Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DECODING SPATIOTEMPORAL PATTERNS OF URBAN LAND SPRAWL IN ZHUHAI, CHINA

Urban sprawl is a major factor that threatens the loss of arable landmass, and its evolving morphology has long interested numerous scholars. However, existing research on this study has not been concerned with the cases of ordinary cities, particularly their intra-urban land and urban sprawl. This study goes beyond mega-/super-cities and takes Zhuhai, an ordinary large city in China’s Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, as a case. Through remote sensing and GIS technology, this research identifies the increasing built-up areas and its sub-typologies (infill, outlying and edge-expansion), distinguishes the reclamation area and the decreasing arable landmass and evaluates the rate of land-use inside its five districts from 1980 to 2015. The growth of urban areas and loss of arable landmass are uneven inside Zhuhai. The most uneven outlying and infill growth were observed from 1990 to 1995 and from 2013 to 2015, respectively. Edge-expansion is the least imbalanced typology and reached its minimum from 2010 to 2013. The extent of variability of the total urban sprawl generally accords with that of edge-expansion and imbalance of arable landmass loss that reached a peak from 2005 to 2008. However, policy, planning and other factors that matter in urban sprawl are also discussed.
Achnanthidium neotropicum sp. nov., a new freshwater diatom from Lake Apastepeque in El Salvador (Central America)

A new freshwater diatom recovered from modern and subfossil sediments of Lake Apastepeque in El Salvador, Achnanthidium neotropicum sp. nov., is described based on light and scanning electron microscopy observations. The species is characterized by valves with linear, sometimes centrally constricted (mainly in large cells), outlines, broadly rounded to subrostrate apices, and often rectangular fascia. Striae are composed of 3–4 rounded to slit-like areolae. It can be separated from similar species by valve outline, together with striae density, and number of areolae per stria. Based on the straight distal raphe endings this species can be assigned to the A. minutissimum complex. The new species is compared to morphologically resembling species from the genus Achnanthidium Kützing.
Application of In-Silico Reverse Vaccinology for Designing Multi-Epitope Vaccine Against Coronavirus

In absence of any specific medication or vaccine till now, experimentation has reached new heights. With lockdown imposed in almost every country and huge economic losses the search for a suitable vaccine has still been unsuccessful. In this study we have approached through in-silico method or reverse vaccinology taking advantage of the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus. We created a multi-epitope model vaccine which can elicit both humoral as well as cell-mediated immune response. It is also docked with toll-like receptor 8 TLR-8. The sequence obtained is antigenic, non-allergenic and 86.3% residues are in favourable region of Ramachandran plot. This sequence might have good hope of emerging as the vaccine of the current pandemic if studied more in depth.
Congestion-Aware Traffic Allocation for Geo-Distributed Data Centers

The Inter-datacenter transfer is a fundamental service for global cloud applications. Geo-distributed data centers become an essential resource for their application performance which may be destroyed by network congestion. Recent years, most inter-datacenter transfer methods focus on allocating transfers by bandwidth allocation to achieve low cost or high utilization. However, the congestion condition is rarely considered in these works. In this article, we introduce a congestion-aware traffic allocation method named CONA (CONgestion-Aware), whose target is to maximize the profit of allocation transfer among multiple data centers. On this purpose, a maximizing optimization model is proposed, and an efficient link grading strategy is presented. A matrix transformation method is also introduced to simplify the optimization problem. Furthermore, the link congestion condition is considered by the controller, as well as the prediction on link congestion. To verify our proposed method, simulation model is established and comprehensive experiments are conducted. The experimental results show that our method brings higher profit than fair share and greedy traffic allocation method.
Monetary Policy Independence and the Strength of the Global Financial Cycle

We propose a new strength measure of the global financial cycle by estimating a regime-switching factor model on cross-border equity flows for 61 countries. We then assess how the strength of the global financial cycle affects monetary policy independence, which is defined as the response of central banks' policy interest rates to exogenous changes in inflation.
Beyond Euclidean Distance for Error Measurement in Pedestrian Indoor Location

