Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelled effects of rising CO2 concentration and climate change on native perennial grass and sown grass-legume pastures

Native perennial grass and sown grass-legume pastures are an important agricultural and environmental resource. We investigated the impact of rising carbon dioxide concentration ((CO2)) and projected climate changes on these pasture ecosystems in southeastern Tasmania, Aus- tralia, using a biophysical simulation model, EcoMod. The model consists of interdependent modules that describe soil physicochemical and hydrological characteristics, and pasture growth and senes- cence, with fluxes described by empirical and mechanistic equations. Our simulations showed that in native pastures, projected climate change increased the biomass of C4 grasses, with limited impact upon C3 grasses, a trend reversed by rising (CO2). In sown pastures, projected climate change decreased the biomass of perennial rye grass Lolium perenne and total biomass markedly by 2070, whilst subterranean clover Trifolium subterraneum biomass increased. Subterranean clover biomass changed little with increased (CO2) alone, whereas perennial rye grass biomass increased. Responses across pastures reflected species' tolerances to environmental factors, with projected climate change generally having more of an impact on biomass than rising (CO2). Changes in both (CO2) and climate led to a reduction in protein content and digestibility. Soil inorganic nutrient concentrations decreased with increasing (CO2) and increased with projected climate change. Further simulations should investigate whether these patterns are robust for different sites and alternative environmen- tal futures. Our results reinforce the need to pursue adaptation strategies in response to environ- mental change in order to maintain productive pasture ecosystems.
The Role of Lymphangiogenesis in Orthotopic Prostatic Tumor-Environment on Regional and Systemic Metastasis

Abstract : Pelvic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer is associated with poor patient prognosis and clinical outcome(1). The extent of tumor-associated lymphangiogenesis augments lymphatic metastasis in many tumors types, although there have been limited studies in prostate cancer. Interestingly, we found that the metastatic potential of several prostate cancer xenografts is directly correlated with the expression of pro-lymphangiogenic factor, VEGF-C(2). To examine the contribution of tumor lymphangiogenesis to metastasis, we over-expressed lymphangiogenic growth factors in the non-metastatic LAPC-9 model expressing luciferase. An increase in intratumoral lymphangiogenesis, but not angiogenesis, enhanced both lymph node and lung metastasis. In converse experiments of down-regulation of lymphangiogenesis, we utilized soluble VEGFR-3 and therapeutic antibody (a-mVEGFR-3, mF4-31C1, ImClone Inc.) to block VEGFC/ VEGFR-3 signaling in the more aggressive CWR22Rv-1 tumor. The expression of soluble VEGFR-3 in CWR22Rv-1 resulted in a significant reduction in intratumoral lymphatic vasculature, as well as metastasis to both regional lymph node and lung. These results indicate that tumor lymphangiogenesis is a key factor contributing to local regional lymph nodes and systemic metastasis in prostate cancer models. Hence, inhibiting tumor lymphangiogenesis may be a promising therapeutic strategy to suppress the deadly consequence of systemic metastasis of prostate cancer.
The Financial Economics of Gold – A Survey

We review the literature on gold as an investment. We begin with a review of how the gold markets operate, including the under researched leasing market; we proceed to examine research on physical gold demand and supply, gold mine economics and move onto analyses of gold as an investment. Additional sections provide context on gold market efficiency, the issue of gold market bubbles, gold’s relation to inflation and interest rates, and the very nascent literature on the behavioural aspects of gold.
New Findings from the TTO for Income Approach to Elicit Willingness to Pay for a QALY

Willingness to pay (WTP) elicitations suffer from various methodological problems. This paper tests a recently proposed alternative approach to value WTP for health, making use of trade-offs between income and lifetime or quality of life. We apply three experimental elicitation procedures and analyze the responses under an additive and a multiplicative utility function over health and income. We report several interesting results. First, the data are highly skewed, but if we trim the 5% lowest and highest values, we obtain plausible WTP estimates. Second, the results differ considerably between procedures, indicating that WTP estimates are sensitive to the assumed utility function. Third, respondents appear to be loss averse for both health and money, which is consistent with assumptions from prospect theory. Finally, our results also indicate that respondents are more willing to trade quality of life than life years.
Tilburg University The Laplacian spectral excess theorem for distance-regular graphs

The spectral excess theorem states that, in a regular graph Γ, the average excess, which is the mean of the numbers of vertices at maximum distance from a vertex, is bounded above by the spectral excess (a number that is computed by using the adjacency spectrum of Γ), and Γ is distance-regular if and only if equality holds. In this note we prove the corresponding result by using the Laplacian spectrum without requiring regularity of Γ.
Comparison of Traffic Forecasting Methods in Urban and Suburban Context

