Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Up to the Finger Tip: The Effect of Avatars on Mid-Air Pointing Accuracy in Virtual Reality

Avatars in virtual reality (VR) increase the immersion and provide an interface between the user's physical body and the virtual world. Thus, avatars enable referential gestures, which are essential for targeting, selection, locomotion, and collaboration in VR. However, players of immersive games can have another virtual appearance deviating from human-likeness and previous work suggests that avatars can have an effect on the accuracy of referential gestures in VR. One of the most important referential gestures is mid-air pointing. It has been shown that mid-air pointing is affected by systematic errors, which can be compensated using different methods. Thus, it is unknown if the avatar must be considered in corrections of the systematic error. In this paper, we investigate the effect of the avatar on pointing accuracy. We show that the systematic error in pointing is significantly affected by the virtual appearance but does not correlate with the degree to which the appearance deviates from the perceived human-likeness. Moreover, we confirm that people only rely on their fingertip and not on their forearm or index finger orientation. We present compensation models and contribute with design implications to increase the accuracy of pointing in VR.
Molecular phylogenetics of Sarcolaenaceae (Malvales), Madagascar's largest endemic plant family

With 72 species belonging to ten genera, Sarcolaenaceae are the largest and most diverse of Madagascar's endemic plant families. Comprising shrubs and trees, with members found in nearly all of this island nation's biogeographic regions, they are characterised by the presence of a distinctive extra-floral involucre that is more or less accrescent, partially or completely covering or enveloping the fruit. We present the first molecular phylogenetic study of Sarcolaenaceae, using broad sampling that encompasses the family's taxonomic and morphological diversity, including 46 species representing all ten genera and sequence data from one nuclear marker (ITS) and three plastid regions (psaA-ORF170, psbA-trnH and rbcL), to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood. Results confirm the monophyly of Sarcolaenaceae and of eight of the ten genera; the monophyly of Rhodolaena remains ambiguous, although the taxa sampled were recovered in two well supported clades that are coherent in terms of morphology and geography. Only a single species of Eremolaena was available for study. The phylogenetic backbone of Sarcolaenaceae is not fully resolved, making it difficult to identify potential morphological synapomorphies or ecological preferences between and within genera. In the family, two monophyletic groups were, however, found [Pentachlaena + Eremolaena + Perrierodendron (Clade A) and Xyloolaena + Leptolaena + Sarcolaena + Mediusella + Xerochlamys (Clade B)] that are consistent with previous results based on morphology. Expanded species sampling and data from additional, more quickly evolving markers will be needed to produce a fully resolved phylogenetic tree for Sarcolaenaceae, which could then serve as a basis for exploring macroevolutionary patterns and processes in this remarkable family and reconstructing its biogeographic history.
The Impact of National Financial Regulation on Macroeconomic and Fiscal Performance after the 2007 Financial Shock – Econometric Analyses Based on Cross-Country Data

Abstract Using cross-country data, this paper estimates the impact of the 2007 financial shock on countries’ macroeconomic developments conditional on national financial regulations before the crisis. For this purpose, the “financial reform index” developed by Abiad et al. (A New Database of Financial Reforms, 2008a) is used. The econometric analyses indicate that countries with more deregulated financial markets experienced deeper recessions, stronger employment losses, and larger government budget deficits. Against the background of the ongoing global crisis and the results of other studies, the usefulness of liberalized financial markets for macroeconomic stability and economic development should be rigorously reconsidered.
Factors Influencing Nest Attendance and Time-Activity Budgets of Peregrine Falcons in Interior Alaska

An essential prerequisite to examining the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on avian nesting activities is understanding the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the birds' allocation of time to breeding behaviors. We examined factors influencing nest attendance and time-activity budgets of peregrine falcons ( Falco peregrinus anatum ) breeding along the Tanana River in Alaska in 1995, 1996, and 1997. First, as is typical of most bird species with nidicolous young and biparental care, females attended the nest more than males and, as the nesting cycle progressed, female attendance decreased to levels similar to those of males. Second, nest area attendance followed a circadian rhythm; parents attended the nest area less during early morning and late evening, which are prime hunting periods, than during late morning. Finally, although females typically performed most of the incubating, the division of labor between males and females during incubation differed among pairs. Higher attendance in the nest area by females during incubation appeared to be associated with more young fledged among successful pairs. Key words: peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus , time-activity budgets, nesting success, nest attendance, Interior Alaska
Probabilistic Multisite Precipitation Downscaling by an Expanded Bernoulli–Gamma Density Network

