Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Terrestrial carbon sink in the Northern Hemisphere estimated from the atmospheric CO2 difference between Mauna Loa and the South Pole since 1959

The diVerence between Mauna Loa and South Pole atmospheric CO 2 concentrations from 1959 to the present scales linearly with CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel burning and cement production (together called fossil CO 2 ). An extrapolation to zero fossil CO 2 emission has been used to suggest that the atmospheric CO 2 concentration at Mauna Loa was 0.8 ppm less than that at the South Pole before the industrial revolution, associated with a northward atmospheric transport of about 1 Gt C yr −1 (Keeling et al. 1989a). Mass conservation requires an equal southward transport in the ocean. However, our ocean general circulation and biogeochemistry model predicts a much smaller pre-industrial carbon transport. Here, we present a new analysis of the Mauna Loa and South Pole CO 2 data, using a general circulation model and a 2-box model of the atmosphere. It is suggested that the present CO 2 diVerence between Mauna Loa and the South Pole is caused by, in addition to fossil CO 2 sources and sinks, a pre-industrial interhemispheric flux of 0.5–0.7 Gt C yr −1 , and a terrestrial sink of 0.8–1.2 Gt C yr −1 in the mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere, balanced by a tropical deforestation source that has been operating continuously in the period from 1959 to the present. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.1999. t01-4-00001.x
Large Inclusions in Plain-carbon Steel Ingots Cast by Bottom Teeming

Inclusions in industrial-cast bottom-teemed ingots of plain carbon steel are investigated using ultrasonic detection, optical microscope observation, and SEM analysis. The composition, size distribution, entrapment locations, and sources of ingot inclusions were revealed by examining all the macro-inclusions (larger than 20 μm) that were observed in 35 000 mm 2 of sample surface area. Based on 78 non-sulfide inclusions observed, around 3.23×10 7 macro-inclusions per m 3 steel exist in the ingot, with a size distribution increasing with decreasing size. Inclusions are distributed uniformly within a given horizontal section through the ingot, but with more found towards the bottom. The largest inclusions exceed 7 mm and originate from mold flux in the ingot. The largest inclusion source appears to be reoxidation, as evidenced by 59% of the ingot inclusions composed of pure alumina clusters and lumps. Eroded refractories from the ladle well block and ladle inner nozzle bricks accounted for 31% of the ingot inclusions.
CMOS dynamic low pass filter for a low noise level and a fast response time of PLL system

We present in this paper a new model of a low pass filter (LPF) for a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) systems. The main characteristic of this CMOS LPF s tructure is its dynamic band-width (about 12.66kHz when the PLL is locked and 211. 30kHz during the tr acking). It ensures a fast response time, a suppres sion of the jitters and a better noise level at the output. This LPF polarization is ensured by the current f rom the PFC-IC (Phase-Frequency Comparator with Charge Impulse) and the VCO control voltage. The simulation in a PLL system gives us a response time of 35.4 μs and a phase noise level of -121.37dBc. Significant improvements could be expected with a d edicated CMOS process and design. Keywords— CMOS, cut-off frequency, dynamic LPF, fast response time, jitters, locking, PFC-IC, PLL system, tracking.
14-19 education and training : a commentary by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme

This fourth TLRP Commentary examines research about 14 -19 education and training. A need for reform has been highlighted by responses to government initiatives in England such as the Tomlinson Committee's (2005) proposals and the 14 -19 Education and Skills White Paper (2005) which indicate there is no consensus about how to educate people in this age group. The complexity of the issues means that discussions about the pace and direction of reform will continue while existing changes that have been agreed are being implemented. The ESRC is committed to engaging both policy makers and practitioners. To facilitate dialogue between researchers, policy makers and practitioners about the most appropriate ways forward TLRP, in collaboration with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authorityâ? s 14-19 Advisory Group, has run two evidence-based seminars. Within the four home countries underlying issues have arisen in from different contexts resulting in a variety of approaches being proposed to support the learning and development of 14 â? 19 year olds. We hope that this summary will be of interest throughout the UK. Research among TLRP projects has begun to uncover ways to promote learning development and progression in the 14 -19 phase of education and training. However, big challenges remain, such as to how to support the learning of all learners in this phase in ways that do not undermine the different values of various kinds of education, both vocational and more academic. Existing TLRP projects have illustrated the strengths of different routes through further education and into higher education and the workplace. Reconciling the dilemmas posed by vocational education and training in contemporary contexts will require substantial discussion, evaluation of evidence and considered judgement over the next few years. We hope that this Commentary will contribute to such debate. Future findings from TLRP projects will progressively strengthen the evidence base that should underpin reform and development of 14-19 education and training.
Deliberating in the real world : problems of legitimacy in deliberative democracy

