Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Future Change of Western North Pacific Typhoons: Projections by a 20-km-Mesh Global Atmospheric Model*

Abstract Projected future changes in tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the western North Pacific (WNP) under the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B emission scenario were investigated using a 20-km-mesh, very-high-resolution Meteorological Research Institute (MRI)–Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) atmospheric general circulation model. The present-day (1979–2003) simulation yielded reasonably realistic climatology and interannual variability for TC genesis frequency and tracks. The future (2075–99) projection indicates (i) a significant reduction (by about 23%) in both TC genesis number and frequency of occurrence primarily during the late part of the year (September–December), (ii) an eastward shift in the positions of the two prevailing northward-recurving TC tracks during the peak TC season (July–October), and (iii) a significant reduction (by 44%) in TC frequency approaching coastal regions of Southeast Asia. The changes in occurrence frequency are due in part to changes in large-scale.
Decoupled Controller for Simultaneous Harmonic and Unbalance Compensation in a multifunctional RES system connected to a LV Distribution Grid

There is an increasing concern over power quality with more distributed non-linear loads leading to unbalance and voltage harmonics in low-voltage (LV) grid. The traditional way to improve the power quality in the system is to adopt passive filters or centralized active power filters. Today, many renewable energy-based sources (RESs) are connected to the grid with interfacing converters which can provide harmonic and unbalance compensation. This paper deals with a decoupled controller for simultaneous harmonic and unbalance compensation in a multifunctional smart RES unit. It works on a novel hybrid approach which does not require point-of-common-coupling (PCC) voltage harmonic extraction, multiple phase locked loops (PLLs) or knowledge of distributed load currents. The active power from RES contain both positive and negative sequence current components for improved voltage unbalance compensation. Simulation study for a single RES unit connected to a LV grid with non-linear loads is carried out in PSCAD and results are presented.
Enhancing a Decision Support Tool with Sensitivity Analysis

With the increased speed and complexity of today's world, and the ever increasing amount of data available, a decision support system is of critical importance. Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) enables decision makers to make a decision considering several alternatives and multiple criteria of evaluation. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is an area of research in MCDM where the problem is decomposed into a hierarchic model in order to rank the alternatives. Sensitivity analysis (SA) is a technique that determines the effects of changes in input values on a model results, hence, performing a SA on the results of a decision problem may provide valuable information to the decision maker about the robustness of the solution. This report investigates various methods to carry out SA on AHP models. In addition, a framework for evaluating software in terms of AHP features and SA support is developed and a number of commercial and academic software tools are analysed using this framework. The result from this analysis shows that despite the existence of several approaches to performing SA, available software tools only provide a basic form of SA. As a consequence, an appropriate tool, selected based on the framework analysis, is to be enhanced to include an SA module. The implementation of additional features and improvements involves a re-engineering process of the AHP tool. As a result of this re-engineering, the enhanced tool will also be made available on web and mobile platforms. Finally, the methodology for the project is introduced, the approach for the design and re-engineering of the software is described, and the evaluation, current status and project plan are presented.
Screening of Bacterial and Fungal Biota Associated with Oreochromis niloticus in Lake Manzala and Its Impact on Human Health

In this study fish samples were investigated for Bacteria and Fungi, in fish parts, such as intestine, gills and skin. Bacterial counts of Total viable bacteria (T.V.B) reached more than 9.5 × 105 cfu and faecal coliforms (F.C) reached 1.2 × 105 cfu. Different species were identified, Using API technology. Escherichia coli comes first by being recording thirty number case of isolation constituting 36%, it followed by Proteus mirabilis which is represented by twenty four number case of isolation accounting for 30%. Other taxa viz: Klebsiella pneumonia, Citrobacter freundii, Providencia stuartii and Erwinia sp. came next according to their case number of isolation, they represented only by 7%. They showed different antibiotics with different inhibitory concentrations, resistance pattern to gentamycin 10 μg, Penicillin G, tetracycline 30 μg, Ampicillin 10 μg, Ampicillin 30 μg, chloramphenicol (C) 30 μg, Rifampicin 25 μg, Streptomycin 5 μg, cefotaxime 15 μg. Mycological investigation revealed the presence of variety of fungal species, particularly, toxigenic species, such as, Aspergillus spp, Penicillium spp and Fusarium spp. These results are indication of the spoilage of fishes which caught from Lake Manzala and are risky for human consumption and hazardous to human health in this important area of Egypt, due to the high pollution condition of Lake Manzala.
Complete architecture of integrated photonic circuits based on AND and NOT logic gates of exciton polaritons in semiconductor microcavities

