Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Confocal Ellipse-based Distance and Confocal Elliptical Field for polygonal shapes

The paper introduces a novel confocal ellipse-based distance (CED), that is based on the properties of the confocal ellipses. This distance is used to produce a confocal elliptical field (CEF). The Euclidean Distance Transform (EDT) of a single point (called seed) generates a distance field of concentric circles. The sum of two such distance fields of two distinct seed points produces a distance field of confocal ellipses. This fact enables to adapt CED and CEF to the discrete case, referred to as CED-DT and CEF-DT. The properties of the CEF and CEF-DT make them useful for skeletonization, in particular for efficient removal of the spurious branches.
Selection of environmental sustainable fiber materials for wind turbine blades - a contra intuitive process?

Over the recent decades biomaterials have been marketed successfully supported by the common perception that biomaterials and environmental sustainability de facto represents two sides of the same coin. The development of sustainable composite materials such as blades for small-scale wind turbines have thus partially been focused on the substitution of conventional fiber materials with bio-fibers. The major question is if this material substitution actually, is environmental sustainable. In order to assess a wide pallet of environmental impacts and taking into account positive and negative environmental trade-offs over the entire life-span of composite materials, life cycle assessment (LCA) can be applied. In the present case study, four different types of fibers (carbon, glass, flax and carbon/flax mixture) are compared in terms of environmental sustainability and cost. Applying one of the most recent life cycle impact assessment methods, it is demonstrated that the environmental sustainability of the mixed carbon/flax fiber based composite material is better than that of the flax fibers alone. This observation may be contra-intuitive, but is mainly caused by the fact that the bio-material resin demand is by far exceeding the resin demand of the conventional fibers, and since the environmental burden of the resin is comparable to that of the fibers, resin demand is in terms of environmental sustainability important. On the other hand is the energy demand and associated environmental impacts in relation to the production of the carbon and glass fibers considerable compared to the impacts resulting from resin production. The ideal fiber solution, in terms of environmental sustainability, is the fiber composition having the lowest resin demand and lowest overall energy demand. The optimum environmental solution hence turns out to be a 70:30 flax:carbon mix, thereby minimizing the use of carbon fibers and resin. On top of the environmental sustainability assessment, a cost assessment of the four fiber solutions was carried out. The results of the economical assessment which turns out to not complement the environmental sustainability, pin-point that glass fibers are the most effective fiber material. Proceedings of the 34 Risø International Symposium on Materials Science: Processing of fibre composites challenges for maximum materials performance Editors: B. Madsen, H. Lilholt, Y. Kusano, S. Fæster and B. Ralph Department of Wind Energy, Risø Campus Technical University of Denmark, 2013
Electron beam energy stabilization using a neural network hybrid controller at the Australian Synchrotron Linac.

This paper describes the implementation of a neural network hybrid controller for energy stabilization at the Australian Synchrotron Linac. The structure of the controller consists of a neural network (NNET) feed forward control, augmented by a conventional Proportional-Integral (PI) feedback controller to ensure stability of the system. The system is provided with past states of the machine in order to predict its future state, and therefore apply appropriate feed forward control. The NNET is able to cancel multiple frequency jitter in real-time. When it is not performing optimally due to jitter changes, the system can successfully be augmented by the PI controller to attenuate the remaining perturbations. With a view to control the energy and bunch length at the FERMI{at}Elettra Free Electron Laser (FEL), the present study considers a neural network hybrid feed forward-feedback type of control to rectify limitations related to feedback systems, such as poor response for high jitter frequencies or limited bandwidth, while ensuring robustness of control. The Australian Synchrotron Linac is equipped with a beam position monitor (BPM), that was provided by Sincrotrone Trieste from a former transport line thus allowing energy measurements and energy control experiments. The present study will consequently focus on correcting energymore » jitter induced by variations in klystron phase and voltage. « less
Pride and Prejudice or Family and Flirtation?: Jane Austen’s Depiction of Women’s Mating Strategies

