Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of different methods to retrieve optical-equivalent snow grain size in central Antarctica

Abstract. The optical-equivalent snow grain size affects the reflectivity of snow surfaces and, thus, the local surface energy budget in particular in polar regions. Therefore, the specific surface area (SSA), from which the optical snow grain size is derived, was observed for a 2-month period in central Antarctica (Kohnen research station) during austral summer 2013/14. The data were retrieved on the basis of ground-based spectral surface albedo measurements collected by the COmpact RAdiation measurement System (CORAS) and airborne observations with the Spectral Modular Airborne Radiation measurement sysTem (SMART). The snow grain size and pollution amount (SGSP) algorithm, originally developed to analyze spaceborne reflectance measurements by the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), was modified in order to reduce the impact of the solar zenith angle on the retrieval results and to cover measurements in overcast conditions. Spectral ratios of surface albedo at 1280 and 1100 nm wavelength were used to reduce the retrieval uncertainty. The retrieval was applied to the ground-based and airborne observations and validated against optical in situ observations of SSA utilizing an IceCube device. The SSA retrieved from CORAS observations varied between 27 and 89 m2 kg−1. Snowfall events caused distinct relative maxima of the SSA which were followed by a gradual decrease in SSA due to snow metamorphism and wind-induced transport of freshly fallen ice crystals. The ability of the modified algorithm to include measurements in overcast conditions improved the data coverage, in particular at times when precipitation events occurred and the SSA changed quickly. SSA retrieved from measurements with CORAS and MODIS agree with the in situ observations within the ranges given by the measurement uncertainties. However, SSA retrieved from the airborne SMART data slightly underestimated the ground-based results.
Factors Affecting Activities of Daily Living in Severely Disabled Stroke Patients

• The stroke patient, especially those who Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) score over 10, should have an active training of activities of daily living (ADL) in conjunction with the conventional rehabilitation. • The ability to sit up and K-MMSE are the independent factors which can predict ADL after rehabilitation. Brain Neurorehabil. 2018 Sep;11(2):e11 https://doi.org/10.12786/bn.2018. 11.e11 pISSN 1976-8753·eISSN 2383-9910
Comparing Farmer-to-Farmer Video with Workshops to Train Rural Women in Improved Rice Parboiling in Central Benin

Abstract This article deals with the comparison of the conventional training based on two day community workshops and farmer-to-farmer video used as methodologies for the dissemination of improved rice parboiling process in Benin. From November 2007 to May 2008, we interviewed 160 women and 17 women groups who had been exposed to both, one or other of the methodologies. Data were analysed using ANOVA and logistic binomial regressions. Video reached more women (74%) than conventional training (27%). The conventional training was biased by participant selection, stakes in per diem payment and monopoly by the elite class. Video helped to overcome local power structures and reduced conflict at the community level. More than 95% of those who watched the video adopted drying their rice on tarpaulins and removed their shoes before stirring the rice, compared to about 50% of those who received traditional training and did not watch the video. Group use of the improved equipment was significantly higher for those who watched the video (p< 0.05). By 2009, the various rice videos had been translated into over 30 African languages by Africa Rice Centre (Africa Rice) partners and involved 500 organizations and over 130,000 farmers. This study helps to give a better understanding of the role that farmer-to-farmer video could play in agricultural extension. This comparative analysis is an opportunity for a better understanding of how farmer-to-farmer video improves farmers’ practices and attitudes in agricultural technology dissemination.
Geometry of singular space

This paper grew out from my talk for the inauguration of the Riemann Center in Hanover, Germany. In an attempt to understand what Riemann said in his famous paper in 1854 on the foundation of geometry, I propose a theory of geometry that hopefully can be used to understand singular space that may still satisfy the Einstein equation in a generalized sense. Some calculations are made in the appendix that allow us to perform Hodge theory, to calculate the heat kernel within our abstract framework.
Discovery of a double eclipsing binary with periods near a 3:2 ratio

The evolution of multiple stellar systems can be driven by Kozai cycles and tidal friction (KCTF), which shrink the orbit of the inner binary. There is an interesting possibility that two close binaries on a common long-period orbit experience mutually-induced KCTF. We present the discovery of a possible new quadruple system composed of two unresolved eclipsing binaries (EBs), CzeV343 (V ~ 13.5 mag). We obtained photometric observations of CzeV343 that completely cover the two orbital periods and we successfully model the light curves as the sum of two detached EBs. We provide confidence intervals for the model parameters and minima timings by bootstrap resampling of our data. One of the EBs shows a distinctly eccentric orbit with a total eccentricity of about 0.18. The two orbital periods, 1.20937 and 0.80693 days, are within 0.1% of a 3:2 ratio. We speculate that this might be the result of KCTF-driven evolution of a quadruple system and we discuss this hypothesis in the context of other quadruple systems composed of two EBs. We make our double EB fitting code publicly available to provide a tool for long-term monitoring of the mutual orbit in such systems.
High-Performance Computing: Dos and Don’ts

