Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Telencephalic Neurons Monosynaptically Link Brainstem and Forebrain Premotor Networks Necessary for Song

Birdsong, like human speech, is a series of learned vocal gestures resulting from the coordination of vocal and respiratory brainstem networks under the control of the telencephalon. The song motor circuit includes premotor and motor cortical analogs, known as HVC (used as a proper name) and RA (the robust nucleus of the arcopallium), respectively. Previous studies showed that HVC projects to RA and that RA projection neurons (PNs) topographically innervate brainstem vocal-motor and respiratory networks. The idea that singing-related activity flows between HVC and RA in a strictly feedforward manner is a central component of all models of song production. In contrast to this prevailing view of song motor circuit organization, we show that RA sends a reciprocal projection directly to HVC. Lentiviral labeling of RA PN axons and transgene tagging of RA PN synaptic terminals reveal a direct projection from RA to HVC. Retrograde tracing from HVC demonstrates that this projection originates exclusively from neurons in dorsocaudal regions of RA. Using dual retrograde tracer injections, we further show that many of these RAHVC neurons also innervate the brainstem nucleus retroambigualis, which is premotor to expiratory motoneurons, thereby identifying a population of RA PNs positioned to coordinate activity at higher and lower levels of the song motor circuit. In combination, our findings identify a previously unknown pathway that may enable a subset of RA neurons to provide song-related signals to the respiratory brainstem but also transmit a copy of this information to song patterning networks in HVC.
Ultra-low power Wi-Fi tag for wireless sensing

G2 microsystems of Campbell, California, USA, released in 2007 the first ever ultra-low power Wi-Fi System on a Chip (SoC) named G2C501. This SoC includes a 32-bit CPU, crypto accelerator, real-time clock and a versatile sensor interface that can serve as a standalone host subsystem. The G2C501 goes beyond todaypsilas basic radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to offer intelligent tracking and sensor capabilities that leverage IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) networks. Due to its support for multiple location technologies, small form factor and ultra-low power consumption, the G2 SoC can be integrated into Wi-Fi asset tags that lower cost of ownership and meet the needs of a variety of industries including consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemical manufacturing, cold chain and more. G2 Microsystems offered companies from different industries participation into a beta program that granted early access to the silicon in 2007 with the idea of fine-tuning and testing the SoC firmware. One direction was to develop a device platform for ultra low-power Wi-Fi sensing which represents a deviation from G2psilas focus on asset location tracking. A battery powered, small size ultra low-power Wi-Fi wireless measurement node has been built for measurement of temperature, humidity, light, and vibration or motion. The node is able to read a sensor and send data to the network by using an IP-based application protocol such as UDP. This paper describes the wireless node hardware and firmware components, power consumption and power management, application software, and it also gives a performance analysis. The device being a sensor with IP capability was named the IP Sensor.
The effect of mechanical stirring on horizontal convection

Abstract An important experimental result, as yet poorly understood, is that mechanical stirring can significantly enhance the strength of horizontal convection. A contentious issue is whether this necessarily implies that the mechanical stirring replaces the buoyancy forcing as the main source of energy driving the observed overturning circulation, as has been suggested for the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). In this paper, rigorous energetics considerations and idealized numerical experiments reveal that the rate at which the surface buoyancy forcing supplies energy to the fluid, as measured by the production rate of available potential energy G(APE), does not solely depend upon the buoyancy forcing, as is often implicitly assumed, but also upon the vertical stratification, such that the deeper the thermocline depth, the larger G(APE). This suggests that mechanical stirring enhances horizontal convection because it causes more energy to be extracted from the buoyancy forcing. It does so by enhancing turbulent mixing, which allows surface heating to reach greater depths, which increases the thermocline depth and hence G(APE). This paper therefore proposes a new hypothesis, namely that mechanically stirred horizontal convection and the AMOC are best described as mechanically controlled heat engines.
MODELING DYNAMIC FRACTURE AND DAMAGE IN A FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE LAMINA WITH PERIDYNAMICS

