Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Forest-based climate mitigation: Lessons from REDD+ implementation

The novel feature of REDD+ --payments for results at the scale of national or subnational jurisdictions-- is only now beginning to be tested, more than a decade since it was first embraced by the international community. Lessons are emerging about the degree to which such payments can prompt land use policy reforms to mitigate the emissions that cause climate change.National REDD+ initiatives have helped create domestic conditions for addressing deforestation and forest degradation, providing an important foundation for future impact. These conditions include better understanding of deforestation drivers, improved forest monitoring capacities, and increased stakeholder engagement.Subnational jurisdictional approaches are gaining traction as a strategic way to link REDD+ incentives, sustainable supply chain initiatives, and related domestic policies and finance. Many subnational jurisdictions across the tropics have made progress toward reducing deforestation; but more targeted policy reforms, including alignment of incentives at subnational, national, and international levels, are needed to sustain it.A first generation of REDD+ projects has yielded important insights into the drivers of deforestation that must be addressed at higher levels, including land tenure insecurity and demand for globally traded commodities. Rigorous evaluations of early project-scale REDD+ interventions can help inform the design and implementation of jurisdictional-scale policies, programs, and initiatives.
Time Evolution in Open Quantum Systems - From Exciton Dynamics to Charge Transport

The research work presented in this thesis concerns the improvement of several theoretical techniques for describing quantum systems coupled to fermionic or bosonic reservoirs. The validity of the aforementioned developments is then numerically investigated to obtain the time-dependent quantum transport of charges or excitons through molecular junctions or aggregates, respectively. The former are single or a short chain of conducting, conjugated molecules wedged between two inert electrodes, acting as active circuit elements, while the latter can be comprehended as light absorbing pigments containing conjugated chains residing within fluctuating protein environments. The model used to describe the quantum transport is a linear chain or aggregates of tight-binding sites coupled to external fermionic or bosonic baths. The three main formalisms that are presented in this work include quantum master equations (QME), in second order perturbation theory in the system-reservoir coupling, the hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) scheme for multi-particle bosonic systems as well as a scheme based on time-dependent nonequilibrium Green's functions (NEGF) for non-interacting fermionic systems. The NEGF scheme for time-dependent quantum transport of charge provides the time-dependent current through the systems of sites as well as the on-site population dynamics, while the QME and HEOM schemes for energy transfer dynamics deliver information only about the population or occupation number dynamics for systems coupled to bosonic baths.
Neurogenic Differentiation Potential of Human Nasal Mucosa Obtained from the Middle and Inferior Turbinates

Olfactory bulb and nasal mucosa are one of the sources for neural stem cell, including the superior and middle turbinates (MT). The middle and inferior turbinates (IT) provides the largest area of nasal mucosa which is technically easier to harvest the stem cell for future transplantation. The ability of nasal respiratory epithelial cells (RECs) and nasal fibroblasts (NFs) from both middle and inferior turbinates to differentiate into neural lineage (NL) cells were compared in this study. Six redundant human MT and IT from post-sinus surgery were digested and cultured. The RECs and NFs were separated and induced with neurotrophic factors of forskolin, human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived growth factor-AA (PDGF-AA) and heregulin-β1-EGF-domain. Based on immunocytochemistry and quantitative PCR, the NL induced NFs of MT expressed GFAP, Nestin and P75 receptor. NL induced RECs from MT and IT expressed GFAP and Nestin but did not express the P75 receptor protein. Regarding the control, the non-induced RECs and fibroblasts expressed Nestin only. This study demonstrated that nasal mucosa cells from both IT and MT have the potential to differentiate into neural lineage cells even though the fibroblasts of MT are superior in term of quality. Hopefully, these tissues will provide better donor area with less morbidity for autologous or allograft transplantation in future neural regenerative medicine.
Testing as a service (TaaS): a systematic literature map

