nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Probabilistic approach to cloud and snow detection on Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery

Derivation of probability estimates complementary to geophysical data sets has gained special attention over the last years. Information about a confidence level of provided physical quantities is required to construct an error budget of higher-level products and to correctly interpret final results of a particular analysis. Regarding the generation of products based on satellite data a common input consists of a cloud mask which allows discrimination between surface and cloud signals. Further the surface information is divided between snow and snow-free components. At any step of this discrimination process a misclassification in a cloud/snow mask propagates to higher-level products and may alter their usability. Within this scope a novel probabilistic cloud mask (PCM) algorithm suited for the 1 km × 1 km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data is proposed which provides three types of probability estimates between: cloudy/clear-sky, cloudy/snow and clear-sky/snow conditions. As opposed to the majority of available techniques which are usually based on the decision-tree approach in the PCM algorithm all spectral, angular and ancillary information is used in a single step to retrieve probability estimates from the precomputed look-up tables (LUTs). Moreover, the issue of derivation of a single threshold value for a spectral test was overcome by the concept of multidimensional information space which is divided into small bins by an extensive set of intervals. The discrimination between snow and ice clouds and detection of broken, thin clouds was enhanced by means of the invariant coordinate system (ICS) transformation. The study area covers a wide range of environmental conditions spanning from Iceland through central Europe to northern parts of Africa which exhibit diverse difficulties for cloud/snow masking algorithms. The retrieved PCM cloud classification was compared to the Polar Platform System (PPS) version 2012 and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) collection 6 cloud masks, SYNOP (surface synoptic observations) weather reports, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) vertical feature mask version 3 and to MODIS collection 5 snow mask. The outcomes of conducted analyses proved fine detection skills of the PCM method with results comparable to or better than the reference PPS algorithm.

Field of study: Environmental science
Asymptotically Optimal Parameter Estimation With Scheduled Measurements

To reduce the communication cost of a sensor node, this paper is concerned with an estimation framework with scheduled measurements for a linear system. A scheduler is designed to control the transmission of measurements from sensor to estimator, which results in that only a subset of measurements is transmitted to the estimator. We propose an innovation based scheduler and derive an analytical expression for the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the given scheduling strategy. Under a communication constraint, an adaptive scheduler and a corresponding recursive estimator are jointly designed to asymptotically attain the CRLB. The structure of the estimator bears close resemblance to the standard least square estimator (LSE) with the full set of sensor measurements. Moreover, we prove that the estimation performance in terms of mean-square estimation error is comparable to the standard LSE even under a moderate communication cost. The theoretical results are verified by simulations.

Field of study: Engineering
Magnet and wire technology at the K.U.Leuven Pulsed Field laboratory

The K.U.Leuven Pulsed Field Facility is well equipped to accommodate a large variety of experiments in solid-state physics under extreme conditions of high magnetic fields (>50 T) and low temperatures (down to 50 mK). This is supported by an extensive research program focused on the development of advanced concepts and materials for increasing the attainable magnetic fields as well as the reliability and service life of pulsed field coils. Pulsed field magnets with optimized reinforcement as well as multi-composite (MC) wire are under development. The combination of Zylon/spl reg/ for internal reinforcement and strong axial compression has resulted in the development of 75 T class pulsed magnets using soft copper as the conductor material. The MC wire is a new concept; it consists of a glass fiber sleeve braided around a core containing thin conductor wires and reinforcement fibers. The core composition and geometry can be varied to obtain the required properties of strength and electrical conductivity. For a proof of principle, an MC wire was developed with an ultimate tensile strength of 1 GPa and a conductivity of 38% IACS at 300 K.

Field of study: Physics
Mushrooming of Middle Level Tourism and Hospitality Training Colleges and Quality of Higher Education: A Case Study of Eldoret Town-Kenya

Education is a set of processes designed to transmit knowledge, skills and values to develop individual mental ability. In this regard, it is viewed as the gateway to social and economic advancement. As a strategy to achieve this social and economic development, the Kenyan government introduced the free primary education that saw the primary and secondary schools flooding with students. As a result, form four leavers who can neither be admitted in the public universities nor afford to privately sponsor themselves in either private or public universities have been on the increase. This scenario has prompted them to join affordable middle level colleges. With the ever increasing number of high school leavers, entrepreneurs have set to invest in the education sector by establishing numerous colleges across the country and Eldoret town is no exception.  Uncontrolled increase in the number of middle level colleges and a shortage of qualified lecturers is undermining the quality of higher education in Kenya. As a result, this study aims at investigating the impact of these colleges on the quality of education. As a concern, the government through its various bodies in charge of education should take swift measures to ensure that; while it provides adequate education for its citizens, this trend does not compromise the quality of education offered. Therefore, throughout the process of educational development and technology, the major element that should be considered is the quality of education standards.  Eldoret, Hospitality, Training, Tourism, Quality

