Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ectomycota Associated with Arthropods from Bat Hibernacula in Eastern Canada, with Particular Reference to Pseudogymnoascus destructans

The introduction of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) to North America, agent of white-nose syndrome in hibernating bats, has increased interest in fungi from underground habitats. While bats are assumed to be the main vector transmitting Pd cave-to-cave, the role of other fauna is unexplored. We documented the fungi associated with over-wintering arthropods in Pd-positive hibernacula, including sites where bats had been recently extirpated or near-extirpated, to determine if arthropods carried Pd, and to compare fungal assemblages on arthropods to bats. We isolated 87 fungal taxa in 64 genera from arthropods. Viable Pd was cultured from 15.3% of arthropods, most frequently from harvestmen (Nelima elegans). Fungal assemblages on arthropods were similar to those on bats. The different fungal assemblages documented among arthropods may be due to divergent patterns of movement, aggregation, feeding, or other factors. While it is unlikely that arthropods play a major role in the transmission dynamics of Pd, we demonstrate that arthropods may carry viable Pd spores and therefore have the potential to transport Pd, either naturally or anthropogenically, within or among hibernacula. This underlines the need for those entering hibernacula to observe decontamination procedures and for such procedures to evolve as our understanding of potential mechanisms of Pd dispersal improve.
A Diagnostic Comparison of Alaskan and Siberian Strong Anticyclones

AbstractStrong anticyclones have a significant impact on the cool season climate over mid- and high-latitude landmasses as they are typically accompanied by arctic air masses that can eventually move into populated midlatitude regions. Composite analyses of Alaskan and Siberian strong anticyclones based on sea level pressure (SLP) thresholds of 1050 and 1060 hPa, respectively, were performed to diagnose large-scale dynamical and thermodynamical parameters associated with the formation of strong anticyclones over these two climatologically favorable regions. The anticyclone composite analyses indicate the presence of moderate-to-high-amplitude ridge–trough patterns associated with anticyclogenesis. These ridge–trough patterns are critical as they lead to dynamically favorable circumstances for rapid anticyclogenesis.The strong Alaskan anticyclone develops downstream of a highly amplified upper-tropospheric ridge and is associated with a region of strong tropospheric subsidence due to differential anticyclo.
Dynamic Modeling of Driver Control Strategy of Lane-Change Behavior and Trajectory Planning for Collision Prediction

This paper introduces a dynamic model of the driver control strategy of lane-change behavior and applies it to trajectory planning in driver-assistance systems. The proposed model reflects the driver control strategies of adjusting longitudinal and latitudinal acceleration during the lane-change process and can represent different driving styles (such as slow and careful, as well as sudden and aggressive) by using different model parameters. We also analyze the features of the dynamic model and present the methods for computing the maximum latitudinal position and arrival time. Furthermore, we put forward an extended dynamic model to represent evasive lane-change behavior. Compared with the fifth-order polynomial lane-change model, the dynamic models fit actual lane-change trajectories better and can generate more accurate lane-change trajectories. We apply the dynamic models in emulating different lane-change strategies and planning lane-change trajectories for collision prediction. In the simulation, we use the models to compute the percentage of safe trajectories in different scenarios. The simulation shows that the maximum latitudinal position and arrival time of the generated lane-change trajectories can be good indicators of safe lane-change trajectories. In the field test, the dynamic models can generate the feasible lane-change trajectories and efficiently obtain the percentage of safe trajectories by computing the minimum gap and time to collision. The proposed dynamic model and module can be combined with the human-machine interface to help the driver easily identify safe lane-change trajectories and area.
Playing to Teachers’ Strengths: Using Multiple Measures of Teacher Effectiveness to Improve Teacher Assignments

Current uses of value-added modeling largely ignore or assume away the potential for teachers to be more effective with one type of student than another or in one subject than another. This paper explores the stability of value-added measures across different subgroups and subjects using administrative data from a large urban school district. For elementary school teachers, effectiveness measures are highly stable across subgroups, with correlations upward of 0.9. The estimated cross-subject correlation between math and English language arts is around 0.7, suggesting some differential effectiveness by subject. To understand the magnitude of this correlation, I simulate targeted re-sorting of teachers to classrooms based on their comparative advantage. The results suggest that using multiple measures of value added to specialize teachers by subject could produce small average increases in student achievement, and larger increases for some students.
Confidence-based cost modulation for stereo matching