Jane Austen’s works may be perennially popular because they excel at the three kinds of adaptive advantage that Denis Dutton proposed to explain the pervasiveness of fiction. Based on brief personality sketches assembled from her novels, contemporary readers readily identify her characters’ mating strategies. They accurately match characters to actual behaviors portrayed in the novels, and would interact with the characters in ways that protected their own reproductive interests. Thus, Austen’s character descriptions provide low-cost, low-risk surrogate experiences of encounters with realistic personas, and promote readers’ understanding of others’ motivations and behaviors in order to regulate their own behavior adaptively.
Increased seroprevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis in autistic children: Special reference to the pathophysiology of IFN-g and NO overproduction

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a heterogenous group of neurodevelopmental disorders with a significant rate of increase over the last years. T. gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular pathogen affecting approximately 30-50% of human population, with special preference to the central nervous system (CNS). Accumulating evidence suggest that latent chronic toxoplasmosis play a role in triggering and development of many psychiatric and neurological disorders, but so far there is no clear epidemiological link with its prevalence in ASD. The aim of the study was therefore to estimate the seroprevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis among autistic children, determine the changes in serum levels of IFN- g and nitric oxide (NO) in T. gondii -positive and T. gondii -free patients, and evaluate the combined effect of both diseases on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) score. Forty-six children with ASD (mean age 6.1 ± 2.2 years; 41 boys, 5 girls) were studied for anti- T. gondii IgG antibody seropositivity (ELISA kit, DRG Int), and their serum IFN- g (ELISA kit, Ray Biotech ) and NO (one-step enzymatic assay) concentrations were measured. Chronic toxoplasmosis was found in 23.9% of the studied patients (8 males, 3 females), while a mong 50 age-matched control children (45 boys, 5 girls) 4% (2 boys) were T. gondii -positive ( c 2 = 8.11; P < 0.0043) . Autistic children with toxoplasmosis had markedly increased both serum IFN- g and NO levels (11- and 5-fold median peak increases, respectively) compared with T. gondii- free participants. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the serum IFN- g and NO levels (r = 0.79, P < 0.001). These molecular disturbances may exert harmful effects on further development of the CNS in the infected individuals, although no marked difference in the CARS score was detected, probably because of young age and immune function maturation of the participants. The obtained results strongly suggest that latent chronic T. gondii infection have an important impact on triggering and development of ASD, at least in a subset of autistic children, and this requires some modification(s) of its diagnostic procedures and treatment regimens.
Highly-luminous Cool Core Clusters of Galaxies: Mechanically-driven or Radiatively-driven AGN?

Abstract Cool core clusters of galaxies require strong feedback from their central AGN to offset cooling. We present a study of strong cool core, highly-luminous (most with Lx ≥ 1045 erg s−1), clusters of galaxies in which the mean central AGN jet power must be very high yet no central point X-ray source is detected. Using the unique spatial resolution of Chandra, a sample of 13 clusters is analysed, including A1835, A2204, and one of the most massive cool core clusters, RXCJ1504.1-0248. All of the central galaxies host a radio source, indicating an active nucleus, and no obvious X-ray point source. For all clusters in the sample, the nucleus has an X-ray bolometric luminosity below 2 per cent of that of the entire cluster. We investigate how these clusters can have such strong X-ray luminosities, short radiative cooling-times of the inner intracluster gas requiring strong energy feedback to counterbalance that cooling, and yet have such radiatively-inefficient cores with, on average, Lkin/Lnuc exceeding 200. Explanations of this puzzle carry significant implications for the origin and operation of jets, as well as on establishing the importance of kinetic feedback for the evolution of galaxies and their surrounding medium.
The environmental dependence of the structure of galactic discs in STAGES S0 galaxies: implications for S0 formation

