Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induced defense in Eucalyptus trees increases with prolonged herbivory

Mechanisms of defense in plants can be activated by external stimuli such as herbivory. It is well-known that such induced defense occurs after short periods of herbivory, but little is known about long-term induction. In this paper, we studied the effects of induced defenses of Eucalyptus trees on Thyrinteina arnobia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) over four generations. The effects of induction of eucalypt plants seemed to increase gradually with prolonged periods of herbivory. To our knowledge it is the first demonstration that induced defense changes in a gradual way with long-term herbivory. This suggests that these trees, and possibly many other plants, gradually invest more in induced defense with prolonged herbivore attacks.
Krylov subspace time domain computations of monochromatic sources for multi-frequency optical response

The study of correlations of speckle patterns of scattering media from incident beams with different angle, frequency and spatial location provides insight in the behavior of light transmission in scattering media. This insight can be exploited for numerous applications such as real-time imaging of biological tissue. Multi-frequency studies of speckle correlations can provide information about the nature and strength of disorder in a material. Currently the main method of calculating speckle patterns for multiple frequencies is broad band pulse excitation using the finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) method. However, to achieve a reasonable accuracy multiple computations with narrower pulses of partially overlapping frequency spectra have to be done. In these computations the spatial part of the source is constant and only the temporal part of the source is different for every run. In Krylov subspace exponential time integration methods the system is projected on a smaller system of ODEs, this projection is made independent of the temporal part of the source. In this research we present three different Krylov subspace methods to efficiently solve Maxwell’s equations in a scattering medium for monochromatic sources to calculate a multi-frequency response. Two of these methods are shown to be efficient, they perform better than the implicit trapezoidal rule (ITR) scheme. The first of these methods simulates Maxwell’s equations in one big time step and exploits the fact that the projection to a system of smaller ODEs is made independent of the temporal part of the source. The memory requirements of this method are very high but it is the fastest method for finding multi-frequency solutions. In the second method, the solution is rewritten as a time periodic asymptotic solution plus a correction term. The latter is a solution to a homogeneous problem which can be solved by a Krylov subspace method efficiently.
Study of Assigning Imperfect Attribute Values for Classifier

One of the interesting and important fields of research in data mining is classification on imperfect data. Unknown value can appear in real-world data sets at the stage of data collection. These facts lead to the imperfection of the decision system. The attention of this paper is to study the methodologies in making a decision point on such incompletion of data sets. We found a well-known rough set (RS) based classification scheme: Learning from Examples based on Rough Sets (LERS) that could be treated missing data, numeric data, and inconsistent data set. In this study, we utilize two interpreted meaning of imperfect values: lost values and attribute-concept values. The classification system is illustrated using a case study of iris dataset from the UCI repository. The system is intended to present a comprehensive view of assigning on imperfect attributes value that generates better result among lost and attribute-concept values.
RIKSBANK WORKING PAPER SERIES 260 Output Gaps and Robust Monetary Policy Rules

Policymakers often use the output gap, a noisy signal of economic activity, as a guide for setting monetary policy. Noise in the data argues for policy caution. At the same time, the zero bound on nominal interest rates constrains the central bank’s ability to stimulate the economy during downturns. In such an environment, greater policy stimulus may be needed to stabilize the economy. Thus, noisy data and the zero bound present policymakers with a dilemma in deciding the appropriate stance for monetary policy. I investigate this dilemma in a small New Keynesian model, and show that policymakers should pay more attention to output gaps than suggested by previous research.
CoSSMunity: Applying Gamification to create Informed Energy Users within a Smart Grid Community.

As the world’s population continues to grow, the importance of energy efficiency is getting increasingly dire. The amount of fossil fuels and and kilowatts a household expends has to be reduced. One way to accomplish this is by using green energy in the form of solar panels, and to educate the owners to utilize the energy in a smart way. Such a user will need tools in order to learn how much the house and its appliances are spending, how to save energy, and shift the timing of the expenditure according to availability. This project will introduce an ICT concept, which aims to inform the users of their behaviour, give tips on how they can improve it, and gradually persuade the users to change their behaviour into a more efficient one. The concept has adopted different behaviour change methods and theories, such as feedback, gamification, and social norm. This study follows the design science research methodology and results in a working prototype of the behaviour change technology. This prototype is evaluated through an expert evaluation in the form of a semi-structured interview session. The findings of the evaluation suggest that the prototype is a solid foundation in regards to creating a successful persuasive ICT. However, the findings suggests that the user should be able to choose what information is presented. This is in order to keep the information understandable concerning difficult terminology and measurements. The information given should also provide suggestive feedback to the users, so they can utilize the feedback from the system and learn how to be more efficient. The participants of the evaluation presented creative ideas ideas for improvement in regard to these findings. These have been documented and should be considered during further development of the prototype. Although findings from this study show that the foundation has been made, further research is required in order to determine the level of relevance of the ICT and if it is of a successful persuasive design. Keywords— Persuasive Design, Persuasive ICT, Motivation Change ICT, Gamification, Behaviour Change ICT, Energy Efficiency.
Threshold ring signature scheme based on the curve

