Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pattern-forming instabilities in the coupling of ice sheets and subglacial drainage systems

Sharp spatial changes discovered in the basal conditions of an ice sheet do not always have an obvious source. By modelling instabilities in the coupling of an ice sheet and subglacial drainage system, we describe physical feedback mechanisms that force the formation of sharp spatial structures in basal conditions and ice flow. This model predicts the spontaneous formation of periodic subglacial ‘sticky spot’–lake pairs, that correspond in shape to previous empirical and modelled descriptions of similar structures. The instability that forms this structure is driven by a feedback whereby periodic humps in ice thickness redirect subglacial water to slippery spots that lie immediately downstream of the ice humps: the slippery regions increase ice flux into the ice humps, making them grow. Scaling a one–dimensional model ice sheet coupled to a basal drainage system, we find conditions for the instability with linear stability analysis. Solutions in the full nonlinear model are simulated numerically, using operator splitting and finite difference methods. The instability requires a bed permeability weakly dependent on water pressure changes, negligible bed slopes, and a water velocity much greater than ice velocity. The ‘sticky spot’–lake pairs are predicted to form with periodic spacing and migrate upstream.
Virtual machining and expert knowledge capture

This paper reports on a virtual haptic machining application for simulating drilling and milling material removal operations; the forces generated during the machining will be conveyed back to the user and any user input via the haptic interface will be logged. This information can then be used downstream in the manufacturing process bringing time cost and quality benefits.
An Empirical Analysis of the Property Catastrophe Reinsurance

Following a series of costly catastrophes, including Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the Sichuan Earthquake in 2017, the purchase of property catastrophe reinsurance has become a major topic of debate. Many techniques for selecting an optimal retention and upper limit level have been proposed, but no entirely satisfactory method has been devised. Therefore, in practice, the setting of retentions and upper limits is still more a matter of judgment than science. In this study, we examine the determinants of property catastrophe excess-of-loss reinsurance retentions and limits for property-liability insurance companies in the U.S. insurance industry. A cross-sectional model is estimated using two-stage least squares regression. The regression analysis shows that most coefficients have the hypothesized signs and are significant. This study is the first research that provides clear evidence to support the relationship among retentions, upper limits, and co-reinsurance rates.
TECHNIQUES FOR DIFFERENTIALLY STAINING LIRIOMYZA TRIFOLII (DIPTERA: AGROMYZIDAE) EGGS AND STIPPLES WITHIN COS LETTUCE LEAVES

Different staining procedures were evaluated for their time requirements and effectiveness to differentially stain Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess)(Diptera: Agromyzidae) eggs and wounds (i.e., stipples) made by the female flies ovipositing within cos lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) leaves. The best method for staining eggs within leaves was a lactophenol acid fuchsin solution that cleared the leaves of chlorophyll and stained the eggs pink to dark red. Modification of this established procedure reduced the total staining time to 7 min per leaf. Stipples were counterstained blue by immersing the leaves in a lactophenol cotton blue solution for 1 min immediately following the egg staining procedure. Larvae were not stained by either procedure. A new technique was devised for highlighting stipples using solutions of silver nitrate, sodium carbonate, formaldehyde and citric acid. The procedure resulted in blackened stipples that were highly visible against the green leaves and did not kill developing larvae within the leaves. Eggs could later be stained using the lactophenol acid fuchsin technique. Sufficient contrast and color differences were produced by these procedures to successfully quantify stipples, eggs and larvae within stained and counterstained leaves from digitized microscopic video images using computer image analysis software.
Interleukin-6 inhibition of hERG underlies risk for acquired long QT in cardiac and systemic inflammation

Increased proinflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels are associated with acquired long QT-syndrome (LQTS) in patients with systemic inflammation, leading to higher risks for life-threatening polymorphic ventricular tachycardia such as Torsades de Pointes. However, the functional and molecular mechanisms of this association are not known. In most cases of acquired LQTS, the target ion channel is the human ether-á-go-go-related gene (hERG) encoding the rapid component of the delayed rectifier K current, IKr, which plays a critical role in cardiac repolarization. Here, we tested the hypothesis that IL-6 may cause QT prolongation by suppressing IKr. Electrophysiological and biochemical assays were used to assess the impact of IL-6 on the functional expression of IKr in HEK293 cells and adult guinea-pig ventricular myocytes (AGPVM). In HEK293 cells, IL-6 alone or in combination with the soluble IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), produced a significant depression of IKr peak and tail current densities. Block of IL-6R or Janus kinase (JAK) reversed the inhibitory effects of IL-6 on IKr. In AGPVM, IL-6 prolonged action potential duration (APD) which was further prolonged in the presence of IL-6R. Similar to heterologous cells, IL-6 reduced endogenous guinea pig ERG channel mRNA and protein expression. The data are first to demonstrate that IL-6 inhibition of IKr and the resulting prolongation of APD is mediated via IL-6R and JAK pathway activation and forms the basis for the observed clinical QT interval prolongation. These novel findings may guide the development of targeted anti-arrhythmic therapeutic interventions in patients with LQTS and inflammatory disorders.
Multiagent System Architecture for Short-term Operation of Integrated Microgrids