Background: The knowledge and application of tools to automate testing is essential to ensure software reliability and therefore its quality. Due to the increasing demand for quality in software projects executed in short time-scales, Testing as a Service (TaaS) appeared in the literature as contributions for cost reduction and productivity of automated tests. Aims: Once quality attributes from these contributions are not deeply discussed by the literature of the area, our goal is to investigate and identify these attributes from the TaaS platforms and providers commonly reported in the literature. Method: A protocol was formulated and executed according to the guidelines for performing systematic literature map in Software Engineering. Results: The TaaS providers and platform proposals found were classified according to the number of mentions in the literature, highlighting the most commonly mentioned and widespread. As well as the propagation and explanation of the main advantages and disadvantages reported in the literature on Testing as a Service. Conclusions: TaaS provides means for cost reduction and increase in productivity in comparison to traditional test approaches. This is a reality observed in 76 options for Test as a Service cloud platforms distributed over 52 papers. In addition, as their quality attributes, we also found eight groups of disadvantages and 21 of advantages. Thus, this systematic mapping is a valuable contribution for decision making on performance testing strategies.
Frequency-Adaptive Virtual Flux Estimator-Based Predictive Power Control With Suppression of Dc Voltage Ripples Under Unbalanced Network

This article presents a closed-loop virtual-flux (VF) estimator for grid voltage sensorless control of pulsewidth modulation (PWM) rectifier under unbalanced network. Compared with the prior open-loop VF estimator, the proposed method shows better filtering capability and improved robustness against load variation. Considering the grid frequency may deviate from the nominal value in practical application, an adaptive method is further developed for online frequency estimation. Additionally, the finite control set-model predictive power control with power compensation is implemented based on the proposed VF estimator to attenuate dc voltage ripples under unbalanced network. Theoretical analysis show that the twice-grid-frequency ripple component in the dc voltage can be effectively suppressed even with inductance mismatches. Experimental tests on a two-level PWM rectifier confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Advancement in infotainment system in automotive sector with vehicular cloud network and current state of art

The automotive industry has been incorporating various technological advancement on top-end versions of the vehicle order to improvise the degree of comfortability as well as enhancing the safer driving system. Infotainment system is one such pivotal system which not only makes the vehicle smart but also offers abundance of information as well as entertainment to the driver and passenger. The capability to offer extensive relay of service through infotainment system is highly dependent on vehicular adhoc network as well as back end support of cloud environment. However, it is know that such legacy system of vehicular adhoc network is also characterized by various problems associated with channel capacity, latency, heterogeneous network processing, and many more. Therefore, this paper offers a comprehensive insight to the research work being carried out towards leveraging the infotainment system in order to obtain the true picture of strength, limitation, and open end problems associated with infotainment system.
Forecasting flood hazards in real-time: A surrogate model for hydrometeorological events in an Andean watershed

Abstract. Growing urban development, combined with the influence of El Niño and climate change, have increased the threat of large unprecedented floods induced by extreme precipitation in populated areas near mountain regions of South America. High-fidelity numerical models with physically-based formulations can now predict inundations with a substantial level of detail for these regions, incorporating the complex morphology, and copying with insufficient data and the uncertainty posed by the variability of sediment concentrations. These simulations, however, might have large computational costs, especially if many scenarios need to be evaluated to develop early-warning systems and trigger preemptive evacuations. In this investigation we develop a surrogate model or meta-model to provide a rapid response flood prediction to extreme hydrometeorological events. We characterize the storms with a small set of parameters and use a high-fidelity model to create a database of flood propagation under different conditions. We perform an interpolation and regression procedure by using kriging on the space of parameters that characterize the events, approximating efficiently the flow depths in the urban area. This is the first application of its kind in the Andes region, which can be used to improve the prediction of flood hazards in real conditions, employing low computational resources. It also constitutes a new framework to develop early warning systems to help decision makers, managers, and city planners in mountain regions.
The Toll of too much Interferon : The systemic interferon signature in the pathogenesis of Sjögren’s syndrome

