Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantifying sediment transport from eroding gullies using LiDAR

Gully erosion contributes greatly to sedimentation rates and soil loss in a number of environments globally. Gullies incise drainage lines, increase connectivity within the landscape and facilitate the transportation of sediment and nutrients from upland areas— contributing to excessive sedimentation and nutrient loading in drinking water reservoirs. The extent and increase in gully erosion has traditionally been measured through methods such as aerial photography and cross-sectional surveys. New methods such as high resolution topographic surveys provide the opportunity to measure geomorphic change at levels of detail not previously seen. This study sought to use LiDAR to quantify the response of two gully networks within the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales to a large rainfall event. High resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) were constructed from LiDAR datasets and differenced to find areas of change using Geomorphic Change Detection software. This enabled the volume of sediment lost from the study sites due to the rainfall event to be determined, which was then used to estimate potential volumes of nitrogen and phosphorus exported. Average gully slope, drainage area, aspect and stream order were all assessed as potential morphological controls on the location and intensity of gully erosion at the study sites. Both study sites were net erosional during the study period, estimated to have exported thousands of m3 of sediment (13,835 ± 3,945 m3 at Arthursleigh and 2,855 ± 1,587 m3 at Dixons Ck) and associated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus (between 3 – 12 t N and 0.47 – 1.7 t P at Arthursleigh and 1 – 4 t N and 0.28 – 0.63 t P at Dixons Ck). The areal change at both sites was small and spatially variable but erosion occurred primarily on gully walls and floors. Morphological controls were deemed to have no influence on erosion at either study site. This study suggests that LiDAR is a useful tool for quantifying change in gully extent while also providing insight into potential nutrient outputs. It is also suggested that morphological controls such as average slope and drainage area are not the sole determinants for the location and intensity of erosion, with other potential influences such as the rainfall event being considered.
A 1°×1° resolution data set of historical anthropogenic trace gas emissions for the period 1890–1990

An anthropogenic emissions data set has been constructed for CO2, CO, CH4, nonmethane volatile organic compounds, SO2, NOx, N2O, and NH3 spanning the period 1890–1990. The inventory is based on version 2.0 of the Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR 2.0). In EDGAR the emissions are calculated per country and economic sector using an emission factor approach. Calculations of the emissions with 10 year intervals are based on historical activity statistics and selected emission factors. Historical activity data were derived from the Hundred Year Database for Integrated Environmental Assessments (1890–1990) supplemented with other data and our own estimates. Emission factors account for changes in economical and technological developments in the past. The calculated emissions on a country basis have been interpolated onto a 1°×1° grid. This consistent data set can be used in trend studies of tropospheric trace gases and in environmental assessments, for example, the analysis of historical contributions of regions and countries to environmental forcing like the enhanced greenhouse gas effect, acidification, and eutrofication. The database focuses on energy/industrial and agricultural/waste sources; for completeness, historical biomass‐burning estimates where added using a simple and transparent approach.
A Cognitive Model of Discovering Commutativity

Mathematics is often seen as the uncovering of eternal truths that exist independently of the human mind. However, even if this epistemological view is correct, the mathematics that humans can know can only be the result of cognitive processes. We investigate this ability of the human mind to make mathematical discoveries. More precisely, we present a cognitive model of how the ability to use metaphors and analogies plays a key role in such discoveries. As a proof of concept we present an ACT-R model that uses path-mapping and that is capable of discovering the commutativity property of addition.
Contaminant intrusion in water distribution systems : advanced modelling approaches

Since exposure to contaminants may have direct adverse impacts on public health, contaminant intrusion has been recognized as one of the top priority in drinking water supply research. Three components must exist to cause contaminant intrusion into a water distribution system. These include the availability of source(s) of contaminant(s) around a water distribution system, the existence of driving forces (low/negative pressure) to make a contaminant enter into a water distribution system, and the presence of pathway(s) through which contaminant(s) intrude into a water distribution system (WDS). Exposure assessment is the most challenging part as location of contaminant intrusion, rate of intrusion, and the fate of contaminants within WDS need to be estimated accurately. In this dissertation, first, common uncertainty analysis techniques are discussed in the context of conservativeness, execution time, ease of formulation, and complexity. Second, a fuzzyrule based model has been developed to identify contaminant intrusion potential in a WDS. The potential of contaminant intrusion has been determined by integrating the potentials for contaminant sources existence, driving forces, and pathways. Third, a novel ingress model has been developed for more realistic estimation of intrusion rate by taking into account the effects of surrounding soil on intrusion rate. Coupled with an Eulerian-based transient hydraulic model, a Lagrangian transient water quality model is developed to predict the fate of the contaminant throughout a WDS. The proposed models are applied to case studies available in the literature to investigate the applicability of the models. The proposed models enhance the reliability and safety of WDSs by improving the prediction ability of the existing modelling tools.
Analysis of Language for Dementia Diagnosis with Focus on Alzheimer ’ s Disease 1