We present a novel operator to be applied at raw matching costs in the context of low level vision tasks such as stereo matching or optical flow. It aims at improving matching reliability by efficiently modulating pixel-wise pairing costs, injecting a confidence backed bias before the aggregation step. It works analyzing a noisy estimate of the correspondances in order to favor or prune potential matches. We test the operator by developing a local, realtime stereo matching algorithm and showing that our solution can drastically clean the resulting depth map while also reducing border bleeding. Its good performance is also evaluated quantitavely by testing the algorithm against the popular Middlebury benchmark where our local greedy implementation is able to obtain results comparable to those of naive global approaches.
The International Brain Commission (1903–1914)

We wish to highlight the political impact of neuroscientific societies as forums of cross-border communication from a historical point of view. We trace the efforts of Constantin von Monakow, a founder of Swiss Neurology, and Cornelis Winkler, one of the primary figures in the early years of Dutch neurology and psychiatry, to shape their medical fields in their countries of residence. The foundation of the International Brain Commission and the failing of its continuation after World War I is reflected by the struggle to constitute the Swiss Neurological Society and the Netherlands Society of Neurology and Psychiatry and to develop their specialties along with new scientific findings in brain research. How both neuroscientists, from politically neutral countries, set different focuses concerning future developments of their societies, as well as their specialties, raises important questions about the role of neurosciences in society and were discussed by neuroscientists between the wars: Von Monakow tried to emphasize the moral meaning of knowledge about the human brain, whereas Winkler was convinced that neurology should focus on scientific issues in the traditional way, without bringing moral or societal implications to the fore. The journal Swiss Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, founded by Constantin von Monakow in 1917, represents a successful attempt to establish an organ of scientific communication against the background of challenging political circumstances.
Developing Transmedia Puzzle Play to Facilitate Spatial Skills of Preschoolers

This proposed project aims to develop a research-driven interactive product that facilitates spatial skills of preschoolers. Here, we present the preliminary qualitative results of a user study with the paper prototype of Fungram, merging physical tangram pieces on the screen within a narrative context. A pilot study was conducted with eight children between the ages of 25 and 48 months, who were presented tangible tangram pieces along with two sets of papers with and without narrative context. Our preliminary qualitative data indicates that narrative context helps children's coherence of abstract figures and triggers rotation of geometric tangram pieces. This study provide insights about children's user needs and action strategies within the proposed use scenario with graspable puzzle pieces related to screen interaction at this age range. We suggest that transmedia play expand opportunities for children to employ their spatial skills in different settings.
Risk of Ischemic Stroke, Hemorrhagic Stroke, Bleeding, and Death in Patients Switching from Vitamin K Antagonist to Dabigatran after an Ablation

Background Safety regarding switching from vitamin K antagonist (VKA) to dabigatran therapy in post-ablation patients has never been investigated and safety data for this is urgently needed. The objective of this study was to examine if switch from VKA to dabigatran increased the risk of stroke, bleeding, and death in patients after ablation for atrial fibrillation. Methods Through the Danish nationwide registries, patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation undergoing ablation were identified, in the period between August 22nd 2011 and December 31st 2015. The risk of ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, bleeding, and death, related to switching from VKA to dabigatran was examined using a multivariable Poisson regression model, where Incidence rate ratios (IRR) were estimated using VKA as reference. Results In total, 4,236 patients were included in the study cohort. The minority (n = 470, 11%) switched to dabigatran in the follow up period leaving the majority (n = 3,766, 89%) in VKA treatment. The patients in the dabigatran group were older, were more often males, and had higher CHA2DS2-VASc, and HAS-BLED scores. The incident rates of bleeding and death were almost twice as high in the dabigatran group compared with the VKA group. When adjusting for the individual components included in the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores, the multivariable Poisson analyses yielded a non-significant IRR (95%CI) of 1.64 (0.72–3.75) for bleeding and of 1.41 (0.66–3.00) for death associated with the dabigatran group, compared to the VKA group. A significant increased risk of bleeding was found in the 110mg bid group with an IRR (95%CI) of 4.49(1.40–14.5). Conclusion Shifting from VKA to dabigatran after ablation was associated with twice as high incidence of bleeding compared to the incidence in patients staying in VKA treatment. The only significant increased risk found in the adjusted analyses was for bleeding with 110mg bid dabigatran and not for 150mg bid. Since there was no dose-response for bleeding, the switch from VKA to dabigatran in itself was not a risk factor for bleeding.
Numerical Analysis of a Two-Phase Flow (Oil and Gas) in a Horizontal
 Separator used in Petroleum Projects

