Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The dynamics of a near-surface vortex in a two-layer ocean on the beta-plane

The dynamics of a near-surface vortex are examined in a two-layer setting on the beta-plane. Initially, the vortex is radially symmetric and localized in the upper layer. Two non-dimensional parameters govern its evolution and translation: the ratio δ of the thickness of the vortex to the total depth of the fluid, and the non-dimensional beta-effect number α = βL/f (f and β are the Coriolis parameter and its meridional gradient respectively, L is the radius of the vortex). We assume, as suggested by oceanic observations, that α < δ < 1: A simple set of asymptotic equations is derived, which describes the beta-induced translation of the vortex and a dipolar perturbation developing on and under the vortex (in both layers). This set was solved numerically for oceanic lenses, and the following features were observed: (i) The meridional (southward) component of the translation speed of the lens rapidly ‘overtakes’ the zonal (westward) component. The former grows approximately linearly, whereas the latter oscillates about the Nof (1981) value (i.e. about the speed of translation of a vortex in a one-layer reduce-gravity fluid). (ii) Vortices of the same shape, but different radii and amplitudes, follow the same trajectory. The amplitude and radius affect only the absolute value, but not the direction, of the translation speed. (iii) In the lower layer below the vortex, a ‘region’ is generated where the velocity of the fluid is growing linearly with time. The velocity field in the region becomes more and more homogeneous (and equal to the translation speed of the vortex).
The Ability of the Small Ice Detector (SID-2) to Characterize Cloud Particle and Aerosol Morphologies Obtained during Flights of the FAAM BAe-146 Research Aircraft

Abstract The Small Ice Detector mark 2 (SID-2), which was built by the University of Hertfordshire, has been operated by the Met Office on the Facility for Atmospheric Airborne Research (FAAM) BAe-146 aircraft during a large number of flights. The flights covered a wide range of atmospheric conditions, including stratocumulus, altocumulus lenticularis, cirrus, and mixed-phase cumulus clouds, as well as clear-sky flights over the sea and over desert surfaces. SID-2 is a laser scattering device that provides in situ data on cloud particle concentration and size. SID-2 also provides the spatial light scattering data from individual particles to give some information on the particle shape. The advantage of SID-2 is that it can characterize the cloud particle shape for particle sizes less than the resolutions of the more usual commercially available ice crystal imaging probes. The particle shape characteristics enable, for example, small just-nucleated ice particles to be discriminated from supercooled water d.
Effects of Hue, Saturation, and Brightness on Preference

A study was done to investigate preference responses for foreground–background color relationships. To do this, 123 university undergraduates in Ankara, Turkey, were asked to view eight background colors selected from HSB color space on which color squares of differing hues, saturations, and brightnesses were presented. Subjects were asked to show the color square they preferred on the presented background color. Findings showed that colors having maximum saturation and brightness were most preferred. Blue was the most preferred hue regardless of background. The findings for preferences for foreground–background color relationships are also included in this article. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 27, 199–207, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.10051
MelaGo : Gamifying Medical Image Annotation

Machine learning (ML) algorithms for medical image analysis can be very effective, but typically need a lot of annotated images for good performance. In computer vision, crowdsourcing has been used to gather datasets with millions of images. Recently, a few studies have also shown promising results in medical imaging, for example [1]. Unfortunately standard crowdsourcing platforms were not built with medical images in mind, and lack interaction possibilities that would be desirable (i) to increase the ease of annotation, and (ii) to motivate the annotators, and as such, to increase quantity and/or quality. Thus the role of designing appropriate interfaces for crowds is of outmost importance for further expanding application of crowdsourcing annotations. For instance, designing gamification features has shown to positively affect crowd workers [2].
Extraordinary Biomass-Burning Episode and Impact Winter Triggered by the Younger Dryas Cosmic Impact ∼12,800 Years Ago. 2. Lake, Marine, and Terrestrial Sediments

