Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stratospheric Bimodality: Can the Equatorial QBO Explain the Regime Behavior of the NH Winter Vortex?

Abstract The Northern Hemisphere extended winter mean stratospheric vortex alternates between a strong and a weak state, which is manifested in a statistically significant bimodal distribution. In the end of the 1970s a regime change took place, increasing the frequency of the strong phase relative to the weak phase. This paper investigates the connection between the regime behavior of the vortex and the equatorial quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in three different datasets. Although there are some differences between the datasets, they agree regarding the general picture. It is found that stratospheric equatorial wind between 70 and 8 hPa shows a bimodal structure in the Northern Hemisphere winter. Such bimodality is nontrivial as it requires only weak variability in the amplitude. Unimodality is found above 8 hPa, where the semiannual oscillation dominates. A strong coincidence is found between strong (weak) vortex winters and winter in the westerly (easterly) QBO regime. Furthermore, the change of the.
Automatic measurement of ham composition using image processing

An image processing algorithm was developed to measure ham cross-sectional areas to predicate ham composition. The fat, lean muscle, and skin areas were measured from the cross section of wholesale trimmed hams using image processing techniques. The algorithm was first designed to enhance the ham image using a convolution operation, followed by a gray level normalization operation. Then, a binary image representing ham fat area was obtained after a segmentation operation. Finally the fat, lean muscle, and the skin areas were measured from corresponding binary images. The results indicate that fat and lean can be detected and measured using image processing techniques based on the difference of light reflectance of fat and lean in the visible wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Canonical structure of dynamical fluctuations in mesoscopic nonequilibrium steady states

We give the explicit structure of the functional governing the dynamical density and current fluctuations for a mesoscopic system in a nonequilibrium steady state. Its canonical form determines a generalised Onsager-Machlup theory. We assume that the system is described as a Markov jump process satisfying a local detailed balance condition such as typical for stochastic lattice gases and for chemical networks. We identify the entropy current and the traffic between the mesoscopic states as extra terms in the fluctuation functional with respect to the equilibrium dynamics. The density and current fluctuations are coupled in general, except close to equilibrium where their decoupling explains the validity of entropy production principles.
Revisited relationship between tropical and North Pacific sea surface temperature variations

The relationship between the tropical and North Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) variations is reexamined following the results of Deser and Blackmon (1995, DB95) based on a much longer period of data (1949–2010). As in DB95, the two leading SST modes, the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) mode and the North Pacific mode, represent the SST variations in the Pacific domain before 1992. Considering the period after 1992, however, one needs to consider a new mode of SST variation along with the two modes mentioned to understand the relationship between the tropical and North Pacific SST variations. A new SST mode, known as the Warm Pool mode, exhibits a strong variance in the warm pool region and undergoes a phase shift after the mid‐1990s, reflecting a warming in the warm pool region and a cooling in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. It is found that the Warm Pool mode accompanies the North Pacific Oscillation‐like atmospheric variability over the North Pacific. Through this teleconnection, the Warm Pool mode mostly shows a relationship between the warm pool SST and the associated North Pacific SST component and which has some similarities with the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation.
Wetting front instability: 2. Experimental determination of relationships between system parameters and two‐dimensional unstable flow field behavior in initially dry porous media

This paper describes and interprets experimental studies of wetting front instability guided by the dimensional analysis presented in paper 1 (R.J. Glass et al., this issue). When a wetting front passes from a fine-textured layer of initially dry sand into an underlying coarse layer, the front breaks into fingers. A specially developed vertical slablike chamber and associated techniques were developed for the study of such fingering. The flow rate through the system is systematically varied by using different mean grain size separates for the upper layer (the same coarse separate being used for the bottom layer). Relationships between finger width, propagation velocity, moisture content, and flow rate through individual fingers are experimentally determined and related to the properties of the bottom layer and the flow rate through the system. The results are different than those found in a previous experimental study which used different techniques for sample preparation. Results obtained here agree with a formulation derived earlier by J-Y. Parlange and D.E. Hill (1976) through linear stability analysis.
Recent Changes in the Mediterranean Water Cycle: A Pathway toward Long-Term Regional Hydroclimatic Change?

