Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Y doping on the structural stability and defect properties of cubic HfO2

First-principles calculations have been performed to study the structural and electronic properties of pure and Y-doped cubic HfO2. It is found that Y doping in HfO2 would increase the stability of the cubic phase relative to the monoclinic phase by reducing the energy difference and the phase transition pressure. This result is consistent with the observed stabilization of the cubic phase of HfO2 by the addition of Y. The calculated formation energy of the VO–YHf complex defect in different charged states indicates that the single positively charged state (VO–YHf)+ is more stable than the neutral state (VO–YHf)0 and the double positively charged state (VO–YHf)++ in Y-doped cubic HfO2. Because the number of d-electrons of Y is less than that of Hf by one and substitutional Y for Hf introduces holes in the oxygen p-band, Y doping would make the highest occupied defect level induced by (VO–YHf)+ fall into the valence band rather than the energy gap, which explains the experimental observation that gap state.
The Physical Treatment of Lateral Semicircular Canal Canalolithiasis

The authors describe the different techniques for physical therapy of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the lateral semicircular canal. All are based on one of three mechanisms: barbeque manoeuvres in which the canals are quickly rotated, so that material heavier than endolymph is induced to move toward the vestibule; repositioning manoeuvres in which debris is induced to move under the force of gravity; brisk deceleration manoeuvres in the plane of the affected canal in which debris is induced to move out of the canal. The authors report good results from different techniques and they suggest a strategy for the treatment of LSC-BPV; they prefer manoeuvres which can bring about immediate recovery. After a few days, it is useful to see patients again, because LSC-BPV may transform into PSC-BPV.
Towards the design of a prosthetic underactuated hand

Abstract. This paper presents recent advances in the design of an underactuated hand for applications in prosthetics. First, the design of the fingers is addressed. Based on previous experiments with prototypes developed in the past, new tendon routings are proposed that lead to a more effective transmission of the forces. A novel elastic tendon routing is also proposed for the passive opening of the hand. A simplified static analysis of the fingers is proposed to support the results. Then, a new kinematic design of the thumb is presented. The thumb is designed to perform out-of-the-plane motions in order to broaden the variety of possible grasps. A mechanism for the implementation of underactuation between the fingers is proposed that alleviates the friction problems encountered in earlier hand designs. Finally, a prototype of the hand is briefly described and typical grasps are shown. This paper was presented at the IFToMM/ASME International Workshop on Underactuated Grasping (UG2010), 19 August 2010, Montreal, Canada.
A Comparison of Thermal Growing Season Indices for the Northern China during 1961–2015

Vegetation phenology is one of the most direct and sensitive indicators of terrestrial ecosystem in response to climate change. Based on daily mean air temperature at 877 meteorological stations over northern China from 1961 to 2015, the correlations and differences for different definitions of the growing season parameters (start, end, and length of the growing season) were investigated, and results show that higher correlations of 0.81–0.93 are found when indices which do not consider frost are compared with those of the same length which include the frost criteria, and lower correlations of 0.63–0.79 are observed when the length of indices is different and one of the indices includes the frost criteria or EI 3 (10 d < 5°C) is included. Lower correlations and larger differences are generally observed in the eastern and northwestern parts while higher correlation and smaller difference appeared in the northeastern and southwestern parts of northern China; thus the applicability comparison and selection of different definitions have important influence on the identifying and counting of the timing and length of the growing season in the eastern and northwestern regions of northern China.
AGRICULTURAL LAND CLASSIFICATION BASED ON STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF FULL POLARIMETRIC SAR DATA

The discrimination capability of Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) data makes them a unique source of information with a significant contribution in tackling problems concerning environmental applications. One of the most important applications of these data is land cover classification of the earth surface. These data type, make more detailed classification of phenomena by using the physical parameters and scattering mechanisms. In this paper, we have proposed a contextual unsupervised classification approach for full PolSAR data, which allows the use of multiple sources of statistical evidence. Expectation-Maximization (EM) classification algorithm is basically performed to estimate land cover classes. The EM algorithm is an iterative algorithm that formalizes the problem of parameters estimation of a mixture distribution. To represent the statistical properties and integrate contextual information of the associated image data in the analysis process we used Markov random field (MRF) modelling technique. This model is developed by formulating the maximum posteriori decision rule as the minimization of suitable energy functions. For select optimum distribution which adapts the data more efficiently we used Mellin transform which is a natural analytical tool to study the distribution of products and quotients of independent random variables. Our proposed classification method is applied to a full polarimetric L-band dataset acquired from an agricultural region in Winnipeg, Canada. We evaluate the classification performance based on kappa and overall accuracies of the proposed approach and compared with other well-known classic methods.
Mapping the evolutionary twilight zone: molecular markers, populations and geography