In the context of Connected and Smart Cities, the need to predict short term traffic conditions has led to the development of a large variety of forecasting algorithms. In spite of various research efforts, there is however still no clear view of the requirements involved in network-wide traffic forecasting. In this paper, the ability of several state-of-the-art methods to forecast the traffic flow at each road segment is studied. Some of the multivariate methods use the information of all sensors to predict traffic at a specific location, whereas some others rely on the selection of a suitable subset. In addition to classical methods, this paper studies the advantage of learning this subset by using a new variable selection algorithm based on time series graphical models and information theory. This method has already been successfully used in natural science applications with similar goals, but not in the traffic community. A contribution is to evaluate all these methods on two real-world datasets with different characteristics and to compare the forecasting ability of each method in both contexts. The first dataset describes the traffic flow in the city center of Lyon (France), which exhibits complex patterns due to the network structure and urban traffic dynamics. The second dataset describes inter-urban freeway traffic on the outskirts of the French city of Marseille. Experimental results validate the need for variable selection mechanisms and illustrate the complementarity of forecasting algorithms depending on the type of road and the forecasting horizon.
Space-time structure of long ocean swell fields

[1] The space-time structure of long-period ocean swell fields is investigated, with particular attention given to features in the direction orthogonal to the propagation direction. This study combines space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data with numerical model hindcasts and time series recorded by in situ instruments. In each data set the swell field is defined by a common storm source. The correlation of swell height time series is very high along a single great circle path with a time shift given by the deep water dispersion relation of the dominant swells. This correlation is also high for locations situated on different great circles in entire ocean basins. Given the Earth radius R, we define the distance from the source Rα and the transversal angle β so that α and β would be equal the colatitude and longitude for a storm centered on the North Pole. Outside of land influence, the swell height field at time t, Hss(α, β,t) is well approximated by a function Hss,0(t - Rα/Cg)/ times another function r2 (β), where Cg is a representative group speed. Here r2 (β) derived from SAR data is very broad, with a width at half the maximum that is larger than 70°, and varies significantly from storm to storm. Land shadows introduce further modifications so that in general r2 is a function of β and α. This separation of variables and the smoothness of the Hss field, allows the estimation of the full field of Hss from sparse measurements, such as wave mode SAR data, combined with one time series, such as that provided by a single buoy. A first crude estimation of a synthetic Hss field based on this principle already shows that swell hindcasts and forecasts can be improved by assimilating such synthetic observations.
Athens Institute for Education and Research ATINER ATINER ' s Conference Paper Series LNG 2014-1359

The purpose of this paper is to present the results obtained from a blendedlearning pedagogic experience in the English Phonetics and Phonology classes, at Facultad de Filosofía Humanidades y Artes, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Argentina. In this experience, interests related to the teaching at higher level education and the use of technological resources merge together. Two issues will be addressed: a) the use of the e-mail and the implementation of a social networking site, Facebook, both of them used for academic purposes; and b) the results of a survey which was administered to students so as to appraise their opinions about the usefulness of these assets. As university teachers, we are sensitive to the changes that our society is experiencing regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs). The incorporation of technological resources of the Web 2.0 to curricular units, somehow generates disruptions to traditional learning environments and opens up a range of possibilities which make it easier for students to build and process knowledge in different ways. The theoretical framework underlying this experience comes from the field of applied linguistics, particularly in the area concerning the acquisition of the phonological component of English as a foreign language. The methodology dimension of this didactic-technological proposal is based on the parameters of blended learning, which gives room for the application of technological tools which complement face-to-face learning. In this approach,synchronous learning (face-to-face) is complemented and enhanced by asynchronous learning through the use of computer technology. Both perspectives seem to be complementary in that they can promote educational change, facilitate the learning process, stimulate the students ́ motivation and, eventually, help them become more cognitively and metacognitively autonomous.
A comparison of scanning methods and the vertical control implications for scanning probe microscopy

This article compares the imaging performance of non‐traditional scanning patterns for scanning probe microscopy including sinusoidal raster, spiral, and Lissajous patterns. The metrics under consideration include the probe velocity, scanning frequency, and required sampling rate. The probe velocity is investigated in detail as this quantity is proportional to the required bandwidth of the vertical feedback loop and has a major impact on image quality. By considering a sample with an impulsive Fourier transform, the effect of scanning trajectories on imaging quality can be observed and quantified. The non‐linear trajectories are found to spread the topography signal bandwidth which has important implications for both low and high‐speed imaging. These effects are studied analytically and demonstrated experimentally with a periodic calibration grating.
Some New Theorems on Uncertain Renewal Process

Uncertainty theory has been introduced to renewal theory, and has brought out uncertain renewal process, uncertain renewal reward process, and uncertain alternating renewal process. So far, elementary renewal theorem has been obtained as well as renewal reward theorem and alternating renewal theorem. This paper deals with renewal process from a new aspect, and presents some results on uncertain renewal processes.
Ecological Correlates of Family Functioning

