Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Satellite SAR Intensity Imagery for Detecting Building Areas Damaged Due to Earthquakes

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is remarkable for its capability to record the backscattering coefficient, the physical value of the earth's surface, regardless of weather condition or sun illumination. Therefore, SAR is a powerful tool that can be utilized to develop a universal method to comprehend damaged areas in disasters such as earthquakes, forest fires, and floods. We performed a feasibility study on backscattering characteristics of damaged areas in the 1995 Hyogoken-Nanbu (Kobe), Japan, earthquake using the pre- and post-event ERS images, revealing that the backscattering coefficient and intensity correlation between the two attained values were significantly lowered in hard-hit areas. The evaluation, however, was performed without speckle noise reduction. We also investigated the effects of speckle noise reduction and pixel-window size in evaluating building damage using the difference in the backscattering coefficient and correlation coefficient of the pre- and post-event ERS images. From the analysis, an optimum window size for the damage evaluation was obtained. It was also found that the accuracy of damage detection is not significantly improved for speckle-reduction filtering of window size larger than 21×21 pixels. We developed an automated method to detect hard-hit areas based on the discriminant analysis, and compared the detected distribution with a damage survey result.
Interactive comment on “Seasonal and inter annual variability of energy exchange above a boreal Scots pine forest” by S. Launiainen

Besides the many overview papers of carbon dioxide exchange studies at FLUXNET sites, the presented paper is one of only a few papers about the energy components in the atmosphere-vegetation system. An overview covering more than 10 years is of special interest because most of the other studies analyzed only certain specific aspects. The flux data were measured with the eddy-covariance method. This method is accepted and well described in the literature, but some more information is necessary for the interpretation of the data. The author thanks Mr. Keronen for his valuable work on quality control of eddy-covariance data; for the reader of the paper it would be important to know how he controlled the data – a reference or a description of some steps of the control would be helpful – and with which consequences for data selection etc. Furthermore, a footprint analysis of the measuring site would be very helpful for the interpretation. Probably the author has used some information (page 6448, line C3247
Good Corporate Governance controls earnings management during financial crises

An increasing stream of literature focuses on corporate governance as one of the underlying causes of the financial crisis. Why did some firms perform better than others during the crisis? Do firms manipulate earnings? The focus of this paper lies on earnings management practices using a unique dataset consisting of firms listed on the five highest capitalized indices of the Eurozone during the periods 2000-2003, 2003-2007, 2007-2009 and 2009-2012. The regression results show positive relations for board size and dual leadership structures, implicating that small boards and separated CEO/chairman functions will reduce earnings management practices during a crisis period. In addition, this paper has found negative relations for board independence at the 10% level. For the audit committee characteristics, size, independence, and expertise, only the latter one is found significant. Therefore these findings are largely in line with most pre-crisis literature. Corporate governance is even during periods of crisis an effective control mechanism to constrain earnings management practices. These results could provide new insights in the influence of corporate governance on earning management. They are measured over a longer crisis period and therefore could have serious implications for future governance design. This thesis contributes to existing literature by adding financial crises periods in which corporate board actions can be of certain importance for differences in earnings manipulations. Overall, good corporate governance is an important determinant of controlling earning management.
Application of molecular cytogenetics in fundamental and applied research of potato.

Potato is the fourth most important crop worldwide. An integrated genetic and physical map is needed to advance genomics research of this important crop species. In this chapter we describe recent results of the application of fl uorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses for development of a molecular cytogenetic map of potato, physical mapping in conjunction with the potato genome sequencing project, improvement of structural genomics studies, and comparative mapping of potato and related species. Like FISH, genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) is an important tool for evolutionary genome studies. GISH has been successfully applied to distinguish between subgenomes of wild allopolyploid potato species. Application of molecular cytogenetics to potato genome analysis has greatly advanced both fundamental and applied research of this important crop species.
Selecting Economic Immigrants: A Statistical Approach

There is growing international interest in a Canadian-style points system for selecting economic immigrants. Although existing points systems are influenced by the human capital literature, the findings have traditionally been incorporated in an ad hoc way. This paper explores a formal method for designing a points system based on a human capital earnings regression for predicting immigrant economic success. The method is implemented for Canada using the IMDB, a longitudinal database that combines information on immigrants’ characteristics at arrival with their subsequent income performance as reported on tax returns. We demonstrate the feasibility of the method by developing an illustrative points system. We also explore how the selection system can be improved by incorporating additional information such as countryof- origin characteristics and intended occupations. We discuss what our findings imply for the debate about the relative merits of points- and employment-based systems for selecting economic immigrants.
UrbanSim2: Simulating the Connected Metropolis

