Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Tales from the darkside”: The role of the extractive industries in the Rebus novels

En tant que romans policiers qui mettent l’accent sur les procedures liees aux metiers de la police, les romans de la serie des Rebus de Ian Rankin correspondent a la definition convenue de la FASP. Cependant, les investigations touchent souvent d’autres professions et secteurs d’activite, ce qui nous permet de les considerer du point de vue de l’intersection de leurs differents substrats professionnels. Cette communication cherche a explorer le role des industries petrolieres et charbonnieres, qui revetent une importance toute particuliere, ayant faconne non seulement l’evolution personnelle et creative de l’auteur, mais aussi le contexte national et sociopolitique dans lequel les romans s’inscrivent. Nous avons surtout l’intention d’examiner la maniere dont la representation des industries extractives genere des motifs de dissimulation et de revelation, de superficialite et de profondeur qui ont une resonance particuliere face a la description des investigations policieres menees par Rebus, qui se caracterisent souvent par la mise au jour de verites sombres. De surcroit, en rattachant ces themes aux sources d’energie qui sont determinantes dans le developpement du monde industrialise, et dans l’histoire de l’Ecosse depuis les annees 1970, les romans soulignent les liens entre des enjeux commerciaux, politiques et sociaux. De cette maniere, les romans de la serie Rebus incarnent une tradition litteraire ecossaise moderne qui reaffirme la subordination de la societe moderne aux forces economiques. Cependant, en reinscrivant ces romans au sein d’une tradition litteraire ou les industries extractives ont toujours ete tres presentes, il est possible de nous interroger sur la pertinence ici de l’appellation de FASP. A la place, nous constatons que les memes questionnements socioeconomiques mis en rapport avec des thematiques professionnelles semblables sont partages par nombre d’œuvres de fiction ecossaise au sein d’un continuum qui passe du roman policer commercial a des œuvres plus exigeantes de litterature experimentale.
Insect egg size and shape evolve with ecology, not developmental rate

The evolution of organism size is hypothesized to be predicted by a combination of development, morphological constraints, and ecological pressures. However, tests of these predictions using phylogenetic methods have been limited by taxon sampling. To overcome this limitation, we generated a database of more than ten thousand observations of insect egg size and shape from the entomological literature and combined them with published genetic and novel life-history datasets. This enabled us to perform phylogenetic tests of long-standing predictions in size evolution across hexapods. Here we show that across eight orders of magnitude in egg volume variation, the relationship between egg shape and size itself evolves, such that predicted universal patterns of scaling do not adequately explain egg shape diversity. We test the hypothesized relationship between size and development, and show that egg size is not correlated with developmental rate across insects, and that for many insects egg size is not correlated with adult body size either. Finally, we show that the evolution of parasitism and aquatic oviposition both help to explain the diversification of egg size and shape across the insect evolutionary tree. Our study challenges assumptions about the evolutionary constraints on egg morphology, suggesting that where eggs are laid, rather than universal mathematical allometric constants, underlies egg size and shape evolution.
Eastern Mediterranean Quaternary paleoclimates from pollen and isotope records of marine cores in the Nile Cone Area

Pollen spectra from three eastern Mediterranean cores have been used to document the paleoclimates of the Levantine Basin borderlands over the last 250 kyr to establish the relationship between this regional climate data set and the global climate as recorded by foraminiferal δ18O and to compare it with proximal land pollen records. Core MD 84 642 with eight sapropels covers the last two climatic cycles up to the early Holocene, MD 84 627 with four sapropels goes back to 125 kyr, and MD 84 629 with one sapropel covers the last 70 kyr. The sedimentation rate decreases from core 629, located at the shallowest depth beneath the Nile River plume, to cores 627 and 642. During the interglacials defined by a low 18O/16O ratio, the abundance of tree pollen is maximum and points to an optimum Mediterranean climate with greatest humidity, including some summer rainfall. During glacial maxima, with highest 18O/16O ratio, the pollen abundance is high for steppe and semidesert plants and low for trees, indicating a definitely more arid, more continental, and probably colder climate. The variations of pollen abundance occur in phase with those of the foraminifer δ18O record. This signifies that the regional climate of the Levantine Basin borderlands had the same temporal pattern as the global ice volume documented by the ice volume curve.
Observations of the ion signatures of double merging and the formation of newly closed field lines

