Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Barriers in Implementing Waste-to-Energy Technologies in the Philippines using Analytic Hierarchy Process

Solid waste management is still a major challenge in the Philippines despite the passage of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. The local government units (LGUs) are responsible in devising their own solid waste management plan. However, as the waste generated have been increasing due to rapid industrialization and population growth, large portion of collected wastes that are not disposed to sanitary landfills are either end up in a controlled disposal facilities or open dumpsites. Several efforts have been made by LGUs and national government agencies to explore other alternatives such as waste-to-energy technologies specifically waste incineration to cope with the growing waste problem in the Philippines. Incineration is one of the widely used alternatives across the globe yet resistance to the technology is strong because of several barriers concerning its financial affordability, implementability, social acceptability, and environment effectiveness. This study therefore seeks to identify and prioritize these barriers by incorporating the value judgment of key stakeholders. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to structure the problem and quantify the relative importance of these barriers. Results indicate that implementability is the most important criterion. Thus, the overall ranking of the barriers imply that lack of policy support and the perceived large amount of emitted heavy metals and dioxins/furans are the most critical barriers to be considered for the successful implementation of incineration in the Philippines.
Diversity and Security: The Effect of In-State Tribal and Racial Diversity on Homicide Rate, Civil Conflict, and Chances of International War-Fighting

The debate about the impact of diversity on nation-states (and other societies) is a long-running one. Many scholars have noted that demographic diversity can bring with it issues such as workplace dis-satisfaction, civic unrest, and occasional serious ethnic violence (Horowitz 1985; Horowitz 2000; Chua 2002; Putnam 2007; Derbyshire 2009). However, others point out that the effects of diversity also include significant plus-side benefits like reduced group-think, reduced bigotry, increased cosmopolitanism, and improved final business and political product (Riggs 1998; Goldsmith 2004; Choi 2009; Payne, McDonald, & Hamm 2013). Perhaps the dominant paradigm in this field has been what some call “managing diversity,” whose advocates argue that diversity can be a plus if steered toward the latter set of outcomes by competent political and business leaders (Goldsmith 2004; Harell & Stolle 2010; Meyer & Brysac 2011). Newly come to the field of intellectual battle, the “alt right” disagrees. Authors writing within this bloc claim that – due to large alleged inequalities between cultures and races (Derbyshire 2009; Kersey 2012) – diversity almost always has a negative effect on several specific variables which measure conflict (Taylor 2011). This paper tests that claim. In it, I examine the effect of three measures of diversity, and of eight other independent variables, on three specific conflict-related DV (homicide rate, civil war, international war-fighting). I hypothesize that racial diversity, ethnic diversity, and population size will have mixed and complex relationships with violence, while income inequality (“economic diversity”), corruption, and population density will have a positive effect on all three forms of violence (i.e., increase them), and that democratization, increasing GDP, increasing HDI, Black majority status, and Islamic majority status will have a negative effect on all three forms of violence. Overall, my results support some of my starting hypotheses and strongly counter the alt-right/anti-diversity position. Black and Islamic majority societies are not more violent than other societies, and were in one model (Homicide Rates) notably less so. Racial diversity had essentially no effect on homicide rates or rates of civil war the two primary measures it was hypothesized to effect across my data universe of nation states, and income inequality had far more influence on the measures of violence than any measure of demographic diversity. Ethnic diversity was, as hypothesized, a major predictor of civil war, but it is worth noting that this was almost entirely a diversity of same-race groups speaking different languages. Overall, income inequality and governmental corruption seem to be by far the biggest predictors at least of intra-national violence(s). International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences Vol. 4, No. 4, April 2017 (ISSN: 2308-1365) www.ijcas. net 78
Do Metaphors Matter? A Corpus and Cognitive Linguistic-Based Analysis on Conceptual Blending and the Conceptual Metaphor

