Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corrosion of limestone tablets in sulfidic ground-water: measurements and speleogenetic implications

INTRODUCTION Many caves in the world were formed by sulfuric acid solution, one of the most efficient and rapid mechanisms of cave development. In these caves, the oxidation of H2S dissolved in the water is the most important source of water aggressiveness. The H2SO4 produced in the process interacts with the limestone, contributing to its dissolution. In a limestone cave, the most evident byproduct is the deposition of replacement gypsum on the cave walls exposed to H2S exhalations. The corrosion due to H2S released by the groundwater was thought capable of creating entire caves (Principi, 1931; Egemeier, 1981). The dissolution of limestone however also occurs underwater, and the development of caves in deep zones of a sulfidic aquifer have been hypothesized in Guadalupe Mountains caves (Davis, 1980; Hill, 1987), while the co-existence of important solutional processes above and below the water-table was documented in the Frasassi caves (Galdenzi, 1990). Caves produced by sulfuric acid reaction are generally hypogenic and are known in different hydrogeology and morphologic conditions (Palmer 1991; Klimchouk & Ford, 2009). Some active caves are known in the world, although few of them have been
Social player analytics in a Facebook health game

Social health games can drive healthy behaviour. To track social behaviour change in social network games (SNGs), gameplay metrics should quantify socially-engaging gameplay behaviour based on player interactions. We developed social player metrics in a quantitative study of player behaviour in a social health game called Healthseeker (developed by Ayogo Health Inc.). This Facebook game targets people with diabetes to help them manage health goals in real life. Our metrics identify which game mechanics led to more gameplay success, connectedness and virality. We also identified how the behaviour of successful players differs from unsuccessful players in the game. Our results support that game mechanics aiming at social interactions can motivate players to solve more missions, to fulfill more healthy goals and to play the game longer. We conclude that having a well-connected social network can improve player success in solving game missions.
Extending 3D-PTV for Lagrangian Measurements of Wind Tunnel Canopy Flows

We report on a unique extension to the three dimensional particle tracking velocimetry (3D-PTV) method. Its key feature is a simultaneous real-time particle segmentation image analysis during the high-speed digital video acquisition from multiple cameras. The real-time image analysis is managed on a dedicated hardware which outputs only the centroids, intensity and size of tracer particles. This results in a four to five orders of magnitude in data transfer rate reduction. As a result, the presented extension enables to work in large scale facilities and at high flow speeds, and to produce substantially longer experimental runs. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed extension by presenting a unprecedented amount of Lagrangian trajectories recorded in an environmental wind tunnel experiment. Its importance is exemplified by revealing acceleration and dispersion statistics inside a heterogeneous canopy flow model through directly measured mean square displacements. These results are important for better understanding atmospheric turbulent flow dynamics and essential for constructing and validating Lagrangian dispersion models in the surface layer and especially in the roughness sublayer, where single point measurements are typically used along with the limitations of the Taylor "frozen turbulence" hypothesis.
Ordered and Disordered Organic Intercalates of 8.4-Å, Synthetically Hydrated Kaolinite

Stable, three-dimensionally ordered complexes were formed from synthetically hydrated, highly ordered kaolinite (d(001) = 8.4 Å) and several organic compounds. Removal of the intercalated organic compound by drying or by water washing recovered the 8.4-Å hydrate with its ordered layer stacking essentially unchanged. Some of the complexes were stable for less than a day, whereas others appeared to be stable indefinitely. The compounds that formed ordered complexes were dimethylsulfoxide, form-amide, hydrazine-hydrate, 1,1-dimethylhydrazine, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and pyridine. Clay-organic complexes that were prepared from methanol, ethanol, 1- and 2-propanol, acetone, acetic acid, propionic acid, acetaldehyde, N-methylformamide, methylethyl ketone, tetrahydrofuran, and K-acetate were stable only if they were immersed in the intercalating medium and had little or no stacking order.Many of the organic compounds intercalated by the 8.4-Å hydrate are not known to be intercalated by non-hydrated kaolinite either directly or indirectly. Isolated water molecules appear to be keyed into the ditrigonal holes formed by the basal oxygen of the silicate tetrahedra of the 8.4-Å hydrate. These water molecules, referred to as “hole water,” and fluorine ions that had replaced ~20% of the inner-surface hydroxyls of the 8.4-Å phase sufficiently altered the interlayer bonding to allow an expansion of the inner-layer spaces by a variety of guest molecules. The presence of these guest molecules between the clay layers not only changed the basal spacing and perturbed the infrared (IR) bands arising from the inner-surface hydroxyls, it also shifted the position of the IR band arising from the inner hydroxyl.
Enhancement Layer Inter Frame Coding for 3D Dynamic Point Clouds

