Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate Change Impact on Agriculture and Food Security

Research on the impact of climate change on agriculture and food security is important, especially in the agricultural economies, not only to know the severity of impact but also the policies to be adapted to halt climate change and the technology to be used to mitigate the impact of climate change. The study was conducted in Kapiri Mposhi district of Central Province in Zambia to find out the impact of climate change on agriculture and food security. The objectives of study include to know the intensity of climate change and its impact on area under cultivation, late sowing of seed and damage of seed due to lack of water, fertilizer absorption reduction, food shortage, livestock, and productivity. The chapter also focuses on the sources of credit to the farmers.
Climate Change in China Congruent with the Linear Trends of the Annular Modes

The authors exploit the remarkable connection between the Chinese climate trends and the annular modes by partitioning the trends into components linearly congruent with and linearly independent of the annular modes. Results show that the winter hemisphere annular mode has closer connection to Chinese climate than the summer one, e.g., the wetting JJA (June-July-August) rainfall trend along the Yangtze River valley and the asso- ciated temperature trends are significantly linearly con- gruent with the trend of the southern annular mode, while the JFM (January-February-March) climate trends are closely linked to the northern annular mode. The seasonal differences of a meridional wave-train-like chain across the equatorial Pacific associated with the annular modes are responsible for the seasonal-dependent connections to Chinese climate. Keywords: Chinese climate, trend, annular modes Citation: Zhou, T. J., and J. Li, 2008: Climate change in China congruent with the linear trends of the annular modes, Atmos. and Oceanic Sci. Lett. , 1, 1−7.
Modélisation analogique des écoulements d'eau sous-glaciaire : implications sur les relations entre vallées tunnels et dynamique glaciaire

Les vallees tunnels sont les structures de drainage d'eau de fonte les plus imposantes de l'environnement sous-glaciaire. L'inaccessibilite des milieux sous-glaciaires actuels limitent nos connaissances des mecanismes impliques dans leurs formations, des parametres controlant leur morphologie et de leurs influences sur la dynamique glaciaire. Ce travail presente une nouvelle approche experimentale visant a mieux contraindre la formation et le fonctionnement des systemes de vallees tunnels. Cette approche repose sur le developpement d'un nouveau dispositif experimental simulant la circulation d'eau pressurisee au sein d'un substrat poreux et permeable sous une couverture visqueuse. Les resultats des experiences menees avec ce dispositif ont permis de determiner des relations etroites entre les parametres du substrat et les modalites de l'ecoulement d'eau sur la formation et la morphologie des vallees tunnels. Les resultats issus des experiences demontrent que ce dispositif permet de recreer des systemes de vallees tunnels. L'etude de ces vallees experimentales suggerent que la topographie du substrat et la production d'eau de fonte joue un role primordial sur la genese des vallees tunnels et sur leurs morphologies. Deux morphotypes de vallees tunnels ont pu etre identifies avec des morphologies et des mecanismes de formation independants. L'analyse de la dynamique de la calotte sus-jacente a permis de mettre en evidence un lien etroit entre le developpement des vallees tunnels et la dynamique des "ice streams". L'evolution de la capacite de drainage des vallees tunnels semble controler la dynamique glaciaire en regulant le flux de glace transitant dans les "ice streams".
Larval drift and settling of Greenland halibut (R. hippoglossoides Walbaum) in Northwest Atlantic with special focus on Greenlandic waters

Early life history of Greenland halibut, Reinhardtius hippoglossoides , Walbaum, was tracked by drift and growth models in waters around Greenland. Model simulations were initiated from known and suggested spawning areas and were run from egg stage to larvae reached settling size. Research trawl surveys were carried out off West Greenland in July, August and September 2002 to validate the models and to examine time and spatial distribution of newly settled and juvenile Greenland halibut in two sub-areas of Hellefisk Bank. Drift model simulations revealed that egg and larvae had a total drift phase between 5 to 11 months. Analyses of spatial distribution of settling larvae showed that larvae from geographical separate spawning areas could intermix. The most important settling areas in West Greenland were found at Hellefisk Bank, Disko Bank and Disko Bay. Survey results validated that larvae were settling at Hellefisk Bank and that abundance of older juveniles were very high in all of the areas. However, the spatial distribution of newly settled and older juvenile Greenland halibut differed significantly. Settling was observed in both sub-areas of Hellefisk Bank while the older juveniles only occurred in one of the sub-areas. Either, the settled fish migrates away or there is a higher mortality rate in certain settling areas. Consequently the successful nursery areas must have a lesser extent than the settling areas. Concentrating of juveniles to more specific nursery areas implies that recruitment dynamics in Greenland halibut may be controlled by density dependent mechanism.
Deterministic equation solving over finite fields