Guided by ecological theory, we empirically explored how parents' psychological functioning, social relationships, and demographic characteristics related to family functioning. Our sample of 197 participants included both neglectful and control families. We found statistically significant associations between the predictor variables (i.e., maternal personal maturity, depression, stressful life events, social support, family of origin difficulties, education, income) and family functioning as rated by mothers, caseworkers familiar with the families, and observers who coded family interaction tasks. However, the exact pattern of significant associations differed as a function the rater of family health.
Coupled Continuum and Molecular Model of Flow through Fibrous Filter

A coupled approach combining the continuum boundary singularity method (BSM) and the molecular direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) is developed and validated using Taylor-Couette flow and the flow about a single fiber confined between two parallel walls. In the proposed approach, the DSMC is applied to an annular region enclosing the fiber and the BSM is employed in the entire flow domain. The parameters used in the DSMC and the coupling procedure, such as the number of simulated particles, the cell size, and the size of the coupling zone are determined by inspecting the accuracy of pressure drop obtained for the range of Knudsen numbers between zero and unity. The developed approach is used to study flowfield of fibrous filtration flows. It is observed that in the partial-slip flow regime, Kn ⩽ 0.25, the results obtained by the proposed coupled BSM-DSMC method match the solution by BSM combined with the heuristic partial-slip boundary conditions. For transition molecular-to-continuum Knudsen numbers, 0.
The debate on learning assessments in developing countries

Over the past decade, international and national education agencies have begun to emphasize the improvement of the quality (rather than quantity) of education in developing countries. This trend has been paralleled by a significant increase in the use of educational assessments as a way to measure gains and losses in quality of learning. As interest in assessment has grown, low-income countries have begun to adopt and adapt international and other assessments for a variety of uses, including the comparability of national quality with other countries, improved ways of measuring reading achievement, and further attempts to reach marginalized populations within a country. The present group of papers provides multiple perspectives on the debate currently underway about the best approaches to create and use learning assessments in low-income countries.
Model for Evaluating Student Performance Through Their Interaction With Version Control Systems

Version Control Systems are commonly used for Information and communication technology professionals. They also allows to follow the activity of a single programmer working in a project. For these reasons, Version Control Systems are also used by educational institutions. The aim of this work is to demonstrate that the student performance may be evaluated, and even predicted, by monitoring their interaction with a Version Control System. In order to do so we have build a Machine Learnings model to predict student results in a speciﬁc task of the Ampliaci´on de Sistemas Operativos subject from the second course of the degree in Computer Science of the University of Le´on through their interaction with a Git repository.
Adaptive Adjustment of Radiation Properties for Entire Range of Axial Ratio using a Parasitic Microstrip Polarizer

– This paper proposes the design of microstrip patch antennas for dual-band polarization adjustment. The antenna has a multi-layer structure for dual-band operation, and each layer contains a resonating patch with surrounding strips separated into two parts. The antenna polarization is adjusted by varying the separated positions of the strips, while fixing other design parameters. To demonstrate the feasibility, an antenna sample with right-hand circular polarization is fabricated, and its antenna characteristics are measured in a full anechoic chamber. The operating principle of polarization adjustment in the dual frequency bands is also verified by observing near electromagnetic fields and the magnetic surface current density around the antenna.
Kinetics of microdomain structures in multi-phase polymer-liquid crystalline materials

A mesoscopic kinetic model for phase separation in the presence of liquid crystalline order has been formulated, and solved using high performance numerical methods. The thermodynamic phase diagram on temperature-polymer concentration plane indicates the presence of coexistence regions between isotropic and liquid crystalline phases. These regions are itself partition by the phase separation spinodal and the phase ordering spinodal. We characterize the morphologies following temperature quenches in the phase diagram. The scenario is completely different from isotropic mixing since the continuous phase exhibits liquid crystalline ordering. Microdomains of the dispersed phase induce long- and short-range forces affecting the kinetics of the separation and the emerging structures. Presence of topological defects and elastic distortions around the microdomains formed during the phase separation dominate the morphology. The free energy of the system establishes dynamics and correlations of the morphological structures.
Coverage and Rate Analysis for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Base Stations with LoS/NLoS Propagation

The use of unmanned aerial vehicle base stations (UAV-BSs) as airborne base stations has recently gained great attention. In this paper, we model a network of UAV-BSs as a Poisson point process (PPP) operating at a certain altitude above the ground users. We adopt an air-to-ground (A2G) channel model that incorporates line-of-sight (LoS) and non-line-of-sight (NLoS) propagation. Thus, UAV-BSs can be decomposed into two independent inhomogeneous PPPs. Under the assumption that NLoS and LoS channels experience Rayleigh and Nakagami-m fading, respectively, we derive approximations for the coverage probability and average achievable rate, and show that these approximations match the simulations with negligible errors. Numerical simulations have shown that the coverage probability and average achievable rate decrease as the height of the UAV-BSs increases.
Selected Articles on the Patient Hand-off Compiled by Ingrid Philibert, Updated December 2007 Articles are arrayed by topic within the hand-off literature, beginning with the most recent citation