Dementia “is characterized by a decline in memory, language, problem-solving and other cognitive skills that affects a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. ”[1] These signs of decline are reflected in both cognitive (difficulty with planning, organizing, coordination, and motor functions) and psychological (paranoia, agitations, hallucinations) symptoms. It is possible to experience a single aspect of dementia (e.g. memory loss) while other cognitive and psychological aspects remain intact. The variations in which aspects are most affected contribute to the categorization of dementia types. For example, in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common type of dementia, patients suffer from cognitive decline due to the destruction of neurons in critical parts of the brain involved in cognitive functions. Symptoms of AD range from difficulty remembering recent information to impaired communication.
Signals sufficient for 3'-end formation of yeast mRNA

The following three elements were previously shown to be required for 3'-end formation of mRNA in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: (i) the efficiency element TATATA or related sequences, which function by enhancing the efficiency of downstream positioning elements; (ii) the positioning element AATAAA or related sequences, which position the poly(A) site; and (iii) the actual poly(A) site, which is usually Py(A)n. In this study, we synthesized a 39-pb poly(A) signal that contained the optimum sequences of these three elements. By inserting the synthetic 3'-end-forming signal into various positions of a CYC1-lacZ fusion gene, we showed that truncated transcripts of the expected sizes were generated. Furthermore, the poly(A) sites of the truncated transcripts were mapped to the expected poly(A) site within the synthetic signal. Our findings establish that the three elements are not only necessary but also sufficient for mRNA 3'-end formation in S. cerevisiae.
Applications of Bayesian Network Models in Cognitive Science

Bayesian Network models is a widely used method in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Bayesian Networks have been under increasing interest from Cognitive Science as more evidence arises that the human mind also makes use of probabilistic methods in cognition. The purpose of this paper is to review recent research into the applications of Bayesian Network Models in three domains of Cognitive Science. We argue that while Bayesian models can provide effective implementations cognitive functionality, these models can mostly not be used as explanatory models of human cognition.
Discussion on ‘Active Layer Thickness Prediction on the Western Antarctic Peninsula’ by Wilhelm et al. ( )

Wilhelm et al. (2015) employed the widely used Stefan and Kudryavtsev equations to predict the maximum active‐layer thickness (ALT) on Amsler Island, Western Antarctic Peninsula. Their predictions far exceed the observations of ALT reported from other parts of the region. Here, I demonstrate that the values of ALT are significantly overestimated by the predictive equations because the authors incorrectly assumed that little or no latent heat of phase change is absorbed during thawing. Although the area is the warmest in the Antarctic Peninsula region, with a rapid increase in air temperature and permafrost temperatures close to 0 °C, the active layer is likely to be substantially thinner than values predicted by Wilhelm et al. (2015). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular dynamics simulations of three protegrin-type antimicrobial peptides: interplay between charges at the termini, β-sheet structure and amphiphilic interactions

We have carried out molecular dynamics simulations of the naturally occurring protegrin PG-1 peptide and two of its mutants, PC-9 and PC-13 in the presence of a dodecyl-phosphocholine (DPC) micelle. The effects of mutations that disrupt the β-sheet structure in the case of PC-9 and reduce the charge at the C-terminus in the case of PC-13 are analyzed. It is found that the surface-bound conformations of the peptides are severely affected by both mutations. PG-1 exhibits a conformation in which the C-terminus and the β-hairpin turn interact strongly with the micelle lipid head groups, while its N-terminal strand bends away from the micelle and resides in the aqueous region; PC-13 exhibits strong interactions with the micelle at its N-terminus as well as the β-hairpin turn region, while retaining a much more compact conformation than PG-1; PC-9 achieves a highly distorted conformation relative to the homologous PG-1 structure, which allows both its termini and the β-hairpin region to interact with the micelle. These significant differences observed as a result of seemingly minor mutations to the sequences of the three peptides are explained in terms of the interplay between residue charges, structural rigidity and amphiphilic interactions. Conservative inferences are made bridging these biophysical interactions and the pharmacological profiles of the peptides.
Tourists' Evaluation of Climate Change Risks in the Canary Islands: A Heterogeneous Response Modelling Approach