UrbanSim is an open source software platform for agent-based geospatial simulation, focusing on the spatial dynamics of urban development. a Since its creation UrbanSim has been used in the official planninga processes for at least a dozen regional governments which were useda to help allocate billions of dollars in regional investments in transportationa infrastructure.UrbanSim was first conceptualized in the late 1990's and implementeda using the Java programming language. The technology landscape fora scientific computing changed dramatically after that, and by 2005a UrbanSim was converted to Python, making heavy use of Numpy to vectorizea calculations. By 2014, it became clear that UrbanSim should be reimplementeda again to take advantage of significant advances in the libraries availablea for scientific Python. The new version of UrbanSim, called UrbanSim2,a makes extensive use of community-supported scientific Python librariesa to reduce the amount of domain-specific customized code to a minimum.UrbanSim is an excellent case study for the power of leveraging thework of the scientific programming community as scaffolding for adomain-specific application, as opposed to building an extensive customizeda solution in each domain. Additionally, the open and participatorya nature inherent in nearly all of the open source projects describeda here has been particularly embraced by governments, who are oftena reticent to support large commercial institutions and balkanized anda private data formats and software tools. UrbanSim is an open source software platform for agent-based geospatiala simulation, focusing on the spatial dynamics of urban development. a Since its creation UrbanSim has been used in the official planninga processes for at least a dozen regional governments which were useda to help allocate billions of dollars in regional investments in transportationa infrastructure.UrbanSim was first conceptualized in the late 1990's and implementeda using the Java programming language. The technology landscape fora scientific computing changed dramatically after that, and by 2005a UrbanSim was converted to Python, making heavy use of Numpy to vectorizea calculations. By 2014, it became clear that UrbanSim should be reimplementeda again to take advantage of significant advances in the libraries availablea for scientific Python. The new version of UrbanSim, called UrbanSim2,a makes extensive use of community-supported scientific Python librariesa to reduce the amount of domain-specific customized code to a minimum.UrbanSim is an excellent case study for the power of leveraging thework of the scientific programming community as scaffolding for adomain-specific application, as opposed to building an extensive customizeda solution in each domain. Additionally, the open and participatorya nature inherent in nearly all of the open source projects describeda here has been particularly embraced by governments, who are oftena reticent to support large commercial institutions and balkanized anda private data formats and software tools. -->
The Fractal Dimension of an Oil Spray

We study the fractal dimension of the contour of the liquid-gas interface in a spray. Our images include both, the linking region and the break-up region and are obtained with a high-resolution shadowgraph technique; this means that the images can then be subject to an intensity filtering, equivalent to a threshold analysis, that enables the establishment of the fractal range.
Effect of Insurance on Mortality in an HIV-Positive Population in Care

As policymakers consider expanding insurance coverage for individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), it is useful to ask if insurance has any affect on health outcomes and, if so, whether its magnitude has changed with recent efficacious but expensive treatments. By using data from a nationally representative cohort of HIV-infected (HIV+) persons receiving regular medical care, we estimate the impact of insurance on mortality in this population. A naïve single-equation model confirms the perverse result found by others in the literature–that insurance increases the probability of death for HIV+ patients. We attribute this finding to a correlation between unobserved health status and insurance status in the mortality equation for two reasons. First, the eligibility rules for Medicaid and Medicare require HIV+ patients to demonstrate a disability, almost always defined as advanced disease, to qualify. Second, if unobserved health status is the cause of the positive correlation, then including measures of HIV+ disease as controls should mitigate the effect. Including measures of immune function (CD4 lymphocyte counts) reduces the effect size by approximately 50%, although it does not change sign. To deal with this correlation, we develop a two-equation parametric model of both insurance and mortality. The effect of insurance on mortality is identified through the judicious use of state policy variables as instruments (variables related to insurance status but not mortality, except through insurance). The results from this model indicate that insurance does have a beneficial effect on outcomes, lowering the probability of 6-month mortality by 71% at baseline and 85% at follow-up. The larger effect at followup can be attributed to the recent introduction of effective therapies for HIV infection, which have magnified the returns to insurance for HIV+ patients (as measured by mortality rates).
Investigating merging galaxies by using Pan-STARRS images

