Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multipack dynamics and the Allee effect in the African wild dog, Lycaon pictus

The current decline of the highly endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) may be partly due to the population dynamics induced by their social system. African wild dogs are obligate co‐operators, and their need for helpers could generate inverse density dependence at the pack level. We show, through a mathematical model, that this can create an Allee effect, leading to a lower population size and a higher risk of population extinction, compared to populations with direct density dependence. This is due to three different processes. All three processes can increase population extinction individually and probably occur simultaneously in African wild dogs. First, inverse density dependence causes significantly higher rates of pack extinction. Second, it also increases the probability of failure to colonize territories by founders. Third, the Allee effect at the pack level (with a critical number of individuals), generates an Allee effect at the population level (with a critical number of packs). These three processes are likely to apply to other obligate co‐operative breeders. Furthermore, our results suggest that habitat fragmentation and destruction, as well as increased human pressure, increase the effects of inverse density dependence. Direct and indirect anthropogenic effects may thus be more detrimental to obligate co‐operative breeders than to other species.
Analysis of 12 STR loci in Antioquia ( Colombia ) population sample

In this study, the validation of 12 short tandem repeated (STRs) systems is presented in a sample of the population from Antioquia, central region of Colombia. The DNA for the analyses of PCR was obtained of 244 to 546 unrelated individuals. PCR amplification was performed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, using PowerPlex 1.2 System and FFFL Multiplex (Promega). Amplificated fragments were separated by capillary electrophoresis using the ABI Prism 310 Genetic Analyzer (PE Applied Biosystems). Allele frequencies, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, observed and expected heterozygosity and genetic disequilibrium were calculated using GENEPOP ver. 3.3 and GDAver. 1.1 software. Forensic parameters were calculated using the PowerStat ver. 1.2 software (Promega). The 12 of the loci met Hardy-Weinberg expectations and they reached a combined power discrimination higher than 0.999999999999 and a combined power exclusion similar to 0.9999, showing to be a powerful tool for paternity testing, individual identification and forensic applications in Antioquia population. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Applications of Nano-Scale Plasmonic Structures in Design of Stub Filters — A Step Towards Realization of Plasmonic Switches

As electronic devices and circuits were shrinking to the nano-scale chips, some drawbacks hindered the reaching to the speed higher than tens of Giga Hertz, such as the higher power consumption, delay, and interference of the signals. However, the need for transmitting the huge amount of data over communication networks urged everyone in this area of technology to find an alternative for pure electronic devices. Despite rapidly developing the photonics technology, in practice the implementation of the photonic counterparts of the electronic devices encountered many problems such as inability to become integrated. The size of photonic devices halted on the half the wavelength of the operating signal due to the Diffrac‐ tion limit of light.
Evaluation of Hybrid Short Path Evaporation to Concentrate Lactic Acid and Sugars from Fermentation

Lactic acid is an important organic compound that finds various applications in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and medical industries. Many of these applications require lactic acid with high purity. Hybrid short path evaporation (HSPE) is a separation process well studied in the petrochemical sector that is mainly used to obtain compounds with high purity. It is also a process offering small residence time, low pressure, and environmentally friendliness. The concentration process of lactic acid was studied by using HSPE in the presence of high total reducing sugar content remaining from sugarcane molasses fermentation. In this work, the influence of operational conditions, such as evaporator temperature (86.4 °C to 153.6 °C), internal condenser temperature (7.95 °C to 18 °C), and feed flow rate (8.27 to 21.7 mL/min), on lactic acid concentration and mass percentages were evaluated. The results showed that all variables influenced the process. Mathematical models were developed for the mass percentage and concentration of the total reducing sugar in the distilled stream and for the mass percentage at residue stream. Under the best operational conditions, the concentration of lactic acid (≈ 247.7 g/L) was 2.5 times higher than the initial fermentation broth (≈ 100.1 g/L).
The Role of Executive Function and Visual-Spatial Working Memory in the Development of Mathematics Skill.

