Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coral cover and rubble cryptofauna abundance and diversity at outplanted reefs in Okinawa, Japan

Global climate change is leading to damage and loss of coral reef ecosystems. On subtropical Okinawa Island in southwestern Japan, the prefectural government is working on coral reef restoration by outplanting coral colonies from family Acroporidae back to reefs after initially farming colonies inside protected nurseries. In order to establish a baseline for future comparisons, in this study we documented the current status of reefs undergoing outplanting at Okinawa Island, and nearby locations where no human manipulation has occurred. We examined three sites on the coast of Onna Village on the west coast of the island; each site included an outplanted and control location. We used (1) coral rubble sampling to measure and compare abundance and diversity of rubble cryptofauna; and (2) coral reef monitoring using Line Intercept Transects to track live coral coverage. Results showed that rubble shape had a positive correlation with the numbers of animals found within rubble themselves and may therefore constitute a reliable abundance predictor. Each outplanted location did not show differences with the corresponding control location in terms of rubble cryptofauna abundance, but outplanted locations had significantly lower coral coverage. Overall, differences between sites (Maeganeku1, Maeganeku2 and Manza, each including both outplanted and control locations) were significant, for both rubble cryptofauna and coral coverage. We recommend (1) to outplant colonies from more stress-resistant genera in place of Acropora, and (2) to conduct regular surveys to monitor the situation closely. With a lack of baseline data preceding impacts, rigorous monitoring over time can highlight trends towards increases or decreases in evaluated variables, allowing to obtain a clearer idea of the effects of transplants and on the trajectory of impacts due to climate change and local stressors . Finally, we also recommend (3) to establish conservation and sustainable practices that could aid the ongoing restoration efforts such as installing anchoring buoys to reduce impacts from anchoring, which could reduce coral mortality of both outplanted and native coral colonies.
On Modeling the Earthquake Insurance Data via a New Member of the T-X Family

Heavy-tailed distributions play an important role in modeling data in actuarial and financial sciences. In this article, a new method is suggested to define new distributions suitable for modeling data with a heavy right tail. The proposed method may be named as the Z-family of distributions. For illustrative purposes, a special submodel of the proposed family, called the Z-Weibull distribution, is considered in detail to model data with a heavy right tail. The method of maximum likelihood estimation is adopted to estimate the model parameters. A brief Monte Carlo simulation study for evaluating the maximum likelihood estimators is done. Furthermore, some actuarial measures such as value at risk and tail value at risk are calculated. A simulation study based on these actuarial measures is also done. An application of the Z-Weibull model to the earthquake insurance data is presented. Based on the analyses, we observed that the proposed distribution can be used quite effectively in modeling heavy-tailed data in insurance sciences and other related fields. Finally, Bayesian analysis and performance of Gibbs sampling for the earthquake data have also been carried out.
Combining Ability Analysis of Maize (Zea Mays L.) Inbred Lines for Grain Yield and Yield Related Traits Combining Ability Analysis of Maize (Zea Mays L.) Inbred Lines for Grain Yield and Yield Related Traits

A total of 64 test-crosses generated by crossing 32 elite maize inbred lines with two testers and two standard checks were evaluated for grain yield and yield related traits in 6×11 alpha lattice design replicated twice during 2017 cropping season at Bako National Maize Research Center of Ethiopia with the objective of estimating general and specific combining ability effects of the inbred lines for grain yield and yield related traits. Analysis of variance indicated highly significant mean squares due to genotypes for all the studied traits. Mean squares due to line general combining ability (GCA) were significant for all studied traits whereas, mean square due to tester GCA was significant for all traits, except number of kernels per row and grain yield. Mean squares due to specific combining ability (SCA) effects were significant (P<0.01 or P<0.05) for biomass yield, number of ears per plant and thousand kernel weight. Generally, mean squares due to both lines and testers GCA and SCA of line × tester interactions were significant for grain yield and most yield related traits indicating the importance of both additive and non-additive gene actions in controlling these traits.
Computation of Deflections for PC Box Girder Bridges with Corrugated Steel Webs considering the Effects of Shear Lag and Shear Deformation

Prestressed concrete (PC) girders with corrugated steel webs (CSWs) have received considerable attention in the past two decades due to their light self-weight and high prestressing efficiency. Most previous studies were focused on the static behavior of CSWs and simple beams with CSWs. The calculation of deflection is an important part in the static analysis of structures. However, very few studies have been conducted to investigate the deflection of full PC girders or bridges with CSWs and no simple formulas are available for estimating their deflection under static loads. In addition, experimental work on full-scale bridges or scale bridge models with CSWs is very limited. In this paper, a formula for calculating the deflection of PC box girders with CSWs is derived. The longitudinal displacement function of PC box girders with CSWs, which can consider the shear lag effect and shear deformation of CSWs, is first derived. Based on the longitudinal displacement function, the formula for predicting the deflection of PC box girders with CSWs is derived using the variational principle method. The accuracy of the derived formula is verified against experimental results from a scaled bridge model and the finite element analysis results. Parametric studies are also performed, and the influences of shear lag and shear deformation on the deflection of the box girder with CSWs are investigated by considering different width-to-span ratios and different girder heights. The present study provides an effective and efficient tool for determining the deflection of PC box girders with CSWs.
Relationship Between Endopeptidase and H_2O_2 During the Aging of Wheat Leaf

