Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coastal ocean acidification and increasing total alkalinity in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea

Abstract. Coastal time series of ocean carbonate chemistry are critical for understanding how global anthropogenic change manifests in near-shore ecosystems. Yet, they are few and have low temporal resolution. At the time series station Point B in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, seawater was sampled weekly from 2007 through 2015, at 1 and 50 m, and analyzed for total dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) and total alkalinity (AT). Parameters of the carbonate system such as pH (pHT, total hydrogen ion scale) were calculated and a deconvolution analysis was performed to identify drivers of change. The rate of surface ocean acidification was −0.0028 ± 0.0003 units pHT yr−1. This rate is larger than previously identified open-ocean trends due to rapid warming that occurred over the study period (0.072 ± 0.022 °C yr−1). The total pHT change over the study period was of similar magnitude as the diel pHT variability at this site. The acidification trend can be attributed to atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) forcing (59 %, 2.08 ± 0.01 ppm CO2 yr−1) and warming (41 %). Similar trends were observed at 50 m but rates were generally slower. At 1 m depth, the increase in atmospheric CO2 accounted for approximately 40 % of the observed increase in CT (2.97 ± 0.20 µmol kg−1 yr−1). The remaining increase in CT may have been driven by the same unidentified process that caused an increase in AT (2.08 ± 0.19 µmol kg−1 yr−1). Based on the analysis of monthly trends, synchronous increases in CT and AT were fastest in the spring–summer transition. The driving process of the interannual increase in AT has a seasonal and shallow component, which may indicate riverine or groundwater influence. This study exemplifies the importance of understanding changes in coastal carbonate chemistry through the lens of biogeochemical cycling at the land–sea interface. This is the first coastal acidification time series providing multiyear data at high temporal resolution. The data confirm rapid warming in the Mediterranean Sea and demonstrate coastal acidification with a synchronous increase in total alkalinity.
DOG MEAT POLITICS IN A VIETNAMESE TOWN

In 1999 there were only two semi-clandestine dog-meat restaurants in Hoi An, a town in Central Vietnam. In 2004 there were dozens, serving mostly men of the new middle class. This article explores the sudden popularity of dog meat in Hoi An and discusses its meanings. Based on traditional forms, eating dog meat expresses masculinity. While class distinctions, religious propensities, and pro­cesses of modernization shape local attitudes regarding this culinary trend, the overarching theme that explains the sudden proliferation of dog-meat restau­rants in Hoi An is political and has to do with the diners’ attitude towards the regime: eating dog meat expresses political allegiance, while avoiding it indi­cates disdain. Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-TW X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:. 0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
Leptin, a railroad switch enabling crossover signals among inflammation, immunity and metabolism

White adipose tissue is currently considered as an active endocrine organ that secretes a plethora of factors named adipokines, some of them being of pro-inflammatory nature that likely contribute to the low-level systemic inflammation, a status that is often present in metabolic syndrome-associated chronic pathologies such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Leptin is historically indisputably one of the most important adipokine secreted by fat cells, with a variety of physiological roles ranging from to the control of metabolism, energy homeostasis and inflammatory response to cognition. Leptin is also implicated in the connection between nutritional status and immune competence, modulating both the innate and adaptive immune responses in normal as well as pathological conditions. It has been shown that conditions characterized by low leptin levels are associated with increased infection susceptibility. Conversely, immune-mediated disorders such as autoimmune diseases are associated with increased secretion of leptin and production of proinflammatory cytokines. Thus, leptin can be easily considered as a frank mediator of metabolic and inflammatory/immune responses. Adipobiology 2010; 2: 33-40.
Importance of housing wealth effect in selected European countries: evidence from panel VAR model

In this study, a system estimation of housing wealth effect on consumption by employing panel vector autoregressive model is conducted for a panel of 28 selected developed and emerging European countries. A system of three endogenous variables: consumption, disposable income and housing wealth (approximated by real estate price indices) is modelled. Since housing wealth effect should be more prominent than financial wealth effect, in this paper the dynamic relationship between consumption and housing wealth is empirically tested. The panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) approach allows for the response effect from consumption to wealth and income. In addition, it illustrates how response of consumption and housing wealth differ according to the nature of shocks to them. The data for unbalanced panel spans (when available) from 1990 to 2016. The dataset consists of yearly indices for personal consumption, disposable income, wages and real estate prices. Data sources used in the empirical analysis include the Vienna Institute for International Economics (WIIW) and AMECO for personal consumption, disposable income, wages, and Bank for International Settlements (BIS) database for real estate price indices. All variables are transformed into logarithms and are expressed in first differences. The estimation is conducted using generalised method of moments (GMM) and addresses the issue of unobserved heterogeneity by correcting for fixed effects. Impulse response and forecast error variance decomposition is presented, as well as VAR lag selection criteria, Granger causality test results and roots of VAR companion matrix. With the aim of comparing the magnitude of income and housing wealth shocks on consumption in developed and post-transition European countries, the main panel is divided into two subpanels. In addition, the impact of financial crisis in 2008 on housing wealth shock on consumption is analysed by splitting the data set into two sub-panels: first one spanning from 1990-2008 and the second one spanning from 2009-2016. The results of the empirical analysis reveal that the response of personal consumption to a housing wealth shock is more prominent for the panel of post-transition European countries when compared to developed countries. Also, the higher responsiveness of consumption to a housing wealth shock is evident before crisis, whereas in the post-crisis sample, housing wealth has no significant impact on consumption.
Cooperative Renewable Energy Management with Distributed Generation

