Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Merging Nowcasting and NWP in Weather Warning Operations , with Special Reference to Landslides

In support of weather forecast and warning operations for different time frames, various forecast suites and visualization tools have been specially designed and implemented in the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). These suites generate timely and easy-to-interpret analysis and forecast products to facilitate forecasters’ formulation of forecast strategy and operation of weather warnings. Noting that accuracy, timeliness and effective communications are key factors leading to the success of a weather warning service, HKO strives to enhance the service by taking advantage of the latest advance of nowcasting and forecasting techniques together with the computer and communication technologies. In recent years, HKO has devoted much effort to the development of nowcasting and forecasting systems in support of an array of weather warnings. This paper describes how the suites of forecasting systems developed by the HKO support the operation of weather warnings in Hong Kong. Performance evaluation, limitations, challenges and opportunities in the future are also discussed.
nhanced cuticular penetration as the mechanism of synergy for the ajor constituents of thyme essential oil in the cabbage looper , richoplusia ni

For the past two decades, the insecticidal activity of botanicals, particularly plant essential oils has been gaining broad research interest. Due to the diverse chemical composition of essential oils, they often exhibit complex interactions among their major constituents, for example, synergistic or antagonistic relationships. Several hypotheses have been proposed for synergistic toxicity, including multiple modes-of-action and inhibition of metabolism, but the mechanism underlying synergy has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, interactions among the four major constituents of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oil against the larvae of the cabbage looper were examined following topical administration. Two statistical models were used to determine the interactions, and several synergistic relationships were identified in natural proportional and equivalent blending ratios, but no antagonistic effects were observed. Among binary mixtures, thymol and p-cymene was synergistic in a topical application assay. GC–MS analyses showed increased recovery of thymol in the mixture both in vivo and in vitro from hemolymph extracts and receiver solutions, respectively, indicating enhanced penetration of thymol through the integument by p-cymene. An injection assay in fifth instar larvae and an in vitro cytotoxicity assay in an ovarian cell line of the cabbage looper showed no internal boosting effect of thymol by p-cymene, suggesting p-cymene facilitates the penetration of thymol, but does not directly contribute to increased toxicity of the mixture. A divided application method confirmed that the increased toxicity of the mixture can be produced only if the two compounds were applied as a mixture, proving p-cymene’s role as a penetration enhancer. Contact angle measurement on a waxy surface showed lowered surface tension of thymol in the mixture, suggesting the surface tension can directly influence the penetration and efficacy of a toxicant in pesticide formulation design. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To evaluate the thickness of epicardial fat by 2-D echocardiography and its correlation with various parameters of metabolic syndrome

Introduction: There is increase in prevalence of metabolic syndrome in younger population in India. Epicardial fat is one of the components of visceral adipose tissue. There is little evidence to suggest that the extent of epicardial fat is strongly related to overall adiposity. The relationship between epicardial fat and metabolic syndrome is still unexplored. Hence the hypothesis of the study is to evaluate whether epicardial adipose tissue is related to anthropometric, clinical and biochemical parameters of metabolic syndrome. Materials and Methods: The present study is a case control study which included 66 subjects- 33 cases (patients who fulfilled the NCEP ATP III criteria for metabolic syndrome) and 33 Controls. Detailed clinical history and physical examination (including blood pressure, height, weight, waist/hip circumference) along with biochemical examination (blood glucose, HbA1C, HOMA IR, serum insulin levels, fasting lipid profile) was done. Each subject underwent transthoracic two dimensional M-mode echocardiogram in left lateral decubitus position on Philips Sonos 5500 echocardiography machine to evaluate epicardial fat thickness. Results: In our study we found a strong positive correlation between the epicardial fat thickness and the following parameters in patients of metabolic syndrome: BMI: r = 0.52, p =0.02; HOMA IR; r = 0.58, p =< 0.001; FPG; r = 0.79, p =< 0.00; HbA1c, r = 0.59, p =
Woodsmoke exposure and risk for obstructive airways disease among women.

