Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feedback between dust particles and atmospheric processes over West Africa during dust episodes in March 2006 and June 2007

Abstract. We used the comprehensive model system COSMO-ART to quantify the impact of mineral dust on the radiative fluxes, the temperature and the feedback between dust particles and their emissions. We simulated two dust storms over West Africa in March 2006 and in June 2007. Simulations with and without coupling of the actual dust concentration with the radiative fluxes and the thermodynamics were carried out for each case. The model results for the 2006 case were compared with observations of the AMMA campaign. At the surface the shortwave radiative effect of mineral dust can be described by a linear relation between the changes in net surface radiation and the aerosol optical depth (AOD). For an AOD at 450 nm of 1 the average shortwave radiation reduction amounts −140 W m−2 during noon. The longwave radiative effect of mineral dust is nonlinear, with an average increase of +70 W m−2 for an AOD (450 nm) of 1. At the top of the atmosphere the effect of the dust layer with an AOD of 1 on radiative fluxes is not as significant as at the surface. It is slightly positive for the shortwave and approximately 26 W m−2 for the longwave radiation. The height range and the extension of the dust layer determine the effect of dust particles on the 2 m temperature. When the dust layer is attached to the surface and lasts for several days it leads to an increase of the surface temperature even during daytime. In case of an elevated dust layer there is a decrease in 2 m temperature of up to 4 K during noon. It is shown, that the temperature changes caused by mineral dust may result in horizontal temperature gradients which also modify near surface winds. Since surface wind thresholds decide the uptake of dust from the surface, a feedback on total emission fluxes is established. The coupled model provides an increase in the total emission fluxes of dust particles by about 16% during the dust storm in March 2006 and 25% during the dust episode in June 2007.
Development of a rapid-assessment technique for diamondback terrapin ( Malaclemys terrapin ) populations using head-count surveys

Although diamondback terrapins appear to be declining throughout much of their geographic range, more information is required to evaluate population trends. Unfortunately, sampling terrapin populations is both time and labor intensive. We initiated studies to examine the efficacy of using head counts in tidal creeks as a rapid-assessment technique for monitoring terrapin populations. From 2005 to 2007, we conducted headcount surveys in conjunction with regular aquatic sampling. Head-count surveys consisted of recording the number of terrapins we observed from a boat going up (run 1) and down (run 2) tidal creeks. These surveys were conducted before aquatic sampling (i.e., low tide) as well as other times (e.g., high tide). We found the strongest positive relationship between the number of terrapins observed in run 1 combined with run 2 and the number of terrapins captured (R 2 = 0.538). We examined the effects of variables such as day of year, time of day, cloud cover, and creek location on the number of heads seen. Such models will allow effective monitoring of terrapin population trends and improve implementation of appropriate conservation measures. We recommend a refinement of head-count surveys and the involvement of citizen scientists to aid in the establishment of a range-wide monitoring program that will greatly increase survey effort while saving time and money. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009
Half-Mode Substrate Integrated Waveguide Amplifier Using Lumped-Element Transition

This paper proposes a half-mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) amplifier using lumped-element transition. The input and output impedances of this amplifier are matched by the lumped-element transition structure. This structure provides compact impedance and mode matching circuits between the HMSIW and a stand-alone amplifier. Surface mount technology inductors and capacitors are implemented to realize the lumped-element transition. A prototype of the proposed HMSIW amplifier shows 15 dB gain with 3 dB bandwidth of 4 to 7.05 GHz in a simulation and measurement.
Seasonal changes in zooxanthellae harbored by zoanthids (Cnidaria, Zoanthidea) from coastal reefs in northeastern Brazil

The zooxanthellae hosted by the zoanthidae Palythoa caribaeorum, Protopalythoa variabilis, and Zoanthus sociatus were examined to determine their cell densities, cell diameters, mitotic index, and genetic identity over one year study. The densities of zooxanthellae were significantly higher in Z. sociatus (44.2 ± 22.7 x 10 6 .cm -3 ) than in P. variabilis (11.24 ± 4.33 x 10 6 .cm -3 ) and P. caribaeorum (5.6 ± 1.4 x 10 6 .cm -3 ). The significant differences in the density of zooxanthellae between dry and rainy seasons were observed only for P. caribaeorum with higher densities in rainy season. Zooxanthellae associated with P. caribaeorum showed higher mitotic index (7.8 ± 1.7%) than symbionts of P. variabilis (5.9 ±10.7%) and Z. sociatus (5.2 ± 0.8%), and higher levels of cell division occurred for this species during dry season. The values of zooxanthellae cell diameters of P. caribaeorum symbionts were significantly higher than for other zoanthids species. The significant difference between zooxanthellae diameters in dry and rainy season was observed only for Z. sociatus. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 showed that Palythoa caribaeorum and Protopalythoa variabilis harbored subclad type C1 Symbiodinium goreaui, while individuals of Zoanthus sociatus harbored predominantly subcladal type A4 Symbiodinium.
Pattern and antimicrobial susceptibility of organisms causing blood stream infection in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) from India

