Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Gravity of Ideas: How Distance Affects Translations

I use newly digitised data on a million book translations for 1949–2000 to study the factors that affect the international diffusion of ideas carried by books. I estimate a gravity model and find translation flows decrease significantly with distance, although distance matters less in later years when the world is more highly globalised. Countries translate more from others that are culturally similar, but this explains none of translations’ correlation with physical distance. Translations decrease faster with distance in developing countries, suggesting countries with the greatest potential benefit from adopting foreign ideas are least able to access them.
Localized Spatial and Temporal Variation in Reproductive Effort of Florida Bass

AbstractFew studies have explored annual reproductive effort of fish populations, yet factors such as skipped spawning could influence recruitment processes. We estimated the number of broods produced annually as an index of reproductive effort for Florida Bass Micropterus floridanus across four lakes in north-central Florida. Snorkel surveys were used to estimate reproductive effort in the lakes from 2010 to 2012. Mark–recapture methods were used to estimate the abundance of Florida Bass in each lake during each year. All four lakes contained high-density Florida Bass populations that showed evidence of relatively slow growth. Average relative weight in all populations was low, ranging from 65.4 to 68.8 for adults (≥25.0 cm TL). Annual reproductive effort (estimated number of broods) varied among lakes and across years. We found evidence for multiple spawning events per adult and for skipped spawning. Devils Hole Lake produced the highest number of broods in all 3 years, ranging from 1.62 broods/spawner .
An efficient garment visual search based on shape context

In recent years, the theoretical models of mass consumer behavior have change to buy from websites rather than in stores. Because the high-growing of e-commerce, a new demand emerges: the special-purpose search engine for searching goods from network shop. How to meet the customer's requirement in product search is an import problem. Although it is easy for human eyes to determine the existence of clothes styles, recognizing it automatically from a computer program is not a trivial problem. Our work focuses on the garment retrieval from the e-shopping database, which supports feature-based retrieval by shape categories and styles. Traditionally the rigid shape-based algorithms unable to apply well on garment images. Because the clothing is essentially a non-rigid soft object: it is apt to self-occlusion, folding, and has deformation among every part (such as sleeve and tube). While producing deformation, it also influenced by light which lead to various kinds of shade at clothes, and the surface might include various kinds of pattern, texture, little piece, and decorate, these will all cause the great interference on image analysis.
An Adaptive Pulse Compression Filter for Ultrasound Contrast Harmonic Imaging

Coded excitation is useful for ultrasound contrast imaging to increase penetration and SNR, and improve the contrast to tissue ratio (CTR). The waveform of bubble response depends greatly on bubble size, the frequency and bandwidth of the excitation chirp signal. This makes the pulse compression filter based on square-law be wrong for bubbles with changing sizes. In this paper, an adaptive pulse compression (APC) filter for the second harmonic of microbubble with varying size distribution is proposed. The APC filter is designed based on the estimated power spectrum of the received bubble harmonic echoes. Theoretical analysis and simulation studies are presented for evaluating performance of the APC filter. For monodisperse bubble, the power improvement factor of the APC filter can be more than 20 dB.
Identifying Polarized Wikipedia Articles

Wikipedia is one of the most successful worldwide collaborative efforts to put together user-generated content in a meaningfully organized and intuitive manner. Currently, Wikipedia hosts millions of articles on a variety of topics, supplied by thousands of contributors. A critical factor in Wikipedia’s success is its open nature, which enables everyone to edit, revise, and/or question (via talk pages) the article contents. Considering the phenomenal growth of Wikipedia and the lack of a peer review process for its contents, it becomes evident that both editors and administrators have difficulty in validating its quality on a systematic and coordinated basis. This difficulty has motivated several research works on how to assess the quality of Wikipedia articles. In this chapter, the authors propose the exploitation of a novel indicator for the Wikipedia articles’ quality, namely information credibility. In this respect, the authors describe a method that captures the polarized (i.e., biased) information across the article contents in an attempt to infer the amount of credible (i.e., objective) information every article communicates. This approach relies on the intuition that an article offering non-polarized information about its topic is more credible and of better quality compared to an article that discusses the editors’ (subjective) opinions on that topic. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-2494-8.ch014
The 13 January 2001 El Salvador earthquake: A multidata analysis

