Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Channel and Location Estimation Enabled a Novel BDCNP Network for Massive MIMO VLCP Systems

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (m-MIMO) integrated visible light communication and positioning (VLCP) systems are of paramount importance to achieve the vision of next generation wireless communication networks since they can simultaneously enhance communication and positioning performance. However, since the computational complexity of channel and location estimation increases with the number of transceivers, it becomes intractable to obtain accurate channel state and location information. In turn, this significantly limits the performance gain of m-MIMO VLCP systems. To tackle this issue, a blind denoising convolutional neural and positioning (BDCNP) network is proposed to estimate both channel state information (CSI) and location in the m-MIMO VLCP system. Specifically, the BDCNP is firstly adopted to denoise the channel matrix with unknown and time-varying superimposed noise to obtain accurate CSI. Then, the location information is extracted from the estimated CSI based on the proposed network. Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed BDCNP network can simultaneously obtain accurate channel state and location information, which outperforms the existing benchmark methods with superior convergence and acceptable computational complexity.
Protein Plasma Levels of the IGF Signalling System Are Altered in Major Depressive Disorder

The Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) has been recently proven to alleviate depressive-like behaviors in both rats and mice models. However, its potential role as a peripheral biomarker has not been evaluated in depression. To do this, we measured plasma IGF-2 and other members of the IGF family such as Binding Proteins (IGFBP-1, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-5 and IGFBP-7) in a depressed group of patients (n = 51) and in a healthy control group (n = 48). In some of these patients (n = 15), we measured these proteins after a period (19 ± 6 days) of treatment with antidepressants. The Hamilton Depressive Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Self-Assessment Anhedonia Scale (SAAS) were used to measure depression severity and anhedonia, respectively. The general cognition state was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test and memory with the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT). The levels of both IGF-2 and IGFBP-7 were found to be significantly increased in the depressed group; however, only IGF-2 remained significantly elevated after correction by age and sex. On the other hand, the levels of IGF-2, IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 were significantly decreased after treatment, whereas only IGFBP-7 was significantly increased. Therefore, peripheral changes in the IGF family and their response to antidepressants might represent alterations at the brain level in depression.
Inverse Determination of Surface Heat Flux over the Yellow Sea in Winter 1986 from Sea Surface Temperature Data

Abstract An assimilation of routine sea surface temperature observations is conducted to estimate the sea surface heat flux in the Yellow Sea during the winter of 1986. Ten-day mean SST compilations, published by the Japan Meteorological Agency, are used. The time window is from 0000 Japan Local Time (JLT) 21 January to 0000 JLT 21 February 1986. Because there are only three frames of the observed temperature available for the time window, only a steady-state distribution of the heat flux is determined. A tonguelike feature of the optimized heat flux distribution is consistent with the warm SST anomaly at the center of the Yellow Sea trough. The optimized heat flux generates improved simulation of the cooling trend of the temperature time series. The variational method is the assimilation procedure employed. The developed scheme is able to optimize simultaneously the initial temperature condition and the sea surface heat flux without a priori knowledge of either. A coarse-resolution Hessian is used to eva.
The δ13C in benthic foraminiferal tests of Fontbotia wuellerstorfi (Schwager) Relative to the δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon in Southern Ocean Deep Water: Implications for glacial ocean circulation models

On a transect between 20° and 70°S in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Weddell Sea, water samples from 19 hydrographic stations and bottom water from 55 surface sediment samples taken with a multiple corer were investigated for the stable carbon isotopic composition of the total dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13CΣCO2). These measurements were compared to δ13C values determined on live specimens of the benthic foraminifer Fontbotia wuellerstorfi and closely related genera from the same stations. In addition, at 16 stations the stable carbon isotope composition of sedimentary organic carbon was measured. General deepwater and bottom-water mass circulation patterns as inferred from the δ13CΣCO2 are in close agreement with those known from other nonconservative tracers. Very low δ13C values of upper Circumpolar Deep Water (<0.3‰ Pee Dee belemnite (PDB)) in the Polar Front region and the eastern limb of the Weddell gyre coincide with nutrient maxima. However, a significant decoupling of the dissolved phosphate signal from the δ13CΣCO2 signal is indicated in the abyssal Weddell Sea. We attribute this to temperature-dependent fractionation processes during gas exchange of surface waters with the atmosphere at sites of bottom-water formation. Multiple corer water from the sediment/water interface is slightly δ13C depleted relative to deepwater and bottom-water δ13ΣCO2. The surface sediment organic carbon δ13C is 3 to 4‰ lower south of the Polar Front than north of it, and the δ13Corg in freshly accumulated phytodetritus is 3 to 4‰ lower than surface sediment organic carbon δ13C. Comparison of live F. wuellerstorfi δ13C and related genera with bottom-water δ13CΣCO2 exhibits at most stations between the Subtropical Front (≈41°S) and the southern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (≈55°S) a significant lowering of foraminiferal δ13C values. Compilation of a mean last glacial/interglacial δ13C amplitude (Δδ13C) from six published southern ocean cores results in a shift of −0.99± 0.13‰ PDB; this shift is greater than that in all other regions. However, all of these cores are from positions close to Recent oceanic fronts. Thus, for these peripheral areas of the southern ocean, we suggest about half of the glacial/interglacial shift can be explained by varying frontal zone positions and widths accompanied by a change in mode and height of export production.
The Rainfall Sensitivity of Tropical Net Primary Production in CMIP5 Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Simulations*

