Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of a deductible/credit system for post-disaster public assistance in meeting alternative policy goals

We analyze a major potential reform of the current FEMA Public Assistance Program that would establish a deductible against the coverage of losses and would offer credits for expenditure on risk reduction by states as an incentive to offset the deductible. While the current FEMA Program is targeted primarily towards repairing damaged property, there is a potential to formulate a Deductible/Credit System (DCS), so as to achieve a reduction in other worthy goals as well, such as reducing fatalities and accelerating recovery. We analyze the effect of the DCS on the achievement of these alternative goals and on state and federal expenditure under various assumptions about which types of disaster losses are eligible for credits. Although the effect of the DCS depends on how states respond to the credit incentive, it is unlikely to reduce total state expenditure on the combination of risk reduction and disaster losses in the short term.
Multifractal analysis of low coherence spectra for oral cancer detection

Morphological changes in tissue are highly correlated with progression of cancer. Such structural changes lead to fluctuations of refractive index (RI) inside the tissue, which are random and exhibit self-similar properties. Depth distribution in RI of oral tissue samples were studied through Fourier domain low coherence interferometry. A halogen tungsten lamp was used as the source, and an Ocean Optics spectrometer was used for the collection of interference spectra. The experimental system was calibrated using mica sheets of different thick- nesses, polystyrene microspheres and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA) were employed on interference spectra to study and quantify multifractality in depth-wise distribution of the RI in oral tissue sections. The derived multifractal parameters, namely the generalized Hurst exponent and the width of the multifractal spectrum, showed quite significant differences among tissues having three different grades of cancer. The depth-wise variation of the refractive index showed an increase in multifractality with increasing pathological grades of cancer.
Cloning and localisation of nematode inhibitory amino acid receptors.

An antiserum was raised against HGP1, a synthetic peptide epitope corresponding to amino acid residues 46-61 from the N-terminal extracellular domain of the putative inhibitory amino acid receptor subunit Hgl (EMBL accession number X73584). ELISA analysis confirmed that antiHGP1 bound to HGP1 with a half maximal response at 1:700 dilution. A recombinant form of the extracellular domain of Hgl was produced by expression as a fusion protein in Eschericia coli. The antiserum also bound specifically to this protein on Western blots of transformed cell lysates, at a dilution of 1:1000. Immunocytochemistry was used to localise HGP1 immunoreactivity to the post-synaptic membranes of the neuromuscular junction in Haemonchus contortus and Ascaris suum. 3-5 neurons in the nerve ring of H. contortus, similar to the Caenorhabditis elegans RM (ring motomeuron) and RI (ring intemeuron) classes, and a single unidentified cell with its cell body in the region of the lateral ganglion were also immunoreactive. This distribution is consistent with Hgl acting as a subunit of a GAB A receptor in vivo. A partial cDNA clone encoding part of two putative glutamate receptors, Hg2 and Hg3, has already been described (Laughton 1993). The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to clone the remaining 5’ end of this cDNA. The Hg2/3 mRNA undergoes alternative splicing to yield mature mRNAs encoding Hg2 and Hg3, which share 79% and 87% identity with their probable C. elegans orthologues Cegbr2 and Cegbr3, and may represent members of a new subclass of inhibitory glutamate receptor subunits, GluCly.
Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Response to Harvest Residue Retention: Implications for Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Production

Research Highlights: Our study adds to the scant literature on the effects of forest bioenergy on ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and contributes new insights into the responses of ground beetle species and functional groups to operational harvest residue retention. We discovered that count of Harpalus pensylvanicus (DeGeer)—a habitat generalist—increased owing to clear-cut harvests but decreased due to harvest residue reductions; these observations uniquely allowed us to separate effects of additive forest disturbances to demonstrate that, contrarily to predictions, a generalist species considered to be adapted to disturbance may be negatively affected by altered habitat elements associated with disturbances from renewable energy development. Background and Objectives: Despite the potential environmental benefits of forest bioenergy, woody biomass harvests raise forest sustainability concerns for some stakeholders. Ground beetles are well established ecological indicators of forest ecosystem health and their life history characteristics are connected to habitat elements that are altered by forest harvesting. Thus, we evaluated the effects of harvest residue retention following woody biomass harvest for forest bioenergy on ground beetles in an operational field experiment. Materials and Methods: We sampled ground beetles using pitfall traps in harvest residue removal treatments representing variable woody biomass retention prescriptions, ranging from no retention to complete retention of all merchantable woody biomass. We replicated treatments in eight clear-cut stands in intensively managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests in North Carolina and Georgia. Results: Harvest residue retention had no effect on ground beetle richness and diversity. However, counts of H. pensylvanicus, Anisodactylus spp. , and “burrower” and “fast runner” functional groups, among others, were greater in treatments with no woody biomass harvest than those with no harvest residue retention; all of these ground beetles may confer ecosystem services in forests. We suggest that H. pensylvanicus is a useful indicator species for burrowing and granivorous ground beetle response to harvest residue reductions in recently harvested stands. Lastly, we propose that retaining 15% retention of total harvest residues or more, depending on regional and operational variables, may support beneficial ground beetle populations.
Solution for wireless time synchronization using sub-Nyquist sampling rates

