Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rethinking the Resource Curse: Natural Resources and Polywar in the Ituri District, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Author(s): Fahey, Dan | Advisor(s): Peluso, Nancy L | Abstract: AbstractRethinking the Resource Curse:Natural Resources and Polywar in the Ituri District, Democratic Republic of the CongoByDan FaheyDoctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science, Policy and ManagementUniversity of California, BerkeleyProfessor Nancy Peluso, ChairThis dissertation examines the people, events and processes that contributed to the onset and duration of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a focus on armed conflict in northeast Congo's Ituri district. Building upon theories about the typology of war and critically engaging literature that depicts Congo's wars as civil wars, I argue that war in Congo was a polywar of numerous internal and international conflicts taking place in the same geographic area. The concept of polywar helps to make sense of how several disparate armed conflicts coalesced in 1996 to produce a regional war that absorbed pre-existing conflicts and spawned new wars. One such new war started in June 1999, when a relatively minor dispute in Ituri escalated into a major war that killed 60,000 people before it ended in November 2007.Two natural resources - gold and land - figured prominently in war in Ituri, although in ways anomalous to conceptions of the resource curse equating resource abundance with increased risk of civil war. I argue that Ugandan interests in Ituri's gold were more important than internal Congolese interests in explaining the onset of the second Congo war in 1998, while land disputes were tangential to the local struggles for political and economic power that produced the brutal inter-communal "war within the war" in 1999 in Ituri. This dissertation provides new insights into how local, regional, and international interests in natural resources can contribute to the onset and duration of war.This dissertation demonstrates how historical patterns of governance over people, territory, and mineral resources intersected with more recent struggles for political and economic power to produce war. The interaction of space, natural resources, and power helped to launch and to sustain war in Congo and in Ituri, but these links also provide insights into ways to transform conflict to produce peace and security for the Iturian and Congolese people.
Finite‐Fault Simulation of Broadband Strong Ground Motion from the 2010 Mw 7.0 Haiti Earthquake

Abstract Because of the socioeconomic environment in the small island nation of Haiti, no seismic recording stations were operating in the source region at the time of the 2010 M w 7.0 earthquake. The lack of strong motion instruments has hindered the estimation of the amplitude, duration, and frequency content of the ground shaking caused by the seismic event. In this study, synthetic broadband strong ground motions are generated in the vicinity of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The low‐frequency components of the synthetic motions are simulated using a slip model compatible with seismological observations, geologic field data, and space geodetic measurements. The computations are carried out using the discrete wavenumber representation method and the generalized transmission and reflection coefficient technique. The high‐frequency ground‐motion components are generated using the stochastic modeling approach and the specific barrier model. The two independently derived ground‐motion components are subsequently combined using matched filtering at a crossover frequency of 1 Hz to generate broadband ground‐motion time histories and response spectra for the city of Port‐au‐Prince and other sites in the vicinity of the earthquake. Finally, the synthetic strong ground motions are compared against peak ground‐motion estimates inferred from the U.S. Geologic Survey ShakeMap of peak ground accelerations, ground‐motion prediction equations, and observed structural damage. The synthetic time histories and response spectra generated in this study should be seen as plausible, but not necessarily unique, ground motions that capture the primary features of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
News about Aggregate Demand and the Business Cycle ∗

We show that an otherwise standard one-sector real business cycle model with variable capital utilization and mild increasing returns-to-scale is able to generate qualitatively as well as quantitatively realistic aggregate fluctuations driven by news shocks to future consumption demand. In sharp contrast to many studies in the existing expectationsdriven business cycle literature, our results do not rely on non-separable preferences or investment adjustment costs.
Scaling, Universality, and Geomorphology

Theories of scaling apply wherever similarity exists across many scales. This similarity may be found in geometry and in dynamical processes. Universality arises when the qualitative character of a system is sufficient to quantitatively predict its essential features, such as the exponents that characterize scaling laws. Within geomorphology, two areas where the concepts of scaling and universality have found application are the geometry of river networks and the statistical structure of topography. We begin this review with a pedagogical presentation of scaling and universality. We then describe recent progress made in applying these ideas to networks and topography. This overview leads to a synthesis that attempts a classification of surface and network properties based on generic mechanisms and geometric constraints. We also briefly review how scaling and universality have been applied to related problems in sedimentology—specifically, the origin of stromatolites and the relation of the statistical pro.
Deep and intermediate layer warming in the western Mediterranean: Water mass changes and heaving