Background: Globally infections are the single most common cause of neonatal deaths. A report from India (National Neonatal-Perinatal Database - NNPD: 2002-03) showed incidence of sepsis was 30/1000 live births (LB). Pattern and antimicrobial susceptibility of organisms have kept on changing in the NICU. Objective: To identify common bacterial pathogens associated with neonatal sepsis in a tertiary care NICU and to determine their antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Design/Methods: Prospective descriptive study. Blood culture reports of culture positive neonatal sepsis admitted to Level III NICU in South India during January 2011-June 2012 were analyzed. Demographic data of the babies was collected. Results: Total 1924 blood cultures were done for in total 1924 blood cultures were done for babies with suspected clinical sepsis. The yield rate was 9.3% (n=179/1924). The incidence of culture proven sepsis was 24/1000 live births. Of all, 82% (n=148) were Gram-negative organism, 11% (n=20) were Gram-positive organism and 7 % (n=11) were fungal organism. Over all, Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common organism (45%) in both early onset sepsis (EOS) and late onset sepsis (LOS) followed by Acinetobacter species. The overall drug resistance to first and second line antibiotics like Ampicillin (100%), Gentamicin (91%), Amikacin (47%) and Piperacillin plus Tazobactum (45%) were high. Conclusions: The incidence of sepsis was similar to NNPD data 2002-2003, not changed much since a decade. Acinetobacter species are important emerging and drug resistant organism in newborn sepsis. It is alarming to note that the drug resistance among organisms causing both early and late onset neonatal sepsis.
CNN-Based Vision Model for Obstacle Avoidance of Mobile Robot

Exploration in a known or unknown environment for a mobile robot is an essential application. In the paper, we study the mobile robot obstacle avoidance problem in an indoor environment. We present an end-to-end learning model based Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), which takes the raw image obtained from camera as only input. And the method converts directly the raw pixels to steering commands including turn left, turn right and go straight. Training data was collected by a human remotely controlled mobile robot which was manipulated to explore in a structure environment without colliding into obstacles. Our neural network was trained under caffe framework and specific instructions are executed by the Robot Operating System (ROS). We analysis the effect of the datasets from different environments with some marks on training process and several real-time detect experiments were designed. The final test result shows that the accuracy can be improved by increase the marks in a structured environment and our model can get high accuracy on obstacle avoidance for mobile robots.
Phase Transformation of Zeolite P to Y and Analcime Zeolites due to Changing the Time and Temperature

In the present study, the synthesis of template free zeolite P under hydrothermal condition was investigated. The effects of parameters such as Si/Al ratios (3–45), crystallization temperatures (80–160°C), and cry (40–60 h) on the synthesis of zeolite P were studied. The phase transformation of zeolite P to two types of high crystallinity Y and analcime zeolites due to change of temperature was observed. The effect of temperature on the achievement of two different zeolite types (Y and analcime) with a constant initial synthetic composition under organic free synthesis of zeolite P was studied. The zeolitic products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and IR spectroscopy techniques.
Twitter Analytics for the Horticulture Industry

In our current society, data has gone from scarce to superabundant: huge volumes of data are being generated every second. A big part of this flow is due to social media platforms, which provide a very volatile flow of information. However, leveraging this information, which is burried in this fast stream of messages, poses a serious challenge. A vast amount of work is devoted to tackle this challenge in different business areas. In our work, we address this challenge for the horticulture sector, which has not received a lot of attention in the literature. Our aim is to extract information from the social data flow that can empower the horticulture sector. In this paper, we present our first steps towards this goal and demonstrate key examples of this empowerment. Keywords–Twitter; horticulture; social media analytics.
Compositional Variability of Lignin in Biomass