A nonlinear, probabilistic synoptic downscaling algorithm for daily precipitation series at multiple sites is presented. The expanded Bernoulli–gamma density network (EBDN) represents the conditional density of multisite precipitation, conditioned on synoptic-scale climate predictors, using an artificial neural network (ANN) whose outputs are parameters of the Bernoulli–gamma distribution. Following the methodology used in expanded downscaling, predicted covariances between sites are forced to match observed covariances through the addition of a constraint to the ANN cost function. The resulting model can be thought of as a regression-based downscaling model with a stochastic weather generator component. Parameters of the Bernoulli–gamma distribution are downscaled from the synoptic-scale circulation, and unresolved temporal variability is generated via an autoregressive noise model. Demonstrated on a multisite precipitation dataset from coastal British Columbia, Canada, the EBDN is capable of specifying the conditional distribution of precipitation at each site, modeling the occurrence and the amount of precipitation simultaneously, reproducing observed spatial relationships between sites, randomly generating realistic synthetic precipitation series, and predicting precipitation amounts in excess of those in the observational record.
Anchoring Heuristic Messes with Inflation Targeting

We evaluate recent inflation-targeting using Brazilian data and also consider the framework of the macroeconomic model of adaptive learning blended with a cognitive psychology approach. We suggest that forecasters interpret the inflation target as an anchor, and adjust to it accordingly. As current inflation increases above the target level, a central bank loses credibility, and forecasters start the adjustment from the top because they expect an even higher future inflation. Then, they move back to the core target within a range of uncertainty, but the adjustment is likely to end before the core is reached, as predicted by the psychological theory of anchors. After calibrating the model, we find an asymptotic equilibrium of a 6.1 percent inflation rate, which overshoots the announced target inflation core of 4.5 percent. This example casts doubt on the very justification for inflation targeting, which is unlikely to succeed when private forecasters rely on anchoring heuristics.
Breeding Biology of Brant on Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada

The numbers of brant ( Branta bernicla ) in the Pacific Flyway are relatively small compared to other populations of arctic geese and have declined from historic levels. Little information is available on brant from Banks Island, although the size of the island and its location in the western Canadian Arctic make it a potentially important nesting area for this species. In 1992-93, we documented the distribution of nesting brant on the southern half of Banks Island through aerial surveys and carried out ground studies at the colonies to document nesting chronology and reproductive parameters. Ten colonies were found in 1992 (n = 159 nests) and 42 colonies (including seven colonies that had been active in 1992) and five solitary nests were found in 1993 (n = 514 nests). Two-thirds (67%) of the nesting locations supported 10 or fewer nests. Most colonies (36 of 45) were located on small islands (mean = 248 m²) in inland lakes or large ponds, and the remaining colonies (n = 9) were located on the mainland near active snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca) nests. In 1993, when June temperatures were milder and snow melted sooner than in 1992, mean date of clutch initiation was significantly earlier (12 June vs. 20 June in 1992; p < 0.001) and mean clutch size was significantly larger (3.8 vs. 3.5 in 1992; p = 0.02). An index of productivity for the 21 414 km² area surveyed in both years was much higher in 1993 (1339 young) than in the very late spring of 1992 (347 young). The number of adult brant on the survey area was similar in both years, and the lower productivity in 1992 was due primarily to fewer pairs' nesting that year. Smaller clutch size and lower nesting success may also have lowered productivity in 1992, but their effects appeared to be secondary. No correlation was found between colony size and clutch size, mean number of goslings hatched, or the percentage of nests that proved successful.
Enclaves of activism and taste: Consumer cooperatives in Poland as alternative food networks

Alternative Food Network (AFN) is a broad term encompassing many initiatives connected by the aim to build an alternative to globalized industrial food production and distribution. AFN is a term that covers many ways of connecting producers and consumers on the local level, e.g. community supported agriculture (CSA), farmer markets or food cooperatives. In this article, the authors analyse the newly established consumer cooperatives all over Poland, as a local form of alternative food network. The authors describe the specific character of this type of AFN, both from the consumers’ and producers’ point of view, and reflect on the issue of how specific social and historical background influence their development. The authors also discuss the “enclave” character of the cooperatives, that is suggested to be specific to the Polish type of AFN. The cooperatives studied varied considerably, so the authors propose two distinct types: activist and consumeroriented. Polish food cooperatives possess characteristics that the authors have decided to label with a common term of “enclave” character.
Towards automated DDoS abuse protection using MUD device profiles