Preface 1. Deliberative Democracy and Legitimacy 2. Legitimacy Reconsidered: Theoretical Solutions 3. Health Politics and Deliberative Techniques 4. Representation and Representativeness 5. Deliberation as Drama: The Effects of Publicity 6. Reason and Persuasion 7. The Institutions of a Legitimate Deliberative Democracy 8. Questions and Conclusions References
A SLA-based Cloud Computing Framework : Workload and Location Aware Resource Allocation to Distributed Data Centers in a Cloud

As the number of users of cloud services increase all over the world, cloud service providers keep deploying geographically distributed data centers more. Since resource capacity of a data center is limited, cloud service providers need to distribute load to data centers. However, when the provider distributes load, SLAs (service level agreements) established with consumers should be guaranteed in an environment where a cloud provider operates geographically distributed data centers. Therefore, this paper proposes a SLA-based cloud computing framework to facilitate temporal and locational load-aware resource allocation. The contributions of this paper include 1) design of a cloud computing framework including an automated SLA negotiation mechanism and a workload and location aware resource allocation (WLARA) and 2) implementation of an agent-based cloud test bed of the proposed framework. Empirical results using the test bed show the proposed WLARA performs better than other related approaches in terms of guaranteed SLAs.
IRAs, 401(k)s & Other Retirement Plans: Taking Your Money Out

Written by two experts in tax and investment planning, IRAs presents the different types of retirement plans that are affected by distribution rules. It covers the tax options available to individuals when they either change employers or retire and have to take all of their money out of the employer's qualified plan. The book also examines IRAs and the new Roth IRAs: how to take distributions from them, designate beneficiaries and avoid even more potential penalties.
Volume kinetics of Ringer's solution in female volunteers.

The kinetics of crystalloid solutions in humans have not been adequately described previously. Therefore, we measured blood haemoglobin concentration during and for 120 min after i.v. infusion of 25 ml kg-1 of Ringer's acetate solution over 15, 30, 45 and 80 min, and 12.5 ml kg-1 over 30 min in six adult female volunteers. The dilution-time profiles were analysed according to a new kinetic model adapted for fluid spaces. Volume expansion produced by Ringer's solution approached steady state in an exponentially decaying manner when plasma volume had increased by approximately 550 ml. The size of the fluid space expanded by Ringer's solution was only 4.8 litre (95% confidence interval 3.8-5.8 litre) except for the fastest infusion, where it averaged 9.0 litre. The rate of fluid elimination could be predicted as the product of plasma dilution and a constant averaging 95 (95% confidence interval 68-122) ml min-1.
Arbitrage-free valuation of a federal timber lease

The objective of this paper is to describe a quantitative framework for o ering timber harvest bids on federal lands which includes special considerations of the volatility of timber indices and the harvesting costs involved in harvesting timber. The advantage of such an approach is that it provides a precise framework in which various underlying considerations, such as volatility and cost, may be systematically de ned, measured and evaluated. The valuations derived in this paper provide a market standard against which additional value that encompasses social or environmental welfare may be evaluated. We discuss a speci c USDA Forest Service timber sale as a case study to illustrate this approach.
Population Genetics of GYPB and Association Study between GYPB*S/s Polymorphism and Susceptibility to P. falciparum Infection in the Brazilian Amazon

Background Merozoites of Plasmodium falciparum invade through several pathways using different RBC receptors. Field isolates appear to use a greater variability of these receptors than laboratory isolates. Brazilian field isolates were shown to mostly utilize glycophorin A-independent invasion pathways via glycophorin B (GPB) and/or other receptors. The Brazilian population exhibits extensive polymorphism in blood group antigens, however, no studies have been done to relate the prevalence of the antigens that function as receptors for P. falciparum and the ability of the parasite to invade. Our study aimed to establish whether variation in the GYPB*S/s alleles influences susceptibility to infection with P. falciparum in the admixed population of Brazil. Methods Two groups of Brazilian Amazonians from Porto Velho were studied: P. falciparum infected individuals (cases); and uninfected individuals who were born and/or have lived in the same endemic region for over ten years, were exposed to infection but have not had malaria over the study period (controls). The GPB Ss phenotype and GYPB*S/s alleles were determined by standard methods. Sixty two Ancestry Informative Markers were genotyped on each individual to estimate admixture and control its potential effect on the association between frequency of GYPB*S and malaria infection. Results GYPB*S is associated with host susceptibility to infection with P. falciparum; GYPB*S/GYPB*S and GYPB*S/GYPB*s were significantly more prevalent in the in the P. falciparum infected individuals than in the controls (69.87% vs. 49.75%; P<0.02). Moreover, population genetics tests applied on the GYPB exon sequencing data suggest that natural selection shaped the observed pattern of nucleotide diversity. Conclusion Epidemiological and evolutionary approaches suggest an important role for the GPB receptor in RBC invasion by P. falciparum in Brazilian Amazons. Moreover, an increased susceptibility to infection by this parasite is associated with the GPB S+ variant in this population.
Super-resolution for compressed video based on DCT side information