[1] On 13 January 2001, a large normal faulting intermediate depth event (Mw = 7.7) occurred 40 km off the El Salvadorian coast (Central America). We analyze this earthquake using teleseismic, regional, and local data. We first build a kinematic source model by simultaneously inverting P and SH displacement waveforms and source time functions derived from surface waves using an empirical Green's function analysis. In an attempt to discriminate between the two nodal planes (30° trenchward dipping and 60° landward dipping), we perform identical inversions using both possible fault planes. After relocating the hypocentral depth at 54 km, we retrieve the kinematic features of the rupture using a combination of the Neighborhood algorithm of Sambridge [1999] and the Simplex method allowing for variable rupture velocity and slip. We find updip rupture propagation yielding a centroid depth around 47 km for both assumed fault planes with a larger variance reduction obtained using the 60° landward dipping nodal plane. We test the two possible fault models using regional broadband data and near-field accelerograms provided by Universidad Centro Americana [2001]. Near-field data confirm that the steeper landward dipping nodal plane is preferred. Rupture propagated mostly updip and to the northwest, resulting in a main moment release zone of approximately 25 km × 50 km with an average slip of ∼3.5 m. The large slip occurs near the interplate interface at a location where the slab steepens dip significantly. The occurrence of this event is well-explained by bending of the subducting plate.
Digital Signature: A Novel Adaptative Image Segmentation Approach

Partitioning or segmenting an entire image into distinct recognizable regions is a central challenge in computer vision which has received increasing attention in recent years. It is remarkable how a simple task to humans is not so simple in computer vision, but it can be explained. To humans, an image is not just a random collection of pixels; it is a meaningful arrangement of regions and objects (Figure 1 shows a variety of images). Despite the variations of these images, humans have no problem interpreting them. We can agree about the different regions in the images and recognize the different objects. Human visual grouping was studied extensively by the Gestalt psychologists. Thus, Wertheimer pointed out the importance of perceptual grouping and organization in vision and listed several key factors Wertheimer (1938), that lead to human perceptual grouping: similarity,
In search of the probability distribution of daily streamflow

Daily streamflows are often represented by flow duration curves (FDCs), which illustrate the frequency with which flows are equaled or exceeded. FDCs have had broad applications across both operational and research hydrology for decades; however, modeling FDCs has proven elusive. Daily streamflow is a complex time series with flow values ranging over many orders of magnitude. Nevertheless, the identification of a probability distribution 10 that can approximate daily streamflows should enhance our understanding of the behavior of daily streamflow and our ability to estimate FDCs at ungaged river locations. Comparisons of modeled and empirical FDCs at nearly 400 unregulated, perennial streams illustrates that the four-parameter kappa distribution provides a very good representation of daily streamflow across the majority of physiographic regions in the conterminous United States (US). Further, 15 for some regions of the US, the three-parameter generalized Pareto and lognormal distributions also provide a good approximation to FDCs. Similar results are found for both period of record FDCs, representing the long-term hydrologic regime at a site, and median annual FDCs, representing the behavior of flows in a typical year.
Crops Rotation – the Solution of Environmental Problems (a Case Study of Prince Edward Island in Canada)