This article presents an accurate low-cost solution for wireless time synchronization between different systems. The results are obtained using commercial-off-the-shelf 2.4 GHz transceiver components and a novel approach to the sampling of pseudo-random number code modulated signals that enables highly accurate estimation of signal arrival times using simple hardware. The method consists of sampling incoming signals at a sub-bit-rate frequency and subsequent data processing that estimates the shape of the pulse-form of each individual data bit. Based on this, the arrival time of the signal can be determined, with estimates achieving higher accuracy with increasing code lengths regardless of bit-rate. This means that accurate measurements can be achieved with modest hardware running at sample rates in the low megahertz range. The developed solution is thereby able to achieve sub-nanosecond resolution using a 32767-bit Gold code modulated signal with a chirp-rate of 3.2767 MHz.
Text Mining of Nursing Records

To extract information useful for feedback in nursing practice, a text mining system to analyze the nursing records, the Nursing Text Miner, was developed. In this paper, requirements for nursing record mining, that are different from those for mining in the general field and implementation of such requirements are reported. In the mining of nursing records, it is necessary to analyze not only the contents of descriptions, but also how they are expressed. Therefore, morphological analysis and pattern matching using regular expressions are used together in this system, whereas morphological analysis results are usually used in general-purpose mining tools. As a result of analyzing actual records, importance of some methods such as time series analysis were confirmed. By developing this system it has become possible to conduct various analyses of nursing records covering a few years. Portions of the analysis results were actually fed back to nursing practice and were confirmed to be useful for the improvement of the quality of records.
Gold and Bitcoin Hedging against 10 Exchange Returns

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to examine gold and bitcoin hedging against 10 exchange returns. <br><br>Design/Methodology/Approach - This study collected financial data on exchange, gold, and bitcoin from FRB, St. Louis. A multiple Vector-BEKK regression analysis was used to analyze the data. <br><br>Findings - First, strong negative effects from exchange markets onto gold were found to exist in the EU, Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and Korea, while there were weak effects in the UK. Bitcoin shows the weak hedging against all markets. Second, the paper also revealed that in EU, the cross-shock term significantly decreased gold volatility, but not bitcoin volatility, while in Japan it decreased bitcoin volatility. The significantly negative asymmetries in gold, but insignificant asymmetries in bitcoin, were found in most exchange markets. Exchange market volatility increases gold volatility in Japan while it decreased in the Indian and Korean markets. Cross-terms among three variables with bi-directional causality are valuable. <br><br>Research Implications or Originality - The study of the hedging of gold and bitcoin against various exchanges together shows that bi-variate models are useful to reconfirm the strong hedging of gold. Bitcoin, if well prepared to be immune to its deficiencies, might be very carefully used, but not at a magnitude equal to gold as a hedge against exchange. The results may enhance strategic risk management.
Specialty Training in Counselor Education Programs: An Exploratory Study

We investigated the training of licensed professional counselors in Texas by focusing on how students receive expertise in specialty areas such as substance abuse, sexual concerns, domestic violence, play therapy, family therapy, and art and music therapy. A mail survey elicited responses from department chairs or program directors of community counseling programs. Results of the survey were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively and indicated that most participating programs offer coursework in specialty areas designed to prepare students to work with a wide variety of client issues in counseling.
Dual source CT coronary angiography: heart rate and image quality

Poster: "ECR 2013 / C-2556 / Dual source CT coronary angiography: heart rate and image quality" by: "F. Laffranchi, E. Gavazzi, F. Bellucci, M. Imperadori, D. Farina, A. Borghesi, M. Ravanelli, R. Maroldi; Brescia/IT"
Cancelling Gyroscopic Effects in AMB Systems With Flexible Rotors via Modal Feedback

