Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards the Temperature Retrieval by Using Airborne Microwave Radiometer Data

Atmospheric temperature is a key geophysical parameter when dealing with the atmosphere in areas such as climatology and meteorology. In general, thermal emissions of molecular lines (e.g. oxygen, carbon dioxide) can be used for the determination of the temperature profile. The superheterodyne radiometer MTP (Microwave Temperature Profiler) passively detects thermal emission from oxygen lines at a selection of frequencies between 55--60 GHz by scanning the atmosphere from near zenith to near nadir in the flight direction. The MTP instrument was designed to observe the vertical temperature distribution over the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) with a good temporal and spatial resolution. The instrument was originally developed at NASA's JPL and has been recently flown on DLR's Falcon and HALO research aircrafts. To estimate the temperature profile from microwave measurements (e.g. provided by MTP), the retrieval algorithm TIRAMISU (Temperature Inversion Algorithm for Microwave Sounding) has been developed at DLR and is currently used to conduct the data processing of the MTP measurements. This study performs the retrievals from the MTP data with a focus on the ML-CIRRUS mission. The corresponding retrieval performance is investigated by associated error characterization and external comparisons with other ground-based and satellite observations. These observations are important to resolve a variety of phenomena in the UTLS region and to potentially improve the temperature spaceborne soundings.
A two-parametric deformation of U[sl(2)], its representations and complex "spin"

A two-parametric deformation of U[sl(2)] and its representations are considered. This newly introduced two-parametric quantum group denoted as $U_{pq}[sl(2)]$ admits a class of infinite-dimensional representations which have no classical (non-deformed) and one-parametric deformation analogues, even at generic deformation parameters. Interestingly that finite-dimensional representations of $U_{pq}[sl(2)]$ allow arbitrary complex "spins" (i.e., not necessary they to be integral or half-integral numbers), unlike those in the classical and one-parametric deformation cases.
Phylogeny of the Genus Pseudecheneis (Sisoridae) with an Explanation of Its Distribution Pattern

In the present paper, the cladistics method was used to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of 6 recorded species in the genus Pseudecheneis. Bagarius yarrelli and Glyptothorax honghensis were designated as outgroup species. Seventy-three characters of external morphology, internal myology, and osteology were chosen for comparison. Five ingroup species were included, but not P. sympelvicus because the examination of its myological and osteological characters is incomplete. All characters were set as unordered with equal weighting, and the data matrix produced a single most-parsimonious tree with a tree length of 110 steps, a consistency index of 0.7364, and a retention index of 0.6947. Meanwhile, a bootstrap test was conducted to verify the reliability of the results. The matrix was analyzed for different conditions: P. sympelvicus was combined into the ingroup and all characters were ordered. Each method yielded a single most-parsimonious phylogenetic tree whose structure was completely consistent with each other. The cladogram shows that all species in Pseudecheneis form a monophyletic group and can be divided into 2 clades: one includes P. paviei and P. intermedius, and the other includes the remaining 4 species (P. immaculatus, P. sulcatus, P. sulcatoides, and P. sympelvicus). Based on fossil records of the Sisoridae and the phylogenetic tree of Pseudecheneis, it is inferred that the genus Pseudecheneis originated in the Late Pliocene. With the uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, this genus has differentiated 4 times, an inference consistents with the geography of the river systems in Yunnan Province, China.
Soil clay influences Acacia encroachment in a South African grassland

Because of technical difficulties in measuring soil properties at a large scale, little is known about the effect of soil properties on the spatial distribution of trees in grasslands. We were interested in the associations of soil properties with the phenomenon of tree encroachment, where trees increase in density at the expense of grasses. The spatial variation of soil properties and especially soil texture may modify the properties of hydraulic conductivity, and the availability of soil water and mineral nutrients, which in turn may affect the spatial distribution of encroaching trees. Through the development of a geophysical method (Slingram) using an electromagnetic device EM38 and Bayesian inversion, we were able to accurately map soil electrical conductivity (EC) of a Luvisol in a grassland of South Africa. EC measured at the 0·8 to 2 m depth on a 1·5 ha area is a proxy for clay content and was correlated with the spatial distribution of four size classes of the encroaching Acacia sieberiana. Tree location (all sizes considered) was significantly correlated with EC. Tall acacias (>3m height) were totally absent from patches with EC >24 mS m−1. For all other size classes from medium trees to seedlings, tree density decreased with increasing EC. This suggests that high clay contents at depth associated with high EC values may prevent the establishment and/or survival of trees and influence the spatial distribution of A. sieberiana. This result also shows that geophysical tools may be useful for demonstrating important ecological processes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Action recognition in radio signals based on multi-scale deep features

