Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal Exploitation of the Sentinel-2 Spectral Capabilities for Crop Leaf Area Index Mapping

The continuously increasing demand of accurate quantitative high quality information on land surface properties will be faced by a new generation of environmental Earth observation (EO) missions. One current example, associated with a high potential to contribute to those demands, is the multi-spectral ESA Sentinel-2 (S2) system. The present study focuses on the evaluation of spectral information content needed for crop leaf area index (LAI) mapping in view of the future sensors. Data from a field campaign were used to determine the optimal spectral sampling from available S2 bands applying inversion of a radiative transfer model (PROSAIL) with look-up table (LUT) and artificial neural network (ANN) approaches. Overall LAI estimation performance of the proposed LUT approach (LUTN50) was comparable in terms of retrieval performances with a tested and approved ANN method. Employing seven- and eight-band combinations, the LUTN50 approach obtained LAI RMSE of 0.53 and normalized LAI RMSE of 0.12, which was comparable to the results of the ANN. However, the LUTN50 method showed a higher robustness and insensitivity to different band settings. Most frequently selected wavebands were located in near infrared and red edge spectral regions. In conclusion, our results emphasize the potential benefits of the Sentinel-2 mission for agricultural applications.
Bloom of Filamentous Bacteria in a Mesotrophic Lake: Identity and Potential Controlling Mechanism

ABSTRACT Ephemeral blooms of filamentous bacteria are a common phenomenon in the water column of oligo- to mesotrophic lakes. It is assumed that the appearance of such morphotypes is favored by selective predation of bacterivorous protists and that filter-feeding zooplankton plays a major role in suppressing these bacteria. The phylogenetic affiliation of the important bloom-forming filamentous bacteria in freshwaters is presently unknown. Here we report the identification of dominant members of a filamentous bacterial assemblage during a bloom of such morphotypes in a mesotrophic lake. By molecular cloning and fluorescence in situ hybridization with specific oligonucleotide probes, up to 98% of filamentous cells in lake water could be assigned to a clade of almost identical (99% similarity) 16S rRNA gene sequence types, the cosmopolitan freshwater LD2 cluster. For a period of less than 1 week, members of the LD2 clade constituted >40% of the total bacterial biomass, potentially favored by high grazing of planktivorous protists. This is probably the most pronounced case of dominance by a single bacterioplankton species ever observed in natural freshwaters. In enclosures artificially stocked with the metazoan filter feeder Daphnia, bacteria related to the LD2 clade formed a significantly larger fraction of filaments than in enclosures where Daphnia had been removed. However, in the presence of higher numbers of Daphnia individuals, the LD2 bacteria, like other filaments, were eventually eliminated both in enclosures and in the lake. This points at the potential importance of filter-feeding zooplankton in controlling the occurrence and species composition of filamentous bacterial morphotypes in freshwater plankton.
A Solution to the Next Best View Problem for Automated Surface Acquisition

A solution to the "next best view" (NBV) problem for automated surface acquisition is presented. The NBV problem is to determine which areas of a scanner's viewing volume need to be scanned to sample all of the visible surfaces of an a priori unknown object and where to position/control the scanner to sample them. A method for determining the unscanned areas of the viewing volume is presented. In addition, a novel representation, positional space, is presented which facilitates a solution to the NBV problem by representing what must be and what can be scanned in a single data structure. The number of costly computations needed to determine if an area of the viewing volume would be occluded from some scanning position is decoupled from the number of positions considered for the NBV, thus reducing the computational cost of choosing one. An automated surface acquisition systems designed to scan all visible surfaces of an a priori unknown object is demonstrated on real objects.
Extreme-day return as a measure of stock market volatility : comparative study developed vs. emerging capital markets of the world

This paper uses a new measure of volatility based on extreme day return occurrences and examines the relative prevailing volatility among worldwide stock markets during 1997-2009. Using several global stock market indexes of countries categorized as an emerging and developed capital markets are utilized. Additionally this study investigates well known anomalies namely Monday effect and January effect. Further using correlation analysis of co movement and extent of integration highlights the opportunities for international diversification among those markets. Evidences during this time period suggest volatility is not the only phenomena of emerging capital markets. Emerging markets offer opportunities of higher returns during volatility. Cross correlation analysis depicts markets have become more integrated during this time frame; still opportunities for higher returns prevail through global portfolio diversification.
Induction of Bcl-xL Expression by Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Tax through NF-κB in Apoptosis-Resistant T-Cell Transfectants with Tax

