Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activity Recognition from Binary Data

In this paper, an algorithm for the activity recognition from binarized accelerometric data is presented. The particularity of the proposed algorithm is the use of binary data, this constraint on data is justified by the fact that using binary data allows to save battery and memory on the connected device. The objective of the present study is to show that it is possible to perform activity recognition from these binary data. The proposed algorithm uses Auto Regressive (AR) modeling and classification using Support Vector Machine (SVM). Some results on a real-data experiment is presented for the recognition of three activity.
Effect of pH on Swelling Property of Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels for Smart Drug Delivery Systems

Hyaluronic acid(HA) hydrogels were synthesized by immersing HA microbeads in phosphate buffered saline solutions having different pH levels to assess the effect of pH on the swelling ratio of HA hydrogels for smart drug delivery systems. No beads were formed when the HA solution(below pH 9) was crosslinked with divinyl sulfone(DVS) because DVS is a basic solution. The variation regarding the size of the microbead was not significant, suggesting that the bead size is not a function of pH(10 ~ 14). However, the pore size of the microbeads decreased with increasing pH from 10 to 14, leading to the surface smoothness and dense network as a result of higher crosslinking. The swelling ratio of hydrogels increased when the pH rose from 2(acidic) to 6(neutral). Afterwards, it decreased with further increasing pH(basic). The lower swelling ratio may be due to the lack of ionization of the carboxyl groups. On the other hand, a higher swelling ratio is likely due to the increased electrostatic repulsions between negatively charged carboxyl groups on different chains. Experimental results suggested that pH-responsive HA hydrogels can be applicable to the controlled drug delivery systems.
Living on the Edge : How does Your House Price Respond to Urban Hazard Risks ?

This work considers the capitalization of urban hazard information via the residential real estate market of Lisbon, Portugal. We employ a spatial hedonic framework to estimate the impact of being located across zones in the municipality with a heterogeneity of urban flooding risks or seismic hazards. Special attention is given to the heterogeneity of these influences within and between these zones as influenced by local amenities and relative location in the city. We employ a geographic regression discontinuity to ensure that our results are not sensitive to underlying locational features of a dwellings location, and complement our results with a quantile regression to explore the impact of these hazard zones across the distribution of dwelling prices. Results indicate that the residential real estate market responds to hazard information with lower dwelling prices observed in areas with very high risks in the range of 3.5% for flooding and 1.1% for seismic risk. The largest response occurs due to urban flooding which is highly publicized and a relatively common occurrence for residents in comparison to seismic activity. Results suggest further that the combined effect of being subject to multiple hazards yield larger price reductions in the order of 3.8%, highlighting the importance of considering local contexts and interactive behaviour for policy discussion and mitigation planning. Flooding risk zones are heterogeneous in their impacts with ecological amenities such as greenery or urban forests mitigating this negative impact while impervious surfaces and higher neighborhood crime compound the negative effect.
Survey: the effects of disclosing general data vs.location data on customer privacy

Modern technology and rapid progress in the development of systems and electronic devices have created a significant gap in protecting the privacy of individuals and communities. Intrusion into clients’ privacy in the past was mostly done through software errors or poor protection of the systems. However, intrusion into privacy in the last few years is mostly due to disclosure of information by customers directly or indirectly. Usually, information separately is not important, but if it can be collected together, it can produce new information that is in breach of privacy. Concerns among individuals or communities about privacy violations have encouraged us to conduct a survey to identify the individual information that generates new information causing privacy violations. This paper focuses on identifying whether the most harm is done by disclosing general information or location information. Another aspect followed by the study is to identify if there are discrepancies in the perception of individuals about their willingness to disclose the information if the data are optional.
The Family Under the Microscope: An Experiment Testing Economic Models of Household Choice

