Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Process Quality in Integrative Frameworks for Information Systems Development

Single and monolithic for information systems development are by many considered to represent outmoded ideas, and are today being substituted by more integrative perspects, in this paper exemplified by Boehm’s spiral model. Risk handling is considered to be the new big area for benefits. Apart from explicit strategies for risk handling, both specific development approaches and software tools are included in the spiral model. Let prototyping as well as software tools denote two concepts both of whom aim to increase certainty about the intended properties of a system, as well as development speed. In this paper we investigate how prototyping, use of tools and an effective software process interplay. The result obtained indicate that prototyping, supported by tools, not automatically contributes to a more effective software process, not even within the spiral model.
Plant community composition mediates both large transient decline and predicted long‐term recovery of soil carbon under climate warming

We integrated two methods, experimental heating and observations across natural climate gradients, to elucidate both short‐ and long‐term climatic controls on ecosystem carbon storage and to investigate carbon‐cycle feedbacks to climate in montane meadows. A 10‐year heating experiment warmed and dried heated plot soils and substantially decreased (by ∼200 ± 150 g C m−2) the amount of carbon stored in soil organic matter, a positive feedback to warming. In situ CO2 flux measurements, laboratory soil incubations, and a heating‐induced shift in vegetation community composition from high‐ to low‐productivity species indicate that a decline in community productivity and resultant decrease in soil inputs from plant litter caused most of the soil carbon decrease. An alternative widely hypothesized mechanism for soil carbon decrease under warming is stimulation of soil respiration, but we observed no increase in seasonally integrated soil respiration in our experiment (soil drying inhibited microbial decomposition even as soil warming stimulated it). To extend our analysis from the short‐term transient response represented by the heating experiment to the presumed long‐term approximate steady state represented by natural climate gradients, we tested a hypothesized relation between vegetation community composition (which controls both litter input rate and average litter quality) and soil carbon along the climate gradient. The gradient analysis implies that the experimentally induced decline in soil carbon is transient and will eventually reverse as lower quality litter inputs from the increasingly dominant low‐productivity species reduce soil respiration losses. This work shows that ecological processes can control both short‐ and long‐term responses to climate change, confirming some model‐based predictions about the importance of vegetation shifts, but challenging the widely held hypothesis that the effect of temperature change on respiration will dominate soil carbon changes.
A LUMINOUS PECULIAR TYPE IA SUPERNOVA SN 2011HR: MORE LIKE SN 1991T OR SN 2007if?

Photometric and spectroscopic observations of a slowly declining, luminous Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) SN 2011hr in the starburst galaxy NGC 2691 are presented. SN 2011hr is found to peak at M B = − 19.84 ± 0.40 mag ? > , with a postmaximum decline rate Δm15(B) = 0.92 ± 0.03 mag. From the maximum-light bolometric luminosity, L = ( 2.30 ± 0.90 ) × 10 43 erg s − 1 ? > , we estimate the mass of synthesized 56Ni in SN 2011hr to be M ( 56 Ni ) = 1.11 ± 0.43 M ⊙ ? > . SN 2011hr appears more luminous than SN 1991T at around maximum light, and the absorption features from its intermediate-mass elements (IMEs) are noticeably weaker than those of the latter at similar phases. Spectral modeling suggests that SN 2011hr has IMEs of ∼0.07 M ⊙ ? > in the outer ejecta, which is much lower than the typical value of normal SNe Ia (i.e., 0.3–0.4 M ⊙ ? > ) and is also lower than the value of SN 1991T (i.e., ∼0.18 M ⊙ ? > ). These results indicate that SN 2011hr may arise from a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf progenitor that experienced a more efficient burning process in the explosion. Nevertheless, it is still possible that SN 2011hr may serve as a transitional object connecting the SN 1991T-like SNe Ia with a superluminous subclass like SN 2007if given that the latter also shows very weak IMEs at all phases.
Multi-kernel dictionary learning for classifying maize varieties