We present an analysis of V-band radial surface brightness μ(r) profiles for S0 galaxies in different environments using Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging and data from the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey. Using a large sample of ∼280 field and cluster S0s, we find that in both environments, ∼25 per cent have a pure exponential disc (type I) and ∼50 per cent exhibit an up-bending disc break (antitruncation, type III). However, we find hardly any (<5 per cent) down-bending disc breaks (truncations, type II) in our S0s and many cases (∼20 per cent) where no discernible exponential component was observed (i.e. general curvature). We also find no evidence for an environmental dependence on the disc scalelength h or break strength T (outer-to-inner scalelength ratio), implying that the galaxy environment does not affect the stellar distribution in S0 stellar discs. Comparing disc structure (e.g. h, T) between these S0s and the spiral galaxies from our previous studies, we find: (i) no evidence for the type I scalelength h being dependent on morphology; and (ii) some evidence to suggest that the type II/III break strength T is smaller (weaker) in S0s compared to spiral galaxies. Taken together, these results suggest that the stellar distribution in S0s is not drastically affected by the galaxy environment. However, some process inherent to the morphological transformation of spiral galaxies into S0s does affect stellar disc structure causing a weakening of μ(r) breaks and may even eliminate truncations from S0 galaxies. In further tests, we perform analytical bulge–disc decompositions on our S0s and compare the results to those for spiral galaxies from our previous studies. For type III galaxies, we find that bulge light can account for the excess light at large radii in up to ∼50 per cent of S0s but in only ∼15 per cent of spirals. We propose that this result is consistent with a fading stellar disc (evolving bulge-to-disc ratio) being an inherent process in the transformation of spiral galaxies into S0s.
Falla en la concepción en el ganado lechero: Evaluación de terapias hormonales

Dairy cattle fertility has suffered a significant decrease over the past 40 years associated with a simultaneous increase in milk production. Currently, the conception rate (CR) in the first service is around 35%. Early embryonic death is the main cause of pregnancy failure in bovines, particularly in repeat-breeding cows, where close to 50% of the embryos die during the first 16 days after fertilization. Etiology of embryonic mortality is diverse. Abnormalities of corpus luteum function have been mentioned as an important cause of infertility, although this information is contradictory. However, studies reviewed here were unable to find differences in corpus luteum function between fertile and non-fertile animals, nor between pregnant and non-pregnant ones. Besides, those studies, where either progesterone was supplemented or an accessory corpus luteum induced, show contradictory results. Under field conditions, no effects with the hCG treatment on days 6 or 7 post-insemination were found. Results of GnRH or hCG treatments at the time of insemination were variable even though global results indicate that these two improve CR; no evidence was found in this study regarding this phenomenon. Maternal recognition of pregnancy is a crucial time for embryonic survival. Higher conception rates were associated with smaller diameter of the largest follicle on days 12-14 post-insemination. However, follicle luteinization caused by hormonal treatments on day 12-14 post-insemination reported variable results, and have globally not shown a favorable effect. The injection of growth hormone (bST) at the time of insemination improved the CR in repeat breeder cows, and decreased embryonic abnormalities in superovulated repeat breeder ones.
A tad too high: sensitivity to UV-B radiation may limit invasion potential of American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) in the Pacific Northwest invasion range.

Biological invasion potential can be strongly influenced by abiotic factors such as temperature, water availability, and solar radiation. Invasive species that possess phenotypically plastic traits can mediate impacts from these stressors, but may be unable to recognize and respond to dangerous levels in a novel environment. Understanding potential constraints on appropriate trait responses induced by abiotic stressors can aid in the management and control of important invaders. Our study explored tolerance and plastic trait response to UV-B radiation in an invasive anuran, the American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus Shaw, 1802). We experimentally quantified larval mortality rates and color change responses across two larval size classes. In a second experiment, we investigated the potential for a correlated color change and behavioral (refuge use) response in the small size class. We predicted that individuals would respond to stressful and potentially harmful UV-B exposure rates with darkening of body coloration, and when refuge was available, a correlated defense strategy utilizing both color change and refuge. We found an increase in larval mortality across both size classes at UV-B exposure rates typical to both low and high elevation aquatic breeding sites (1012µW/cm 2 and 20-24µW/cm 2 , respectively). Only bullfrog larvae in the small size class exhibited a darkening in body color when exposed to high UV-B treatments. Although this smaller size class did exhibit color plasticity, individuals did not correlate changes in body coloration with changes in refuge use. These results suggest ontogenetic differences (estimated by size class) in plastic color response to UV-B stress as well as constraints on behavioral use of refuge. These findings are important in understanding differences in bullfrog occupancy of breeding habitats across an elevational gradient, particularly in Oregon’s Cascade Mountain Range, where bullfrog distributions are currently limited at elevations above 1000m.
24-epibrassinolide enhances flower and fruit production of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under salt stress

