Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Aerosol Typing with Combination of Remote Sensing Techniques with In Situ Data during the PANACEA Campaigns in Thessaloniki Station, Greece

Two measurement campaigns were conducted at Thessaloniki, an urban station, (40.5°N, 22.9°E; 60 m) in the frame of the PANhellenic infrastructure for Atmospheric Composition and climatEchAnge (PANACEA) project. The first one covers the period from July to August 2019 and the second one from January to February An overview of the aerosol optical properties (columnar and height resolved), acquired with the remote sensing infrastructure of the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics (LAP) of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), as well as the additional instrumentation that participated during the PANACEA campaigns is presented. The majority of the detected layers (16 out of 40, ranged between 0.8 and 4.5 km) are classified as biomass burning aerosols, attributed to either city sources or long range transport. Concerning the other aerosol types, the Clean Continental cluster has an occurrence ratio of 23%, while dust layers and mixtures with urban particles transported to Thessaloniki are also identified. Our findings are discussed along with the surface information, i.e., the particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) concentrations and the black carbon (BC) concentration, separated into fossil fuel (BCff) and biomass/wood burning (BCwb) fractions. This is the first time that collocated in situ and remote sensing instruments are deployed in Thessaloniki in order to assess the presence of aerosols and the predominant aerosol type both in situ and at elevated heights. Overall, our study showed that the BCwb contribution to the BC values in Thessaloniki is quite low (11%), whilst the majority of the biomass burning layers identified with the lidar system, are also linked with enhanced BC contribution and high Fine Mode Fraction values.
On a Random Walk Reliability Problem With Arc Memory

Consider a directed network in which each arc can fail with some specified probability. An entity arrives on this network at a designated origin node and traverses the network in a random-walk fashion until it either terminates at a destination node, or until an arc fails while being traversed. We study the problem of assessing the probability that the random walk reaches the destination node, which we call the survival probability of the network. Complicating our analysis is the assumption that certain arcs have “memory,” in the sense that after a memory arc is successfully traversed, it cannot fail on any subsequent traversal during the walk. We prove that this problem is #P-hard, provide methods for obtaining lower and upper bounds on the survival probability, and demonstrate the effectiveness of our bounding methods on randomly generated networks.
A Linguistic Metric for Consensus Reaching Processes Based on ELICIT Comprehensive Minimum Cost Consensus Models

Linguistic group decision making (LiGDM) aims at solving decision situations involving human decision makers (DMs) whose opinions are modeled by using linguistic information. To achieve agreed solutions that increase DMs' satisfaction toward the collective solution, linguistic consensus reaching processes (LiCRPs) have been developed. These LiCRPs aim at suggesting DMs to change their original opinions to increase the group consensus degree, computed by a certain consensus measure. In recent years, these LiCRPs have been a prolific research line, and consequently, numerous proposals have been introduced in the specialized literature. However, we have pointed out the nonexistence of objective metrics to compare these models and decide which one presents the best performance for each LiGDM problem. Therefore, this article aims at introducing a metric to evaluate the performance of LiCRPs that takes into account the resulting consensus degree and the cost of modifying DMs' initial opinions. Such a metric is based on a linguistic comprehensive minimum cost consensus (CMCC) model based on Extended Comparative Linguistic Expressions with Symbolic Translation information that models DMs' hesitancy and provides accurate Computing with Words processes. In addition, the linguistic CMCC optimization model is linearized to speed up the computational model and improve its accuracy.
Historical and Empirical Evidence for the Schism in the Millennial Generation (Conclusion)

ABSTRACT In this concluding article, the author continues to present the results of his empirical analysis based on the division of the Millennial generation into two age groups. The author devotes particular attention to a special group of “3S” Millennials (standing for “smartphones,” “social networks,” and “slowing economy”) who have come of age during the period since 2008, which has been characterized by the long decline of the Russian economy and the massive spread of new technologies and digital user services. Data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of the Health and Economic Welfare of the Population conducted by the National Research University Higher School of Economics (1994–2018) is used. The study shows that while Millennials are different in many ways from other generations, members of the generation also differ from each across multiple social characteristics. The second part of the article shows that younger 3S Millennials drink alcohol less often and in smaller quantities, smoke less, exercise more often, watch less TV, read more, participate more in cultural life and creative activities, are less religious, and are more optimistic regarding their financial situation and life in general. Many intergenerational and intragenerational differences remain significant even after introducing standard control variables and when neighboring generations are adjusted to a similar median age. In conclusion, four typical situations are identified that characterize the ratio of intergenerational to intragenerational differences.
Public Attitude towards Biobanking: An Italian University Survey