We propose a peridynamic formulation for a unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite lamina based on homogenization and mapping between elastic and fracture parameters of the micro-scale peridynamic bonds and the macro-scale parameters of the composite. The model is then used to analyze the splitting mode (mode II) fracture in dynamic loading of a 0 ◦ lamina. Appropriate scaling factors are used in the model in order to have the elastic strain energy, for a fixed nonlocal interaction distance (the peridynamic horizon), match the classical one. No special criteria for splitting failure are required to capture this fracture mode in the lamina. Convergence studies under uniform grid refinement for a fixed horizon size (m-convergence) and under decreasing the peridynamic horizon ( -convergence) are performed. The computational results show that the splitting fracture mode obtained with peridynamics compares well with experimental observations. Moreover, in the limit of the horizon going to zero, the maximum crack propagation speed computed with peridynamics approaches the value obtained from an analytical classical formulation for the steady-state dynamic interface debonding found in the literature.
An Essay on Exchange Rate Dynamics

There is rarely another field in economics where the prevailing theoretical models have been contradicted so strongly by empirical evidence as exchange rate economics. This study therefore attempts to investigate exchange rate dynamics in an exploratory way. It is first demonstrated that the exchange rate does not follow a random walk as often postulated. There exists a systematic pattern in the process of exchange rate determination which at the same time does not conform to economic theory. In order to detect this pattern, the "gestalt" of exchange rate fluctuations is carefully explored. It is shown that a sequence of upward or downward price runs interrupted by some erratic fluctuations is most typical for exchange rate dynamics in the short run. Since such a pattern can be systematically exploited by certain trading rules, the importance of "technical analysis" for the expectations formation and consequently the determination of exchange rates is examined. It turns out that the trading rules implied by technical analysis, which are actually employed in the market, have systematically produced extra profits over the whole period without any relevant risk. The second part of the study focuses on the medium-term fluctuations in exchange rate dynamics. It is argued that these fluctuations can be explained as the result of interacting diseuilibria in the goods market and the asset market wherein the exchange rate fluctuates around the purchasing power parity as its "center of gravity" without any tendency of convergence, i.e., towards a stable equilibrium. The study concludes with a discussion on the theoretical founedations of exchange rate instability.
Speed alteration strategy for multijoint robots in co-working environment

A collision-free trajectory planning method based on speed alternation strategy for multijoint manipulators in overlapped working envelopes is proposed. Since the shape of a robot's link is usually rectangular or cylindrical approximately, the proposed method models a robot's link mathematically by quadric primitives, such as ellipsoids and spheres. The occurrence of collisions between links can be predicted easily by means of relative coordinate transformations and geometric deformations between those ellipsoids. Furthermore, the collision-trend index which is defined by projecting the ellipsoids geometrically onto the Gaussian distribution plays a significant role in searching the optimal resolution in the proposed collision-avoidance method. Experiments with two Motoman robots from the YASUKAWAI Company are conducted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods.
Crystal structure of a major secreted protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis—MPT63 at 1.5‐Å resolution