Observations from the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) on the Polar spacecraft, taken during a period of northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) show magnetosheath ions within the magnetosphere with velocity distributions resulting from two widely separated (∼30 RE) merging sites along the same field lines. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that double merging can produce closed field lines populated by solar wind plasma under northward IMF. While the merging sites cannot be unambiguously located, the directions of the flowing magnetosheath populations and the convection of merged field lines are consistent with locations of two merging sites northward of the spacecraft and the analyses favor one site poleward of the northern cusp and a second site at lower latitudes equatorward of the northern cusp.
Out-of-Sample Equity Premium Prediction: Economic Fundamentals Vs. Moving-Average Rules

This paper analyzes the ability of both economic variables and moving-average rules to forecast the monthly U.S. equity premium using out-of-sample tests for 1960? 2008. Both approaches provide statistically and economically significant out-of-sample forecasting gains, which are concentrated in U.S. business-cycle recessions. Nevertheless, economic variables and moving-average rules capture different sources of equity premium fluctuations: moving average rules detect the decline in the average equity premium early in recessions, while economic variables more readily pick up the rise in the average equity premium later in recessions. When we simulate data with a habit-formation model characterized by time-varying return volatility and risk aversion relating to business-cycle fluctuations, we find that this model cannot fully account for the out-of-sample forecasting gains in the actual data evidenced by economic variables and moving-average rules.
Impact of urban form on transport and economic outcomes

Urban form describes the physical shape and settlement/land use patterns of cities and towns. This research addressed two key questions: 1) How urban form impacts on transport and economic outcomes and 2) How regional and local council planning policies can contribute to a more efficient and durable urban form. We found that urban form has modest impacts on transport outcomes, through reductions in vehicle ownership and drive mode share. On the other hand, urban form was found to have relatively large impacts on economic outcomes, primarily by virtue of its impacts on agglomeration economies. Several promising areas of further research have been identified that would seek to strengthen and deepen our understanding of the linkages between urban form, transport, and economic outcomes.
How China's Approved Destination Status policy spurs and hinders Chinese travel abroad.

China’s “Approved Destination Status (ADS) policy allows citizens of mainland China to take pleasure trips abroad on group package tours to countries that have negotiated and implemented agreements with China. In this paper, we examine the reasons for this unique preferential and incremental travel liberalization system and how it affects mainland Chinese outbound pleasure travel.
Managing Volunteers in Tourism: Attractions, destinations and events

Introduction. Dimensions of Volunteering in the Tourism Industry: The Value of Volunteers to Tourism. Managing Volunteers within Tourism. Planning a Volunteer Programme. Recruitment and Selection. Training and Development. Motivation and Reward. Turnover and Retention. Managing Diversity. Case Studies in Tourism Volunteering: Volunteer Tourism. Museums and Heritage Attractions - Australia Museum and National Trust in Japan. Parks and Recreation - North American National Parks Programme. Conservation - BTCV and Wildlife Programme. Facilitating the Tourism Infrastructure - Visitor Information Centres/Guides. Mega Events - Melbourne Commonwealth Games (and Athens Olympics). Sports Events. Cultural Events and Festivals: New Zealand Festivals. Conclusions: The Future of Volunteering in Tourism
Review of applications of wavelets in speckle reduction and enhancement of SAR images

