Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identifying the Greatest Earthquakes of the Past 2000 Years at the Nehalem River Estuary, Northern Oregon Coast, USA

We infer a history of three great megathrust earthquakes during the past 2000 years at the Nehalem River estuary based on the lateral extent of sharp (≤3 mm) peat-mud stratigraphic contacts in cores and outcrops, coseismic subsidence as interpreted from fossil diatom assemblages and reconstructed with foraminiferal assemblages using a Bayesian transfer function, and regional correlation of 14C-modeled ages for the times of subsidence. A subsidence contact from 1700 CE (contact A), sometimes overlain by tsunami-deposited sand, can be traced over distances of 7 km. Contacts B and D, which record subsidence during two earlier megathrust earthquakes, are much less extensive but are traced across a 700-m by 270-m tidal marsh. Although some other Cascadia studies report evidence for an earthquake between contacts B and D, our lack of extensive evidence for such an earthquake may result from the complexities of preserving identifiable evidence of it in the rapidly shifting shoreline environments of the lower river and bay. Ages (95% intervals) and subsidence for contacts are: A, 1700 CE (1.1 ± 0.5 m); B, 942–764 cal a BP (0.7 ± 0.4 m and 1.0 m ± 0.4 m); and D, 1568–1361 cal a BP (1.0 m ± 0.4 m). Comparisons of contact subsidence and the degree of overlap of their modeled ages with ages for other Cascadia sites are consistent with megathrust ruptures many hundreds of kilometers long. But these data cannot conclusively distinguish among different types or lengths of ruptures recorded by the three great earthquake contacts at the Nehalem River estuary.
Effect of DNA markers on the fertility traits of Japanese Black cattle for improving beef quantity and quality

Abstract Carcass traits have been efficiently improved by recent selection using DNA markers in beef cattle. Additionally, DNA markers might have an effect on other traits such as fertility traits; therefore attention should also be paid to such pleiotropic effects. However, the effects of the markers on both carcass and fertility traits have never been evaluated in the same population, since they are generally measured in different populations. The objective in the current study was to discuss effectiveness of DNA markers developed for carcass traits through investigation of their effects on carcass and fertility traits in a population. We genotyped six markers SCD V293A, FASN g.841G>C, PLAG1 g.49066C>G, NCAPG I442M, DGAT1 K232A, and EDG1 g.1471620G>T in a Japanese Black cattle population (n=515). To investigate their effects on carcass and fertility traits, we performed statistical analysis (ANOVA and the Tukey–Kramer honestly significant difference (HSD) test). In the results, three of six markers, SCD V293A, NCAPG I442M, and EGD1 g.1471620G>T, were significantly associated with both carcass and fertility traits. Remarkably, the same allele for each marker had positive effects on both traits, suggesting that we would be able to simultaneously improve them using these markers in this population. However, previous studies reported that the effects of DNA markers could differ among populations. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the effect of the marker in each population before it is used for improvement.
On the Importance of Queer Romances - Role-play as Exploration and Performance of Sexuality

Tiivistelmä This article investigates various kinds of analog and digital role-playing games (RPG) from the perspective of queer romance. We are interested in finding out how ‘queer’ appears in the composition of role-playing games through analysing players’ explorations and performances, as well as the options for romance in these games. We will look into a variety of role-playing games as research material in this study, from non-digital play – such as traditional tabletop role-playing games to live action role-play, or larp – to single-player digital RPGs. We ask how queerness affects the options for romance, whether localised in an event or in the composition of a single character, and what kind of exploration it serves. Is queerness to be found in the romance mechanic, or crunch, of RPGs, or is it part of the fluff: the setting and character descriptions? This article’s orientation is theoretical, and the main reference material here comes from RPG studies as well as queer game studies.
Impact of the therapist’s “use of self”

The aim of this research was to explore the therapist’s “use of self” to gain an understanding of this phenomenon through the participants’ lived experience. A literature review yielded a number of common themes associated with “use of self”: self-disclosure, personality, intersubjectivity, relationality, attachment, belief systems, and embodiment. The study comprised of semi-structured interviews conducted with six experienced and accredited clinicians. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used, as it facilitated the objectives of the research, which were to capture the lived experience of the clinicians, identify common themes, and observe for any new insights. The authors found three superordinate themes in relation to the therapist’s “use of self”, all of which are intertwined: connection, awareness and wellness. The research supports the fact that the therapist’s “use of self” has an impact on therapy. While connection and awareness feature strongly in the literature, the importance of wellness is not highlighted. The authors propose that an obligate symbiosis exists between awareness and wellness.
Role of Brush Cytology in Diagnosis of Bronchial Carcinoma: Experience in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital

This was a descriptive study conducted in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH), Rajshahi and the study period was from June 2017 to June 2019. A total number of 300 patients (48 females and 252 males) were enrolled who underwent elective fiber optic bronchoscopy with brush cytology for the diagnosis of bronchial carcinoma. Our aim was to identify the role of brush cytology in diagnosis of bronchial carcinoma. Most of the cases (84%) were male. Majority 111(37.00%) of the patients were in age group 60-72 years; the mean±SD age was (58.70±13.11). Most of the study participants were farmer 134(44.67%). 182(66.67%) were smoker and 118(39.33%) were non-smoker. For smokers, pack year history was <10 pack in 78(42.85%), 1020 pack 66(36.26%) and >20 pack 38(20.87%) of cases. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common type of bronchial carcinoma; found in 95 (31.66%) cases followed by adenocarcinoma 50 (16.66%), large cell carcinoma 43 (14.33%), small cell carcinoma 25 (8.33%), others 87 (29%) This study revealed that the bronchial brush cytology was minimally invasive, well enduring technique with high sensitivity in diagnosis of central lesion of bronchial carcinoma.
DirectShape: Direct Photometric Alignment of Shape Priors for Visual Vehicle Pose and Shape Estimation

Scene understanding from images is a challenging problem encountered in autonomous driving. On the object level, while 2D methods have gradually evolved from computing simple bounding boxes to delivering finer grained results like instance segmentations, the 3D family is still dominated by estimating 3D bounding boxes. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to jointly infer the 3D rigid-body poses and shapes of vehicles from a stereo image pair using shape priors. Unlike previous works that geometrically align shapes to point clouds from dense stereo reconstruction, our approach works directly on images by combining a photometric and a silhouette alignment term in the energy function. An adaptive sparse point selection scheme is proposed to efficiently measure the consistency with both terms. In experiments, we show superior performance of our method on 3D pose and shape estimation over the previous geometric approach and demonstrate that our method can also be applied as a refinement step and significantly boost the performances of several state-of-the-art deep learning based 3D object detectors. All related materials and demonstration videos are available at the project page https://vision.in. tum.de/research/vslam/direct-shape.
GPS Spoofing-Resilient Voltage Phasor Estimation for the Power Grid

Installation of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) is a step towards achieving wide-area situational awareness as PMUs provide synchronized measurements using GPS time. GPS signals are susceptible to GPS Spoofing Attacks (GSAs) due to its unencrypted signal structure and low signal power, making PMUs vulnerable to such attacks. We propose a novel method for voltage phasor estimation in the power grid that is resilient to single or multiple GSAs. In this method, we simultaneously detect GSA and correct PMU measurements. Our proposed method consists of two algorithms, residual-based GSA detection and iterative PMU measurement correction. We derive a necessary condition for detecting GSAs using residuals. We refer our proposed method as Spoofing-Resilient Snapshot State Estimation (SRSSE) that consists of GSA detection and measurement correction algorithms. We perform Monte-Carlo simulations to verify our derived necessary condition. We further simulate the IEEE 14 test bus case to validate our SR-SSE algorithm against single and multiple GSAs. Keywords—Snapshot State Estimation, PMU, GPS Spoofing Attacks
VirtualWars: Towards a More Immersive VR Experience

Ensuring that virtual reality experiences are immersive is key to ensuring the success of VR and even VR. However, despite impressive commercial advancements from the Oculus Rift to the HTC Vive, a number of inherent limitations remain when comparing virtual experiences to real experiences: field of view, limb (mainly hand) tracking, position tracking in the world, haptic feedback, and more. In this study we seek to test a number of creative workarounds to create a fully immersive experience with current technological limitations. We found that overall, immersive experiences could be created, but because of the limitations of the technology, limitations had to be imposed on the virtual world such as how the content had to be presented (interactively and not passively), how objects were destroyed, and more.
Multiple watermarking technique using optimal threshold

The multiple watermarking technique has drawn more attention due to high demand for embedding more than one copyright. This paper proposes a multiple watermarking scheme using DWT-SVD by utilizing HVS characteristics. Our scheme embeds multiple watermarks in red and blue colors. The proposed scheme examines the coefficients of U orthogonal matrix for embedding and extracting watermarks. Watermarks are scrambled by Arnold transform before embedded in the host image in order provide additional security. The optimal thresholds for red and blue colors are revealed by finding a trade-off between normalized-cross correlation and imperceptibility from quantization steps. The experimental results demonstrate that our scheme achieves high resistant under JPEG and JPEG2000 compression for both inserted watermarks.
Contrasting seasonal changes in total and intense precipitation in the
European Alps from 1903 to 2010