Part of the research developments and results presented in this chapter were funded by: the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme (2014–2020) and from Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation through Rede Nacional de Pesquisa (RNP) under the HPC4E Project, grant agreement 689772; EoCoE, a project funded by the European Union Contract H2020-EINFRA-2015-1-676629; PRACE Type C and Type A projects.
Vessel Route Choice Theory and Modeling

A new maritime traffic model describes vessel traffic in ports and inland waterways better. In this research, vessel behavior is categorized into a tactical level (route choice) and an operational level (dynamics of vessel behavior). This new maritime traffic model comprises two parts. The route choice model resulting in the vessel's preferred route and the operational model describing the maneuvering behavior, including interactions between vessels. This paper presents the vessel route choice model, which is based on disutility or cost minimization. The cost is determined by characteristics of the infrastructure, such as expected sailing time and distance to the bank. It is assumed that the bridge team will try to follow a preferred route that minimizes the cost to the destination. To calculate this preferred route, the so-called “value function” is defined as the minimum disutility function in continuous time and space. Subsequently, the value function is solved with dynamic programming and a numerical solution approach. Data of unhindered vessel behavior in the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands, collected with an automatic identification system, are used to calibrate the vessel route choice model. The calibrated results of the route choice model show plausible preferred routes in the research area, which aid understanding of the desired vessel behavior (route). These results could be used to improve vessel traffic management and provide a basis for predicting vessel behavior at the operational level.
Evaluation of transverse and tensile bond strength of repaired nylon denture base material by heat, cold and visible light cure acrylic resin

Denture fracture is one of the most common problems encountered by the patients and prosthodontists. The objective of present study was to evaluate the transverse strength of nylon denture base resin repaired by using conventional heat polymerized, autopolymerized and visible light cure {VLC} resins, surface treatment that used for repair and adjustment of insufficient nylon denture bases and in case of addition of artificial teeth. As these corrective procedures are common chair side procedures in dental clinic. Materials and methods: One hundred twenty nylon specimens were prepared by using metal patterns with dimension of (65x10x2.5 mm) length, width, and thickness respectively for transverse strength test while for tensile bond strength a dumbbell-shaped with measurement (65x12.5x25mm) length, width, and thickness respectively were flasked with stone. The nylon specimens were molded by reflasked with dental stone that used as an index for these specimens in the repair procedure and repaired with 45 degree bevel joint by using metal holding device. The two parts of nylon specimen to be repaired were realigned in its repair index and adhere with special adhesive material to stabilize the combination during repair procedure. The dough of heat and cold cure resin was packed into the joint and then cured. The specimen repaired with cold cure resin was placed in the Ivomat containing water at (40°C) and pressure (30IB/inch²) for 15 minutes. The specimen repaired with {VLC} was placed in the light cure unit for 4 minutes following manufacturer's instruction. The fractured nylon specimens were divided according to the type of repaired materials into (40) specimens received heat cure acrylic and the (40) specimens received cold cure acrylic and the other 40 specimens received {VLCR}. Each 40 specimens were subdivided according to the type of surface treatment received into 20 specimens were treated with coarse stone bur (control), 20 specimens were treated with combination of coarse stone bur and monomer of the heat cure acrylic. After that the specimens were subjected to transverse {Tr} and tensile bond {TB} strength tests. For each test 10 specimens. Results and conclusions: This study showed that specimens treated with combination of coarse stone bur and monomer of the acrylic (heat, cold or VL cure) had the highest transverse and tensile strength values, followed by the specimens treated with coarse stone bur. The results showed that the specimens repaired with heat cure acrylic had transverse and tensile strength values higher than the specimens repaired with cold and VL cure acrylic when compared between subgroups of heat, cold and VL cure acrylic that received the same treatments.
Strategic Planning of Rural Tourism Development Using SOAR Model: A Case Study of Kandovan Village