For active magnetic bearing (AMB) systems with rotors having significant polar to transverse moments of inertia ratio, the influence of gyroscopic effects needs to be considered in controller design procedures to prevent excessive vibrations and potential instability during operation. This consideration leads to conservative controllers due to large uncertainties caused by the rotational speed range of the rotor, or gain-scheduled controllers that require larger computational power, both of which are not desirable. A cross-feedback control has been applied in the literature to compensate for the gyroscopic effects of AMB systems with rigid rotors. However, the method is not applicable to AMB systems with flexible rotors due to lack of full-state sensory information and under actuation. This paper proposes a novel modal state feedback control as an addon controller for AMB systems with flexible rotors to compensate for the gyroscopic effects of selected modes. The aim of the add-on controller is to alter the open loop AMB system such that the open loop dynamics presents reduced gyroscopic effects of the selected modes from a controller point of view, reducing the uncertainties in the model for robust controller design. The proposed approach is demonstrated on an AMB rotor test rig with a rotor configuration featuring noticeable gyroscopic effects. The comparison of the frequency response data of the open loop AMB system with and without the proposed add-on controller shows the feasibility of the approach.
Channel integrated optoelectronic tweezer chip for microfluidic particle manipulation

Light patterned electrical fields have been widely used for the manipulation of microparticles, from cells to microscopic electronic components. In this work, we explore a novel electromechanical phenomenon for particle focusing and sorting where the electrical field patterns are shaped by a combination of the light patterned photoconductor and the channel geometry. This effect results from the combination of particle polarisation described by the Clausius–Mossotti relation and the engineering of large electric gradients produced by choosing the channels height to suit the size of the particles being manipulated. The matched geometry increases the distortion of the field created by a combination of the illuminated photoconductor and the particles themselves and hence the non-uniformity of the field they experience. We demonstrate a new channel integration strategy which allows the creation of precisely defined channel structures in the OET device. By defining channels in photoresist sandwiched between upper and lower ITO coated glass substrates we produce robust channels of well controlled height tailored to the particle. Uniquely, the top substrate is attached before photolithographically defining the channels. We demonstrate versatile control using this effect with dynamically reconfigurable light patterns allowing the retention against flow, focusing and sorting of micro particles within the channels. Contrary to traditional designs, this channel integrated device allows patterned micro channels to be used in conjunction with conductive top and bottom electrodes producing optimal conditions for the dielectrophoretic manipulation as demonstrated by the rapid flow (up to 5 mm s−1) in which the particles can be focused.
Satellite Image Classification and Segmentation with Transfer Learning

Deep convolutional neural networks have been successfully used in image classiﬁcation, image segmentation, and many other recognition tasks in computer vision. Nevertheless, building specialized models for industrial applications, is still a challenging task (as these problems often lack the rich and fully tagged databses, such as the one found in ImageNet [1, 2]). We used the “Airbus Ship Detection Challenge” as a case study to demonstrate how transfer learning can aid in building models for image classiﬁcation and segmentation within an industrial setting. The training set is highly biased as there is only 22% of the satellite images with ships on it. On top of that, images are very noisy, with clouds, haze, ships near coastal lines and ports, etc. Our proposed solution used two deep neural networks: a convolutional neural network for image classiﬁcation (selecting images with ships on it) followed by a residual network for image segmentation (returning the ship locations within the image). More speciﬁcally, the image classiﬁcation was done through a VGG16 network [3] while the image segmentation was done through a U-Net [4] (we tested both VGG16 and InceptionV3 [5] as encoders). For this application, our results show that a) using transfer learning from models previously created for ImageNet, we were able to achieve a 30% savings in computational cost associated with training while keeping the same accuracy level, and b) both VGG16 and inception led to accurate U-Net models for image segmentation, even though there is slightly smaller computational cost when using inception.
Recording and Archiving Conservation Education Approaches in Iraq, 2008–2017

ABSTRACT In 2008, the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) was established in Erbil, Iraq, as part of the US State Department’s Iraq Cultural Heritage Program (ICHP). The goal was to provide Iraqi professionals with long-term theoretical and practical training in conservation and historic preservation. Years of war and sanctions left Iraq's cultural heritage sector unable to engage with the international preservation community and with limited access to resources. Over the past decade, the IICAH has become a model for conservation training in post-conflict areas. This paper documents the creation of an archive related to the IICAH’s development between 2008 and 2017 and the conducting of oral history interviews included in the archive. Individuals involved with the IICAH in varying capacities were interviewed, including advisors, instructors, and students, many of whom were responsible for its genesis. By presenting the methodologies and major themes of these interviews, it is argued there is great value in documenting heritage preservation professionals’ experiences with capacity-building projects for future analysis and reflexivity. The IICAH Archive is part of the University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center archives and will serve as a resource for others creating and analyzing international conservation education programs.
Streamflow Intensification Driven by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) in the Atrato River Basin, Northwestern Colombia