Abstract. Changes of precipitation over the European Alps are investigated with the regional climate model MAR applied with a 7-km resolution over the period 1903–2010 using the reanalysis ERA-20C as forcing. A comparison with several observational datasets demonstrates that the model is able to reproduce the climatology as well as both the inter-annual variability and the seasonal cycle of precipitation over the European Alps. The relatively high resolution allows to estimate precipitation at high elevations. The vertical gradient of precipitation simulated by MAR over the European Alps reaches 33 % km−1 (1.21 mm.day−1.km−1) in summer and 38 % km−1 (1.15 mm.day−1.km−1) in winter, on average over 1971–2008 and shows a large spatial variability. A significant (p-value
Evaluation of selected indicators of patient satisfaction and economic indices in OECD country

DOI: 10.14254/2071789X.2019/12-4/9 ABSTRACT. The primary aim of the research is to estimate the relationship between healthcare indicators and economic indices in the selected OECD countries. The goal was met in three main procedures. Firstly, a cluster of the selected countries was identified, then a relationship analysis was realized on eight variables that determined satisfaction and economic indices (Global Innovation Index GII, Human Development Index HDI) and at the end, regression analysis which calculates the impact of innovation activity (GII) on healthcare satisfaction was used (the mean of 8 healthcare satisfaction variables – MeanHC) as well as the impact of this variable on maturity (HDI) in the selected OECD countries (the sample of 33 countries). The cluster was estimated by using the method based on Euclidean distance, and the number of clusters was defined by Silhouette method. Two clusters were computed. Also, the coefficients such as Spearman ρ and Pearson r were used in analysis of this relationship. A significant relationship is not evident only in the variable that determined cost satisfaction. The differences between clusters in the individual satisfaction variables were confirmed by t-test, Welch test and Wilcoxon test. A significant difference between the clusters is in satisfaction with staff friendliness. Regression analysis was computed by means of using a method based on Least Trimmed Squares Robust Regression. Significant impact was reflected in both assumptions (GII to MeanHC and also MeanHC to HDI).
Traceability of Human Error Production Defects in Automotive Manufacturing

Many global automotive industries have moved towards factory automation, yet several still rely on collecting manual data from the plant floor and manually inputting the data into the management quality system in the assembly line. In this case study research, the objective of our study was to observe how technology advancement can be supported for human error logging in the quality assurance process. The study was conducted over the course of 7 weeks where we analyzed the traceability of human error production defects in Volvo Cars AB located at Torslanda, Gothenburg. Triangulation from three data sources – interviews, observations, and artifacts – reveals that the process is done using paper and manually inputted into the system which leads to human errors and to possible delays. The solution that is perceived from existing literature and our findings suggest that factory automation is a foreseeable solution for the company and other manufacturing companies dealing with the same issues. Keywords— error detection, in-and-out logging process, inputting process, technological frames, usability, traceability, process improvement, factory automation.
Cenozoic deformation and geomorphic evolution of th e Sperrgebiet (Southern Namibia)

The Sperrgebiet is located along the coast of Nam ibi , bordered in the east by the Great Escarpment of the Southern African Plateau. The Cen ozoic evolution of the coastal plain as a consequence of scarp retreat (backwearing) surround ing this plateau was hitherto poorly constrained because of the scarcity of well-dated marker horizo ns. However, Cenozoic terrigenous deposits and volcanics present in the Sperrgebiet constrain the timing of evolutionary events in the region during the Cenozoic. We combine an analysis of the geomorphic atterns, depositional environments and microtectonics to constrain this evolution and its driving processes. The outcome is that during the beginning of the Palaeocene a smooth scarp existed between an elevated plateau in the east and the coastal domain. The topography was affected by inte nse weathering that generated thick lateritic profi les that were etched after a change in climatic conditi ons followed by two deformational stages. The first stage corresponds to a low-scale bulging during the Oligocene and the second to a phase of brittle deformation with an initial WNW-ESE extension with rotated NE-SW extension. This small-scale brittle deformation is consistent with the greater d formation that affected the Southern African Plat eau such as the Windhoek Graben and the graben of the F ish River. We propose that this deformation corresponds to changes in the relative contribution of horizontal and vertical stresses, which were induced by variations in the rates of ridge push.
Continuum belief, categorical belief, and depression stigma: Correlational evidence and outcomes of an online intervention.

