Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Household dietary diversity and nutritional status of children and women of reproductive age in Madizini township and its hinterland villages

This study was conducted to assess household dietary diversity and nutritional status of children and women in Madizini township and its surrounding 3 hinterland villages of Manyinga, Lungo and Mhonda. A total of 160 women with their children between 12-59 months old were randomly sampled from village registers. Data were collected by using a structured questionnaire. A 24-hours recall on household dietary intake was conducted from which dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated using the FAO-Protocol. Heights and weights measurements of the sampled children and their respective mothers were taken where-by data were analyzed by using the Anthro 2005 and SPSS software to obtain nutritional status. Mean DDS showed that Lungo village had the lowest level (2.33±0.09) compared to the Manyinga (2.65±0.08) and Mhonda (2.72±0.07) villages as well as Madizini township (2.61±0.06). The most commonly consumed food groups in hinterland villages and Madizini township were cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, vitamin A rich vegetables, other vegetables, legumes, oils and fats. The least consumed foods included eggs, fish, flesh meat, organ meat, milk and milk products, other fruits and vitamin A rich fruits. Most of the householdsin Lungo and Manyinga villages (hinterland)and Madizini township depends on market for procuring most of the food items for family consumption while own production dominated the households in Mhonda village. Mean BMI values of women in the hinterland villages (Manyinga22.10±0.63, Lungo 22.37±0.53 and Mhonda 22.7±0.56) were significantly lower than those of Madizini township (mean BMI = 26.41) at p<0.05. It is not surprising therefore that overweight and obesity rates were higher in Madizini township than in the hinterland villages. Stunting, underweight and wasting were higher among children in the hinterland
A concept to assess the performance of a permafrost model run fully coupled with a climate model

Soil-temperatures simulated by the fully coupled Community Climate System Model version 3.0 (CCSM3) are evaluated using three gridded Russian soil-temperature climatologies (1951-1980, 1961-1990, and 1971-2000) to assess the performance of permafrost and/or soil simulations. CCSM3 captures the annual phase of the soiltemperature cycle well, but not the amplitude. It provides slightly too high (low) soiltemperatures in winter (summer) with a better performance in summer than winter. In winter, soil-temperature biases reach up to 6 K. Simulated near-surface air temperatures agree well with the near-surface air temperatures from reanalysis data. Discrepancies in CCSM3-simulated near-surface air temperatures significantly correlate with discrepancies in CCSM3-simulated soiltemperatures, i.e. contribute to discrepancy in soil-temperature simulation. Evaluation of cloud-fraction by means of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology project data reveals that errors in simulated cloud fraction explain some of the soil-temperature discrepancies in summer. Evaluation by means of the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre data identifies inaccurately-simulated precipitation as a contributor to underestimating summer soil-temperatures. Comparison to snow-depth observations shows that overestimating snow-depth leads to winter soil-temperature overestimation. Sensitivity studies reveal that uncertainty in mineral-soil composition notably contributes to discrepancies between CCSM3-simulated and observed soil-temperature climatology while differences between the assumed vegetation in CCSM3 and the actual vegetation in nature marginally contribute to the discrepancies in soil-temperature. Out of the 6 K bias in CCSM3 soil-temperature simulation, about 2.5 K of the bias may result from the incorrect simulation of the observed forcing and about 2 K of the bias may be explained by uncertainties due network density in winter. This means that about 1.5 K winter-bias may result from measurement errors and/or model deficiencies. Overall, the performance of a permafrost/soil model fully coupled with a climate model depends partly on the permafrost/soil model itself, the accuracy of the forcing data and design of observational network.
Multiple Medoids based Multi-view Relational Fuzzy Clustering with Minimax Optimization

Multi-view data becomes prevalent nowadays because more and more data can be collected from various sources. Each data set may be described by different set of features, hence forms a multi-view data set or multi-view data in short. To find the underlying pattern embedded in an unlabelled multiview data, many multi-view clustering approaches have been proposed. Fuzzy clustering in which a data object can belong to several clusters with different memberships is widely used in many applications. However, in most of the fuzzy clustering approaches, a single center or medoid is considered as the representative of each cluster in the end of clustering process. This may not be sufficient to ensure accurate data analysis. In this paper, a new multi-view fuzzy clustering approach based on multiple medoids and minimax optimization called M4-FC for relational data is proposed. In M4-FC, every object is considered as a medoid candidate with a weight. The higher the weight is, the more likely the object is chosen as the final medoid. In the end of clustering process, there may be more than one medoid in each cluster. Moreover, minimax optimization is applied to find consensus clustering results of different views with its set of features. Extensive experimental studies on several multi-view data sets including real world image and document data sets demonstrate that M4-FC not only outperforms single medoid based multiview fuzzy clustering approach, but also performs better than existing multi-view relational clustering approaches.
A scenario-based framework for detention basin development