AbstractIn this study, the authors used the relationship between mean annual rainfall (MAR) and net primary production (NPP) (MAR–NPP) observed in tropical forests to evaluate the performance (twentieth century) and predictions (twenty-first century) of tropical NPP from 10 earth system models (ESMs) from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Over the tropical forest domain most of the CMIP5 models showed a positive correlation between NPP and MAR similar to observations. The GFDL, CESM1, CCSM4, and Beijing Normal University (BNU) models better represented the observed MAR–NPP relationship. Compared with observations, the models were able to reproduce the seasonality of rainfall over areas with long dry seasons, but NPP seasonality was difficult to evaluate given the limited observations. From 2006 to 2100, for representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) (and most RCP4.5 simulations) all models projected increases in NPP, but these increases occurred at different rates. By th.
A competition framework for fixation-preference in strabismus

Strabismic subjects often develop the ability to fixate on a target with either eye. Previous studies have shown that fixation-preference behavior varies systematically depending on spatial location of the target. We hypothesized that, when an eccentric target is presented, oculomotor fixation-preference in strabismus may be accounted for in a competitive decision framework wherein the brain must choose between two possible retinal errors to prepare a conjugate saccade that results in one of the eyes acquiring the eccentric target. We tested this framework by recording from visuo-motor neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) of two strabismic rhesus macaque monkeys as they performed a delayed saccade task under binocular viewing conditions. In one experiment, visual targets were presented at one of two locations corresponding to the neuronal receptive field location with respect to either the viewing or the deviated eye. Robust visual sensory responses were observed when targets were presented at either location indicating the presence of competing sensory signals for eye-choice. In a second experiment, a single visual target was placed at the neuronal receptive field location where the animal switched fixation on some trials and did not on other trials. At such target locations where either eye could acquire the target, both visual and build-up activity was greater in trials when the saccade encoded by the neuron “won. ” These findings provide evidence for the influence of visual suppression within SC sensory activity and support the possible utilization of a competition framework, one that has been previously described for when a binocularly aligned animal chooses from among multiple targets, to drive fixation-preference behavior in strabismus.
THE MIDDLE EOCENE CLIMATIC OPTIMUM (MECO) IMPACT ON THE BENTHIC AND PLANKTIC FORAMINIFERAL RESILIENCE FROM A SHALLOW-WATER SEDIMENTARY RECORD

We present here new quantitative analyses of planktic and benthic foraminifera to assess the impact of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO, ~40 Ma) on these biotic groups studied along a shallow-water succession rich in larger benthic foraminifera (Sealza, Liguria, NW Italy). The MECO is one of the major Eocene global warming events, characterized by ~4–6°C warming, shifts in the global carbon cycle, and rise in atmospheric pCO2. The Sealza succession is interpreted as the product of a drowning ramp influenced by tectonic activity and provides an exceptional chance to compare biotic variations in shallow-water assemblages with deep-water communities across the MECO. In the section, the MECO interval is tentatively constrained by stable isotope oxygen data and calcareous plankton biostratigraphy. The marked decline in abundance of the epifaunal benthic Cibicidoides across the lower-middle part of the MECO suggests a decrease in oxygenation at the seafloor. Further evidence of oxygen depletion is the increase in organic matter content (TOC) of the sediment and the presence of infaunal genera Uvigerina and Bolivina. The planktic foraminiferal assemblages record the MECO warming in the upper water column as the mixed-layer warm index genera Acarinina and Morozovelloides markedly increase in abundance. In the post-MECO interval, here poorly exposed, cooler conditions are indicated by the dominance of the cold-water index genus Subbotina. Remarkably, Acarinina decline in abundance in the upper MECO interval and never recover. The MECO perturbance permanently impacted the benthic and planktic communities at Sealza that exceeded the tipping point to move to a new regime, thus proving the fauna to be not resilient, but also not recording any extinctions.
Field Test and Numerical Simulation of Tidal Bore Pressures on Sheet-Pile Groin in Qiantang River