Prince Edward Island (PEI) is well known around the world for its potato industry. While economically beneficial for PEI, potato production contributes to its environmental deterioration. This can be attributed to the high use of chemicals and fertilizers in the production, which leads to the pollution of PEI’s watercourses. In response to the environmental crisis, the PEI provincial government proposed several land use policies to mitigate the negative influence of potato production on water quality. One of the policies that is analyzed in this paper is a mandated crop rotation. The analysis of the mandatory crop rotation policy is achieved through the application of optimal control theory and dynamic programming. Findings from the co-integration model show that agriculture is most likely responsible for watercourse pollution in PEI. This provides statistical evidence that a policy aimed at water protection, specifically targeting potato land use is necessary. However the application of environmentally friendly approach (mandatory crops rotation) is positive, its negative impact on individual farms economy is evident.
Impact of storms and dense water cascading on shelf-slope exchanges in the Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean)

[1] In situ observations of ocean temperature, salinity, density and current collected from November 2003 to May 2004 in the Gulf of Lion were combined with numerical modeling in order to better understand the mechanisms and forcing conditions that control shelf-slope exchanges during autumn and winter times. Outputs from a 3-D coastal circulation model revealed that marine storms (and related processes) and dense water cascading were the two major mechanisms controlling shelf-slope exchanges. Marine storms induced accumulation of seawater along the coast, generated a strong cyclonic circulation on the shelf, and caused downwelling in submarine canyons that facilitated export of shelf water. During fall, because of strong water column stratification at that time, the depth of export remained shallow. In winter, the destratification together with the density increase of shelf water, due to the cooling effect of strong and cold northerly winds, enabled shelf water to plunge down the slope. The results of this study thus highlighted the importance of marine storms for shelf-slope exchanges, particularly during winter mixed conditions when they reinforced the cascading of dense water.
Assessing the Trade Effects of Being Graduated from Non-Reciprocal Trade Preferences

The term graduation is applied when an industrialized country withdraws a sector or a country from non-reciprocal trade preferences. Sectors and countries are graduated when they supposedly can compete at world market level, but surprisingly little research has explored what effect on export flows graduation actually has. This thesis thoroughly identifies and explains the graduation mechanism, collects data of all cases of sector graduation within the EU’s GSP scheme and offers a detailed empirical overview. The effect on export flows for graduated sectors is assessed econometrically. Based on panel data through the gravity model, a regression analysis is performed to investigate whether graduation from trade preferences affects developing countries’ exports to the EU. The results indicate that graduation impose no significant effect on trade for graduated sectors exports to the EU over the whole sample. However, graduated sectors from poorer developing countries are affected negatively which adds validity to the graduation mechanism but also suggests that it may be poorly designed.
Simulation-Based Training for Patient Safety: 10 Principles That Matter

Simulation-based training can improve patient care when factors influencing its design, delivery, evaluation, and transfer are taken into consideration. In this paper, we provide a number of principles and practical tips that organizations in health care can use to begin implementing effective simulation-based training as a way to enhance patient safety. We commend the health care community for their efforts thus far. We hope that the information provided in this paper will encourage thinking beyond the "bells and whistles" of the simulation and bring to light full potential of simulation-based training in health care and patient safety.
Ichthyoplankton of Inner Part of Izmir Bay, Aegean Sea (2000-2005)