Rivest, Shamir, and Tauman (2001) have proposed a ring signature scheme, which is signer-ambiguous and setup-free. Bresson, Stern, and Szydlo (2002) have extended it to a threshold ring signature scheme. In this paper, we propose another type of the threshold ring signature scheme. While the sequence of signatures of the previous ring signature schemes forms geometrically a ring, that of the proposed scheme forms a curve.
Investigating Informality in Construction: Philosophy, Paradigm and Practice

The complex interrelationships commonly enacted as a consequence of project team activity take a number of different forms, including those formally dictated by contract conditions. However it is becoming increasingly apparent that project performance is affected by informal relationships, though their investigation is notoriously difficult. This paper proposes that these difficulties arise partly from the nature of the informalities themselves, but also as a consequence of the philosophical position taken by researchers and their consequent methodological/paradigmatic posture, and its impact upon those being studied. It consequently proposes a subjectivist investigative framework that accommodates multiple philosophical points of departure, matching them to a range of alternative methodologies, and indicates the desirability of blending to reflect the peculiarities of each context under investigation. The framework also accommodates the practicalities of putting complex methodologies into action. The paper concludes that this framework presents opportunities to conduct rigorous in-situ investigations of informality at work, leading to authentic and deep insights that would otherwise remain unseen
Self-Adaptation for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation

Lack of labelled data in the target domain for training is a common problem in domain adaptation. To overcome this problem, we propose a novel unsupervised domain adaptation method that combines projection and self-training based approaches. Using the labelled data from the source domain, we first learn a projection that maximises the distance among the nearest neighbours with opposite labels in the source domain. Next, we project the source domain labelled data using the learnt projection and train a classifier for the target class prediction. We then use the trained classifier to predict pseudo labels for the target domain unlabelled data. Finally, we learn a projection for the target domain as we did for the source domain using the pseudo-labelled target domain data, where we maximise the distance between nearest neighbours having opposite pseudo labels. Experiments on a standard benchmark dataset for domain adaptation show that the proposed method consistently outperforms numerous baselines and returns competitive results comparable to that of SOTA including self-training, tri-training, and neural adaptations.
A route choice model in Switzerland based on RP and SP Data

In Switzerland, a broad political discussion has started about the introduction of road pricing. The study presented in this paper is a part of a major Swiss project analyzing different mobility pricing schemes. Here, we analyze long distance route choice behavior by car with both revealed and stated preferences data. Firstly, we estimate a Path Size Logit route choice model based on revealed preferences data where the actual choices are latent. Secondly, we estimate a Binary Logit model based on stated preferences data that takes into account serial correlation among multiple responses from an individual. Finally, we present a combined model where travel time parameters are estimated on both revealed and stated preferences data. The estimation results show that the type of road has an important impact on the route choice behavior. Moreover, there are significant differences in how travelers perceive changes in travel time on the different types of roads and ranges of the travel time variable. The results also suggest that travelers are indifferent to paying the same amount of money for toll or for fuel.
A new non-mammaliaform eucynodont from the Carnian-Norian Ischigualasto Formation, Northwestern Argentina

61 ABSTRACT – The record of non-mammaliaformes eucynodonts from the Carnian-Norian Ischigualasto Formation is diverse and abundant, including a medium to large size herbivore and small carnivores. Here is described a new small eucynodont from the Ischigualasto Formation, on the basis of a partial skull. The new taxon is characterized by palatal process of the premaxilla extending posterior to the level of the fi rst postcanine; deep and large maxillary laterodorsal fossa that opens at the level of the root of the upper canine; and postorbital bar diverging posterolaterally at very low angle (35.6°) from the anteroposterior axis of the skull. Results from a phylogenetic analysis supports the new genus placement as a probainognathian eucynodont, more derived than Probainognathus Romer, and more closely related to Ecteninion Martinez, May & Forster and Trucidocynodon Oliveira, Soares & Schultz than to any other eucynodont. Ecteniniidae is proposed as a new clade including the new genus, Ecteninion and Trucidocynodon, and in the phylogenetic hypothesis represents the sister-group of Prozostrodontia (Prozostrodon Bonaparte & Barberena, Tritylodontidae and Mammaliaformes). Additionally, the new taxon from the Ischigualasto Formation shows that the Scaphonyx-ExaeretodonHerrerasaurus biozone has similar cynodont diversity than the supposedly contemporaneous Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone of Santa Maria 2 Sequence, in Southern Brazil.
A Study on layered Space Time Trellis codes for MIMO system based on Iterative Decoding Algorithm