Temperature and salinity have increased in the Western Mediterranean Deep Water during the second half of the 20th century, but surprisingly, the two water masses contributing to its formation (Atlantic Water and Levantine Intermediate Water) show no clear warming trends, at least for the same period of time. Previous studies concerned with long term TS property changes in the Western Mediterranean had dealt with changes on isobaric surfaces. In this study we decompose these changes into their two natural contributions: Changes on isopycnal surfaces and changes induced by heaving (vertical displacements of density surfaces). This decomposition shows that LIW temperature and salinity have increased when changes on density surfaces are analyzed. The upward movement of deep layers has induced cooling on isobaric levels masking LIW temperature trends and underestimating deep layers temperature trends.
Dynamic range of the seismic system

Dynamic range usually refers to a range of levels within which a system can handle a signal with a specified fidelity or accuracy. The constraints are set by uncontrolled energy, generated in the system itself, which imposes uncertainties and sets limits on the possible range. This uncontrolled energy is of two types. Firstly, there is always noise in the system which is simply added to any signal which passes through the system. Secondly, there is signal distortion; i.e. unwanted signal-dependent energy, which is also generated in the system. The two types of energy are usually referred to as: 1. system noise; 2. noise behind the signal. Typical figures for a seismic instrument are: system noise -0.3uV rms; noise behind the signal-80 db below signal level for signals under 30 uV rms. The recovery of hidden signals will be hampered when their levels fall below the system noise or below a certain threshold under the total signal level. This recovery is partly an absolute and partly a relative matter. The available technical specificatians of the hardware involved, such as the geophones, the cables and the instrument, enable us to easily assess the dynamic range of this hardware. Things become more complex if environmental disturbances are taken into account. If, for example, the source characteristics vary from shot to shot, if geophones have not been planted properly, or if differential statics are present within an array, then these perturbations will distort the ideal case.
Vegetation Database of Southern Morocco

The Vegetation Database of Southern Morocco (GIVD ID AF-MA-001) compiles vegetation releves and permanent plot data from south-central Morocco, with a special focus on the provinces of Ouarzazate and Zagora. Most of the data was sampled within the research projects IMPETUS (http://www.impetus.uni-koeln.de) and BIOTA Maroc (http://www.biota-africa.org/). The database includes most types of natural rangelands occurring in this area, in especially oromediterranean screes, oromediterranean cushion shrubs, Sagebrush steppes, Halfa-steppes, presaharan Hammada-steppes, Saharan rock desert, Saharan regs, Saharan sand dunes, Acacia-wadis, and halophytic salt pan vegetation. A special feature of the database are vegetation monitoring data from 35 permanent plots and two BIOTA Biodiversity Observatories along an altitudinal transect from the Mgoun area in the Central High Atlas down to the Lac Iriki at the Algerian Border. Those data include individual based plot observations and repeated releves covering the period from 2001 to 2009.
Mix and match

Consider a matching problem on a graph where disjoint sets of vertices are privately owned by self-interested agents. An edge between a pair of vertices indicates compatibility and allows the vertices to match. We seek a mechanism to maximize the number of matches despite self-interest, with agents that each want to maximize the number of their own vertices that match. Each agent can choose to hide some of its vertices, and then privately match the hidden vertices with any of its own vertices that go unmatched by the mechanism. A prominent application of this model is to kidney exchange, where agents correspond to hospitals and vertices to donor-patient pairs. Here hospitals may game an exchange by holding back pairs and harm social welfare. In this paper we seek to design mechanisms that are strategyproof, in the sense that agents cannot benefit from hiding vertices, and approximately maximize efficiency, i.e., produce a matching that is close in cardinality to the maximum cardinality matching. Our main result is the design and analysis of the eponymous Mix-and-Match mechanism; we show that this randomized mechanism is strategyproof and provides a 2-approximation. Lower bounds establish that the mechanism is near optimal.
Association of Physical Activity and Exercise with Physical Performance and Muscle Mass in Older Adults: Results from the Longevity Check-Up (Lookup) 7+ Project