Wavelets have become a popular tool in many research areas because of the combination of a nice theoretical foundation and promising applications. The theoretical foundation reveals new insights and has thrown a new light on several application areas. One of the applications is speckle reduction and enhancement of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The use of wavelet thresholding as noise reduction method is based on the following properties: Wavelet transformation creates a sparse signal (because of the decorrelation property of the transform); noise is spread out equally over all wavelet transform coefficients; noise level is not too high and thus signal wavelet transformation coefficients can be recognized. In this paper, we will review the use of wavelet,translation invariant wavelet, almost translation invariant wavelet (complex wavelet), and multi-wavelet transformations in speckle reduction of SAR images. Several nonlinear thresholding functions, i.e., hard, soft, adaptive sigmoid, and a function based on generalized cross validation are investigated and compared in experiments.
Latent tri-lineage potential of human menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells revealed by speci�c in vitro culture conditions

Human menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MenSCs) have become not only an important source of stromal cells for cell therapy but also a cellular source for neurologic disorders in vitro modeling. By using culture protocols originally developed in our laboratory, we show that MenSCs can be converted into �oating neurospheres (NSs) using the Fast-N-Spheres medium for 24-72h, and can be transdifferentiated into functional dopaminergic-like (DALNs, ~26% TH+/DAT+ �ow cytometry) and cholinergic-like neurons (ChLNs, ~46% ChAT+/VAChT �ow cytometry) which responded to dopamine- and acetylcholine- triggered neuronal Ca 2+ inward stimuli when cultured with the NeuroForsk and the Cholinergic-N-Run medium , respectively in a timely fashion (i.e., 4-7 days). Here, we also report a direct transdifferentiation method to induce MenSCs into functional astrocyte-like cells (ALCs) by incubation of MenSCs in commercial Gibco® Astrocyte Medium in 7-days. The MSCs-derived ALCs (~59% GFAP+/S100b+) were found to respond to glutamate-induced Ca 2+ inward stimuli. Altogether these results show that MenSCs are a reliable source to obtain functional neurogenic cells to further investigate the neurobiology of neurologic disorders. Flow cytometry (FC) analysis of astrocytic, dopaminergic, and cholinergic ChLNs (i.e., -40% reduction). These observations suggest that MSCs from UC are more e�cient to produce ChLNs than MenSCs derived from MenB. However, MenSCs-derived ChLNs responded faster to ACh stimulus (maximal (DF/F) cytoplasmic (Ca 2+ ) i elevation at day 7 after 10s) than WJ-MSCs-derived ChLNs (maximal (DF/F) cytoplasmic (Ca 2+ ) i elevation at day 7 after 40s).
Data stacking methods for isolation of normal‐mode singlets of Earth's free oscillation: Extensions, comparisons, and applications

We review three data stacking methods developed for attaining the splitting parameters of normal modes of the Earth's free oscillation, namely, SHS (spherical harmonic stacking), OSE (optimal sequence estimation), and MSE (multistation experiment), that take advantage of the spatial orthogonality of the (scalar and vector) spherical harmonic functions. We further extend these methods to broader applicability as appropriate, in particular SHS extended to matrix‐SHS (MSHS) to better accounting for the nonglobal distribution of recording stations, and OSE and MSE extended to transverse components and arbitrary harmonic degrees. We conduct synthetic numerical experiments and conclude that OSE and MSHS stackings yield superior results. Based on the lessons learned, we apply the methods on real global seismic records after the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and report the complete resolution of all singlets for 13 selected multiplets: 8 are mantle‐sensitive (1S2, 0S4, 1S4, 0S5, 0S6, 1T2, 0T4, and 0T6) and 5 inner‐core sensitive and of anomalous splitting (13S2, 10S2, 2S3, 3S2, and 11S1), among them the singlet resolution of 1T2, 0T4, 10S2, 2S3, 3S2, and 11S1 are reported for the first time.
Clinical Application of Non‐Contrast‐Enhanced Dixon Water‐Fat Separation Compressed SENSE Whole‐Heart Coronary MR Angiography at 3.0 T With and Without Nitroglycerin

3.0 T non‐contrast‐enhanced nitroglycerin (NTG)‐assisted whole‐heart coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) employing Dixon water‐fat separation and compressed SENSE (CS‐SENSE) acceleration is a promising method for diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD).
Understanding gravity gradients—a tutorial

