Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Policy-Making Capacity of Foreign Ministries in Presidential Regimes: A Study of Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, 1946–2015

This article investigates the sources of foreign ministries’ policy-making capacity in presidential regimes. Using the concept of family resemblance, we argue that professionalization of the diplomatic corps is a necessary condition, whereas the institutional attributions of the ministry and the degree of presidential delegation are relevant but substitutable elements. The higher the scores on either of the latter dimensions, the stronger is the capacity of the foreign ministry to influence the chief executive and to contest other players’ policy preferences. To empirically validate our concept, we measure the three dimensions in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico between 1946 and 2015 using data on diplomats’ recruitment and career paths, influence of diplomatic schools and doctrines, appointment patterns of foreign ministers, and relevance of presidential diplomacy, with an emphasis on travels abroad. Our analysis indicates that Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico enjoy a high level of professionalization of their diplomatic corps; however, differences—both across countries and over time—remain regarding institutional attributions and presidential delegation. Resumen Este articulo investiga las fuentes de la capacidad de formulacion de politicas en los ministerios de relaciones exteriores de regimenes presidenciales. Utilizando el concepto de “parecido de familia”, sostenemos que la profesionalizacion del cuerpo diplomatico es una condicion necesaria, mientras que las atribuciones institucionales del ministerio y el grado de delegacion presidencial son elementos relevantes pero intercambiables. Cuanto mas alto sea el puntaje en cualquiera de las dos ultimas dimensiones, mayor sera la capacidad del ministerio para influenciar al presidente y doblegar las preferencias de otros actores. Para validar empiricamente el concepto, medimos sus tres dimensiones en Argentina, Brasil y Mexico entre 1946 y 2015 utilizando datos sobre reclutamiento y carrera diplomatica, influencia academica y doctrinas diplomaticas, patrones de nombramiento de ministros y relevancia de la diplomacia presidencial con enfasis en viajes internacionales. Nuestro analisis indica que Argentina, Brasil y Mexico hoy disfrutan de un alto nivel de profesionalizacion de su cuerpo diplomatico. Sin embargo, persisten grandes diferencias —entre paises y en el tiempo— en lo que hace a las atribuciones institucionales y el grado de delegacion presidencial.
The effects of biochar on trace element and nutrient solubility in the presence of low-molecular-weight organic acids

Low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) secreted by plant roots play an essential role in regulating the phytoavailability of soil-borne trace elements and nutrients. Biochar is widely considered as a suitable soil remediation option, having shown an efficacy to retain both anions and cations. This study aims to unravel the roles of LMWOAs in affecting the functioning of biochar in aqueous and soil systems. Twelve biochar were characterised and rice husk biochar was selected for use. Firstly, aqueous batch experiments examined the biochar-driven immobilisation of trace elements and nutrients with and without LMWOAs. Then, batch studies tested if biochar would reduce the LMWOA-driven solubilisation of trace elements and nutrients in soil. Later, rice husk biochar and LMWOA-activated rice husk biochar were incorporated in greenhouse investigations to study the growth parameters of edible plant species and trace element uptake by pea (Pisum sativum). Solution sorption studies found that LMWOAs impeded the biochar-driven removal of cadmium and lead but enhanced nitrate removal. Biochar did not affect phosphate removal. Biochar inhibited the LMWOA-driven solubilisation of soil-borne cadmium and zinc. Nitrate immobilisation was not enhanced but biochar reduced the immobilisation of the added nitrate overall. Phosphate immobilisation was observed but was caused by the precipitation of practically insoluble phosphate minerals using biochar as a source of soluble calcium. Seven out of eleven trace elements accumulated in pea roots were reduced either by biochar and LMWOA-activated biochar but the uptake was variable with biochar type. The data obtained indicate LMWOAs complicate biochar functioning in solution and soil under the studied conditions. Based on the results, protonation of the biochar materials in acidic conditions impeded cation immobilisation whilst enhancing nitrate immobilisation. Acid neutralisation by the biochar materials likely reduced the LMWOA-solubilisation of trace elements which would affect trace element uptake by plants such as pea, within biochar-amended soils.
THE CHANGES IN THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT PROFILES AND BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS OF POTENTIAL FEED INGREDIENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE

