Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistica Sinica Preprint No : SS14-054 R 1 Title Blind image deblurring using jump regression analysis

Observed images are often blurred. Blind image deblurring (BID) is for estimating a true image from its observed but blurred version, when the blurring mechanism described by a point spread function (psf) cannot be completely specified beforehand. This is a challenging “ill-posed” problem, because (i) theoretically speaking, the true image cannot be uniquely determined by the observed image when the psf is unknown, and (ii) practically, besides blur, observed images often contain noise that would bring numerical instability to the image deblurring problem. In the literature, early image deblurring methods are developed under the assumption that the psf is known. More recent methods try to avoid this restrictive assumption, by assuming that either the psf follows a parametric form with some unknown parameters, or the true image has certain special structures. In this paper, we propose a BID methodology, without imposing restrictive assumptions on the psf or the true image. It even allows the psf to change over location. Our method makes use of the hierarchical nature of blurring that the image structure is altered most significantly around step edges, less significantly around roof/valley edges, and least significantly at places where the true image intensity function is straight. So, it pays special attention to regions around step and roof/valley edges when deblurring. Theoretical justifications and numerical studies show that it works well in applications.
Cattle grazing on semi-natural pastures – animal behaviour and nutrition, vegetation characteristics and environmental aspects

The knowledge of the grazing behaviour of cattle on Swedish semi-natural pastures and how this relates to the nutritional quality and quantity of the vegetation is low. In a situation where farming is being intensified both nationally and globally, it is important to gain more information about semi-natural pastures and how to utilise this resource properly. The aims of this thesis was to: (1) examine the grazing, resting and fouling behaviour of cattle on grazing areas mainly dominated by seminatural vegetation which also includes portions of grassland affected by fertilisation; (2) determine the nutrient content and seasonal herbage production of different vegetation types within semi-natural pastures; (3) determine the in vivo digestibility of forages from different vegetation types in heterogeneous semi-natural grasslands; (4) study the division of nitrogen between faeces and urine and the enteric methane production from cattle fed these same forages. One field and one indoor study were carried out. The field study covered three grazing seasons and included measurements of both cattle behaviour and of the nutritional properties of semi-natural pasture vegetation. Cattle preferred to graze, rest, urinate and defecate on previously fertilised areas. The vegetation in these areas was characterised by a high energy and crude protein content and a high seasonal herbage production. The indoor study measured in vivo digestibility, methane production and the division of nitrogen between urine and faeces of different forages from semi-natural grasslands fed to non-lactating cows and heifers. Forage digestibilities were lower than what is commonly reported for cultivated forages. Digestibilities did not differ between treatments, with the exception of a lower digestibility in the heifer group when fed of vegetation harvested on shore meadows compared with vegetation from naturalised cultivated grasslands. Methane production did not differ among forages. In conclusion, cattle prefer to graze in previously fertilised areas, but other vegetation types were also utilised by the animals. Furthermore, in vivo digestibility of semi-natural pasture vegetation was similar to in vitro values obtained with the standard Swedish method for estimating the energy value of forages.
sek-1 is important in tissue-specific regulation of innate immunity during the Xoo infection in the model host Caenorhabditis elegans

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo) are plant pathogenic bacteria that can cause serious blight of rice. We have demonstrated that Xoo can infect the model organism C. elegans and p38 MAPK pathway plays specific roles in defense against the pathogen in our previous paper. Based on that p38 MAPK pathway can be activated in a range of tissues, it is intriguing to compare the tissue-specific activities of this pathway in host innate immunity. Here, transgenic worms that sek-1 expressed specifically in neurons system, ciliated sensory neurons, and intestine respectively are used to determine the nematode survival and transcriptional levels of immune-related genes. We report that SEK-1 and TOL-1 are not involved in C. elegans avoidance behavior, and ingestion of nematodes is related to the aversion and also the characteristics of bacteria. In addition, tol-1 and sek-1 participate the immune response to the infection by Xoo; sek-1 also exhibits tissue-specific activities in host innate immunity. Our findings suggest that overlapping immune effect may exist between the tol-1 and sek-1.
FDTD simulation of photonic devices and circuits based on circular and fan-shaped microdisks

This paper proposes novel photonic devices and circuits composed of circular and fan-shaped microdisks. Using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method, we investigated propagation characteristics of light in fundamental elements, the coupler of closely placed disks and the butt-joint of disks. The coupler can be used for extracting the light from a disk laser. It was shown that the efficiency of the light extraction can be over 70% by the coupler. A mode size converter and a tunable filter combined with couplers were numerically demonstrated. The joint can be applied to a compact and sophisticate optical wiring in a large scale circuit, since the joint loss estimated was as low as 0.1 dB.
GRIEF AFTER FIRM FAILURE: AN APPRAISAL FRAMEWORK