In asking whether one phenomenon reduces another, scientists aim to understand what the fundamental basis of the first phenomenon is, as is the case when reducing all higher level phenomena to fundamental physics. Therefore, in order to understand how the Conceptual Metaphor is constructed, we need to understand the construction of the first mental spaces and conceptual domains that form the simile. This paper aims to analyse the fundamental basis of Conceptual Metaphor in light of the linguistic-cognitive theories of Mental Spaces and Conceptual Blending, using a nineteenthcentury literary text by Kate Chopin as a model.
Nutritional Epidemiology Dietary Patterns Using the Food Guide Pyramid Groups Are Associated with Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Factors: The Multiethnic Cohort Study

Dietary patterns have been used to identify typical combinations of foods that may be associated with disease risks. We defined dietary patterns among 195,298 participants of the Multiethnic Cohort Study in Hawaii and Los Angeles in 1993–1996. Intakes of Food Guide Pyramid groups were calculated from a quantitative FFQ for subjects of 5 ethnic groups (African Americans, Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Latinos, and whites). Three distinct dietary patterns, “Fat and Meat,” “Vegetables,” and “Fruit and Milk,” were identified by exploratory factor analysis with a varimax rotation and validated by confirmatory factor analysis. Similar factor loadings were found for each of 10 ethnic-gender groups in stratified analyses. The odds ratios (OR) for being above the median scores for each factor were calculated. Age, gender, and ethnicity had relatively strong associations with dietary patterns whereas education showed only weak associations. BMI 30 was strongly positively associated with the Fat and Meat pattern (OR 2.14, 95% CI: 2.08–2.20, vs. BMI 25). Current smokers showed a positive association with the Fat and Meat pattern (OR 1.67, CI: 1.62–1.72, vs. nonsmokers) and inverse associations with the Vegetables (OR 0.66, CI: 0.64–0.68) and Fruit and Milk patterns (OR 0.53, CI: 0.52–0.55). Physical activity was positively associated with the Vegetables and Fruit and Milk patterns but not with the Fat and Meat pattern. These findings support the hypothesis that dietary patterns are influenced by interrelated sociocultural, demographic, and other lifestyle factors and may be useful in investigations of diet-disease relations. J. Nutr. 135:
On-Board Security Services in Small Satellites

Security techniques for commercial satellites are insufficiently developed despite the explosive growth of security services in earthbound applications at present. Recently, the issue of satellite security has gained in importance in connection with attempts to intercept satellite data. This paper first gives a brief overview of security services, then security services required on board satellites, in particular Earth observation satellites, are identified and an on-board security architecture is proposed. The AES algorithm and the T-Box approach to AES are outlined. Hardware implementations of AES are reviewed and a novel fault-tolerant model of the AES algorithm is introduced. Software simulation results of the proposed fault-tolerant model are detailed. Index Terms – Small Satellites, Earth Observation, Security Services, Encryption
Microwave Assisted Pyrolysis and Co-pyrolysis of Coal and Oil Palm Shell with Microwave Absorber

120 words) The Oil Palm Shell (OPS) waste biomass and coal were subjected to fixed bed pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis conditions with Microwave Absorber (MWA) in multimode microwave system operated at 2.54GHz. The coconut activated carbon (a MWA) was uniformly distributed over OPS and coal. The highest bio-oil, coal-tar and co-pyrolysis oil yield of 36.26wt%, 17.89wt% and 31.72wt% were obtained. The bio-oil was found rich in phenol content with highest detected as 71.77% GC-MS area. Coal-tar was composed of variety of organics with several groups of chemicals. The co-pyrolysis oil was dominated with polars (phenol, phenolics and guaiacols) consisting of more than 50% GC-MS area. The OPS-gas and coal-gas were predominated with H2 of 24.58–50.46 and 40.23–65.22vol%, respectively.
REMAKABLE ENHANCEMENT OF CYHALOTHRIN UPON LOADING INTO SILVER NANOPARTICLES AS LARVICIDAL