A field test of bore pressures on a sheet-pile groin in the Qiantang River was carried out to investigate the characteristics of tidal bore pressures in which temporal and spatial distributions of bore pressures on the sheet-pile groin were obtained through the test. The standard turbulence model was used to simulate the propagation of the tidal bore over a sheet-pile groin with the free surface tracked by the volume of fluid (VOF) method. With the simulated bore pressure over the sheet-pile groin, a finite difference method was used to simulate the dynamic response of the sheet-pile groin subjected to bore pressures. Good agreement between the field test and the simulated results validated the present numerical method. It was found that the bore pressures on the sheet-pile groin varied linearly in the vertical direction and obtained maximum value at the still water level. Bore pressures below the still water level decreased slightly with the depth and were characterized by a trapezoidal distribution.
Effect of Regional Marine Cloud Brightening Interventions on Climate Tipping Elements

It has been proposed that increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) driven climate tipping point risks may prompt consideration of solar radiation modification (SRM) climate intervention to reduce those risks. Here, we study marine cloud brightening (MCB) SRM interventions in three subtropical oceanic regions using Community Earth System Model 2 experiments. We assess the MCB impact on tipping element‐related metrics to estimate the extent to which such interventions might reduce tipping element risks. Both the pattern and magnitude of the MCB cooling depend strongly on location of the MCB intervention. We find the MCB cooling effect reduces most tipping element impacts; though differences in MCB versus GHG climate response patterns mean MCB is an imperfect remedy. However, MCB applied in certain regions may exacerbate certain GHG tipping element impacts. Thus, it is crucial to carefully consider the pattern of MCB interventions and their teleconnected responses to avoid unintended climate effects.
Survival of Fecal Indicator Bacteria on Pervious Environmental Surfaces

Because of difficulties in the measurement of sewage-borne pathogens, the microbiological quality of water is typically characterized and regulated on the basis of indicator species. These organisms are assumed to derive from a common source with pathogens of interest, and to arrive in, survive in, and move through watershed environments in numbers that sufficiently correlate to those pathogens to provide meaningful information concerning health risks. Commonly used fecal indicator bacteria (FIBs, notably E. coli, and Enterococcus spp.), however, may derive from sources other than sewage, and survive in the (non-enteric) environment at rates divergent from those of the pathogens they are presumed to indicate. Reliance on the use of FIBs to manage microbiological risk of environmental waters would be better informed by knowledge of the non-sewage contributions of FIBs to stormwater runoff. In an ongoing effort to model background (i.e. of nonhuman origin) discharges of indicator species from stormwater source areas, results of a (2 5 ) study into environmental factors relevant to survival (modeled as a log-linear segmented relationship with unknown breakpoints) of E. coli and Enterococci on pervious (soil) surfaces over extended time is presented. BACKGROUND Field and Samadpour (2007) provide a critical review of both the “indicator paradigm” (our current reliance on fecal indicator bacteria, FIBs) and an alternative monitoring regimen utilizing fecal source tracking (FST) methods as frameworks for determining and monitoring the biological quality of surface waters and the risks they present. While noting the inadequate state of the art for direct measurements of pathogens, the authors find deficiencies in the correlations of FIBs to specific pathogens, and of FIBs to epidemiological measures of human health. They ascribe the deficiencies in the indicator paradigm to its inability to identify the source hosts of environmental FIBs. Landscape survival of FIBs and the ratio of FIBs to human pathogens deposited on the landscape are dependent on the source of the feces. More specifically, though zoonotic infections from non-human sources occur, correlation between human health threat and FIB presence suffers when major fecal sources
An EMG-Based Biofeedback System for Tailored Interventions Involving Distributed Muscles

Electromyography (EMG)-based biofeedback has considerable potential as a mode of therapeutic exercise for individuals with motor impairments. Advances in technology now allow the delivery of biofeedback with cheap, compact computers, and sensors. Reliable machine learning classification of EMG signals in real time, which is a core component of many biofeedback systems, is also now easily accessible through various open-source software libraries. Despite this progress and the attention garnered by EMG biofeedback among researchers, broad clinical acceptance remains elusive. We aim to open this technology to a broader audience by proposing an accessible standard approach to the design and implementation of EMG-based biofeedback systems. We highlight important considerations when designing a system to deliver potent biofeedback, including maximizing motivation, minimizing constraints on sensor number or configuration, and maximizing replicability by other researchers. Based on relevant neuroscientific and technical literature, we recommend methods and procedures by which these goals can be achieved. Finally, we create and test a biofeedback system in a sample of both healthy and motor impaired volunteers. We found that the EMG biofeedback system supported accurate and stable control by healthy and impaired users, and could be implemented with minimal access to coding expertise and an off-the-shelf EMG device. This work expands awareness of effective design principles for EMG biofeedback systems and will advance the state-of-the-art in this field.
The Effect of Organizational Cultures on Relationships between IT Governance and Individual Behavior