OBJECTIVE To investigate if exposure to firewood smoke and other indoor pollutants is a potential risk factor for obstructive airways disease (OAD) among women in Bogota in whom cigarette smoking and other known risk factors may not be the most frequent. DESIGN AND SETTING We conducted a hospital-based case-control study to identify risk factors for OAD among women in Bogota. An interview was conducted using a modified questionnaire recommended by the American Thoracic Society for epidemiologic studies. PATIENTS We compared 104 OAD cases with 104 controls matched by hospital and frequency matched by age. ANALYSIS The odds ratio (OR) was used as the basic statistic to evaluate risk. Multivariate analysis (MA) was conducted by the Mantel-Haenszel procedure and by logistic regression. MAIN RESULTS Univariate analysis showed that tobacco use (OR = 2.22; p < 0.01), wood use for cooking (OR = 3.43; p < 0.001), passive smoking (OR = 2.05; p = 0.01), and gasoline use for cooking (OR = 0.52; p = 0.02) were associated with OAD. Trends for years of tobacco use and years of wood cooking were present (p < 0.05). After MA, variables remained significant except gasoline use. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that among elderly women of low socioeconomic status in Bogota, woodsmoke exposure is associated with the development of OAD and may help explain around 50% of all OAD cases. The role of passive smoking remains to be clarified. This work may set the basis for interventional studies in similar settings.
Seasonal Behaviour Adaptation of Broilers with Anatomical Interpretationduring Summer Heat Stress

This study was conducted to show the seasonal behavioral changes with some anatomical interpretation to the heat-exchange system. The study applied on 200 one day old broiler chicks, 100 reared in winter season (winter group), and 100 reared in summer (summer group), each group two replicates, 50 for each. The rearing period was 35 days. Chicken behaviour was recorded by visual observation at daily scan sampling 3 times /day, 10 minutes / for each replicate.The following behavioralpatterns were recorded, feeding, drinking, leg and wing stretching, body scratching, preening and resting. Final body weight, total feed intake, food conversion ratio and mortality rates were measured as performance index. The arterial blood supply and venous drainage of the pelvic limbs of the chicken were demonstrated by injection of colored gum milk latex and treated by the ordinary method of preservation. Arterio-venous association was investigated in the tibial region of 10 birds in each group. The study revealed that the behaviour parameters in summer and winter are greatly significantly differed at P≤ 0.05,summer group showed higher percentage of resting behaviour 33 ±0.94 %, and higher percentage of leg and wing stretch compared with winter group.Final body weight, feed intake, were significantly differed at P≤0.05, winter group showed the highest final body weight 2093 ± 0.75 gm and in the same time lower feed intake 3532 ± 10.5 gm compared with summer group. Increasing of resting behaviour and leg & wing stretch in broiler chicken reared in summer was explained on the basis of bird anatomy. The intermingled network of arteries and veins (rete tibiotarsale) help in thermoregulatory mechanism because exchange of heat between arteries and veins is considered to be of a great importance to keep the bird body temperature within the normal.
Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement : Design Using the AASHTO Pavement ME Design Program INTRODUCTION TO MECHANISTIC – EMPIRICAL

The AdvAnced concreTe PAve­ menT Technology (AcPT) Prod­ ucts Program is an integrated, national effort to improve the longterm performance and cost-effec­ tiveness of the nation’s concrete highways. managed by the Federal highway Administration through partnerships with State highway agencies, industry, and academia, the goals of the AcPT Products Program are to reduce congestion, improve safety, lower costs, improve performance, and foster innovation.
Groundwater recharge in the Kalahari , with reference to paleo-hydrologic conditions

The Kalahari is situated in the semi-arid center of southern Africa and can be characterized as a savannah with a sandy subsurface, deep groundwater tables and annual rainfall ranging from 250 mm in the southwest to 550 mm in the northeast. A high infiltration rate and high retention storage during the wet season and subsequent high transpiration by the dense vegetation during the dry season, make that very little water passes the root zone and contributes to aquifer recharge. A lively debate has continued for almost a century on the question whether the Kalahari aquifers are being replenished at all under present climatic conditions. The present paper reports on results of an extensive recharge research project at the eastern fringe of the Kalahari, which is the most favorable part for groundwater replenishment. Additional observations were made in the central Kalahari. Environmental tracer studies and groundwater flow modeling indicate that present-day recharge is in the order of 5 mm yr 21 at the eastern fringe of the Kalahari where annual rainfall exceeds 400 mm. Figures in the order of 1 mm were obtained from the central Kalahari with lower precipitation. A dry valley system refers to more humid paleo-climatic conditions with a higher groundwater recharge. A tentative reconstruction of the groundwater depletion history suggests a time lapse of several thousands of years since the end of the last wet period. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Sandwich Structures with folded core: mechanical modeling and impact simulations