Indoor positioning systems (IPSs) suffer from a lack of standard evaluation procedures enabling credible comparisons: this is one of the main challenges hindering their widespread market adoption. Traditionally, accuracy evaluation is based on positioning errors defined as the Euclidean distance between the true positions and the estimated positions. While Euclidean is simple, it ignores obstacles and floor transitions. In this article, we describe procedures that measure a positioning error defined as the length of the pedestrian path that connects the estimated position to the true position. The procedures apply pathfinding on floor maps using visibility graphs (VGs) or navigational meshes (NMs) for vector maps and fast marching (FM) for raster maps. Multifloor and multibuilding paths use the information on vertical in-building communication ways and outdoor paths. The proposed measurement procedures are applied to position estimates provided by the IPSs that participated in the EvAAL-ETRI 2015 competition. Procedures are compared in terms of pedestrian path realism, indoor model complexity, path computation time, and error magnitudes. The VGs algorithm computes shortest distance paths; NMs produce very similar paths with significantly shorter computation time; and FM computes longer, more natural-looking paths at the expense of longer computation time and memory size. The 75th percentile of the measured error differs among the methods from 2.2 to 3.7 m across the evaluation sets.
Variable Time-Stepping Parallel Electromagnetic Transient Simulation of Hybrid AC–DC Grids

The complicated hybrid ac–dc network architecture creates new challenge for electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation of large-scale systems in terms of accuracy and efficiency. By utilizing the variable time-stepping (VTS) method and graphics processing unit (GPU) parallelism, this article proposes a four-level dynamic parallelism architecture for variable time-stepping EMT simulation of hybrid ac–dc grids. By applying the proposed hierarchical system decomposition and VTS scheme, multiple time-step areas (TSAs) that contain subsystems with the same time-step size and adaptation criteria can be computed in different GPU blocks in parallel. Taking advantage of the dynamic parallelism feature of GPUs, a four-level dynamic parallelism is proposed to fully exploit the possibility of parallelizing the VTS simulation, though which the subsystems within each TSA and the detailed equipment models within each subsystem can run also in parallel via elaborate configurations. The transient waveforms and execution time speed-ups indicate that the proposed method can extremely accelerate the simulation process while guaranteeing reasonable accuracy compared to the fixed time-step based simulation.
Microscopic strain localisation in WAAM Ti-6Al-4V during uniaxial tensile loading

Wire Arc-Based Additive manufacturing is a high deposition rate process suitable for building large-scale aerospace components. However, the larger heat source can cause greater microstructural heterogeneity and, in particular, a coarse columnar ß grain structure. The effect of the subsequent related transformation microstructure heterogeneity on the mechanical behaviour is investigated, in both standard WAAM materials and samples subjected to inter-pass rolling, which leads to substantial ß grain refinement and texture randomisation. Full-field strain maps were produced by digital image correlation, using tensile samples loaded in different orientations. When loaded normal to the columnar grain structure, it is shown that the coarse ß grains lead to a highly heterogeneous deformation distribution, which is linked the presence of dominant hard and soft α variants in texture colonies within each parent ß grain. ß grain refinement through the application of inter-pass rolling was found to be very effective at homogenising the strain localisation for all test orientations.
The European Central Bank's Covered Bond Purchase Programs I and II (ECB GFC)

In July 2009, the European Central Bank introduced a nonstandard measure to revitalize the European covered bond market, which at the time financed about one-fifth of mortgages in Europe. The market struggled after the collapse of Lehman Brothers as the global financial crisis intensified in 2008. Over the course of the program, which lasted 12 months, European central banks, collectively known as “the Eurosystem,” conducted direct purchases in both primary and secondary markets to a total of €60 billion of covered bonds. The Eurosystem held the purchased covered bonds until maturity and made them eligible for lending to counterparties as of March 2010. Some evaluations consider the first CBPP a success, as the covered bond market began to function normally after the program’s implementation. However, the CBPP operated at the same time as other crisis-combatting programs within both the Eurosystem and individual member countries, and its results occurred during a general improvement in conditions. <br><br>In November 2011, the European Central Bank introduced the second iteration of its covered bond purchase programs to stimulate funding to credit institutions and facilitate lending at the onset of the sovereign debt crisis. The program ran for one year and fell far short of its targeted €40 billion in purchases; at its completion, Eurosystem central banks had purchased €16.4 billion of covered bonds. It is difficult to holistically evaluate the program; while CBPP2 generally had a positive impact on the covered bond market, it was much less effective than CBPP1.
Effects of early weaning onto herb-clover mixes on lamb carcass characteristics.

Ewes and their twin lambs (weighing at least 16 kg) were allocated to three treatments: lambs with dams on ryegrass-white clover (RG-WC) pasture until 15 weeks of age (GRASS) (lambs; n=50), lambs with dams on herb-clover mixes (plantain, chicory, red and white clovers) until 15 weeks of age (HERB) (lambs; n=50), and lambs weaned early (8 weeks old) onto herb-clover mixes and dams on RG-WC pasture (EARLY) (lambs; n=50). Average daily gain, GR soft-tissue depth and muscularity of lambs in EARLY and GRASS were lower than those in the HERB treatment (P<0.05). The muscle to bone ratio of lambs in HERB treatment was higher than those in the EARLY treatment (P<0.05). Lambs can be weaned at 8 weeks of age onto herb-clover mixes to achieve similar carcass characteristics compared to lambs weaned at 15 weeks of age on RG-WC pasture. Lambs weaned early onto herbclover mixes had lower growth rates than the lambs not weaned early on herb-clover mixes. There were no negative effects on lamb carcass characteristics and lean-meat yield (LMY) when lambs were slaughtered at a set weight.
The role of virtual space in ensuring ‘fair access’ to banking services –results of empirical research conducted in the Polish SME sector