Since evolutionary processes, such as dispersal, adaptation and drift, occur in a geographical context, at multiple hierarchical levels, biogeography provides a central and important unifying framework for understanding the patterns of distribution of life on Earth. However, the advent of molecular markers has allowed a clearer evaluation of the relationships between microevolutionary processes and patterns of genetic divergence among populations in geographical space, triggering the rapid development of many research programmes. Here we provide an overview of the interpretation of patterns of genetic diversity in geographical and ecological space, using both implicit and explicit spatial approaches. We discuss the actual or potential interaction of phylogeography, molecular ecology, ecological genetics, geographical genetics, landscape genetics and conservation genetics with biogeography, identifying their respective roles and their ability to deal with ecological and evolutionary processes at different levels of the biological hierarchy. We also discuss how each of these research programmes can improve strategies for biodiversity conservation. A unification of these research programmes is needed to better achieve their goals, and to do this it is important to develop cross‐disciplinary communication and collaborations among geneticists, ecologists, biogeographers and spatial statisticians.
Performance Exploring Using Model Checking A Case Study of Hard Disk Drive Cache Function

To avoid performance problems (e.g., execution delay), model-based development represented by model checking is used to improve performance quality. However, not so many studies have applied the model checking of performance to actual product development. Specifically, model checking has not been applied to performance exploring, so it is hard to say how effective model checking is. Furthermore, creating a new model for performance verification in addition to the usual development process greatly burdens developers. To reduce this burden, man hours for performance verification modeling must also be reduced. Accordingly, we embedded parameter deployment code to create a performance verification model and achieved performance exploration to ease performance optimization. Also, we developed a performance verification modeling method reusing existing product code to reduce modeling costs (man hours). In this paper, we report a case study in which the proposed method was applied to a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) cache emulation program. According to the results, the minimum cache capacity required processing was completed within the target time. We also show that 57.89% of cache emulation program codes were reused to create the new performance verification model. These results validated the proposed method. Keywords-performance; model checking; embedded system.
Specification with lattice processes

Abstract. We describe tests for the correct speciffcation of a model when data is observed in a lattice. We then extend previous work when the data is collected in the real line. As it happens with the latter type of data, the asymptotic distribution of the test is not pivotal and it depends on the model under consideration. On consequence is that its critical values are di¢ cult, if at all possible, to obtain. So, to overcome the problem of its implementation, we propose to employ a martingale transformation, showing its validity in our context.
Pivotal temperature and predicted sex ratios for hatchling hawksbill turtles from Brazil

Like all other species of sea turtle, the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) exhibits temperature-dependent sexual differentiation, with high incubation temperatures producing females and low temperatures producing males. Relatively little is known about the sex ratios of hatchlings produced by nesting populations of hawksbill turtles. Here we estimate the overall seasonal sex ratios of hatchling hawksbill turtles produced in Bahia, Brazil, during 6 nesting seasons, based on incubation durations, pivotal temperature, and pivotal incubation duration. The overall sex ratio of hatchlings produced in Bahia from 1991-1992 through 1996-1997 was estimated to be >90% female, which is more female-biased than estimated sex ratios of hatchling loggerhead turtles from Bahia and Florida, U.S.A. The biological and conservation implications of skewed sex ratios are discussed.
Potential of some bacteria for biological control of postharvest citrus green mould caused by Penicillium digitatum

Mohammadi P., Tozlu E. , Kotan R. , Kotan Şenol M. (2017): Potential of some bacteria for biological control of postharvest citrus green mould caused by Penicillium digitatum. Plant Protect. Sci., 53: 134–143. Ten bacteria isolate (4 Bacillus subtilis, 2 Bacillus pumilus, 2 Bacillus cereus, 1 Bacillus megaterium, and 1 agrobacterium radiobacter) were tested in vitro for antagonistic properties against Penicillium digitatum, the causal agent of citrus green mould. The effect of these bacteria was also observed on mycelial growth, spore germination, and spore production of the pathogenic fungus in broth culture. Extracellular enzyme activities of the bacteria were determined. According to the results of in vitro antagonistic tests and enzymes activities, the most promising bacteria were Bacillus subtilis and agrobacterium radiobacter. These bacteria were tested for disease suppression on lemon fruits. In addition, these bacterial isolates also showed remarkable antifungal activity against the pathogen on lemon fruits. The results of this study showed that Bacillus subtilis and agrobacterium radiobacter showed remarkable antifungal activity against the pathogen. Chitinase and glucanase enzyme activity of all the tested bacteria was positive. Protease enzyme activity was positive in all tested bacteria with the exception of agrobacterium radiobacter. In addition, all bacteria inhibited mycelial growth and spore germination (except agrobacterium radiobacter) of the fungus. Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and agrobacterium radiobacter inhibited spore production in broth culture. Bacillus subtilis and agrobacterium radiobacter were tested on lemon fruits significantly reduced disease severity. Consequently, these isolates can be used as new biocontrol agents in controlling the post-harvest decay of citrus fruits caused by Penicillium digitatum.
Content analysis of crisis communicative strategies: Tunisian protest vs. anti-Mubarak protest