Abstract An observational analysis of Mediterranean Sea water cycle variability based on recently available datasets provides new insights on the long-term changes that affected the region since the 1960s. Results indicate an overall increase in evaporation during 1958–2006, with a decrease up until the mid-1970s and an increase thereafter. Precipitation variability is characterized by substantial interdecadal variations and a negative long-term trend. Evaporation increase, primarily driven by SST variability, together with precipitation decrease resulted in a substantial increase in the loss of freshwater from the Mediterranean Sea toward the overlying atmosphere. An increase in the freshwater deficit is consistent with observed Mediterranean Sea salinity tendencies and has broad implications for the Mediterranean water cycle and connected systems. These observational results are in qualitative agreement with simulated Mediterranean Sea water cycle behavior from a large ensemble of models from the Couple.
Interpretable Motion Planner for Urban Driving via Hierarchical Imitation Learning

Learning-based approaches have achieved remarkable performance in the domain of autonomous driving. Leveraging the impressive ability of neural networks and large amounts of human driving data, complex patterns and rules of driving behavior can be encoded as a model to benefit the autonomous driving system. Besides, an increasing number of data-driven works have been studied in the decision-making and motion planning module. However, the reliability and the stability of the neural network is still full of uncertainty. In this paper, we introduce a hierarchical planning architecture including a high-level grid-based behavior planner and a low-level trajectory planner, which is highly interpretable and controllable. As the high-level planner is responsible for finding a consistent route, the low-level planner generates a feasible trajectory. We evaluate our method both in closed-loop simulation and real world driving, and demonstrate the neural network planner has outstanding performance in complex urban autonomous driving scenarios.
Local Similarities, Global Coding: An Algorithm for Feature Coding and its Applications

Data coding as a building block of several image processing algorithms has been received great attention recently. Indeed, the importance of the locality assumption in coding approaches is studied in numerous works and several methods are proposed based on this concept. We probe this assumption and claim that taking the similarity between a data point and a more global set of anchor points does not necessarily weaken the coding method as long as the underlying structure of the anchor points are taken into account. Based on this fact, we propose to capture this underlying structure by assuming a random walker over the anchor points. We show that our method is a fast approximate learning algorithm based on the diffusion map kernel. The experiments on various datasets show that making different state-of-the-art coding algorithms aware of this structure boosts them in different learning tasks.
Evaluating the National Center for Atmospheric Research climate system model over West Africa: Present‐day and the 21st century A1 scenario

[1] We present an analysis of observed and simulated June–July–August (JJA) West African climate during the last 2 decades of the 20th and 21st centuries. The National Center for Atmospheric Research coupled atmosphere-ocean climate system model (CSM) simulation is compared to long-term observations and National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis with an emphasis on the wet season during the late 20th century. While there are significant improvements in the simulation of the African Easterly Jet (AEJ) and African easterly waves relative to the uncoupled Community Climate Model, version 3, biases still exist. These biases are related to a poor simulation of the Azores high, which extends into eastern Europe, allowing for cold air advection into North Africa. There is also little improvement in the upper troposphere Tropical Easterly Jet in the CSM, which is too weak and does not extend westward over the Atlantic Ocean. In the late 21st century, JJA summer temperatures in West Africa have warmed 1.5°–2.5°C relative to the 1951–1980 period. Moreover, the Sahelian region is wetter in the late 21st century in association with an increase in atmospheric moisture, stronger meridional winds from the Gulf of Guinea, and a slightly stronger AEJ.
The Local Langlands correspondence for $\GL_n$ over $p$-adic fields

We reprove the Local Langlands Correspondence for $\GL_n$ over $p$-adic fields as well as the existence of $\ell$-adic Galois representations attached to (most) regular algebraic conjugate self-dual cuspidal automorphic representations, for which we prove a local-global compatibility statement as in the book of Harris-Taylor. In contrast to the proofs of the Local Langlands Correspondence given by Henniart and Harris-Taylor our proof completely by-passes the numerical Local Langlands Correspondence of Henniart. Instead, we make use of a previous result describing the inertia-invariant nearby cycles in certain regular situations.
Improving pulse transit time estimation of aortic PWV and blood pressure using machine learning and simulated training data

Recent developments in cardiovascular modelling allows us to simulate blood flow in an entire human body. Such model can also be used to create databases of virtual subjects, with sizes limited only by computational resources. In this work, we study if estimates of cardiovascular health indices could be improved using data machine learning approach. In particular, we carry out theoretical assessment of estimating aortic pulse wave velocity, diastolic and systolic blood pressure and stroke volume using pulse transit/arrival timings derived from photopletyshmography signals. For predictions, we train Gaussian process regression with a database of virtual subjects generated using a cardiovascular simulator.
Ir Surface Brightness Fluctuations of Magellanic Star Clusters