In the present paper, two-phase three-dimensional turbulent flow simulations are carried out by applying computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique to the internal flow of a horizontal separator that is used in petroleum industry. Two different geometries are considered; the separator with a straight plate at the top and the separator with the straight plate on the side of the separator. Effects of the location, distance between the inlet of the separator and the diverter plate and inlet velocity on the separation efficiency are investigated by employing the standard kε turbulence model. For these purposes, three different distances between the straight diverter plate and the inlet to the separator (0.1 m, 0.15 m and 0.2 m) and four different velocities (0.25 m/s, 0.5 m/s, 0.75 m/s, and 1 m/s) are taken into account by means of Euler mixture model. It is revealed that the maximum separation efficiency is 99.772% when the mixture enters the separator from the top with the inlet velocity of 0.25 m/s and the plate is located 0.2 m away from the inlet section of the separator. An inverse correlation is detected between the inlet velocity and the efficiency of the separation since increasing the inlet velocity decreases the efficiency of the separation.
Practical education for improving software usability

A usable software system is one that supports the effective and efficient completion of tasks in a given work context. In most cases of the design and development of commercial software, usability is not dealt with at the same level as other aspects of software engineering (e.g., clear usability objectives are not set, resources for appropriate activities are not given priority by project management). One common consequence is the assignment of responsibility for usability to people who do not have appropriate training, or who are trained in behavioral sciences rather than in more productoriented fields such as design or engineering. Relying on our experiences in industrial settings, we make personal suggestions of activities for the realistic and practical alternative of training development team members as usability advocates. Our suggestions help meet the needs specified in the recent Strong et al. [21] report on humancomputer interaction education, research, and practice.
Research on parallel algorithm of DC optimal power flow in large interconnection power grids

This paper investigated an optimal method of optimal power flow in large interconnected power grids. A decomposition collaborative model based on partial duality is analyzed, and a parallel algorithm based on DC optimal power flow model is presented in multi-region decomposition of interconnected power grids. The OPF computation of large power grid is decomposed into subproblems of multi regions, which is a quadratic programming problem used to solve a DC optimal power flow. The optimal convergence condition of multi-region is discussed. The interchange information among regions is export price and boundary nodal bus phase angle. The IEEE RTS-96 with two and three interconnected regions is studied to illustrate the effect of the proposed approach and to prove a great future in interconnected power system
Elderly Canadians residing in long-term care hospitals: Part II. Dental caries status.

BACKGROUND Dental caries has been identified as a significant problem for elderly residents of long-term care (LTC) hospitals in developed countries, yet little recent information is available for the Canadian population. OBJECTIVE To document the caries status of elderly dentate residents of intermediate and extended LTC hospitals in Vancouver and surrounding communities. METHODS A dentist examined the teeth of 369 elderly dentate hospital residents (coronal and root surfaces) for caries. The medical, dietary, oral microbial, oral hygiene and dental status of the same subjects are documented and discussed in a companion article. RESULTS Two hundred and ninety (78.6%) of the subjects had at least one carious lesion; 186 (50.4%) had coronal caries and 254 (68.8%) had root caries. On average, each subject had 3.8 carious teeth. The residents of extended LTC hospitals had significantly more carious coronal surfaces. Lactobacillus scores were correlated with the DMFS (decayed, missing, filled surfaces), the number of carious coronal lesions, the number of carious surfaces and the plaque index, but Streptococcus mutans scores were correlated only with DMFT (decayed, missing, filled teeth). CONCLUSIONS Overall, the prevalence of dental caries among the elderly residents of LTC hospitals in this study was high, although almost half of the subjects had visited community dentists within the previous 5 years. Caries prevention strategies (specifically diet, oral hygiene and antimicrobial agents) rather than treatment alone may be needed to control caries in this susceptible population.
Distributed Brain Networks Reflect Salary Offer in Accordance With the Prospect Theory’s Value Function

Previous studies have found an association between the prospect theory’s (PT’s) value function and the networks in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the striatum during routine choice, but little is known about the brain activity and the role of the PT during choices regarding a salary expectation. We constructed an experiment in which the subjects’ wage expectations were used as a reference point (RP) and representatives of two distinct psychological profiles in decision-making served as subjects. Sixteen university students—eight maximizers and eight satisficers—were recruited to participate in the functional MRI study. Maximizers normally put more effort and time to optimize their choices. Our design featured a constraint on time and maximal number of offers. Behavioral data showed that maximizers, unlike satisficers, tried to optimize the outcome even under such constraints. Functional MRI responses in the areas of the PFC (posterior medial frontal cortex and right rostral portion of the PFC), occipital cortex (left lingual gyrus and occipital visual areas), inferior parietal lobule on the right, and the angular gyrus correlated positively with increased wage offers weighted according to the PT’s value function. Furthermore, maximizers and satisficers differed markedly in how brain activation was engaged in the medial PFC. Previous neuroimaging studies on the PT’s value function have used status quo as an RP, whereas our results demonstrated activity in distributed brain networks when salary expectation served as an RP. Furthermore, the PT’s value function effect on frontal cortex differs according to the psychological profile, being stronger among maximizers than satisficers.
Electrophysiological Precursor of Information Cascade: Evidence from N200