Deterministic algorithms are presented for the efficient solution of diagonal homogeneous equations in many variables over finite fields. As auxiliary algorithms, it is shown how to compute a field generator that is an nth power, and how to write elements as sums of nth powers, for a given integer n. All these algorithms take polynomial time in n and in the logarithm of the field size, and are practical as stated.
VENTA MICENA (CUENCA DE BAZA, GRANADA): UN FOSSIL-LAGERSTÄTTE EXCEPCIONAL PARA EL CONOCIMIENTO DE LOS GRANDES MAMÍFEROS CONTINENTALES DEL PLEISTOCENO INFERIOR

1 Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos s/n, 29071 – Málaga, España. Email: ppb@uma.es; mpespigares@uma.es; sergiorosm@uma.es; antguerra@uma.es; chemacyanos@msn.com; fjsa@uma.es; borja.figueirido@uma.es 2 PACEA-UMR5199CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Allée Geoffroy St Hilaire, Bâtiment B18, CS 50023, 33615 – Pessac Cedex, Francia. Email: guillerwilson@gmail.com 3 Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, Estados Unidos. 4 Fundación Sierra Elvira, Av. de Andalucía 139, Atarfe, 18230 – Granada, España. 5 IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES). C/ Marcel. lí Domingo s/n, Campus Sescelades, Edifici W3. 43007 Tarragona, España. Email: bienvenido@iphes.cat 6 Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avda. Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, España. 7 ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, España.
Sensitivity and robustness aspects of sensorless rotor temperature estimation technique for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor

The work focuses on tuning issues of a recently presented sensorless rotor temperature estimation technique for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs). The method implies an intermittent injection of a voltage pulse in the d-axis of the motor while keeping the load current zero. Thus, the resulting d-current response depends on both the initial value of the d-current itself and the actual magnetization level of the permanent magnets. Since the magnetization of the magnets depends on the temperature, different d-current slopes are associated with given temperature levels of the magnets. The sensitivity of the method depends strongly on the initial d-current and the injected voltage pulse width. Several method operating conditions will be discussed and compared in terms of sensitivity and influence on the motor performance.
Desenvolvimento do banco de produtos MODIS na base estadual brasileira.

Abstract. Satellite images have been an important source of information for land ecosystems studies. Data sharing policies, combined with the development of Web distribution systems, have increased the user? s access to several sources of orbital images. A successful example of data sharing is the LP-DAAC (Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center), supported by EOS/NASA, which offers a set of products derived from orbital sensors, including MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). Although the LP-DAAC products are pre-processed, it usually takes a few steps further so that the user can finally load the images into the geoprocessing and GIS packages. Image reprojection and image mosaicking are examples of such complementary processing activities, which may represent a reasonable job when a long time-series has to be processed. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a MODIS products database in the Brazilian state basis, in order to store and make available images considering the Brazilian states subsets and adopting an usual image format and map projection, without requiring any additional processing step. Processing methods of NDVI, EVI and Pixel Reliability imagery, derived from the MOD13Q1 product, are presented, as well as a Web system for data distribution based on the GeoNetwork, a catalog application to manage spatially referenced resources.
A questionnaire for measurement of temperament in six-month-old infants: development and standardization.

SUMMARY A parental questionnaire was developed for measurement of the nine New York Longitudinal Study temperament variables in 6-month-old infants. The questions concern the infant's actual behavior in everyday activities and specified situations. The final questionnaire contains 44 scored items, and takes approximately 15 min to complete and 5 min to score. Test-retest reliability was found to be generally satisfactory, A representative sample of 160 6-month-old infants, chosen from Swedish Well-Baby Clinics, constituted the standardization sample. This sample's scores on the variables showed acceptable ranges and distribution shapes, thus providing good differentiation among individuals with respect to temperament characteristics. While no significant difference was found between boys and girls on six of the temperament variables, girls were found to be significantly less active, less adaptable and more distractible than boys.
Mechanistic rationale for MCL1 inhibition during androgen deprivation therapy

Androgen deprivation therapy induces apoptosis or cell cycle arrest in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. Here we set out to analyze whether MCL1, a known mediator of chemotherapy resistance regulates the cellular response to androgen withdrawal. Analysis of MCL1 protein and mRNA expression in PCa tissue and primary cell culture specimens of luminal and basal origin, respectively, reveals higher expression in cancerous tissue compared to benign origin. Using PCa cellular models in vitro and in vivo we show that MCL1 expression is upregulated in androgen-deprived PCa cells. Regulation of MCL1 through the AR signaling axis is indirectly mediated via a cell cycle-dependent mechanism. Using constructs downregulating or overexpressing MCL1 we demonstrate that expression of MCL1 prevents induction of apoptosis when PCa cells are grown under steroid-deprived conditions. The BH3-mimetic Obatoclax induces apoptosis and decreases MCL1 expression in androgen-sensitive PCa cells, while castration-resistant PCa cells are less sensitive and react with an upregulation of MCL1 expression. Synergistic effects of Obatoclax with androgen receptor inactivation can be observed. Moreover, clonogenicity of primary basal PCa cells is efficiently inhibited by Obatoclax. Altogether, our results suggest that MCL1 is a key molecule deciding over the fate of PCa cells upon inactivation of androgen receptor signaling.
Delayed Clearance of Viral Load and Marked Cytokine Activation in Severe Cases of Pandemic H1N1 2009 Influenza Virus Infection