The objective of this chapter is to provide a concise overview of lignin composition and structure in different species and materials (wood, barks and nonwood plants). It includes a brief review on the lignin precursors and their polymerization as well as of the analytical tools used for lignin characterization from wet chemical to spectroscopic methods. Wood of gymnosperms is characterized by high lignin content (25–35%) and a HG-type of lignin with more guaiacyl (G) units and a small portion of p -hydroxyphenyl (H) units. Wood of angiosperms has a lignin content of 15–28%, with a GS-lignin having different propor- tions of syringyl (S) units. Nonwoody monocotyledon species have different lignin content (9–20%) and a HGS type of lignin, characterized by a high proportion of H units. Bark lignin content ranges from 13 to 43% and is of HGS-type with species-specific composition and different in the bark components, phloem and cork. Lignin composition and macro- molecular structure are key issues to understand the properties of lignocellulosic materials and to design a lignin-based pathway within biomass biorefineries. The available informa- tion on lignin composition is still limited to a few species and plant components. This is certainly an area where more research is needed.
Hyperspectral tree crown classification using the multiple instance adaptive cosine estimator

Tree species classification using hyperspectral imagery is a challenging task due to the high spectral similarity between species and large intra-species variability. This paper proposes a solution using the Multiple Instance Adaptive Cosine Estimator (MI-ACE) algorithm. MI-ACE estimates a discriminative target signature to differentiate between a pair of tree species while accounting for label uncertainty. Multi-class species classification is achieved by training a set of one-vs-one MI-ACE classifiers corresponding to the classification between each pair of tree species and a majority voting on the classification results from all classifiers. Additionally, the performance of MI-ACE does not rely on parameter settings that require tuning resulting in a method that is easy to use in application. Results presented are using training and testing data provided by a data analysis competition aimed at encouraging the development of methods for extracting ecological information through remote sensing obtained through participation in the competition. The experimental results using one-vs-one MI-ACE technique composed of a hierarchical classification, where a tree crown is first classified to one of the genus classes and one of the species classes. The species-level rank-1 classification accuracy is 86.4% and cross entropy is 0.9395 on the testing data, provided by the competition organizer, without the release of ground truth for testing data. Similarly, the same evaluation metrics are computed on the training data, where the rank-1 classification accuracy is 95.62% and the cross entropy is 0.2649. The results show that the presented approach can not only classify the majority species classes, but also classify the rare species classes.
Modulación por Ancho de Pulso de Vectores Espaciales utilizando el Método del Paralelogramo

This paper presents a parallelogram based duty cycle computation method for space vector modulation control using standard pulse width modulation circuitry. This technique maps the voltage source inverter’s solution space into only three parallelogram shaped zones and reduces the computational load. The proposed modulation methods are especially suited for a description of the voltage space vector in its α, β components and for modern and high dynamic applications, where demand changes may happen at a frequency comparable with the modulator carrier frequency. Several modulation methods used in scalar applications and extensively studied in the literature are easily obtained by combining the use of the modulation methods proposed in this work. The proposed methods have been validated by simulations and experimental test.
PHOSPHATE REMOVAL FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS BY CHITIN AND CHITOSAN IN FLAKES

The article presents the effectiveness of phosphate adsorption on the flakes of chitin and chitosan. Studies performed determined adsorption capacity of chitin and chitosan, best among the tested adsorption pH and the equilibrium time. Langmuir model was used to describe the results. The highest removal efficiency of phosphorus compounds using chitin was obtained at pH 3 and with chitosan at pH 4. The study of phosphate equilibrium concentration time obtained for both sorbents was carried out at three concentrations of 1, 5 and 10 mg/dm. The highest sorption efficiency of the phosphate using chitin was achieved after 20 minutes of the process and at the chitosan after 40 minutes. In the case of chitosan after the equilibrium time the effect of partial P-PO4 release was observed, which could be related to the change in pH of the solution by the sorbent. Studies have shown that chitosan is a more effective absorbent for phosphorus compounds. The maximum adsorption capacity of chitosan with phosphate was 6.65 mg/g, and chitin 2.09 mg/g.
Spatial patterns of ground heat gain in the Northern Hemisphere

Variations in the Earth's surface energy balance are recorded in the subsurface as perturbations of the steady state thermal field. Here we invert 558 temperature‐depth profiles in the Northern Hemisphere (NH), in order to estimate the energy balance history at the continental surface from heat flux anomalies in the subsurface. The heat gain is spatially variable and does not appear to have been persistent for the last 200 years at all locations, but overall continental areas have absorbed energy in the last 50 years. Results indicate a mean surface heat flux of 20.6 mWm−2 over the last 200 years. The total heat absorbed by the ground is 4.8 × 1021J and 13.3 × 1021J for the last 50 and 200 years respectively. We suggest that our results may be useful for state‐of‐the‐art General Circulation Model (GCM) validation and for land‐surface coupling schemes.
MALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: BEHAVIOUR ANALYSIS FOR THE NEXT DECADE