Abstract The forthcoming smart grids are comprised of integrated microgrids operating in grid-connected and isolated mode with local generation, storage and demand response (DR) programs. The proposed model is based on three successive complementary steps for power transaction in the market environment. The first step is characterized as a microgrid's internal market; the second concerns negotiations between distinct interconnected microgrids; and finally, the third refers to the actual electricity market. The proposed approach is modeled and tested using a MAS framework directed to the study of the smart grids environment, including the simulation of electricity markets. This is achieved through the integration of the proposed approach with the MASGriP (Multi-Agent Smart Grid Platform) system.
Applications of an interior point method based optimal power flow

This paper tackles the complex problem of an optimal power flow (OPF) by the interior point method (IPM). Two interior point algorithms are presented and compared, namely the pure primal-dual and the predictorcorrector respectively. Among various OPF objectives, emphasis is put on two classical ones: the maximization of loadability limit and the minimization of the amount of load curtailment. Illustrative examples on three test systems ranging from 60 to 300 buses are provided.
TOTAL LIPID NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF THE ADIPOSE TISSUE FROM THE ORBITAL CAVITY IN NILE TILAPIA FROM CONTINENTAL AQUACULTURE

This study aimed to determine the fatty acid composition and nutritional quality indexes of total lipids in adipose tissue from the orbital cavity of Nile tilapia from continental aquaculture in Paraiba State, Brazil. The tilapias were captured in six fish farms, and after slaughtering and bleeding, the adipose tissue from the orbital cavity was reserved, frozen and lyophilized for analysis of fatty acid composition by gas chromatography. By decreasing order, oleic, palmitic, linoleic, stearic, and palmitoleic acids were the most abundant ones. Monounsaturated fatty acids were the most prominent group in orbital cavity adipose tissue, where as polyunsaturated fatty acids were most abundant in the diet, with a percentage of linolenic acid ranging from 32.99 to 37.57%. Nutritional quality indexes of lipids varied from 0.491 to 0.575 for Atherogenicity Index, 0.543 to 0.741 for Thrombogenicity Index, and from 1.918 to 2.176 regarding the ratio of hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic. According to the composition of fatty acids and the nutritional quality of total lipids, the use of this byproduct can be recommended for human consumption or to elaborate products for animal intake.
Narrating the Nation and its Other: The Emergence of Palestine in the Postcolonial Arabic Novel

The Palestinian novel is one of the most neglected, if not totally ignored, genres in postcolonial and postmodern narrative fiction. As a resistant narrative, this literary form aims at creating ‘a nation in words’ and constructing ‘a country in books’ since it has disappeared from maps. There are many Palestinian novelists, both males and females, who are struggling for existence in a world totally hostile to them and to their nation. However, it is Ghassan Kanafani (1939-72) who first gave voice to the voiceless and silent people of Palestine. He wrote many novels in which his sole aim was to narrate his nation. This paper evaluates ‘Men in the Sun’ as a “national” Palestinian form which aims to represent the Palestinian “nation”. Taking Anderson (1991) and Bhabha (1990)’s theoretical assumptions about the historical relationship between the nation and the novel into account, we would argue that ‘Men in the Sun’ represents a Palestinian dream of giving expression to the national longing for a form. Edward Said ‘ s theory about resistance literature is crucial in this context. The discussion concludes by considering the novel as an example of a narrative of resistance.
Late-season snowfall is associated with decreased offspring survival in two migratory arctic-breeding songbird species