As an important mission of communication reconnaissance field, the action recognition of radio signals has attracted great attention of researchers, where feature extraction of signals is considered as the most essential element. However, feature extraction is still a challenging task in action recognition owing to the remarkable distortions and rapid changes of signals. In this paper, a novel deep learning method is proposed for simultaneous feature extraction and action recognition of signals, which can automatically learn discriminative and robust features layer by layer in a supervised manner. Firstly, signals are sliced and stacked into a real-valued matrix, and then fed into a multi-scale deep convolution neural network. Unlike the same size kernels employed in traditional convolution networks, multi-scale convolution kernels are advanced to explore diverse spatial correlation of signal matrix. In each layer, multiple one-dimensional (1-D) convolution kernels are designed to filter out representative features. Then 1-D pooling operators are constructed to reduce the dimensionality of features to formulate the multi-scale feature maps. Finally a softmax classifier is used to recognize the types of actions. By learning a group of 1-D filters from a large number of labeled signals, our proposed deep convolutional network can automatically extract the fine signatures of signals and explore the latent difference between communication signals and non-communication signals. Moreover, the 1-D convolution is of low-complexity computation and can simplify the computation during the backpropagation of the neural network. Experimental results on real signals show that our proposed method is effective in recognizing communication signals and noncommunication signals.
Using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for reliable enumeration of Aeromonas hydrophila in water samples

Aeromonas hydrophila is an opportunistic pathogen of human and animals with a multifactorial pathogenesis. Control of A. hydrophila numbers in water is recommended for water quality estimation. Consequently, we developed a SYBR Green method for rapid quantification of A. hydrophila, targeting three genes: 16SrRNA gene, the cytolytic enterotoxin gene (aerA) and the heat-stable cytotonic enterotoxin gene (ast). The sensitivity and the specificity of the method were tested using 34 positive and negative controls. The improved level of detection was established with serial dilution of genomic DNA of type strain CIP 7614T. Linear relation between Ct-value and bacterial cell concentration were obtained. The limit of detection found in this study corresponds to 10 cells of A. hydrophila. Finally, the method was tested on seven artificially contaminated waters and on 30 unknown water samples. A significant similarity was observed when comparing results of SYBR Green method (concerning specially the 16SrRNA gene) with microbiological enumeration. Only 13% of natural samples were contaminated with A. hydrophila. The qPCR protocol developed in this study allows quantifying of A. hydrophilain water samples with a good level of detectability. Key words: Aeromonas hydrophila, water, real time PCR, SYBR Green.
Evidence for a CO increase in the SH during the 20th century based on firn air samples from Berkner Island, Antarctica

Trends of carbon monoxide (CO) for the past 100 years are reported as derived from Antarctic firn drilling expeditions. Only one of 3 campaigns provided high quality results. The trend was reconstructed using a firn air model in the forward mode to constrain age distributions and assuming the CO increase to be proportional to its major source, namely CH 4 . The results suggest that CO has increased by ~38%, from 38±7 to 52.5±1.5 ppbv over a period of roughly 100 years. The concentrations are on the volumetric scale which corresponds to ~1.08 of the scale used by NOAA/CMDL. The estimated CO increase is somewhat larger than what is estimated from the CO budget estimations and the CH 4 growth alone. The most likely explanation might be an increase in biomass burning emissions. Using CH 3 Cl as another proxy produces a very similar reconstruction.
Physical exercise on the power of axial balance muscles among the patients suffering from a discopathy and a nonspecific backache

1 Amidoddin Khatibi Aghda1, Vahid Sobhani2, Mahsa Asheghan3, Mohammadtaghi Hollisaz2 1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Yazd University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, 2Department of Sport Medicine, Baqyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 3Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baqyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Influence of physical exercise on the power of axial balance muscles Physical exercise on the power of axial balance muscles among the patients suffering from a discopathy and a nonspecific backache
TRIAXIAL ACCELERATION ANALYSIS APPLIED TO EVALUATION OF PAVEMENT RIDING QUALITIES

TRADITIONALLY, THE RIDING QUALITIES OF A PAVEMENT ARE EXPRESSED AS SOME FUNCTION OF LOCALIZED IRREGULARITIES IN THE CONTOUR OF THE PAVEMENT SURFACE. MEASUREMENTS OF RIDING QUALITIES HAVE DEALT ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY WITH VEHICLE DISPLACEMENTS IN THE VERTICAL DIRECTION ONLY. DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS CERTAIN FEATURES OF HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION AND USE HAVE EMPHASIZED SURFACE IRREGULARITIES THAT CAUSE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF COMBINED TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL MOTION. IN RESPONSE TO THIS NEED FOR DETERMINATION OF RIDING QUALITIES ON THE BASIS OF COMPONENT MOTIONS, AN INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING AND RECORDING INDUCED ACCELERATIONS IN THE THREE PRINCIPAL DIRECTIONS WAS DEVELOPED AND ADAPTED TO A PASSENGER VEHICLE. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE EQUIPMENT AND ITS USE IN EVALUATING RIDING QUALITIES OF VARIOUS PAVEMENTS IN KENTUCKY. /AUTHOR/
Unsupervised classification based on fuzzy c-means with uncertainty analysis