The relationship between hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2) and endopeptidase(EP) in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Yanmai 158) leaves was studied during natural and artificial aging. Rapid accumulation of endogenous H 2O 2 and marked increase of EP activity were observed during the later phase of aging. A new EP isozyme with higher activity was detected by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels containing denatured heamoglobin. With the increase of exogenous H 2O 2, the activity of EP increased at first and then decreased.
On the Scattering of Radiation by Free Electrons According to Dirac's New Relativistic Quantum Dynamics

On the foundation of the older form of relativistic quantum mechanics, Dirac1 and Gordon2 have developed a theory for the intensity and polarization of Compton scattering radiation, which seems to be in good agreement with experience for not-too-short wave radiation. According to the new relativistic quantum mechanics recently developed by Dirac,3 in which the phenomena connected with the self-rotation of the electron are automatically taken into account, the foundation of a theory of the scattering of light on free electrons has changed and one can expect that also the final results of the Dirac–Gordon theory for the Compton effect will be influenced by this. In the present work, we have tried to attack the problem of scattering radiation on free electrons on the basis of Dirac’s new dynamics of the electron. In this we have followed the treatment given by Gordon,
A Long-Term Biodiversity, Ecosystem and Awareness Research Network SERONTO A Socio-Ecological Research and Observation Ontology: the core ontology

1 Alterra – Wageningen University and Research Centre; The Netherlands 2 Bucharest University – Department of Systems Ecology; Rumania 3 Umweltbundesamt – Federal Environment Agency; Austria 4 Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; United Kingdom 5 Centre of Academic Sciences; Czech Republic 6 French National Institute for Agricultural Research – INRA; France 7 Research Institute for Nature and Forest – INBO; Belgium 8 Helmholtz Centre For Environmental Research – UFZ; Germany 9 University of Oulu; Finland 10 Institute of Ecology and Botany; Hungary 11 University of Jyväskylä; Finland 12 Institute of Landscape Ecology – Slovak Academy of Sciences; Slovakia 13 Finish Environmental Institute – SYKE; Finland
Testing for Random Utility Maximization

HE USE OF MULTI-RESPONSE QUALITATIVE response models is prevalent in all fields of microeconomic inquiry. The most common formulation is the conditional logit model which has been widely embraced to represent qualitative response variables arising from the choice of a single alternative from a set of J alternatives. Extensions of the conditional logit model typically are chosen to better account for more flexible patterns of substitution among the J alternatives. Such extensions comprise the nested logit, generalized nested logit, mixed multinomial logit, and the multinomial probit estimators. Fundamental to these estimators is the maintained assumption of random utility maximization. While random utility maximization might be a desirable construct in terms of generating utility theoretic welfare measures, its imposition may result in a misspecified estimator of the data-generating process. Most tests of the conditional logit model have been concerned with detecting violations of the independence from irrelevant alternatives assumption. Curiously, little work has been directed at inferring consistency with random utility maximization in qualitative response models as contrasted to the extensive literature on testing for optimizing behavior of agents in the allocation of continuous choice variables. A principal reason for the lack of testing the random utility maximization hypothesis has been a dearth of alternative qualitative choice models that are well defined, flexible, and unconstrained by certain restrictions of random utility maximization. In particular, to test the Hotelling symmetry condition of random utility maximization, the universal logit and the dogit models have been proposed as schemes for incorporating the characteristics of other alternatives in the choice model of a given alternative. Yet the universal logit model is typically computationally infeasible in its general form and the dogit model is fairly inflexible (McFadden 1984, p. 1415; McFadden 1981, footnote 33). We propose the multinomial discrete normal joint probability mass function as a flexible alternative to the set of statistical models consistent with random utility maximization. We will show that the multinomial discrete normal is a member of the exponential family and that it nests the conditional logit model. We will discuss its parametric identification and describe how it fails to satisfy the conditions required
Analysis of pulsations and vibrations in fluid-filled pipe systems

Pressure pulsations and mechanical vibrations in pipe systems may cause excessive noise and may even lead to damage of piping or machinery. The excitation mechanism can be hydraulic or mechanical. In fluid-filled pipe systems pulsations and vibrations will be strongly coupled. In this study, calculation and measurement methods have been developed for the analysis of vibrations and pulsations in fluid-filled pipe systems, taking fluid-structure interaction into account.
Deep Reinforcement Learning for DER Cyber-Attack Mitigation