In this letter we introduce a complete photonic logic gate architecture, making use of the non-linear and spintronic properties of exciton-polaritons in semiconductor microcavities. This hybrid light-matter design is highly compact and offers the advantages expected of photonic circuits including: no distance-dependent loss or signal gradation; electrical isolation and immunity to electromagnetic interference; reduced error-checking overhead; and direct coupling to external light, useful for fibre optic communication.
Strategic Pricing of Commodities

Abstract We consider a setting where a large number of agents are trading commodity bundles. Assuming that agents of the same type have a certain utility attached to each transaction, we construct a statistical equilibrium which in turn implies prices on the different commodities. Our basic question is then the following. Assuming that some commodities come out with prices that are socially unacceptable, is it possible to change these prices systematically if a new type of agent is paid to enter the market? We will consider explicit examples where this can be done.
Safe and supportive families and communities for children A synopsis and critique of Australian research

This paper reviews the research on building safe and supportive families and communities for children in Australia. Based on assessments of 22 research and evaluation reports, it examines the evidence base in the areas of:  community attitudes and awareness of child safety;  parenting and family support; and  child-friendly communities. The paper synthesises the findings and discusses the implications for future research. The reports were identified in the research audit, Protecting Australia’s Children Research Audit, 1995–2010.
Dynamic feathering: Minimising blending artefacts in view-dependent rendering

Conventional view-dependent texture mapping techniques produce composite images by blending subsets of input images, weighted according to their relative influence at the rendering viewpoint, over regions where the views overlap. Geometric or camera calibration errors often result in a los s of detail due to blurring or double exposure artefacts which tends to be exacerbated by the number of blending views considered. We propose a novel view-dependent rendering technique which optimises the blend region dynamically at rendering time, and reduces the adverse effects of camera calibration or geometric errors otherwise observed. The technique has been successfully integrated in a rendering pipeline which operates at interactive frame rates. Improvement over state-of-the-art view-dependent texture mapping techniques are illustrated on a synthetic scene as well as real imagery of a large scale outdoor scene where large camera calibration and geometric errors are present. (10 pages)
Selecting pseudo‐absences for species distribution models: how, where and how many?

1. Species distribution models are increasingly used to address questions in conservation biology, ecology and evolution. The most effective species distribution models require data on both species presence and the available environmental conditions (known as background or pseudo‐absence data) in the area. However, there is still no consensus on how and where to sample these pseudo‐absences and how many.
Programming as Planning

Inspired by the success of Planning as Satisfiability, SatPlan, we present methodologies for viewing everyday programming problems as planning problems, thus converting presumably complex programs into planning and then to satisfiability instances. We implement a planner and a solver as class modules for our target object-oriented programming language, and provide formulations for automatically encoding object-oriented message-passing style expressions into relation formulas, which can be instantiated for all possible values and asserted as clauses for the satisfiability solver. We provide our results compared to our original brute-force search planner for a simple example as well as our initial prototype for a real world example of register allocation. Keywords—automated planning, planning as satisfiability, programming languages
Brane-induced Skyrmion on S 3 : baryonic matter in holographic QCD