Continuum belief interventions that erode boundaries between “normal” individuals and individuals with psychiatric problems may help to reduce psychiatric stigma, but a number of questions persist. The magnitude of belief change attributable to the intervention is unclear. Moreover, most studies have executed continuum interventions to reduce stigma of schizophrenia, and all studies have examined intervention effects on only public stigma. This study utilized a large sample (n = 654) to examine effects of a continuum intervention on depression stigma – public stigma in the full sample and self-stigma among participants with a self-reported history of depression. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups: (1) the control group, which read material that merely described depression, (2) the continuum group, which read material that attested to a continuum view of depression, or (3) the categorical group, which read material that attested to a categorical view of depression. Correlational analyses demonstrated that pre-intervention categorical belief positively predicted, and pre-intervention continuum belief negatively predicted, depression stigma. Moreover, preintervention categorical belief positively predicted, and pre-intervention continuum belief negatively predicted, self-stigma among participants with a self-reported history of depression. There was scant evidence that the intervention affected public stigma among participants without a history of depression and no evidence that it affected self-stigma among participants with a history of depression. These findings illuminate a number of key priorities for future research on continuum belief intervention and its prospects for stigma reduction.
Seeing and treating the out-group like family: Transference effects in an ethnic context

Transference effects occur when our impressions are guided by our mental representations of significant others. For instance, if a target resembles an individual’s significant other, then that person’s feelings toward their significant other will be transferred onto the target. The present research examines whether transference effects emerge even when the target belongs to an ethnic out-group. In two experiments, participants received descriptions of in-group and out-group targets who partly resembled their own (or another’s) positive significant other. The findings showed that resemblance to one’s own significant other improves attitudes and behavior toward both in-group and ethnic out-group targets, as found across 2 nations and 3 different ethnic out-groups. The present research hence provides evidence of robust transference effects across ethnic group boundaries.
STATISTICAL STUDY OF MODIS ALGORITHMS IN ESTIMATING AEROSOL OPTICAL DEPTH OVER THE CZECH REPUBLIC

As a result of the rapid development of remote sensing techniques and accurate satellite observations, it has become customary to use these technologies in ecological and aerosols studies on a regional and global level. In this paper, we analyse the performance of three Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) algorithms in estimating Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) in the Czech Republic to gain knowledge about their accuracy and uncertainty. The Dark Target (DT), the Deep Blue (DB), and the merged algorithm (DTB) of the MODIS latest collection 6.1 Level 2 aerosol products (MOD04_L2) were tested by comparing its results with the measurements of Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Level 3 Version 2.0 ground station at Brno airport. The DT algorithm is compatible the best with AERONET observations with a correlation coefficient (R = 0.823), retrievals falling within the EE envelope (EE% = 82.67%), root mean square error (RMSE = 0.059), and mean absolute error (MAE = 0.044). The DTB algorithm provided close results of the DT algorithm but with less accuracy, on the other hand the DB algorithm has the lowest accuracy between all, but this algorithm was able to provide a bigger sample size than the other two algorithms.
Oxidative stress and antioxidant status in rotenone induced rat models of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson disease (PD) is involved in the damage of neurons of the brain that secretes dopamine. Understanding the mechanisms involved in Parkinson's disease helps to develop effective management methods. Hence, the present work aimed to unravel to observe the variations, if any, in the parameters of oxidative stress and antioxidant markers between oral and ip rotenone-induced rat model of Parkinson’s disease. Male Wistar rats weighing between 250-300g were housed in solid bottomed polypropylene cages under strict veterinary supervision and maintained in rooms with 12hrs light / dark cycle. The randomly selected male Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups, with six rats in each group. The study results provide scientific evidence for marked changes in both the oxidative and anti-oxidant parameters, followed by the ip and po rotenone administration. It is the need of the time to consider the neuroprotective and antioxidant properties while developing the newer treatment modalities for the management of PD.
Parameter Optimization for Spacecraft Attitude Stabilization Using Magnetorquers

The attitude stabilization of a spacecraft that uses magnetorquers as torque actuators is a very important task. Depending on the availability of angular rate sensors on the spacecraft, control laws can be designed either by using measurements of both attitude and attitude rate or by using measurements of attitude only. The parameters of both types of control laws are usually determined by means of a simple trial-and-error approach. Evidently, such an approach has several draw-backs. This chapter describes recently developed systematic approaches for determining the parameters using derivative-free optimization techniques. These approaches allow to find the parameter values that minimize the settling time of the attitude error or an indirect measure of this error. However, such cost indices depend also on initial conditions of the spacecraft, which are not known in advance. Thus, a min-max optimization problem is formulated, whose solution provides values of the parameters minimizing the chosen cost index under the worst initial conditions. The chapter also provides numerical results showing the effectiveness of the described approaches.
Research on the Impact of Innovation Ecosystem on the Upgrade of Automobile Industry

Facing fierce international competition, improving the ability of independent innovation is a major problem that China needs to solve urgently. Therefore, it is necessary to build a good innovation ecosystem. In this paper, we construct the automobile industry innovation ecosystem and analyze automobile industrial upgrading from two perspectives: the influence of innovation environment and the interaction between various entities in the industrial innovation ecosystem, which is analogous to the two dimensions of environmental synergy evolution and Co-evolution between species in the biological field. Finally, some suggestions which are connected with problems in the automotive industry are put forward. Keywords—innovation ecosystem; industrial upgrading;