Within the research project CELPACT innovative sandwich core structures are investigated with respect to their impact energy absorption behavior. Among them are folded cores, made by folding sheet materials to a three-dimensional zigzag structure. One important issue besides the development of efficient manufacturing processes and the determination of their mechanical behavior is to investigate, how such core structures can be modeled within a finite element (FE) analysis, since such numerical tools play an increasingly important role in aircraft engineering. The model development of various foldcore types on the mesoscale unit cell level, the homogenized macroscale level and a combined multiscale level using different commercial FE codes is presented in this paper. Modeling issues like cell wall material modeling or imperfection modeling are discussed. Finally, these models are adopted for impact simulations and residual strength investigations. The numerical results were found to be in good correlation to experimental data.
Equidistribution and Optimal Approximation Class * 2

Approximation Result. Consider an abstract symmetric and continuous 305 bilinear form a(·, ·) : V ×V → IR, as well as a collection of linear functionals 306 { fl}l=1 ⊂ V ′, where V ⊂H and H is a Hilbert space with norm ‖ · ‖. We make 307 the following assumptions on a(·, ·), V , H , ‖ · ‖ and { fl}: 308 A1. a(·, ·) is positive semi-definite and defines a semi-norm | · |a on V , i.e. 309 |v|a = a(v,v)≥ 0, for all v ∈V. 310 In addition, for v ∈V , the expression√‖v‖2 + |v|2a defines a norm on V . 311 A2. Let cq be a generic constant. For all q ∈ IRm there exists a vq ∈V with 312 fl(vq) = ql , and ‖vq‖ cq‖q‖l2(IRm). 313 A3. There are two constants ca and c f such that 314 ‖v‖2 ≤ ca|v|a + c f ∑ml=1 | fl(v)| , for all v ∈V. (12) Now, as in the specific case above, define for all v ∈V , 315 πv = m ∑ l=1 fl(v)ψl , where ψl = argmin v∈V |v|a, subject to fl(ψ j) = δ jl . 316 Then the following inequalities hold; see [19, Theorem 3.3]. 317 Theorem 3. Let Assumptions A1–A3 be satisfied. Then, for all u ∈V: 318 |πu|a ≤ |u|a and ‖u−πu‖≤ √ca|u|a . (13) (Note that they are independent of the constants cq and c f in A2 and A3.) 319 In the specific case considered above, on an arbitrary subdomain Ωk, Assump320 tion A1 is naturally satisfied with H = L2(Ωk) and ‖ · ‖ = ‖ · ‖0,α ,Ωk . Assumption 321 A2 merely ensures that the linear functionals are linearly independent. Thus, the 322 question of coarse space robustness is reduced to verifying Assumption A3. For one 323 functional, i.e. for m= 1, this reduces to the weighted Poincaré inequality in Sect. 3.2 324 and to the restrictions on the coefficients made there. For more than one functional, 325 it opens the possibility to get coefficient robustness even in the case of non-quasi326 monotone coefficients, such as those depicted in Fig. 1b, d and even h. See [2, 7, 19] 327 for the complete analysis and some numerical experiments that confirm the robust328 ness for the functionals defined on the previous page. See also [20] for a more recent 329 extension to systems of elliptic PDEs (such as linear elasticity). 330
Distributed Active Filters with Sliding Mode Control for Effective Harmonic Reduction in Power Distribution System