The objective of study was to evaluate the differences in the molecular weight profiles and the biochemical compositions of potential feed ingredients such as fish meal (FM), Artemia nauplii (ArtN), Artemia metanauplii (ArtMn), copepod meal (CopM), dry Daphnia sp. (dryD), Daphnia magna (freshD) and Tubifex. The lowest and highest ash (ArtN 5.84±0.05%, 45.18±1.17% dryD) lipid (dryD 4.71±0.06%, ArtN 30.19±0.65%) and protein contents (45.45±3.90% freshD, 66.74±0.2% CopM) were detected (p = Da and 2532-13000 Da, respectively. The highest molecular weight profile belongs to 67000 = Da molecular weight.
Portraits of Activism: ACT-UP in Retrospect

We present members’ recollections of their ACT UP participation from the early years of the AIDS epidemic. ACT UP had a major impact on public opinion, government action, and the design and conduct of clinical trials. While the historical setting was distinctive, lessons can be learned for contemporary social movements. We interviewed 125 members of ACT UP, using a semi-structured interview including both scales and open-ended queries. We asked the following: Why did they join? What did they do? Why did they leave? What do they most miss? What were the best and most difficult aspects? Major findings include the following: Members sought, and found a community of like-minded people sharing a primary goal: to find treatments and end the epidemic. In terms of what they missed, many spoke of the camaraderie, support and group cohesion. Communication choices have expanded since the early days of ACT UP’s weekly meetings; new technologies have multiplied. Nevertheless, ACT UP remains a model in terms of its sustained local social networks, publicity-generated attention to a focused agenda, meticulous preparations for actions and public relations, and educated recommendations for solutions. Inclusion of voices of those whose welfare is at issue can be a powerful tool for change.
The GEOframe-NewAge Modelling System Applied in a Data Scarce Environment

In this work, the semi-distributed hydrological modeling system GEOframe-NewAge was integrated with a web-based decision support system implemented for the Civil Protection Agency of the Basilicata region, Italy. The aim of this research was to forecast in near real-time the most important hydrological variables at 160 control points distributed over the entire region. The major challenge was to make the system operational in a data-scarce region characterized by a high hydraulic complexity, with several dams and infrastructures. In fact, only six streamflow gauges were available for the calibration of the model parameters. Reliable parameter sets were obtained by simulating the hydrological budget and then calibrating the rainfall-runoff parameters. After the extraction of the flow-rating curves, six sets of parameters were obtained considering the different streamflow components (i.e., the baseflow and surface runoff) and using a multi-site calibration approach. The results show a good agreement between the measured and modeled discharges, with a better agreement in the sections located upstream of the dams. Moreover, the results were validated using the inflows measured at the most important dams (Pertusillo, San Giuliano and Monte Cotugno). For rivers without monitoring points, parameters were assigned using a principle of hydrological similarity in terms of their geology, lithology, and climate.
Learn to See by Events: Color Frame Synthesis from Event and RGB Cameras

Event cameras are biologically-inspired sensors that gather the temporal evolution of the scene. They capture pixel-wise brightness variations and output a corresponding stream of asynchronous events. Despite having multiple advantages with respect to traditional cameras, their use is partially prevented by the limited applicability of traditional data processing and vision algorithms. To this aim, we present a framework which exploits the output stream of event cameras to synthesize RGB frames, relying on an initial or a periodic set of color key-frames and the sequence of intermediate events. Differently from existing work, we propose a deep learning-based frame synthesis method, consisting of an adversarial architecture combined with a recurrent module. Qualitative results and quantitative per-pixel, perceptual, and semantic evaluation on four public datasets confirm the quality of the synthesized images.
Isolation, Culture Procedures and Microscopy of the Mouse Peritoneal Cells for Assaying Phagocytosis: An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment

Abstract To investigate phagocytosis, a class of undergraduate students isolated, cultured and fixed the mouse peritoneal cells. We concluded that the mouse immune system has high efficiency to eliminate pathogens. Educational research has shown many advantages of using “hands-on” experiments which will help students carry out different experimental techniques and ultimately gain laboratory research skills. Skills that include preparing tissue culture media, handling animals and cell culture techniques, staining, and utilizing microscopes, will develop the knowledge needed to work in a laboratory, to produce a plan to undertake and test scientific hypotheses, and to emphasize future employability skills and attitudes. Key words: Active-learning strategies, peritoneal cells,phagocytosis, microscopy, mouse Introduction Many science education reports have shown that traditional lectures accompanied with “ready recipe” labs do not serve the needs of the student during his/her educational development (Smith et al., 2005; Wood, 2003). Therefore, active-learning strategies, also known as seeking new information, are very important to teach Biology as a discipline to undergraduate students. These strategies can mainly be present in the laboratory work in which the students are highly engaged in practical experiments, rather than having an instructor as the center of the class to run the “show”. Such laboratory practices or classes provide great opportunities to students to handle different “wethand” procedures. This increases the students understanding and makes them rely on the evidence rather than theoretical knowledge. To illustrate, it clarifies/explains an observed event through connecting their theoretical knowledge with the practical skills (Bendassolli,2013).
Free vibration analysis of uniform and stepped functionally graded circular cylindrical shells

A semi analytical method is employed to analyze free vibration characteristics of uniform and stepped functionally graded circular cylindrical shells under complex boundary conditions. The analytical model is established based on multi-segment partitioning strategy and first-order shear deformation theory. The displacement functions are handled by unified Jacobi polynomials and Fourier series. In order to obtain continuous conditions and satisfy complex boundary conditions, the penalty method about spring technique is adopted. The solutions about free vibration behavior of functionally graded circular cylindrical shells were obtained by approach of Rayleigh-Ritz. To confirm the dependability and validity of present approach, numerical verifications and convergence studies are conducted on functionally graded cylindrical shells under various influencing factors such as boundaries, spring parameters et al. The present method apparently has rapid convergence ability and excellent stability, and the results of the paper are closely agreed with those obtained by FEM and published literatures.
A Comparative Study of Wavelet‐based Descriptors for Fault Diagnosis of Self‐Humidified Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Fault diagnosis can help extend the lifetime of fuel cells and has been widely explored for externally humidified fuel cells. However, fault detection in self‐humidified fuel cells is scarce, despite its importance. This paper explores various wavelet‐based descriptors for identifying hydration levels in self‐humidified stacks. Wavelet‐based techniques are non‐intrusive and provide concurrent examinations in time and frequency. Thus, they encapsulate health related data that can be used as health monitoring features. The specific wavelet‐based techniques used here are (i) impedance obtained through the wavelet‐based fast electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and (ii) changes in wavelet energy through wavelet and wavelet packet decomposition. Results are compared based on their trends under dehydration conditions and the robustness of those trends across different currents and sampling rates. They are then assessed based on their predictive ability using RReliefF (Regression‐ReliefF)‐ a regression based feature ranking tool. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis, descriptors are assessed in the context of creating a short‐term health monitoring system for self‐humidified fuel cells. While a modified version of the wavelet energies provides the best results for differentiating faults, fast EIS opens the possibility for analysis of more complex fault modes and is shown to be more robust.
Effects of Proportional Hazard Assumption on Variable Selection Methods for Censored Data

