Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The future of the CDM: same same, but differentiated?

Policy-makers and scientists have raised concerns about the functioning of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), in particular regarding its low contribution to sustainable development, unbalanced regional and sectoral distribution of projects, and its limited contribution to global emission reductions. Differentiation between countries or project types has been proposed as a possible way forward to address these problems. An overview is provided of the different ways in which CDM differentiation could be implemented. The implications for the actors involved in the CDM are analysed, along with a quantitative assessment of the impacts on the carbon market, using bottom-up marginal abatement cost curves. The discounting of CDM credits, quota systems, or differentiated eligibility of countries could help to address several of the concerns raised. Preferential treatment may also make a limited contribution to achieving the aims of CDM differentiation by increasing opportunities for under-represented host countries. The impact on the carbon market appears to be limited for most options.
Identifying and preventing health problems among young drug‐misusing offenders

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the health problems and treatment needs of drug‐misusing offenders and to draw out the implications of the findings for health education and prevention.Design/methodology/approach – This analysis is based on data collected as part of the New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW‐ADAM) programme. The survey was based on interviews and urine sample collection with over 3,000 arrestees.Findings – The research found that young arrestees experienced a wide range of drug‐related and general health problems. The implications of this are discussed in the context of programmes implemented as part of the government's drug strategy.Originality/value – The NEW‐ADAM surveys provide an original source of information on the drug and general health needs of young people at the first point of entry in the criminal justice system.
A Multivariate Test for Three-Factor Interaction in 3-Way Contingency Table under the Multiplicative Model

Two test statistics that have been commonly used in analysing interactions in contingency table are the Pearson’s Chi-square statistic, χ2, and likelihood ratio test statistic, G2. Both test statistics, in tables with sufficiently large sample size, have an asymptotic chi-square distribution with degrees of freedom (df) equal to the number of free parameters in the saturated model. For example under the hypothesis of independence of the row and column conditioned on the layer in an I × J × K contingency table, the df is K(I –1)(J– 1). These test statistics, in large sized tables, will have less power since they have large degrees of freedom. This paper proposes a product effect model, which combines the advantages of the multiplicative models over the additive, for analysing the interaction between the row and column of the 3-way table conditioned on the layer. The derived statistics is shown to be asymptotically chi-square with a small degree of freedom, K – 1, for the I × J × K contingency table. The performance of the developed statistic is compared with the Pearson’s chi-square statistic and the likelihood ratio statistic test using an illustrative example. The results show that the product effect test can detect interaction even when some of the main effects are not significant and can perform better than the other competitors having smaller degree of freedom in large sized tables.
A Numerical reinvestigation of the Aoki phase with N(f) = 2 Wilson fermions at zero temperature

We report on a numerical reinvestigation of the Aoki phase in lattice QCD with two flavors of Wilson fermions where the parity-flavor symmetry is spontaneously broken. For this purpose the Hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm was used and an explicit symmetry-breaking source term $h\bar{\psi} i \gamma_{5} \tau^{3}\psi$ was added to the Wilson fermion action. The order parameter $\langle\bar{\psi}i\gamma_{5}\tau^{3}\psi\rangle$ was studied at several values of $(\beta,\kappa,h)$ on lattices of sizes $4^4$ to $12^4$. Our largest lattices can be considered as infintely large allowing to extrapolate to $h=0$. The existence of a parity-flavor-breaking phase can be confirmed at $\beta=4.0$ and $\beta=4.3$ while we find no sign of parity-flavor-breaking at $\beta=4.6$ and $\beta=5.0$.
AMUSE-VIRGO. II. DOWN-SIZING IN BLACK HOLE ACCRETION