Part 1 of this study investigated evidence of biomass burning in global ice records, and here we continue to test the hypothesis that an impact event at the Younger Dryas boundary (YDB) caused an anomalously intense episode of biomass burning at ∼12.8 ka on a multicontinental scale (North and South America, Europe, and Asia). Quantitative analyses of charcoal and soot records from 152 lakes, marine cores, and terrestrial sequences reveal a major peak in biomass burning at the Younger Dryas (YD) onset that appears to be the highest during the latest Quaternary. For the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (K-Pg) impact event, concentrations of soot were previously utilized to estimate the global amount of biomass burned, and similar measurements suggest that wildfires at the YD onset rapidly consumed ∼10 million km2 of Earth’s surface, or ∼9% of Earth’s biomass, considerably more than for the K-Pg impact. Bayesian analyses and age regressions demonstrate that ages for YDB peaks in charcoal and soot across four continents are synchronous with the ages of an abundance peak in platinum in the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) ice core and of the YDB impact event (12,835–12,735 cal BP). Thus, existing evidence indicates that the YDB impact event caused an anomalously large episode of biomass burning, resulting in extensive atmospheric soot/dust loading that triggered an “impact winter. ” This, in turn, triggered abrupt YD cooling and other climate changes, reinforced by climatic feedback mechanisms, including Arctic sea ice expansion, rerouting of North American continental runoff, and subsequent ocean circulation changes.
Color Image Scale Model Training Image Search Modality Vector Prediction Model Training Image Database Three-color Combination Extraction Modality Vector Prediction Three-color Combinations Modality Vectors of Images Automatic Image Labeling Modality Word Corpus Projection onto Modality Space Query 

In this paper, we present a novel image search system, color-based image search by modality analysis. This system enables users to search images with modality words as query, like “romantic”, “quiet”, etc. Modality here is defined as emotions and conscious subjective aspect of feeling (interests, attitudes, opinions, etc). Modality presents richer semantics than emotions on human perception and understanding of images. We first propose seven modality dimensions to quantitatively analyze modality. A Chinese corpus containing 1200 modality words is constructed, in which each word is annotated with a seven-dimensional modality vector. Then three-color combinations are extracted from images as visual signatures by utilizing K-means clustering algorithm and CIE LAB color space. To bridge the gap between modality (high-level semantic concepts) and three-color combinations (visual signatures), the prediction model for modality vectors is built up based on Kobayashi’s Color Image Scale by using the decision tree algorithm. Finally, we establish the image search system. Objective evaluations show the accuracy of the prediction model for modality vectors, while subjective evaluation results indicate that the extracted three-color combinations are in agreement with human perception and search results of our system are consistent with queries.
The Determinants and Extent of Crop Diversification Among Smallholder Farmers: A Case Study of Southern Province Zambia

Agriculture is vital to Zambia’s economic development and is a mainstay for the livelihoods of a large proportion of the population. Agricultural production is mainly dependent on rain-fed hoe cultivation with maize as the principal staple food crop. About 18 percent of national maize production comes from Zambia’s Southern province. In order to improve food security and minimize risks associated with heavy dependence on maize, the government of Zambia has been promoting crop diversification. This study analyzed the determinants of crop diversification as well as the factors influencing the extent of crop diversification by smallholder farmers in Southern province. The study used secondary data from the Central Statistical Office of Zambia. Results from a double-hurdle model analysis indicates that landholding size, fertilizer quantity, distance to market, and the type of tillage mechanism adopted have a strong influence on whether a farmer practices crop diversification. Our findings have important implications for policies that are designed to enhance crop diversification. In particular, our results suggest the need for government to consider undertaking policies that will enhance farmers’ access to and control over land, that will provide farmers with improved access to agricultural implements like ploughs, and that will bring trading markets closer to farmers.
Respiratory Care Protocols in Neonatal Intensive Care

Neonatal respiratory care involves physicians with variable backgrounds treating multiple respiratory problems and populations with a number of invasive and noninvasive devices and strategies. Unfortunately, there is a lack of strong evidence to guide the most adequate management for several specific situations. Altogether, this complexity leads to significant practice variability that can affect patient and health care outcomes. Respiratory care protocols, guided by evidence and/or consensus, are an attractive solution to promote standardization of care and reduction of unnecessary practice variations. Indeed, despite the limited evidence supporting the use of respiratory protocols in neonates, a significant number of units have already devel‐ oped and implemented them into clinical practice. Respiratory care protocols appear to promote evidence-based practices, discourage outdated approaches and ultimately improve patient safety.
Performance analysis of alpha divergence in nonnegative matrix factorization of monaural musical sounds

Estimation of original instrument sound signals from complex music signals without any prior information is one of the most challenging problems under the framework of Blind Source Separation (BSS). Due to their effectiveness in other applications of BSS, Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) based methods have particularly gained attention in the context of musical sound source separation. These techniques are based on decomposing the magnitude or power spectrum of an input signal into a sum of components with time varying gains. This is achieved by using a suitable cost function to determine the optimal factorization. Most work in this field has focused on the use of Euclidean and Kullback-Liebler (KL) divergence. This study looks into the use of α-divergence based non negative factorization in the context of single channel musical sound separation. Simulation experiments were carried on single channel mixtures of randomly mixed pitched musical instrument samples to determine optimal α values for this problem. The paper also looks into the performance of the algorithm as important system parameters are varied.
How is global climate policy interpreted on the ground? Insights from the analysis of local discourses about forest management and REDD+ in Indonesia