The next-generation wireless communication requires fast transmission speeds with various services and high reliability. In order to satisfy these needs we study MIMO system used layered space time coded system (LST) combining space time trellis codes (STTC) with turbo codes. In LST, two codes that are inner and outer codes are concatenated in the serial fashion. The inner codes are turbo Pi codes suggested in DVB-RCS NG system, and outer codes are STTC codes proposed by Blum. The interleaver technique is used to efficiently combine two codes. And we proposed and simulated that a full iteration method between turbo decoder and BCJR decoder to improve the performance instead of only processing inner-iteration turbo decoder. The simulation results of proposed effective layered method show improving BER performance about 1.3~1.5dB than conventional one.
2 The Formulation 2 . 1 Synchronous Machine In Dq-Domain Modeling

This paper presents the closed form solution of the synchronous machine transients undergoing short circuit. That analytic formulation has been derived based on linearity and balanced conditions of the fault. Even though restrictive, the proposed method will serve somehow or other as a new resource for EMTP productivity. Indisputably superior, the closed-form formulation has some features inimitable by discretization such as continuity, accuracy and absolute numerical stability. Moreover, it enables us to calculate states at one specific instant independent of previous states or a snapshot, which any discretization methods cannot do.
International Trade in Education, Skilled Migration and Economic Growth

International trade in education is a large and growing phenomenon. We investigate the consequences of such trade for economic growth in developing countries using a model with a role for trade costs and endogenous emigration of students educated abroad. The developing country’s comparative disadvantage in education means that trade allows it to acquire human capital at a lower opportunity cost, and raise its steadystate growth rate. If a sufficiently large share of students remain abroad, however, the net effect of international trade and skilled migration reduces steady-state growth rates below their autarky levels
Characterizing Placental Surface Shape with a High-Dimensional Shape Descriptor

The human placenta nourishes the growing fetus during pregnancy. The newly developing field of placenta analysis seeks to understand relationships between the health of a placenta and the health of the baby. Previous studies have shown that the median placental chorionic shape at term is round, and deviation from such prototypical shape is related to a decreased placental functional efficiency. In this study, we propose the use of a nearly-continuous shape descriptor termed signed deviation vector to systematically study the relationship between various maternal and fetal characteristics and the shape of the placental surface. The proposed shape descriptor measures the amount of deviation along with the direction of the deviation a placental shape has away from the shape of normality. Using Linear Discriminant Analysis, we can independently examine how much of the placental shape is affected by maternal, newborn, and placental characteristics. The results allow us to understand how significantly various maternal and fetal conditions affect the overall shape of the placenta growth. Though the current study is largely exploratory, the initial findings indicate significant relationships between shape of the placental surface and newborn’s birth weight as well as their gestational age.
Agency Theory Explanations of Self-Serving Sales Forecast Inaccuracies

The purpose of this paper is to develop and present a conceptual model that identifies factors contributing to accuracy in sales forecasts using agency theory’s tenets. Drawing upon these tenets, a model is developed that identifies the incentives that encourage sales people to provide accurate versus inaccurate sales forecasts. Six research propositions are developed, practical implications of the model for compensation programs are discussed, and specific recommendations for future empirical work are identified. The model can guide managers on how to develop a more effective compensation system.
Indirect drivers of plant diversity-productivity relationship in semiarid sandy grasslands