Biobanks have established a critical role in biomedical research by collecting, preserving, organizing, and disseminating biospecimens and related health data, contributing to precision medicine development. Participation in biobanks is influenced by several factors, such as trust in institutions and scientists, knowledge about biobanking, and the consideration of benefit sharing. Understanding public attitudes, fears, and concerns toward biobanking is fundamental to designing targeted interventions to increase trust towards biobanks. The aim of our study was to investigate the level of knowledge and perception of biobanks in students and personnel of the University of Piemonte Orientale. An online questionnaire was designed and administered via e-mail. A total of 17,758 UPO personnel and students were invited to participate in the survey, and 1521 (9.3%) subjects completed the survey. The results showed that 65.0% of the participants were aware of the term “biobank” and knew what the activity of a biobank was, and 76.3% of subjects were willing to provide biospecimens to a research biobank, whereas 67.3% of the respondents were willing to contribute, in addition to biospecimens, their health and lifestyle data. Concerns were raised about the confidentiality of the information (25.6%) and the commercial use of the samples (25.0%). In conclusion, participants were aware of the role that biobanks play in research and were eager to participate for the sake of furthering scientific research. Still, several concerns need to be addressed regarding the confidentiality of the data along with the commercial use of the samples and associated data.
Possible γ-ray emission of radio intermediate AGN III Zw 2 and its implication on the evolution of jets in AGNs

AGNs with hard gamma-ray emission identified so far are radio-loud. III Zw 2 is a radio intermediate AGN with a relativistic jet. We study its spectral energy distribution (SED) and find that the broad band emissions are dominated by the non-thermal emissions from the jet. We model its SED through a synchrotron + inverse Compton (IC) model. The results show that the IC component of III Zw 2 peaks at a few MeV, and the flux density drops rapidly at higher energy with photon index Gamma approximate to 3.3 above 0.1 GeV. The predicted flux is slightly over the sensitivity of Fermi/LAT, but it was not included in the first Fermi/LAT AGN catalog. The reason for this may be: 1) that the IC peak is low and the spectrum is very steep above 0.1 GeV, 2) that 111 Zw 2 is in the low state during the period of the Fermi/LAT operation. We also find that III Zw 2 follows similar jet processes as those in gamma-ray AGNs, e.g., the relation between jet power and radiation power, which is called the blazar sequence. We suggest that III Zw 2 may be a young source at an earlier stage of jet activity.
Fragmentation paths in dynamical models

We undertake a quantitative comparison of multifragmentation reactions, as modeled by two different approaches: the antisymmetrized molecular dynamics (AMD) and the momentum-dependent stochastic mean-field (SMF) model. Fragment observables and pre-equilibrium (nucleon and light cluster) emission are analyzed, in connection with the underlying compression-expansion dynamics in each model. Considering reactions between neutron-rich systems, observables related to the isotopic properties of emitted particles and fragments are also discussed, as a function of the parametrization employed for the isovector part of the nuclear interaction. We find that the reaction path, particularly the mechanism of fragmentation, is different in the two models and reflects on some properties of the reaction products, including their isospin content. This should be taken into account in the study of the density dependence of the symmetry energy from such collisions.
Synchronization analysis of complex networks of nonlinear oscillators

This thesis is devoted to the analysis of synchronization in large networks of heterogeneous nonlinear oscillators using tools and methods issued from control theory. We consider two models of networks; namely, the Kuramoto model which takes into account only phase coordinates of the oscillators and networks composed of nonlinear Stuart-Landau oscillators interconnected by linear coupling. For the Kuramoto model we construct an auxiliary linear system that preserves information on the natural frequencies and interconnection gains of the original Kuramoto model. We show next that existence of phase locked solutions of the Kuramoto model is equivalent to the existence of such a linear system with certain properties. This system is used to formulate conditions that ensure existence of phase-locked solutions and their stability for particular structures of network interconnections. Next, this analysis is extended to the case where both attractive and repulsive interactions are present in the network that is we consider the situation where some of the interconnection gains are allowed to be negative. In the context of networks of Stuart-Landau oscillators, we present a new coordinate transformation of the network which allows to split the network model into two parts, one describing behaviour of an "averaged" network oscillator and the second one, describing dynamics of the synchronization errors relative to this "averaged" oscillator. This transformation allows us to characterize properties of the network in terms of stability of synchronization errors and limit cycle of the "averaged" oscillator. To do so, we recast this problem as a problem of stability of compact sets and use Lyapunov stability tools to ensure practical stability of both sets for sufficiently large values of the coupling strength.
Fast Inference in Capsule Networks Using Accumulated Routing Coefficients