markdownabstractAbstract Primary Sjogren's Syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by accumulation of white blood cells in the salivary and lachrymal glands. Characteristic symptoms are dry eyes and mouth. Other manifestations frequently present in pSS involve among others the skin, joints, muscles, kidneys, and lungs, indicating that pSS is a systemic disease. pSS patients often experience disabling fatigue and a depressed mood as their most severe symptoms, reducing overall health­ related quality of life. The consequences of pSS for social functioning of the patient are serious and frequently result in unemployment. To date it is however largely unknown what factors cause these disabling symptoms. The prevalence of pSS is estimated between 0.05-1%, with a nine fold predominance in females. The diagnosis of pSS can be difficult due to lack of specific markers and the heterogeneity of the symptoms. The criteria for establishing a diagnosis of pSS consist of six clinical elements, both subjective and objective. At present, no common evidence-based intervention therapy is available and treatment is mainly symptomatic . Thus, a further unravelling of the pathophysiology of pSS is essential for finding novel biomarkers and identifying new treatment targets. Interferon (IFN) type I has been proposed as a biomarker for systemic autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and pSS. IFN type I is a large family of IFNs comprising 17 different subtypes. IFN type I is produced in healthy individuals following a viral infection, finding its origin as being discovered and named for its potent ability to readily "interfere" with viruses. The research described in this thesis was aimed at unraveling the role of IFN type I activity in pSS with the following overall aims: I) Determine the prevalence of IFN type I activation and its relation to clinical symptoms in pSS II) To unravel the biological pathways underlying IFN type I activity in pSS Ill) To study downstream effects of systemic IFN type I activation in pSS The overall findings are discussed, addressing the toll that pSS patients have to pay for the presence of too much IFN. The identified different pathogenic pathways probably underlie the heterogeneity of pSS, indicating that patients with pSS will most likely benefit from optimizing therapies tailored to specific subgroups of the disease. In this thesis we provide our perspective on the importance of subdividing pSS patients according to their IFN signature(s).
Stochastic and analytical approaches for sediment accumulation in river reservoirs

ABSTRACT Sediment accumulation in a river reservoir is studied by stochastic time series models and analytical approach. The first-order moving average process is found the best for the suspended sediment discharge time series of the Juniata River at Newport, Pennsylvania, USA. Synthetic suspended sediment discharges are first generated with the chosen model after which analytical expressions are derived for the expected value and variance of sediment accumulation in the reservoir. The expected value and variance of the volume of sediment accumulation in the reservoir are calculated from a thousand synthetic time series each 38 years long and compared to the analytical approach. Stochastic and analytical approaches perfectly trace the observation in terms of the expected value and variability. Therefore, it is concluded that the expected value and variance of sediment accumulation in a reservoir could be estimated by analytical expressions without the cost of synthetic data generation mechanisms.
The Numerical Bootstrap

This paper proposes a numerical bootstrap method that is consistent in many cases where the standard bootstrap is known to fail and where the $m$-out-of-$n$ bootstrap and subsampling have been the most commonly used inference approaches. We provide asymptotic analysis under both fixed and drifting parameter sequences, and we compare the approximation error of the numerical bootstrap with that of the $m$-out-of-$n$ bootstrap and subsampling. Finally, we discuss applications of the numerical bootstrap, such as constrained and unconstrained M-estimators converging at both regular and nonstandard rates, Laplace-type estimators, and test statistics for partially identified models.
Verifikasi Dosimetri Teknik Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) Metastasis Tulang: Studi Kasus Menggunakan Fantom Homogen dan Inhomogen