Despite wide recognition that the delivery of medical care by trainees involves special risks, information about the types and causes of medical errors involving trainees is limited. To describe the characteristics of and factors contributing to trainee errors, the authors analyzed malpractice claims in which trainees were judged to have played an important role in harmful errors. The claims were closed between 1984 and 2004, and the errors occurred between 1979 and 2001. Specialist physicians reviewed random samples of closed malpractice claim files at 5 liability insurers from 2002 to 2004 and determined whether injuries had occurred, and if so, whether they were due to error. The authors described the clinical circumstances and contributing factors associated with harmful errors involving trainees ("cases"). The authors also compared the characteristics of cases with their nontrainee counterparts and probed trainee errors attributed to teamwork problems and lack of technical competence or knowledge.
Dual-Arm Relative Tasks Performance Using Sparse Kinematic Control

To make production lines more flexible, dual-arm robots are good candidates to be deployed in autonomous assembly units. In this paper, we propose a sparse kinematic control strategy, that minimizes the number of joints actuated for a coordinated task between two arms. The control strategy is based on a hierarchical sparse QP architecture. We present experimental results that highlight the capability of this architecture to produce sparser motions (for an assembly task) than those obtained with standard controllers.
Special Software Used for Implementing Elements of Hydrographical Network into Hydrogeological Model of Latvia

Hydrogeological model (HM) of Latvia (LAMO) is used for simulation of groundwater flow regime in its active zone. Surface waters - rivers, lakes and sea have great influence on groundwater flow. Current LAMO3 version contains 27 layers with 610 x 951 x 27 = 15 431 877 spatial grid nodes; the plane approximation step of LAMO3 is 500 meters. Rivers, lakes and sea form hydrographical network (HN) of LAMO3: 462 rivers in 42 680 nodes and 128 lakes and sea in 104303 nodes are attached to aquifers. Development, modifying and improving of HN is an iterative process. Adding or excluding of a particular river or lake must be performed in short time. It is impossible to do it without developing special software, which performs automation of creating the HN and including it into the model. This paper describes some algorithms and software, which were used for HN creation and its inclusion into LAMO3, such as the data interpolation of river and lake geometry, attaching HN to the model, immersion of river valleys into the HM body, creation of HN data for a model version with a different plane approximation step, joining of model surfaces for data input for Groundwater Vistas (GV) modelling system and software solution overview, which achieved all objectives of HN creation.
Monetary policy, income and prices: a stability assessment

This paper assesses the stability of the money-income relationship for seven OECD countries. When the sample was split into two subsamples: pre- and post-1980, the empirical evidence presented in this paper shows that even if the inferences gathered across countries are not always parallel, the inferences gathered from the VAR specification across the samples for each country are mostly parallel.
Isolation and Identification of Aeromonashydrophila , Pathogen of Farmed Tilapia ( Oreochromisniloticus ) in Region Agneby-Tiassa in côte d ’ Ivoire

The pathogen responsible of mortality of farmed tilapia fish in region Agneby-Tiassa in Côte d’Ivoire was investigated. A total of 76 dead fish or showing clinical signs of disease were collected from a private farm in said region. The analyses of samples consisted to isolation of Aeromonas hydrophila, biochemical characterization and molecular detection of virulence gene by PCR. Eleven biotypic profils of A. hydrophila were differentiated in the use or not of lysine decarboxylase, mannitol, rhamnose, gelatin and by fermentation or not of lactose. Biotypes B1 to B4 recorded in the skin, were characterized by positive lysine decarboxylase, positive gelatin, positive mannitol and negative rhamnose. Biotype B10 was showed a negative lysine decarboxylase in the liver of tilapia. Biotypes B5 to B7 of the kidney were differentiated in positive mannitol and positive lysine decarboxylase. The PCR reaction revealed the presence of aerA and hlyA virulence genes in isolated A. hydrophila strains. The biochemical and molecular characterizations allowed to know and to highlight the high virulent of the isolated germ. Hence the interest of the treatment of tilapia production basins against this pathogen.
Trace inequalities for Carnot-Carathéodory spaces and applications

Given a distribution belonging to a sub-elliptic Sobolev space with respect to a system of locally Lipschitz vector fields, we study the problem of its membership to sharp trace spaces with respect to a given Borel measure. Various applications to geometric trace inequalities and to optimal regularity theorems for solutions of quasilinear sub-elliptic equations are presented.