The increasing penetration of DER with smart-inverter functionality is set to transform the electrical distribution network from a passive system, with fixed injection/consumption, to an active network with hundreds of distributed controllers dynamically modulating their operating setpoints as a function of system conditions. This transition is being achieved through standardization of functionality through grid codes and/or international standards. DER, however, are unique in that they are typically neither owned nor operated by distribution utilities and, therefore, represent a new emerging attack vector for cyber-physical attacks. Within this work we consider deep reinforcement learning as a tool to learn the optimal parameters for the control logic of a set of uncompromised DER units to actively mitigate the effects of a cyber-attack on a subset of network DER.
Disc galaxy resolved in H I absorption against the radio lobe of 3C 433: Case study for future surveys

The neutral atomic gas content of galaxies is usually studied in the H I 21 cm emission line of hydrogen. However, as we go to higher redshifts, owing to the weak strength of the transition, we need very deep integrations to detect H I emission. The H I absorption does not suffer from this dependence on distance as long as there is a sufficiently bright radio source to provide the background continuum. However, resolved H I absorption studies of galaxies are rare. We report one such rare study of resolved H I absorption against the radio galaxy 3C 433 at z = 0.101, detected with the Very Large Array. The absorption was known from single-dish observations, but owing to the higher spatial resolution of our data, we find that the absorber is located against the southern lobe of the radio galaxy. The resolved kinematics shows that the absorber has regular kinematics with an H I mass ≲3.4 × 108 M⊙ for Tspin = 100 K. We also present deep optical continuum observations and Hα observations from the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC), which reveal that the absorber is likely to be a faint disc galaxy in the same environment as 3C 433, with a stellar mass of ∼1010 M⊙ and a star-formation rate of 0.15 M⊙ yr−1 or less. Considering its H I mass, H I column density, stellar mass, and star-formation rate, this galaxy lies well below the main sequence of star forming galaxies. Its H I mass is lower than the galaxies studied in H I emission at z ∼ 0.1. Our GTC imaging has revealed, furthermore, interesting alignments between Hα and radio synchrotron emission in the H I companion and in the host galaxy of the active galactic nucleus as well as in the circumgalactic medium in between. This suggests that the shock ionization of gas by the propagating radio source may happen across a scale spanning many tens of kpc. Overall, our work supports the potential of studying the H I content in galaxies via absorption in the case of a fortuitous alignment with an extended radio continuum source. This approach may allow us to trace galaxies with low H I masses which would otherwise be missed by deep H I emission surveys. In conjunction with the deep all-sky optical surveys, the current and forthcoming blind H I surveys with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) pathfinder facilities will be able to detect many such systems, though they may not be able to resolve the H I absorption spatially. Phase 1 of the SKA, with its sub-arcsecond resolution and high sensitivity, will be all the more able to resolve the absorption in such systems.
Study on the Determination of Endogenous Outputs and True Digestibility of Calcium and Phosphorus with Soybean Meal for Growing Pigs by Linear Regression Analysis Technique

This study was designed to determine endogenous fecal calcium and phosphorus losses and true fecal calcium and phosphorus digestibility with soybean meal for growing barrows by the Linear Regression Analysis Technique(REG). Six Yorkshire×Landrace barrows,with averaged initial body weight of(28.6±1.76) kg,were fed in the metabolic cage.According to a 6×6 Latin square design,six soybean-cornstarch based diets,containing six levels of calcium(0.04%,0.09%,0.13%,0.17%,0.22% and 0.26%) and phosphorus(0.09%,0.18%,0.27%,0.35%,0.44% and 0.53%),were formulated in six experimental periods.Each experimental period comprised 8 d with 6 d adaptation and 2 d collection of fecal samples.When expressed as g/kg DM diet intake,increasing linear relationships(P=0.0020.01)were found between fecal outputs and dietary inputs of Ca.The endogenous Ca output of barrow was calculated as 0.622 5 g/kg DMI and true Ca digestibility was 44.34% when the dietary inputs of Ca point to zero on the regression curve.When expressed as g/kg DMI,increasing linear relationships(P=0.0250.05)were found between fecal outputs and dietary inputs of P.The endogenous P output was calculated as 1.077 1 g/kg DMI and true P digestibility was 48.78% when the dietary inputs of P point to zero on the regression curve.These results suggested that in the soybean diets of different Ca and P levels,apparent digestibility of Ca and P vary a lot,but true digestibility of Ca and P are relatively stable.Apparent digestibility of Ca and P were lower than true digestibility by 41.50% and 35.51%,respectively.Current diet formulation using apparent Ca and P digestibility leads to underestimation of Ca and P biological availability and excessive intake and excretion Ca and P in pigs.True Ca and P digestibility should be determined and used in diet formulation for pigs.
Impact of cosmological signatures in two-point statistics beyond the linear regime