This paper explores what we can learn from research that early cognitive processes support the development of children’s mathematics skills. The role of two cognitive processes in working memory in the development of early mathematics was investigated: executive functions (EF) and visual-spatial (VS) ability. Children’s mathematical skills were considered in relation to EF and VS. Recent research suggests that EF skills, which include monitoring and manipulating information in mind (working memory), suppressing distracting information and unwanted responses (inhibition) and flexible thinking (shifting), play a critical role in the development of mathematics performance. The number development also can be explained solely in terms of domain-general processes such as VS.
5.3 DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADVANCED AVIATION NOWCASTING SYSTEM BY INCLUDING RAPIDLY UPDATED NWP MODEL IN SUPPORT OF AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Aircraft operations are dependent on weather. Many studies have pointed out that severe convective weather could bring adverse effects to flight safety and airport ground operations (e.g. Evans 2008). To help Air Traffic Management (ATM) better manage the flight traffic over the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (HK FIR), an Aviation Thunderstorm Nowcasting System (ATNS) is being developed by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) to predict the movement of thunderstorms near the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and its neighbouring airspace in the next few hours. The prototype ATNS based on the HKO’s nowcasting system, viz. the SWIRLS (Short-range Warnings of Intensity Rainstorm in Localized System), has been described in Li (2009). This prototype is based on automatic tracking and prediction of the future movement of thunderstorms using Doppler weather radar information and artificial intelligence methods. 1. RADAR-BASED AVIATION NOWCASTING SYSTEM
Influence of Nitrogen Fertilization on Biology of Aphis Gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Reared on Chrysanthemum Iindicum (Asteraceae)

The experiment studied the effect of different nitrogen levels on the biology and life table parameters of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover reared on Chrysanthemum indicum Kitan. The fertilizer treatments were administered at 0, 25, 50, 100 and 150% of the agronomic recommended concentration. The aphids were collected from greenhouses in Mahalat and transported to pots. The different nitrogen fertilizer levels did not show a specific effect on the potassium and phosphorus content in leaves. The intrinsic rate of increase and net reproductive rate ranged from 0.173 to 0.225, and 15.47 to 28.28, respectively, at different tested fertilizer levels. The aphids showed the significantly lowest mean generation time and the highest finite rate of increase when fed on chrysanthemum fertilized at a 150% fertilizer level. The aphids fecundity and survival showed a positive correlation when the fertilizer concentration was increased. On the other hand, the highest life expectancy was obtained for the aphids fed on chrysanthemum with a 25% nitrogen level. The present data suggest that plant nitrogen content is an important factor contributing to the increase severity of the cotton aphid as a pest of chrysanthemum.
Minimal Time Dynamic Task Allocation for a Swarm of Robots

This paper discusses a solution to one of the key issues in the swarm robotics field which is the dynamic task allocation problem in which a group of robots needs to be allocated to a set of tasks scattered in the environment in an efficient and decentralized way. The application considered in this context is the foraging application which can be addressed as a searching job followed by a transportation job. The near-optimal allocation scheme is found by using the Particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique to handle the whole task execution in a minimal time. Two case studies have been considered using different swarm sizes and the implemented code has been executed for a distinctive number of iterations. A stability proof for the PSO technique’s parameters choices is presented. Simulation results were verified by comparing the proposed algorithm with the simulated annealing optimization technique in terms of computational time, number of iterations needed and quality of solution to demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the algorithm. 
MORPHOLOGICAL PARAFOVEAL PREVIEW BENEFIT EFFECTS WHEN READING DERIVED WORDS IN MALAY

Eye-movement tracking is a method that is used to study reading across different languages and is increasingly being employed. Eye movements provide a window into the underlying cognitive processes and mechanisms while a person is reading (Rayner, 1998). The majority of research investigating eye movements during reading has been conducted on European languages such as English and German; relatively little work has been conducted on other writing systems such as Malay. Malay offers an interesting opportunity to investigate early morphological processing because Malay has a rich derivational morphology that is more structurally and semantically transparent than English. The current study investigates whether the morphological constituents of affixed words (prefixed and suffixed) in Malay influence early word processing during reading using the boundary paradigm (Rayner, 1975). The boundary paradigm involves the positioning of a preview word stimulus in place of the target word so that when the eyes move towards the preview word, they cross an invisible boundary that triggers a change from the preview word to the target word. Two commonly used affixes were used: a prefix pe- and a suffix -an, which both convert a verb into a nominal (e.g. lakon, "to act", with the prefix pe- becomes pelakon, "actor"; and makan, "to eat", with the suffix -an becomes makanan, "food"). Thirty participants read 72 single sentences that were identical in length (having the same number of letters) and contained affixed and pseudo-affixed words. Parafoveal previews consisted of identical affixed and control conditions. The dependent measures were first fixation duration and gaze duration. The results revealed a significant preview benefit for the identical condition compared with the affixed and control conditions and for the affixed condition compared with the control condition. This effect was not influenced by word type; hence, there was no evidence of morphological pre-processing. In conclusion, the results from the current study indicate that although Malay is a morphologically rich language with a relatively transparent orthography, readers do not necessarily utilise early morphological processes. The results are discussed in terms of
Enhancing student learning experience through a novel electronic coursework assessment and feedback management system