Kanker menyebabkan 13% dari total semua kasus penyebab kematian, dan matastasis tulang adalah komplikasi umum dari kanker yang terjadi diatas 40% pada pasien onkologi. Sekitar 70% metastasis akan melibatkan tulang belakang. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) adalah salah satu teknik yang dapat menangani metastasis tulang karena dapat memberikan dosis radiasi tinggi pada volume kecil dengan margin yang sangat rapat. Dalam perencanaan radioterapi untuk foton energi tinggi sering tidak sesuai dalam memperkirakan distribusi dosis dengan keberadaan material tidak homogen. Oleh karena itu dibandingkan hasil dosis pada fantom homogen (CIRS Model 002 H9K) dengan fantom inhomogen (CIRS Model 002 LFC) menggunakan tiga dosimeter, yaitu mikrochamber exradin A16, film gafchromic EBT3, dan TLD LiF: Mg, Ti rods . Hasil yang didapatkan dari pengukuran kedua fantom membuktikan bahwa film gafchromic EBT3 merupakan dosimeter terbaik dalam pengukuran dosis pada lapangan kecil dengan masing-masing deskripansi -0,30% pada fantom homogen dan -1,57% pada fantom inhomogen. Mikrochamber juga memperlihatkan kemampuannya dengan mendapatkan deskripansi tidak begitu jauh dengan film gafchromic EBT3 yaitu -0,52% pada fantom homogen dan -3,87% pada fantom inhomogen. Sedangkan menggunakan TLD LiF:Mg, Ti rods masing-masing deskripansinya -11,96% dan -13,88% pada fantom homogen dan inhomogen.
Drought survival is positively associated with high turgor loss points in temperate perennial grassland species

Turgor loss point (πₜₗₚ) has been suggested to be a key trait for drought resistance in woody species. In herbaceous grassland species, the role of πₜₗₚ for species drought survival has not yet been tested, although grasslands are projected to experience more frequent and intense droughts with climate change. To gain insights into the role of πₜₗₚ for drought resistance of temperate perennial grassland species, we assessed πₜₗₚ of 41 species common in Germany (20 forbs, 21 grasses). We directly related them to the species’ comparative whole‐plant drought survival and midday leaf water potentials under drought (ΨMD) assessed in a common garden drought experiment, and to species moisture association. Species drought survival increased with increasing πₜₗₚ across all species as well as within forbs or grasses separately. ΨMD was positively related to πₜₗₚ and drought survival. Our results imply that high πₜₗₚ promotes drought survival of common perennial European temperate mesic grassland species by enabling them to maintain high leaf water potentials under drought, that is, a desiccation avoidance strategy. However, πₜₗₚ was not related to species moisture association. The positive relationship between πₜₗₚ and drought survival in herbaceous grassland species was opposite to the negative relationship previously established in woody plants, implying that mechanisms of drought resistance differ between woody and herbaceous species. Our results highlight the necessity of directly testing the relationship of functional traits to whole‐plant drought survival in different plant life forms, before using trait assessments for predicting plant responses to drought. A free plain language summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Compras públicas y Big Data: El caso mexicano