We study baryonic matter in holographic QCD with D4/D8/D8 multi-D brane system in type IIA superstring theory. The baryon is described as the 'brane-induced Skyrmion', which is a topologically nontrivial chiral soliton in the four-dimensional meson effective action induced by holographic QCD. We employ the ''truncated-resonance model'' approach for the baryon analysis, including pion and {rho} meson fields below the ultraviolet cutoff scale M{sub KK}{approx}1 GeV, to keep the holographic duality with QCD. We describe the baryonic matter in large N{sub c} as single brane-induced Skyrmion on the three-dimensional closed manifold S{sup 3} with finite radius R. The interactions between baryons are simulated by the curvature of the closed manifold S{sup 3}, and the decrease of the size of S{sup 3} represents the increase of the total baryon-number density in the medium in this modeling. We investigate the energy density, the field configuration, the mass and the root-mean-square radius of single baryon on S{sup 3} as the function of its radius R. We find a new picture of 'pion dominance' near the critical density in the baryonic matter, where all the (axial) vector meson fields disappear and only the pion fields survive. We also find the swelling phenomena of themore » baryons as the precursor of the deconfinement, and propose the mechanism of the swelling in the general context of QCD. The properties of the deconfinement and the chiral symmetry restoration in the baryonic matter are examined by taking the proper order parameters. We also compare our truncated-resonance model with another instanton description of the baryon in holographic QCD, considering the role of cutoff scale M{sub KK}. « less
The Psychophysics of Number Integration: Evidence From the Lab and From the Field

The subjective integration of numbers that are encountered sequentially is an elementary judgment process that is highly relevant in research (e.g., in a decisions from experience paradigm) and in everyday life alike (e.g., when keeping track of spending during a shopping trip). Toward a better understanding of how people perceive and integrate numerical information, participants in a laboratory experiment (n = 40) repeatedly estimated the sum of a number sequence briefly presented on a computer screen. Results indicate a systematic bias toward underestimation that could be captured with a compressive power function. The observed underestimation depended on the sequential order in which the numbers were presented but not on the shape of the underlying frequency distribution. Similar results were obtained in a field study where customers in a grocery store (n = 966) systematically underestimated the total value of their shopping basket prior to checkout. A model comparison approach revealed that the observed underestimation in the lab study was best captured by a compressed mental number line when evaluating single items, while in the field study, the bias rather stems from a systematic error during information integration. The field study further indicated that underestimation increased with age but was not due to a simple rounding strategy or the systematic forgetting of unhealthy items such as sweet or fatty snacks. The results yield novel insights into how people perceive and integrate numbers.
MONTELUKAST SPRAY DRIED MICROPARTICLES: PREPARATION, EXCIPIENTS SELECTION AND IN VITRO PULMONARY DEPOSITION

Objective: This study focused on the preparation of montelukast sodium (MTK) fast release pulmonary targeted microparticles using the spray drying technique. Methods: The effect of addition of different excipients namely: mannitol, leucine and ovalbumin on the physico-chemical characteristics of MTK spray dried powders were investigated. Powder flow properties, drug association efficiency as well as microparticle size and mass median aerodynamic diameter were determined. The prepared microparticles were characterized using FT-IR and TGA. The powder crystallographic and thermal properties were studied using DSC and X-ray powder diffraction. A twin stage impinger was used to evaluate in vitro pulmonary deposition from which the inhalation indices were derived. Results: The tested excipients showed no adverse chemical interactions with the drug based on FT-IR. The best inhalation indices were obtained with powders spray dried with leucine followed by leucine/mannitol mixtures with MMAD of 1.73±0.08 and 1.36±0.16 and fine particle fraction of 60.55±1.63 and 52.31±3.52, respectively. The dried powders showed good physico-chemical stability for up to 6 mo storage. Conclusion: The developed MTK spray dried particles may offer a good platform for the targeted pulmonary delivery of MTK overcoming the major biological barriers.
A NEW SPECIES OF TROGLOMORPHIC LEAF LITTER SCORPION FROM COLOMBIA BELONGING TO THE GENUS TROGLOTAYOSICUS ( SCORPIONES : TROGLOTAYOSICIDAE )