We complete the census of nuclear X-ray activity in 100 early-type Virgo galaxies observed by the Chandra X-ray Telescope as part of the AMUSE-Virgo survey, down to a (3σ) limiting luminosity of 3.7 × 1038 erg s−1 over 0.5–7 keV. The stellar mass distribution of the targeted sample, which is mostly composed of formally “inactive” galaxies, peaks below 1010 M☉, a regime where the very existence of nuclear supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is debated. Out of 100 objects, 32 show a nuclear X-ray source, including 6 hybrid nuclei which also host a massive nuclear cluster as visible from archival Hubble Space Telescope images. After carefully accounting for contamination from nuclear low-mass X-ray binaries based on the shape and normalization of their X-ray luminosity function (XLF), we conclude that between 24% and 34% of the galaxies in our sample host an X-ray active SMBH (at the 95% confidence level). This sets a firm lower limit to the black hole (BH) occupation fraction in nearby bulges within a cluster environment. The differential logarithmic XLF of active SMBHs scales with the X-ray luminosity as LX−0.4±0.1 up to 1042 erg s−1. At face value, the active fraction—down to our luminosity limit—is found to increase with host stellar mass. However, taking into account selection effects, we find that the average Eddington-scaled X-ray luminosity scales with BH mass as MBH, with an intrinsic scatter of 0.46+0.08−0.06 dex. This finding can be interpreted as observational evidence for “down-sizing” of BH accretion in local early types, that is, low-mass BHs shine relatively closer to their Eddington limit than higher mass objects. As a consequence, the fraction of active galaxies, defined as those above a fixed X-ray Eddington ratio, decreases with increasing BH mass.
Enzymes and N Cycling

1. Principles and Practice 1361 1.1. Importance of enzyme-mediated reactions 1361 1.2. Overview of enzymes involved in marine nitrogen cycling 1366 1.3. Measuring enzyme activity 1370 2. Case Studies of Specific Enzymes 1379 2.1. Inorganic nitrogen acquisition 1379 2.2. Ammonium assimilation pathways 1386 2.3. Organic nitrogen acquisition 1392 2.4. Other enzymes connected with nitrogen cycling 1400 3. Summary 1403 Acknowledgments 1404 References 1404
A FRAMEWORK FOR THE REPRESENTATION OF TWO VERSIONS OF A 3D CITY MODEL IN 4D SPACE

Abstract. 3D city models are being increasingly adopted by organisations in order to serve application needs related to urban areas. In order to fulfil the different requirements of various applications, the concept of Level of Detail (LoD) has been incorporated in 3D city models specifications, such as CityGML. Therefore, datasets of different LoDs are being created for the same areas by several organisations for their own use cases. Meanwhile, as time progresses newer versions of existing 3D city models are being created by vendors. Nevertheless, the existing mechanisms for representating multi-LoD data has not been adopted by the users and there has been little effort on the implementation of a mechanism to store multiple revisions of a city model. This results in redundancy of information and the existence of multiple datasets inconsistent with each other. Alternatively, a representation of time or scale as additional dimensions to the three spatial ones has been proposed as a better way to store multiple versions of datasets while retaining information related to the corresponding features between datasets. In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework with initial considerations for the implementation of a 4D representation of two states of a 3D city model. This framework defines both the data structure of such an approach, as well as the methodology according to which two existing 3D city models can be compared, associated and stored with their correspondences in 4D. The methodology is defined as six individual steps that have to be undertaken, each with its own individual requirements and goals that have to be challenged. We, also, provide some examples and considerations for the way those steps can be implemented.
On the Design of Context-Aware Applications

Ignoring the dynamic context of users may lead to suboptimal applications. Hence, context-aware applications have emerged, that are aware of the end-user context situation (for example, “user is at home”, “user is travelling”), and provide the desirable services corresponding to the situation at hand. Developing context aware applications is not a trivial task nevertheless and the following related challenges have been identified: (i) Properly deciding what physical context to ‘sense’ and what high-level context information to pass to an application, and bridging the gap between raw context data and high level context information; (ii) Deciding which end-user context situations to consider and which to ignore; (iii) Modeling context-aware application behavior including ‘switching’ between alternative application behaviors. In this paper, we have furthered related work on context-aware application design, by explicitly discussing each of the mentioned interrelated challenges and proposing corresponding solution directions, supported by small-scale illustrative examples. It is expected that this contribution would usefully support the current efforts to improve context-aware application development.
The Self-Made Tapestry: Pattern Formation in Nature