Regular engagement in physical activity (PA) or physical exercise (PE) is effective at improving physical performance and body composition in older adults. Less is known about the benefits that may be obtained through combining PA with PE and whether the effects of activity habits differ between men and women. This study cross-sectionally investigated the association of PA and/or PE with physical performance and anthropometric measures in a large and relatively unselected sample of older adults enrolled in the Longevity Check-up (Lookup) 7+ project. Participants were individuals 65 years and older living in the community who were recruited in unconventional settings across Italy. Adherence to PA or PE was operationalized as involvement in light walking or various types of exercise, respectively, at least twice weekly for a minimum of 30 min per session throughout the last 12 months. Physical performance measures included handgrip strength and five-time sit-to-stand (5STS) tests. Lower-limb muscle power and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) were estimated through validated equations. We analyzed data of 4119 participants, of whom 2222 (53.4%) were women. The mean age was 72.8 ± 5.8 years in men and 72.1 ± 5.4 years in women. Regular engagement in PA + PE was reported by 139 (7.3%) men and 100 (4.5%) women. Results indicated that regular walking activity and/or PE were significantly associated with better physical performance and greater ASM with sex-specific patterns. Associations were also influenced by the type of activity, physical performance assessment tool, and anthropometric parameters. Men engaged in PA + PE performed better on the 5STS test and had greater handgrip strength, ASM, and relative and specific muscle power than those practicing either PA or PE. In women, the combination of PA and PE was associated with greater handgrip strength. The findings of this study indicate that older adults regularly practicing PA + PE had better physical performance than those who only engaged in either modality. In men, the combination of PA and PE was also associated with greater ASM.
Detection slight bruised fruit base on near infrared imaging

The detection of slight bruised fruit was important economic worthiness to enhance grade of fruit and prolong shelf life. With the time going they were very easy rot and contaminated other good fruit, if the slight bruised fruit were not eliminated. In this paper using the method of near infrared (NIR) imaging processing to detect slight bruised fruit were presented between 700 and 1100nm. The background was removed from the imaging by around- scanning method. And adopt a new method to segment the slight bruised imaging which was not evidence double apex. At last the number and area of slight bruised was computed in every picture and revising aberrant area of them was discussed. For the image with slight bruised the result of experiment indicate that identify ra- tio of this method is 91.3%, which is the foundation to subsequent on-line detection of fruit.
Mirtazapine: A One-Stop Strategy for Treatment of Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms

Public health efforts to reduce the opioid overdose epidemic and treat opioid use disorder (OUD) have met with challenges associated with current non-standardized approaches to managing opioid withdrawal symptoms, such as itching, jitteriness, anxiety, depression, craving, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, and anorexia. These symptoms pose substantial obstacles to the safe initiation of medications for OUD, maintenance of long-term sobriety, and prevention of relapse. In clinical practice, multiple medications (polypharmacy) are prescribed to manage these withdrawal symptoms, including ondansetron and promethazine for vomiting and nausea, loperamide and Lomotil for diarrhea, hydroxyzine and doxepin for pruritus, benzodiazepines, the Z-drugs, and melatonin for insomnia, and benzos, tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and various serotonergic agents for anxiety. This polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk of adverse drug-drug interactions and adverse drug events, increased medical costs, and increased odds of medication non-adherence and relapse. We propose an alternative single medication, mirtazapine, a noradrenergic and specific serotonergic receptor antagonist, that can be used for myriad symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Case series, clinical studies, and clinical trials have shown mirtazapine to be effective for treating nausea and vomiting resulting from multiple etiologies, including hyperemesis gravidarum and chemotherapy-induced emesis. Other evidence supports the salutary effects of mirtazapine on itching and craving. Research findings support mirtazapine’s beneficial effects on diarrhea and anxiety, a consequence of its modulating effects on serotonergic receptors mediating mood and gastrointestinal symptoms. There is also evidence supporting its efficacy as a potent and non-addictive sleep aid, which presents itself as a solution for insomnia associated with opioid withdrawal. The current review presents evidence from extant literature supporting mirtazapine as a one-drug strategy to treat the variety of symptoms of opioid withdrawal. This one-drug strategy has much potential to decrease polypharmacy, adverse drug events, relapse, and healthcare cost and increase the likelihood of prolonged sobriety and better quality of life for people living with OUD.
La Educación Superior ecuatoriana y el acceso de los estudiantes con discapacidad.

En el trabajo se expone la situacion del acceso de los estudiantes con discapacidad a la educacion Superior en el Ecuador. Se hace un estudio transversal en una muestra de universidades de la provincia del Guayas en el Ecuador. Se concluye que, a pesar de ser politica de Estado, las estrategias desarrolladas para garantizar el acceso y retencion de estudiantes con discapacidad en la Educacion Superior no se materializan en acciones concretas y medibles y se centran solo en ofrecer tratamientos especiales en el orden financiero para dichos estudiantes. La revision de la literatura cientifica internacional demuestra que, salvo excepciones, los hallazgos del estudio son comunes para los paises de la region. Palabras clave: Discapacidad, Acceso, Retencion, Educacion Superior, Necesidades Educativas, Profesionalizacion del profesorado. ABSTRACT This work presents the status of access for students with disabilities to higher education in Ecuador. It is a cross sectional study in a sample of universities in the province of Guayas in Ecuador. We conclude that, despite being state policy, the strategies developed to ensure access and retention of students with disabilities in higher education do not materialize into concrete actions and measurable and focus only on providing special treatment in order to finance these students. The review of international literature shows that, with few exceptions, the study’s findings are common to the countries of the region. Key words: Disabilities, Access, Retention, Higher Education, Professionalization of teachers.
Comparative evaluation of natural tupping with fixed-time laparoscopic and cervical insemination techniques using chilled semen in estrous synchronized sheep