While the effect of weather on reproduction has been studied for many years in avian taxa, the rapid pace of climate change in arctic regions has added urgency to this question by changing the weather conditions species experience during breeding. Given this, it is important to understand how factors such as temperature, rain, snowfall, and wind affect reproduction both directly and indirectly (e.g. through their effects on food availability). In this study, we ask how weather factors and food availability influence daily survival rates of clutches in two arctic-breeding migratory songbirds: the Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus), a circumpolar breeder, and Gambel’s white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambellii), which breeds in shrubby habitats across tundra, boreal and continental climates. To do this, we monitored clutch survival in these two species from egg-lay through fledge at field sites located near Toolik Field Station (North Slope, Alaska) across 5 years (2012-2016). Our results indicate that snowfall and cold temperatures decrease offspring survival rates in both species; although Lapland longspurs were more susceptible to snowfall. Food availability, quantified by pitfall sampling and sweep-net sampling methods, had minimal effects on offspring survival. Some climate models predict increased precipitation for the Arctic with global warming, and in the Toolik region, total snow accumulation may be increasing. Placed in this context, our results suggest that changes in snow storms with climate change could have substantial consequences for reproduction in migratory songbirds breeding in the North American Arctic.
39. PERMEABILITIES IN THE MIDDLE VALLEY HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM MEASURED WITH PACKER AND FLOWMETER EXPERIMENTS1

We report the results of permeability measurements made during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 139 in two reentry holes drilled into the active hydrothermal system at the Middle Valley sedimented spreading center. Located in a vent field at the center of an elongate heat-flow anomaly, Hole 858G is cased to 270 mbsf and penetrates 162.6 m deeper into igneous basement. About 1.6 km to the south, in the outer flank of the same heat-flow anomaly, Hole 857D is cased to 574 mbsf and penetrates 362 m deeper into intercalated sills and sediments. The hydrogeological properties of the open-hole sections of both holes were assessed with two kinds of experiments using a drill-string packer to hydraulically isolate the hole: (1) standard slug and injection tests to measure average formation transmissivities and permeabilities, and (2) a new flowmeter/injection experiment to assess the fine-scale distribution of permeability. The results indicate that the lowermost 180 m of the sill/sediment sequence in Hole 857D and the upper igneous basement in Hole 858G both have average permeabilities on the order of 10~14 m2, similar to values obtained in the upper sections of basement in other holes drilled into young crust formed at unsedimented spreading centers. In addition, there are zones of exceptional hydraulic conductivity in the interval 610-685 mbsf in Hole 857D, with apparent permeabilities on the order of 10~10 m2. These zones allowed a huge flux of ocean bottom water down Hole 857D before the hole was sealed, at rates of about 10,000 L/min, two orders of magnitude greater than similar downhole flows observed in other young crustal holes. Our measurements represent the first determination of the characteristic hydrogeological properties of the kind of discrete faults, fractures, or other irregular zones of high hydraulic conductivity that are thought to control circulation patterns in active hydrothermal systems.
Step-width Adjustment and Sidewall Control in Electron-beam Lithography

Two-dimensional (2-D) patterns and three-dimensional (3-D) structures increasingly find applications in various devices such as diffractive optical elements, photonic element, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) etc. and are often fabricated by e-beam lithography. Their performance is known to be highly sensitive to their dimensions. Therefore, it is critical to achieve high dimensional accuracy for the desired characteristics. However, as the feature size decreases down to nanoscale, the non-ideal exposure distribution due to electron scattering can make dimensions of the fabricated features in a device substantially different from the target dimensions. In this thesis, the issue of controlling the dimensions of the features transferred onto the resist layer is addressed for the staircase structures and the line patterns. The remaining resist profile estimated from the 3-D exposure distribution is employed in the optimization procedure in order to obtain realistic results. The results from the experiments and extensive simulation study are analyzed.
Automated Analysis of Body Movement in Emotionally Expressive Piano Performances

EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION IN MUSIC PERFORMANCE includes important cues arising from the body movement of the musician. This movement is related to both the musical score execution and the emotional intention conveyed. In this experiment, a pianist was asked to play the same excerpt with different emotionally expressive intentions. The aim was to verify whether different expressions could be distinguished based on movement by trying to determine which motion cues were most emotion-sensitive. Analyses were performed via an automated system capable of detecting the temporal profiles of two motion cues: the quantity of motion of the upper body and the velocity of head movements. Results showed that both were sensitive to emotional expression, especially the velocity of head movements. Further, some features conveying information about movement temporal dynamics varied among expressive conditions allowing emotion discrimination. These results are in line with recent theories that underlie the dynamic nature of emotional expression.
The Legitimacy of Representation: How Descriptive, Formal, and Responsiveness Representation Affect the Acceptability of Political Decisions