The paper explores the crisis communicative strategies (CCs) that the former Tunisian president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, used in response to the protests, which are considered as one of the most critical crises in their reigns. A content analysis was conducted to examine the three speeches each president delivered during the crisis event in order not only to protect their image but also to restore peace and order. The study aimed to address the following questions: What are the crisis response strategies they used to restore their (distorted) image? did these strategies change over the demonstration period? and are they appropriate to the crises? In so doing, the analysis probes the length as well as the number of words and sentences; the framing patterns that have been applied (logical vs. emotional), and the crisis communicative strategies applying Coombs’ (1999) communicative strategies model.
Rank Minimization via Alternating Optimization - Seismic Data Interpolation

Low-rank matrix completion techniques have recently become an effective tool for seismic trace interpolation problems. In this talk, we consider an alternating optimization scheme for nuclear norm minimization and discuss the applications to large scale wave field reconstruction. By adopting a factorization approach to the rank minimization problem we write our low-rank matrix in bi-linear form, and modify this workflow by alternating our optimization to handle a single matrix factor at a time. This allows for a more tractable procedure that can robustly handle large scale, highly oscillatory and critically sub sampled seismic data sets. We demonstrate the potential of this approach with several numerical experiments on a seismic line from the Nelson 2D data set and a frequency slice from the Gulf of Mexico data set.
Solute Transport in an Unsaturated Field Soil : Visualization and Quantification of Flow Patterns Using Image Analysis

It is well documented that even reactive chemieals can be transported through soils over long distances and occur in the groundwater a short time after application at the soil surface. A number of experimental studies have shown the occurrence or even the predominance of preferential flow in field soils. Classical models based on the assumption of homogeneous media cannot explain such transport phenomena. Quantitative prediction of preferential flow is difficult because of the spatial as well as temporal variability of the water conducting regions in the soil. Furthermore, measurements are experimentally demanding because of the variable scale of these flow domains, particularly the small spatial extent of highly conductive zones. Therefore, these preferential flow paths are easily missed by soil coring. Even when such flow paths are included in a sampled core, the solutes present are diluted in the matrix material when mixed for sample analysis. With dye tracers preferential flow paths can be visualized. The disadvantage is that until now only qualitative or semi-quantitative solute transport information has been obtained from such tracer visualization studies. A controlled field experiment was conducted with the main focus on measuring water flow and solute transport parameters with a high spatial resolution. The solute transport behavior was studied in six treatments, namely at two irrigation rates (5 and 25 mm d-1) and three amounts of cumulative infiltration (50, 100, and 200 mm) applied under steady-state water flow conditions. The water regime was monitored by TDR probes and tensiometers. Effective infiltration rates were calculated using measured irrigation and evaporation rates. The dye tracer Brilliant Blue FCF (C.I. 42090) was applied as a continuous line source to visualize and quantify both, the longitudinal as well as the transverse spreading of solute. Several vertical soil profiles were exposed for each treatment perpendicular to the line to a depth of 1 m. Parallel profiles were exposed by excavating into the soil in 2, 5 or 10 cm increments. The dye patterns visible in these profiles were photographed using a light tent (diffusion foil) and reflection panels to provide homogeneous light conditions. A gray frame with a scale and a Kodak gray scale pinned onto the profile were photographed along with the 1by I-rn
Robust 3D Object Detection

One of the major challenges for unmanned space exploration is the latency caused by communication delays, making tasks such as docking difficult due to limited possibility for human intervention. In this paper, we address this issue by proposing an image processing technique capable of real-time, lowpower, robust, full 3D object and orientation detection. Oriented Fast and Rotated Brief (ORB) feature detector was selected as the ideal object detection technique for this study. ORB requires just one 2D reference image of the subject for performing a robust object detection, which is desirable when limited available storage onboard a spacecraft enforce constraints. Additionally, Sharif and Holzel in a recent study illustrated ORB's robustness and invariance to orientation, rotation, and illumination variations. Thus, ORB is an ideal technique to guide a malfunctioning satellite that has no sense of orientation relative to its surroundings. ORB feature detector is a robust algorithm for detecting the subject when external factors are unpredictable, uncontrollable, and quickly changing. However, ORB is a 2D feature detector and unable to differentiate between surfaces of a subject. Via Bayesian probabilistic theorem, we proposed a new approach to help improve the confidence in detection.
Antemortem diagnosis of rabies from skin by TaqMan real time PCR.