Background: Organizations allocate substantial resources to Information Technology (IT) to ensure its long-term success. Hence, effective IT Governance (ITG) is crucial for business/IT alignment. However, factors like employee behavior and Organizational Culture (OC) play vital roles in applying ITG but remain underexplored. Objectives: This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the relationship between ITG and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). Additionally, it investigates the moderating effect of different cultures in the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) on the ITG-OCB relationship. Methods/Analysis: A survey was conducted involving 513 employees from over 150 companies worldwide. The data were analyzed using partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: This study confirms that institutionalizing ITG enhances OCB. Furthermore, a moderating effect was observed in most relationships, highlighting the influence of different OC types. Market and hierarchy cultures exhibited the most significant moderating effect. Novelty: This research contributes to the understanding of ITG's impact on employee behavior, extending the investigation to new dimensions of OCB and confirming the moderating role of OC. The practical implications of this study enable organizations to foster a culture that promotes ITG and cultivates employees' OCB, leading to improved business-IT alignment, enhanced IT-enabled value, and, ultimately, enhanced organizational effectiveness. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-05-010 Full Text: PDF
A Literature Review on Research Opportunities in Ontology Alignment for Quality Standards in Higher Education

Higher education today operates in a globally competitive environment. Competition is increasingly focused on quality. The quality of higher education reflects the relationship of higher education with users. Higher education uses various standards in the internal quality assurance system. It makes improvements in performance, features, suitability, reliability, durability, service, responsiveness, aesthetics, and reputation to support the progress of the quality of its performance. Implementing standards requires excellent effort because it requires quality fulfillment, and the satisfaction of each standard criterion requires internal and external audit processes. Standard alignment is needed for cost efficiency in implementing standards. Standard alignment can be done with ontology alignment technology. However, before applying ontology alignment, each ontology standard is needed. This study aims to explore literature that has implemented ontology and ontology alignment in education. This study aims to find out whether there has been research on the alignment of educational quality standards. The results of this study show that ontology has been applied in education, namely on the topics of curriculum, e-learning, learning assessment, system integration, syllabus, learning style, service, and accreditation. The implementation of ontology alignment has been carried out on the topics of Profile Learning, Learning Design, E-Learning, Curriculum, and System Integration. While the application of ontology or ontology alignment on educational quality standards has yet to be found by research that discusses it, quality standards have been applied to quality management models based on ISO 9000 requirements and software quality standards based on CMMI standards.
Predicting stream water temperature with artificial neural networks based on open‐access data

Predictions of stream water temperature are an important tool for assessing potential impacts of climate warming on aquatic ecosystems and for prioritizing targeted adaptation and mitigation measures. Since predictions require reliable baseline data, we assessed whether open‐access data can serve as a suitable resource for accurate and reliable water temperature prediction using artificial neural networks (ANNs). For this purpose, we trained and tested ANNs in 16 small ( ≤1m3s ) headwater streams of major types located in Bavaria, Germany. Between four and eight different combinations of input parameters were trained and tested for each stream ANN, based on data availability. These were air temperature (mean, minimum and maximum), day of the year, discharge, water level and sunshine duration per day. We found that the input combination with the highest accuracy (lowest RMSE) was stream‐specific, suggesting that the optimal input combination cannot be generalized across streams. Using a reasonable, but random, input combination resulted in an increase in error (RMSE) of up to >100% compared to the stream‐specific optimal combination. Hence, we conclude that the accuracy of water temperature prediction strongly depends on the availability of open‐access input data. We also found that environmental parameters such as hydrological characteristics and the proportion of land use in the 5 m riparian strip and the entire catchment are important drivers, affecting the accuracy and reliability of ANNs. ANNs' prediction accuracy was strongly negatively related to river length, total catchment area and water level. High proportions of semi‐natural and forested land cover correlated with a higher accuracy, while open‐canopy land use types such as grassland were negatively associated with ANN accuracy. In conclusion, open‐access data were found to be suitable for accurate and reliable predictions of water temperature using ANNs. However, we recommend incorporating stream‐specific environmental information and tailor the combination of input parameters to individual streams in order to obtain optimal results.
Heavy residues from some upper Cretaceous sediments at Gingin, Western Australia

ABSTRACT The mineralogy of specimens of greensand, chalk, and sandstone from the Upper Cretaceous sediments at Gingin, 50 miles north of Perth, Western Australia are described. The heavy detrital minerals occurring in these sediments are: magnetite, ilmenite, leucoxene, zircon, tourmaline, rutile, kyanite, sillimanite, staurolite, andalusite, garnet, amphibole, epidote, zoisite, sphene, spinel, monazite, biotite, and anatase. This assemblage has been derived from the pre-Cambrian shield to the east of Gingin. The conditions of deposition of the greensands and chalk are discussed, and mechanical analyses of the greensands are given.