We devise and execute three experiments to test key features of models of household decision-making. Using established couples (married and unmarried) we test income pooling, unanimity and Pareto efficiency. Subjects make choices individually and jointly and are asked to make predictions about their partner’s choices. Unanimity is rejected. Income pooling is not rejected in joint choice but has less explanatory power in individual choice. In direct tests both sexes do not pool income completely, but in econometric tests across all tasks, women place an equal weight on payoffs but men discount their partner’s payoffs by between 15 and 20%. We find that transparency has little impact on deviations from income pooling or indeed on behaviour generally. Many joint choices deviate from the Pareto principle in a systematic manner suggesting that choices made as a couple are more risk averse than individual decisions.
Seiridium (Sporocadaceae): an important genus of plant pathogenic fungi

The genus Seiridium includes multiple plant pathogenic fungi well-known as causal organisms of cankers on Cupressaceae. Taxonomically, the status of several species has been a topic of debate, as the phylogeny of the genus remains unresolved and authentic ex-type cultures are mostly absent. In the present study, a large collection of Seiridium cultures and specimens from the CBS and IMI collections was investigated morphologically and phylogenetically to resolve the taxonomy of the genus. These investigations included the type material of the most important Cupressaceae pathogens, Seiridium cardinale, S. cupressi and S. unicorne. We constructed a phylogeny of Seiridium based on four loci, namely the ITS rDNA region, and partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF), β-tubulin (TUB) and RNA polymerase II core subunit (RPB2). Based on these results we were able to confirm that S. unicorne and S. cupressi represent different species. In addition, five new Seiridium species were described, S. cupressi was lectotypified and epitypes were selected for S. cupressi and S. eucalypti.
Compact Wideband Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antenna Array for 45 GHz Application

A wideband circularly polarized (CP) $4 \times 4$ millimeter-wave antenna array composed of novel microstrip antenna elements is presented for IEEE 802.11 aj (45 GHz) application. Through introducing the L-shaped branches and truncated corners to the microstrip antenna element, an impedance bandwidth of 24.9% and a 3 dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 17.3% are achieved. To clarify the effects of the L-shaped branches and truncated corners, the phase difference and amplitude ratios of the 180° and 90° electric field components at the point of (0,0,r) are extracted and analyzed. A simple and compact microstrip feeding network is designed to excite the CP antenna array, and two-layer PCB boards are used to implement the proposed array. The electromagnetic energy is coupled to the radiators from the feeding network through the aperture etched on the middle ground. The measured 3 dB AR bandwidth of the antenna array is 16% from 41.9 to 49.1 GHz, and the measured gain is all greater than 17 dBic within the band from 41 to 49 GHz.
The Halos and Environments of Nearby Galaxies (HERON) Survey

Abstract We have used dedicated 0.7m telescopes in California and Israel to image the halos of ~ 200 galaxies in the Local Volume to 29 mag/sq arcsec, the sample mainly drawn from the 2MASS Large Galaxy Atlas (LGA). We supplement the LGA sample with dwarf galaxies and more distant giant ellipticals. Low surface brightness halos exceeding 50 kpc in diameter are found only in galaxies more luminous than L*, and classic interaction signatures are relatively infrequent. Halo diameter is correlated with total galaxy luminosity. Extended low surface brightness halos are present even in galaxies as faint as MV = - 18. Edge-on galaxies with boxy bulges tend to lack extended spheroidal halos, while those with large classical bulges exhibit extended round halos, supporting the notions that boxy or barlike bulges originate from disks. Most face-on spiral galaxies present features that appear to be irregular extensions of spiral arms, although rare cases show smooth boundaries with no sign of star formation. Although we serendipitously discovered a dwarf galaxy undergoing tidal disruption in the halo of NGC 4449, we found no comparable examples in our general survey. A search for similar examples in the Local Volume identified hcc087, a tidally disrupting dwarf galaxy in the Hercules Cluster, but we do not confirm an anomalously large half-light radius reported for the dwarf VCC 1661.
Evaluation of consensus methods in predictive species distribution modelling

Aim Spatial modelling techniques are increasingly used in species distribution modelling. However, the implemented techniques differ in their modelling performance, and some consensus methods are needed to reduce the uncertainty of predictions. In this study, we tested the predictive accuracies of five consensus methods, namely Weighted Average (WA), Mean(All), Median(All), Median(PCA), and Best, for 28 threatened plant species.
Relationship of Visceral Adiposity Index with the Metabolic Phenotype and Cardiovascular Markers in Non-Diabetic Subjects