We propose an energy cost minimization strategy for cooperating households equipped with renewable energy generation and storage capabilities. The participating households minimize their collective energy expenditure by sharing renewable energy through the grid. We assume location and time dependent electricity prices, as well as parametrized transfer fees. We then formulate an optimization problem to minimize the energy cost incurred by the participating households over any specified planning horizon. The proposed strategy serves as a performance benchmark for online energy management algorithms, and can be implemented in real time by incorporating adequate forecasting techniques. We solve the optimization problem through relaxation, and use simulations to illustrate the characteristics of the solution. These simulations show that energy sharing takes place when there are differences in the load/generation and price profiles across participants. We also show that no energy sharing takes place when the load is above the local generation at all times.
A Model for Hourly Solar Radiation Data Generation from Daily Solar Radiation Data Using a Generalized Regression Artificial Neural Network

This paper presents a model for predicting hourly solar radiation data using daily solar radiation averages. The proposed model is a generalized regression artificial neural network. This model has three inputs, namely, mean daily solar radiation, hour angle, and sunset hour angle. The output layer has one node which is mean hourly solar radiation. The training and development of the proposed model are done using MATLAB and 43800 records of hourly global solar radiation. The results show that the proposed model has better prediction accuracy compared to some empirical and statistical models. Two error statistics are used in this research to evaluate the proposed model, namely, mean absolute percentage error and root mean square error. These values for the proposed model are 11.8% and −3.1%, respectively. Finally, the proposed model shows better ability in overcoming the sophistic nature of the solar radiation data.
Utilization of Machine Vision to Monitor the Dynamic Responses of Rice Leaf Morphology and Colour to Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Deficiencies

Machine vision technology enables the continuous and nondestructive monitoring of leaf responses to different nutrient supplies and thereby contributes to the improvement of diagnostic effects. In this study, we analysed the temporal dynamics of rice leaf morphology and colour under different nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) treatments by continuous imaging and further evaluated the effectiveness of dynamic characteristics for identification. The top four leaves (the 1st incomplete leaf and the top three fully expanded leaves) were scanned every three days, and all images were processed in MATLAB to extract the morphological and colour characteristics for dynamic analysis. Subsequently, the mean impact value was applied to evaluate the effectiveness of dynamic indices for identification. According to the results, higher nutrient supply resulted in a faster leaf extension rate and a lower developing rate of chlorosis, and the influence of N deficiency on leaf growth was the greatest, followed by P deficiency and then K deficiency. Furthermore, the optimal indices for identification were mainly calculated from morphological characteristics of the 1st incomplete leaf and colour characteristics of the 3rd fully expanded leaf. Overall, dynamic analysis contributes not only to the exploration of the plant growth mechanism but also to the improvement of diagnostics.
Language abilities in preschool-aged siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders – preliminary report

background The characteristics of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) observed among relatives of people affected with autism are referred to as broader autism phenotype (BAP). Among the components of BAP are language and communication skills. Research to date on these skills amongst the relatives of individuals with ASD is inconclusive. Furthermore, limited data are available about preschool-aged siblings of children with ASD.
Gender differences in expatriate adjustment

Women are still underrepresented in expatriate assignments. This study investigates whether there are any gender differences in expatriate adjustment that could help account for the low share of female expatriates. The study replicates the analysis of Selmer and Leung's (2003) exploratory research. It confirms their findings and adds further detail to the understanding of gender differences in expatriate adjustment. The study is based on a cross-sectional survey, mainly of employed members in UK and US women's clubs in Frankfurt and Madrid and their partners. This study shows that women tend to be better adjusted than men overall. They are ahead especially in important areas such as the building and maintaining of relationships. The paper provides important insight into the differences in adjustment among female and male expatriate employees. It provides an instrument that can be used in the further study of these differences. The study supplies further evidence that companies err if they fail to send women on assignments abroad.
A New Indexing Technique for Information Retrieval Systems Using Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST)