This paper provides a first systematic assessment of how entrepreneurs react to firm failure. We use appraisal theory as an overarching theoretical framework and hypothesize that the greater the failure experience is appraised as stressful the greater the feelings of grief . To test this hypothesis we developed a unique, hand collected, database of entrepreneurs who recently filed for firm bankruptcy. 310 telephone interviews were conducted (response rate 31%) directly followed by a mail questionnaire. After a threewave mailing (i.e. two reminders) 147 valid mail questionnaires were returned (response rate 14.7%). This paper constitutes an important step in advancing empirically valid theory of emotional responses to entrepreneurial failure.
Persistent hydrophilicity for Titanium oxide (TiO2) thin films by Silicon oxide (SiO2) over nanolayers

SiO2 thin layers in thicknesses (1, 5, 10, 18 nm) on TiO2 thin layer in thickness 79 nm deposited by reactive RF sputtering technique. The deposited films were heat treated at temperatures (200, 400, 500, 600°C). The surface properties of thin films by atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface chemical composition by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and self-cleaning effect in bi layers, were studied. In addition, enhanced hydrophilicity property in the films under the effect of annealed temperature and persistence without UV light illumination were evaluated. Key words: Nanolayers, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), hydrophilicity, annealed temperature.
Explaining National Differences in the Size and Industrial Distribution of Employment

What factors determine national differences in the size and industry distribution of employment? We stress the role of the economic policy environment as determined by business taxes, employment security laws, credit market regulations, the national pension system, wage-setting institutions and the size of the public sector. We characterize these aspects of the policy environment in Sweden prior to 1990–91 and compare them to the situation in other European countries and the United States. Our characterization and international comparisons show that Swedish policies strongly disfavored less capitalintensive firms, smaller firms, entry by new firms, and individual and family ownership of business. We also compile evidence that these policies affect outcomes. Taking the U.S. industry distribution as a benchmark that reflects a comparatively neutral set of policies and institutions, Sweden‘s employment distribution in the mid-1980s is sharply tilted away from low-wage industries and industries with greater employment shares for smaller firms and establishments. Compared to other European countries, Sweden has an unusually high share of employment in large firms. Furthermore, the Swedish rate of self-employment in the 1970s and 1980s is the lowest among all OECD countries. The institutional and policy factors emphasized by our study differ greatly across countries. This fact suggests that our approach can be fruitfully applied to other studies of national differences in industry and size structures and their evolution over time. As an example, the tax reform wave of the 1980s – which largely evened out cross-country differences in corporate taxation among OECD countries – offers some basis for projecting a movement towards greater similarity among wealthy countries in the size and industry distribution of employment. The industry distribution of employment differs sharply across countries, even countries with similar levels of economic development. What factors determine these differences? Theories of international trade stress relative factor endowments and scale economies as major forces behind observed national differences in the industry distribution of employment. But, since these differences extend to sectors of the economy that do not produce traded goods and services (or intermediate inputs into the traded sector), other forces must also be at work. Differences in the organization of business activity among countries with similar factor endowments also present a puzzle. Presumably, these countries have access to the same technologies for producing goods and services. Why then does the distribution of business activity by firm and establishment size differ markedly across countries?
Effect of Tantalum Doping on TiO2 Nanotube Arrays for Water-Splitting

This work is intended to define a new possible methodology for TiO2 doping through the use of electrochemical deposition of tantalum directly on the titanium nanotubes obtained by a previous galvanostatic anodization treatment in an ethylene glycol solution. This method does not seem to cause any influence on the nanotube structure, showing final products with news and interesting features with respect to the unmodified sample. Together with a decrease in the band gap and flat band potential of the TiO2 nanotubes, the tantalum doped specimen reports an increase of the photo conversion efficiency under UV light.
CHAPTER 53 EFFECTS OF THE GULF STREAM ON WIND WAVES IN SWADE

Preliminary results of a numerical study of wave-current interactions in SWADE for 20 Oct. 1990 to 31 Oct. 1990 are presented. The results are obtained with the wave model WAVEWATCH, which incorporates both wave-current interactions and a full description of the dynamics wave growth and decay. It is shown that wave-current interactions are expected to be sufficiently strong to be observed in mean wave parameters, but that significant effects of interactions occur close to the Gulf Stream only. Furthermore, wave growth and decay are strongly influenced by the currents. Thus, modelling of wave-current interactions on the scales considered requires a comprehensive assessment of both (conservative) wave-current interactions and of the dynamics of wave growth and decay.
Services in lnnovation-lnnovation in Services ( Sl 4 S )