When a sequence of decision makers with private information announce public predictions, initial conformity can create an information cascade in which all future decision makers will rationally match the early announcements and disregard private information. This study uses event-related potentials (ERPs) to compare the time course of neural activities associated with information cascade during sequential decision-making. In our experiment, a participant receives a private signal matched with public information in the congruent condition, while in the incongruent condition he or she receives a private signal against the public information. The results show that the conflict between private and public information triggers a more negative deflection peaking around 300 ms, with a right frontal scalp distribution similar to N200. Importantly, the N200 effect is negatively correlated with information cascade. These results add to the growing literature on neuronal mechanisms of information cascades by disentangling cognitive control related processes in inhibiting overweighting private information and the neural signal of a cascade in sequential decision-making.
Hyperbolic groups with planar boundaries

We prove that the class of convex-cocompact Kleinian groups is quasi-isometrically rigid. We also establish that a word hyperbolic group with a planar boundary different from the sphere is virtually a convex-cocompact Kleinian group provided that its boundary has Ahlfors regular conformal dimension strictly less than 2 or if it acts geometrically on a CAT(0) cube complex.
CDL, a Precise, Low-Cost Coincidence Detector Latch

The electronic detection of the coincidence of two events is still a key ingredient for high-performance applications, such as Positron Emission Tomography and Quantum Optics. Such applications are demanding, since the precision of their calculations and thus their conclusions directly depend on the duration of the interval in which two events are considered coincidental. This paper proposes a new circuitry, called coincidence detector latch (CDL), which is derived from standard RS latches. The CDL has the following advantages: low complexity, fully synthesizable, and high scalability. Even in its simple implementation, it achieves a coincidence window width as short as 115 ps, which is more than 10 times better than that reported by recent research.
REPRESENTATIVE BUREAUCRACY, GENDER, AND POLICING: THE CASE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARRESTS IN ENGLAND

Drawing on theories of representative bureaucracy, we examine whether increased representation of women in police forces in England leads to a higher rate of domestic violence arrests. To do so, we use panel regression techniques to analyze the links between gender representation and variations in the arrest of domestic abuse perpetrators when controlling for a range of other relevant variables, including the relative prosperity of the local population and the size of the police force. Our statistical results suggest that the rate of domestic violence arrests varies in terms of the authority and discretion accorded to women police officers. We find that the presence of a female police chief constable is positively associated with the domestic violence arrest rate, but that increased representation of female police officers makes a difference only when they are accorded greater opportunity to carry out frontline police work.
The Centrality of Connectedness: A Conceptual Synthesis of Attending, Belonging, Engaging and Flowing

Over the past decade, researchers have called for a reconceptualisation of school connectedness. A review of literature between 1990 and 2016 was completed to define school connectedness and identified four factors: attending, belonging, engaging, and flow. The review of the published literature from 1990 to 2016 that related to the four factors was undertaken to define each of these terms and their relevance to school connectedness. Subsequently, based on the four factors, a sequential, four-level model of school connectedness was proposed. The model suggests a progression from minimal connection to a deep level of acculturation and shared meaning relevant for adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. It is argued that the four factors form the foundation for engagement and suggests the possibility of an experience of flow as a result of a student's connectedness with school. The literature on which the model is based draws together social, emotional, behavioural, and cognitive terms central to learning. The purpose of the review is to move beyond individual factors to propose an explanation for the sequence of graduated connection. Practically, the model provides a template for establishing the student's current experience of school to facilitate interventions to optimise connectedness with school.
Click Trajectories: End-to-End Analysis of the Spam Value Chain

Spam-based advertising is a business. While it has engendered both widespread antipathy and a multi-billion dollar anti-spam industry, it continues to exist because it fuels a profitable enterprise. We lack, however, a solid understanding of this enterprise's full structure, and thus most anti-Spam interventions focus on only one facet of the overall spam value chain (e.g., spam filtering, URL blacklisting, site takedown). In this paper we present a holistic analysis that quantifies the full set of resources employed to monetize spam email -- including naming, hosting, payment and fulfillment -- usingextensive measurements of three months of diverse spam data, broad crawling of naming and hosting infrastructures, and over 100 purchases from spam-advertised sites. We relate these resources to the organizations who administer them and then use this data to characterize the relative prospects for defensive interventions at each link in the spam value chain. In particular, we provide the first strong evidence of payment bottlenecks in the spam value chain, 95% of spam-advertised pharmaceutical, replica and software products are monetized using merchant services from just a handful of banks.