MPT63 is a small, major secreted protein of unknown function from Mycobacterium tuberculosis that has been shown to have immunogenic properties and has been implicated in virulence. A BLAST search identified that MPT63 has homologs only in other mycobacteria, and is therefore mycobacteria specific. As MPT63 is a secreted protein, mycobacteria specific, and implicated in virulence, MPT63 is an attractive drug target against the deadliest infectious disease, tuberculosis (TB). As part of the TB Structural Genomics Consortium, the X‐ray crystal structure of MPT63 was determined to 1.5‐Ångstrom resolution with the hope of yielding functional information about MPT63. The structure of MPT63 is an antiparallel β‐sandwich immunoglobulin‐like fold, with the unusual feature of the first β‐strand of the protein forming a parallel addition to the small antiparallel β‐sheet. MPT63 has weak structural similarity to many proteins with immunoglobulin folds, in particular, Homo sapiens β2‐adaptin, bovine arrestin, and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis invasin. Although the structure of MPT63 gives no conclusive evidence to its function, structural similarity suggests that MPT63 could be involved in cell‐host interactions to facilitate endocytosis/phagocytosis.
The Star Formation History of the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present the spatially resolved star formation and chemical enrichment history of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) across the entire central 4° × 4. °5 area of the main body, based on UBVI photometry from our Magellanic Clouds Photometric Survey. We find that (1) approximately 50% of the stars that ever formed in the SMC formed prior to 8.4 Gyr ago (z > 1.2 for WMAP cosmology); (2) the SMC formed relatively few stars between 8.4 and 3 Gyr ago; (3) there was a rise in the mean star formation rate during the most recent 3 Gyr punctuated by "bursts" at ages of 2.5, 0.4, and 0.06 Gyr; (4) the bursts at 2.5 and 0.4 Gyr are temporally coincident with past perigalactic passages of the SMC with the Milky Way; (5) there is preliminary evidence for a large-scale annular structure in the 2.5 Gyr burst; and (6) the chemical enrichment history derived from our analysis is in agreement with the age-metallicity relation of the SMC's star clusters. Consistent interpretation of the data required an ad hoc correction of 0.1–0.2 mag to the B-V colors of 25% of the stars; the cause of this anomaly is unknown, but we show that it does not strongly influence our results.
Clinical Outcomes of Varicocele Repair in Infertile Men: A Review

Varicoceles are a major cause of impaired spermatogenesis and the most common correctable cause of male infertility. They are found in approximately 40% of men with primary infertility and 80% of men with secondary infertility, although they also occur in 12% of men with normal semen parameters. The presence of a varicocele does not always affect spermatogenesis, as it has been reported that only 20% of men with documented varicoceles suffer fertility problems. However, varicocele repair appears to have beneficial effects in men with impaired semen parameters and palpable varicoceles. Currently, the main procedures employed for varicocele repair are microsurgical subinguinal or inguinal varicocelectomy, laparoscopic varicocelectomy, and radiological percutaneous embolization. Microsurgical varicocelectomy appears to be the optimal treatment in most cases, whereas the other procedures are useful only in specific cases. After treatment, it typically takes 3 to 6 months for patients' semen parameters to improve; thus, other therapies, including assisted reproductive technology, should be considered if infertility persists after this interval, especially in older couples. Controversies still remain regarding how varicoceles in certain subgroups, such as adolescents or men with azoospermia, should be treated. Due to their relatively high prevalence rate among the general population, varicoceles can occur concomitantly with other conditions that cause impaired spermatogenesis. Further studies are necessary in order to identify the patients who are most likely to benefit from treatment. In this review, we sought to summarize the issues currently associated with varicocele treatment in infertile men.
Native Silicon and Fe-Silicides from the Apollo 16 Lunar Regolith: Extreme Reduction, Metal-Silicate Immiscibility, and Shock Melting