The implementation of "reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation" (REDD+) will inevitably be affected by local social and political dynamics, with the potential for success depending significantly on cooperation from a range of stakeholders at the subnational level. Building on recent critical research on REDD+, we look at how global policy is interpreted locally by actors who are likely to be involved in REDD+ implementation. We do this by examining local stakeholder perceptions of REDD+ and forest management in two contrasting provinces of Indonesia, Riau and Papua, where deforestation rates are high and low, respectively. Using data collected from stakeholder workshops, we conduct a discourse analysis that reveals how subnational actors perceive and position themselves around REDD+ and forest governance. The results reveal six discourses common to both case-study provinces, which variously conflict and converge as they are employed by different actors. Seen together, these discourses provide critical insights into the subnational policy environment, which is largely a product of Indonesia's underlying land and forest politics, and they indicate in turn how REDD+ in practice is likely to be interpreted and reconstituted at the local level. A key finding is that local discourses can be grouped around two divergent positions on REDD+: one that supports forest exploitation and sees limited prospects in forest carbon, and one that embraces sustainable forest management and expresses conditional support for REDD+ subject to benefit-sharing and property arrangements. REDD+ practitioners will therefore need to craft policies and project processes that account for these discursive dynamics.
Integrative Algorithms in the Diagnostics of Lysosomal Storage Diseases / INTEGRATIVNI ALGORITMI U DIJAGNOSTICI POREMEĆAJA U SKLADIŠTENJU LIZOZOMA

Summary Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are a clinically heterogeneous group of more than 50 disorders which still represent a challenge in modern medicine. The efficacy of many current and proposed therapies relies heavily upon early detection and treatment prior to the onset of irreversible pathology. Although there are multiple paths and algorithms to a final diagnosis, the diagnostic strategy for LSDs still mostly relies on initial clinical suspicion followed by adequate specialist and laboratory management - a selective screening approach. Despite the fact that the technology of tandem mass spectrometry enables newborn screening, such screening is generally acceptable only for a population at high risk for a certain LSD. As diagnostic testing for these disorders may be difficult, communication between the clinician who has established clinical suspicion and laboratory personnel will help complete this process. Kratak sadržaj Poremećaji u skladištenju lizozoma u kliničkom smislu čine heterogenu grupu više od 50 poremećaja koji još pred stavljaju izazov za modernu medicinu. Efikasnost mnogih postojećih i predloženih terapija u velikoj meri zavisi od rane detekcije i primene terapije pre nego što dođe do razvoja neizle čive patologije. Iako postoje brojni putevi i algoritmi za konačnu dijagnozu, dijagnostička strategija za poremećaje u skladištenju lizozoma i dalje se uglavnom oslanja na početnu kliničku sumnju posle koje sledi adekvatan specijalistički tretman i laboratorijski radpristup selektivnog skrininga. Uprkos činjenici da tehnologija tandem masene spektrometrije omogućava skrining novorođenčadi, takav skrining je generalno prihvatljiv samo za populacije sa visokim rizikom za odre đeni poremećaj u skladištenju lizozoma. Kako dijagnostič ko testiranje za ove poremećaje može biti teško, komunikacija između kliničara koji je ustanovio kliničku sumnju i osoblja u laboratoriji doprineće uspešnom okončanju ovog procesa.
Advances in Molecular Markers and Their Applications in Aquaculture and Fisheries

Although aquaculture management becomes challenging because of overuse, pollution and human activities reduced resources and genetic variations, current developments in molecular technology and genome programs have created an enormous evidence to be used for the genetic advancement of aquaculture. Over the past decade, using molecular markers showed polymorphism at the DNA level and played rising role in aquaculture. The utility of DNA markers has certified the hastiness in the exploration of fish germplasm. Various molecular markers present and their differences in principles, methodologies and applications still need careful consideration in selecting more useful marker for the successful management of aquaculture. In addition to the basic principles, necessities, pros and cons of various markers, this review also discusses their usage in different aspects of aquaculture; we provide an overview of the potential of various techniques of functional genomics like expressed sequence tags (EST), microarrays and RNA sequencing in aquaculture.
Is a Cold Pool Necessary for the Maintenance of a Squall Line Produced by a Cold Front Aloft

Abstract On 19–20 June 1979 a cyclone moved through the central United States. This cyclone contained a squall line associated with a cold front aloft (CFA), which caused significant damage. The fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) was used to diagnose the role of the cold pool in the maintenance of the squall line. A control simulation with “full physics” was run, at 18- and 3.6-km grid spacing. Both simulations produced a squall line that was similar in location, orientation, and speed to the observed squall line, and displayed several characteristics that differed from the “leading line–trailing stratiform” paradigm for midlatitude squall lines. Sensitivity test simulations were run for both grid spacings, with diabatic cooling due to evaporation and melting of precipitation withheld to prevent the formation of a cold pool. These simulations produced a squall line similar to that in the control simulation, in terms of the location, orientation, and movement of the s.
MEASUREMENTS OF EXTRAGALACTIC BACKGROUND LIGHT FROM THE FAR UV TO THE FAR IR FROM DEEP GROUND- AND SPACE-BASED GALAXY COUNTS