Aim: Visceral adiposity index (VAI) provides information of visceral adipose tissue function and insulin sensitivity. This study’s aim is to evaluate the relationship of VAI with different metabolic phenotypes and cardiometabolic risk markers in non-diabetic subjects. Methods: 183 health clinical subjects from 30 to 50 years of age, with normal weight and with obesity grade I were recruited. Anthropometric measures were taken and quantified glucose, lipids, insulin, high-sensitivity Creactive protein (hs-CRP) and adiponectin concentrations. Unhealthy phenotype was defined according to the criteria; Visceral Adiposity index (VAI) was calculated. Results: 40% were metabolically healthy obese (MHO), they showed lower serum glucose, triglycerides, insulin, hs-CRP levels, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HOMA-IR than metabolically unhealthy obese subjects (MUO). Metabolically unhealthy non-obese subjects (MUNO) showed higher serum triglycerides, insulin levels, HOMA- IR than the metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHNO) subjects. MUNO and MUO subjects had higher VAI values than MHNO and MHO subjects. In a logistic regression analysis using the cut-offs of VAI quartile 4, >2.25 in women and >1.86 in men found a strong association with glucose, HOMA-IR and adiponectin concentrations. In ROC analysis using these cut-off determined for glucose concentrations >100 mg/dL, an area under the curve of 0.83 in men and 0.71 in women; for HOMA-IR 0.78 only in men, and for adiponectin 0.69 in men and 0.91 in women. Conclusion: Therefore, VAI is a useful indicator to evaluate the metabolic risk both of non-obese and obese individuals.
An ice-core proxy for Antarctic circumpolar zonal wind intensity

Abstract Using US National Centers for Environmental Prediction/US National Center for Atmospheric Research re-analysis data, we investigate the relationships between crustal ion (nssCa2+) concentrations from three West Antarctic ice cores, namely, Siple Dome (SD), ITASE00-1 (IT001) and ITASE01-5 (IT015), and primary components of the climate system, namely, air pressure/geopotential height, zonal (u) and meridional (v) wind strength. Linear correlation analyses between nssCa2+ concentrations and both air-pressure and wind fields for the period of overlap between records indicate that the SD nssCa2+ variation is positively correlated with spring circumpolar zonal wind, while IT001 nssCa2+ has a positive correlation with circumpolar zonal wind throughout the year (r > 0.3, p < 0.01). Intensified Southern Westerlies circulation is conducive to transport of more crustal aerosols to both sites. Further correlation analyses between nssCa2+ concentrations from SD and IT001 and atmospheric circulation suggest that the high inland plateau (represented by core IT001) is largely influenced by transport from the upper troposphere. IT015 nssCa2+ is negatively correlated with westerly wind in October and November, suggesting that stronger westerly circulation may weaken the transport of crustal species to IT015. Correlations of nssCa2+ from the three ice cores with the Antarctic Oscillation index are consistent with results developed from the wind-field investigation. In addition, calibration between nssCa2+ concentration and the multivariate El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index shows that crustal species transport to IT001 is enhanced during strong ENSO events.
Manganese-Enhanced T1 Mapping in the Myocardium of Normal and Infarcted Hearts