Silicon in metallic form – dissolved in Fe-Ni metal, as silicide, or as Si 0 – is rare in solar system materials because its formation requires extremely reducing temperatures or oxidation states or both. Fe-Ni metal in carbonaceous chondrites can contain small proportions of Si [1], as does metal in shocked enstatite chondrites and aubrites [2]. Iron silicides are known from ureilite meteorites [3,4], where extreme reduction and shock heating are both significant. Silicides are also reported from the Stardust mission comet-return samples, both as indigenous phases [5] and as products secondary to dust capture [6]. Iron silicides have recently been reported in fragments of lunar regolith, and are inferred to represent deposits from vapor generated in impact events [7]. These lunar silicides include Fe 3 Si (hapkeite), Fe 2 Si, and FeSi [7]. Here, we report phases even richer in silicon – native silicon and iron silicides (with Fe:Si ratios < 1) – in anorthositic fragments from the Apollo 16 re-golith. Textures suggest that these materials formed as the result of silicate-metal immiscibility driven by high temperature shock melting. Such silicon-rich phases are known in terrestrial samples, but are extremely rare. The best-documented occurrence is in a fulgurite [8], where extremely reducing conditions arose from the combination of organic carbon (from soil and plant roots) and the intense heating of a lightning strike; Native silicon coexisting with Fe-silicides (FeSi, Fe 3 Si 7) was identified. Fe-silicides are found in other fulgurites [9]. Other reports of native silicon include volcanic sublimates [10], inclusions in moissanite from kimberlite [11], inclusions in terrestrial Fe-Ni metal [12] (likely to be silicides) and detrital grains in heavy sands [13] (possibly human artifacts). Samples and Methods. During a search for zircon in the >20µm fraction of Apollo 16 regolith sample 61501,22, two grains (A6-8 and A6-7) were found to contain native silicon. Chemical analyses for A6-8 were obtained at the University of Wisconsin by electron microprobe (Cameca SX51). SEM, BSE, forescatter and EBSD analyses were obtained using a Hitachi 3400N. Petrography: Although lunar grain A6-8 is relatively small (~90 µm diameter) it displays great complexity (Fig. 1). An EPMA traverse (A-B) across the major features of this grain (numbered #1-#6 in Fig 1A) is shown in Figure 2. The sample is cut by a Si-rich vein-like feature (#3) that is bright in BSE. In the upper portion of Fig. 1A, the relatively uniform grey phase …
Massive MIMO as enabler for communications with drone swarms

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is an emerging technology for mobile communications, where a large number of antennas are employed at the base station to simultaneously serve multiple single-antenna terminals with very high capacity. In this paper, we study the potentials and challenges of utilizing massive MIMO for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) communication. We consider a scenario where multiple single-antenna UAVs simultaneously communicate with a ground station (GS) equipped with a large number of antennas. Specifically, we discuss the achievable uplink (UAV to GS) capacity performance in the case of line-of-sight (LoS) conditions. We also study the type of antenna polarization that should be used in order to maintain a reliable communication link between the GS and the UAVs. The results obtained using a realistic geometric model show that massive MIMO is a potential enabler for high-capacity UAV networks.
Environmental systems biology of cold-tolerant phenotype in Saccharomyces species adapted to grow at different temperatures

Temperature is one of the leading factors that drive adaptation of organisms and ecosystems. Remarkably, many closely related species share the same habitat because of their different temporal or micro‐spatial thermal adaptation. In this study, we seek to find the underlying molecular mechanisms of the cold‐tolerant phenotype of closely related yeast species adapted to grow at different temperatures, namely S. kudriavzevii CA111 (cryo‐tolerant) and S. cerevisiae 96.2 (thermo‐tolerant). Using two different systems approaches, i. thermodynamic‐based analysis of a genome‐scale metabolic model of S. cerevisiae and ii. large‐scale competition experiment of the yeast heterozygote mutant collection, genes and pathways important for the growth at low temperature were identified. In particular, defects in lipid metabolism, oxidoreductase and vitamin pathways affected yeast fitness at cold. Combining the data from both studies, a list of candidate genes was generated and mutants for two predicted cold‐favouring genes, GUT2 and ADH3, were created in two natural isolates. Compared with the parental strains, these mutants showed lower fitness at cold temperatures, with S. kudriavzevii displaying the strongest defect. Strikingly, in S. kudriavzevii, these mutations also significantly improve the growth at warm temperatures. In addition, overexpression of ADH3 in S. cerevisiae increased its fitness at cold. These results suggest that temperature‐induced redox imbalances could be compensated by increased glycerol accumulation or production of cytosolic acetaldehyde through the deletion of GUT2 or ADH3, respectively.
Input Test Data Compression Based on the Reuse of Parts of Dictionary Entries: Static and Dynamic Approaches