The paper analysis the use of scenario analysis in detention basin development,using a case study from Haihe Basin.The development process of alternative scenarios is proposed.The analysis focuses on possible future developments in a region that is undergoing major economic and social changes,and where conditions can be best characterized as uncertain.The qualitative scenarios presented in the paper attempt to provide indications of how future development.
An Improved Segmentation Algorithm for Clustered Cells

In order to separate the images of clustered cells,an improved algorithm based-on local watershed transform was presented in this work.It is constructed with two similar stages.The first one separated the cells that were overlapping in cytoplasm,the second one separated the rest cells that were overlapping in nucleus.The sequential processing reduced the difficulty of separation.In each stage,an adaptive distance transformation,which was controlled by the criteria of morphological features of single cell,was used to divide clustered cells.So the seed regions prepared for the watershed transform were almost maximum.Finally the borderline between divided cells was built by watershed transform.The new method could cope with multi-nuclear cell and granularity of the cytoplasm.The experimental results in blood and bone marrow smears demonstrated the segmentation accuracy obtained by the improved algorithm was twice as high as the traditional watershed transform,and time cost did not increase much.
On the climate impacts of atolls in the central equatorial Pacific

Contrary to the above title, a more typical question might be ‘How does climate variability and change impact atolls (and associated ecosystems and civilizations)? ’ While several studies have focused on the effects of island topography on local circulation, equatorial currents and their dynamics play a vital role in the tropical heat balance and therefore global climate through atmospheric teleconnections. The Gilbert Islands, which straddle the equator in the western Pacific, block 55% of the corridor between 2°S and 2°N. Here we explore the potential role of relatively small open‐ocean topographic features, in particular equatorial atolls such as the Gilbert Islands, on the large‐scale climate system. Observations and high‐resolution ocean model simulations spanning the full width of the Pacific basin indicate that, whereas the Gilbert Islands have only a local impact on the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC), the South Equatorial Current (SEC) is substantially reduced downstream of the islands, resulting in a surface warming and freshening over a ∼1000‐km wide region along the sharp temperature and salinity front defining the eastern edge of the Indo‐Pacific warm pool (IPWP), the heat engine that is a critical player in global climate processes. The simulated mean thermohaline structure in the central and western Pacific, which has previously been shown to be crucial for El Nino‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) dynamics, is improved by including the Gilbert Islands. Implications for coupled model biases, ENSO simulation and paleoclimate are discussed.
~= Sets and Systems Elsevier Fuzzy Prediction and Filtering in Impulsive Noise 1. Filtering Impulsive Noise

Additive fuzzy systems can filter impulsive noise from signals. Alpha-stable statistics model the impulsiveness as a parametrized family of probability density functions or unit-area bell curves. The bell-curve parameter ct ranges through the interval (0, 2] and gives the Gaussian bell curve when 0t = 2 and gives the Cauchy bell curve when ~t = 1. The impulsiveness grows as ~ falls and the bell curves have thicker tails. Only the Gaussian statistics have finite variances or finite higher moments. An additive fuzzy system can learn ellipsoidal fuzzy rule patches from a new pseudo-covariation matrix or measure of alpha-stable covariation. Mahalanobis distance gives a joint set function for the learned if-part fuzzy sets of the if-then rules. The joint set function preserves input correlations that factored set functions ignore. Competitive learning tunes the local means and pseudo-covariations of the alpha-stable statistics and thus tunes the fuzzy rules. Then the covariation rules can both predict nonlinear signals in impulsive noise and filter the impulsive noise in time-series data. The fuzzy system filtered such noise better than did a benchmark radial basis neural network. Impulsive noise is not Gaussian. The bell-curve density of impulsive noise has thicker tails than a Gaus-sian bell curve has. The thicker tails give rise to more frequent bursts of noise. The Cauchy density f(x) = 1/n(l+x 2) has this property and so do all alpha-stable probability densities [17] for index parameter ~ in 0 < ~t < 2. The Cauchy density is the special case when ct = 1. The thicker polynomial tails give an infinite variance and give infinite higher-order moments. The lower-order fractional moments are still finite. The Gaussian density is the special case of an alpha-stable density when ct = 2. It is unique in this family because it has exponential tails and has finite variance and higher-order moments. Fig. 1 shows how alpha-stable noise grows more impulsive as the index ~t falls from 2 to 1. The Gaussian bell curve is by far the most common bell curve in science and engineering. It fits some data well and depends on just the first and second moments of a process. This gives simple closed-form solutions to many problems. Limiting sums of independent random variables converge to a standard Gaussian variable if the variables have finite variance. The key term e-x2 is in effect invariant under linear transforms
Not Everyone Is a Target: An Analysis of Online Identity Crime Victimization Using Routine Activities Theory