Aims. We studied the r ′-, z ′-, and y ′-band images of merging galaxies from the observations of the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS). The merging galaxies were selected from our merging catalog that was created by checking the images of the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey 2 from the observations of the Canada France Hawaii Telescope. Methods. By using the homomorphic-aperture, we determined the photometric results of these merging systems. To obtain accurate photometry, we calibrated the Pan-STARRS r ′-, z ′-, and y ′-band data to match the results of Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 9. We also investigated the stellar masses of the merging galaxies by comparing the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer 3.4 μ m emission with the calibrated y ′-band data. Results. We present a catalog of the r ′-, z ′-, and y ′-band photometric results for 4698 merging galaxies. For extended sources, our results suggest that the homomorphic-aperture method can obtain more reasonable results than the Desktop Virtual Observatory photometry. We derived new relations between the Pan-STARRS y ′-band luminosities and the stellar masses of the merging galaxies. Our results show that the stellar masses of the merging galaxies range from 10 8 to 10 13 M ⊙ ; some of the dry mergers could be as massive as 10 13 M ⊙ .
Cross-Correlation Based Open-Switch Fault Detection Method in Parallel Inverters System

This paper proposes a new detection method of the open-switch fault, this method is based on the crosscorrelation of the zero-sequence current in N-parallel inverters system. Under the open-switch fault conditions, the appearance of the circulating currents between the faulty and healthy inverters, is inevitable. The zero-sequence current is used to identify the faulty open-circuited switch by the crosscorrelation. The line current of the faulty phase, is so small or nearly zero, while the resulting zero-sequence current will be synchronized with a reference current which is corresponding to the faulty phase current. So there is a significant correlation of the faulty phase by its reference and the resulting zero-sequence current. While the waveform between the healthy phases and the resulting zero-sequence current show a significant irrelevance. By taking the advantage of this feature between the healthy, faulty and zero-sequence current, the detection method can correctly select out the faulty open-circuited switch. The effectiveness of the proposed open-switch fault detection algorithm is theoretically analyzed and validated by the simulations and the experiments.
A Simulation Study on the Investigation of Thermal Effects Associated with Acoustic Radiation Force Shear Wave Interference Patterns Generation in the Liver Tissue

Purpose: The mechanical map of liver tissue like stiffness is as important as its anatomical image for clinical purposes like staging the liver fibrosis. Acoustic radiation force-based shear waves interference patterns elastography is an interesting independent imaging rate technique which can generate shear waves in the liver tissue in any desired depth by means of the high intensity focused, long duration push beams. Because of wave attenuation and absorption process the sound wave energy is dissipated in the tissue and due to energy conservation law is turned into heat thus like any other ultrasound imaging modality, shear waves interference patterns elastography carries the risk of tissue heating and thermal ablation specially at the focal spot. Therefore, particular attention must be paid to the thermal safety assessment to shear waves interference patterns elastography. The aim of the present simulation study is the thermal safety evaluation in the liver tissue. Materials and Methods: The liver tissue has been simulated in the presence of its adjacent tissues like skin, muscle, ribs and intercostal muscles in 3 dimensions during shear waves interference patterns elastography. With 4 seconds exposure time and 2 MPa focal pressure. Results:Temperature at the focal point increases from normal body temperature (37 ̊C) to 47 ̊C. Conclusion: Thermal effects appraisal, indicates that the general tissue heating stays within the safe region.
EVALUATING SUITABILITY OF ROADWAYS FOR BICYCLE USE: TOWARD A CYCLING LEVEL-OF-SERVICE STANDARD

Since 1965, traffic engineers and planners have used a measurement known as level of service (LOS) to describe the operating conditions within a traffic stream and their perception by motorists, passengers, or both. Although the most recent edition of the publication that defines these standards, the Highway Capacity Manual, does contain a short section on bicycles, it is more concerned with the effects of bicycles on traffic flows within intersections than with the ability of various types of roads and traffic conditions to provide quality of service to cyclists. In the last several years, some researchers and planners interested in bicycling issues have made attempts to develop an index of roadway operational conditions important to bicycle users. Although there have been several different approaches to the problem, recent work has centered on a method based on five descriptive factors: per-lane traffic volume, speed of traffic, right-hand-lane width (including the width of bicycle lanes or road shoulders), overall pavement quality, and the generation of conflicting travel paths. Taken together, these efforts have come close to developing a practical and meaningful roadway LOS standard for bicycle use. Work remains to be done in several areas: the relationship between LOS values and the perception of various cyclists as to the quality of service provided by a roadway, the role of level of service in cyclist route selection, and the applicability of the methodology to bicyclists with different skills and use needs.
Optical microsystem for analyzing engine lubricants