Inner Bay of Izmir was an important "point of pollution" in terms of domestic and industrial pollution of Mediterranean region at the end of 1990s. From the beginning of 2000s, however, positive effects on all of the groups of living organisms in the marine ecosystem has begun to be seen as a consequence of avoidance of the pollutants. As a result of evaluation on seasonal surface plankton samplings between 2000 and 2005, present study related to the species abundance, distribution evaluated with the abiotic environmental variables such as temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen. Spawning situation has been demonstrated and compared with the previous studies in the Inner İzmir Bay fishes. During the study period, a total of 8727 eggs and 273 larvae were examined. 7 species of eggs and 13 species of larvae were determined. Availability rate of the species tended to increase from the spring to the summer seasons. The dominant species in the Inner Bay is Engraulis encrasicolus (Linnaeus, 1758), being responsible for 98% the eggs and 51% of the larvae. 6.59% of the obtained eggs, however, were found be dead. Being one of the other small pelagic species, Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) continues to lay eggs at very low levels. Parablennius gattorugine (Linnaeus, 1758) larvae (12%), Gobius niger Linnaeus, 1758 (11%), and Salaria pavo (Risso, 1810) (9%) are other important species in the region. At the lowest level of dissolved oxygen E. encrasicolus, Callionymus pusillus Delaroche, 1809, Buglossidium luteum (Risso, 1810) eggs and larvae of G. niger, Blennius ocellaris Linnaeus, 1758, Parablennius tentacularis (Brünnich, 1768) 1.68 mg/L were found. The fact that Blenniidae larvae were detected again at high level in the Inner Bay was found to be related to increased rate of light transparency. Part of the Inner Bay of İzmir that is richest in eggs-larvae is south of the middle part (offshore of Çakalburnu Lagoon) and the part that is richest in larvae is Yenikale Lighthouse located on outer part of the Bay. The weak currents which start from Yenikale Lighthouse doesn’t much effect to eggs and larval drift.
Determining the Importance Ratings of Customer Requirements of Automotive Clutch Based on Quality Function Deployment

To obtain more comprehensive customer requirements and accurately determine the importance ratings of customer requirements in automotive clutch Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Affinity Diagram, expert evaluation method and rough Analytic Hierarchy Process (RAHP) were introduced in this paper. Firstly, fourteen requirements were identified for automotive clutch by using Affinity Diagram. Then rough numbers and rough boundary intervals were utilized to characterize vagueness and uncertainty of customer requirements, and constructed rough group decision matrices and rough pairwise comparison matrices. Finally, the importance ratings of customer requirements were determined by solving eigenvalues and eigenvectors of rough pairwise comparison matrices.
Regeneration of plantlets through anther culture of maize (Zea mays L.)

Maize (Zea Mays L.) is one of the most important crops around the world because of its importance in direct and indirect production of food for human consumption. Because of limited land resources, expanding population, plant diseases and insect pests stresses, traditional breeding methods have not consistently met the demand for maize, considering both quality and quantity. Androgenesis via anther culture is one of the efficient methods for producing haploid and double haploid plants. In maize, anther culture is an effective technology for the production of DH population. In the present study it has been tried to establish an efficient in vitro method for haploid plant regeneration via anther culture of Zea mays which was limited by low response rate and high genoytype dependence for haploid regeneration. For decontamination during surface sterilization of Z. Mays, the highest recorded survival percentage of explants (variety BM-1, BVM-2 and Suwan) were achieved by treating the anthers with 0.5% of HgCl2 for five minutes. Absolutely no response was observed in Anther either in MS and N6 basal media supplemented with different concentrations of hormones. However only some swelling in the anther was observed in MS medium after 40 days of inoculations with 2 mg/l 2,4-D and 4 mg/l 2,4-D and 30 days of inoculations for N6 medium with 1mg/l 2,4-D, 2mg/l 2,4-D, 3mg/l 2,4-D and 2mg/l 2,4-D +1mg/l Kn. Apart from change in colour in the anthers after 30 days of inoculation in N6 medium supplemented with charcoal, no further response were observed.
Hypoglycemic Effect of Ethanol Extract and Fractions of Nauclea latifolium leaf on normal and alloxan- induced diabetic rats

The hypoglycemic effect of ethanol extract and fractions of Nauclea latifolium leaf was evaluated in this study. The result in normoglycemic rats showed maxima glycemic reduction of 26.4% within 4 hours in the group treated with butanol fraction (250 mg/kg) which proved efficacious than glibenclamide at p < 0.05. Also, similar advantage over glibenclamide was recorded in ethanol extract (250 mg/kg) given alloxan-induced diabetic rats with % glycemic change of 44.4% as compared to 32.2% of glibenclamide within 4 hours n-hexane fraction (100 mg/kg) and butanol fraction (250/kg) recorded maxima % glycemic changes of 73.2% and 71.2%, respectively, within a period of 14 days at p < 0.05 in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. These findings suggest that ethanol extract and fractions of Nauclea latifolium leaves possess hypoglycemic.
Profile specific Document Weighted approach using a New Term Weighting Measure for Author Profiling