This work has been devoted to develop a novel synthetic scheme to produce pesticide nanocomposite of very high efficiency compared to its original ones. laboratory experiments conducted in NanoTech. company, Dreamland, October city, Egypt and Department of plant protection, Fac. of Agric. Alazhar Univ. Assiut. Egypt. The method is based on using silver nanoparticles (AgNPS) as a pesticide carrier by loading pyrethroid pesticide cyhalothrin (CYN) into the surface of prepared AgNPS. The nature of binding of the pesticide into the nanoparticles surface has been investigated via TEM and FT-IR techniques. The new formulation of the pesticide nanocomposite AgNPS@CYN has been tested for its larvicidal property against three strains larvae of Culex pipiens (C. pipiens) (i.e. susceptible, field and tolerant strains). Our findings indicate that silvercyhalothrin nanocomposite is more efficient in controlling mosquito larvae than that of free cyhalothrin. The required concentration for mosquito control decrease more than 100 times. This approach might be successful ones for safer pesticide and clean for the environment.
THE ABDUS SALAM INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR THEORETICAL PHYSICS NON-ABELIAN MAGNETIZED BLACKHOLES AND UNSTABLE ATTRACTORS

Fluctuations of non-Abelian gauge fields in a background magnetic flux contain tachyonic modes and hence the background is unstable. We extend these results to the cases where the background flux is coupled to Einstein gravity and show that the corresponding spherically symmetric geometries, which in the absence of a cosmological constant are of the form of ReissnerNordström blackholes or the AdS2 × S2, are also unstable. We discuss the relevance of these instabilities to several places in string theory including various string compactifications and the attractor mechanism. Our results for the latter imply that the attractor mechanism shown to work for the extremal Abelian charged blackholes, cannot be applied in a straightforward way to the extremal non-Abelian colored blackholes. MIRAMARE – TRIESTE December 2006 mosaffa@theory.ipm. ac.ir seif@ictp.tit jabbari@theory.ipm. ac.ir
Clustering on Dynamic Graphs Based on Total Variation

We consider the problem of multiclass clustering on dynamic graphs. At each time instant, the proposed algorithm performs local updates of the clusters in regions of nodes whose cluster affiliation is uncertain and may change. These local cluster updates are carried out through semi-supervised multiclass total variation (TV) based clustering. The resulting optimization problem is shown to be directly connected to a minimum cut and thus very well suited to capture local changes in the cluster structure. We propose an ADMM based algorithm for solving the TV minimization problem. Its per iteration complexity scales linearly with the number of edges present in the local areas under change and linearly with the number of clusters. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach by tracking several objects in a video with static background.
Study region and site

This study focuses on the reconstructions of vegetation and climate changes during the past ~11,000 years on the basis of 222 fossil pollen samples from Qigai Nuur (core QGN-2004) in the southern part of the Mongolian Plateau. Plant Functional Type – Modern Analogue Technique was used for quantitative climatic reconstructions from fossil pollen data. Our results showed that regional vegetation experienced dramatic shifts between steppe forest and dry steppe before 9200 cal. yr BP in the Qigai Nuur region. The reconstructed mean annual temperature and especially mean annual precipitation also showed fluctuations at that time. From ~9200 to ~2800 cal. yr BP, the vegetation was dominated by steppe forests, and the reconstructed climate was generally warm and wet, but with two cold and dry intervals at ~7400 to ~6000 cal. yr BP and at ~4000 to ~2800 cal. yr BP. From ~2800 to ~850 cal. yr BP, dry steppe vegetation dominated the landscape under slightly cooler and much drier climate conditions. During the past ~850 years, the vegetation was characterized by abundant herbs and the climate showed rising temperature and fluctuating precipitation. The comparison of the reconstructed precipitation from the Qigai Nuur core with monsoon-strength records from southern China shows that the first-order variation in the precipitation was most likely controlled by the summer insolation-dictated Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone movements (i.e. N–S shifts). The comparison of the reconstructed precipitation from Qigai Nuur core with surface sea temperature in the Western Tropical Pacific Ocean suggests that the second-order variation in the precipitation was most likely modulated by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation dynamics (i.e. E–W shifts).
Real-Time Rendering of Landscapes Using VRML with Graphic User Interface