ABSTRACT Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax is thought to play a pivotal role in immortalization of T cells. We have recently shown that the expression of Tax protected the mouse T-cell line CTLL-2 against apoptosis induced by interleukin-2 (IL-2) deprivation and converted its growth from being IL-2 dependent to being IL-2 independent. In this study, we demonstrate that constitutive expression of bcl-xl but not bcl-2, bcl-xs,bak, bad, or bax was associated with apoptosis resistance after IL-2 deprivation in CTLL-2 cells that expressed Tax. Transient-transfection assays showed thatbcl-x promoter was transactivated by wild-type Tax. Similar effects were observed in mutant Tax retaining transactivating ability through NF-κB. Deletion or substitution of a putative NF-κB binding site identified in the bcl-x promoter significantly decreased Tax-induced transactivation. This NF-κB-like element was able to form a complex with NF-κB family proteins in vitro. Furthermore, Tax-induced transactivation of the bcl-xpromoter was also diminished by the mutant IκBα, which specifically inhibits NF-κB activity. Our findings suggest that constitutive expression of Bcl-xL induced by Tax through the NF-κB pathway contributes to the inhibition of apoptosis in CTLL-2 cells after IL-2 deprivation.
Calculating risk in functional programming

In the trend towards tolerating hardware unreliability, accuracy is exchanged for cost savings. Running on less reliable machines, "functionally correct" code becomes risky and one needs to know how risk propagates so as to mitigate it. Risk estimation, however, seems to live outside the average programmer's technical competence and core practice. In this paper we propose that risk be constructively handled in functional programming by (a) writing programs which may choose between expected and faulty behaviour, and by (b) reasoning about them in a linear algebra extension to standard, a la Bird-Moor algebra of programming. In particular, the propagation of faults across standard program transformation techniques known as tupling and fusion is calculated, enabling the fault of the whole to be expressed in terms of the faults of its parts.
Network Topology Design with Multiple Criteria

The physical or logical topology of a network seriously affects the network cost, reliability, throughput, and traffic pattern, etc, so we need to consider these multiple criteria having different units, simultaneously. However, ordinary methods of designing network topology consider only a single criterion, e.g., minimizing the required number of physical links. In this paper, we propose a network topology design method using "average rank", which is calculated by averaging the ranks of all criteria. This method requires little calculation and the principle of topology evaluation is really simple. Through numerical evaluation, we show that this method can find network topologies with reasonable values of all the criteria
A Network Architecture to Distribute Video on Demand based on Content Centric Networking

The usage pattern of today’s Internet consists of research, production, and distribution of content. In this paper, we propose an efficient video on demand distribution architecture. The system relies on Content Centric Networking (CCN) over IP to distribute video in the core of Internet Service Provider’s (ISPs) networks. Routers capable of transcoding IP to CCN placed in the network’s edge grant the customers transparent access to the video content via IP. The usage of CCN reduces the overhead in the network core, while the proximity between customers and the transcoding points grant lower latency and thus better quality of service (QoS).
Free search of global value

This article presents a novel investigation on two real value methods Free Search and Particle Swarm Optimization applied to global optimization numerical tests. The objective is to identify how to facilitate assessment of heuristic, evolutionary, adaptive and other optimization and search algorithms. Particular aim is to measure: (1) probability for success of given method; (2) abilities of given method for entire search space coverage; (3) dependence on initialization; (4) abilities of given method to escape from trapping in local sub-optima. Achieved experimental results are presented and analyzed.
Participatory surveillance of hypoglycemia and harms in an online social network.

IMPORTANCE Surveillance systems for elucidating the burden of hypoglycemia are limited. OBJECTIVE To quantify experiences of hypoglycemia and related harms, members of an international online diabetes social network with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were polled through a software application ("app"). Aggregate results were returned to participants through network channels. DESIGN The study period was from March 2011 through April 2012, during which time retrospective reports about experiences with hypoglycemia and related harms were collected from participants using the app. SETTING The study was undertaken within the TuDiabetes.org international online diabetes social network. PARTICIPANTS Eligibility criteria included TuDiabetes membership, age 13 years or older, a self-reported diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, ability to read and write English, and Internet access. Of 2827 app users, 687 (response rate, 24.3%) opted in to the volunteer sample. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcomes included the following: frequency of "going low" (having a low glucose value in the past 2 weeks) and episodes of severe hypoglycemia (in the past 12 months), and, for respondents reporting recent and/or severe hypoglycemia, lifetime experience of vehicle crashes or severe medical injury, daily debilitating worry, and withdrawal from driving, exercise, sex, and going outside of the home to avoid hypoglycemia and consequences. Secondary outcomes included measures of research engagement. RESULTS Of 613 respondents (24.3% of app users), 49.1% reported more than 4 episodes of "going low" in the past 2 weeks and 29.2% reported 1 or more severe low in the past year; 16.6% reported both more than 4 recent low episodes and 1 or more severe event in the past year. Harms were common, including daily debilitating worry (45.8%), vehicle crash or injury (15.0%), and withdrawal from exercise, driving, leaving home, and having sex (54.0%, 37.4%, 24.8%, and 22.7%, respectively). Of all respondents, 54.2% reported multiple harms, the risks for which were highest (73.7%) among respondents with a past-year severe event (odds ratio, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.60-3.58; P < .001 controlling for frequent recent low episodes and demographic and disease factors). Engagement was high, with 96.6% of the sample permitting recontact for research and 31.7% posting personal study data on their app profile page; 40.5% of 2825 unique page views of research-related materials published on the community site involved views of returned research results. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Participatory surveillance of hypoglycemia in an online diabetes social network enables characterization of patient-centered harms in a community sample and bidirectional communication with affected persons, augmenting traditional surveillance.
The Iron Content of Serum Ferritin: Physiological Importance and Diagnostic Value