This paper compares the differences between the monetary measures of willingness to accept and willingness to pay (WTP) for changes in climate change risk. The empirical evidence comes from tourists in the Canary Islands. The modelling approach utilizes a Bayesian mixture of normal distribution model that allows the authors to consider heterogeneity across both WTP and willingness to accept (WTA) question formats. The results show that the WTP for lower risks is lower than the WTA higher risks, and that the disparity between these measures depends on the market segments, the specific climate change risk and the characteristics of the individuals.
Extreme Programming from a CMM Perspective

Extreme programming has been advocated recently as an appropriate programming method for the high-speed, volatile world of Internet and Web software development. The author reviews XP from the perspective of the capability maturity model for software, gives overviews of both approaches, and critiques XP from a SW-CMM perspective. He concludes that lightweight methodologies such as XP advocate many good engineering practices and that both perspectives have something to offer the other.
Urbanization, Productivity and Innovation: Evidence from Investment in Higher Education*

During the past fifteen years, Swedish government policy has decentralized post-secondary education throughout the country. We investigate the economic effects of this decentralization policy on the level of productivity and innovation and their spatial distribution in the Swedish economy. We analyze productivity, measured as output per worker at the level of the locality for 284 Swedish communities during a 14 year period, and innovation, measured by commercial patents awarded in 100 Swedish labor market areas during an 8 year period. These economic outcomes, together with data documenting the decentralization of university-based researchers, permit us to estimate the effects of exogenous changes in educational policy upon increases in productivity and the locus of innovative activity. We find important and significant effects of this policy upon economic output and the locus of knowledge production, suggesting that the decentralization has affected regional development through local innovation and increased creativity. Moreover, our evidence suggests that aggregate productivity was increased by the deliberate policy of decentralization.
Application of Bayesian Neural Networks to ProteinSequence Classi cationQicheng

In this paper we present an application of neural networks to biomedical data mining. Speciically we propose a hybrid approach, combining similarity search and Bayesian neural networks, to classify protein sequences. We apply our techniques to recognizing the globin sequences obtained from the database maintained in the Protein Information Resources (PIR) at the National Biomedi-cal Research Foundation. Experimental results indicate an excellent performance of the proposed approach .
Stone Age Pottery Chronology in the Northeast European Forest Zone: New AMS and EA-IRMS Results on Foodcrusts

Abstract Pottery produced by mobile hunter-gatherer-fisher groups in the northeast European forest zone is among the earliest in Europe. Absolute chronologies, however, are still subject to debate due to a general lack of reliable contextual information. Direct radiocarbon dating of carbonized surface residues (“foodcrusts”) on pots can help to address this problem, as it dates the use of the pottery. If a pot was used to cook fish or other aquatic species, however, carbon in the crust may have been depleted in 14C compared to carbon in terrestrial foods and thus appear older than it really is (i.e. showing a “freshwater reservoir effect,” or FRE). A connected problem, therefore, is the importance of aquatic resources in the subsistence economy, and whether pots were used to process aquatic food. To build better chronologies from foodcrust dates, we need to determine which 14C results are more or less likely to be subject to FRE, i.e. to distinguish crusts derived mainly from aquatic ingredients from those composed mainly of terrestrial foods. Integrating laboratory analyses with relative chronologies based on typology and stratigraphy can help to assess the extent of FRE in foodcrust dates. This article reports new 14C and stable isotope measurements on foodcrusts from six Stone Age sites in central and northern European Russia, and one in southeastern Estonia. Most of these 14C results are not obviously influenced by FRE, but the isotopic data suggest an increasing use of aquatic products over the course of the 6th and 5th millennia cal BC.
Optimization of Test Oracles in Model-based Testing for Distributed Systems

