Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis A Classification of Collaborative Management Methods

Collaboration among multiple stakeholders can be crucial to the success of natural resource management. In recent years, a wide variety of methods have been developed to facilitate such collaboration. Because these methods are relatively new and come from different disciplines, little attention has been paid to drawing comparisons among them. Thus, it is very difficult for potential users to sort through the increasingly large literature regarding such methods. We suggest the use of a consistent framework for comparing collaborative management methods, and develop such a framework based on five criteria: participation, institutional analysis, simplification of the natural resource, spatial scale, and stages in the process of natural resource management. We then apply this framework to six of the more commonly cited methods: soft systems analysis, http://www.ecologyandsociety. org/vol4/iss2/art13/ (1 of 16)1/21/2006 10:04:41 AM Conservation Ecology: A Classification of Collaborative Management Methods adaptive management, ecosystem management, agroecosystem analysis, rapid rural appraisal and participatory rural appraisal. Important differences among methods were found in prescriptions for stakeholder participation, institutional analysis, and simplification of complex natural resources. Despite such differences, the methods are surprisingly similar overall. All methods are applicable at the scale of a watershed. Most of the methods include techniques for understanding complex natural resources, but not complex social institutions, and most include monitoring and assessment as well as planning. Our comparisons suggest that, although much work has been done to improve collaborative management of natural resources, both in the development of collaborative methods and in related social science disciplines, the results have not been shared among disciplines. Further organization and classification of this work is therefore necessary to make it more accessible to both practitioners and students of collaborative management.
BCI Ontology : A Sensing and Acting Context-based Model for Brain-Computer Interaction

Key developments in wearable sensors, wireless networks, and distributed computing will largely enable Brain-Computer Interaction (BCI) as a powerful, natural and intuitive mainstream human-computer interaction in real-world activities. BCI systems annotate the sensed signals in order to classify the analysis of brain states/dynamics in diverse daily-life circumstances. There is no any complete and standardized formal semantic structure to model the BCI metadata annotations, which are essential to capture the descriptive and predictive features of the brain signals. We present the BCI Ontology (BCI-O): the first OWL 2 ontology that formalizes relevant metadata for BCI data capture activities by integrating BCI-domain-specific Sensing and Acting Models along with a novel Context Model for describing any kind of real/virtual environments. At its core, BCI-O defines a human-environment interaction model for any BCI, based on design patterns and primarily aligned to the SOSA/SSN, SAN –IoT-O– and DUL ontologies. Its axiomatizations aid BCI systems to implement an ontological overlay upon vast data recording collections to support semantic query constructions (to perform Adaptive BCI) and reasoning for situation-specific data analytics (to apply inference rules for Transfer Learning in multimodal classification).
A New Ensemble Learning Framework for 3D Biomedical Image Segmentation

3D image segmentation plays an important role in biomedical image analysis. Many 2D and 3D deep learning models have achieved state-of-the-art segmentation performance on 3D biomedical image datasets. Yet, 2D and 3D models have their own strengths and weaknesses, and by unifying them together, one may be able to achieve more accurate results. In this paper, we propose a new ensemble learning framework for 3D biomedical image segmentation that combines the merits of 2D and 3D models. First, we develop a fully convolutional network based meta-learner to learn how to improve the results from 2D and 3D models (base-learners). Then, to minimize over-fitting for our sophisticated meta-learner, we devise a new training method that uses the results of the baselearners as multiple versions of “ground truths”. Furthermore, since our new meta-learner training scheme does not depend on manual annotation, it can utilize abundant unlabeled 3D image data to further improve the model. Extensive experiments on two public datasets (the HVSMR 2016 Challenge dataset and the mouse piriform cortex dataset) show that our approach is effective under fully-supervised, semisupervised, and transductive settings, and attains superior performance over state-of-the-art image segmentation methods.
Reproducibility in echocardiography: clinical significance, assessment, and comparison with other imaging methods