Field of study: Education
Efforts to reduce sea turtle bycatch in the shrimp fishery in Northeastern Brazil through a co-management process

The neritic waters of the state of Sergipe in Northeastern Brazil is adjacent to the main nesting area of the olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Western Atlantic Ocean and an important area for shrimp trawl fishery. To address the problem of incidental mortality of sea turtles captured during trawling and reduce the risk of overexploitation of shrimp stocks, Projeto TAMAR/ICMBio, a Brazilian sea turtle conservation program, has adopted two main strategies: (1) the implementation of a marine monitoring program and (2) active participation in local forums. This paper describes the conflicts among stakeholders, the arrangements and established mechanisms of negotiation aimed to protect sea turtles and shrimp grounds, and strategies to reduce conflicts between user groups. The analysis of this co-management process highlights the importance of stakeholder participation in resource management decision-making through a cooperative process, the role assumed by non-governmental organizations as mediators, and the factors that influence this system. The key factors and actions learnt from the current study include clear identification of the conflicts, identification of stakeholders – both local and external, and local leaders, encouragement of actors and leaders to participate, support and strengthening of local groups, legitimization of the discussion forums through involvement with government, formalization of decisions taken through legislation, and monitoring of the management efficacy.

Field of study: Environmental science
Evolution of dust-obscured star formation and gas to z = 2.2 from HiZELS.

We investigate the far-infrared properties of galaxies selected via deep, narrow-band imaging of the H$\alpha$ emission line in four redshift slices from $z=0.40$--$2.23$ over $\sim 1$deg$^2$ as part of the High-redshift Emission Line Survey (HiZELS). We use a stacking approach in the Herschel PACS/SPIRE bands, along with $850\,\mu$m imaging from SCUBA-2 to study the evolution of the dust properties of H$\alpha$-emitters selected above an evolving characteristic luminosity threshold, $0.2L^\star_{{\rm H}\alpha}(z)$. We investigate the relationship between the dust temperatures and the far-infrared luminosities of our stacked samples, finding that H$\alpha$-selection identifies cold, low-$L_{\rm IR}$ galaxies ($T_{\rm dust}\sim 14$k; $\log[L_{\rm IR}/{\rm L}_\odot]\sim 9.9$) at $z=0.40$, and more luminous, warmer systems ($T_{\rm dust}\sim 34$k; $\log[L_{\rm IR}/{\rm L}_\odot]\sim 11.5$) at $z=2.23$. Using a modified greybody model, we estimate "characteristic sizes" for the dust-emitting regions of HiZELS galaxies of $\sim 0.5$kpc, nearly an order of magnitude smaller than their stellar continuum sizes, which may provide indirect evidence of clumpy ISM structure. Lastly, we measure the dust masses from our far-IR SEDs along with metallicity-dependent gas-to-dust ratios ($\delta_{\rm GDR}$) to measure typical molecular gas masses of $\sim 10^{10}$M$_\odot$ for these bright H$\alpha$-emitters. The gas depletion timescales are shorter than the Hubble time at each redshift, suggesting probable replenishment of their gas reservoirs from the intergalactic medium. Based on the number density of H$\alpha$-selected galaxies, we find that typical star-forming galaxies brighter than $0.2L^{\star}_{{\rm H}\alpha}(z)$ host a significant fraction ($35\pm10$%) of the total gas content of the Universe, consistent with the predictions of the latest cosmological simulations.

Field of study: Physics
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION: THE COMMONWEALTH EXPERIENCE*

: This paper outlines the background and rationale of the Commonwealth Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation and discusses the specific nature and operation of the FOI Act, including some current issues emanating from the interpretation of some of its provisions by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and the courts. The overall cost/benefit balance of the Act is considered, with particular reference to the recent report of the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on the operation and administration of the Act.

Field of study: Political science
Methods in Peat Petrology and their Application to Reconstruction of Paleoenvironments

In order to reconstruct the environments of peat deposition in southern Florida and to better understand the coal-forming processes, it was necessary to improve the techniques for collecting and analyzing modern phytogenic sediments. The need for minimizing compaction and distortion of organic sediments during field sampling required the development of a modified piston corer. The partial vacuum created by such a piston reduces compaction and holds the sediment in proper position in the coring tubes on the downstroke as well as during the uplift. Relatively undistorted microtome sections (15μ thick) were cut from oriented samples of peat impregnated with paraffin. By comparison with reference slides of modern plant tissues, it was possible to identify the genera and sometimes the species of plants contributing to the peat even though there were only much-altered fragments of these plants present. Vertically oriented sections are especially useful, because they can be easily compared with thin sections of coals. The method proved successful for study of peats of many different compositions and textures. A field test of the environmental interpretations made from oriented microtome sections showed a very good correspondence between actual surface environments and environments which had been predicted solely from analysis of microtome sections of surface peat. However, describing the vegetation in terms of the relative proportions of particular species proved to be more speculative. A relatively close correspondence was also exhibited between paleoecological interpretations made from oriented microtome sections of peat and those made by palynologic analyses. However, each method has its advantages, and interpretations based on the combined data of both methods are superior to those obtained by using either one alone.