The automatic classification and identification of maize varieties is one of the important research contents in agriculture. A multi-kernel maize varieties classification approach was proposed in this paper in order to improve the recognition rate of maize varieties. In this approach, four kinds of maize varieties were selected, in each variety 200 grains were selected randomly as the samples, and in each sample 160 grains were taken as the training samples randomly; the characteristics of maize grain were extracted as the typical characteristics to distinguish maize varieties, by which the dictionary required by K-SVD was constructed; for the test samples, the feature-matrixes were extracted by dimension reduction method which were mapped to the high-dimension space by muti-kernel function mapping. The high-dimension characteristic matrixes were trained by K-SVD method and the corresponding feature dictionary was obtained respectively. Finally, the test samples representing were trained and classified by l2,1 minimization sparse coefficient. The experiment results showed that recognition rate was improved obviously through this approach, and the poor-effect to maize variety identification from partial occlusion can be eliminated effectively. Keywords: multi-kernel, sparse representation, dictionary learning, maize classification DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe. 20181103.3091 Citation: Zhu H, Yue J, Li Z B, Zhang Z W. Multi-kernel dictionary learning for classifying maize varieties. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2018; 11(3): 183–189.
Learning in Science Education Across School and Science Museums - Design and Development Work in a Multi- Professional Group

The MIRACLE project aims to design and develop learning activities in science that will be used across schools and museum settings. A combination of digital technologies plays a vital role in bridging these institutional contexts. Cultural Historical Activity Theory will be used to analyse how the multi-professional project group orients to designing for science learning. In the analysis, we identify three contradicting orientations: experience, emotional involvement, and conceptual understanding. We discuss the implication this has for the further design work.
A technical analysis of Seiryoku zen'yo Kokumin taiiku-from a Karate and Chinese martial arts perspective as it affected Kano Jigoro

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The APJ Receptor A445C C Mutant Carrier Improves HDL Metabolism in Korean CVD Patients

Backgrouds: The apelin/APJ receptor system plays a mediator of CVD, but its molecular mechanisms related to APJ receptor polymorphism on HDL metabolism in CVD patients remains unclear. Methods: 386 CVD outpatients were screened by dyslipidemia (DYS; TG>150 mg/dl and HDLc<40 for men, <50 mg/dl for women) and non-DYS, and biomarkers for HDL metabolism and APJ receptor A445C polymorphisms (SNP rs948847) were examined. Results: BMI, insulin, HOMA-IR, TC, TG, LDLc, leptin, visfatin, and IL-6 levels were higher as well as adiponectin and HDL peak sizes were lower in DYS than those of non-DYS. High apelin levels were related to lower TC and LDL, and higher adiponectin and leptin levels. Increasing apelin was associated with higher TG and lower HDL in DYS, not in non-DYS. However, APJ A445C C mutant carrier, 5.7% frequencies among CVD, has protective effects in DYS. We found that lower TG/HDL, insulin, HOMA-IR, and visfatin levels and higher adiponectin levels in DYS with C allele compared to DYS with A allele, in spite of high apelin (>231 pg/mL) status. Decreasing TG/HDL in DYS with C allele was strongly improved with HDL metabolism such as increasing HDL with HDL2b and decreasing TG with HDL3 subtypes. Even though there were no changes in the mass of RCT enzymes between the A and C alleles in high apelin group, they were closed to those of non-DYS. Conclusion: Hyperapelinemia was associated with DYS risks compared to non-DYS, but APJ mutant carrier may have the beneficial effects of the HDL metabolism in the developments of DYS in Korean CVD patients.
Long-term Effect of Mixed Wastewater Irrigation on Soil Properties, Fruit Quality and Heavy Metal Contamination of Citrus

Wastewater contains essential elements for plant growth as well as heavy metals which may be toxic for plant and human. In the northern regions of the Nile Delta, mixed water (wastewater mixed with fresh water) is used in land irrigation long time ago. The present study was conducted to assess the impact of long-term irrigation with mixed water (MW); compared to Nile fresh water (FW), on “Navel” orange [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] orchards (aged 10 to 12 years). Some soil properties, yield, fruit quality and heavy metals contamination were evaluated in three orchards irrigated with mixed water and compared with another three orchards irrigated with Nile water. The Results indicated that long term application of MW induced significant (p<0.05) increase of soil pH and Ec, particularly in the surface layer. In comparison with FW irrigated soil, mixed water resulted in accumulation of K, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni and Na in the soil. On the other hand, MW irrigation increased yield parameters (fruit weight and yield/tree), soluble solids content and Brix/acid ratio. Fruit is still looking apparently healthy despite increasing of K, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni and Na in its peel and pulp. It can be concluded that MW irrigation may be useful in the reduction of fertilizers applied to orchards. Whereas, there is a potential risks associated with crops consumption that irrigated for a long-term with mixed water. Therefore, we have to be careful about mixed water irrigation and use it under controlled conditions to protect soil properties and minimize hazards from heavy metal accumulation in agricultural products and the food chain.
Paving the Path to a Green and Self-Powered Internet of Things