In this paper we present a method for determining the iron saturation of ferritin as a possible independent predictor of iron stores. Serum ferritin was purified by immunochemical precipitation, and could be completely recovered from serum without any contamination from transferrin. The iron content of the precipitated ferritin was determined by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS) and the ferritin-iron saturation was calculated using the original serum ferritin concentration. The intra- and inter-assay variation coefficients were 4.2% and 13.4% respectively. The first results with this assay indicate that serum ferritin contains a considerable amount of iron. Furthermore the results show that the iron saturation of ferritin in patients with acute phase response is significantly lower than the saturation found in healthy volunteers (19.3% and 24.3% respectively). These results suggest a possible role for the ferritin-iron saturation in the assessment of iron stores in patients suffering from acute phase response. In addition, the considerable amount of iron in ferritin suggests the need to revise the physiological role of this substance in relation to the serum iron homeostasis.
Zika Virus Emergence in Mosquitoes in Southeastern Senegal, 2011

Background Zika virus (ZIKV; genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae) is maintained in a zoonotic cycle between arboreal Aedes spp. mosquitoes and nonhuman primates in African and Asian forests. Spillover into humans has been documented in both regions and the virus is currently responsible for a large outbreak in French Polynesia. ZIKV amplifications are frequent in southeastern Senegal but little is known about their seasonal and spatial dynamics. The aim of this paper is to describe the spatio-temporal patterns of the 2011 ZIKV amplification in southeastern Senegal. Methodology/Findings Mosquitoes were collected monthly from April to December 2011 except during July. Each evening from 18∶00 to 21∶00 hrs landing collections were performed by teams of 3 persons working simultaneously in forest (canopy and ground), savannah, agriculture, village (indoor and outdoor) and barren land cover sites. Mosquitoes were tested for virus infection by virus isolation and RT-PCR. ZIKV was detected in 31 of the 1,700 mosquito pools (11,247 mosquitoes) tested: Ae. furcifer (5), Ae. luteocephalus (5), Ae. africanus (5), Ae. vittatus (3), Ae. taylori, Ae. dalzieli, Ae. hirsutus and Ae. metallicus (2 each) and Ae. aegypti, Ae. unilinaetus, Ma. uniformis, Cx. perfuscus and An. coustani (1 pool each) collected in June (3), September (10), October (11), November (6) and December (1). ZIKV was detected from mosquitoes collected in all land cover classes except indoor locations within villages. The virus was detected in only one of the ten villages investigated. Conclusions/Significance This ZIKV amplification was widespread in the Kédougou area, involved several mosquito species as probable vectors, and encompassed all investigated land cover classes except indoor locations within villages. Aedes furcifer males and Aedes vittatus were found infected within a village, thus these species are probably involved in the transmission of Zika virus to humans in this environment.
Strong AI and the Chinese Room Argument, Four views

AI is the view that the human mind is a computational device and computers are in principle capable of thought. In 1980, Searle published a paper which argued against this position by means of a thought experiment: the chinese room. In the years to come, many comments were made to this paper, of which we will discuss two. Central questions in this paper will be whether strong AI is true, and whether it is possible to create a true 'Artificial Intelligence'. All four views (strong AI, Searle, Harnad and Churchland) differ from one another, and all will be summarized and discussed. In short, this paper discusses some important philosophical underpinnings of AI, by summarizing and discussing the views of three authors and strong AI itself.
OVERCOMING INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO IVHS