Present study revealed application of TaqMan real time PCR technique for diagnosis of rabies viral RNA from 11/20 antemortem skin samples with a sensitivity of 92.85%. The successful use of TaqMan real time PCR concluded that it was a viable, alternative tool for the antemortem diagnosis of rabies. Results correlated well with those of the post-mortem fluorescent antibody test performed on brain specimens of same animals.
Systemized Approach for Software Corrective Maintenance Effort Reduction

Enforcement of standards during entire cycle of software development has remained a challenge for stakeholders, but it can play pivotal role in reducing the efforts required for software maintenance phase. Corrective maintenance deals with error fixing or modification of a software performed after its delivery Studies conducted by different researchers speak that approximately more than 50% of the effort is spent on maintenance, out of which about 21% is required for corrective maintenance. In this paper, authors proposed and implemented a stepwise checklist approach to guide the stakeholders of all phases of software development. Before start of each SDLC phase, lists are filled by corresponding stake holder. Proposed strategy, called RCM (Reduced Corrective maintenance) model is validated empirically and statistically.
The role played by mountain tracks on rainfallinduced shallow landslides: a case study

Mountain tracks often play a key role for landslide occurrence inside shallow soil deposits affecting both superficial and sub-superficial groundwater circulation. This is essentially related to local changes of topography and soil hydraulic conductivity. Significant examples of tracks-related landslides were observed during the event that affected the Campania region (Southern Italy) in May 1998. These phenomena occurred inside source areas characterised by complex landforms, stratigraphy and groundwater regime. Referring to this event, the paper addresses the role played by the stratigraphy on the first-failure stage by using limit equilibrium and stress-strain analyses. The numerical results outline some important aspects that must be carefully considered in analyses aimed at an advanced characterisation of landslide source areas.
A Dark Side of Social Capital? Kinship, Consumption, and Savings

Abstract We explore whether traditional sharing norms in kinship networks affect consumption and accumulation decisions of poor black households in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Using a proxy for the number of family dependents, our results are consistent with the interpretation that households try to evade their ‘sharing obligations’ by (i) accumulating durables that are non-sharable at the expense of durables that may be shared and (ii) reducing savings in liquid assets. By attenuating accumulation incentives, kinship sharing may come at the expense of income growth – if so, a culturally-induced poverty trap can possibly eventuate. We demonstrate tentative evidence that more extensive kinship networks are associated with lower incomes.
Navigability in information networks

In this work, we study the problem of navigation in information networks. We propose a model that can describe how humans traverse such a network from one item to another, which is based on embedding the network into a metric space. We construct a distance function that determines this embedding, using examples of navigation traces made by people and other information about the network, and we define a simple navigation algorithm that uses this distance function. This algorithm generates paths between nodes in the network that are similar to the paths traversed by people between the same nodes. We also present two methods for recommending new links in such a network, which would make human navigation easier. The first method is based on creating a score function for ordered pairs of nodes, learned from link suggestions given by people. This function determines which of the ordered pairs should be recommended as links first. This method gives recommendations that are similar to unseen link suggestions given by people that traversed the network. The second method aims to minimize the average length of the paths traversed by our navigation algorithm between any two nodes in the network. It is based on maximizing a monotone submodular function that resembles this objective. We test these ideas on a dataset that consists of a subset of Wikipedia articles and navigation traces made by people that were trying to get from one article to another, only by following the links in the pages.
A GIS-based Micro-simulation Queue Model for Vehicle Evacuation

In urban areas, people’s life may be threatened by disasters such as earthquakes. To reduce the life risks, efficient responses including evacuation are of critical importance. However, a drill evacuation appears impossible; simulation is thus used to examine the effectiveness of an evacuation plan. Considering the capacity of the routes, a GIS-SimQueue vehicle evacuation model is integrated with a Geographic Information System. Simulation results indicate that the model can reproduce vehicle evacuation features, which are in agreement with empirical ones.