From the Publisher: Why do similar patterns and forms appear in nature in settings that seem to bear no relation to one another? The Windblown ripples of desert sand follow a sinuous course that resembles the stripes of a zebra or a marine fish. In the trellis-like shells of microscopic sea creatures we see the same geometry as in the bubble walls of foam, Forks of lightning mirror the branches of a river network or a tree. This book explains why these are not coincidences. Nature commonly weaves its tapestry without any master plan or blueprint. Instead, these designs build themselves by self-organization. The interactions between the component parts -- whether they be grains of sand, molecules or living cells -- give rise to spontaneous patterns that are at the same time complex and beautiful. Many of these patterns are universal, recurring again and again in the natural order: spirals, spots, stripes, branches, honeycombs. Philip Ball conducts a profusely illustrated tour of this gallery, and reveals the secrets of how nature's patterns are made.
The Healthy School Approach: Different Perspectives of Students and Educators

The issue of health occupies a central place in the official texts on education. In Quebec, the Healthy School Approach (HSA), situated at the crossroads of education and health, stands out for its comprehensive and integrated health promotion in schools. This qualitative study aims to describe the perceptions and involvement of 19 participants (students and educators) on health issues within the context of the HSA in a low socioeconomic school in Quebec. The use of focus groups revealed that the participants interviewed generally associate health with lifestyle, particularly physical activity and nutrition, while the educators demonstrate their involvement in a differentiated manner. The importance of a shared vision of health among students and educators in the pursuit of concerted and complementary health education in disadvantaged environments is highlighted.
The Seller's Listing Strategy in Online Auctions: Evidence from Ebay

This paper studies the seller's online listing strategy and its consequences. By focusing on the fixed-price posting, buy-it-now auction and regular auction, we empirically investigate how the sellers choose the listing format and its associated strategic instruments to better understand their strategic behavior. An empirical model that addresses plausible concerns about sample selection bias and endogeneity is constructed to capture a seller's strategic behavior and examine how auction outcomes are related to this behavior. Based on the estimated model, we then conduct a counterfactual analysis. We find a tradeoff between the expected revenue and sale duration for the three listing formats.
FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED ANALYSIS OF ULVA LACTUCA AND GRACILARIA CORTICATA AND THEIR EFFECT ON ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY

In the present work, we used two seaweeds Ulva lactuca and Gracilaria corticata, which were collected from Hare Island in the Gulf of Mannar of Tuticorin coast. Ethanol was taken as the solvent for extraction. The crude extract was purified using column chromatography. Antibacterial activity of crude and column purified fractions were tested against Klebsiella, Aeromonas, Staphylococcus, Escherichia and Pseudomonas using well-diffusion method. Maximum zone of inhibition (9 mm) was found in the crude extract of G. corticata against Pseudomonas sp. Minimum zone of inhibition (4 mm) was found in U. lactuca fraction1 against Escherichia coli. Highest antibacterial activity was obtained in red seaweed, whereas, green seaweed showed less antibacterial activity. From this study, we can conclude that red seaweeds have more active than green seaweeds. The seaweed powder was analyzed in Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. It was observed that both seaweed contained phenol and alcohol compounds, which were responsible for the antibacterial activity. Keywords: Antibacterial activity, Fourier transform infrared, Seaweeds, Ulva lactuca, Gracilaria corticata.
Interaction of relativistically intense laser pulses with long-scale near critical plasmas for optimization of laser based sources of MeV electrons and gamma-rays