Field of study: Geology
[Modulation of host immune defenses by cytomegalovirus: advanced insights from evolutionary game theory].

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an ubiquitous pathogen that infects a majority of the world's population. The virus can establish lifelong infection once the human body is infected by HCMV and virus can be reactivated from a latent state in immune suppressed individuals. HCMV has developed several strategies to evade host immune surveillance after millions of years of co-evolution with mankind. One of the classical tricks is encoding homologous to human immune factors or stealing host cellular genes that have significant functions in immune system. Virus encoded immune modulators which participate in regulating the major histocompatibility complex, cellular immunity, humoral immunity, cytokines and chemokines are supposed to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of HCMV. Evaluation of "mutually assured survival" relationship between virus and host provides important insights into viral immunopathogenesis and study of viral immunomodulatory proteins might help us to uncover new human genes that control immunity.

Field of study: Biology
Erosion Resistance and Interface Properties of Epoxy Composite Filled with Graded Silicon Carbide

In the present study, the effect of graded aggregate on the erosion resistance and interface performance of SiC/EP (epoxy resin) composite was investigated. The graded aggregate (84% 550μm and 16% 110 μm) SiC particles was designed by the modified coarse aggregate void filling approach from the theory of concrete. The erosion mechanism of obtained composite was discussed through the microstructure analysis. Obtained results from different erosion tests showed the graded structure contributed to increasing the hard spots and density, which significantly reduced erosion rate. The mechanical properties and wear fraction indicated that the preferred interface could be obtained using migration with KH-550.

Field of study: Materials science
Application of Data Mining Technology Based on BP Algorithm for Forecasting Stock Price

Analyzes the topology structure of BP network and researches how to improve the general-ization ability and rationalization of the model. Gives some concrete suggestions. Unifying the analysis above, carries on the forecast of stock price using the BP network. The result indicates that so long as we choose the reasonable network model and the structure, its forecasting ability is quite considerable.

Field of study: Computer science
THE ROLE OF REDISTRIBUTION AND HYSTERESIS IN THE SURGE IRRIGATION PHENOMENA

An implicit one-dimensional infiltration model based on Richard's equation with an option to select a nonuniform grid spacing is written. A hysteresis algorithm is added to the model based on Mualem's 1984 theory. Data for Rubicon sandy loam soil are used in the model to simulate infiltration events under continuous flow (CF), surge flow (SF), and surge flow with hysteretic soil hydraulic properties (SFH). The nominal cycle on-times for the surge simulations are 20 min with a cycle ratio of 0.5. Simulation results indicated that hysteresis effects (SFH) decrease cumulative infiltration when compared to redistribution only (SF), however the combined effects of redistribution and hysteresis are not thought to be the cause for reduced infiltration rate under surge irrigation. Larger pressure head gradients during the first 5 min of subsequent surges are the reason for differences in simulated cumulative infiltrations. Hysteresis tends to cause an increased storage within the upper zone of soil profile. The depth of water penetration is greater in the absence of hysteresis.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
A Tris-Fused Tetrathiafulvalene Analog Composed of an Anthraquinoid- and Two Vinyl-Extended Tetrathiafulvalenes

Derivatives of a new tris-fused donor composed of two vinyl-extended TTF (EBDT) units and one extended TTF with an anthraquinoid spacer (TTFAQ) (3a-c and 4a) were successfully synthesized. X-Ray st...

Field of study: Chemistry
Germanium detector for measuring power of λ =10.6 μ radiation

An experimental study was made of the reaction of a detector, utilizing the photon drag effect, to high-power (500 kW) CO2 laser pulses. The responsivity (1×10–7 V/W) was determined and the power at which a spark appeared on the surface of germanium (7×106 W/cm2) was measured. This spark produced an additional voltage pulse which was superimposed on the useful signal.