Background Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) has the potential to identify viable myocardium and quantify calcium influx and handling. Two distinct manganese contrast media have been developed for clinical application, mangafodipir and EVP1001-1, employing different strategies to mitigate against adverse effects resulting from calcium-channel agonism. Mangafodipir delivers manganese ions as a chelate, and EVP1001-1 coadministers calcium gluconate. Using myocardial T1 mapping, we aimed to explore chelated and nonchelated manganese contrast agents, their mechanism of myocardial uptake, and their application to infarcted hearts. Methods T1 mapping was performed in healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats using a 7T MRI scanner before and after nonchelated (EVP1001-1 or MnCl2 (22 μmol/kg)) or chelated (mangafodipir (22–44 μmol/kg)) manganese-based contrast media in the presence of calcium channel blockade (diltiazem (100–200 μmol/kg/min)) or sodium chloride (0.9%). A second cohort of rats underwent surgery to induce anterior myocardial infarction by permanent coronary artery ligation or sham surgery. Infarcted rats were imaged with standard gadolinium delayed enhancement MRI (DEMRI) with inversion recovery techniques (DEMRI inversion recovery) as well as DEMRI T1 mapping. A subsequent MEMRI scan was performed 48 h later using either nonchelated or chelated manganese and T1 mapping. Finally, animals were culled at 12 weeks, and infarct size was quantified histologically with Masson's trichrome (MTC). Results Both manganese agents induced concentration-dependent shortening of myocardial T1 values. This was greatest with nonchelated manganese, and could be inhibited by 30–43% with calcium-channel blockade. Manganese imaging successfully delineated the area of myocardial infarction. Indeed, irrespective of the manganese agent, there was good agreement between infarct size on MEMRI T1 mapping and histology (bias 1.4%, 95% CI −14.8 to 17.1 P>0.05). In contrast, DEMRI inversion recovery overestimated infarct size (bias 11.4%, 95% CI −9.1 to 31.8 P=0.002), as did DEMRI T1 mapping (bias 8.2%, 95% CI −10.7 to 27.2 P=0.008). Increased manganese uptake was also observed in the remote myocardium, with remote myocardial ∆T1 inversely correlating with left ventricular ejection fraction after myocardial infarction (r=−0.61, P=0.022). Conclusions MEMRI causes concentration and calcium channel-dependent myocardial T1 shortening. MEMRI with T1 mapping provides an accurate assessment of infarct size and can also identify changes in calcium handling in the remote myocardium. This technique has potential applications for the assessment of myocardial viability, remodelling, and regeneration.
Optimal Monetary Policy with Staggered Wage and Price Contracts

We formulate an optimizing-agent model in which both labor and product markets exhibit monopolistic competition and staggered nominal contracts. The unconditional expectation of average household utility can be expressed in terms of the unconditional variances of the output gap, price inflation, and wage inflation. Monetary policy cannot achieve the Pareto-optimal equilibrium that would occur under completely flexible wages and prices; that is, the model exhibits a tradeoff in stabilizing the output gap, price inflation, and wage inflation. We characterize the optimal policy rule for reasonable calibrations of the model. We also find that strict price inflation targeting generates relatively large welfare losses, whereas several other simple policy rules perform nearly as well as the optimal rule.
0 O ct 2 01 8 Phase-space representations of thermal Bose-Einstein condensates

Phase-space methods allow one to go beyond the mean-field approximation to simulate the quantum dynamics of interacting fields. Here, we obtain a technique for initializing either Wigner or positive-P phase-space simulations of BoseEinstein condensates with quantum states at a finite temperature. As a means to calculate the initial states, we introduce the idea of a nonlinear chemical potential, which removes the zero-momentum phase-noise divergences of Bogoliubov theory to give a diagonal Hamiltonian. The resulting steady-state quantum theory is then directly applicable to the calculations of initial conditions for quantum simulations of BEC dynamics using phase-space techniques. These methods allow efficient and scalable simulation of large Bose-Einstein condensates. We suggest that nonlinear chemical potentials may have a general applicability to cases of broken symmetry. Submitted to: J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. Phase-space representations of thermal Bose-Einstein condensates 2
The "crowding out" of private expenditures by fiscal policy actions

Fiscal policy — I’ede,’al Governumen! spending and taxing programs was given time dominant. role in economic stabilization efforts during the decade of tire 1960’s. The income tax cut of 1964 was designed to accelerate time movement toward full employment after about three yea’s of what was considered by some a rather slow rate of economic expansion following the recession of 1960—61. The income tax surcharge and a rednction in the rate of increase in Government spending we’re adopted in 1968 to curb the inflation of the last half of the 1960’s.
AGE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF RUBY-BEARING MARBLE FROM THE RED RIVER SHEAR ZONE, NORTHERN VIETNAM