The impact of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) on the variations in the streamflow in the Atrato River Basin (ARB) during the 1965–2016 period was analyzed here by considering the cold (1965–1994) and warm (1995–2015) phases of this oscillation. The mean streamflow increased after 1994 (AMO phase change). This increase is related to the strengthening of the zonal gradients of the sea surface temperature (SST) and sea level pressure (SLP) between the tropical central Pacific and the tropical Atlantic after 1994 (warm AMO phase). These gradients contributed to strengthen the Walker cell related upward movement over northern and northwestern South America, in particular during November-December (ND). Consistently, the frequency (R20 mm) and intensity (SDII) of extreme daily rainfall events increased during the 1995–2015 period. Our results show a connection between the AMO and the increase in the streamflow in the ARB during the last five decades. These results contribute to the studies of resilience and climate adaptation in the region.
From New Technology to Productivity

This paper reviews briefly the scientific literature on new technologies and future trends and on how and why the technologies may affect production, labour relations, and living conditions. Recent evidence points towards a slowing of productivity growth and a growing sense of unease in EU households concerning the impact of future economic developments. The paper argues that new digital technologies not only have the potential to change economic interactions, but also change the framework needed by economists to analyse the supply side of the economy. With appropriate policies, the technological advances can continue apace and will translate into productivity growth, so that households can contribute to and benefit from the new goods and services that the future economy will produce.
Multistage Collaborative Machine Learning and its Application to Antenna Modeling and Optimization

A multistage collaborative machine learning (MS-CoML) method that can be applied to efficient multiobjective antenna modeling and optimization is proposed. Machine learning methods, including single-output Gaussian process regression (SOGPR) and symmetric and asymmetric multioutput GPR (MOGPR) methods, are introduced to collaboratively build highly accurate multitask surrogate models for antennas. Variable-fidelity electromagnetic (EM) models are simulated, with their responses utilized to build separate MOGPR surrogate models. By combining the three machine-learning methods in a multistage framework, mappings between the same and different responses of the EM models with variable fidelity are learned, therein helping to substantially reduce the computational effort under a negligible loss of predictive power. Three antenna designs aiming at single-band, broadband, and multiband applications are selected as examples. And, for illustrating the applicability and superiority of the proposed MS-CoML method, a reference point-based multiobjective antenna optimization algorithm is used to optimize these three antennas. Simulation results show that using the MS-CoML method can significantly reduce the total optimization time without compromising modeling accuracy and optimized performance.
Exploring law enforcement’s views of de-policing: a vignette research design

ABSTRACT There is an assumption that the police work environment, which now includes cell phone videos, social media posts, and heightened media attention, is causing police officers to avoid activity that risks exposing them to negative publicity. Commonly referred to as ‘de-policing’ or ‘the Ferguson effect,” officers are assumed to be retreating from proactive law enforcement tactics. In order to uncover the views of law enforcement, police personnel from New York and Texas responded to an online survey that included a vignette. The scenario described several conditions that might impact an officer’s decision-making, and a final decision by the officer in the vignette. The findings suggest two somewhat contradictory views of law enforcement personnel with respect to de-policing. First, respondents clearly disagree with an officer’s decision to simply avoid a suspicious incident. Second, police officers may also be framing their decisions based on a potential threat to their career. Implications for law enforcement leaders are also discussed.
Impaired epididymal function and changes in thyroid and adrenal glands morphology of heat stressed rats

Twenty mature male albino rats randomly assigned to two groups were used for the study. In group A rats, hyperthermia was induced exogenously by exposure to the sun, while group B rats were kept under a shade. The duration of the study was 28 days. At the end of the study the effects of heat stress on body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), feed intake (FI), epididymal sperm reserve (ESR), thyroid and adrenal glands morphology were assessed. On day 28, rats that were exposed to heat stress showed significant (p<0.05) decreases in their mean BW and FI when compared to the unexposed. The BMI of the heat stress exposed rats and unexposed rats remained unchanged throughout the period of study. Epididymal sperm reserve was significantly reduced (p<0.05) in the heat stressed rats when compared to the unexposed rats. Histological examination of the thyroid and adrenal glands of the heat stressed rats revealed hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the thyroid and adrenal glands respectively when compared to unexposed rats. Keywords : Heat stress rat, Body weight, Body mass index, Epididymis, Thyroid gland, Adrenal gland