Fuzzy c-means (FCM) is a widely used unsupervised classifier for remote sensing images. This letter presents an uncertainty analysis-based FCM (UAFCM) classification method. The uncertainty in this letter refers to the discriminative ability of class attributes in fuzzy classification on a per-pixel basis. UAFCM is performed by analysing the uncertainty in FCM classification result and reclassifying the pixels with large uncertainty. Specifically, the uncertainty in FCM classification is measured by entropy and a proposed square error-based criterion. A threshold value is then determined to recognize the pixels with large uncertainty, which are reclassified with spatial connectivity subsequently. Experiments on three remote sensing images show that the proposed UAFCM consistently obtains more accurate classification results than does FCM, and hence provides an effective new unsupervised classification method for remote sensing images.
School Feeding Program in Ghana: Factors Affecting Academic Performance among Public Primary School Pupils in Garu-Tempane District

The study used a district-level data from 2008-2012 to examine socio-economic factors affecting academic performance of pupils in food insecure district of Garu-Tempane, Upper East Region. The study explored the possible correlation between selected factors like age (years), type of marriage, religion, number of dependent, type of residence/domicile, type of dwelling, occupation and highest qualification of parent/guardian as independent variables and academic performance as dependent variable. A quasi-experimental design was used in selecting 360 pupils both from participating and non-participating public primary schools with similar socio-economic characteristics in Garu-Tempane District. The study revealed a causal link between school feeding program and academic performance as the participating schools' pupils had an improved academic performance. Again, Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficients for socio-economic variables and academic performance results showed positive significant correlations (p<0.05) with type of marriage, (r=0.69), number of dependent, (r=0.193) and type of residence/domicile, (r=0.188). The study therefore recommended that the school feeding programs' sustainability should be well-targeted not only on the basis of food insecurity but through a more rigorous in-depth socio-economic survey and vulnerability mapping with a view to scaling-up of the program in food deficit areas to incorporate more schools.
Login session using mouse biometrics

Biometric authentication is a field of strong research at the moment, some of the technologies are however more robust or well explored than others. Fairly robust technologies include retina scan and fingerprint authentication. The drawback with many of the more proven biometric authentication technologies is that they require some equipment not available to all persons. Equipment might be too large or not available for movement, or just to expensive. Fingerprint scanners are an exception that now is becoming more and more available to all persons, i.e. by integration on a laptop. A biometric that has not been a subject for that much research is the field of mouse authentication. The research that has been done in this has mainly concentrated on continuous authentication, that is detecting if a user changed. There has hardly been any research into the field of using the mouse as a login type way of authenticating people, that is available at least. The goal of this thesis is to design tasks for a user and collect data from this. What features can be extracted and how to compare them will be the main focus. Unlike some other biometric authentication methods like retina scan, it also does not seem threatening to people. The experiment participants will be supplied with a program. This program collects positioning data and time. Two tasks are presented to the users; a stay-within-the-lines and a click-the-dots challenge. Users will perform these challenges over a few weeks. The main topic of this thesis also makes it natural to touch on some other fields, such as human interaction. For instance if a user is told to use some equipment other than the one he or she is used to, is it plausible that this affects the way that this person is using the mouse. Thus submitting incorrect information on how he or she normally is using the mouse. Therefore the experiment participants will not be using any other hardware then their own. This results in that a study on how a different hardware and software preference affects the results can be conducted. Another topic is social exclusion, this applies to people that cannot use the mouse for some reason, either as the result of a handicap or some other reason.
Characteristics of United States Seafood Consumers

OF THESIS CHARACTERISTICS OF UNITED STATES SEAFOOD CONSUMERS In this thesis, I conducted an analysis of the consumption patterns associated with demographic and socio-economic characteristics, using Tobit and double-hurdle models. Data were collected for 11,574 households from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for the year of 2014. Specific determinants included household size, age, income, gender, education, race, region, marital status, and whether the household lived in a coastal state. The results reveal that seafood expenditures are sequential decisions. Asian racial groups, households headed by married couples, a large number of members in households, higher income households, and households residing in the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts were variables that significantly impacted seafood expenditures.
The Roles of Motivation, Affective Attitudes, and Willingness to Communicate among Chinese Students in Early English Immersion Programs.