Field of study: Engineering, Physics
Pairwise Compatibility for the 2-Simple Minded Collections of Gentle Algebras

The aim of this paper is to determine when a set of bricks is contained in a 2-simple minded collection for a $\tau$-tilting finite gentle algebra. We begin by extending the definition of mutation from 2-simple minded collections to more general sets of bricks (called semibrick pairs) and showing that a semibrick pair is contained in a 2-simple minded collection if and only if it is mutation compatible. We then use this result to show that the 2-simple minded collections of a $\tau$-tilting finite gentle algebra (whose quiver contains no loops or 2-cycles) are given by pairwise compatibility conditions if and only if every vertex in the corresponding quiver has degree at most 2. As an application, we show that the classifying space of the $\tau$-cluster morphism category of a $\tau$-tilting finite gentle algebra (whose quiver contains no loops or 2-cycles) is an Eilenberg-MacLane space if every vertex in the corresponding quiver has degree at most 2.

Field of study: Mathematics
Preliminary account of plant mesofossils from the Maastrichtian Budurone microvertebrate site of the Haţeg Basin, Romania

The Maastrichtian Budurone mesofossil flora includes 19 different types of angiosperm fruits and seeds. All fruits and seeds are small, 0.6–2.6 mm long and 0.5–1.9 mm broad, with calculated fruit volume ranging between 0.08 and 3.59 mm3 and seed volume between 0.08 and 0.79 mm3. The fossils show great similarity with other Cretaceous angiosperm fossils regarding their dimension and organisation. However, comparison with other Late Cretaceous and Early Cenozoic floras from Europe shows that surprisingly few of the Budurone fossils can be assigned to taxa previously described from Europe, and so far only a few taxa appear to be shared with other mesofossil floras. This indicates that the Budurone flora may have been isolated from the other European floras or represents a different kind of depositional environment. Fruits are mainly indehiscent nuts and drupes, and seeds are mostly anatropous without special ornamentation indicating a mixture of biotic and unassisted dispersal. This together with the small size of the fruits and seeds indicates that the Budurone plants grew in typical Late Cretaceous open vegetation perhaps under a seasonally dry climate.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Determination of Inflorescence Developmental Stages and the Best Flower Picking-up Time for Gerbera jamesonii

The development and the vascular structures of three gerbera varieties (Gerbera jamesonii), 'Red-Tube' and 'Cora' and 'Delphi', were studied. The best flower picking-up time for the three varieties was also determined via the cut flower vase life experiment. It was found that the inflorescence development of the three varieties of gerbera could be divided into nine stages. The best picking-up time for Red-Tube was at the first anther emergence stage (stage VI), while for the other two varieties 'Cora' and 'Delphi' at the anther concealment stage (stage V). During these two stages the cut flowers showed better morphological ornamental value due to bigger vascular area, thicker phloem fibre and larger quantities of vessels which resulted in good conductivity and mechanical support of the inflorescence.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Design and Implementation of Dangerous Goods Handling Robot

Design and implementation of intelligent robot for dangerous goods handling. the mechanical arm use is AS-6 DOFB six degrees of freedom of mechanical arm, use and steering gear control board and computer as a way to control system, joints are available in within the prescribed scope of the sport, through the operation PC control software, to servo control instructions sent steering gear control signal, so AS to realize the mechanical arm space in precise work, the task completion in mechanical arm through installation camera feedback image, if install it to mobile platform, and substitute personnel in the harmful environment visible assignments, revise control instruction, accurate completion of each task. Experiments show that, this design is correct and feasible, and can meet the requirement.

Field of study: Engineering
On the Recognition of the Angles of Crystals in Thin Sections

Applications of the Problem. § 1. The morphologic properties of crystals, that is to say, their outer forms and their structural planes, whether the latter are of cleavage, of twinning, of enclosures, or of alteration, are among their most important properties. They are, in fact, the only ones by which we can recognize complete pseudomorphs. They are also of great help to the petrographer in determining minerals, for the habits of minerals are so constant and the important planes so few that we may often pretty surely recognize them, either from external forms, or from cleavage, etc. Yet our assurance is often not so great but that we should welcome tests of the correctness of our assumptions, which would give them objective as well as subjective validity. I wish to show how such tests may be applied; and I shall illustrate the more general cases by applications to one . . .

Field of study: Geology
A first-order model for temperature rise for uniform and differential compression of sediments in basins

We deduce algebraic expressions for temperature rise for ideal cases of uniform and spatially varying compression of sediments of single mineralogy. According to the results of the present work, the temperature rise is related to the coefficient of volume expansion, isothermal compressibility, dimension, bulk density, and specific heat of the sediment columns. Rise of temperature due to compression of sediment is effectively inversely proportional to the volume coefficient of expansion (or contraction) of sediments. Compression-related temperature rise is expected to augment diagenesis. A more realistic model of temperature rise dealing with the rate of compression of sediments that of the pore fluid(s) and the vacant pore space individually would be required.

Field of study: Environmental science