In landscape planning, the feedback process from user to planner as shown in Fig. 1 is important. The application of virtual reality to landscape or real-time rendering of the landscape is a powerful tool for the feedback process and for precise recognition of the plan. There have been many studies on visualization of terrain by virtual reality and Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) (DOYLE ET AL., 1998; MOORE ET AL., 1999; HUANG & LIN, 1999; LIN & WANG, 1999; HUANG & LIN, 2002; MORRISON & PURVES, 2002). But in these studies, practical design of landscaping including plants were not shown. HONJO & LIM (2001) developed a system for real-time rendering of landscapes using VRML and models of plants were included in the system. With the system called ‘VRTerrain’, landscapes of parks and gardens with thousands of plants can be visualized in walk-through mode using VRML. LIM & HONJO (2003) also developed an advanced version of VR-Terrain for forest landscape visualization. Landscape models created with the system can be easily transferred through the Internet providing real-time virtual experience of walk-through simulations of planned landscapes to a broader audience. In this study, we developed a system for real-time rendering of landscapes using VRML with graphic user interface (GUI). With the system, which we named GUI version of VRTerrain (VRT-GUI), VRML models of landscapes can be generated very effectively. The system has powerful sub-systems which model terrain, buildings and plants. The system can model landscapes of residential areas, urban and suburban areas and natural forest.
Delft University of Technology Robust cylinder fitting in three-dimensional point cloud data

This paper investigates the problems of cylinder fitting in laser scanning three-dimensional Point Cloud Data (PCD). Most existing methods require full cylinder data, do not study the presence of outliers, and are not statistically robust. But especially mobile laser scanning often has incomplete data, as street poles for example are only scanned from the road. Moreover, existence of outliers is common. Outliers may occur as random or systematic errors, and may be scattered and/or clustered. In this paper, we present a statistically robust cylinder fitting algorithm for PCD that combines Robust Principal Component Analysis (RPCA) with robust regression. Robust principal components as obtained by RPCA allow estimating cylinder directions more accurately, and an existing efficient circle fitting algorithm following robust regression principles, properly fit cylinder. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed method on artificial and real PCD. Results show that the proposed method provides more accurate and robust results: (i) in the presence of noise and high percentage of outliers, (ii) for incomplete as well as complete data, (iii) for small and large number of points, and (iv) for different sizes of radius. On 1000 simulated quarter cylinders of 1m radius with 10% outliers a PCA based method fit cylinders with a radius of on average 3.63meter (m); the proposed method on the other hand fit cylinders of on average 1.02 m radius. The algorithm has potential in applications such as fitting cylindrical (e.g., light and traffic) poles, diameter at breast height estimation for trees, and building and bridge information modelling.
Quantum Steerability for Entangled Coherent States

We study a stronger form of quantum entanglement, i.e. quantum steerability, of entangled coherent states (ECS). We find that the criterion employing entropic uncertainty relation can reveal quantum steering for ECS of any size whereas Reid criterion using Heisenberg uncertainty relation scarcely can. The steering behavior of the state is examined when it is subject to a certain noisy environment. We also show that when asymmetric decoherence arises—e.g., only one part of bipartite system experiences noise—steering is possible only in one direction.
Generic Algorithmic Blocks dedicated to Image Processing

This paper deals with the implementation of algorithms in the specific domain of image processing. Although many image processing libraries are available, they generally lack genericity and flexibility. Many image processing algorithms can be expressed as compositions of elementary algorithmic operations referred to as blocks. Implementing these compositions is achieved using generic programming. Our solution is compared to previous ones and we demonstrate it on a class image processing algorithms.
1 HMR imaging of the lungs at 3 . 0 T