In this report, the importance of engineering consulting services for innovation performance in the Norwegian offshore oil & gas industry is outlined. The results presented are based on a number of case studies of the interactive problem solving that takes place between these highly technology-focused knowledge intensive business services (T-KIBS) and their customers in the offshore industry, primarily the oil companies and larger manufacturing engineering companies. The engineering consulting companies has a strong influence on the innovative capability of Norwegian petroleum actvities. The nature of consulting engineering services are highly focused on knowledge transfer and problem-solving, which means that this service in an extremely large extent represent the innovation force in the Norwegian petroleum complex. The intensive use of such services also indicates that the petroleum acitivities are more innovative than most other Norwegian industries. These firms propel both technological and organisational innovations. We show that the interactive networking between oil companies and consulting firms in many ways represent an advanced mutual learning process (Lundvall ibid.), and that this way of co-operation have resulted in concrete technological developments and organisational changes. Development of the EPCI contracts, which implies that consulting engineering companies become in charge of a total entreprise (engineering, procurement, construction and installation) strongly underlines the knowledge complexity that such organisations hold. This report suggests a theoretical framework within which the innovation process in Norwegian petroleum activities might be better understood, and it suggests how policy towards stimulating innovation in the industry could be shaped.
What are the intermediates that could react in the interstellar ices

Interstellar chemical reactivity forms complex organic molecules implying different intermediates. In this mini review, reactions arising in/on interstellar ices are presented. These ices are a place where molecules are formed and where they can evolve under thermal and nonthermal effects. We present in this paper different intermediates that have been detected in experimental simulations of interstellar ices. Ionic, neutral, and radical intermediates have been characterized by different means allowing the building of an ice chemical network explaining their formation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
NLTT 5306: the shortest period detached white dwarf+brown dwarf binary

We have spectroscopically confirmed a brown dwarf mass companion to the hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf NLTT 5306. The white dwarf's atmospheric parameters were measured using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and X-shooter spectroscopy as Teff = 7756 ± 35 K and log(g) = 7.68 ± 0.08, giving a mass for the primary of MWD = 0.44 ± 0.04 M⊙ at a distance of 71 ± 4 pc with a cooling age of 710 ± 50 Myr. The existence of the brown dwarf secondary was confirmed through the near-infrared arm of the X-shooter data and a spectral type of dL4–dL7 was estimated using standard spectral indices. Combined radial velocity measurements from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, X-shooter and the Hobby–Eberly Telescope's High Resolution Spectrograph of the white dwarf give a minimum mass of 56 ± 3 MJup for the secondary, confirming the substellar nature. The period of the binary was measured as 101.88 ± 0.02 min using both the radial velocity data and i′-band variability detected with the Isaac Newton Telescope. This variability indicates ‘day’ side heating of the brown dwarf companion. We also observe Hα emission in our higher resolution data in phase with the white dwarf radial velocity, indicating that this system is in a low level of accretion, most likely via a stellar wind. This system represents the shortest period white dwarf+brown dwarf binary and the secondary has survived a stage of common envelope evolution, much like its longer period counterpart, WD 0137−349. Both systems likely represent bona fide progenitors of cataclysmic variables with a low-mass white dwarf and a brown dwarf donor.
Investigation of Allowed Channel Spacing for Differently Modulated Optical Signals in Combined HDWDM Systems

By the reduction of channel spacing in WDM system, it's possible to add some extra channels to it and in that way to increase the total transmission capacity of the used fibre and postpone bottleneck effect of core networks. But using the alternative modulation formats, such as differential phase shift keying with non - return - to zero coding (NRZ - DPSK) or two - states polarization shift keying (2 - POLSK), instead of traditional on - off keying with NRZ coding (NRZ - OOK), it's possible to achieve the lower bit error ration BER level and channel's tolerance to transmission impairments, such as inter-channel nonlinearities and crosstalk. The study object of this work is the allowed channel spacing in combined HDWDM systems, if modulation format in each system's channel are different. For numerical evaluation of modulation formats simultaneous propagation in WDM system, which consists of three channels with 10 Gbit/s bit rate each, simulation model in OptSim software were introduced. The obtained BER values of each channel were compared with the results of traditional systems, which are using only one of mentioned above optical signal modulation formats. These results will allow choosing development strategy in construction of new optical network and improving already existing network infrastructure. 1ll. 9, bibl. 8, tabl. 1 (in English; abstracts in English and Lithuanian). http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.eee. 112.6. 437
APPLICATION OF THERMOCHROMIC COMPOUNDS IN POLYMERIC MATERIALS