We present surface brightness fluctuations (SBFs) in the near–IR for 191 Magellanic star clusters available in the Second Incremental and All Sky Data releases of the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), and compare them with SBFs of Fornax Cluster galaxies and with predictions from stellar population models as well. We also construct color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) for these clusters using the 2MASS Point Source Catalog (PSC). Our goals are twofold. First, to provide an empirical calibration of near–IR SBFs, given that existing stellar population synthesis models are particularly discrepant in the near–IR. Second, whereas most previous SBF studies have focused on old, metal rich populations, this is the first application to a system with such a wide range of ages (∼ 106 to more than 1010 yr, i.e., 4 orders of magnitude), at the same time that the clusters have a very narrow range of metallicities (Z ∼ 0.0006 – 0.01, ie., 1 order of magnitude only). Since stellar population synthesis models predict a more complex sensitivity of SBFs to metallicity and age in the near–IR than in the optical, this analysis offers a unique way of disentangling the effects of age and metallicity. This research has made use of the NASA/ IPAC Infrared Science Archive, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. E-mail address: r.gonzalez@astrosmo.unam. mx E-mail address: mliu@ifa.hawaii.edu E-mail address: bruzual@cida.ve
Palynology and sediment slumping in a high arctic Greenland lake

A 103-cm core from a high arctic lake (80°49′N, 15°00′W) on Amdrup Land, NE Greenland has been analysed for pollen and other microfossils, as well as bulk samples from 10 cores for macrofossils. AMS 14C-dating of aquatic mosses (Drepanocladus exannulatus and Scorpidiurn scorpioides) revealed that the lowermost 90 cm of the core was deposited during a 1.5-2 ka interval in the early Holocene, before the appearance of Salix arctica which immigrated to N Greenland c. 7 ka BP. Armeria scabra, now extinct in the area, larval cases and apotomes of Apatcmiu zonella, today not known north of c. 77°N, and other indices point to a climate warmer than that of today. A thin, sandy layer 13 cm below the lake bottom, accompanied by marked changes in the content of pollen and macrofossils, such as the sudden occurrence of large amounts of Salix pollen and leaves, indicates a large hiatus. This is confirmed by the dating to c. 7 ka BP of mosses just below the sand, and of Salix leaves just above it to c. 1 ka BP. The hiatus must be caused by sediment slumping which transported all the sediment from the intervening period to the deeper part of the lake. A similar, sandy layer in the uppermost 2–6 cm may be caused by younger, (sub-)recent slumping, or both may be the result of the same disturbance. The possibility of a reservoir effect causing too old 14C-ages for the moss is discussed.
The halo bias for number counts on the light cone from relativistic N-body simulations

We present the halo number counts and its two-point statistics, the observable angular power spectrum, extracted for the first time from relativistic N-body simulations. The halo catalogues used in this work are built from the relativistic N-body code gevolution, and the observed redshift and angular positions of the sources are computed using a non-perturbative ray-tracing method, which includes all relativistic scalar contributions to the number counts. We investigate the validity and limitations of the linear bias prescription to describe our simulated power spectra. In particular, we assess the consistency of different bias measurements on large scales, and we estimate up to which scales a linear bias is accurate in modelling the data, within the statistical errors. We then test a second-order perturbative bias expansion for the angular statistics, on a range of redshifts and scales previously unexplored in this context, that is 0.4 ≤ z̅ ≤ 2 up to scales ℓ max ∼ 1000. We find that the angular power spectra at equal redshift can be modelled with high accuracy with a minimal extension of the number of bias parameters, that is using a two-parameter model comprising linear bias and tidal bias. We show that this model performs significantly better than a model without tidal bias but with quadratic bias as extra degree of freedom, and that the latter is inaccurate at z̅ ≥ 0.7. Finally, we extract from our simulations the cross-correlation of halo number counts and lensing convergence. We show that the estimate of the linear bias from this cross-correlation is consistent with the measurements based on the clustering statistics alone, and that it is crucial to take into account the effect of magnification in the halo number counts to avoid systematic shifts in the computed bias.
Two stochastic optimization algorithms for convex optimization with fixed point constraints

Two optimization algorithms are proposed for solving a stochastic programming problem for which the objective function is given in the form of the expectation of convex functions and the constraint set is defined by the intersection of fixed point sets of nonexpansive mappings in a real Hilbert space. This setting of fixed point constraints enables consideration of the case in which the projection onto each of the constraint sets cannot be computed efficiently. Both algorithms use a convex function and a nonexpansive mapping determined by a certain probabilistic process at each iteration. One algorithm blends a stochastic gradient method with the Halpern fixed point algorithm. The other is based on a stochastic proximal point algorithm and the Halpern fixed point algorithm; it can be applied to nonsmooth convex optimization. Convergence analysis showed that, under certain assumptions, any weak sequential cluster point of the sequence generated by either algorithm almost surely belongs to the solution set of the problem. Convergence rate analysis illustrated their efficiency, and the numerical results of convex optimization over fixed point sets demonstrated their effectiveness.
Manuscript title : A tutorial on evaluating time-varying discrimination accuracy for survival models used in dynamic decision-making Running head : Biomarker-driven dynamic decision-making