Recent National Student Surveys revealed that many U.K. university students are dissatisfied with the timeliness and usefulness of the feedback received from their tutors. Ensuring timeliness in marking often results in a reduction in the quality of feedback. In Computer Science where learning relies on practising and learning from mistakes, feedback that pin-points errors and explains means of improvement is important to achieve a good student learning experience. Though suitable use of Information and Communication Technology should alleviate this problem, existing Virtual Learning Environments and e-Assessment applications such as Blackboard/WebCT, BOSS, MarkTool and GradeMark are inadequate to support a coursework assessment process that promotes timeliness and usefulness of feedback while maintaining consistency in marking involving multiple tutors. We have developed a novel Internet application, called eCAF, for facilitating an efficient and transparent coursework assessment and feedback process. The eCAF system supports detailed marking scheme editing and enables tutors to use such schemes to pin-point errors in students' work so as to provide helpful feedback efficiently. Tutors can also highlight areas in a submitted work and associate helpful feedback that clearly links to the identified mistakes and the respective marking criteria. In light of the results obtained from a recent trial of eCAF, we discuss how the key features of eCAF may facilitate an effective and efficient coursework assessment and feedback process.
Training Strategies for Time Series : Learning for Filtering and Reinforcement Learning

Data driven approaches to modeling time-series are important in a variety of applications from market prediction in economics to the simulation of robotic systems. However, traditional supervised machine learning techniques designed for i.i. d. data often perform poorly on these sequential problems. This thesis proposes that time series and sequential prediction, whether for forecasting, filtering, or reinforcement learning, can be effectively achieved by directly training recurrent prediction procedures rather then building generative probabilistic models. To this end, we introduce a new training algorithm for learned time-series models, Data as Demonstrator (DaD), that theoretically and empirically improves multi-step prediction performance on model classes such as recurrent neural networks, kernel regressors, and random forests. Additionally, experimental results indicate that DaD can accelerate model-based reinforcement learning. We next show that latent-state time-series models, where a sufficient state parametrization may be unknown, can be learned effectively in a supervised way. Our approach, Predictive State Inference Machines (PSIMs), directly optimizes – through a DaD-style training procedure – the inference performance without local optima by identifying the recurrent hidden state as a predictive belief over statistics of future observations. Fundamental to our learning framework is that the prediction of observable quantities is a lingua franca for building AI systems. We propose three extensions that leverage this general idea and adapt it to a variety of problems. The first aims to improve the training time and performance of more sophisticated recurrent neural networks. The second extends the PSIM framework to controlled dynamical systems. The third looks to train recurrent architectures for reinforcement learning problems.
Unleashing relational program logics

Relational program logics allow reasoning about two programs or two runs of the same program. They provide an elegant means to prove correctness of compiler optimizations or equivalence between two implementations of an abstract data type, and a unifying formalism for specifying and verifying properties like noninterference or determinism. Yet the current technology for relational verification remains underdeveloped. We provide an abstract theory of product programs that supports a direct embedding of relational verification into standard verification. The embedding lays the theoretical foundations for leveraging the benefits of program verification to the relational setting, and overcomes the limitations of previous methods such as selfcomposition and Benton’s relational Hoare logic. We use translation validation of loop optimizations as our main vector for illustrating the flexibility and expressivity of products.
Factors Affecting Reporting of Nursing Errors: A Qualitative Content Analysis Study

Background: Reporting errors has a key role in reducing the frequency of errors and improving patient safety. The present study was conducted to investigate factors affecting reporting of nursing errors in military hospitals. Materials and Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted with the participation of eight military nurses. Data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Sampling began purposively and continued until data saturation. Data were analyzed according to Elo and Kyngas content analysis approach. Results: Analysis of data led to the extraction of 400 initial codes and two general categories, including barriers to reporting error (error causing harm, maintaining reputation, negative organizational encounter, nurse’s temporary position, and lack of accountability) and facilitators of reporting error (positive previous experience, being new, anonymity of reporting system, nurse’ personal values, positive supportive atmosphere). Discussion and Conclusion: Many factors affect reporting errors, some facilitate and some prohibit it. To obtain proper information about errors and improve patient safety, health systems should reinforce factors facilitating reporting errors in hospitals.
Multiplicative logarithmic corrections to quantum criticality in three-dimensional dimerized antiferromagnets