Abstract The Cox proportional hazard (PH) model is widely used to determine the effects of risk factors and treatments (covariates) on survival time of subjects that might be right censored. The selection of covariates depends crucially on the specific form of the conditional hazard model, which is often assumed to be PH, accelerated failure time (AFT), or proportional odds (PO). However, we show that none of these semiparametric models allow for the crossing of the survival functions and hence such strong assumptions may adversely affect the selection of variables. Moreover, the most commonly used PH assumption may also be violated when there is a delayed effect of the risk factors. Taking into account all of these modeling assumptions, this study examines the effect of the PH assumption on covariate selection when the data generating model may have non-PH. In particular, variable selection under two alternative models are explored: (i) the penalized PH model (using the elastic-net penalty) and (ii) the linear spline based hazard regression model. We apply the aforementioned models to the ACTG-175 dataset and simulated datasets with survival times generated from the Weibull and log-normal distributions. We also examine the effect on covariate selection of stratifying the analysis on the off-treatment indicator.
A 17 Gbps 156 fJ/bit Two-Channel Optical Receiver With Optical-Input Split and Delay in 65 nm CMOS

Multi-channel optical receivers clocked at a frequency slower than the data-rate in which different phases are used for each channel are widely used in high data-rate applications. Here, we demonstrate a two-channel optical receiver where both channels share the same clock operating at half of the data-rate frequency. However, instead of using different phases for each channel, the optical input is split and the input to the 2nd channel is optically delayed with respect to the 1st channel. Moreover, to improve performance, the duty cycle of the clock can easily become a design parameter. Each channel consists of only one high-bandwidth gain-improved transimpedance amplifier with a pseudo-differential-output and a comparator with offset-nulling. The receiver is fabricated in 65 nm CMOS. To demonstrate the concept, the fabricated die and two photo-detectors are bonded inside a QFN80 package. Measurement results of the receiver show that each channel can sample the input at 8.5 Gbps, resulting in a 17 Gbps total data rate, with a total energy efficiency of 156 fJ/bit, and an input optical modulation amplitude (OMA) sensitivity of −7 dBm without any equalization.
Relative Contributions of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Coupled Processes to North Pacific and North Atlantic Variability

Patterns of sea surface temperature (SST) variability over the northern oceans arise from a combination of atmospheric, oceanic, and coupled processes. Here we use a novel methodology and a suite of observations to quantify the processes contributing to the dominant patterns of interannual SST variability over these regions. We decompose the upper ocean heat content tendency associated with such dominant patterns into contributions from different heat fluxes: (a) atmospherically driven, (b) surface feedbacks, and (c) oceanic. We find that in the subtropics, cloud radiative flux, turbulent heat flux, and residual oceanic processes each contributes substantially to North Pacific SST variability, whereas turbulent heat flux primarily induces North Atlantic SST variability. Cloud radiative fluxes therefore provide a major source of interannual SST variability in the North Pacific but not in the North Atlantic. In midlatitudes, SST fluctuations over the northern oceans are driven by the combination of turbulent and oceanic heat fluxes.
Multirepresentation, Multiheuristic A* search‐based motion planning for a free‐floating underwater vehicle‐manipulator system in unknown environment