In this paper, we present a new test data compression method for intellectual property (IP) cores testing, based on the reuse of parts of dictionary entries. Two approaches are investigated: the static and the dynamic. In the static approach, the content of the dictionary is constant during the testing of a core, while in the dynamic approach the testing of a core consists of several test sessions and the content of the dictionary is different during each test session. The efficiency of the proposed method is supported with extensive simulation results and comparisons to already known test data compression methods suitable for IP cores testing.
Essays on stochastic volatility and jumps

This thesis studies a few different finance topics on the application and modelling of jump and stochastic volatility process. First, the thesis proposed a non-parametric method to estimate the impact of jump dependence, which is important for portfolio selection problem. Comparing with existing literature, the new approach requires much less restricted assumption on the jump process, and estimation results suggest that the economical significance of jumps is largely mis-estimated in portfolio optimization problem. Second, this thesis investigates the time varying variance risk premium, in a framework of stochastic volatility with stochastic jump intensity. The proposed model considers jump intensity as an extra factor which is driven by realized jumps, in addition to a stochastic volatility model. The results provide strong evidence of multiple factors in the market and show how they drive the variance risk premium. Thirdly, the thesis uses the proposed models to price options on equity and VIX consistently. Based on calibrated model parameters, the thesis shows how to calculate the unconditional correlation of VIX future between different maturities.
Communicating Using an Energy Harvesting Transmitter: Optimum Policies Under Energy Storage Losses

In this paper, short-term throughput optimal power allocation policies are derived for an energy harvesting transmitter with energy storage losses. In particular, the energy harvesting transmitter is equipped with a battery that loses a fraction of its stored energy. Both single user, i.e. one transmitter-one receiver, and the broadcast channel, i.e., one transmitter-multiple receiver settings are considered, initially with an infinite capacity battery. It is shown that the optimal policies for these models are threshold policies. Specifically, storing energy when harvested power is above an upper threshold, retrieving energy when harvested power is below a lower threshold, and transmitting with the harvested energy in between is shown to maximize the weighted sum-rate. It is observed that the two thresholds are related through the storage efficiency of the battery, and are nondecreasing during the transmission. The results are then extended to the case with finite battery capacity, where it is shown that a similar double-threshold structure arises but the thresholds are no longer monotonic. A dynamic program that yields an optimal online power allocation is derived, and is shown to have a similar double-threshold structure. A simpler online policy is proposed and observed to perform close to the optimal policy.
A traveling-wave-based waveform approximation technique for thetiming verification of single transmission lines

Today's high-speed very large scale integration interconnects are becoming inductively dominated (moderate Q) resistance-inductance-capacitance (RLC) transmission lines. The time-domain system responses of RLC interconnect lines driving load capacitances cannot be accurately represented by using a finite number of poles with exception for a particular case of RC-time-constant-dominant (low Q) RLC systems. In this paper, a new traveling-wave-based waveform approximation technique is presented. The method suggests that a steady-state traveling wave is approximately determined by a three-pole approximation technique. Then the time-domain response of the system can be accurately determined by using the traveling waves that are modeled by multiple reflections. The signal delay models of the RLC interconnect lines are derived as a closed form. The technique is verified by varying the source resistance, load impedance, and transmission line circuit model parameters of several RLC lines. The results show excellent agreement with HSPICE simulation results. That is, approximately 5% error in a 50% delay calculation can be achieved.
Natural Resource Dependence and Economic Performance in the 1972-2000 Period

We look at the type of natural resource dependence and growth in developing countries. Certain natural resources called point-source, such as oil and minerals, exhibit concentrated and capturable revenue patterns, while revenue flows from resources such as agriculture are more diffused. Developing countries that export the former type of products are regarded prone to growth failure due to institutional failure. We present an explicit model of growth collapse with micro-foundations in rent-seeking contests with increasing returns. Our econometric analysis is among the few in this literature with a panel data dimension. Point-source-type natural resource dependence does retard institutional development in both governance and democracy, which hampers growth. The resource curse, however, is more general and not simply confined to mineral exporters.