The present study was conducted in crossbred ewes to compare the efficiency of different artificial insemination techniques with natural tupping following fixed time artificial insemination using fresh semen. Crossbred ewes (n=29) were randomly divided into three groups with 10 animals in natural tupping (NT) and laparoscopic artificial insemination (LAI) groups and nine animals in cervical artificial insemination (CAI) group. Ewes in all the treatment groups were subjected to the same estrus induction protocol: insertion of intravaginal progesterone sponges for 10 days followed by an intramuscular injection of 500 IU eCG at the time of sponge withdrawal. Immediately after removal of sponges, animals of NT group were kept with proven breeding rams up to 72 h. Fixed time cervical or laparoscopic insemination was done at 48 h after sponge removal. The insemination was repeated 12 h later in CAI group. The pregnancy and lambing rates were significantly higher in NT group (90%, 90%), than CAI group (55.5%, 55.5%) and LAI group (20%, 10%). The prolificacy rate was significantly higher in CAI group (180%) than NT group (111.1%) and LAI group (100%). The serum progesterone concentration was higher in pregnant ewes on day 10, day 17 and day 35 than non-pregnant ewes. The fixed time cervical insemination following intravaginal progesterone sponges for 10 day+eCG protocol resulted in better pregnancy rate and prolificacy rate in crossbred ewes during breeding season.
The effect of two mineral–vitamin premixes on the blood biochemical parameters, milk yield and composition of Holstein–Friesian cows in Kazakhstan

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the effect of two mineral–vitamin premixes on the health status (blood biochemical parameters), milk yield and composition of Holstein–Friesian (HF) cows in Kazakhstan. The study was performed on Holstein–Friesian cows kept on the Bek Plus dairy farm in the village of Korzhynkol, Fyodorovsky District, Kostanay Region. Forty primiparous cows, selected from the herd, were divided by the analogue method into two groups: a control group (C) and an experimental group (E) of 20 animals each. The diets fed to group E cows were supplemented with LI-R 18 PRO and PANTO® Mineral R-77 Premium mineral–vitamin premixes. The premixes positively affected cow productivity and blood biochemical parameters, whose values were higher in group E than in group C. Higher levels of glucose, albumins and globulins exerted a beneficial influence on the health status of cows. No cases of lameness or metabolic diseases were recorded in group E. The yields of milk, protein and fat were higher in group E than in group C. Dietary supplementation with two premixes had no significant effect on the chemical composition of milk, including the values of the following parameters: somatic cell count (SCC), dry matter (DM), lactose ( Lse ), casein ( Cin ), acidity ( Aty ), lactic acid (LA), density ( Dty) , free fatty acids (FFAs), glucose ( Gse ) and urea ( Uea ).
Abbreviated title : Integration of conductance input in inhibitory neurons

Quantitative understanding of the dynamics of particular cell types when responding to complex, natural inputs, is an important prerequisite for understanding the operation of the cortical network. Different types of inhibitory neurons are connected by electrical synapses to nearby neurons of the same type, enabling the formation of synchronized assemblies of neurons with distinct dynamical behaviours. Under what conditions is spike timing in such cells determined by their intrinsic dynamics and when is it driven by the timing of external input? In this paper, we have addressed this question using a systematic approach to characterizing the input-output relationships of three types of cortical interneurons (fast spiking (FS), low-threshold spiking (LTS) and nonpyramidal regular-spiking (NPRS) cells) in the rat somatosensory cortex, during fluctuating conductance input designed to mimic natural complex activity. We measured the shape of average conductance input trajectories preceding spikes, and fitted a two-component linear model of neuronal responses which included an autoregressive term from its own output, in order to gain insight into the input-output relationships of neurons. This clearly separated the contributions of stimulus and discharge history, in a cell-type dependent manner. Unlike LTS and NPRS cells, FS cells showed a remarkable switch in dynamics, from intrinsically-driven spike timing to input-fluctuation-controlled spike timing, with the addition of even a small amount of inhibitory conductance. Such a switch could play a pivotal role in the function of FS cells in organizing coherent gamma oscillations in the local cortical network. Using both pharmacological perturbations and modeling, we show how this property is a consequence of the particular complement of voltage-dependent conductances in these cells.