El objetivo de este estudio es explorar y proponer nuevas formas de utilizar una politica de datos adecuada para las contrataciones publicas. La mayoria de los gobiernos cuenta con plataformas electronicas de compras publicas, que ademas de funcionar como un espacio transaccional entre gobierno y proveedores, generan informacion detallada de cada proceso de compra que permite a los gobiernos evaluar el desempeno de sus sistemas de contrataciones. Un analisis de la informacion contenida en dichas plataformas puede ser instrumental para diagnosticar problemas de competencia en las compras publicas, senalar irregularidades en los procedimientos y encontrar espacios de discrecionalidad susceptibles a actos de corrupcion. Asimismo, los datos estructurados del historial de compras pueden ser utilizados para encontrar ciclos y patrones que permitan una mejor planeacion o que evidencien deficiencias en la programacion de adquisiciones. El tipo de diagnosticos que permiten generar los datos estructurados pueden ser la pieza faltante para proponer y disenar intervenciones de politica publica necesarias para asegurar las mejores condiciones de compra para el Estado, procedimientos apegados a la ley y un ejercicio del gasto publico mas transparente, competido y con menos oportunidades para actos de corrupcion. Por lo tanto, es necesario comprender, en un primer momento, que es Big Data y como se puede utilizar desde plataformas gubernamentales. Y en un segundo momento analizar ejemplos de como este enfoque ha sido utilizado en el pais. El documento se divide de la siguiente manera. En la primera seccion describe de manera general que son y porque pueden ser utiles los grandes volumenes de datos generados en los sistemas de contrataciones publicas. En la segunda seccion hace un recuento de las condiciones necesarias para poder llevar a cabo la explotacion de Big Data con la informacion generada a traves de estos sistemas de compras. Para la tercera seccion realiza un diagnostico de la implementacion o existencia de las condiciones necesarias para utilizar datos de los sistemas de contrataciones en Mexico. La cuarta seccion contiene ejemplos de avances que se han dado en Mexico para el uso de Big Data en contrataciones publicas. Por ultimo, presenta las conclusiones y recomendaciones de politica publica.
Uncommon Corps: A Transcendental Phenomenology of the Academic Experiences of Military-Connected High School Students Transitioning between States

3 Copyright Page. 4 Dedication . 5 Acknowledgments. 7 List of Tables . 14 List of Figures . 15 List of Abbreviations . 16 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 17 Overview . 17 Background . 18 Historical . 21 Standards . 26 Academic . 27 Situation to Self. 28 Ontological Assumptions . 29 Epistemological Assumptions . 31 Problem Statement . 33 Purpose Statement . 35 Significance of the Study . 35 Research Questions . 39 Definitions. 40 Summary . 43
Rethinking the power of packet switching in the coming cyber threats era

The article is devoted to the discussion of the telecommunications development strategy. Communication specialists all around the world are facing the same problem: shifting from circuit switching (CS) to packet switching (CS). We will provide examples to illustrate the difficulties that complicate the transition from CS to PS and the move to hybrid CS+PS solutions. We start with the basics of routers and switches. Then we discuss the Defense Information System Network move from circuits to packets, namely, “Joint Vision 2010” - the implementation of signaling protocol SS7 and Advanced Intelligent Network, and “Joint Vision 2020” - the transformation from SS7 to IP protocol. We describe some packet switching shortcomings in the implementation of Joint Vision 2020, namely, Joint Information Environment as a beautiful but unattainable dream, GSM-O contract, and Joint regional security stacks failures, as well as give some critics regard Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud Strategy and Artificial Intelligence Initiative. An example of a hybrid solution: a unified packet and circuit switched network are shown. We describe a new trend in microelectronics, namely, a network-on-a-chip orientation from packet to circuit switching. We conclude that the long channel-packet coexistence seems inevitable, especially in the face of growing cyber threats.
Ancient DNA Research in Maritime and Underwater Archaeology: Pitfalls, Promise, and Future Directions

The rapid progression of DNA technology allows for the application of recently developed techniques to an ever-growing body of archaeological and environmental material recovered from submerged archaeological sites. As NGS and DNA Capture replace PCR as the predominant method used to characterise DNA present within an archaeological sample, it is necessary to consider how this effects the possibilities for future research, but also gives cause to reconsider the findings of previously published work from PCR experiments on archaeological material from submerged sites. In this review, the pitfalls, promise, and future directions of ancient DNA research on archaeological material from coastal and maritime sites are discussed. Here, it is argued that a common stumbling block in past research has been a lack of characterisation of the deposition environment, and that this has obscured our understanding of DNA identified at submerged sites. Unique aspects of the marine environment may present further complications in our attempts to authenticate ancient DNA. Overcoming these challenges will significantly enhance our ability to confidently assign an archaeological origin to DNA isolated in artefacts, organic remains, and sediments from submerged archaeological sites.