In previous papers, frequency-domain quantization noise was always treated as uniform distribution in super-resolution construction for compressed video, when at high compressed ratio, this model may introduce error. This paper provides a Laplace model of DCT coefficients whose parameters can extract from the encoder, then transfers them as side information to the decoder, and utilizes the distribution of DCT coefficients as priori information in MAP(Maximum a Posterior) for super-resolution construction. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
Mutations of TYR and MITF Genes are Associated with Plumage Colour Phenotypes in Geese

The polymorphism of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and tyrosinase (TYR) genes have been proposed to play a vital role in coat colour genesis in mammals, but their role remains ambiguous in geese at best. Here, we cloned and sequenced 1,397 bp coding region of MITF gene and a 588 bp fragment of TYR exon 1 for polymorphism analysis among 157 domestic geese showing three types of plumage colour. We detected a total of three SNPs (c.280T>C, c.345G>A, and c.369G>A) in TYR and six haplotypes (H1–H6). Among them, haplotypes H1, H2, H3, and H5 were significantly associated with white plumage trait of Zhedong White Geese. However, only diplotype H1H1 and H3H5 were significantly associated with white plumage trait of Zhedong White Geese (p<0.01). We only detected one SNP (c.1109C>T) for MITF gene and found that genotype CT and TT were significantly associated with white plumage trait of Zhedong White Geese. Briefly, our study suggested an association between polymorphisms of TYR and MITF genes and the plumage colour trait in domestic geese.
Does Wage Regulation Harm Kids? Evidence from English Schools

Teacher wages are commonly subject to centralised wage bargaining. This results in flat teacher wages across heterogeneous labour markets and means teacher wages will be relatively lower where local labour market wages are high. The implication is that teacher output will be lower in high outside wage areas. This paper investigates whether this relationship between local labour market wages and school performance exists. We exploit the centralised wage regulation of teachers in England using data on over 3000 schools containing around 200,000 teachers who educate around half a million children per year. We find that regulation decreases educational output. Schools add less value to their pupils in areas where the outside option for teachers is higher. This is not offset by gains in lower outside wage areas.
Developing Robust Computer Assisted Learning Systems

In the paper we present a computer-based learning system created at Åbo Akademi University, in the department of Business Administration for graduate level students in Accounting and Finance. The system was built using clarity, simplicity, robustness and maintainability as the key design criteria. The system turned out to have great potential in a practical class room experiment, providing fruitful guidelines for future development of computer assisted learning systems in accounting, economics and finance.
Voltage drops mitigations using flywheel energy storage system in production lines

A novel flywheel energy storage system is proposed in this study. The energy storage system consists of a flywheel coupled to permanent magnets synchronous machine. The stored energy is used for drop correction for the critical load. In motoring mode (no drop on the grid), the grid connected converter lets the system deliver power and boosts the DC link voltage until the flywheel reaches the maximum speed. In generating mode, the grid connected converter supplies sinusoidal voltage to the grid. The permanent magnets synchronous machine is selected for the design of a three-phase machine for the flywheel energy storage system and Hysteresis current control is used for controlling both converters.
Low Energy Memory And Register Allocation Using Network Flow

This paper presents for the first time low energy simultaneousmemory and register allocation. A minimum cost network flowapproach is used to efficiently solve for minimum energy dissipationsolutions in polynomial time. Results show that estimatedenergy improvements of 1.4 to 2.5 times over previous researchare obtained. This research is important for industry since energydissipation is minimized without requiring an increase in cost.
Proximo-Distal Competence Based Curiosity-Driven Exploration

Learning constraints and guiding mechanisms are involved since the very beginning of the infant development. Allowing a progressive and open-ended scaffolding of new skills, these mechanisms have been described as crucial, by psychologists and neuroscientists. Developmental heuristics presented here are directly inspired by the ability to control the growth of complexity of both exploration and learning in human children. More precisely, we focus on intrinsic motivations guiding mechanisms, responsible of spontaneous exploration, and on maturational evolution of the neural and muscular systems, that progressively allow the organism to control novel muscles, and thus, to increase its number of degrees of freedom (Lungarella and Berthouze, 2002). Therefore, we present a system using both self-motivation, and neuro-physiological maturation in an integrated computational mechanism, that aim to guide a robot, to gradually explore and learn its sensorimotor space.
Facial tracking using artificial neural networks