Word count: 254 / 275) Many medical decisions involve the use of dynamic information collected on individual patients toward predicting likely transitions in their future health status. If accurate predictions are developed, then a prognostic model can identify patients at greatest risk for future adverse events, and may be used clinically to define populations appropriate for targeted intervention. In practice, a prognostic model is often used to guide decisions at multiple time points over the course of disease, and classification performance, i.e. sensitivity and specificity, for distinguishing high-risk versus low-risk individuals may vary over time as an individual’s disease status and prognostic information change. In this tutorial, we detail contemporary statistical methods that can characterize the time-varying accuracy of prognostic survival models when used for dynamic decision-making. Although statistical methods for evaluating prognostic models with simple binary outcomes are well established, methods appropriate for survival outcomes are less well known and require time-dependent extensions of sensitivity and specificity to fully characterize longitudinal biomarkers or models. The methods we review are particularly important in that they allow for appropriate handling of censored outcomes commonly encountered with eventtime data. We highlight the importance of determining whether clinical interest is in predicting cumulative (or prevalent) cases over a fixed future time interval versus predicting incident cases over a range of follow-up times, and whether patient information is static or updated over time. We discuss implementation of time-dependent ROC approaches using relevant R statistical software packages. The statistical summaries are illustrated using a liver prognostic model to guide transplantation in primary biliary cirrhosis.
Uso de localizadores para personas mayores

Descriptive cross-sectional study which uses self-administered surveys to evaluate the data from three independent samples: professionals, relatives of users of the tracking device and relatives of users who do no use it. Methods: specific survey for 30 professionals. For 7 relatives of users who make use of the device: Quebec survey (QUEST 2.0), Zarit scale and caregiver strain index. For 7 relatives of users who do not make use of the device: Zarit Scale and caregiver strain index. Results: 20% of the professionals are aware of the existence of some kind of gps device, only 13.3% can specify the sort of gps. The benefits with the highest score in the Liker scale from 0 to 5 are the tranquillity of the family (4.60), followed by the need of information (4.46), and the item with the lowest score is the tranquillity of the user (3.79). Among those patients carrying a tracking device, 85.71% are men, whereas this percentage turns to a 71,43% among those who do not carry a tracking device. The burden degree of caregivers is an average of 77.86% in those who do not use a tracking device, whereas it goes down to 66.58% in those who do. Caregivers using the tracking device get a 57.1% of greater burden, and a 14.3% of minimum burden. Caregivers who do not use the tracking device get a 100% of greater burden. In the strain index test the results show that a 92.9% of caregivers reach high levels of burden, whereas for 7.1% there was no strain at all. 84.6% of caregivers are women. Conclusions: professionals do not know the tracking device, and the burden of caregivers decreases when they use it. The use of the tracking device should be discussed in an ethical debate by professionals of all areas and relatives of patients.
Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to parity violating three jet observables for massive quarks in e+ e- annihilation

In this work we provide all the missing ingredients for calculating parity-violating 3-jet observables in e^+e^- collisions at next-to-leading order (NLO) including the full quark mass dependence. In particular we give explicit results for the one-loop corrections and for the singular contributions from real emission processes. Our formulae allow for the computation of the NLO 3-jet contributions to the forward-backward asymmetry for heavy flavours, which is -- and will be -- an important observable for electroweak physics at present and future e^+e^- colliders.
Pressure Test: Quantifying the impact of positive stress on companies from online employee reviews

Workplace stress is often considered to be negative, yet lab studies on individuals suggest that not all stress is bad. There are two types of stress: distress refers to harmful stimuli, while eustress refers to healthy, euphoric stimuli that create a sense of fulfillment and achievement. Telling the two types of stress apart is challenging, let alone quantifying their impact across corporations. By leveraging a dataset of 440K reviews about S&P 500 companies published during twelve successive years, we developed a deep learning framework to extract stress mentions from these reviews. We proposed a new methodology that places each company on a stress-by-rating quadrant (based on its overall stress score and overall rating on the site), and accordingly scores the company to be, on average, either a low stress}, passive, negative stress, or positive stress company. We found that (former) employees of positive stress companies tended to describe high-growth and collaborative workplaces in their reviews, and that such companies' stock evaluations grew, on average, 5.1 times in 10 years (2009-2019) as opposed to the companies of the other three stress types that grew, on average, 3.7 times in the same time period. We also found that the four stress scores aggregated every year -- from 2008 to 2020 -- closely followed the unemployment rate in the U.S.: a year of positive stress (2008) was rapidly followed by several years of negative stress (2009-2015), which peaked during the Great Recession (2009-2011). These results suggest that automated analyses of the language used by employees on corporate social-networking tools offer yet another way of tracking workplace stress, allowing quantification of its impact on corporations.