In this paper we discuss the definition and application of reproducibility in echocardiography. Therefore, reproducibility of the most used echocardiographical parameters is discussed, and thereafter their value is compared with the reproducibility of the same parameters by other imaging methods. In order to improve reproducibility, echocardiographical measurements and interpretations have to be performed by standardized methods, as the ones stated in the current guidelines.
Parallelization of BFS Graph Algorithm using CUDA

Graphs play a very important role in the field of Science and Technology for finding the shortest distance between any two places. This Paper demonstrate the recent technology named as CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture ) working for BFS Graph Algorithm. There are some Graph algorithms are fundamental to many disciplines and application areas. Large graphs are common in scientific and engineering applications consisting operation on million of vertices and edges(1, 11, 12, 18, 19). To have faster execution of such operations parallel computation is very essential to reduce overall computation time. Today's Graphics processing units (GPUs) have high computation power. and low price. Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) software interface by NVIDIA, becoming a new programming approach of the general purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU). Massively Multithreaded architecture of a CUDA device makes various threads to run in parallel and hence making optimum use of available computation power of GPU. In this paper we are demonstrating the comparison between different large data sets, which are in term of kernel execution that are carried out on GPU using CUDA. In most of the applications GPU can be used as an inexpensive co-processor. Breadth-first search (BFS) is a core primitive for graph traversal and very much important for graph analysis.
Asymptotic theory of resonant flow in a spheroidal cavity driven by latitudinal libration

Abstract We consider a homogeneous fluid of viscosity $\nu $ confined within an oblate spheroidal cavity, ${x}^{2} / {a}^{2} + {y}^{2} / {a}^{2} + {z}^{2} / ({a}^{2} (1\ensuremath{-} {\mathscr{E}}^{2} ))= 1$, with eccentricity $0\lt \mathscr{E}\lt 1$. The spheroidal container rotates rapidly with an angular velocity ${\mbit{\Omega} }_{0} $, which is fixed in an inertial frame and defines a small Ekman number $E= \nu / ({a}^{2} \vert {\mbit{\Omega} }_{0} \vert )$, and undergoes weak latitudinal libration with frequency $\hat {\omega } \vert {\mbit{\Omega} }_{0} \vert $ and amplitude $\mathit{Po}\vert {\mbit{\Omega} }_{0} \vert $, where $\mathit{Po}$ is the Poincaré number quantifying the strength of Poincaré force resulting from latitudinal libration. We investigate, via both asymptotic and numerical analysis, fluid motion in the spheroidal cavity driven by latitudinal libration. When $\vert \hat {\omega } \ensuremath{-} 2/ (2\ensuremath{-} {\mathscr{E}}^{2} )\vert \gg O({E}^{1/ 2} )$, an asymptotic solution for $E\ll 1$ and $\mathit{Po}\ll 1$ in oblate spheroidal coordinates satisfying the no-slip boundary condition is derived for a spheroidal cavity of arbitrary eccentricity without making any prior assumptions about the spatial–temporal structure of the librating flow. In this case, the librationally driven flow is non-axisymmetric with amplitude $O(\mathit{Po})$, and the role of the viscous boundary layer is primarily passive such that the flow satisfies the no-slip boundary condition. When $\vert \hat {\omega } \ensuremath{-} 2/ (2\ensuremath{-} {\mathscr{E}}^{2} )\vert \ll O({E}^{1/ 2} )$, the librationally driven flow is also non-axisymmetric but latitudinal libration resonates with a spheroidal inertial mode that is in the form of an azimuthally travelling wave in the retrograde direction. The amplitude of the flow becomes $O(\mathit{Po}/ {E}^{1/ 2} )$ at $E\ll 1$ and the role of the viscous boundary layer becomes active in determining the key property of the flow. An asymptotic solution for $E\ll 1$ describing the librationally resonant flow is also derived for an oblate spheroidal cavity of arbitrary eccentricity. Three-dimensional direct numerical simulation in an oblate spheroidal cavity is performed to demonstrate that, in both the non-resonant and resonant cases, a satisfactory agreement is achieved between the asymptotic solution and numerical simulation at $E\ll 1$.
Dietary supplementation of probiotics in poultry exposed to heat stress – a review