Internet of things (IoT) represents one of the biggest technology trends, which transforms every physical object to an information source and revolutionizes the way we interact with our surroundings. It aims to create an ecosystem of connected objects and provide ubiquitous connectivity between trillions of multi-role devices, such as sensors and actuators. Although recent advancements in miniaturization of devices with higher computational capabilities and ultra-low power communication technologies have enabled the vast deployment of sensors and actuators everywhere, such an evolution calls for fundamental changes in hardware design, software, network architecture, data analytic, data storage and power sources. A large portion of IoT devices cannot be powered by batteries only anymore, as they will be installed in hard to reach areas and regular battery replacement and maintenance is infeasible. A viable solution is to use energy harvesting techniques to harvest energy from environment and provide enough energy to the devices to perform their operations. This will significantly increase the device life time and eliminate the need for the battery as an energy source. This survey aims at providing a comprehensive study on energy harvesting techniques as alternative and promising solutions to power IoT devices. We present the main design challenges of IoT devices in terms of energy and power and provide design considerations for a successful implementations of self-powered IoT devices. We then specifically focus on vibration energy harvesting techniques using piezoelectric materials and briefly present a newly developed piezoelectric materials with enhanced electrical properties.
Channel Related Optimization of Wireless Communication Systems

This thesis deals with different optimization problems in the design of wireless communication systems. It is mainly directed to the design of systems based on multicarrier techniques and orthogonal frequency division multiplex, OFDM, but some of the problems apply to single carrier systems as well. The influence of different pilot patterns is analyzed when pilot symbol assisted modulation, PSAM, is used in OFDM systems. It is desirable to decrease the number of required pilot symbols and it is shown that the pilot pattern used plays a major role to enable reliable channel estimates from a small amount of pilot symbols. Rearrangement of the pilot pattern enables a reduction in the number of needed pilot symbols up to a factor 10, still retaining the same bit error performance. The effect of the number of sub-channels used in an OFDM system is analyzed with respect to resulting bit error rate. An analytical expression for the bit error rate on Rayleigh fading channels when interchannel interference, ICI, caused by channel changes during a symbol and energy loss due to the cyclic prefix are regarded. This expression is used to optimize the number of sub-channels, and thereby the sub-channel bandwidth (sub-channel spacing) in the system. It is argued that the system can be optimized neglecting the effect of imperfect channel estimation and on a worst case assumption for the Doppler frequency and signal to noise ratio. The benefits of using pre-compensation (precoding) in wireless time division duplex, TDD, systems are also investigated. The uplink channel estimate is used to compensate the channel impact on the downlink symbols. This enables less complex receiver structures in the mobile terminal since channel equalization is performed in the base station. Three different methods where amplitude and/or phase are adjusted are analyzed in terms of performance limits. Closed-form expressions for the QPSK bit error rate are given assuming a fully known channel. It is shown that pre-compensation is an attractive alternative to differential decoding. Phase-only compensation is preferred at low signal to noise ratios, while at high signal to noise ratios an order of magnitude improvement in the bit error rate can be obtained by including amplitude pre-compensation. All the analyses and optimizations are general and can be applied to any OFDM system. (Less)
Oak (Quercus spp.) response to climate differs more among sites than among species in central Czech Republic