The modern electric power systems that include non-linear loads may experience power quality problem such as harmonic distortion. The harmonic minimization by installing a shunt active filter at the end of a radial distribution system can suppress harmonics but it could not reduced to significant value still there will be significant amount of voltage harmonics in the power system due to harmonics standing waves. In this paper, distributed active filter system, which consists of multiple active filter units deployed along the power line, is developed to reduce voltage harmonics in the power system effectively. In this scheme, first total harmonic distortions in the power system is determined and that data is used for DAFs for the various load locations and buses to improve power quality. Each individual AFU functions like a harmonic conductance to reduce voltage harmonics. Based on the predetermined droop characteristics, the active filter units can share harmonic filtering workload without any communications. The deployment strategies of active filter units are also presented. Switching signals of the shunt active filter are generated by sliding mode control concept. A sliding mode control based on energy feedback of capacitors is employed in the design. With this method, the dynamic response of the filter is improved effectively and harmonics and load unbalance is compensating quickly. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is demonstrated through simulation studies. The proposed scheme is developed using Matlab/Simulink.
nvironmental impact assessment of open field and greenhouse trawberry production

A cradle-to-farm-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) study is conducted for open-field (OF) and greenhouse (GH) strawberry cultivation in Guilan province, Iran. The initial data including input materials and energy inputs exercised during production season was collected from 33 greenhouse holders and 77 farmers in the studied region. Data for the production of used inputs were taken from the EcoInvent®2.0 database, and SimaPro software was employed to analyze primary data. Ten impact categories including Abiotic Depletion potential (AD), Acidification potential (AC), Eutrophication potential (EU), Global Warming potential for time horizon 100 years (GW), Ozone Depletion potential (OD), Human Toxicity potential (HT), Freshwater and Marine Aquatic Ecotoxicity potential (FAET and MAET), Terrestrial Ecotoxicity potential (TE), and Photochemical Oxidation potential (PhO) were selected based on CML 2 baseline 2000 V2/world, 1990/characterization method. One ton of produced strawberries was chosen as the functional unit. The evaluations of the study indicated that OF production system in all selected impact categories was more environmentally profitable than GH production system except AC and EU. Based on the results electricity, natural gas and N-based fertilizers in both production stage and application in GH strawberry production produced the most environmental burdens. Moreover, artificial neural networks (ANNs) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) were compared to model environmental indices of strawberry production on the basis of input materials. The results revealed that ANFIS models due to employing fuzzy rules are able to predict ten environmental indices with minimum error and the highest accuracy.
Public transportation accessibility : Comparing Auckland , Brisbane , Perth , and Vancouver

Accessibility is generally accepted as an important benefit of public transportation (PT) systems. Consistent measurement, however, remains a challenge. In this paper we propose methods for measuring accessibility, which we apply to cities in Auckland, Brisbane, Perth, and Vancouver. As our proposed method relies only on open data, meaningful comparisons are possible across a wide-range of jurisdictions. Our results indicate that Auckland performs relatively poorly in accessibility compared to Brisbane, Perth, and Vancouver. The methodology developed into this paper is provided as a GIS toolbox, providing planners and analysts with a simple and fast tool to calculate accessibility.
changing english Spelling pronunciation in English

Changing English aims to illustrate the diversity of English in the world today and to ask whether, and how, ELT practitioners might accommodate such variation. Focusing on a particular language issue in each article, the series will explore how English varies between places and spaces, over time, and between groups of speakers, and will reflect on the possible implications of this for ELT practitioners.
MAGNETIC FIELD SOURCE WITH HALBACH PERMANENT MAGNETS CONFIGURATION

The work is devoted to a geometrical configuration of permanent magnets on the basis of opposing geometrically linear assemblies (e.g. Halbach arrays) for the generation of strong magnetic fields, which have been theoretically modeled and experimentally verified. The implementation of these opposing assemblies using NdFeB magnets of a total weight of 3.75 kg provided a value of magnetic induction in the middle of an air gap of a width of 20 mm that was higher by 56 % in comparison with the simplest possible design. When the air-gap width was 3 mm, the induction reached a value of 2.16 T, which represents an increase by more than 100 %. Simultaneously, however, unlike in the classic parallel configuration, opposing Halbach assemblies have shown in the middle of an air gap a significant decrease of the magnetic induction values when passing from the middle of the assemblies in the direction parallel to the x-axis.
THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR AND SHAPE MEMORY RECOVERY OF Cu-Zn-Al ALLOYS