Abstract Heat-related stress has become a serious problem in poultry industry along with the global temperatures rise. Heat stress causes detrimental effects on physiology, immunology and microbiology resulting in abnormalities and impaired performances of birds. Several nutritional strategies have been conducted to counteract the detrimental effects of heat stress in poultry, including dietary supplementation of probiotics. This strategy has been proposed to ameliorate the intestinal ecosystem, physiological conditions and immune system, leading to the improved performance and health of birds subjected to heat stress. This review presents the potential benefits of probiotics against heat stress in poultry from the viewpoint of intestinal microbial ecology, morphology and structure, physiological conditions, immune system and production performances. The possible mechanisms through which probiotics may give beneficial impacts on heat-stressed birds are also discussed along with the data reporting the possible drawbacks of using probiotics in heat-stressed poultry.
Attracting , Onboarding , and Retaining Newcomer Developers in Open Source Software Projects

Open source software (OSS) is a good example of global software development. Numerous OSS projects depend on contributions from volunteers from all over the world. For OSS projects, keeping a good influx of new developers is critical. In this paper, we present a developer joining model that represents the stages that are common to and the forces that are influential to newcomers being drawn or pushed away from a project. We claim that, studying these aspects, especially the hindering factors, can lead to new challenges and research opportunities around awareness, coordination practices, socialization, knowledge management, and possibly others. Author
Application of Surface Plasmon Polaritons in CMOS Digital Imaging

Recent years there has been a rapid expansion of research into nanophotonics based on surface plasmon polariton (SPP), which is a collective electron oscillation propagating along a metal-dielectric interface together with an electromagnetic wave [1]. What distinguishes SPPs from photons is that they have a much smaller wavelength at the same frequency. Therefore SPPs possess remarkable capabilities of concentrating light in a nanoscale and the resulted significant enhancement of localized field [2]. SPPs can be excited by an incident electromagnetic wave if their wavelength vectors match. This is usually achieved by nanopatterning the metal film. The resonant frequency of SPP is determined by the metal materials, dielectric materials, profiles and dimensions of the patterns, etc. As a result, the tunability of SPP enables its application as a colour filter in the visible range. Actually this was used in the stained glass manufacture hundreds years ago. Since the extraordinary optical transmission through a nanohole array in a thin metal film was reported by Ebbesen [3], the plasmonic photon sorting has been explored for the potential applications in digital imaging and light display [4,5]. In addition, SPP based light manipulating elements like planar metallic lenses, beam splitters, polarizers have been investigated both theoretically and experimentally [6-7].
Sound-based Computer Models as an Exploratory Learning Environment for Blind Students in Science Education

Although blind students are integrated into public schools, they are often excluded from full participation in science as most learning materials are visual, thus limiting equity. To overcome this limitation, an existing modelbased inquiry-learning environment was adapted by means of sonification. We examine whether perceptual compensation creates a comparable learning environment for blind and sighted students. We assess conceptual learning in science and reasoning about complex systems. Data were collected by pre and post questionnaires and answers to workbook items. The environment not only supported blind students’ learning similarly, but even furthered their learning with one of the more challenging concepts diffusion. It seems auditory representation increases sensitivity to the micro-level interactions in a way less accessible in visual representations.
Geometry of Thermodynamic Processes

Since the 1970s, contact geometry has been recognized as an appropriate framework for the geometric formulation of thermodynamic systems, and in particular their state properties. More recently it has been shown how the symplectization of contact manifolds provides a new vantage point; enabling, among other things, to switch easily between the energy and entropy representations of a thermodynamic system. In the present paper, this is continued towards the global geometric definition of a degenerate Riemannian metric on the homogeneous Lagrangian submanifold describing the state properties, which is overarching the locally-defined metrics of Weinhold and Ruppeiner. Next, a geometric formulation is given of non-equilibrium thermodynamic processes, in terms of Hamiltonian dynamics defined by Hamiltonian functions that are homogeneous of degree one in the co-extensive variables and zero on the homogeneous Lagrangian submanifold. The correspondence between objects in contact geometry and their homogeneous counterparts in symplectic geometry, is extended to the definition of port-thermodynamic systems and the formulation of interconnection ports. The resulting geometric framework is illustrated on a number of simple examples, already indicating its potential for analysis and control.
MEKK 1 / MEKK 4 are responsible for TRAIL-induced JNK / p 38 phosphorylation

The tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosisinducing ligand (TRAIL) has been shown to activate mitogenactivated protein kinases (MAPKs) depending on caspase and mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1 activations. However, the upstream molecule of MAPKs has not yet been identified. The mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1) and the apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) are considered to be possible candidates for the action of MAPKKKs induced by TRAIL and the possibility of reactive oxygen species involvement has also been investigated. We found that MEKK1/MEKK4 as opposed to ASK1, are responsible for TRAIL-induced c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) or p38 activation, and that their catalytic activity is repressed by the caspase-8 inhibitor, suggesting that the caspase-8 activation induced by TRAIL is indispensible for MEKK activation. The 14-3-3 θ was also shown to interact with and to dissociate from MEKK1 by TRAIL treatment, thus implicating the 14-3-3 protein as a negative regulator of MEKK1 activation. Taken together, we show herein that the upstream molecule of the TRAIL-induced MAPK activation is MEKK, as opposed to ASK1, via the mediation of its signal through JNK/p38 in a caspase-8-dependent manner.
Use of lytic bacteriophages to reduce Salmonella Enteritidis in experimentally contaminated chicken cuts

Reducing Salmonella contamination in poultry is of major importance to prevent the introduction of this microorganism into the food chain. Salmonellae may spread during storage time (shelf life) whenever pre-harvest control fails or post-harvest contamination occurs. Therefore, preventive measures should also be used in the post-harvest level of poultry production in order to control salmonellae. Chicken skin samples were experimentally contaminated by immersing whole legs (thighs and drumsticks) in a suspension containing 106 colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL) of Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 4 (SE PT4) at the slaughter day. One day later, samples from one group were immersed in a suspension pool containing 109 CFU/mL of each of three wild salmonella-lytic bacteriophages previously isolated from feces of free-range chickens. Salmonella counting was performed at three-day intervals in the chicken legs stored at 5°C and showed a significant reduction (P<0.05) of SE PT4 in bacteriophage-treated cuts on days 3, 6 and 9 post-treatment. These findings suggest that the use of bacteriophages may reduce SE PT4 in chicken skin. Further studies are encouraged and might demonstrate the potential of this approach as an efficient and safe technique to be routinelly used for Salmonella control in chicken products.
Basics of aging theories and disease related aging-an overview

Aging is characterized by a progressive loss of physiological integrity, leading to impaired function and increased vulnerability to death. This deterioration is the primary risk factor for major human pathologies including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, several theories and mechanisms have been put to explain the molecular basis of aging. For example, random damage of the DNA of somatic cell is believed to accumulate with increasing age. Free radicals produced during oxidation of metabolites for energy production also damage DNA and proteins.
Spin-orbit-torque driven magnetoimpedance in Pt-layer/magnetic-ribbon heterostructures

When a flow of electrons passes through a paramagnetic layer with strong spin-orbit-coupling such as platinum (Pt), a net spin current is produced via the spin Hall effect (SHE). This spin current can exert a torque on the magnetization of an adjacent ferromagnetic layer which can be probed via magnetization dynamic responses, e.g., spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance. Nevertheless, that effect in the lower frequency magnetization dynamic regime where the skin effect occurs in high permeability ferromagnetic conductors, namely, the magneto-impedance (MI) effect, can be fundamentally important, and has not been studied so far. Here, by utilizing the MI effect in the magnetic-ribbon/Pt heterostructure with high transvers magnetic permeability that allows the ac current effectively confined at the skin depth of ∼100 nm thickness, the effect of spin-orbit-torque (SOT) induced by the SHE probed via the MI measurement is investigated. We observed a systematic MI frequency shift that increases by increasing the .
Application and Properties of Chicken Feather Fiber ( CFF ) a Livestock Waste in Composite Material Development