Troglotayosicus humiculum, n. sp. , is described from a specimen collected by Winkler trap in La Planada Natural Reserve, Nariño Department, southwestern Colombia. With this description, both the number of described species and known specimens in the genus is raised to two. The new species was collected from leaf litter, rather than inside a cave as was the only other known species, Troglotayosicus vachoni Lourenço, 1981; and differs from it particularly in the arrangement of the ventral setae of the telotarsi and the metasomal carination. This finding represents the first record of the family and genus from Colombia, and it is the first troglomorphic leaf litter scorpion reported from South America. RESUMEN Se describe Troglotayosicus humiculum, n. sp. , con base a un ejemplar colectado con trampa Winkler en la Reserva Natural La Planada, Departamento de Nariño, Colombia suroccidental. Con esta descripción, el número de especies descritas y ejemplares conocidos en el género se incrementa a dos. La nueva especie habita en hojarasca, en lugar de una cueva como la única otra especie conocida, Troglotayosicus vachoni Lourenço, 1981; y difiere de esta particularmente en la disposición de sedas ventrales de los telotarsos y la carinación del metasoma. Este hallazgo representa el primer registro de esta familia y género de escorpiones para Colombia, y es el primer escorpión troglomórfico de hojarasca conocido de
Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A 1 interacts with a 5 ’ flanking distal element of interleukin 6 and upregulates its basal transcription

Background Transcription of interleukin-6 (IL6) can be regulated by a promoter sequence located -5 Kb upstream of its transcription start site. Result Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 and A2/B1 (HNRNPA1 and HNRNPA2/B1) show interaction with the upstream promoter element and regulates IL-6 promoter activity. Conclusion HNRNPA1 is a novel transcriptional regulator of IL-6. Significance HNRNP proteins may play important roles during inflammation.
Temporal clinical events clustering and visualization

Events in clinical narratives are naturally associated with medical trials such as surgery, vaccination, lab test, medication, medical procedure, diagnosis, and they are interrelated with many temporal relations, however it is difficult to define these events quantitatively or consistently in coarse time-bins (e.g. before vaccination, after admission). The grouping of medical events onto temporal clusters is a key to applications such as longitudinal studies, clinical question answering, and information retrieval. In this paper, we developed two algorithms based on Min-conflicts and K-means to enable labeling a sequence of medical events with predefined time-bins. The computation is based solely on temporal similarity and integrated with a timeline visualization tool.
Hydrophobic Modification of Nanocellulose via a Two-Step Silanation Method

Dodecyltrimethoxysilane (DTMOS), which is a silanation modifier, was grafted onto nanocellulose crystals (NCC) through a two-step method using KH560 (ɤ-(2,3-epoxyproxy)propytrimethoxysilane) as a linker to improve the hydrophobicity of NCC. The reaction mechanism of NCC with KH560 and DTMOS and its surface chemical characteristics were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and HCl–acetone titration. These analyses confirmed that KH560 was grafted onto the surface of NCC through the ring-opening reaction, before DTMOS was covalently grafted onto the surface of NCC using KH560 as a linker. The grafting of NCC with DTMOS resulted in an improvement in its hydrophobicity due to an increase in its water contact angle from 0° to about 140°. In addition, the modified NCC also possessed enhanced thermal stability.
A compact balanced antipodal bow‐tie antenna having double notch‐bands