In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications have seen a drastic increase in commercial popularity. Different representations have been used to create 3D reconstructions for AR and VR. Point clouds are one such representation that are characterized by their simplicity and versatility, making them suitable for real time applications. However, point clouds are unorganized and identifying redundancies to use for compressing them is challenging. For the compression of time varying or dynamic sequences it is critical to identify temporal redundancies that can be used to describe predictors and further compress streams of point clouds. We use a point cloud codec that encodes additional information in an enhancement layer. We propose adding inter prediction to the enhancement layer in order to gain further bit rate savings.
Preparation and Characterization of Thermoresponsive In-situ Forming Poloxamer Hydrogel for Controlled Release of Nile red-loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles

Preparation and characterization of thermoresponsive in-situ forming poloxamer hydrogel for controlled release of Nile red-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles. Nanoparticles (NPs) are cleared rapidly from systemic circulation and do not provide sustained action in most cases. To solve this problem, this investigation introduces an erodible in-situ forming gel system as potential vehicles for prolonged release of NPs. In this study, Nile red-containing SLNs were prepared by solidification of an oil-in-water microemulsion using stearic acid, surfactants and co-surfactants. SLN particles were then loaded in a Poloxamerthermoresponsive sol-gel matrix. Dialysis membrane and membrane-less diffusion method were used to study release of the fluorescent probe. Erosion test were carried out by gravimetric method and the medium was checked for zeta potential to investigate existence of intact SLNs. Sol-gel transition temperature was determined by stirring method. Release results showed high entrapment of Nile red in lipid matrix of SLN. Therefore, Nile red content in erosion medium was attributed to SLN particles. Zeta potential of SLNs remained unchanged after sol-gel loading (P>0.05). The correlated released amount of Nile red to dissolved gel weight implied erosion could be major mechanism of SLN release. Results also showed that SLN increase erosion rate of Poloxamer gel and its sol-gel transition temperature. The present study show that thermoresponsivePoloxamer gel can be used to control the release of NPs and those intact NPs are released from this system. The prepared formulation can be used for further investigations in vivo.
Processing Intrusion Data with Machine Learning and MapReduce

These past years, cyber-attacks became a daily issue for enterprises. A possible defence against this kind of threat is intrusion detection. One of the key challenges is information extraction from this large amount of logged data. My paper aims to identify cyber-attack types as patterns in log files using advanced parallel computing approach and machine learning techniques. The MapReduce programming model is applied to parallel computing, while decision tree algorithms are used from machine learning.I discuss two research questions in this paper. First, despite parallelization, are machine learning algorithms still able to provide results with acceptable accuracy measured by traditional data mining figures (accuracy, precision, recall, area under receiver operand characteristic [ROC] curve [AUC])? Second, is it possible to achieve significant performance improvement by measuring runtime execution of the algorithm by introducing several measurement points? I proved that the machine learning model with two categories in the target variable is preferred to the one having five categories. The average performance improvement was 4–5 times faster for the whole algorithm compared to a single core solution. I achieved most of these improvements during the data transfer phase.
Dipolar physics with ultracold magnetic erbium atoms