The use of gravity gradient (GG) data in exploration is becoming more common. However, interpretation of gravity gradient data is not as easy as the familiar vertical gravity data. For a given source, regardless of its simplicity, gravity gradients often produce a complex pattern of anomalies (single, doublet, triplet, or quadruplet) as compared to the simple single (monopolar) gravity anomalies. This paper is a minitutorial on gravity gradients and is designed to provide a simple explanation of the complex pattern of GG anomalies and suggest some guidelines for the interpretation of measured surface GG data.
Role of endogenous cardiotonic steroids in sodium homeostasis

Consumption of an excess of salt over many years leads to arterial hypertension [1]. This process is accompanied by the activation of a great number of genes involved in the remodelling and hypertrophy of the heart, kidneys and the wall of the arteries. These sodium-induced alterations lead to a higher incidence of stroke, greater stiffness of conduit arteries and enhanced activity of resistance arteries [1–3]. Increased uptake of sodium from the diet may not, in some persons, affect the levels of circulating renin, angiotensin and norepinephrine in blood plasma and increase the urinary secretion of sodium, potassium and calcium [4]. Sodium sensors [5] and natriuretic hormones must be involved in the control of the body’s sodium content [6,7]. Defects in this control mechanism induced by an altered gene expression pattern in different organs may explain why excess sodium consumption is toxic [2]. The recently discovered new class of endogenous cardiotonic steroid hormones involved in the control of heart function, vasoconstriction and kidney function seems to shed new light on the sodium toxic mechanisms that are more prominent in situations such as kidney failure and uraemic cardiomyopathy. The identification of new mechanisms inducing arterial hypertension may also open up the possibility of new therapeutic approaches [8,9]. The search for an additional natriuretic hormone involved in low-renin hypertension was initiated [6,10,11] because the existence of such an hormone was evident and not all of the Na+-related effects on the control of fluid volume and osmolality by the kidney, the circulatory system and the heart could be explained [7,12,13]. Hence, the idea evolved that a circulating inhibitor of the sodium pump of renal tubular cells might exist. Such a substance should act like an endogenous digitalis [13]. In fact, a close correlation between blood pressure and the concentration of a circulating inhibitor of the sodium pump in human blood plasma was
PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SERVICE SECTOR

Un fenomeno observado en la practica totalidad de las economias occidentales ha sido el distinto ritmo de avance, tanto de la productividad de trabajo como de la productividad total de los factores, en el sector servicios y en el de las manufacturas. El crecimiento mas lento del primero se ha explicado acudiendo a distintas razones, entre las cuales caben destacar los siguientes: problemas conceptuales y de medida; el mas bajo potencial de los servicios para incorporar nuevas tecnologias; y la mayor proteccion de los servicios frente a la competencia tanto internacional como nacional. El documento se centra en los problemas teoricos de medida que plantean las convenciones estadisticas adaptadas por los paises y en la descripcion de los desarrollos mas recientes en la medida del output. Estos desarrollos tienen como objetivo prioritario la medicion de los cambios en la calidad, bien a traves de la utilizacion de indeces hedonicos de precios (hedonic price indexes) 6 bien midiendo los cambios en calidad en terminos de sus efectos sobre el bienestar haciendo uso de la teoria de la demanda de caracteristicas. El documento concluye con la enumeracion de los problemas pendientes que deben figurar de forma prioritaria en la agenda de trabajo de la OCDE An observed phenomenon in practically 41 westem countries has been the different evolution rhythm of the work productivity as well as of the total factor productivity in the service and manufacturing sectors. The view and measure problems, the lower potential of the services in incorporating new technologies and the greater protection of the services against international and national competition stand out as the main reasons, amongst others, assessed to the growth slowdown of the work productivity. The paper concentrates on the theoretical problems of measure posed by the adopted statistical conventions and the description of the fresher developments in the measure of the output. The main purpose of these developments is the measure of the changes in quality, either by means of the use of hedonic price indexes or measuring the changes in terms of their effect on the welfare making use of the characteristics demand theory. The paper finishes enumerating the pending problems which should take pnority in the work agenda of the OECD researchers.
Late Pleistocene variability of Arabian Sea summer monsoon winds and continental aridity: Eolian records from the lithogenic component of deep‐sea sediments

