance is enhanced significantly when the frequency domain spreading factor, NF , increases.
Title Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children byprofessionally applied fluoride treatment – a systematic review

Background: As a low-cost and easily operated treatment, the use of professionally applied topical fluoride was approved for preventing dental caries and remineralising early enamel caries or white spot lesions. It is also used to arrest dentine caries. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical efficacy of professional fluoride therapy in remineralising and arresting caries in children. Method: A systematic search of publications from 1948 to 2014 was conducted using four databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science and Embase. The key words used were (fluoride) AND (remineralisation OR remineralization OR arresting) AND (children caries OR early childhood caries). The title and abstract of initially identified publications were screened. Clinical trials about home-use fluorides, laboratory studies, case reports, reviews, non-English articles and irrelevant studies were excluded. The full texts of the remaining papers were retrieved. Manual screening was conducted on the bibliographies of the remaining papers to identify relevant articles. Results: A total of 2177 papers were found, and 17 randomised clinical trials were included in this review. Ten studies investigated the remineralising effect on early enamel caries using silicon tetrafluoride, fluoride gel, silver diamine fluoride or sodium fluoride. Seven studies reported an arresting effect on dentine caries using silver diamine fluoride or nano-silver fluoride. Meta-analysis was performed on four papers using 5 % sodium fluoride varnish to remineralise early enamel caries, and the overall percentage of remineralised enamel caries was 63.6 % (95 % CI: 36.0 % 91.2 %; p < 0.001). Meta-analysis was also performed on five papers using 38 % silver diamine fluoride to arrest dentine caries and the overall proportion of arrested dentine caries was 65.9 % (95 % CI: 41.2 % 90.7 %; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Professionally applied 5 % sodium fluoride varnish can remineralise early enamel caries and 38 % silver diamine fluoride is effective in arresting dentine caries.
Aalborg Universitet Ultra-Reliable Communication in 5 G Wireless Systems

Wireless 5G systems will not only be “4G, but faster”. One of the novel features discussed in relation to 5G is Ultra-Reliable Communication (URC), an operation mode not present in today’s wireless systems. URC refers to provision of certain level of communication service almost 100 % of the time. Example URC applications include reliable cloud connectivity, critical connections for industrial automation and reliable wireless coordination among vehicles. This paper puts forward a systematic view on URC in 5G wireless systems. It starts by analyzing the fundamental mechanisms that constitute a wireless connection and concludes that one of the key steps towards enabling URC is revision of the methods for encoding control information (metadata) and data. It introduces the key concept of Reliable Service Composition, where a service is designed to adapt its requirements to the level of reliability that can be attained. The problem of URC is analyzed across two different dimensions. The first dimension is the type of URC problem that is defined based on the time frame used to measure the reliability of the packet transmission. Two types of URC problems are identified: longterm URC (URC-L) and short-term URC (URC-S). The second dimension is represented by the type of reliability impairment that can affect the communication reliability in a given scenario. The main objective of this paper is to create the context for defining and solving the new engineering problems posed by URC in 5G.
Optimal bidding in Google Shopping

A merchant advertising products on Google Shopping has to bid on his advertisements in order for them to be shown. In this project we present a method to calculate optimal bids. When sufficient historical sales data is available, the optimal bid is calculated by estimating model parameters directly from the historical data. For products with insufficient data, we learn optimal bids using a multi-armed bandit. Furthermore, we investigate if product characteristics can be used to aggregate data such that the profit of the products increases. In our test results, we show that the adjusted UCB1 algorithm outperforms the standard UCB1 algorithm. We find that bidding on buckets of products using aggregated data based on product characteristics is not profitable compared to bidding on individual products based on non-aggregated data. Future research is needed to determine better ways to aggregate data in order to make better predictions of model parameters for products with insufficient information.