Abstract. Although patterns between plant diversity and ecosystem productivity have been much studied, a consistent relationship has not yet emerged. Differing patterns between plant diversity and productivity have been observed in response to spatial variability of environmental factors and vegetation composition. In this study, we measured vegetation cover, plant diversity, productivity, soil properties and site characteristics along an environmental gradient (mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, fixed dune, dry meadow, wet meadow and flood plain grasslands) of natural sandy grasslands in semiarid areas of northern China. We used multivariate analysis to examine the relationships between environmental factors, vegetation composition, plant diversity and productivity. We found a positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity. Vegetation composition aggregated by the ordination technique of non-metric multidimensional scaling had also a significantly positive correlation with plant diversity and productivity. Environmental gradients in relation to soil and topography affected the distribution patterns of vegetation composition, species diversity and productivity. However, environmental gradients were a better determinant of vegetation composition and productivity than of plant diversity. Structural equation modeling suggested that environmental factors determine vegetation composition, which in turn independently drives both plant diversity and productivity. Thus, the positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity is indirectly driven by vegetation composition, which is determined by environmental gradients in soil and topography.
Topside equatorial zonal ion velocities measured by C/NOFS during rising solar activity

The Ion Velocity Meter (IVM), a part of the Cou- pled Ion Neutral Dynamic Investigation (CINDI) instrument package on the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) spacecraft, has made over 5 yr of in situ measurements of plasma temperatures, composition, den- sities, and velocities in the 400-850 km altitude range of the equatorial ionosphere. These measured ion velocities are then transformed into a coordinate system with components parallel and perpendicular to the geomagnetic field allow- ing us to examine the zonal (horizontal and perpendicular to the geomagnetic field) component of plasma motion over the 2009-2012 interval. The general pattern of local time variation of the equatorial zonal ion velocity is well estab- lished as westward during the day and eastward during the night, with the larger nighttime velocities leading to a net ionospheric superrotation. Since the C/NOFS launch in April 2008, F10.7 cm radio fluxes have gradually increased from around 70 sfu to levels in the 130-150 sfu range. The com- prehensive coverage of C/NOFS over the low-latitude iono- sphere allows us to examine variations of the topside zonal ion velocity over a wide level of solar activity as well as the dependence of the zonal velocity on apex altitude (magnetic latitude), longitude, and solar local time. It was found that the zonal ion drifts show longitude dependence with the largest net eastward values in the American sector. The pre-midnight zonal drifts show definite solar activity (F10.7) dependence. The daytime drifts have a lower dependence on F10.7. The apex altitude (magnetic latitude) variations indicate a more westerly flow at higher altitudes. There is often a net top- side subrotation at low F10.7 levels, perhaps indicative of a suppressed F region dynamo due to low field line-integrated conductivity and a low F region altitude at solar minimum.
The Influence of Embedded Argumentation Teaching and Explicit Argumentation Teaching on Tenth Grader Students’ Scientific Argumentation Abilities and Conceptual Understanding

The purpose of this study is to compare the influence of embedded argumentation teaching and explicit argumentation teaching on Grade 10 students’ scientific argumentation abilities and conceptual understanding. A non-equivalent group preand posttest design was employed in the study and three classes of Grade 10 students used as subjects, dividing into the experiment group 1 (36 persons), the experiment group 2 (35 persons), and the control group (35 persons). Group 1 accepted embedded argumentation teaching, Group 2 accepted explicit argumentation teaching, and the control group accepted traditional lecture teaching. Teaching contents include Chapter 2 “Motion and Force” (10-hour class) and Chapter 3 “Heat” (eight-hour class) of “Basic Physics” in Grade 10. After the end of teaching, scientific argumentation post-test and “Motion & Force-Heat” argumentation post-test were tested. This study adopted scientific argumentation pre-test before teaching as covariance to conduct one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), so as to eliminate the influence of students’ argumentation abilities before teaching on their argumentation performances after teaching. Additionally, in order to explore students’ conceptual understanding of “Motion and Force” and “Heat,” the test was used after the end of two chapters to make a comparison with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). According to research findings, Grade 10 students’ scientific argumentation abilities, “Motion & Force-Heat” argumentation abilities, and scientific conceptual understanding in embedded argumentation teaching and explicit argumentation teaching could be improved better than those in traditional lecture teaching (p < 0.05). However, there is no difference in the improvement of argumentation abilities and scientific conceptual understanding between embedded argumentation teaching and explicit argumentation teaching (p > 0.05). Experiment effect size (ES) fell within medium to large range.
Poverty, inequality and natural disasters â€“ A survey

The last few years have seen an explosion of economic research on the consequences of natural disasters. This new interest is attributable first and foremost to a growing awareness of the potentially catastrophic nature of these events, but also a result of the increasing awareness that natural disasters are social and economic events: their impact is shaped as much by the structure and characteristics of the countries they hit as by their physical characteristics. Here, we survey the literature that examines the direct and indirect impact of natural disaster events specifically on the poor and their impact on the distribution of income within affected communities and societies. We also discuss some of the lacunae in this literature and outline a future agenda of investigation.