Climatic parameters are the main environmental factors affecting tree growth. The main aim of the presented study was to determine whether different oak species growing under contrasting environmental conditions show different sensitivity to climatic parameters. Four oak stands with Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Quercus polycarpa and Quercus dalechampii growing in the same area were evaluated. Standard dendrochronological methods were used for sample preparation, ring width measurements, cross-dating, chronology development, and the assessment of growth-climate response patterns. Although the species grew under different environmental conditions, their local tree-ring chronologies are highly correlated. The radial growth responses to climatic parameters differ slightly, but the response depends more on local site conditions than on the oak species. At the same time, the strongest correlations between radial growth and climatic parameters were identical among species and sites. The amount of water available in the soil was the main climate-dependent factor limiting radial growth. Approximately since the 1990s, the distribution of rainfalls within the growing season has changed at the expense of spring precipitation. The significance of relative soil moisture content during spring for oak growth increased and the significance of summer values decreased.
Organisational learning as an antecedent of technology transfer and new product development: A study of manufacturing firms in Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of organisational learning (comprising absorptive capacity, nature and type of alliances and learning environment) through strategic technology alliances on technology transfer and new product development. The paper is based on a larger research on alliances in the Malaysian manufacturing industry.Design/methodology/approach – The antecedents and outcomes of organisational learning were tested using structural equation modelling, based on data collected from 335 organisations through an online survey questionnaire.Findings – The findings depict that absorptive capacity, nature and type of alliances and learning environment significantly affect technology transfer in Malaysian manufacturers, but not necessarily new product development simultaneously. Nevertheless, the results establish technology transfer as an effective means for building innovative capabilities in developing new products. This is imperative for attaining Malaysia's current g.
Anti-Reflecting Absorbing Layers for Electrochemical and Biophotonic

Anti-reflecting layers deposited on flat surfaces make molecular films visible in reflecting light microscopy. For centuries, single Anti-Reflecting layers have been implicitly associated with dielectric materials. We recently demonstrated that anti-reflecting layers could be achieved out of absorbing materials such as metals as well, but only when used as backside layers where illumination and detection are performed through a supporting window. Fortunately, this corresponds to the best geometry when envisaging biophotonic or electrochemical applications at the solid/liquid interface. Here we explain how single absorbing anti-reflecting layers can serve each of these applications, and both simultaneously.
ALMA observations of the multiplanet system 61 Vir: what lies outside super-Earth systems?

This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2013.1. 00359.S. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada) and NSC and ASIAA (Taiwan) and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ. MCW, LM and AS acknowledge the support of the European Union through ERC grant number 279973. GMK is supported by the Royal Society as a Royal Society University Research Fellow. AS is partially supported by funding from the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds. The Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds is supported by the Pennsylvania State University, the Eberly College of Science and the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium.
The oceanic non-sulfidic oxygen minimum zone: a habitat for graptolites?

The denitrified low oxygen zone in Early Paleozoic oceans is proposed as a potential habitat of planktic graptolites. Modern analogs of this zone are found in the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) and in the north­ern Arabian Sea as shallow regions, up to a 100 meters thick, at the top of the pycnocline. There, oxygen is low or undetected and hydrogen sulfide has not been found. In modem oceans, denitrification regions are limited vertically and horizontally as oxygen is replenished from below by ventilated deep waters. In the Early Paleozoic ocean, the denitrification layer would be global due to poor deep ventilation. It would be transitional between oxygenated surface waters and toxic sulfide-rich water. Many branched graptolites could have evolved when the denitrified waters were in or close to the photic zone, feeding on the abun­dant phytoplankton attracted to both light and nutrients. As this zone sank below the photic zone, grapto­lites who developed planktic mode of life could have migrated daily toward the food supply, similar to euphausiids in the modern ETP. Thus the changes in graptolite rhabdosomes from pendent to scandent and from many branched to biserial and uniserial are suggested as adaptations to assist vertical migration and feeding. With the continued ventilation of the oceans and the shrinking of the denitrified layer, grap­tolite extinction could have resulted as a combination of reduction in food supply and living space, in­creased predation from the then evolving fish and ammonites, and competition in the zoop! ankton niche from smaller (less visible) and more motile forms.
Surface Morphology and Electrical Resistivity in Polycrystalline Au/Cu/Si(100) System

This work describes the analysis of morphology and electrical resistivity (ρ) obtained in the Au/Cu/Si system. The Au/Cu bilayers were deposited by thermal evaporation technique with thicknesses from 50 to 250 nm on SiOx/Si(100) substrates. The Au : Cu concentration ratio of the samples was of 25 : 75 at%. The bilayers were annealed into a vacuum oven with argon atmosphere at 660 K for one hour. The crystalline structures of AuCu and CuSi alloys were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to study the morphology, final thickness, and the atomic concentration of the alloys formed, respectively. The four-point probe technique was used to measure the electrical resistivity (ρ) in the prepared alloys as a function of thickness. The value was measured and it was numerically compared with the Fuchs–Sondheimer (FS) and the Mayadas–Shatzkes (MS) models of resistivity. Results show values of electrical resistivity between 0.9 and 1.9 μΩ-cm. These values are four times smaller than the values of the AuCu systems reported in literature.