We present a method for fast inference in Capsule Networks (CapsNets) by taking advantage of a key insight regarding the routing coefficients that link capsules between adjacent network layers. Since the routing coefficients are responsible for assigning object parts to wholes, and an object whole generally contains similar intra-class and dissimilar inter-class parts, the routing coefficients tend to form a unique signature for each object class. For fast inference, a network is first trained in the usual manner using examples from the training dataset. Afterward, the routing coefficients associated with the training examples are accumulated offline and used to create a set of "master" routing coefficients. During inference, these master routing coefficients are used in place of the dynamically calculated routing coefficients. Our method effectively replaces the for-loop iterations in the dynamic routing procedure with a single matrix multiply operation, providing a significant boost in inference speed. Compared with the dynamic routing procedure, fast inference decreases the test accuracy for the MNIST, Background MNIST, Fashion MNIST, and Rotated MNIST datasets by less than 0.5% and by approximately 5% for CIFAR10.
Effect of Multimedia Instruction (MI) on Students’ Performance in Data Structures and Algorithms in Public Polytechnics in Nasarawa State

The study investigated the effect of multimedia instruction on students’ academic performance in Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) in two public Polytechnics in Nasarawa State. The population of the study comprised one hundred and twenty (120) National Diploma one (NDI) students of Computer Science from Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia (now Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic, Lafia) and Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research approach using the non-randomized control group pretest-posttest design. Intact classes were maintained and an experiment of two equivalent groups was designed—one was the experimental group while the other was the control group. The group was determined using a simple random sampling technique. Sixty eight (68) students in Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia constituted the experimental group while fifty two (52) students in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa constituted the control group. The experimental group was exposed to multimedia instruction (MI) on DSA while the control group was exposed to conventional instruction. The instrument for data collection was a DSA performance test titled ‘Data Structure PerfTest (DPT)’. The DPT contained 20 objective items from the topics treated. The reliability of the instrument was determined using the test-retest approach and a correlation coefficient of . 87 was attained. Inferential statistics such as t-test was used to test the null hypothesis at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Data analysis was done using the statistical package for social science (SPSS). The finding showed that the treatment group (MI) performed significantly better than its counterpart in the control group which was exposed to conventional instruction. The study recommended expansive use of multimedia instruction in teaching and learning of Data Structures and Algorithms in tertiary institutions.
Long-Term Survival and Kidney Function in Pediatric Patients Following Liver Transplantation: A 15-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

Long-term preservation of kidney function after liver transplantation (LT) has not been well studied. We thus evaluated the rates of kidney function preservation and long-term survival after pediatric LT. We also investigated the risk factors associated with the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We conducted a retrospective study of 184 pediatric patients who had undergone LT from 2003 to 2018 at a university hospital. We collected demographics, primary indications for LT, liver disease scores, renal function test results, immunosuppressive drug prescriptions, and diagnosis of post-LT complications. The 15-year survival rate was 90.8%. Furthermore, the rate of kidney function preservation at 14 years post-LT in patients at high risk of renal disease was 79.3%, and that in those with less risk of kidney diseases was 96.0%. Arterial hypertension was an independent risk factor associated with CKD progression. However, when arterial hypertension was excluded, the use of cyclosporine and liver disease with renal involvement were risk factors for CKD progression. We found that kidney function after pediatric LT was well preserved. We encourage the early detection of underlying kidney involvement, routine monitoring of renal function for high-risk patients, active control of hypertension, and appropriate immunosuppressive regimens for pediatric patients with LT.
Similarity in situation perception predicts relationship satisfaction

For one partner, the kitchen looks clean; for the other, the kitchen needs cleaning. Is satisfaction with our relationship tied to whether we see the world the same way our partner does? In two dyadic longitudinal studies, we investigated how similarity in the perception of situations predicts relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships. In Study 1, 203 couples participated in a 14-day diary. In Study 2, 139 couples participated in a 7-day experience sampling. At each time point, partners separately reported their perception of a situation they had experienced together, using the DIAMONDS taxonomy (Study 1) and the Situational Interdependence Scale (Study 2). Across taxonomies, more similar situation perception positively predicted state relationship satisfaction and changes in trait relationship satisfaction at follow-up. Findings have important implications for understanding couples’ everyday lives and speak to the consequences of situation perception in close relationships.
Robust H/sup /spl infin// control of uncertain linear systems with structured uncertainty

This paper considers a problem of absolute stabilization with a specified level of disturbance attenuation for a class of uncertain systems in which the uncertainty is structured and satisfies a certain integral quadratic constraint. The paper shows that an uncertain system is absolutely stabilizable with a specified level of disturbance attenuation if and only if there exists a solution to a corresponding H/sup /spl infin// control problem. The paper also shows that if an uncertain system can be absolutely stabilized with a specified level of disturbance attenuation via nonlinear output feedback control then it can be absolutely stabilized via linear output feedback control. A key technical result used in this paper is an extension of the "S-procedure" result of Megretsky and Treil (1993).
Fodor on Causes of Mentalese Symbols