Experiments were performed to study electron acceleration by intense sub-picosecond laser pulses propagating in sub-mm long plasmas of near critical electron density (NCD). Low density foam layers of 300–500 μm thickness were used as targets. In foams, the NCD-plasma was produced by a mechanism of super-sonic ionization when a well-defined separate ns-pulse was sent onto the foam-target forerunning the relativistic main pulse. The application of sub-mm thick low density foam layers provided a substantial increase of the electron acceleration path in a NCD-plasma compared to the case of freely expanding plasmas created in the interaction of the ns-laser pulse with solid foils. The performed experiments on the electron heating by a 100 J, 750 fs short laser pulse of 2–5 × 1019 W cm−2 intensity demonstrated that the effective temperature of supra-thermal electrons increased from 1.5–2 MeV in the case of the relativistic laser interaction with a metallic foil at high laser contrast up to 13 MeV for the laser shots onto the pre-ionized foam. The observed tendency towards a strong increase of the mean electron energy and the number of ultra-relativistic laser-accelerated electrons is reinforced by the results of gamma-yield measurements that showed a 1000-fold increase of the measured doses. The experiment was supported by 3D-PIC and FLUKA simulations, which considered the laser parameters and the geometry of the experimental set-up. Both, measurements and simulations showed a high directionality of the acceleration process, since the strongest increase in the electron energy, charge and corresponding gamma-yield was observed close to the direction of the laser pulse propagation. The charge of super-ponderomotive electrons with energy above 30 MeV reached a very high value of 78 nC.
Non-intrusive Physiological Monitoring for Affective Sensing of Computer Users

The last two decades have, undoubtedly, brought about an amazing revolution in the relationship between computers and their users. This relationship has evolved from an initial state in which the full “burden” of the communication was placed on the shoulders of the user, when early computer models had to be programmed one instruction at a time, toggling individuals switches (which restricted computer usage to very few, highly trained individuals), to the current status, in which, thanks to highly intuitive graphic user interfaces (GUIs), even young children can have some meaningful interaction with the personal computers that are now present at many homes.
The Impact of Universal Health Insurance on Catastrophic and Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditures in Mexico: a Model with an Endogoenous Treatment Variable

The main goal of Seguro Popular is to improve the financial protection of the uninsured population against excessive health expenditures. Seguro Popular (SP) covers a variety of preventive and curative procedures, as well as medicines, and hospital care for the poorest segment of the Mexican population. Data: This paper estimates the impact of Seguro Popular on catastrophic health expenditures, as well as out-of-pocket health expenditures, from three different sources: National Household Survey of Income and Expenditures (ENIGH 2006); National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT 2006); and SP Impact Evaluation Survey. Methods: We first estimate naive probit models, and then compare them against bivariate probit models which use instrumental variables that take advantage of the specific SP implementation mechanisms to address the endogeneity of insurance selection choices. Results: No effect on catastrophic health expenditures is observed in the ENIGH sample. However, we find a statistically significant effect on the reduction of household’s expenditures on medicines and outpatient care. On the other hand, Seguro Popular reduces the probability of catastrophic health expenditures using the other two datasets: SP Impact Evaluation Survey, and ENSANUT. We also observe a reduction of the probability of expenditures on medicines and outpatient care among the SP insured families.
MATE-POACHING AND MATING SUCCESS IN HUMANS

Abstract It has been suggested that mate-poaching behavior is an evolutionarily-adaptive mating tactic. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between lifetime number of mate-poaching attempts and mating success in a sample of 271 (147 women and124 men) heterosexual undergraduate students. Results indicated that for both men and women, the number of mate-poaching attempts predicted having more lifetime sex partners, more lifetime casual sex partners, and more lifetime dating partners. Mate-poaching attempts did not however, predict differences in the attractiveness and social dominance of one's most recent partner. These results provide evidence of the efficacy of mate-poaching in predicting mating success.
Basic and extensible post-processing of eddy covariance flux data with REddyProc