Recent advances in the preparation and detection of ultracold neutral atoms have opened the way to study and control quantum many-body systems on the level of single atoms. I will outline our project to immerse single neutral Cesium atoms into a Rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate, where we have developed tools for independent control and detection of single atoms and the quantum gas, such as a species-selective conveyor belt for the individual Cs atoms. Focusing on the single atoms, we have studied the classical dynamics of Cs atoms driven by near-resonant molasses in such a one-dimensional optical lattice. We observe a transition from classical to markedly non-classical diffusion, showing Lévytype statistics in the averaged atom position distribution as well as in the distribution of individual step sizes as the lattice depth increases. Immersing single atoms into our quantum gas, our system is particularly suited for studying impurity physics in a strongly interacting regime, relevant for the simulation of Fröhlich-type polarons emerging in condensed matter systems. I will discuss the prospects and relevance of this type of solid state simulations.
Are the GCC FDI Location Determinants Favorable?

Diversifying income sources is one of the main challenges the GCC countries currently face. FDI can be beneficial in this regard. FDI can help the GCC countries gain access to technology, adopt innovation in the production process, obtain new expertise and managerial know-how, and expand production, marketing, transport, and communication networks. Despite the FDI potential benefits to and the FDI potential of the GCC countries, FDI flows declined in absolute and relative terms. This paper examines the question of whether the location determinants are favorable to FDI in the GCC region. Using panel data for the period 1980-2002, panel data model estimates suggest that market size, as measured by real GDP per capita, and trade openness have positive influence on FDI flows, while institutional quality has a statistically significant positive influence when the period 1980-1982 was dropped from the sample period. Surprisingly human capital deters FDI flows.
The Impact of Health-Related User Interface Sounds on Player Experience

Background. Understanding how sound functions on informational and emotional levels within video games is critical to understanding player experience of games. User interface sounds, such as player-character health, are a pivotal component of gameplay across many video game genres, yet have not been studied in detail. Method. To address this research gap in user interface sounds, we present two studies: The first study examines the impact of the presence or absence of player-health sounds on player experience. The second study explores the impact of the types of sound used to indicate player health. We use mixed methods with qualitative and physiological measures. Results. Our results reveal that despite the presence of visual cues, sound is still important to game design for conveying health-related information and that the type of sound affects player experience.
Active colonisation of disturbed sediments by deep-sea nematodes: evidence for the patch mosaic model

An on-board experiment was performed during a research cruise to investigate the abil- ity of deep-sea nematode species to actively colonise defaunated sediments. Small cylinders of 500 µm wire mesh filled with defaunated sediment were inserted into microcosms containing sediment with indigenous meiofauna collected from 1300 m depth in the Arctic Ocean. The defaunated sediments were either enriched with the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, or remained unenriched. Samples from the defaunated sediment were taken after 9 and 17 d. As controls, microcosms with sediment contain- ing the indigenous meiofauna but without an internal cylinder were also sampled at each time inter- val. Nematodes colonised both enriched and unenriched sediments with abundances of up to 20% of the controls. Irrespective of the time of sampling, abundance and number of species were significantly higher in the enriched treatment, suggesting that the presence of food enhances colonisation and re- silience. Nematode assemblages in the defaunated sediments were species-rich and differed from the controls. The majority of colonising species were rare or undetectable in the controls, suggesting that episodic disturbances may be necessary for their persistence in deep sea sediments. Colonisation was in part determined by species characteristics such as size and motility. At the same time, a large number of different species colonised the empty cylinders, resulting in poor similarity in community composition between replicates, particularly between samples enriched with diatoms. Our results in- dicate a poor predictability of community composition of recently disturbed sediments despite highly reproducible abundance and diversity patterns and lends experimental support to the existence of a spatio-temporal mosaic that emerges from highly localised colonisation patterns.
An Interactive Approach to the Central Facility Location Problem: Locating Pediatric Hospitals in Warsaw