Jerry Fodor’s causal theory of content is a well-known naturalistic attempt purporting to show that Brentano was wrong in supposing that physical states cannot possess meaning and reference. Fodor’s theory contains two crucial elements: one is a notion of “asymmetric dependence between nomic relations,” and the other is an assumption about the nature of the “causally operative properties” involved in the causation of mental tokens. Having dealt elsewhere with the problems Fodor’s notion of asymmetric dependence poses, we show in this paper a difficulty with the other element of his theory concerning what kinds of properties are the causally operative ones in the tokenings of a semantic symbol in the brain of a perceiver. After presenting this difficulty, we examine three possible responses a Fodorian might make to our criticism.
LUMINOUS RED GALAXIES: SELECTION AND CLASSIFICATION BY COMBINING OPTICAL AND INFRARED PHOTOMETRY

We describe a new method of combining optical and infrared photometry to select luminous red galaxies (LRGs) at redshifts z > 0.6 ? > . We explore this technique using a combination of optical photometry from CFHTLS and Hubble Space Telescope, infrared photometry from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer satellite, and spectroscopic or photometric redshifts from the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey or COSMOS. We present a variety of methods for testing the success of our selection and present methods for optimization given a set of rest-frame color and redshift requirements. We have tested this selection in two different regions of the sky, the COSMOS and Extended Groth Strip (EGS) fields, to reduce the effect of cosmic/sample variance. We have used these methods to assemble large samples of LRGs for two different ancillary programs as a part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-III/Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. This technique is now being used to select ∼600,000 LRG targets for SDSS-IV/Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, which began observations in Fall 2014, and will be adapted for the proposed Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument survey. We have found that these methods can select high-redshift LRGs efficiently with minimal stellar contamination; this is extremely difficult to achieve with selections that rely on optical photometry alone.
Atenciones relacionadas con el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas en la población vinculada, desplazada y atenciones no POS-S, 2006-2012

Introducción: El consumo de sustancias psicoactivas es un problema de salud pública muy amplio en el mundo entero; el objetivo fundamental de este análisis es establecer el comportamiento de este evento basados en los Registros Individuales de prestación de servicios de salud RIPS generados por las atenciones realizadas durante el periodo 2006-2011 a población vinculada, desplazada y atenciones no POSS, según los datos reportados por las Empresas Sociales del Estado (ESE) de la Red adscrita, Red complementaria y Red urgencias, como una de las herramientas para la definición de estrategias intra e interinstitucionales que mejoren el estado de salud de los grupos poblacionales en riesgo debido al consumo de sustancias psicoactivas. Método: Se hizo un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo en el cual se incluyeron los registros individuales de prestación de servicios de salud (RIPS) consolidados durante el periodo 2006-2012; se seleccionaron los códigos CIE-10 que están relacionados con los trastornos mentales y del comportamiento (TMC) debidos al uso de sustancias psicoactivas (F10-F19), se describió su comportamiento en el tiempo según el sexo, la edad y la localidad de residencia, y se agruparon de forma lógica los principales diagnósticos de atenciones. Toda esta información fue procesada en el software de análisis estadístico SPSS versión 17. Resultados: Entre los TMC más comunes relativos al consumo de sustancias psicoactivas, se encontraron los relacionados con el consumo de múltiples drogas y el consumo de alcohol, alucinógenos y cannabinoides; la mayor proporción de atenciones generadas por el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas según el grupo etario y el sexo fue reportada en hombres en todos los grupos etarios, a excepción del grupo de 14-17 años, en el cual se presentó una mayor proporción de atenciones en mujeres; se evidenció una probabilidad de error al diligenciamiento de la localidad de residencia, lo que genera sesgos al momento del análisis de la información. Conclusiones: Es necesario fortalecer y revisar las actividades de promoción y prevención; especialmente, en la población menor de los 18 años, para apoyar la disminución del consumo en este grupo poblacional; se resaltan las atenciones a TMC por el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas en la población de 0-5 años, las cuales, posiblemente, se relacionan con negligencia o descuido; de igual forma, se resaltan las atenciones en la población de 6-13 años, las cuales, al igual que en el grupo de menores de 5 años, también pueden estar vinculadas con negligencia y con problemas psicosociales que facilitan el uso temprano de esas sustancias. El consumo de disolventes ha ido en aumento, lo cual concuerda con el comportamiento descrito en el estudio nacional de consumo de sustancias psicoactivas en población escolar para Colombia.