Diploma thesis deals with the problem of thermochromic compounds and their use in nowadays technologies, especially fibre technologies (i.e. textile industry). Theoretical part is literature search of compounds performing thermochromism known nowadays. Experiment was focused on applying thermochromic compounds into polymeric material and its subsequent processing to make fibres. Thermochromic material was used and labelled as ThermChrom BG (colour change from brown to green), VB (violet to blue) and OY (orange to yellow). Fibre-making process was preceded by laboratory testing. Goal of the testing was above all to find out if the chosen thermochromic material is suitable for fibre technology during which the processed material has to withstand high pressures and mechanical loading connected with extrusion, spinning, stretching and moulding. Mixture of thermochromic material was compounded into the mixture with polypropylene and underwent spinning process at the manufacturer of technical semi-product after passing the tests. Characterization of produced fibres followed. Characterization included colour measurements and measurements of mechanical properties of the product in comparison with non-coloured material. Klíčová slova: termochromismus, polypropylen, vlákna
Response to interactive comment on „ Quantifying present and future glacier melt ‐ water contribution to runoff in a Central Himalayan river basin “ by

This is an impressive study from an equally impressive larger project (BRAHMATWINN), with meritorious goals of modeling changing hydrology through an entire catchment and distinguishing contributions from various components, including explicitly changing glacier storage. The Lhasa River Basin (LRB) is an important study site, too. This region has drawn attention as a site of climate change impact, since it features large populations downstream and large concentrations of ice (glaciers, permafrost) upstream. Observations are sparse, glacier climate science is controversial, and the future implications have been poorly cited (i.e. IPCC FAR). The authors state (multiple times) that this motivates them to not only understand future climate change impacts close to glaciers, but also where people “live and use” the water further downstream. Notably their PROMET model is a spatially distributed, process‐based (using physics to solve energy/mass balance) integration that does not rely on close calibration and parameterization. This is excellent work, and the authors should be congratulated.
Can water pricing policies regulate irrigation use

The paper proposes a reassessment of the hopes vested in pricing mechanisms to regulate water diversions in the irrigation sector, focusing on large scale (surface) public irrigation. It first lists a series of major constraints that explain why the economic rationale applied to urban water supply cannot readily be transposed to surface irrigation. It then offers a review of situations where water is scarce and where irrigation schemes are able to distribute water volumetrically, either at the bulk or individual level. Such situations are relatively rare at the world level but they provide the context where volumetric pricing policies can be implemented and can demonstrate their potential for putting demand and use in line with supply. The review provides clear evidence that, instead of administered prices, quotas are almost invariably chosen as the main regulation mechanism, with prices mostly used to regulate use at the margin, beyond the quota, rather than for rationing scarce water. The paper then reviews the advantages and limitations of quotas and attempts to explain why they are systematically preferred to pure price-based regulation. If made tradable, quotas or entitlements can be more easily reallocated among users according to criteria of economic efficiency. Such situations still remain rare because there are several cultural, technical and institutional constraints to their development, most notably in developing countries. Finally the paper expands its conclusions to irrigation in general and shows that although much hope has been vested in pricing mechanisms for regulating water use their potential is much lower than is commonly believed. 1 Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, 911, Avenue Agropolis BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier Cedex 5, France, molle@mpl.ird. fr
How did the financial crisis affect the transnationality of the global financial elite? One step forward and one step back

Over the last few decades, transnational elite formation progressed hand in hand with a deterioration in national business elites. Most studies regard this process as progressive and linear. However, we argue that transnational elite formation is subject to a variety of opposing forces, and the assumed progression is not a given fact. As an intriguing case, we analyse the financial business elite with a focus on the financial crisis of 2008. This international event had substantial ramifications, including a possible external shock to transnational elite formation. To study the consequences of the crisis, we collected the board composition data of the 48 largest transnational financial companies for the period 2006-11. Changes in board composition show opposing effects. For example, transnationality increased during the crisis, but reversals appeared when national governments intervened.
Necessary and sufficient stability condition for second-order switched systems: a phase function approach

ABSTRACT To find a unified approach for the stability analysis of second-order switched system, the concept of phase function is proposed in this paper. First, the basic properties of phase function are explored. Following this concept and its properties, the phase-based stability criterion is investigated based on the Lyapunov theory, and a necessary and sufficient stability condition is obtained in the phase function approach. Moreover, the connection between phase-based stability conditions and algebraic condition of system matrices is also discussed. Finally, numerical examples are provided to exemplify the main result and make necessary comparisons with the existing methods.