A key challenge in autonomous mobile manipulation is the ability to determine, in real time, how to safely execute complex tasks when placed in unknown or changing world. Addressing this issue for Intervention Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (I‐AUVs), operating in potentially unstructured environment is becoming essential. Our research focuses on using motion planning to increase the I‐AUVs autonomy, and on addressing three major challenges: (a) producing consistent deterministic trajectories, (b) addressing the high dimensionality of the system and its impact on the real‐time response, and (c) coordinating the motion between the floating vehicle and the arm. The latter challenge is of high importance to achieve the accuracy required for manipulation, especially considering the floating nature of the AUV and the control challenges that come with it. In this study, for the first time, we demonstrate experimental results performing manipulation in unknown environment. The Multirepresentation, Multiheuristic A* (MR‐MHA*) search‐based planner, previously tested only in simulation and in a known a priori environment, is now extended to control Girona500 I‐AUV performing a Valve‐Turning intervention in a water tank. To this aim, the AUV was upgraded with an in‐house‐developed laser scanner to gather three‐dimensional (3D) point clouds for building, in real time, an occupancy grid map (octomap) of the environment. The MR‐MHA* motion planner used this octomap to plan, in real time, collision‐free trajectories. To achieve the accuracy required to complete the task, a vision‐based navigation method was employed. In addition, to reinforce the safety, accounting for the localization uncertainty, a cost function was introduced to keep minimum clearance in the planning. Moreover a visual‐servoing method had to be implemented to complete the last step of the manipulation with the desired accuracy. Lastly, we further analyzed the approach performance from both loose‐coupling and clearance perspectives. Our results show the success and efficiency of the approach to meet the desired behavior, as well as the ability to adapt to unknown environments.
Relationship Between Health Risk and School Attendance Among Adolescents

ABSTRACT Background/Purpose: The prevalence of childhood obesity and school truancy are contemporary health issues, as millions of children do not attend school, when required. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between intent to be physically active, aerobic fitness, and school absences. Methods: Data from 1907 adolescents from the United States were collected during physical education. Participants completed a valid Theory of Planned Behavior survey and the FitnessGram, with the demographic data obtained from school records. Linear regressions controlling for gender, grade, free/reduced lunch, body mass index, and intent to be physically active were calculated. Results: Adolescents who had positive intentions to be physically active (P < .001), scored higher on the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test (P = .006), and ran faster in the mile (P < .001) had fewer unexcused absences compared to students who had negative intentions and lower fitness. Discussion: Adolescents with higher aerobic fitness had fewer unexcused school absences, which suggests that cardiovascular health may be a valuable contributor in decreasing adolescent health and behavior risk, specifically truancy and out-of-school suspensions. Translation to Health Education Practice: Whole-of-school approaches that align physical activities and educational experiences can help adolescents understand the benefits of physical fitness as a prevention strategy.
Toxin/Antitoxin System Paradigms: Toxins Bound to Antitoxins Are Not Likely Activated by Preferential Antitoxin Degradation

Periodically, a scientific field should examine its early premises. For ubiquitous toxin/antitoxin (TA) systems, several initial paradigms require adjustment based on accumulated data. For example, it is now clear that under physiological conditions, there is little evidence that toxins of TA systems cause cell death and little evidence that TA systems cause persistence. Instead, TA systems are utilized to reduce metabolism during stress, inhibit phages, stabilize genetic elements, and influence biofilm formation (bacterial cells attached via an extracellular matrix). In this essay, it is argued that toxins bound to antitoxins are not likely to become activated by preferential antitoxin degradation but instead, de novo toxin synthesis in the absence of stoichiometric amounts of antitoxin activates toxins.
Prediction-based Resource Provision and Virtual Machines Placement in Cloud Data Center

With the rapid development of virtualization, cloud servers provide the power and flexibility that single servers struggle to provide. However, low utilization of physical machines and high energy consumption are the main concerns for cloud service providers. In this paper, we propose a predict-and-place framework to decrease the number of active physical machines in cloud centers. We analyze the historical VM (virtual machine) request records to predict the VM demands in the next several days and then use an offline VM placement strategy to keep the number of active servers as less as possible while satisfying the SLA (Service-Level Agreement) requirements. In the prediction process, we enhanced the classical Holt’s linear prediction method on account of inevitable outliers to increase the prediction accuracy. We conduct experiments to compare the prediction accuracy of Perceptron, classical Holt-Winters, and our refined, robust Holt-Winters method. The experiment based on real data shows the simple perceptron has an inferior result. Our improved prediction method reduces the MAPE (Mean Absolute Percentage Error) by about 50% compared with the classical one, and the predict-and-place framework decreases the average number of active physical machines effectively in the cloud data center.