The mechanical properties and shape memory capacity of thin sheets of three CuZn-Al shape memory alloys were studied. In quenched specimens, martensitic structure as well as small quantity of α-phase or DO3-phase were observed. During tensile testing of quenched specimens at room temperature, the stress plateau was observed. The deformation in the plateau region that has been found to be in the range 2.6 to 3.6% had disappeared during heating quenched and deformed specimens above Af temperature.
Clinical Application and Curative Effect of Preoperative Neoadjuvant Radiotherapy for Cervical Cancer in IB2-IIB Stage

Preoperative treatment with californium (Cf252) neutron intracavity and afterloading radiotherapy for patients withIB2-IIB. stage cervical cancer can effectively reduce intraoperative bleeding and reduce the risk of postoperative local invasion and lymph node metastasis. The incidence of complications was not increased, and the value was superior to that of simple operation. In general, neoadjuvant therapy can cause a significant reduction in tumor volume and the side effects are within acceptable range. Compared with direct surgery and radical operation after neoadjuvant radiotherapy, neoadjuvant chemotherapy via vein and artery can significantly reduce the proportion of high risk postoperative patients and patients who need adjuvant treatment. The ratio of However, in this study, all neoadjuvant therapies can not significantly improve the survival and prognosis of patients with cervical cancer.
Behavioral Modeling of Dual-band Radio Frequency Power Amplifiers using Volterra Series

In this article, the band-pass characteristic of dual-band power amplifiers is explored to reduce the number of coefficients of the Volterra series, without any deterioration in its modeling accuracy. In here, it is reported the mathematical development needed to simplify the Volterra series, which can be seen as an extension for the dual-band case of a previous work that addressed the single band case. The condition to be satisfied by the carrier frequencies to guarantee the validity of the simplified model is identified. Matlab simulation results from two examples are presented to validate the study.
Serum amyloid P component regulated the development of diabetic nephropathy via down regulation of CCL-1

Serum amyloid P component (SAP) is a plasma protein which has calcium-dependent binding activity and belongs to the pentameric protein family. It is mainly regulated in the inflammation in mice. Diabetic nephropathy is a common chronic disease. Studies show that SAP is associated with amyloidosis, Alzheimer’s disease, apoptosis, fibrosis, inflammation, and other autoimmune diseases. The role of SAP in diabetic nephropathy has not yet been reported. Therefore, this study intends to use SAP transgenic (SAP-Tg) mice to investigate the role of ASP in diabetic nephropathy. SAP-Tg mice and C57 mice were included to establish models of diabetic nephropathy. Protein microarray technology was used to select differentially expressed proteins in serum of both SAP-Tg mice and C57 mice. ELISA and real time PCR were used to confirm the expression level of selected proteins. Compared to C57 mice, SAPTg mice with diabetic nephropathy showed less morphological changes. Protein microarray screening results show that chemokine C-C motif ligand 1 (CCL-1) was differentially expressed. Real time PCR results showed that CCL-1 of SAP-tg mice was significantly lower than that of C57 mice at mRNA level. SAP recombinant proteins was used stimulate RAW cells (mouse macrophage cell line) and ELISA results showed that CCL-1 levels were significantly lower than that of the control group. Peritoneal macrophages of both SAP-Tg mice and C57 mice were isolated and culture. The supernatant Primary cell culture supernatant ELISA results showed supernatant of peritoneal macrophages from SAP-Tg mice has less levels of CCL-1 than that of C57 mice. SAP inhibited the development of diabetic nephropathy by reducing the secretion of CCL-1 from macrophages.
The History of Lymphoma Classifications with Special Consideration of Cutaneous Lymphomas

For the modern evidence based medicine classification systems are necessary to guarantee a unifying approach for therapy and for prognosis of diseases. The comparability of clinical studies depends of the usage of adequate classification systems. But because all classifications are artificial, they only mirror the technical possibilities of its area. This review discusses the history of lymphoma classifications systems with a special focus on the topic of primary cutaneous lymphomas and the retikuloendothelial system. Furthermore special problems in terminology are discussed.