Abstract Background. Infections caused by the pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus range from mild upper respiratory tract syndromes to fatal diseases. However, studies comparing virological and immunological profile of different clinical severity are lacking. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 74 patients with pandemic H1N1 infection, including 23 patients who either developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or died (ARDS-death group), 14 patients with desaturation requiring oxygen supplementation and who survived without ARDS (survived-without-ARDS group), and 37 patients with mild disease without desaturation (mild-disease group). We compared their pattern of clinical disease, viral load, and immunological profile. Results. Patients with severe disease were older, more likely to be obese or having underlying diseases, and had lower respiratory tract symptoms, especially dyspnea at presentation. The ARDS-death group had a slower decline in nasopharyngeal viral loads, had higher plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and were more likely to have bacterial coinfections (30.4%), myocarditis (21.7%), or viremia (13.0%) than patients in the survived-without-ARDS or the mild-disease groups. Reactive hemophagocytosis, thrombotic phenomena, lymphoid atrophy, diffuse alveolar damage, and multiorgan dysfunction similar to fatal avian influenza A H5N1 infection were found at postmortem examinations. Conclusions. The slower control of viral load and immunodysregulation in severe cases mandate the search for more effective antiviral and immunomodulatory regimens to stop the excessive cytokine activation resulting in ARDS and death.
Multi-object splicing forgery detection using noise level difference

Splicing forgery is a commonly used operation in digital image synthesize. Exposing multi-object splicing forgery by detecting noise discrepancy is discussed in this paper. The image is firstly segmented into small segments and noise level function, which reveals relationship between image noise and pixels' intensity is estimated. Suspicious regions are detected by checking constrains of noise level function. In the experiment, a new dataset is used for evaluating the proposed method. The experimental results show the effectiveness and robustness in dealing with multi-objects splicing forgery. Besides, comparisons prove our method is superior to the existing state-of-art.
Innate Immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

SUMMARY The different manifestations of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis reflect the balance between the bacillus and host defense mechanisms. Traditionally, protective immunity to tuberculosis has been ascribed to T-cell-mediated immunity, with CD4+ T cells playing a crucial role. Recent immunological and genetic studies support the long-standing notion that innate immunity is also relevant in tuberculosis. In this review, emphasis is on these natural, innate host defense mechanisms, referring to experimental data (e.g., studies in gene knockout mice) and epidemiological, immunological, and genetic studies in human tuberculosis. The first step in the innate host defense is cellular uptake of M. tuberculosis, which involves different cellular receptors and humoral factors. Toll-like receptors seem to play a crucial role in immune recognition of M. tuberculosis, which is the next step. The subsequent inflammatory response is regulated by production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Different natural effector mechanisms for killing of M. tuberculosis have now been identified. Finally, the innate host response is necessary for induction of adaptive immunity to M. tuberculosis. These basic mechanisms augment our understanding of disease pathogenesis and clinical course and will be of help in designing adjunctive treatment strategies.
Discretization methods with analytical solutions for a convection–reaction equation with higher-order discretizations

We introduce an improved second-order discretization method for the convection–reaction equation by combining analytical and numerical solutions. The method is derived from Godunov's scheme, see [S.K. Godunov, Difference methods for the numerical calculations of discontinuous solutions of the equations of fluid dynamics, Mat. Sb. 47 (1959), pp. 271–306] and [R.J. LeVeque, Finite Volume Methods for Hyperbolic Problems, Cambridge Texts in Applied Mathematics, Cambridge University Press, 2002. ], and uses analytical solutions to solve the one-dimensional convection-reaction equation. We can also generalize the second-order methods for discontinuous solutions, because of the analytical test functions. One-dimensional solutions are used in the higher-dimensional solution of the numerical method. The method is based on the flux-based characteristic methods and is an attractive alternative to the classical higher-order total variation diminishing methods, see [A. Harten, High resolution schemes for hyperbolic conservation laws, J. Comput. Phys. 49 (1993), pp. 357–393. ]. In this article, we will focus on the derivation of analytical solutions embedded into a finite volume method, for general and special solutions of the characteristic methods. For the analytical solution, we use the Laplace transformation to reduce the equation to an ordinary differential equation. With general initial conditions, e.g. spline functions, the Laplace transformation is accomplished with the help of numerical methods. The proposed discretization method skips the classical error between the convection and reaction equation by using the operator-splitting method. At the end of the article, we illustrate the higher-order method for different benchmark problems. Finally, the method is shown to produce realistic results.
A study of the reliability of Internet sites