A region-based method for facial tracking is proposed. The method fully utilizes the facial information of temporal motion and spatial luminance. The dominant motion of the tracked facial object is computed. Using this result, the object template is warped to generate a prediction template. A method is proposed to modify the prediction; it incorporates an artificial neural network (ANN) with a backpropagation algorithm (BPA). A decision approach, with a threshold, is used to detect if there is any change in the object in successive frames. The accuracy of the result depends on the number of nodes in the hidden layer and the learning factor. The number of nodes in the hidden layer is 10, and the learning factor is 1. The performance of the algorithm, in reconstructing the tracked object, is about 96.5%, in terms of reduced time and quality of reconstruction.
Fleet Management Coordination in Decentralized Humanitarian Operations

We study incentive alignment for the coordination of operations in humanitarian settings. Our research focuses on transportation, the second largest overhead cost to humanitarian organizations after personnel. Motivated by field research, we study the fleet size problem from a managerial perspective. In terms of transportation, an equity focused Humanitarian Program implemented by an International Humanitarian Organization has private information which affects the balance between equity and efficiency intended by the Organization’s Headquarters. The incentive alignment issue is complex because traditional instruments based on financial rewards and penalties are not considered to be viable options. This problem is further complicated by information asymmetry in the system due to the dispersed geographical location of the parties. We design a novel mechanism based on an operational lever to coordinate incentives in this setting. This study contributes to two streams of literature, humanitarian logistics, and incentives in operations management.
Research on a Model of Context-driven Similarities Computation between Data Objects

A practical problem that has been more and more acknowledged is how to measure similarities of data objects. With high interconnectivity to heterogeneous information sources, the primary issue in many applications such as retrieval, interoperability, etc, is focused on determining which data is relevant. Many methods for measuring have been investigated. We propose a complementary approach, based on context information to enhance "understanding" of object-to-object associations, which measures similarities of data objects that are an abstraction from real world. In our method, confidence level on similarities can be greatly improved by "observing" data objects from multi-perspectives. It is also demonstrated by our experiments that this approach is effective as compared to other computation approaches.
Hybrid fusion approach of panchromatic and multispectral images using IHS and radon transform

In remote sensing applications there is a need of an image with high spatial resolution and high spectral resolution. To obtain this kind of image the panchromatic image is fused with the multispectral image using hybrid transform. The basic ideas behind this method is that the extraction of the spectral information from the multispectral image and fuse this information with the new intensity component obtained from the radon transform of panchromatic and multispectral image. The fusion used in this method is maximum coefficient scheme, which takes the largest magnitude while comparing. In this fusion method, higher value Radon transformed coefficients of intensity component are injected. To this, hue and saturation components are added. So High Resolution Multispectral Image (HRMI) is obtained with high spectral and spatial quality which is better than the image obtained from IHS method.
Performances of the AES design in 0.18μm CMOS technology

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) has been studied by designers with the goal to improve its performances in terms of area, power consumption and frequency. In this paper, we present the implementation details of the AES encryption 128-bit, the MixColumns transformation and the SubBytes transformation. The latter can be implemented using a multi-stage PPRM architecture and composite field arithmetic in GF(((22)2)2). In addition, the MixColumns transformation is used in two architectures. The AES algorithm is implemented using 1.8V 0. 18μm Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology. A low power consumption of 24.92 μW at 10 MHz and 23.2 mW at 67 MHz were achieved for the multi-stage PPRM architecture of SubBytes transformation and the AES encryption respectively. Compared to previous works, our AES implementations achieve good performance in term of power consumption.
CD4+ T Cell Cytokine Gene and Protein Expression in Duodenal Mucosa of Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

ABSTRACT Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common cause of chronic gastrointestinal signs in dogs. In humans, T helper cells have important roles in the pathogenesis of IBD. In contrast, no specific involvement of a distinct T cell subset has been described in canine IBD. The present study evaluated the gene and protein expression of cytokines of T cell subsets in duodenal mucosa from dogs with IBD. Relative quantification of interleukin (IL)-17A, interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA transcription was performed using duodenal mucosa from 27 IBD dogs and 8 controls. Duodenal mucosal IL-17A, IFN-γ and IL-10 protein levels were determined by ELISA in 15 IBD dogs and 8 controls. There was no significant difference in each cytokines mRNA transcription level between groups. There was no significant difference in IL-17A, IFN-γ and IL-10 protein expression levels between groups. Thus, there is no clear evidence for the involvement of distinct Th cytokine in the pathogenesis of canine IBD.
Plant Closure, Regulation, and Liberalism: The Limits to Liberal Public Philosophy

This book is about the problem of plant closure and our failure as a society to formulate an effective solution to the problem. The author asks the question, why have we as a society been able to regulate any number of economic issues, but not this one? Contents: Plant Closings' Challenge to Liberalism; Plant Closings; Understanding Liberalism; The Evolving Public/Private Relationship; Strategies for Dealing with Plant Closure; Issues in Plant Closing Legislation; The Failure of Liberalism to Adapt; Index.