Author Profiling is a text classification technique to predict the demographic features like age, gender, native language, location, educational background of the authors by analyzing their writing styles. Term weight measures identify the term discriminators for classifying the documents by assigning suitable weights to the terms. In this work, a supervised unique term weight measure is proposed to measure the significance of each term in the document. The proposed term weight measure is compared with four benchmark term weight measures such as TF, TFIDF, tf * rf, iqf * qf * icf. The experimental results show that the proposed term weight measure achieved the best performance among all term weight measures. The existing models fail to capture the relationship between terms and documents. To overcome the problem of independence among the terms within the document, in this work a new model has proposed by using second order representations between documents and profiles. In the second order representation, initially the relation between the terms within the document has established then, recognize the relationship among the documents and profiles. The performance of the proposed model is compared with existing model using various classifiers on reviews corpus. The results shows that the proposed approach with new term weight measure out performs for predicting gender, age and location of the authors.
The impact of residents’ informedness and involvement on perceptions of tourism impacts: the case of the destination Bled

The tourism development debate includes many studies on how residents perceive positive or negative tourism impacts, based on sustainability, as understood by a three-pillar concept. However, so far studies were very limited in addressing certain requirements for sustainable tourism, such as informed stakeholders’ participation and cooperation – which represent the subject of this study. The survey that was undertaken follows previous ones in using the established three-pillar sustainability concept in order to define impacts of tourism. Further, it adds to tourism research by surveying informedness and developmental involvement. A fourdimensional informedness–involvement tourism grid is used to segment residents and their perceptions on tourism impacts in each segment are analysed. The model is empirically applied to the Slovenian lake and mountain destination of Bled. The findings confirm that highly informed and highly involved residents had better perceptions of tourism than all other groups, whereas those residents who were lowly informed and lowly involved had more negative perceptions of tourism. The survey contributes by expanding knowledge on resident perceptions of tourism by adding in the aspects of informedness and involvement. The proposed model can be applied to any destination to help manage residents’ opinions and consequently their support for tourism development.
INFLUENCE OF THE DENSITY OF CHRYSOPERLA MEDITERRANEA (HÖLZEL, 1972) (NEUROPTERA: CHRYSOPIDAE) ADULTS ON ITS LABORATORY REPRODUCTION POTENTIAL

The reproductive potential of Chrysoperla mediterranea (HOLZEL, 1972) was investigated, when adults were subjected to different densities per rearing unit. Couples after emergence were placed into rectangular cages of 450 cm3, fed enzymatic protein hydrolysate of yeast and kept in a climatic chamber at 20±1 °C, RH 70–80% and 16h-photophase. The treatments were repeated six times utilizing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 couples with a couple/volume ratio of 1/450, 1/225, 1/150, 1/112, 1/90, 1/75 and 1/64 cm3, respectively. It was observed that the average pre-oviposition period for one couple was 5.8±0.3 days while for the other treatments it was 7–8 days. For the oviposition period no significant differences were found, 100 days being obtained on the average, but for the daily and total oviposition the results showed differences among the treatments with one couple per rearing unit showing the greatest fecundity (520±26.0 eggs/female). By increasing the couple numbers, the total oviposition capacity decreased, becoming more marked from four couples per rearing unit, with only 270.0±103.0 eggs/female when seven couples were utilized (density 1/64 cm3). Longevity was equally affected by density and for a single couple, it was 138.3±11.2 days for the males and 117.8±12.8 days for the females. In comparison, the reduction was in the order of 50% for both sexes when the density was seven couples per chamber.