Effective information retrieval requires an efficient indexing technique. With the availability of huge volume of information, it has become necessary to capture the semantic of the document, which is almost impossible with the existing techniques. Moreover in the existing technique the weights once assign are remains unchangeable through out the cycle. In this paper an indexing technique assignment using Rhetorical Structure Theory with dynamic weight assignment technique has been presented. The nodes of Rhetorical Parsing tree contain relations and text spans which can be used for indexing by indexer. The results are promising for different texts. Enhancing the technique of NLP can improve the proposed algorithm to accommodate more relations and huge documents.
Discrete Malliavin-Stein method: Berry-Esseen bounds for random graphs and percolation

A new Berry-Esseen bound for non-linear functionals of non-symmetric and non-homogeneous infinite Rademacher sequences is established. It is based on a discrete version of the Malliavin-Stein method and an analysis of the discrete Ornstein-Uhlenbeck semigroup. The result is applied to sub-graph counts and to the number of vertices having a prescribed degree in the Erd\H{o}s-Renyi random graph. A further application deals with a percolation problem on trees.
Nonlinear Combination of Financial Forecast with Genetic Algorithm

Complexity in the financial markets requires intelligent forecasting models for return volatility. In this paper, historical simulation, GARCH, GARCH with skewed student-t distribution and asymmetric normal mixture GRJ-GARCH models are combined with Extreme Value Theory Hill by using artificial neural networks with genetic algorithm as the combination platform. By employing daily closing values of the Istanbul Stock Exchange from 01/10/1996 to 11/07/2006, Kupiec and Christoffersen tests as the back-testing mechanisms are performed for forecast comparison of the models. Empirical findings show that the fat-tails are more properly captured by the combination of GARCH with skewed student-t distribution and Extreme Value Theory Hill. Modeling return volatility in the emerging markets needs “intelligent” combinations of Value-at-Risk models to capture the extreme movements in the markets rather than individual model forecast.
Application of Digital Image Correlation to Measurement of Packaging Material Mechanical Properties

Among various packaging materials, papers and polymer plastics are the most common due to their light weights, low costs, and other advantages. However, their mechanical properties are difficult to measure precisely because of their softness. To overcome the difficulty, a new measure instrument prototype is proposed based on an optical method known as the digital image correlation (DIC). Experiments are designed to apply the DIC to measure mechanical properties of flexible packaging materials, including the stress-strain relationship, the Poisson ratio, the coefficient of heat expansion, the creep deformation, and the top-pressure deformation of corrugated box. In addition, the low frequency vibration of package is simulated, and the vibration frequencies are measured by DIC. Results obtained in the experiments illustrate the advantages of the DIC over traditional methods: noncontact, no reinforced effect, high precision over entire area, wide measurement range, and good measurement stability.
Impact of Battery Sizing on Self-Consumption, Self-Sufficiency and Peak Power Demand for a Low Energy Single-Family House With PV Production in Sweden

This paper simulates the impact of battery sizing for an actual nearly-zero energy (NZEB) single-family house with solar PV located in Boras, Sweden. Simulations are done,° using measurement data as an input, for three different battery dispatch algorithms with two different purposes; (i) peak power shaving and (ii) maximising system self-consumption (SC) and self-sufficiency (SS) of the solar PV. The results show that the optimal battery storage size for this single-family house, given its measured electrical loads and existing solar PV system is around 7.2 kWh. System self-consumption and self-sufficiency from generated solar PV increased with 24.3 percentage points compared to a reference case without battery. Furthermore, results show that increasing the battery size beyond 7.2 kWh only results in minor performance gains.
On generalizing generalized polygons

The purpose of this paper is to reveal in geometric terms a decade-old construction of certain families of graphs with nice extremal properties. Construction of the graphs in question is motivated by the way in which regular generalized polygons may be embedded in their Lie algebras, so that point-line incidence corresponds to the vanishing Lie product. The only caveat is that the generalized polygons are greatly limited in number. By performing successive truncations on an infinite root system of type e A1, we are able to obtain an infinite series of incidence structures which approximate the behavior of generalized polygons. Indeed, the first two members of the series are exactly the affine parts of the generalized polygons of type A2 and B2.
Afraid to Cry Wolf: Human Rights Activists’ Conundrum to Define Narratives of Justice and Truth in the Former Yugoslavia By