The modern Indian Ocean summer monsoon is driven by differential heating between the Asian continent and the Indian Ocean to the south. This differential heating produces a strong pressure gradient which drives southwest monsoon winds during June, July, and August. Satellite and meteorological observations, aerosol measurements, sediment trap studies, and mineralogical studies indicate an atmospheric mode of transport for modern lithogenic sediments in the northwest Arabian Sea. Analyses of lithogenic grain size and mass accumulation rate (MAR) records from the Owen Ridge indicate that eolian transport has been the primary mode of transport for the past 370 kyr. Visual inspection shows that the MAR record is positively correlated with global ice volume as indicated by the marine δ18O record. In contrast, the grain-size record varies at a much higher frequency, showing little correlation to either the MAR or the δ18O records. Spectral analyses confirm these relationships, indicating that the lithogenic grain-size and MAR records are coherent only over the precession band whereby the grain size leads the MAR by 124° (∼8 kyr). We conclude that an eolian transport mechanism is the only mechanism that allows for this phase difference and at the same time is supported by comparison of the grain size and MAR with independent eolian records. We use lithogenic grain size as a paleoclimatic indicator of summer monsoon wind strength and lithogenic MAR as a paleoclimatic indicator of source-area aridity. These interpretations are supported by comparison of the lithogenic records to independent indicators of wind strength (Globigerina bulloides upwelling record) and aridity (a loess record from central China). Such comparisons indicate high coherence and zero phase relationships. Our work supports the findings of previous studies which have documented the link between monsoon strength and the Earth's axial precession cycles. Both the lithogenic MAR and the grain-size records have high coherency with precessional insolation. Maximum lithogenic MAR (source-area aridity) is in phase with δ18O (global ice volume) and leads maximum precessional insolation by 88° (∼6 kyr). We attribute this lead to the influence of glacial conditions on the aridity, and therefore the deflation potential, of the source areas. Maximum lithogenic grain size (summer monsoon wind strength) lags maximum precession by 148° (∼9 kyr). We attribute this lag both to the influence of global and/or local ice volume and to the availability of latent heat from the southern hemisphere Indian Ocean, the two of which combine to determine the strength of the Indian Ocean monsoon.
Scattering of light by a large, densely-packed agglomerate of small silica spheres

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Scattering of light by a large, densely-packed agglomerate of small silica spheres T. Väisänen, J. Markkanen, Edith Hadamcik, Jean-Baptiste Renard, Jérémy Lasue, Anny Chantal Levasseur-Regourd, J. Blum, K. Muinonen
Registration of LIDAR and optical images using multiple geometric features

This paper describes an algorithm framework for registration of airborne based laser scanning data (LIDAR) and optical images by using multiple types of geometric features. The technique utilizes 2D/3D correspondences between points and lines, and it could easily be extended to general features. In generalized point photogrammetry, all lines and curves are consists of points, which could be describe in collinear equation, so it could represent all kinds of homogeneous features in an uniform framework. For many overlapping images in a block, the images are registered to the laser data by the hybrid block adjustment based on an integrated optimization procedure. In addition to the theoretical method , the paper presents a experimental analysis the sensitivity and robustness of this approach
Determination of clouds motion characteristics in the atmosphere with lidar and digital cameras

This article gives a short overview to the modified algorithm of cloud fields images processing generated by digital camera. The article shows that the simultaneous measurement of the low bound of clouds with LIDAR allows to determine the direction and speed of the clouds movement at the LIDAR installation point. Also the articles provides the example of the clouds speed estimation based on experimental data.