It is possible to dramatically improve the performance, reliability, and maintainability of vehicles and other similarly complex equipment if improved sensing and diagnostics systems are available. Each year military and commercial maintenance personnel unnecessarily replace, at scheduled intervals, significant amounts of lubricant fluids in vehicles, weapon systems, and supporting equipment. Personnel draw samples of fluids and send them to test labs for analysis to determine if replacement is necessary. Systematic use of either on-board (embedded) lubricant quality analysis capabilities will save millions of dollars each year in avoided fluid changes, saved labor, prevented damage to mechanical components while providing associated environmental benefits. This paper discusses the design, the manufacturing, and the evaluation of robust optical sensors designed to monitor the condition of industrial fluids. The sensors reported are manufactured from bulk fused silica substrates. They incorporate three-dimensional micro fluidic circuitry side-by-side with three-dimensional wave guided optical networks. The manufacturing of the optical waveguides are completed using a direct-write process based on the use of femtosecond laser pulses to locally alter the structure of the glass substrate at the nano-level. The microfluidic circuitry is produced using the same femtosecond laser based process, followed by an anisotropic wet chemical etching step. Data will be presented regarding the use of these sensors to monitor the quality of engine oil and possibly some other vehicle lubricants such as hydraulic oil.
How real is mobility between low pay, high pay and non‐employment?

Summary. The aim of the paper is to investigate the effect of measurement error on low pay transition probabilities. Our approach combines the virtues of panel regression and latent class models, though it does not require the use of validation or reinterview data. Using British, German and Dutch panel data, we show that the true estimated low pay transition probability is much lower that what previous research has found. This implies that almost half of the observed transitions can be attributed to measurement error. The highest low pay transition probabilities are found in Germany and the lowest in the Netherlands. When applying this correction for measurement error in a multivariate model of low pay transitions, the results indicate that measurement error attenuates considerably the effects of the main covariates, such as training, job change, change in the type of employment contract and shift from part‐time to full‐time employment.
Classification Of Twitter’s Data To Get Gender Identification

This paper describes the accuracy of various algorithms for classification of text on the basis of gender identification. We examined the knowledge extracted from corpus of Twitter's online social media in term of gender identity. By comparing algorithms on different feature sets, we established a feature set of 20 distinct arguments which increase the correctness of gender identification on all over the twitter. We reported accuracies of three algorithms obtained by using two approaches applied on two classes of gender i.e. male and female; a model where a lot of features are reduced using powerset transformation.
Absolute Stability of a Class of Nonlinear Singular Systems with Time Delay

This paper deals with the absolute stability for a class of nonlinear singular systems with time delay. By employing a new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional with the idea of partitioning delay length, improved delay-dependent stability criteria are established. The resulting condition is formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which is easy to be verified by exiting LMI optimization algorithms. A numerical example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed technique and its improvements over the existing results.
Combining Nonmonotonic Inference and Case-Based Reasoning to Solve Practical Problems

This paper aims to establish the connection between case-based reasoning and nonmonotonic reasoning. In particular, we suggest to make nonmonotonic inference using case-based reasoning. The key idea of this work is that nonmonotonic reasoning should be considered as an inductive process. When provided with incomplete knowledge, our method turns to previous cases and reuses these cases when they are found to be similar enough. We show that many benchmark problems in nonmonotonic reasoning literature can be solved using our proposed method.
Heterogeneity in Intra-monthly Consumption Patterns, Self-Control, and Savings at Retirement

Using data from the Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals, this paper describes the shape of consumption profiles over the month for Social Security benefit recipients. Individuals with income mostly made up of Social Security benefits and who have some savings smooth consumption over the pay period, while individuals with little savings consume 25 percent fewer calories the week before checks are received relative to the week after checks are received. The findings for individuals with little savings are inconsistent with the Permanent Income/Lifecycle Hypothesis, but are consistent with hyperbolic discounting.