Most of the conventional approaches to the central facility location problem neglect the interaction of analyst and decision-maker during the locational choice process. This paper presents a new interactive approach to the central facility location problem. It is assumed that the problem is formulated by an analyst as a multiobjective optimization problem. Then the decision-maker searches for a satisfactory solution working directly with the computer system. The interactive procedure was implemented on IBM-PC XT/AT as the decision support system DINAS (Dynamic Interactive Network Analysis System) which enables the solution of various multiobjective location-allocation problems. DINAS has been successfully used for solving a real-world planning problem, namely for finding locations for pediatric hospitals in the Warsaw region.
"Aca 2.0 Q&A": usage scenarios and incentive systems for a distributed academic publication model

"Academia 2.0" is a proposal to organize scientific publishing around true peer-to-peer distributed dissemination channels and eliminate the traditional role of the academic publisher. This model will be first presented at the 2014 workshop on Reproducible Research Methodologies and New Publication Models in Computer Engineering (TRUST'14) in the form of a high-level overview, so as to stimulate discussion and gather feedback on its merits and feasibility. This report complements the 6-page introductory article presented at TRUST, by answering the reviewer's comments in detail and reviewing the related work on open peer review.
Limited Memory Kelley's Method Converges for Composite Convex and Submodular Objectives

The original simplicial method (OSM), a variant of the classic Kelley's cutting plane method, has been shown to converge to the minimizer of a composite convex and submodular objective, though no rate of convergence for this method was known. Moreover, OSM is required to solve subproblems in each iteration whose size grows linearly in the number of iterations. We propose a limited memory version of Kelley's method (L-KM) and os OSM that requires limited memory (at most n + 1 constraints for an n-dimensional problem) independent of the iteration. We prove convergence for L-KM when the convex part of the objective (g) is strongly convex and show it converges linearly when g is also smooth. Our analysis relies on duality between minimization of the composite objective and minimization of a convex function over the corresponding submodular base polytope. We introduce a limited memory version, L-FCFW, of the Fully-Corrective Frank-Wolfe (FCFW) method with approximate correction, to solve the dual problem. We show that L-FCFW and L-KM are dual algorithms that produce the same sequence of iterates; hence both converge linearly (when g is smooth and strongly convex) and with limited memory. We propose L-KM to minimize composite convex and submodular objectives; however, our results on L-FCFW hold for general polytopes and may be of independent interest.
A 'Faustian Pact'?: Native Advertising and the Future of the Press

As technology undermines the economic model supporting the traditional press, news organizations are succumbing to the siren call of “native advertising” – a new marketing technique for unobtrusively integrating paid advertising into editorial content. Brands are increasingly turning to native ads to preempt consumers’ well-documented ad avoidance. Although the native advertising model debuted on digital native news sites, it is now ubiquitous in elite legacy media as well. Everyone knew “native” had “arrived for good” when the venerable New York Times not only introduced its online “Paid Post,” but incorporated sponsored content in its print editions, and even hired an in-house branded content production team to conceive and execute the embedded ads on behalf of advertisers. Because such integrated advertising must inevitably flirt with disguise and deception, administrative and scholarly attention has principally addressed it through a consumer protection lens. Yet this conventional frame ignores the more insidious hazards of this transformational development. Apart from confusing at least some consumers, the turn to native ads will profoundly hobble the press in the exercise of its democratic role and will invite recalibration of its privileged constitutional status. These effects are particularly troubling in an age when increases in global state power and new forms of censorship most call for a powerful, independent and fearless press. Still, since native advertising is here to stay, admittedly imperfect responses must be explored. In that spirit, this Article proposes three solutions: 1) designing sponsorship disclosure at the per-ad level in close alignment with results of rigorous empirical research regarding consumers’ cognitive and perceptual responses to labeling; 2) adopting an additional new approach to corporate-level disclosure – highlighting advertiser identity and spending – in order to aid public oversight over the editorial independence of news organizations; and 3) addressing structural impediments to collective action by news organizations in order to promote collective strategies for effective self-regulation in the deployment of native advertising.
High pressure viscosity measurement with falling body type viscometers