Purpose: This research aims to perform strategic planning of tourism development in Kandovan village using SOAR model. This model is a combination of SWOT strategy and Appreciative Inquiry (AI) introduced by Jacqueline M. Stavros. AI, instead of focusing on problems such as weaknesses and threats, identifies strengths and creates promising opportunities. Methods: In this study, library and semi-structured interview methods have been used. The present study is a qualitative research in terms of nature and method of data collection. The statistical population of this research includes villagers of Kandovan, government officials, and NGO’s related to Kandovan village, in Osku County, near Tabriz metropolis, and tourists visiting the Kandovan village in the summer of 2016. In this research, the qualitative content analysis technique was used in the framework of inductive approach in accordance with the SOAR strategic planning model. Then, four SOAR strategic model indicators, i.e. strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results were extracted. Results: The results of the research indicate that for implementation of UNESCO’s architectural standards to world village registration, it is necessary to construct a new Kandovan next to the old village. In addition, holding festivals, exhibitions and weekly markets for the development of regional tourism is recommended. Establishment of tourism amenities such as construction of parking lots, recreational complex, designing websites and construction of a hotel are some other recommendations. Holding training courses related to tourism in the village, is a major step towards development of tourism considering the potential among the youth of the village. Conclusion: Villagers require to learn a series of educational courses. The youth of the village continue to do their business in the village and commute between the village and the city they live during the tourist season. Considering the young generation’s loyalty to their hometown and their desire to work in their village, many of them are ready to participate in the development of tourism of village and, as a result, holding educational courses from the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of the region such as foreign language courses, tourism guides, hospitality culture, marketing and advertising are welcomed by young people.
A Canonical Analysis on the Relationship between Financial Risk Tolerance and Household Education Investment in Sri Lanka

This paper is aimed at examining the relationship between risk tolerance behaviour and the education investment of families in different social sectors, i.e. urban, rural, and estate, in Sri Lanka. At the initial step, the study used Binary Logistic Regression for identifying the significant variables for financial risk tolerance and for household investment on education. Having identified the two sets of variables for each domain, the second step was to apply the Canonical Analysis in order to examine the association between risk tolerance behaviour and education investment. The data for the study was obtained from a sample survey conducted in six Divisional Secretariat Divisions (DSDs) of three districts in Sri Lanka. The sample was selected considering the social sectors as strata, using multi-stage sampling technique joined with cluster sampling. The study found that ‘social sector’ and ‘education of household head’ were the main contributors to ‘household investment on education’. It revealed that when the ‘social sector’ changes from urban to rural and rural to estate there is a tendency of households to decrease the share of expenditure on education. However, the ‘education level of the household head’ had s significant positive impact for the investment in education. It also found that ‘income quartile, decision maker’, ‘income diversification’, and ‘financial literacy’ positively contributed to ‘risk tolerance behaviour’. However, the findings show that financial risk tolerance decreases with the distance of households to a financial institute. The canonical relationship shows a negative association between ‘income quartile’ and the ‘social sector’ and the ‘income quartile’ improves with the change of the ‘social sector’ from estate to rural and rural to urban. It also revealed that ‘income quartile’ was positively associated with the ‘education of the household head’. A primary conclusion can be arrived at that income and spatial related attributes are crucial in determining the impact of risk tolerance in household education investment. In addition, the study revealed that risk tolerance and, in turn, the tendency to invest in education increases with the change of gender from female to male. Therefore, it suggests that gender related attributes are also important in the financial risk tolerance and education investment.
Incretin System: New Pharmacological Target in Obese Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Introduction: Obesity is highly prevalent in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It aggra- vates adverse features of the syndrome. Weight management by lifestyle intervention is often insufficient. We reviewed studies addressing the use of agents mediating through incretin system in obese PCOS. Material and methods: Available relevant clinical trials were searched from PubMed. Results: Intervention with glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) analogue liraglutide is associated with consistent body mass index (BMI) reduction in treatment-naive obese women with PCOS and in poor responders to metformin and lifestyle modification. We recognized metformin as a well-suited combination with liraglutide. We demonstrated that liraglutide could also improve eating behavior and fertility potential in obese PCOS. Furthermore, we challenged the potential association of variability of GLP-1 receptor genotype and interindividual differences in response to liraglutide. In addition, we introduced the original concept related to the enhancement of incretin axis through phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4). Nevertheless, we considered dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibi- tors as an alternative pharmacological intervention in metformin intolerant patients with PCOS. Conclusion: Agents mediating through incretin system in combination with lifestyle inter- vention and metformin could improve treatment outcomes in obese PCOS patients. Further studies are needed to establish the benefit/risk profile achieved by these potential new treatment strategies.
A Factor Analysis on the Financial Industry Agglomeration of Beijing

This paper describes the characteristics of financial industry clusters of Beijing and discuss the factors affecting those, using factor analysis to extract common factors from the hypothetical indicators that may affect the financial industry gathering. Research shows that Beijing's financial industry has a high local degree of specialization, and its degree of agglomeration shows a strong positive correlation with the "modernization factor" on behalf of indicators representing the degree of modernization of Beijing's per capita income, level of information and economic system, and "human capital factor" representing Beijing's human capital.
Polysomnographic evaluation of sleep structure changes in patients with suspected OSA