Among various environmental stresses, salt stress is extensively damaging to crops production in many areas of the world. The enhancement of plant tolerance is important for plant productivity. Brassinosteroids plays an important role in the plant response to adverse environmental conditions such as salt stress. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to explore the role of exogenously applied 24-epibrassinolide on flower and fruit production of pepper in presence or absence of NaCl-stress (70 mM). The plants were sprayed with 10
Using the Hollomon Model to Predict Strain-Hardening in Metals

Stress – strain values obtained from tensile tests of aluminium and steel is used to evaluate the true stress – true strain values. The Hollomon’s model is then used to predict the strain-hardening behavior in the two specimens. It is clearly seen that the strain-hardening behavior in metals can be described using the Hollomon’s model. However, we have assumed that the onset of strain-hardening is at the yield point up until the ultimate tensile strength. The correlation between the experimental true stress – true strain values of aluminium and the calculated values using the Hollomon equation is much better than that of steel.
Modelling non-wood forest products in Europe: a review.

Non-wood forest products (NWFP) like cork, edible mushrooms, pine nuts, acorns, resins, medicinal plants, and floral greens, among others, provide important recreational and commercial activities in the rural forested areas of the world, being in certain regions more profitable than traditional timber harvesting. Despite the importance of non-wood forest products and services, forest management and planning methods and models in Europe have been traditionally wood oriented, leading to a lack for tools helping forest management based on optimizing these products. In the present work we’ll show and discuss the main factors and challenges limiting the development of classical empirical models for NWFP, and we will review the existing models for the main NWFP in Europe: cork, pine nuts, berries, mushrooms and resins.
Optimal Control for Vehicle Cruise Speed Transfer

The contribution of this paper consists in a procedure to solve the optimal cruise control problem that consists in transferring the car velocity between two specified values, in a fixed interval of time, with minimum fuelconsumption. The solution is obtained by applying a recursive numerical algorithm that provides an approximation to the condition provided by Pontryagin’s Optimum Principle. This solution is compared with the one obtained by using a reduced complexity linear model for the car dynamics that allows an exact (“analytical”) solution of the corresponding optimal control problem. This work has been performed within the framework of activity 2.4. 1 – Smart drive control of project SE2A Nanoelectronics for Safe, Fuel Efficient and Environment Friendly Automotive Solutions, ENIAC initiative.
Report of pathogens and parasites in Perumytilus purpuratus from San Jorge Bay, Antofagasta, Chile

Perumytilus purpuratus is a mussel commonly found on the entire Chilean coastline. The knowledge of pathogens and parasites of this mollusc, as well as for many other species, inhabiting the Chilean coast remains largely unknown. This study aims to survey parasites and pathogens in P. purpuratus from San Jorge Bay, Antofagasta, Chile. From September to October 2009, 160 specimens of this bivalve were collected. Ciliates, virus-like, rickettsia-like organisms (RLO) and digeneans were recorded. The most prevalent parasites were metacercariae of digeneans in gonads (50.83%), gill ciliates (37.5%), and digestive gland viruses-like (37.5%). Only the prevalence of digeneans increased with host size, but any relationship between these variables was found in the other pathogens.
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): $\mathcal {M_\star }-R_{\rm e}$ relations of z = 0 bulges, discs and spheroids