i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iii LIST OF TABLES . vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 Definitions of Identity . 2 Definitions of Identity Crime . 3 Definitions of Online Identity Crime . 5 Prevalence of Online Crime . 7 Research Problem . 10 CHAPTER TWO: THEORY AND LITERATURE REVIEW . 12 Life-Exposure Theory . 12 Routine Activity Theory . 13 Motivated Offender. 14 A Suitable Target . 15 Capable Guardianship . 16 An Extension of Routine Activities Theory. 17 Individual Characteristics and Risk Perceptions . 18 Individual Characteristics and Routine Activity . 21 Individual Characteristics and Victimization. 22 Risk Perceptions and Routine Activities . 24 Routine Activity and Victimization . 27 Hypotheses . 30 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY. 33 Sample . 33 Measures . 35 Dependent variable . 35 Victimization . 35 Independent variables . 36 Demographics . 36 Risk perception . 37 v Online routine activities . 38 Analytical Procedure . 40 Analysis . 40 Models . 41 CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS OF RESULTS . 48 Correlation Analysis . 50 Consumer Fraud . 50 Identity Theft . 51 Phishing . 52 Demographics . 53 Perceptions of Risk . 54 Cross-Tabulations . 54 Multivariate Analyses . 62 Identity Theft . 63 Consumer Fraud . 65 Phishing . 68 Summary . 71 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION . 80 Summary of Results . 81 Limitations . 86 Research Implications . 87 Policy Implications . 90 Conclusion . 93 Appendix A: Correlation Matrix of Variables Used in the Study . 94 REFERENCES . 95
Application of WRF model to wind speed forecasting in wind power farms

The accurate wind speed forecasting guarantees operation safety and stability of the wind power farm.This paper analyzed the influence of different nesting grid resolution on wind speed forecasting results in terms of accuracy and efficiency utilizing the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF) model which is a mesoscale numerical model.The hourly wind speed forscasting with 102 hours ahead of some wind power farm in Ningxia was simulated.The results indicate that the precision is slightly improved with the increase of nesting grid resolution.Considering both accuracy and efficiency,it's suggested to use three-level grid.Comparative results between simulations and actual data demonstrate that the forecasting wind speeds are in good agreement with measurement values with accordant changing trend.In addition,the WRF model can increase forecasting time effectively to 2-4 days ahead,so as to give effective reference to operation and control of wind power farms.
The community-level and ecosystem-level consequences of feedbacks between the soil ecosystem and the plant community during forest understory invasion

OF THE DISSERTATION The Community-level and Ecosystem-level Consequences of Feedbacks Between the Soil Ecosystem and the Plant Community During Forest Understory Invasion By KENNETH JOHN ELGERSMA Dissertation Director: Joan G. Ehrenfeld, Ph.D. This dissertation addresses the consequences of reciprocal interactions between the plant and the soil microbial communities, and how those interactions affect nutrient cycling and plant competition during exotic plant invasion. Each chapter is linked by the common theme of evaluating the importance of these feedbacks to the rate of plant invasion in the forest understory. In the first two chapters, I utilize microcosms to evaluate the importance of leaf litter inputs for plant-soil feedback. The first chapter demonstrates that leaf litter from native and exotic plants create divergent soil microbial communities, altering soil enzyme activities and nitrogen cycling, which in turn affects the growth of native and invasive plants. However, while this plant-soil interaction affects growth rate, it does not change the competitive hierarchy or the success of the invasive plant. The second chapter shows how the effect of an exotic species' leaf litter on soil microbes varies over a range of invasion severity. Using litter mixtures ranging from 0% to 100% exotic litter, I show
Economic Growth and Government Spending Nexus: Empirical Evidence from Lesotho

This study examines the long-run and causal relationship between government spending and economic growth in Lesotho using the ARDL bounds testing procedure for the period 1980 to 2012. Although several studies, have investigated causality between government expenditure and economic growth, none explored differentiating short run and long run causality. The results of our study indicate a stable long-term relationship between government spending and economic growth in Lesotho. However, the Granger causality test shows the direction running from economic growth to government expenditure, confirming Wagner’s Law in Lesotho. In addition, the outcomes of this study fail to support the Keynesian theory. The results highlight the need for policy makers to shift public outlays towards investment in physical infrastructure which will stimulate growth and consequently improve fiscal sustainability as opposed to recurrent expenditure. Keywords: Economic Growth, Fiscal Policy, Cointegration, Causality, Wagner’ Law
The Pacific lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary: Seismic imaging and anisotropic constraints from SS waveforms

The lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary (LAB) separating the rigid lid from the underlying weaker, convecting asthenosphere is a fundamental interface in mantle dynamics and plate tectonics. However, the exact depth and defining mechanism of the LAB interface remain poorly understood. The ocean plates are ideal for testing hypotheses regarding the nature of a plate since they make up 70% of Earth's surface area and have a relatively simple geological history. Seismically imaging the oceanic LAB at high resolution has proved challenging. Yet, several studies have recently increased resolution with provocative results. We summarize recent imaging of discontinuity structure beneath much of the Pacific using receiver functions from ocean floor borehole seismometers and land stations located at ocean‐continent margins, SS precursors, and waveform modeling of multiple phases including multiple bounce S waves, ScS reverberations, and surface waves. Overall, there is much agreement among these different approaches about the reported depth of a negative discontinuity that occurs near the expected depth of the LAB. Some of the apparent discrepancies in depth are explained by the variation in sensitivity of seismic waves that sample structure at different wavelengths. Yet, when the results are considered together, no single age‐depth relationship is illuminated. There are also puzzling discrepancies in where the discontinuity is detected, which again suggests greater complexity. Here we test the possibility that discrepant detection of a strong sharp discontinuity is caused by anisotropic structure. We stack SS waveforms with bounce points in the central Pacific into azimuthal bins. We use two methods, one that inverts for discontinuity structure based on subtle variations in the character of the SS waveform, and another that considers SS at higher frequency. We find azimuthal variation in the amplitude of the waveform, including a polarity reversal. We suggest that anisotropy is an important factor in imaging and constraining discontinuity structure of the oceanic plate, and must be carefully considered to constrain the age‐depth dependence and defining mechanism of the oceanic lithosphere.
LEVELS, CAUSES AND FACTORS AFFECTING MORTALITY IN A HERD OF SMALL EAST AFRICAN GOATS ON A SEMI-ARID THORNBUSH SAVANNAH

An opportunity arose to study in more detail, the causes, levels and factors affecting mortality in a typical pastoral system with the establishment, by the Department of Animal Production in cooperation with the Ministry of Livestock Development, the European Economic Community, the German Research Foundation and the German Agency for Technical cooperation, of a research station in a pastoral area near Isiolo.
Controlled-source electromagnetic sounding in shallow water: Principles and applications

The marine controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) method is being applied to the problem of detecting and characterizing hydrocarbons in a variety of settings. Until recently, its use was confined to deepwater (water depths greater than approximately 300 m ) because of the interaction of signals with the atmosphere in shallower water depths. The purpose of this study was to investigate, using a simple 1D analytical analysis, the physics of CSEM in shallow water. This approach demonstrates that it is difficult to simply decouple signals that have interacted with the earth from those that have interacted with the air using either frequency-domain or time-domain methods. Stepping away from wavelike approaches, which if applied without care can be misleading for the diffusive fields of CSEM, we demonstrate an effective way to mitigate the effect of the air in shallow water surveys by decomposing the EM signal into modes and using only the mode least affected by interaction with the atmosphere. Such decompos.
Enhancing the Quality Metric of Protein Microarray Image

The novel method of improving the quality metric of protein microarray image presented in this paper reduces impulse noise by using an adaptive median filter that employs the switching scheme based on local statistics characters; and achieves the impulse detection by using the difference between the standard deviation of the pixels within the filter window and the current pixel of concern. It also uses a top-hat filter to correct the background variation. In order to decrease time consumption, the top-hat filter core is cross structure. The experimental results showed that, for a protein microarray image contaminated by impulse noise and with slow background variation, the new method can significantly increase the signal to noise ratio, correct the trends in the background, and enhance the flatness of the background and the consistency of the signal intensity.
The impact of government expenditure on gross domestic private investment in Nigeria (1975-2012).

The study investigated the long-run relationship between government expenditure and gross domestic private investment in Nigeria during the period 1975 to 2012. Therefore, the impacts of five components of government expenditure on gross domestic private investment were examined using Johansen co-integration and error-correction technique. The empirical results showed that in the long-run government expenditure on administration and agriculture have positive effects on gross domestic private investment, while government expenditure on human capital development, infrastructure, and public debt servicing have negative effects on gross domestic private investment. This study policy recommendation suggested government to increase its expenditure on key areas such as, education, health, agriculture, and infrastructure, in order to encourage and stimulate investment in the private sector. This is because domestic private investment promotes economic growth and development.