Most VB attendees have a major interest in malicious code. Often they focus on the highly technical issues around the intricacies of malware technology and counter-technology, the programmatic detail of attack and counter-attack. Sometimes they focus instead on the higher level application of defensive technology to corporate or infrastructural environments, even the entire Internet. More rarely, they look at the human side of malware management, mostly from the point of view of involving the potential victim (individual or organization under attack) in the defensive process (education and training, policy enforcement and so on). However, malware is only part of a complex process of malicious exploitation. Behaviour analysis is a crucial topic in 21st century anti-malware, but rather than focusing purely on programmatic behaviour, should we not be looking at the psychosocial behaviours that underpin the exploitation mechanism? (By this we mean not only the behaviour of the criminal, but that of the victim.) This paper considers steps towards a holistic approach to behaviour analysis that would enable us to treat the disease rather than the symptom, drawing on both social and computer science.
Taxonomic investigation using DNA fingerprinting in Geitlerinema species (Oscillatoriales, Cyanobacteria)

The taxonomic study of 14 strains of Geitlerinema amphibium (Ag. ex Gom.) Anagnostidis and Geitlerinema unigranulatum (R.N. Singh) Komárek and Azevedo, coming from several localities was undertaken. Use was made of morphological data and molecular data were obtained by means of the DNA fingerprinting technique using highly iterated palindrome (HIP1) sequences. The employed morphological characteristics were those used for species taxonomic identification belonging to the Geitlerinema genus, namely, cell dimensions, shape of the apical cell, motility, number and localization of cyanophycin granules in the cell. The two species revealed as polymorphic were discriminated only by means of the average cellular diameters. In spite of this, minima and maxima values of the cellular diameters overlapped. It was found from molecular analysis that a high genetic diversity and the formation of two clusters consisted of G. amphibium and G. unigranulatum, plus a sole strain keeping itself isolated from the remaining. Also, these clusters were not related to the geographic location; they encompassed strains from water bodies distant from each other by as much as 3500 km, or Brazilian and Spanish strains. Molecular and morphological data support the possibility that G. unigranulatum could be considered a synonym for G. amphibium. HIP1 fingerprinting is a powerful tool for the study of genetic of cyanobacteria closely related taxa. This study points to the necessity of using other than morphological data in the taxonomic revision of cyanobacteria, as well as in the proposition of new taxons.
Rectangular Microstrip Patch Antenna Arrays With Inset for Cellular Phones Application

In this paper, the microstrip line fed rectangular patch antenna with inset has been designed and simulated by using ADS software in order to study the effects of various parameters on the antenna's radiation characteristics. Also, two- by-two, four-by-four, eight-by-eight and sixteen-by-sixteen microstrip patch antenna arrays has been discussed. The effect on the antenna parameters due to increasing the antenna elements (array) is observed clearly on antenna gain, directivity. This type of antenna can be used for cellular phones application.
Path Finding and Obstacle Avoidance of Autonomous Robots by Using Sonar Sensors and Heuristic Methods

Today autonomous robots are performing important tasks in different fields. While performing a task, the robot should solve the path finding problem to reach the target point, additionally to protect the survival of itself it should practice dynamic or static obstacle avoidance activity for avoiding a possible collision by using the data acquired by its sensors from the environment. In this study, a robot navigation system was developed for path finding and obstacle avoidance of robots by using sonar sensors and heuristic methods. In this context, first the environment map was created by using the image processing techniques and the camera image of the laboratory. In the navigation system, developed as a hybrid algorithm, while the path finding problem was solved with genetic algorithm, various obstacle avoidance methods were applied to avoid from dynamic obstacles. The algorithms were first simulated on MobileSim simulation environment, additionally implemented on Pioneer 3-dx mobile robot.
Efficience de différentes stratégies de détection de la Trypanosomiase Humaine Africaine àT. b. gambiense

Introduction La détection active de la Trypanosomiase Humaine Africaine (THA) se base souvent sur l'utilisation de deux tests de dépistage: la palpation ganglionnaire (PG) et le card agglutination test for trypanosomiasis (CATT). Cette analyse de décision compare l'efficience de trois stratégies alternatives pour ce dépistage: PG seul, CATT seul ou leur combinaison en parallèle (PG and CATT).