Rapid advancement in the field of Natural and biomaterial composites have directed in the enlargement of various innovative materials and products which are eco-friendly as well as biodegradable. Importance is being given by many researchers to the natural plant fibers like bamboo, coir, jute, sisal, cotton, wheat straw and wood etc. Here the review based information is pileup to get the wide-ranging information about the Mechanical properties, Physical properties, Thermal properties etc. of Chicken Feather Fiber (CFF) based Composites. Also the application and making of different CFF based composites for industrial application and the use of CFF as a matrix, as a reinforced material and as a particulate. The efforts are made to focus on advanced technology and uplift the use of CFF as a Natural Biomaterial which is at present serve as a waste of poultry industry and to enhance the use of livestock waste in a sustainable growth of the earth and healthy environment. KeywordsComposites, Chicken Feather Fiber, Natural Fiber, Biodegradable, Properties.
Modeled Trends in Antarctic Sea Ice Thickness

AbstractUnlike the rapid sea ice losses reported in the Arctic, satellite observations show an overall increase in Antarctic sea ice concentration over recent decades. However, observations of decadal trends in Antarctic ice thickness, and hence ice volume, do not currently exist. In this study a model of the Southern Ocean and its sea ice, forced by atmospheric reanalyses, is used to assess 1992–2010 trends in ice thickness and volume. The model successfully reproduces observations of mean ice concentration, thickness, and drift, and decadal trends in ice concentration and drift, imparting some confidence in the hindcasted trends in ice thickness. The model suggests that overall Antarctic sea ice volume has increased by approximately 30 km3 yr−1 (0.4% yr−1) as an equal result of areal expansion (20 × 103 km2 yr−1 or 0.2% yr−1) and thickening (1.5 mm yr−1 or 0.2% yr−1). This ice volume increase is an order of magnitude smaller than the Arctic decrease, and about half the size of the increased freshwater s.
DC electric field sensing by using of 319 nm UV single-photon Rydberg excitation spectroscopy of cold cesium atoms

We demonstrate the single-photon Rydberg excitation of cesium atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). We excite atoms directly from 6S1/2 ground state to nP 3/2(n = 70 − 100) Rydberg state with a narrow-linewidth 319 nm ultra-violet laser. The detection of Rydberg states is performed by monitoring the reduction of fluorescence signal of the MOT as partial population on 6S1/2(F = 4) ground state are transferred to Rydberg state. Utilizing the large electric polarizibility of Rydberg atoms, we measure the Stark map of Rydberg states due to the existence of background DC electric fields. We investigate the dependence of Stark shift on electric fields by theoretical analysis, and then infer the DC electric field from the measured Stark splitting. We find that there is a 44.8(4) mV/cm DC electric field in the vicinity of the cold ensemble. It indicates that high-lying Rydberg atoms can be used as sensors for DC electric fields.
3-D Pore-Scale Modelling of Sandstones and Flow Simulations in the Pore Networks

A new method for generating realistic homogenous and heterogeneous 3-D pore-scale sandstone models is presented. The essence of our method is to build sandstone models which are analogs of actual sandstones by numerically modelling the results of the main sandstone-forming geological processes - sandgrain sedimentation, compaction, and diagenesis. The input data for the modelling are obtained from image analyses of thin section images of the actual sandstone. The spatial continuity of the sandstone model in the X, Y, and Z directions is determined using a scale-independent invasion percolation based algorithm. The resulting spatial continuity function, which is an ellipsoid, may be used as a heterogeneity descriptor for the sandstone model. Heterogeneity analyses show that compaction reduces the spatial continuity in the horizontal direction more rapidly than in the vertical one. The architecture and geometry of the network representation of the pore space are determined by applying various 3-D image analysis algorithms directly on the fully characterised sandstone model. A 3-D pore network which was generated from thin section data from a strongly water wet Bentheimer sandstone is used as input to a two-phase network flow simulator. Simulated transport properties for the sandstone model are in good agreement with those determined experimentally.