We investigate the quantum phase transition in an $S = 1/2$ dimerized Heisenberg antiferromagnet in three spatial dimensions. By performing large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations and detailed finite-size scaling analyses, we obtain high-precision results for the quantum critical properties at the transition from the magnetically disordered dimer-singlet phase to the antiferromagnetically ordered N\'eel phase. This transition breaks O($N$) symmetry with $N = 3$ in $D = 3 + 1$ dimensions. This is the upper critical dimension, where multiplicative logarithmic corrections to the leading mean-field critical properties are expected; we extract these corrections, establishing their precise forms for both the zero-temperature staggered magnetization, $m_s$, and the N\'eel temperature, $T_N$. We present a scaling Ansatz for $T_N$, including logarithmic corrections, which agrees with our data and indicates exact linearity with $m_s$, implying a complete decoupling of quantum and thermal fluctuation effects even arbitrarily close to the quantum critical point. We also demonstrate the predicted $N$-independent leading and subleading logarithmic corrections in the size-dependence of the staggered magnetic susceptibility. These logarithmic scaling forms have not previously been identified or verified by unbiased numerical methods and we discuss their relevance to experimental studies of dimerized quantum antiferromagnets such as TlCuCl$_3$.
Genetic epidemiology and pathology of raccoon-derived Sarcoptes mites from urban areas of Germany

The raccoon, Procyon lotor (Carnivora: Procyonidae), is an invasive species that is spreading throughout Europe, in which Germany represents its core area. Here, raccoons mostly live in rural regions, but some urban populations are already established, such as in the city of Kassel, or are starting to build up, such as in Berlin. The objective of this study was to investigate Sarcoptes (Sarcoptiformes: Sarcoptidae) infections in racoons in these two urban areas and to identify the putative origin of the parasite. Parasite morphology, and gross and histopathological examinations of diseased skin tissue were consistent with Sarcoptes scabiei infection. Using nine microsatellite markers, we genotyped individual mites from five raccoons and compared them with Sarcoptes mites derived from fox, wild boar and Northern chamois, originating from Italy and Switzerland. The raccoon-derived mites clustered together with the fox samples and were clearly differentiated from those of the wild boar and chamois samples, which suggests a fox origin for the raccoon mange infection. These results are evidence of the cross-transmission of S. scabiei among wild carnivores. Although our results cannot elucidate whether raccoons became infected by frequent interaction with endemically or epidemically infected foxes or whether these cases resulted from occasional contacts among these animal species, they do nevertheless show that pathogens can be shared among urban populations of native and invasive carnivores.
Ionospheric W Index Based on GNSS TEC in the Operational Use for Navigation Systems

The ionosphere can vary appreciably from day to day and from hour to hour at any location. The behaviour of the Earth’s ionosphere is characterized by phenomena of different time and space scales, which is affected by not only Sun, solar wind and magnetosphere but also atmospheric weather and climate. Unusual behaviour is mostly related to space weather hazard. The ionospheric observing techniques are mostly based on radio waves affected by different phenomena disturbing their propagation.
The role of cultural dimensions in the acceptance of retail innovations

The purpose of this paper is to study factors that influence acceptance of self-service retail innovations and to propose methods to measure these factors across cultures. In particular, the research studies how cultural dimensions influence the acceptance of technology used to deliver new ways of shopping. The cultural dimensions include uncertainty avoidance and collectivistic cultural dimensions as moderating factors to predict technology acceptance. Understanding these dimensions is important in the globalized economy where international retail firms are planning to increase market share in different countries. Understanding potential adaptation of new technology based service models is crucial for successful market entry. Given a means to predict acceptance of new service models, international retail firms are better prepared to adjust technology strategies to fit specific cultural needs. Furthermore, it is important to understand if the technology is perceived as an uncertainty or if it has been incorporated into normal living. The research case shows how a collectivistic culture and high uncertainty avoidance among young Taiwanese influences their acceptance of self-scan checkouts. An ANOVA analysis is used for testing the difference between variables. With a p-value of
Mood, Stress and Sleep Sensing with Wearable Sensors and Mobile Phones

This paper highlights lessons learned from a four-year ambulatory study, developed to measure Sleep, Networks, Affect, Performance, Stress, and Health using Objective Techniques (SNAPSHOT), which was run in seven cohorts of college students (N=321), collecting continuous wearable and mobile phone data, typically for a month each. This paper overviews the objectives of this study, challenges faced, and some key findings focused on detecting sleep patterns and detecting and forecasting mood changes.
Price Dynamics for Continuously Produced Storable Commodities : Competitive and Monopolistic Markets ∗

We develop a structural model in continuous time for storable commodity prices suitable for storable energy commodities. We formulate and solve the model following the structural models framework for two distinct storage economies pure competition and storage monopoly. We incorporate some characteristics of recently developed reduced form models. A numerical solution is obtained using the stochastic dynamic programming approach. Findings show that the presence of storage smoothes the commodity price behavior by comparison with the case where storage is inexistent. This result is stronger in the case of competition than in the case of the monopolistic storage.