With the increasing number of applications of high pressure chemical and process technologies across a range of engineering fields, there is a corresponding growing interest in the need to measure accurately and reliably important rheological parameters. Of these, the measurement of good and reliable viscosity data is critical in engineering design. The ability to measure viscosity at high pressure, however, presents a number of engineering challenges and a number of innovative viscometers have consequently been devised and operated. This review considers those devices which are based on the falling body principle and considers falling ball, cylinder and needle in open and closed systems. Viscosity is determined from the rate of fall and the usual challenge is to detect its position during descent. While reliable data can be obtained from these viscometers, there is a discrepancy between theoretical values and actual values. This is the result of end effects in the form of vortices, wake oscillations and hedding. Calibration is therefore necessary in all cases. Improvements to analytical models have been attempted and computation fluid dynamics is also used to examine in more detail the flow fields around bodies to understand and appreciate better the performance of these viscometers.
Seismic Risk Management of Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings in the Cascadia Subduction Zone

AbstractThrough evolution of building design codes in active seismic regions, life safety performance limit state has been met. Unacceptably high economic loss during the 1994 Northridge and 1995 Kobe earthquakes, however, has brought forward a new design paradigm: performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE). In this study, the PBEE is extended to study: (1) effect of three earthquake types, namely shallow crustal earthquakes, deep in-slab earthquakes, and megathrust Cascadia interface earthquakes, on loss assessment; (2) consideration of main shock–aftershock (MS-AS) sequences as earthquake excitation; and (3) multivariate seismic demand modeling for multicriteria seismic performance evaluation. This is applied to a 4-story nonductile reinforced concrete (RC) frame located in Victoria, British Columbia (BC), Canada. Through this case study, it is highlighted that the sources of ground motion have significant effects on loss assessment. Furthermore, influences of MS-AS earthquake sequences and multiva.
Learning recipe ingredient space using generative probabilistic models

In this paper, we demonstrate preliminary experiments using generative probabilistic models on recipe data. Recipes are reduced to lists of ingredients and analyzed in a bag-of-words fashion. We first visualize the highly-dimensional ingredient space and map it to different world cuisines. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Deep Belief Networks (DBN) are then used to learn generative models of ingredient distributions and produce some novel ingredient combinations. First results demonstrate the feasibility of the approach and point to its promise in recipe improvization.
Comparative Acute Toxicity Of Chlorpyrifos-Ethyl (Organophosphate) And Lambda-Cyhalothrin (Pyrethroid) To The African Catfish ( C. gariepinus ) Using Some Biochemical Parameters

The impact of short-term exposure to waterborne chlorpyrifos-ethyl and lambda-cyhalothrin on Clarias gariepinus was evaluated through changes of selected biochemical parameters. Fish was exposed to 0.64 mg/l, 0.80 mg/l, 0.96 mg/l, 1.12 mg/l, 1.28 mg/l of chlorpyrifos-ethyl, and 0.008mg/l, 0.009mg/l, 0.010mg/l, 0.011mg/l, 0.012mg/l of lambda-cyhalothrin and control for 96hrs. The 96-h LC50 value for C. gariepinus was estimated as 0.92mg/l and 0.008mg/l for chlorpyrifos-ethyl and lambda-cyhalothrin respectively. The parameters measured were serum glucose, protein, cholesterol, triglyceride, glutamic pyruvic acid transaminase (GPT), glutamic oxaloacetic acid transaminase (GOT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). There was significant (P Keywords : Chlorpyrifos-ethyl, Lambda-cyhalothrin, biochemical parameters, C. gariepinus , acute toxicity Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol. 14 (3) 2008: pp. 263-270