The aim of this article is to present results of long-term empirical research on the changing behavior of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Poland in the context of spatial exclusion and spatial ‘justice’. Between 2007 and 2015, the authors conducted cyclical research on the financial behavior of SMEs in Poland on large samples. The scope of research on traditional and virtual space covered mainly: the criteria for selecting a bank for current service and the use of various banking services in particular distribution channels. In the researched period, the percentage of indications to convenient location as the most important factor for selecting a bank dropped from 29% to 16%. In the entire period under research, the highest percentage of indications to convenient location as the most important factor for selecting a bank was recorded in the micro enterprises sector. The percentage of entrepreneurs’ indications of fees and commissions as the most important factor in choosing a bank increased from 28% to 36%. Price parameters became the most important factor of bank selection in the SME sector. Virtual space was used primarily to distribute less complex banking services (checking the account balance and viewing the history of operations on the account, as well as to make transfers). In the case of more complex products, such as deposits or loans, traditional banking branches were preferred. In contrast to the results of the American research (Degryse & Ongena, 2002), in Poland there was no impact of the distance between the company and the bank branch on the loan utilization rates and the loan refusal rates. The research has shown that the virtual space equalizes the opportunities, facilitates business operations, contributes to a drop in prices and improvement in quality of the offered products and services, and renders the access to products and services fairer.
Thermal Assessment of Power Cables and Impacts on Cable Current Rating: An Overview

The conceptual assessment of the rating conditions of power cables was addressed over one century ago, with theories based on the physical and heat transfer properties of the power cable installed in a given medium. During the years, the evolution of the computational methods and technologies has made more powerful means for executing the calculations available. More detailed configurations have been analysed, also moving from the steady-state to dynamic rating assessment. The research is in progress, with recent advances obtained on both advanced models, extensive calculations from 2D and 3D finite element methods, simplified approaches aimed at reducing the computational burden, and dedicated solutions for specific types of cables and applications. This paper provides a general overview that links the fundamental concepts of heat transfer for the calculation of cable rating to the advanced solutions that have emerged in the last years.
Creative Minds Are Out of Control: Mid Frontal Theta and Creative Thinking

Creativity is considered to be the driving force behind innovation and progress, yet the neural signature of creative thought remains elusive. Recently, creative thinking has been associated with dynamics between large-scale intrinsic neural networks. In the current study, we investigated whether fluctuations of activity in the control network is linked to creative thinking. We designed a ‘caption this’ task in which participants had to provide an original and apt caption to accompany a presented picture while EEG signals were recorded. To assess changing levels of cognitive control we made use of the strong relationship between mid frontal oscillatory activity in the theta range (4-7 HZ) and top-down control. This experimental set-up allowed us to assess the relationship between trial-by-trial changes in neural measures of top-down control and fluctuations in creativity. Results demonstrate that specifically when attention needs to be internally oriented lower levels of top-down control resulted in higher levels of creativity. In addition, increased creativity related to enhanced long-range functional connectivity between occipital and mid frontal cortex when the presented picture was no longer visible. Together, our findings demonstrate that creativity benefits from lower levels of top-down control and enhanced processing of internal information.
Chronobiologically interpreted ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: past, present, and future

ABSTRACT Research at the Halberg Chronobiology Center focused to a large extent on the monitoring of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). Self-measurements and later ambulatory BP monitoring yielded new knowledge of interest to basic science and clinical practice. After a brief review of BP measurement, we outline developments in methods of data analysis that paralleled technological advances in the measurement of BP. We review work done in cooperation with colleagues worldwide to illustrate how a chronobiological approach led to the mapping of spontaneous circadian and other rhythms for the derivation of refined reference values and to the assessment of response rhythms underlying chronotherapy. BIOCOS members work in different fields, spanning from cardiology and nutrition to obesity, diabetes, exercise physiology and rehabilitation, but all strive for “pre-habilitation”. The early recognition of increased risk can prompt the timely institution of prophylactic intervention. As technology continues to improve, studies on groups are complemented by longitudinal self-surveillance for health maintenance. Longitudinal records serve for the investigation of environmental influences on human physiology, the topic of chronomics. As current advances in technology and wireless communication will likely impact the future of healthcare, chronobiological methods and concepts should be an integral part of this seachange.
Selection Imposed by Pollination Mode Minimally Influences Evolution of Pollen Morphology in Thalictrum (Ranunculaceae)