We perform automated bulge + disc decomposition on a sample of $\sim$7500 galaxies from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey in the redshift range of 0.002$<$z$<$0.06 using SIGMA, a wrapper around GALFIT3. To achieve robust profile measurements we use a novel approach of repeatedly fitting the galaxies, varying the input parameters to sample a large fraction of the input parameter space. Using this method we reduce the catastrophic failure rate significantly and verify the confidence in the fit independently of $\chi^2$. Additionally, using the median of the final fitting values and the 16$^{th}$ and 84$^{th}$ percentile produces more realistic error estimates than those provided by GALFIT, which are known to be underestimated. We use the results of our decompositions to analyse the stellar mass - half-light radius relations of bulges, discs and spheroids. We further investigate the association of components with a parent disc or elliptical relation to provide definite $z=0$ disc and spheroid $\mathcal{M_\star}-R_{\rm e}$ relations. We conclude by comparing our local disc and spheroid $\mathcal{M_\star}-R_{\rm e}$ to simulated data from EAGLE and high redshift data from CANDELS-UDS. We show the potential of using the mass-size relation to study galaxy evolution in both cases but caution that for a fair comparison all data sets need to be processed and analysed in the same manner.
Kinetic study and removal of contaminants in the leachate treatment using subsurface wetlands at pilot scale

The treatment of stabilized leachate from the Curva de Rodas landfill site in Medellin, Colombia, was evaluated using horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF) planted with Phragmites australis at pilot scale. Assays were performed in two stages: the first with hydraulic loads (q) of 0.015 and 0.030md -1 and the second with loads of 0.060 and 0.091md -1 . A wetland without plants was used as a control. Removals of 71.9, 91.2 and 75.1% for COD, BOD 5 and NH 4+ -N, respectively, were obtained. Kinetic constants were determined for each q or hydraulic time retention for COD, BOD 5 and NH 4+ -N with ranges into 0.103 and 0.413d -1 , 0.065 and 1.208d -1 , and 0.113 and 0.418d -1 ; respectively, in accordance with a first order under piston flow. And by linear regressions had a magnitude of 0.246 d -1 for the removal of COD (R 2 = 0.955), 0.299d -1 for NH 4+ -N (R 2 = 0.922) and 0.199d -1 for BOD 5 (R 2 = 0.140). The elimination of mercury, lead, arsenic and zinc was also evaluated, achieving removals of: 37.8-92.9% Hg, 29.9-44.9%Pb, 7.9-77.6%As and 22.9-64.3%Zn, depending on the hydraulic load applied. The accumulation of these metals in the leaves, stems and roots (rhizomes) of Phragmites australis was found as: 0.575-3.201mgHgkg -1 , 0.649-4.718mgPbkg -1 , 3.548-39.376mgZnkg -1 , and 19.4mgAskg -1 .
Production of carbonate sediments by a unicellular green alga

Abstract This study investigates the ability of the unicellular green alga Nannochloris atomus to precipitate CaCO3, quantifies mineral precipitation rates, estimates sediment production in a N. atomus bloom, and discusses the implications of microbial calcification for carbonate sediment deposition. A series of N. atomus cultures, isolated from Lake Reeve, Australia, were incubated at various pH and calcium concentrations to determine environmental parameters for calcification. Rates of calcification were calculated from initial and postincubation alkalinity, pH, and calcium measurements. Replicate experiments and controls consisting of non-calcifying cultures, uninoculated media, and dead cell cultures were performed using environmental culture parameters determined in series cultures. Average calcification rates from replicate experiments were used to predict daily sediment production rates in a small bloom of N. atomus. N. atomus precipitates 0.138 g/L of calcite in approximately 4 h when incubated at pH 8.5, 14.24 mM calcium concentration, 33 °C, 100 μE/m2/s light intensity, and a cell population density of 107 cells/mL. Assuming continuous precipitation, this corresponds to a maximum estimated sediment production rate of 1.6 × 106 kg of CaCO3 per 12 h day in a single bloom of 3.2 × 109 L. Our results suggest that microbial calcification contributes significantly to the carbonate sediment budget.