Early English immersion in China has been studied from many angles, but no research to date has investigated affective variables, which may have a profound relevance to successful English acquisition. The present study examines the roles of motivation, attitudes towards learning English, willingness to communicate, perceived competence, language anxiety, and parental support among upper primary immersion and nonimmersion students. Results indicate that immersion students used in this study had signifi cantly higher levels of willingness to communicate and perceived competence and exhibited less language anxiety than their nonimmersion peers. In addition, willingness to communicate and perceived competence were the strongest predictors of English reading and oral profi ciency for the combined sample.
Influence of the geomagnetic activity on the human functional systems

Changes in the normal functioning of the central nervous system, vegetative nervous system, cardiovascular system and cognitive performance may be enhanced by significant variations of the geomagnetic field (GMF) elements. Human physiological, psychophysiological and psychical processes and sensory abilities may be substantially influenced by these changes. The interest in revealing the correlation between the variations of the GMF and the human functional system is increasing but the possible physiological and psychophysiological mechanisms through which these variations interact with different processes in the human organism, have not been clearly established yet. The aim of this paper is to indicate the significance of the relations between GMF changes and various aspects of human functional systems. We have investigated 7 healthy men. The registrations of physiological parameters were made in Faraday cage and out of a Faraday cage. An available press-chamber was used as a Faraday cage. The results confirm the fact that there is a relation between suppression of the variable part of the GMF and the parameters investigated.
Effects of ocean acidification on calcification of symbiont-bearing reef foraminifers

Abstract. Ocean acidification (decreases in carbonate ion concentration and pH) in response to rising atmospheric pCO2 is generally expected to reduce rates of calcification by reef calcifying organisms, with potentially severe implications for coral reef ecosystems. Large, algal symbiont-bearing benthic foraminifers, which are important primary and carbonate producers in coral reefs, produce high-Mg calcite shells, whose solubility can exceed that of aragonite produced by corals, making them the "first responder" in coral reefs to the decreasing carbonate saturation state of seawater. Here we report results of culture experiments performed to assess the effects of ongoing ocean acidification on the calcification of symbiont-bearing reef foraminifers using a high-precision pCO2 control system. Living clone individuals of three foraminiferal species (Baculogypsina sphaerulata, Calcarina gaudichaudii, and Amphisorus hemprichii) were subjected to seawater at five pCO2 levels from 260 to 970 μatm. Cultured individuals were maintained for about 12 weeks in an indoor flow-through system under constant water temperature, light intensity, and photoperiod. After the experiments, the shell diameter and weight of each cultured specimen were measured. Net calcification of B. sphaerulata and C. gaudichaudii, which secrete a hyaline shell and host diatom symbionts, increased under intermediate levels of pCO2 (580 and/or 770 μatm) and decreased at a higher pCO2 level (970 μatm). Net calcification of A. hemprichii, which secretes a porcelaneous shell and hosts dinoflagellate symbionts, tended to decrease at elevated pCO2. Observed different responses between hyaline and porcelaneous species are possibly caused by the relative importance of elevated pCO2, which induces CO2 fertilization effects by algal symbionts, versus associated changes in seawater carbonate chemistry, which decreases a carbonate concentration. Our findings suggest that ongoing ocean acidification might favor symbiont-bearing reef foraminifers with hyaline shells at intermediate pCO2 levels (580 to 770 μatm) but be unfavorable to those with either hyaline or porcelaneous shells at higher pCO2 levels (near 1000 μatm).
Multi-controller Scalability in Multi-domain Content Aware Networks Management

This paper studies the management system scalability properties of a networked media eco-system. The system offers guaranteed Quality of Services (QoS) multimedia delivery, over multiple domain networks, based on creation of data plane slices named Virtual Content Aware Networks (VCAN). The VCANs are realized under control of a management plane, by centralized per network domain "controllers" - cooperating in order to span the VCANs over multiple IP domains. Scalability is an issue- similar to the multi-controller problem, in emerging Software Defined Networking (SDN) technologies. The management system architecture considered in this paper has been previously defined. This work provides a simulation model and results concerning the multi-controller communications. It is shown that SDN-like control approach is conveniently feasible in a multi-domain environment.
Shopping Around: How Households Adjusted Food Spending Over the Great Recession

Over the Great Recession real wages stagnated and unemployment increased. Concurrently, food prices rose sharply, outstripping growth in food expenditure, and leading to a reduction in calories purchased. This has led to concern about rising food poverty. We study British households to assess how they adjusted to changes in the economic environment. We show they switched to cheaper calories; implying food consumption was smoother than expenditure. We use longitudinal data to quantify the way households lowered their per calorie spending, and show they done this in part by increasing shopping effort, and without lowering the nutritional quality of their groceries.