Premise of research. Pollen grain morphology varies widely among angiosperms; however, the selective pressures responsible for this diversification are not fully resolved, and both pollination and fertilization success vary with aperture number and pollen grain size. As such, pollen transmission conditions may exert specific selective pressures on pollen morphology. This study examines the hypothesis that evolutionary shifts in pollen grain size and aperture number correlate with transitions between insect and wind pollination systems. Methodology. Within the genus Thalictrum (Ranunculaceae), we use phylogenetic comparative methods to examine the correlated evolution between pollen morphology (grain size and aperture number) and the selective context of pollination mode. Furthermore, we implement Hansen’s adaptation-inertia model, which envisions phenotypes evolving toward an adaptive optimum, based on strong stabilizing selection. Additionally, we calculate the phylogenetic heritabilities of pollen traits and test phylogenetic correlations between them. Pivotal results. Pollination mode explained only a small amount of the variation in pollen grain size and aperture number. Pollen grain size shows high phylogenetic heritability and marginally lower variation within wind-pollinated species relative to insect-pollinated species. The calculated optimum aperture number was greater for insect-pollinated species than it was for wind-pollinated species. Consistent with previous work, we find a high phylogenetic heritability for pollination mode in a pruned phylogeny. Conclusions. Differences in calculated optima for aperture number and coefficient of variation in size between pollination modes correspond with predictions related to pollen competition intensity and the constraints of pollen transmission. However, the effect of pollination mode on the evolution of aperture number and grain size within Thalictrum is small.
The Pricing of Bank Bonds, Sovereign Credit Risk and ECB’s Asset Purchase Programmes

The 2008 Global financial crisis and the subsequent European sovereign debt crisis deteriorated banks funding conditions and lead to a substitution effect among bond instruments. We examine the pricing of straight, covered and securitization bonds issued by European banks in the 2000-2016 period, with a particular focus on the effect of sovereign credit risk and ECB's asset purchase programmes on spreads. We nd that (i) straight, covered and securitization bonds are priced in segmented markets, (ii) the impact of common pricing determinants on spreads differ significantly between non-crisis and crisis periods, (iii) sovereign credit risk is an important determinant of banks' cost of funding, especially in crisis periods, (iv) ECB's asset purchase programmes exhibited mixed effectiveness in improving banks funding conditions, (v) contractual bond characteristics other than credit ratings, macroeconomic factors and bank characteristics are important determinants of spreads, and (vi) there is evidence of heterogeneity across countries.
A graph-based real-time spatial sound framework

ion of a more complex system. They only store information relevant to the results that they are expected to calculate. Information can be stored in each node, or as a part of each connection. For example, a graph used to model sound propagation might store reverberation parameters at each node, and the amount of occlusion at each connection. Graphs used to represent a coherent structure such as an object’s surface or a floor plan may be referred to as a “mesh”. Ubisoft Jean-François Guay from Ubisoft Montreal gave a presentation at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in which he described a proprietary spatial sound rendering system developed by Ubisoft to enhance the sound quality of their games [Guay 2012]. The system is used internally by Ubisoft and has not been made available to outside developers. Based on the presentation titled “Real-time Sound
Phosphorus efficiency modulates phenol metabolism in wheat genotypes

The effect of phosphorus (P) supply on P uptake, plant growth, and phenols production with either antioxidant or structural function was investigated in wheat. Ten wheat cultivars were grown hydroponically at 0, 0.01, 0.1, 0.4 mM P. After harvest, P concentration, plant growth, lipid peroxidation and total phenols concentration were determined. Chloroplasts hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production and lignin distribution were also analyzed. According to the nutritional requirements of wheat, the application of both 0.1 mM P and 0.4 mM P provided sufficient P levels. However, P concentration in wheat cultivars treated with either 0 or 0.01 mM P reached a P deficient state. Almost all cultivars reduced shoot biomass under P shortage, which in turn led to increase root growth and root/shoot ratio. Consequently, genotypes with contrasting P efficiency were defined. The oxidative damage, chloroplast H2O2 production, total phenols and lignin accumulation augmented in wheat cultivars as P supply decreased. Moreover, P-inefficient genotypes accumulated more total phenols in their tissues than Pefficient genotypes under P-deficient conditions. In fact, a clear relationship between P efficiency and phenol metabolism was found. Additionally, based on our results, we ranked wheat cultivars according to their susceptibly to P deficiency.