Background: One disadvantage of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the inability to adequately image the lungs. Recent advances in hyperpolarized gas technology [e.g., helium-3 (He) and xenon-129 (Xe)] have changed this. However, the required technology is expensive and often needing extra physics or engineering staff. Hence there is considerable interest in developing H (proton)-based MRI approaches that can be readily implemented on standard clinical systems. Thus, the purpose of this work was to compare a newly developed free breathing proton-based MR lung imaging method to that of a standard gadolinium (Gd) based perfusion approach. Methods: Healthy volunteers [10] were scanned using a 3-T MRI with 8 parallel receivers, and a cardiac gated fast spin echo (FSE) sequence. Acquisition was cardiac triggered, with different time delays incremented to cover the entire cardiac cycle. Image k-space was filled rectilinearly. But to reduce motion artefacts k-space was retrospectively sorted using the minimal variance algorithm (MVA), based on physiologic data recorded from both the respiratory bellows and electrocardiogram (ECG). Resorted and reconstructed FSE images were compared to contrast enhanced lung images, obtained following intravenous injection of Gd-DTPA-BMA. Results: Biphasic variation in FSE lung signal intensity was observed across the cardiac cycle with a maximal signal change following rapid cardiac ejection (between S and T waves), and following rapid isovolumetric relaxation. A difference image between systolic and diastolic states in the cardiac cycle resulted in images with improved lung contrast to noise ratio (CNR). FSE image intensity was uniform over lung parenchyma while Gd-based enhancement of spoiled gradient recalled echo (SPGR) images showed gravitational dependence. Conclusions: Here we show how 1H-MR images of lung can be obtained during free breathing. The image contrast obtained during this approach is likely the result of flow and oxygen modulation during the cardiac cycle. This free breathing method provides lung images comparable to those obtained using Gdenhancement. Besides having the advantage of free breathing, this approach doesn’t require any Gd-contrast or suffer from methodological problems associated with perfusion (e.g., poor bolus timing). However, as gravitational differences typically observed in lung perfusion are not visible with this method it is not providing exclusive microvascular perfusion information.
Large Aperture Antenna Array Design for Cellular LOS Massive MIMO

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) achieves enhanced data rates with linear precoding schemes, making it an interesting PHY scheme for future mobile communications systems. The deployment of a high number of antennas facilitates reliable communication to many users in a multi-user MIMO system. However, reliable low-latency communication is only maintained, if all mobile users are served simultaneously in a multi-user MIMO fashion. In case of high inter-user correlation, for example, when two users are spatially close to each other, the user rate with linear precoding decreases. In the worst case, either of the two users is dropped by the scheduler in order to maintain a certain rate to at least one of them. We aim to improve a massive MIMO system’s reliability while keeping the number of antennas constant. To decrease user correlation of closely spaced users, we design an antenna array with a large aperture. We consider designing the antenna array by array thinning, employing a genetic algorithm. This leads to a nonuniform spacing of antennas. We show that the proposed array design maintains a certain user rate more reliably for linear precoding schemes compared to a uniform linear array.
MODELING RESOURCE SELECTION OF MOUNTAIN GOATS IN SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA: APPLICATIONS FOR POPULATION MANAGEMENTANDHIGHWAYDEVELOPMENTPLANNING

Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) are among the most culturally and economically important large mammal species in Alaska. Due to their low population growth rates and relatively high degree of sensitivity to natural and anthropogenic disturbance, resource management decisions must be carefully evaluated to ensure sustainable populations. In this study we combined data collected from 124 GPS radiomarked mountain goats and remote sensing data layers in a GIS-based resource selection function (RSF) modeling framework. Modeling output was used to characterize the spatial distribution of mountain goat habitat in an area subject to construction of an all-season highway. We characterized the extent to which the proposed highway overlapped with predicted mountain goat wintering habitat in order to assess the need for and recommend appropriate modifications of mountain goat population management strategies and highway mitigation methods. We determined that the proposed highway would transect 25.3 km of predicted high-tomoderate-use mountain goat wintering areas. In the event the proposed highway is constructed we propose specific changes to existing mountain goat hunting regulations and management strategies and provide recommendations for how highway design, construction, maintenance, and use can be implemented to reduce deleterious effects to local mountain goat populations. Biennial Symposium of the Northern Wild Sheep and Goat Council 18:32–42; 2012