Some beyond $\Lambda$CDM cosmological models have dark-sector energy densities that suffer phase transitions. Fluctuations entering the horizon during such a transition can receive enhancements that ultimately show up as a distinctive bump in the power spectrum relative to a model with no phase transition. In this work, we study the non-linear evolution of such signatures in the matter power spectrum and correlation function using N-body simulations, perturbation theory and HMcode - a halo-model based method. We focus on modelling the response, computed as the ratio of statistics between a model containing a bump and one without it, rather than in the statistics themselves. Instead of working with a specific theoretical model, we inject a parametric family of Gaussian bumps into otherwise standard $\Lambda$CDM spectra. We find that even when the primordial bump is located at linear scales, non-linearities tend to produce a second bump at smaller scales. This effect is understood within the halo model due to a more efficient halo formation. In redshift space these nonlinear signatures are partially erased because of the damping along the line-of-sight direction produced by non-coherent motions of particles at small scales. In configuration space, the bump modulates the correlation function reflecting as oscillations in the response, as it is clear in linear Eulerian theory; however, they become damped because large scale coherent flows have some tendency to occupy regions more depleted of particles. This mechanism is explained within Lagrangian Perturbation Theory and well captured by our simulations.
uGMRT HI 21-cm absorption observations of two extremely inverted spectrum sources

We report the detection of HI 21-cm absorption in a member of the rare and recently discovered class of compact radio sources: extremely inverted spectrum extragalactic radio sources (EISERS). The EISERS conceivably form a special subclass of the inverted spectrum radio galaxies since the spectral index of the optically thick part of the spectrum for these sources crosses the synchrotron self-absorption limit ofα = +2.5 (S(ν) ∝να). We searched for HI absorption in two EISERS using the recently upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) and detected an absorption feature in one of them. The strong associated HI absorption detected against the source J1209−2032 (z= 0.4040) implies an optical depth of 0.178 ± 0.02, corresponding to an HI column density of 34.8 ± 2.9 × 1020cm−2, for an assumed HI spin temperature of 100 K and covering factor of 1. This is among the highest known optical depth and HI column densities found for compact radio sources of peaked spectrum type and supports the free-free absorption model for the steeply inverted radio spectrum of this source. For the other source, J1549+5038 (z= 2.171), no HI absorption was detected in our observations.
Knowledge-Aware Procedural Text Understanding with Multi-Stage Training

Procedural text describes dynamic state changes during a step-by-step natural process (e.g., photosynthesis). In this work, we focus on the task of procedural text understanding, which aims to comprehend such documents and track entities’ states and locations during a process. Although recent approaches have achieved substantial progress, their results are far behind human performance. Two challenges, the difficulty of commonsense reasoning and data insufficiency, still remain unsolved, which require the incorporation of external knowledge bases. Previous works on external knowledge injection usually rely on noisy web mining tools and heuristic rules with limited applicable scenarios. In this paper, we propose a novel KnOwledge-Aware proceduraL text understAnding (KoaLa) model, which effectively leverages multiple forms of external knowledge in this task. Specifically, we retrieve informative knowledge triples from ConceptNet and perform knowledge-aware reasoning while tracking the entities. Besides, we employ a multi-stage training schema which fine-tunes the BERT model over unlabeled data collected from Wikipedia before further fine-tuning it on the final model. Experimental results on two procedural text datasets, ProPara and Recipes, verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods, in which our model achieves state-of-the-art performance in comparison to various baselines.1
On the delay times of merging double neutron stars

The merging rate of double neutron stars (DNS) has a great impact on many astrophysical issues, including the interpretation of gravitational waves signals, of the short Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs), and of the chemical properties of stars in galaxies. Such rate depends on the distribution of the delay times (DDT) of the merging events. In this paper we derive a theoretical DDT of merging DNS following from the characteristics of the clock controlling their evolution. We show that the shape of the DDT is governed by a few key parameters, primarily the lower limit and the slope of the distribution of the separation of the DNS systems at birth. With a parametric approach we investigate on the observational constraints on the DDT from the cosmic rate of short GRBs and the Europium to Iron ratio in Milky Way stars, taken as tracer of the products of the explosion. We find that the local rate of DNS merging requires that about 1 percent of neutron stars progenitors live in binary systems which end their evolution as merging DNS within a Hubble time. The redshift distribution of short GRBs does not yet provide a strong constraint on the shape of the DDT, although the best fitting models have a shallow DDT. The chemical pattern in Milky Way stars requires an additional source of Europium besides the products from merging DNS, which weakens the related requirement on the DDT. At present both constraints can be matched with the same DDT for merging DNS.