We combine wide and deep galaxy number-count data from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly, COSMOS/G10, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Early Release Science, HST UVUDF, and various near-, mid-, and far-IR data sets from ESO, Spitzer, and Herschel. The combined data range from the far UV (0.15 μm) to far-IR (500 μm), and in all cases the contribution to the integrated galaxy light (IGL) of successively fainter galaxies converges. Using a simple spline fit, we derive the IGL and the extrapolated IGL in all bands. We argue that undetected low-surface-brightness galaxies and intracluster/group light are modest, and that our extrapolated-IGL measurements are an accurate representation of the extragalactic background light (EBL). Our data agree with most earlier IGL estimates and with direct measurements in the far IR, but disagree strongly with direct estimates in the optical. Close agreement between our results and recent very high-energy experiments (H.E.S.S. and MAGIC) suggests that there may be an additional foreground affecting the direct estimates. The most likely culprit could be the adopted model of zodiacal light. Finally we use a modified version of the two-component model to integrate the EBL and obtain measurements of the cosmic optical background (COB) and cosmic infrared background of nW m−2 sr−1 and nW m−2 sr−1 respectively (48%:52%). Over the next decade, upcoming space missions such as Euclid and the Wide Field Infrared Space Telescope will have the capacity to reduce the COB error to <1%, at which point comparisons to the very high-energy data could have the potential to provide a direct detection and measurement of the reionization field.
Employing Robust Principal Component Analysis for Noise-Robust Speech Feature Extraction in Automatic Speech Recognition with the Structure of a Deep Neural Network

In recent decades, researchers have been focused on developing noise-robust methods in order to compensate for noise effects in automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems and enhance their performance. In this paper, we propose a feature-based noise-robust method that employs a novel data analysis technique—robust principal component analysis (RPCA). In the proposed scenario, RPCA is employed to process a noise-corrupted speech feature matrix, and the obtained sparse partition is shown to reveal speech-dominant characteristics. One apparent advantage of using RPCA for enhancing noise robustness is that no prior knowledge about the noise is required. The proposed RPCA-based method is evaluated with the Aurora-4 database and a task using a state-of-the-art deep neural network (DNN) architecture as the acoustic models. The evaluation results indicate that the newly proposed method can provide the original speech feature with significant recognition accuracy improvement, and can be cascaded with mean normalization (MN), mean and variance normalization (MVN), and relative spectral (RASTA)—three well-known and widely used feature robustness algorithms—to achieve better performance compared with the individual component method.
The Use of Animal Metaphors in the Representation of Women in Bukusu and Gusii Proverbs in Kenya

Animals have been widely used metaphorically to convey certain meanings related to human beings in Bukusu and Gusii societies. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the use of animal metaphors in the construction of women and men. This paper reports on the findings of a study that focused on the use of animal metaphors in Bukusu and Gusii proverbs that sought to ascertain whether the common proposition proposed by Lakoff and Turner is applicable to the data of this study. The study also aimed at examining the similarities and differences in the meanings and representations associated with the animal metaphors in both Bukusu and Gusii proverbs. Thus, this paper set out to investigate the main attributions that are attached to women and men in Bukusu and Gusii proverbs. Data of the study comprised forty eight Bukusu and Gusii proverbs related to animals; ethnography was used to select the proverbs; the data analysis focused on the representation of women through the examination of the meanings and metaphorical schemas of the respective proverbs using conceptual metaphor theory, the great chain of being framework and feminist critical discourse analysis.
FUNCTIONALIZED CARBON NANOTUBES FOR NANOCOMPOSITES

Abstract. It is well know that carbon nanotubes do not represent a significant reinforcement for composites but, once functionalizated it shows interesting new properties. In this work a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were initially chemically treated by a mixture 3:1 (v/v) of concentrated H2SO4/HNO3. Although this treatment can modify the MWCNT surface, it has not disrupted its main structure. Then the MWCNTs were functionalized with triethylenetetramine (TETA), as a result covalent links formation by oxidation are created. The effectiveness of H2SO4/HNO3 and the functionalization treatment was verified by the oxidized-carbon nanotube (O-MWCNT) solubility in acetone, while the unmodified ones did not. With a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra is possible to visualize the specific peaks indicate that the oxidation and the functionalization was succeed.