Marble-hosted ruby deposits occur in the Lo Gam tectonic zone along the northeastern fl ank of the Day Nui Con Voi Range in the Red River Shear Zone, in the northern part of Vietnam. Crystals of zircon included in ruby and spinel from Luc Yen and An Phu deposits were dated in situ by the U–Pb method with an ion microprobe. The patchy zoning of the zircon crystals and the wide range of ages (266–38 Ma) provide evidence for a complex metamorphic history, with at least two main thermal events: (1) Zircon included in spinel crystals probably crystallized during the Permian (256.6 ± 9.4 Ma), with a possible reopening of their U–Pb system in the early Triassic (231.7 ± 5.6 Ma). (2) Ruby formed at about 38 Ma when the Red River Shear Zone was the site of ductile deformation during the peak of metamorphism. The dating of zircon and phlogopite syngenetic with ruby documents the temporal relationship between high-temperature metamorphism and the cooling history of the Red River metamorphic belt. Ruby deposits hosted by marble sequences in central and southeastern Asia seem to be an excellent marker; they allow an interpretation of the timing of the activity of Cenozoic structures linked to the collision between Indian and Eurasian continents.
Some approaches to solving the NP-hard Mixed Chinese Postman Problem

The routing problems are important for logistic and transport sphere. Basically, the routing problems related to determining the optimal set of routes in the multigraph. The Chinese postman problem (CPP) is a special case of the routing problem, which has many potential applications. We propose to solve the MCPP (special NP-hard case of CPP, which defined on mixed multigraph) using the reduction of the original problem into General Travelling Salesman Problem (GTSP). The variants of CPP are pointed out. The mathematical formulations of some problems are presented. The algorithm for reduction the MCPP in multigraph into GTSP is shown. The experimental results of solving MCPP in multigraph through the reduction into GTSP are presented.
About Some Peculiarities of SRTM Digital Elevation Model Usage for Agricultural Land Use Planning

Digital elevation models (DEM) are widely used in agricultural land use planning as a source of information about slopes, aspects, slope forms and watersheds. Among different DEM products, one of the most convenient is freely available SRTM. As well as other DEMs based on remote sensing data, SRTM, actually, represents first reflective surface of the radar signal such as top of the forest trees and bare-earth only if it is not obscured. Using of such digital terrain model (DTM) in forested areas can lead to artifacts in calculation of slopes, aspects, slope forms and watersheds. In the present study, we provide the results of the quality assessment of SRTM and different maps calculated from SRTM. We, also, proposed an easy-to-use approach for adjustment of forest influence on SRTM and tested the approach on key sites in Moscow, Russia.
Myrtus communis extract attenuates atherosclerosis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Atherosclerosis is the most common complication of diabetes, hyperglycemia induced alteration in the lipoxygenase pathway that involved in arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism which is associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators that implicated in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Myrtus communis (Myrtle) leaves were used as anti-hyperglycaemic and antiinflammatory agent as well as it suppresses the formation of reactive oxygen species. Aim of the work: This study aimed to evaluate the potential effect of Myrtus communis extract on the risk of atherosclerosis in experimental diabetes. Forty female rats were used in this study and divided into four groups: group I (control group), group II (Myrtle group), group III (diabetic group) and group IV (treated group). In this study, administration of streptozotocin (STZ) significantly increased fasting blood sugar accompanied by a significant decrease in fasting serum insulin, in addition to a significant increase in serum lipoxygenases (LOX) 5-LOX, 15-LOX and Lipoxin A4 compared to the control group. Also, STZ administration significantly decreased aortic tissue antioxidant parameters such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and significantly increased malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to the control group. Our data revealed that oral administration of Myrtus communis significantly decreased fasting blood sugar level, increased fasting insulin level, decreased 5-LOX, 15-LOX and Lipoxin A4 ,significantly decreased tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in treated group compared to the diabetic group. In conclusion, Myrtus communis extract is a promising agent that helps in protecting against atherosclerosis in diabetes mellitus due to its anti-hyperglycemic, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.