Throughout the 1990s the state of Yugoslavia dissolved, ravaged by horrendous conflict. Since, several retributive and restorative mechanisms to cope with past atrocities have been attempted. In these processes social activists and civil society organizations have increasingly gained ground. Employing concepts of sociology of spaces, which focuses on the creation of spaces through action and the interdependence of action on spatial structures, I argue that activists move between different spaces constituted by narratives of justice and truth. Different NGOs across the region run trial monitoring and/or witness support programs—examples of activist involvement in legal spatiality. Recent fact-finding and documenting projects, such as the regional RECOM initiative, illustrate the creation and expansion of so-called truth spaces by activists. In the constitution phase of these spaces, i.e. the consultation meetings to establish the mandate for commissions or other investigative bodies, stakeholders (i.e. activists, practitioners, representatives and experts) rely on tangible and practicable legal instruments. A phenomenon I refer to as the legalization of truth spaces. Despite the symbiotic relationship between human rights activists and judicial practitioners this phenomenon illustrates the continuous political struggle of the former to institutionalize alternative transitional justice mechanisms. While their work focuses on personal narratives instead of grand narratives—creating a space for multiple narratives of victimhood—such a strategy bears several challenges vis-à-vis victims groups and broader reconciliatory processes. 1 The author wishes to thank Jo-Marie Burt, Earle Reybold, Iva Vukušić, Olga Martin-Ortega, Peter Mandaville, Harvey Weinstein and Nahla Valji for reading earlier drafts of this article and providing valuable comments to help clarify certain aspects and is indebted to Vjeran Pavlaković, Christopher Lamont, and other colleagues and friends for the many conversations that helped improve this article.
Magnetic activity of six young solar analogues I. Starspot cycles from long-term photometry

A long-term photometric monitoring of a selected sample of solar analogues has been carried out since early nineties as part of The Sun in time project, which is aimed at a multiwavelength study of stars with solar-like global properties, but with dierent ages and thus at dierent stages of their evolution. The extended time sequence of ground-based observations collected over more than a decade as part of this program has revealed the existence of starspot cycles. Also from these data it is possible to investigate surface dierential rotation of the stars. In this paper we present the photometry collected to date and report on cycles search for a selected subsample of five young single G0-G5V stars with ages between'130 Myr and 700 Myr: EK Dra, 1 UMa, HN Peg, k 1 Cet and BE Cet. Also we include in this study the Pleiades-age (' 130 Myr) K0V star DX Leo (HD 82443). All the cited stars show activity cycles whose period is, furthermore, the first determined from photometric data. They are compared to those activity cycles derived from CaII HK ii) the range in the observed cycle lengths seems to converge with stellar age from a maximum dispersion around the Pleiades' age towards the solar cycle value at the Sun's age; iii) the overall short- and long-term photometric variability increases with inverse Rossby number with very high correlation degree, indicating that the level of magnetic activity at least in photosphere is still controlled by the stellar rotation even on the longest time scales; iiii) the increase with inverse Rossby number of the long-term overall photometric variability seems to level o at the highest rotation rate, which may be interpreted as due to a saturation in the level of photospheric magnetic activity around the activity maximum.
Técnicas de Busca do Vizinho Mais Próximo Aplicadas ao Projeto de Dicionários PSO-COVQ

Felipe Alberto B. S. Ferreira Universidade de Pernambuco (UPE) Pernambuco, Brasil Email: fabsf@ecomp.poli.br Herbert A. de Sá Leitão Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) Pernambuco, Brasil Email: herbert.leitao@ufpe.br Waslon T. A. Lopes Universidade Federal da Paraı́ba (UFPB) Paraı́ba, Brasil Email: waslon@ieee.org F. Madeiro Universidade de Pernambuco (UPE) Pernambuco, Brasil Email: madeiro@poli.br
Spectroscopic Study of Cytosine Methylation Effect on Thermodynamics of DNA Duplex Containing CpG Motif

Effect of cytosine methylation on DNA duplexes was studied by using a model system of three self-complementary DNA octamers containing central CpG motif surrounded by a couple of AT base pairs, CAACGTTG, CATCGATG, and CTTCGAAG, and their analogues with the central cytosine methylated at C5 position. Temperature dependences of 1H NMR, UV absorption, and Raman scattering spectra measured for aqueous solutions at concentrations of different orders of magnitude were subjected to a joint analysis that allowed an accurate determination of the enthalpy and entropy of duplex formation. It was revealed that the changes of the enthalpy and entropy contributions are strongly dependent on the base composition in the vicinity of the CpG motif.
PRICING EUROPEAN OPTIONS ON INSTRUMENTS WITH A CONSTANT DIVIDEND WELD:

Absh-act. Due to the well-known fact that market returns are not normally distributed, we use generalized hyperbolic distributions for pricing options in a randomized discrete-time setup. The obtained formulas can be used for pricing options on stack indexes, currencies and futures contracts. We test them on options written on the Nikkei 225 index futures and conclude that a proper calibration scheme could give us an advantage in the financial market.