Abstract. With the eddy covariance (EC) technique, net fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other trace gases as well as water and energy fluxes can be measured at the ecosystem level. These flux measurements are a main source for understanding biosphere–atmosphere interactions and feedbacks through cross-site analysis, model–data integration, and upscaling. The raw fluxes measured with the EC technique require extensive and laborious data processing. While there are standard tools1 available in an open-source environment for processing high-frequency (10 or 20 Hz) data into half-hourly quality-checked fluxes, there is a need for more usable and extensible tools for the subsequent post-processing steps. We tackled this need by developing the REddyProc package in the cross-platform language R that provides standard CO2-focused post-processing routines for reading (half-)hourly data from different formats, estimating the u* threshold, as well as gap-filling, flux-partitioning, and visualizing the results. In addition to basic processing, the functions are extensible and allow easier integration in extended analysis than current tools. New features include cross-year processing and a better treatment of uncertainties. A comparison of REddyProc routines with other state-of-the-art tools resulted in no significant differences in monthly and annual fluxes across sites. Lower uncertainty estimates of both u* and resulting gap-filled fluxes by 50 % with the presented tool were achieved by an improved treatment of seasons during the bootstrap analysis. Higher estimates of uncertainty in daytime partitioning (about twice as high) resulted from a better accounting for the uncertainty in estimates of temperature sensitivity of respiration. The provided routines can be easily installed, configured, and used. Hence, the eddy covariance community will benefit from the REddyProc package, allowing easier integration of standard post-processing with extended analysis. 1http://fluxnet.fluxdata. org/2017/10/10/toolbox-a-rolling-list-of-softwarepackages-for-flux-related-data-processing/, last access: 17 August 2018
Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of kappa-Carrageenan Beads Containing Silver Nanoparticles with Dye Adsorption and Antibacterial Properties

In this work, we used a simple and totally green method for synthesizing silver nanoparticles using kappa-carrageenan as reducing and stabilizing agent. The beads were prepared in aqueous medium by microwave heating, and then followed by cross-linking with K+ cations without using any additional toxic and expensive chemical agents. The preparation method of the carrageenan-based beads is easy, fast, simple, effective, and safe. The synthesized beads loaded with were characterized by ultraviolet-visible absorbance spectra, transmition electron microscopy and X-Ray diffraction techniques. The as-prepared beads were evaluated to remove cationic crystal violet dye from aqueous solutions. The thermodynamic parameters shown that the sorption process was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic. The kinetics and isotherm of crystal violet adsorption were found to well fit to pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the obtained beads was examined using the nutrient agar disc diffusion method.
Determination of Five (5) Possible Contaminants in Recycled Cardboard Packages and Food Simulants Using Ultrasound Assisted Extraction Coupled to GC-MS

A modified analytical procedure has been developed to test for 5 organic pollutants [benzophenone, 2 diisopropylnaphthalenes (DIPNs) {2,6- and 2,7-diisopropylnapthalene} and 2 hydrogenated terphenyls (HTPs) {m-terphenyl and o-terphenyl}] that can be found as residues in recycled cardboards intended for use as food packaging materials and to test for migration levels of these compounds in a food simulant (Tenax). A main objective was to develop a modified rapid and reliable method for the identification and quantification of these compounds at low concentrations. The method was based on ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction (UAE) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The developed method was applied to analyze 3 commercially available recycled carton board food-packaging materials and also to study the potential migration of the 5 organic pollutants from these materials into Tenax to check if these recycled cardboards can be considered as suitable for use in direct contact with foodstuffs. The limits of detection (LODs) of standard solutions of the 5 compounds were determined at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The LODs and the limits of quantification (LOQs) of examined pollutants ranged between 0.005 to 0.5 mg/kg, and 0.1 to 1 mg/kg, respectively. The extremely low amounts of most contaminants that migrate from packaging materials to Tenax indicate that the recycled cardboards tested can be safely used for direct food contact applications.