We examine how descriptive representation, formal representation, and responsiveness affect the legitimacy of political decisions: Who are the representatives, how are they selected, what is the outcome of the decision-making process, and to what extent do these three aspects matter for decision acceptance among the citizens? We examine this from the citizens’ perspective, and ask whether decisions are perceived as more legitimate when they are made by groups that reflect society in certain characteristics and chosen according to certain selection procedures. In a Norwegian survey experiment, we find that people are more willing to accept a decision when it is made by a group of people like them, and who are assigned as decision makers based on their expertise. Descriptive representation also serves as a cushion for unfavorable decisions. Moreover, when asked, the traditionally less advantaged groups tend to value descriptive representation more than other citizens.
Study on Functions of Chrome and Fluoride Ions in Plating Process of Tin Free Steel by Means of Cyclic Voltammetry

Plating solution of tin free steel (TFS) presents strong corrosion and special chemical action properties of chrome ions and fluoride ions. Electrochemistry behavior of their ions in the plating process of TFS was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results show that hydrogen and oxygen evolution peaks can only be found in CV curves of the carbon anode in fluoride solution. CV curves of the carbon anode in chromium trioxide solution consist of five anodic peaks and two cathodic peaks. When fluoride ions are added into chrome ions solution, anodic peak disappears at peak potential of 1.18V. For CV curves of lead alloy anode, anodic peak can be found at peak potential of-0.2V in fluoride solution, and oxidation process is in asymmetry with reductive process in chromium trioxide solution or the mixed solution. As to CV curves of lead oxide anode, the current density of all peaks in chrome ions solution is lower compared with that of carbon anode and lead alloy anode. When fluoride ions are added into chrome ions solution, the current density of the oxidation process obviously decreases, while the absolute value of reductive process increase remarkably
Expressive Political Behaviour: Foundations, Scope and Implications

A growing literature has focused attention on ‘expressive’ rather than ‘instrumental’ behaviour in political settings, particularly voting. A common criticism of the expressive idea is that it is ad hoc and lacks both predictive and normative bite. No clear definition of expressive behaviour has gained wide acceptance yet, and no detailed understanding of the range of foundations of specific expressive motivations has emerged. This article provides a foundational discussion and definition of expressive behaviour accounting for a range of factors. The content of expressive choice – distinguishing between identity-based, moral and social cases – is discussed and related to the specific theories of expressive choice in the literature. There is also a discussion of the normative and institutional implications of expressive behaviour.
Habitat distribution modeling of Halocnemum strobilaceum and Artemisia sieberi species using Maximum Entropy Method ( Maxent ) in the Qum Province rangelands

The objective of this study was to estimate geographical distribution of Halocnemum strobilaceum and Artemisia sieberi species, finding the most important variables in the distribution of these species, as well as understanding tolerance range of these species to environmental factors in Qum province rangelands. Maps of the environmental variables were constructed using GIS and Geostatistics. Then predictive maps of species distribution using maximum entropy method (Maxent) and presence data species were made. The correspondence of predictive and actual maps was evaluated using Kappa coefficient. As well as, Accuracy of the predictive models was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC). According to the results, amount of soil gravel factor, the electrical conductivity of first depth and sand content in second depths have the greatest impact on distribution of Halocnemum strobilaceum species, whereas lime amount in first soil depth, amount of silt in the first and second depths and acidity of the first soil depth have the greatest role in distribution of Artemisia sieberi species. Compliance of the actual and predictive maps for both species was assessed at very satisfactory level (Kappa coefficient was 0.74 and 0.70 for Halocnemum strobilaceum and Artemisia sieberi species respectively).
Sharing competences: The impact of local institutional settings on voter turnout

Institutions are common predictors of voter turnout. Most research in this field focuses on cross-country comparisons of voting systems, like the impact of compulsory voting or registration systems. Fewer efforts have been devoted to understand the role of local institutions and their impact on political participation. Especially the impact of divided competences in relation to public good provision and its impact on voter turnout has been widely ignored. In the present paper, we analyze the effects of different institutional settings for inter-municipal cooperation on voter turnout. We use data from local elections in Germany, held in 2003 and 2004. Overall, we analyze aggregate voter turnout of 1661 municipalities and find strong evidence for our hypothesis that local institutional settings are influential in this context. Further, our results indicate that the better competences correspond to the spatial dimension of local public goods, the higher should be the voter turnout.
Substitute and Communication Pattern for an Internet Banking System

The design patterns are the reusable component used in the development of the software, which delivers enhanced quality software to the end users. The design patterns are available for user interface, mobile applications, text classification and so on. There are no design patterns for internet banking applications. This motivated to mine the design patterns for internet banking application from the document of Business Process Management (BPM) by using the qualitative research technique. The nonfunctional quality attribute of software architecture is enhanced by using the design patterns. In this paper the mined two patterns are presented namely substitute pattern and communication pattern for internet banking application.