Insecure Internet of Things (IoT) devices are posing a threat to the stability of the Internet. These insecure IoT devices are used to perform Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The Manufacturer Usage Description (MUD) is a work in progress specification in the Internet Engineering Task Force. The MUD attempts to provide network operators with a tool to limit the network access of IoT devices. The MUD allows a vendor to specify the network access requirements of a device. The network is then able to restrict the network access of the device to the absolute minimum that is required to let the device carry out its functions. The applicability of the MUD in protecting a device against hacking attempts and usability in DDoS attacks is examined in this research. A system to automatically generate MUD profiles is designed and implemented. It is then verified whether the IoT devices are still able to function properly once the profile is enforced. Furthermore, a theoretical analysis is performed. The goal of the analysis is twofold. First, we will verify whether enforcing a profile prevents an IoT device from being hacked. Second, we will verify whether an IoT device can be misused in a DDoS attack if it were hacked anyway. For specific-purpose (as opposed to general-purpose) IoT devices, the approach taken to gener- ating MUD profiles appears to work well. Furthermore, the generated profiles do indeed make it harder to compromise an IoT device. However, in order to make IoT devices less useful in DDoS attacks once they are compromised, it is recommended to apply rate limiting, especially as more services are moving to cloud platforms.
Abiotic, bottom‐up, and top‐down influences on recruitment of Rocky Mountain elk in Oregon: A retrospective analysis

Understanding the relative effects of the many factors that may influence recruitment of ungulates is fundamental to managing their populations. Over the last 4 decades, average recruitment in some populations of elk (Cervus elaphus) in Oregon, USA declined from >50 to <20 juveniles per 100 females, and several competing hypotheses address these declines. We developed a priori models and constructed covariates spanning 1977–2005 from hunter-killed elk, elk population estimates, cougar harvest, and weather statistics to evaluate abiotic, bottom-up, and top-down factors that may explain annual variation and long-term trends of pregnancy, juveniles-at-heel in late autumn, and recruitment of juvenile elk in spring. In models of pregnancy status, August precipitation, age, and cougar index had positive effects, whereas previous year (t − 1) winter severity or winter precipitation(t−1) and elk density had negative effects. In models of juvenile-at-heel in late autumn, August precipitation, August precipitation(t−1), cougar index × elk density(t−1), and age had positive effects, whereas cougar index, elk density(t−1), and winter precipitation(t−1) had negative effects. Juvenile recruitment was best explained by positive effects of August precipitation(t−1), lactation rate, and cougar index × elk density(t−1) and negative effects of cougar index and elk density(t−1). Winter severity, precipitation, and temperature were not significant in explaining variation in elk recruitment. Annual variation in pregnancy, juvenile-at-heel, and recruitment was most influenced by August precipitation, whereas long-term trends in recruitment were most influenced by cougar densities with relatively weak effects of elk density. These results provide insight into causes of year-to-year and long-term trends of elk recruitment and provide a basis for more rigorous evaluation of factors affecting recruitment of elk. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Discrepancies in Evaluating Farm Management Routines as Risk Factors of Raw Milk and Udder Hygiene in Selected Dairy Farms of Fars Province, Iran

The management practices relevant to bulk tank milk quality were studied in 29 dairy farms of Fars Province, Iran. Farm management practices were obtained by completion of a questionnaire and direct observation. Bulk milk was evaluated by performing standard plate count (SPC), preliminary incubation count (PIC), laboratory pasteurization count (LPC), coliform count (CC), somatic cell count (SCC) and detection of the contagious mastitis agents. The farms were divided into low and high SPC groups (below and above 100,000 CFU/mL) based on Iranian standards. Comparisons of the laboratory results between groups were done using two independent samples t-test. The relationships between the laboratory results were studied by Pearson’s correlation coefficients, all after logarithmic transformation. Associations of managerial risk factors (obtained by the questionnaire and one time of observation) with laboratory results were investigated using two independent samples t-test. P-values 0.05). Strong correlations were detected between SPC and PIC, SPC and CC, and PIC and CC, but many of the well explained risk factors of undesired milk quality lacked any relation with high bacterial counts of raw milk. This could be due to the small number of the studied farms, almost similar faults in the farms, wrong answers of the employees to the questions and modification of the milking practices in the presence of an inspector. Infections with Staphylococcus aureus and Mycoplasma bovis could be potential problems in the studied farms, contributing to the elevation of SCC and/or SPC levels. Veterinary interventions could not be based on the questionnaire results. Direct and frequent observations of farm routines could be recommended.
Long-Distance Migrations by Inconnu ( Stenodus leucichthys ) in the Mackenzie River Syste