A balanced antipodal bow‐tie antenna is presented for ultrawideband (UWB) applications. Bandwidth enhancement and size reduction are achieved by introducing staircase edging to the peripheral of the patch radiator, and by tapering the microstrip feed balun to generate balanced currents on each branch of radiator. The antenna provides band‐notch functionality by embedding dumbbell‐shaped slots within the radiator, and adding an open‐circuit L‐shaped meander stub. The small and low‐profile antenna can easily be fabricated on a single layer of FR4 substrate with dimensions of 26 × 31 × 1.6 mm3. Good correlation is obtained between the simulated and measured results. The antenna operates across 2.8–11 GHz to fully satisfy Federal Communications Commission's UWB specifications. In addition, the antenna provides notch‐bands across 3.3–4 and 5–6 GHz to minimize interference from the WiMAX and WLAN networks. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2010–2014, 2014
Convergence of health care spending and health outcomes in the EUropean Union, 1960-95

Convergence in health expenditure in the countries of the European Union (EU) has been demonstrated to be occurring in previous studies. The aim of this paper is to identify and discuss the reasons for this finding and to present new evidence confirming convergence in health outcomes, as represented by life expectancy and infant mortality rates. The statistical methods used, s and b-convergence analysis, are well established in macro-economic growth analyses and based on the neo-classical growth model which predicts convergence in income for homogenous countries such as those forming the EU. The analyses reveal a common trend in that Southern Mediterranean countries have generally exhibited upward convergence towards the mean in health expenditure, and convergence towards the EU mean in improving directions for health outcomes. In contrast, EU countries of the North, particularly those of Scandinavia, exhibit downward convergence towards the EU mean or below it in health expenditure, whilst their health outcome measures have generally been displaying a decreasing advantage over the EU mean over the periods of analysis. The results are briefly considered in relation to the factors that help to explain the results, including the question of whether a causal relationship between health expenditure and health outcomes exists, the nature and impact of health care reforms throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s in countries contributing most to the observed convergence, and the predictions of the neoclassical growth model which underpin the results.
Caching UAV-enabled small-cell networks

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be utilized to provide flexible wireless access in future wireless networks, with larger coverage and higher transmission rate. However, the wireless backhaul for UAVs is usually capacity-limited and congested, and UAVs cannot operate for a long time due to the limited battery life. In this paper, a framework of caching UAV-enabled small-cell networks is proposed, to offload data traffic for the small-cell base stations via caching. In the proposed scheme, the most popular contents are stored at the local caches of UAVs in advance, which can be delivered to mobile users directly from the caches when required. Thus, the congestion of wireless backhaul can be alleviated, the energy consumption can be reduced, and the quality of experience can be improved.
Medium Access Protocol to Address Hidden Terminals in MU-MIMO WLANs

We exploit available Degrees of Freedom resulting from the deployment of mutiple antennas both at Access Points and Clients to address the Hidden Terminal problem in Multi User (MU) Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). This approach yields in concurrent transmissions in the Hidden Terminal scenario which is in contrast to the popularly used RTS/CTS solution. We treat concurrent transmissions as an integral part of our design and extend the traditional Point Coordination Function (PCF). Specifically, contention free period of the traditional PCF is used in uplink and downlink. A seamless channel sounding process obtains Channel State Information (CSI) at Access Points (APs) which becomes instrumental in determining the transmission opportunity based on Degrees of Freedom (DoF). The concurrent transmissions are maintained by precoding vectors calculated by Zeroforcing technique. Simulation shows that concurrent transmissions provide a remarkable network capacity gain of 4-5 times in comparison to traditional RTS/CTS scheme with only slightly higher signaling overhead. Besides, our simple fairness algorithm provides a fair share in the throughput among APs with the Jain Fairness Index greater than 90%.
A two-priority fluid flow model

We consider a fluid flow model processing two types of fluid at constant rate, where one type of fluid receives full service priority over the other. The two types of fluid are stored in separate infinite capacity buffers. The input is governed by an external Markovian environment process. We derive the Laplace-Stieltjes transform of the steady-state joint buffer content distribution by decomposing the problem into two subproblems: first, we study the buffer content processes over periods of time with positive leftover service capacity for the lower priority fluid, and then over periods of time with no leftover service capacity, after which we combine both results to get the joint distribution. We illustrate the results by a numerical example.