Model-based testing is a testing technique that uses mathematical models such as extended finite state machines (EFSMs) or UML to describe how the tests should be done. Test cases are generated and executed from the models. To automate test evaluation in model-based testing, a test oracle, a program for checking whether the software under test (SUT) runs correctly, is needed. Generally, to find more bugs with model-based testing, it is desirable to execute as many test cases as possible. In model-based testing for distributed systems, however, it is difficult to execute many test cases; the test oracle takes time because of the following reason: Due to asynchronous and concurrent communication, an execution order of requests cannot be uniquely determined from the test oracle’s side. Thus, the test oracle needs to search for an execution order that corresponds to the actual result from possible execution orders in order to check whether the result is correct or not. The search time is exponential with regard to the number of sessions and the number of actions per sessions. To solve the problem, we present two optimization methods for test oracles used in model-based testing for distributed systems. The first one is a method to implement a simulator of the SUT and use it in a test oracle. We optimize the test oracle by improving the algorithm to search for the execution order that corresponds to the SUT’s output. This algorithm is based on the heuristic that the receiving order of responses is generally consistent with the execution order of requests. The second one is a method to optimize the test oracle by applying a highly optimized SMT solver to search for the execution order. An SMT solver is a tool for determining the satisfiability of a formula in first-order logic. The oracle creates a formula that is satisfiable if and only if the SUT’s output is correct and determines its satisfiability with an SMT solver to validate the SUT. To show the effectiveness of these methods, we test Apache ZooKeeper as an example of a distributed system. In the tests, we use Modbat, a tool for model-based testing. Apache ZooKeeper is a software to support distributed systems. It provides functions used in many distributed systems, such as maintaining configuration information and management of naming. We implement and optimize the oracle used in the tests with two methods, and estimate these methods to establish a way to create test oracle that takes advantage of these methods’ strength.
The Trigonometry of the Tetrahedron

So far as I know the properties of a tetrahedron are not given in any mathematical text-book. In the late Dr. Wolstenholme’s Examples for Practice in the use of Seven-figure Logarithms, the formulae which are necessary to determine the plane and dihedral angles and the volume of the tetrahedron, having given the six edges, are stated, but nothing beyond this. Dr. Wolstenholme worked at the subject for some years, and several of his results were sent as problems to the Educational Times, where they appeared for the most part after his death. In one set of questions he remarks that they are “the equations I have been looking for for years,” and so I think we may fairly infer that these questions represent the more advanced results of his investigations. The solutions of these questions, so far as I have been able to find them, are practically all given in this paper. “With regard to the rest of the matter, I hardly dare claim any originality. Wolstenholme must have known all or nearly all the results, and any one seriously attacking the subject must come upon them. All I can say is that I have never seen them in print, and that under any circumstances the bringing of them together must be helpful to students in many branches of mathematics.
Theoretical and Empirical Challenges in Studying: The HR Practice - Firm Performance Relationship

Over the past 10 years a plethora of research has been conducted seeking to establish a relationship between human resource (HR) practices and firm performance. While this research has demonstrated promising results, a significant number of problems exist. This paper seeks to identify the theoretical and empirical challenges facing researchers who wish to further establish the impact of HR practices on firm performance. We conclude with some recommendations for future research in this area that might more accurately assess this relationship in ways that will be useful for both researchers and practitioners.
Open Access RESEARCH

Background: Premature death of Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes is considered to favourably influence the clinical course of malaria. Aurothiomalate has previously been shown to trigger erythrocyte death or eryptosis, which is characterized by cell membrane scrambling leading to phosphatidylserine exposure at the cell surface. Phosphatidylserine-exposing cells are rapidly cleared from circulating blood. The present study thus tested whether sodium aurothiomalate influences the intraerythrocytic parasite development in vitro and the clinical course of murine malaria in vivo. Methods: Human erythrocytes were infected with Plasmodium falciparum BinH in vitro and mice were infected (intraperitoneal injection of 1 × 106 parasitized murine erythrocytes) with Plasmodium berghei ANKA in vivo. Results: Exposure to aurothiomalate significantly decreased the in vitro parasitemia of P. falciparum-infected human erythrocytes without influencing the intraerythrocytic DNA/RNA content. Administration of sodium aurothiomalate in vivo (daily 10 mg/kg b.w. s.c. from the 8 th day of infection) enhanced the percentage of phosphatidylserine-exposing infected and noninfected erythrocytes in blood. All nontreated mice died within 30 days of infection. Aurothiomalatetreatment delayed the lethal course of malaria leading to survival of more than 50% of the mice 30 days after infection. Conclusions: Sodium aurothiomalate influences the survival of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice, an effect only partially explained by stimulation of eryptosis.