Introduction. Recent polysomnography (PSG) studies show the same sleep structure changes in OSA patients: longer the light sleep, shorter or lack of the deep sleep and REM. Aim. The aim of the study was to analyze correlation between sleep structure and breathing sleep disturbances. Material and methods. We analyzed 907 polysomnograms of patients with suspected OSA, they were divided into 2 groups based of AHI: non-OSA (AHI < 5) and OSA (AHI ≥ 5). According to AHI OSA group was divided into: mild (5 ≤ AHI < 15), moderate (15 ≤ AHI ≤ 30), and severe (AHI > 30). We analyzed duration of sleep stages: light, deep sleep and REM using Statistica 6.1. Results. We found the statistically significant differences of sleep structure between non-OSA and OSA population in light sleep 76.7 vs 86.45% (p < 0.0001); deep sleep 17.53 vs 14.35% (p < 0.0001); REM 5.87 vs 5.77% (p < 0.05). In OSA group sleep structure was classified in AHI dependent groups: mild (light sleep – 79.87%; deep sleep – 14.35%; REM – 5.77%); moderate (light sleep – 82.73%; deep sleep – 12.64%; REM – 4.63%); severe (light sleep – 86.45%; deep sleep – 9.54%; REM – 4.01%). Conclusions. We found longer the light sleep, shorter deep and REM sleep in OSA, and also in non-OSA shorter deep sleep and REM comparing to physiological sleep what may be due to worse sleep laboratory conditions compared with home and may be limiting for PSG.
New Procedure for Assigning Drivers to Work Schedules at a Container Terminal

One of the success factors of a terminal is related to the time in port for the retrieval and transport of containers. Straddle carriers (SCs) are the pivotal axis around which the terminal transportation system evolves and the success or failure of that process is an indicator of the reliability of the container terminal. Over the last years, the deficiency of efficient control and coordination mechanisms in practice produced a relaxation of transportation principles. The valorization of the academic environment represents nowadays one of the most important research challenges. In this paper, we present a collaborative filtering recommender system able to manage the work schedule’s assignment to straddle carrier’s drivers in a container terminal and provide preliminary results on customer’s satisfaction.
Cluster ing-based Cooperative Routing using OFDM for Suppor ting Transmission Efficiency in Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we propose a Clustering-based Cooperative Routing using OFDM (CCRO) for supporting transmission efficiency in mobile wireless sensor networks. The main features and contributions of the proposed method are as follows. First, the clustering method which uses the location information of nodes as underlying infrastructure for supporting stable transmission services efficiently is used. Second, cluster-based cooperative data transmission method is used for improving data transmission and reliability services. Third, OFDM based data transmission method is used for improving data transmission ratio with channel efficiency. Fourth, we consider realistic approach in the view points of the mobile ad-hoc wireless sensor networks while conventional methods just consider fixed sensor network environments. The performance evaluation of the proposed method is performed via simulation using OPNET and theoretical analysis. The results of performance evaluation show improvement of transmission efficiency.
Impact of No-arbitrage on Interest Rate Dynamics

By imposing no-arbitrage condition (NAC), the volatility of changes in interest rates is linked to the cross-section of interest rates. Due to this link, the cross-section may have impact on estimation and rediction of volatility using interest rate data. Furthermore, the volatility may have impact on identi cation of latent factors from the cross-section. In this study, these impacts arising from the NAC are examined, and found to be minor or mitigated without much difficulty. It follows that the resulting dynamics of interest rates do not differ much between estimation with and without imposing the NAC.
Radiation-hydrodynamic simulations of thermally driven disc winds in X-ray binaries: a direct comparison to GRO J1655−40

Essentially all low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in the soft state appear to drive powerful equatorial disc winds. A simple mechanism for driving such outflows involves X-ray heating of the top of the disc atmosphere to the Compton temperature. Beyond the Compton radius, the thermal speed exceeds the escape velocity, and mass loss is inevitable. Here, we present the first coupled radiation-hydrodynamic simulation of such thermally-driven disc winds. The main advance over previous modelling efforts is that the frequency-dependent attenuation of the irradiating SED is taken into account. We can therefore relax the approximation that the wind is optically thin throughout which is unlikely to hold in the crucial acceleration zone of the flow. The main remaining limitations of our simulations are connected to our treatment of optically thick regions. Adopting parameters representative of the wind-driving LMXB GRO~J1655-40, our radiation-hydrodynamic model yields a mass-loss rate that is $\simeq5\times$ lower than that suggested by pure hydrodynamic, optically thin models. This outflow rate still represents more than twice the accretion rate and agrees well with the mass-loss rate inferred from Chandra/HETG observations of GRO~J1655-40 at a time when the system had a similar luminosity to that adopted in our simulations. The Fe XXV and Fe XXVI Lyman $\rm{\alpha}~$ absorption line profiles observed in this state are slightly stronger than those predicted by our simulations but the qualitative agreement between observed and simulated outflow properties means that thermal driving is a viable mechanism for powering the disc winds seen in soft-state LMXBs.