Failure and repair rates of components are often assumed to be exponentially distributed. This hypothesis is testable for failure rates, though the process of gathering and reducing the data to a usable form can be difficult. By applying an appropriate test statistic, some samples were found to have a realistic change of being drawn from an exponential distribution, while others can be confidently classed as nonexponential. Data were collected from a large number of hosts via the Internet. Almost all of the visible Internet (over 350000 hosts) were considered, and more than 68000 of these that were judged likely to respond were queried. These hosts were sampled several times to obtain up-times, and finally to determine average host availability. Estimates of availability, mean-time-to-failure, and mean-time-to-repair were derived. The results reported correspond with those commonly seen in practice. <<ETX>>
Observing the rising and falling of water level in Mosul Dam Lake using remote sensing data and Geographical Information System

Multi temporal Landsat ETM+ satellite images for the period (1986 to 2009) are used to determine the boundary of Mosul Dam Lake. Digital Image processing (Enhancement, Image Fusion and classification) applied for the input data. The output images showed the values of surface area in Km 2 . In order to extract the level of water a digital elevation model was combined with the output images. The (Elevation – Area – Volume) curve for Mosul Dam Lake (which depended on field measurements) used to compare the values of water level of the lake that extracted from the satellite images with digital elevation model and that one plotted on the curve. The results of this study showed an agreeable convergence between them
Improved tracking by decoupling camera and target motion

Video tracking is widely used for surveillance, security, and defense purposes. In cases where the camera is not fixed due to pans and tilts, or due to being fixed on a moving platform, tracking can become more difficult. Camera motion must be taken into account, and objects that come and go from the field of view should be continuously and uniquely tracked. We propose a tracking system that can meet these needs by using a frame registration technique to estimate camera motion. This estimate is then used as the input control signal to a Kalman filter which estimates the target's motion model based on measurements from a mean-shift localization scheme. Thus we decouple the camera and object motion and recast the problem in terms of a principled control theory solution. Our experiments show that using a controller built on these principles we are able to track videos with multiple objects in sequences with moving cameras. Furthermore, the techniques are computationally efficient and allow us to accomplish these results in real-time. Of specific importance is that when objects are lost off-frame they can still be uniquely identified and reacquired when they return to the field of view.
Idealized Computational Models for Auditory Receptive Fields

We present a theory by which idealized models of auditory receptive fields can be derived in a principled axiomatic manner, from a set of structural properties to (i) enable invariance of receptive field responses under natural sound transformations and (ii) ensure internal consistency between spectro-temporal receptive fields at different temporal and spectral scales. For defining a time-frequency transformation of a purely temporal sound signal, it is shown that the framework allows for a new way of deriving the Gabor and Gammatone filters as well as a novel family of generalized Gammatone filters, with additional degrees of freedom to obtain different trade-offs between the spectral selectivity and the temporal delay of time-causal temporal window functions. When applied to the definition of a second-layer of receptive fields from a spectrogram, it is shown that the framework leads to two canonical families of spectro-temporal receptive fields, in terms of spectro-temporal derivatives of either spectro-temporal Gaussian kernels for non-causal time or a cascade of time-causal first-order integrators over the temporal domain and a Gaussian filter over the logspectral domain. For each filter family, the spectro-temporal receptive fields can be either separable over the time-frequency domain or be adapted to local glissando transformations that represent variations in logarithmic frequencies over time. Within each domain of either non-causal or time-causal time, these receptive field families are derived by uniqueness from the assumptions. It is demonstrated how the presented framework allows for computation of basic auditory features for audio processing and that it leads to predictions about auditory receptive fields with good qualitative similarity to biological receptive fields measured in the inferior colliculus (ICC) and primary auditory cortex (A1) of mammals.
Entropy-Functional-Based Online Adaptive Decision Fusion Framework With Application to Wildfire Detection in Video

In this paper, an entropy-functional-based online adaptive decision fusion (EADF) framework is developed for image analysis and computer vision applications. In this framework, it is assumed that the compound algorithm consists of several subalgorithms, each of which yields its own decision as a real number centered around zero, representing the confidence level of that particular subalgorithm. Decision values are linearly combined with weights that are updated online according to an active fusion method based on performing entropic projections onto convex sets describing subalgorithms. It is assumed that there is an oracle, who is usually a human operator, providing feedback to the decision fusion method. A video-based wildfire detection system was developed to evaluate the performance of the decision fusion algorithm. In this case, image data arrive sequentially, and the oracle is the security guard of the forest lookout tower, verifying the decision of the combined algorithm. The simulation results are presented.