The deployment of the advanced communications, electronic, and computer technologies known as Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems (IVHS) requires a major course correction from the traditional approaches to surface transportation in the U.S. The great promise of IVHS for congestion relief, a reduction in traffic deaths and injuries, fuel conservation, and environmental protection and improvement can be realized sooner rather than later only if our transportation thinking catches up with advances in our transportation technology. This article looks at the following areas that impact future implementation of IVHS: Private Sector Access; Local Government Coordination; Privacy; Standards; Air Quality and Environmental Compatibility; Education and Staffing; Antitrust; Intellectual Property Rights; Liability; Procurement; Statutory and Regulatory Barriers; and Societal Implications.
Palmprint identification for user verification based on line detection and local standard deviation

Human palmprints contain biometric features that can be used to identify an individual. These features can be used for example in user verification applications. This paper presents a user verification system using palmprint identification. The image of the palm is captured using a web camera. Then the features used for palmprint identification is extracted using line detection and local standard deviation. The proposed system is evaluated by asking 40 subjects to act as users (10 subject as registered users and 30 non-registered users). Our experiments show that the system can achieve accuracy rate of up to 98% with no false acceptance and 2% false rejection rate. The average time required to perform a user verification is 340 ms.
Advances in Brief Evaluation of Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitor for Potential Chemopreventive Properties in Colon Carcinogenesis '

Epidemlological and laboratory studies indicate an inverse relationship between the risk of colon cancer development and intake of nonsteroldal antiinflammatory agents, including aspirin. One of the mechanisms by which nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents Inhibit colon carcInogenesis Is through the inhibition of prostaglandIn production by cyclooxygenase isozymes (COX-1 and COX-2). Overexpression of COX-2 has been oh served In colon tumors. Thus, selective inhibitors of COX-2 could poten tinily serve as chemopreventive agents. We have assessed the chemopre ventive properties of SC-58635, a COX-2 inhibitor, and of sulindac, as a positive control, In a double-blind study, using azoxymethane-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) as a measure of efficacy. Five-week-old male F344 rats were fed the control diet (modified AIN-76A) or experi mental diets containing 150 or 1500 ppm SC-58635, 320 ppm sulindac, or 1500 ppm placebo. Two weeks later, all animals except those In vehicle (normal saline)-treated groups were s.c. injected with azoxymethane (15 mg/kg of body weight, once weekly for 2 weeks). At 16 weeks of age, all rats were sacrificed and colons were evaluated for ACF. As expected, dietary administration of sulindac suppressed ACF development as such and reduced crypt multiplicity In terms of number of aberrant crypts/ focus. Administration of 1500 ppm SC-58635 inhibited total ACF induc tion and crypt multiplicity by about 40â€”49%. Our finding that SC-58635 significantly suppressed colonic ACF formation and crypt multiplicity strengthens the hypothesis that a selective COX-2 Inhibitor possesses chemopreventive activity against colon carcinogenesis.
- 6-Stationary and quasi-stationary eddies in the extratropical troposphere : theory

The climatological zonal asymmetries in the atmosphere result from asymmetries in the Earth's surface. The problem of explaining the atmospheric asymmetries is complicated by the fact that some of the relevant surface properties, such as ocean temperature, land-surface albedo and ground wetness, are at least partially conteolled by the atmosphere. Yet, even if one ignores these important feedback processes and simply prescribed boundary conditions, the construction of a theory explaining the atmospheric asymmetries remains a difficult challenge. This is particularly so for the asymmetries within the troposphere, where latent heat release and the mixing of momentum and heat by large-scale transients are both dependent on the boundary conditions and the forced wave structure in ways that are little understood. There exist several recent reviews of problems associated with stationary eddies on various scales, most notably Smith (1979) and Dickinson (1980) on the effects of orography. The intention in this survey is not to present a systematic review of theory but simply to touch upon some of the theoretical issues that have arisen time and again since the pioneering work of Charney and Eliassen (1949), Bolin (1950) and Smagorinsky (1953) on planetary-scale stationary waves. Among these issues are the following:
Gender, Race, and Coalition Building: Agenda Setting as a Mechanism for Collaboration Among Minority Groups in Congress

In this article we utilize social network analysis to examine the agenda setting phase of bill sponsorship and cosponsorship in order evaluate the position of women and minorities and to gain insights into their coalition building process in the Democratic controlled 111th Congress (2009-2010). To understand the influence of minority groups, we examine whether majority group members are less likely to cosponsor the bills of minority legislators. Further, we investigate if minority groups are more likely to form coalitions with each other by analyzing whether African Americans, Latinos, and female legislators are natural coalition partners for each other’s initiatives. Our results show that white males (the majority group in Congress) are neither less or equally likely to cosponsor the legislation sponsored by African Americans, Latinos, or women. We do find that Democratic women appear to be building coalitions with minorities (supporting the legislation of several minority groups) and minorities are building coalitions with one another. However, minority groups are not consistently building coalitions with Democratic women.