Inconnu ( Stenodus leucichthys ) stocks of the Mackenzie River drainage exhibit complex life histories. In a single stock, some fish may make occasional or regular movements between freshwater and marine environments while others lead a completely freshwater existence. Many inconnu migrate between the Mackenzie River system and the Beaufort Sea, but during spawning migrations, most are believed to move only as far south as the Rampart Rapids near the community of Fort Good Hope. However, an inconnu tagged in the Liard River in northern British Columbia in 2001 was recaptured near Inuvik (Northwest Territories) in 2002, and a second inconnu tagged in the Liard River in 2002 was recaptured near Tuktoyaktuk (Northwest Territories) in 2003. These two fish exhibited some of the longest freshwater migrations by a species from Canadian waters other than Pacific salmon. Otolith strontium distributions of these two fish confirmed migrations of close to 1800 km between fresh and marine waters and indicated different life histories. Additional inconnu tagged in the Liard River in 2002 were recaptured in or near Great Slave Lake in 2002 and 2003. The movements of all these fish suggest that the management of inconnu stocks will be far more complicated than previously thought: they point out the need for management plans and protection that incorporate large geographic areas.
Complex network models, graph mining and information extraction from real-world systems

The development of small-world networks has significantly changed and extended the research directions of graph theory, a part of mathematics which provides the theoretical toolkit for the study of complex systems. Alongside this, research on mining graph and network data has been increasingly growing over the past few years, and it has become the most promising approach for extracting knowledge from relational data and investigating complex systems. The goal of this dissertation is to present the Author's work which focusing on the development and application of network models and graph mining tools for real-world problems.
Preparation of Methotrexate loaded PLGA nanoparticles coated with PVA and Poloxamer188

Objective(s): Nanoparticles offer an attractive platform for drug delivery through a wide variety of the body's physiological barriers. Furthermore, modification of nanoparticle surface with moeites such as Poloxamer188 can enhance their accumulation and localization at disease site. In this work, we investigated the physiochemical effect of a scavenger receptor (SR-BI) interacting moiety coated on the surface of methotrexate (MTX)-loaded PLGA nanoparticles. Methods: Methotrexate-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were prepared by a single step nanoprecipitation technique. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for their size and morphology respectively. In vitro drug encapsulation efficiency (EE) and relative drug loading (DL) of nanoparticles were examined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Results: The results showed that the mean diameter of nanoparticles and zeta potential increased when more poloxamer188 was added to preparation process.The DL and EE of MTX increased with increase in poloxamer188/PVA ratio. In vitro release of MTX from PLGA nanoparticle was extended by increasing poloxamer188 in preparation process. Conclusions: MTX loaded PLGA nanoparticle modified with PVA and poloxamer 188 with suitable sizes and physiochemical properties can potentially improve drug delivery.
Entropy Generation Rates in Two-Dimensional Rayleigh–Taylor Turbulence Mixing

Entropy generation rates in two-dimensional Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) turbulence mixing are investigated by numerical calculation. We mainly focus on the behavior of thermal entropy generation and viscous entropy generation of global quantities with time evolution in Rayleigh–Taylor turbulence mixing. Our results mainly indicate that, with time evolution, the intense viscous entropy generation rate su and the intense thermal entropy generation rate Sθ occur in the large gradient of velocity and interfaces between hot and cold fluids in the RT mixing process. Furthermore, it is also noted that the mixed changing gradient of two quantities from the center of the region to both sides decrease as time evolves, and that the viscous entropy generation rate 〈Su〉V and thermal entropy generation rate 〈Sθ〉V constantly increase with time evolution; the thermal entropy generation rate 〈Sθ〉V with time evolution always dominates in the entropy generation of the RT mixing region. It is further found that a “smooth” function 〈Su〉V∼t1/2 and a linear function 〈Sθ〉V∼t are achieved in the spatial averaging entropy generation of RT mixing process, respectively.