Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MODIS EVI and LST Temporal Response for Discrimination of Tropical Land Covers

MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and land surface temperature (LST) are key indicators for monitoring vegetation cover changes in broad ecosystems. However, there has been little evaluation of these indices for detecting changes in a range of land covers in tropical regions. In this study, we investigated the characteristics and seasonal responses of LST and EVI for four different land covers in Lao tropical forests: native forest, rubber plantation, mixed wooded/cleared areas and agriculture. We calculated long-term averages of MODIS LST and EVI 16-day time series and compared their monthly transitions over the seven-year period from 2006 to 2012. We also tested whether these indices can be used to classify these four land covers. The findings demonstrate the complex interrelationship of LST and EVI and their monthly transitions for different land covers: they each showed distinctly different intra-annual LST and EVI variations. Native forests have the highest EVI, and the lowest LST throughout the year. In contrast, agricultural areas with little or no vegetation cover have the highest LST. The transition of LST/EVI for the land covers other than native forests showed marked seasonality. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) showed that there was high overall accuracy of separation of land covers by these indices (86%). The encouraging results indicate that the combined use of MODIS LST and EVI holds promise for improving monitoring of changes in a Lao tropical forest.
Population and development in historical perspective.

This essay examines the history of population ideas in the postwar period and interprets revisionism a non-alarmist assessment of population consequences dominant among economists in the field. It then reviews how modern economic growth since the industrial revolution overcame the constraints of rapid population growth just as it overcame the many other limits which kept most of humankind at very low levels of living for its first 200000 years as a species. Progress could still however be stalled by population growth. Sections look at revisionism an history of ideas in the population debate and its future; population and development before the industrial revolution and why historical data are of importance for our current experience; lessons for todays developing countries in terms of market growth the growth of agricultural labor productivity labor force shifts in recent decades and consequences of rural inertia; and recent successes and failures in transition.
Dynamic spindle reflexes and the rigidity of Parkinsonism

The effects of stimulating the reflex arc from dynamic spindle endings were examined in patients with the rigidity of Parkinsonism and in control subjects. The arc was activated phasically by a tendon tap and by electrical stimulation in 15 patients. The effect of reinforcement by Jendrassik's manoeuvre was observed. The response to phasic activation indicated central facilitation of the reflex loop in the patients with Parkinsonism, with a concurrent decrease in fusimotor drive to dynamic spindles. These abnormalities could not be correlated with the severity of the patients' rigidity, and they did not alter when the rigidity was reduced by levodopa. The effect of activating dynamic spindle endings tonically by vibration at 50 Hz was also examined. The reflex contraction of the biceps and triceps muscles in response to vibration was found to be increased in 24 patients with rigidity compared with 24 control subjects. Patients with severe rigidity developed a more powerful contraction in response to vibration than patients with mild rigidity. The response to vibration was reduced by treatment with levodopa but the amount of this reduction could not be correlated with changes in the patients' rigidity.
Factors influencing the decision to abandon manual wheelchairs for three individuals with a spinal cord injury

Purpose : This study was conducted to identify factors which influence individuals with a spinal cord injury to abandon their first wheelchair before five years of use. It aims to provide prescribing therapists and manufacturers with insights which may assist in facilitating better outcomes for wheelchair users, thereby reducing abandonment rates and containing replacement costs. Method : A descriptive, qualitative design was used to gather the perceptions of three individuals with a spinal cord injury. Results : Thematic analysis yielded five themes: 'Participants' experience of the first prescription'; 'The physical issues with the wheelchair have functional implications'; 'Gaining experience is so important'; 'Participants' experience of the second prescription'; and 'Participants' suggestions'. Conclusions : Factors influencing manual wheelchair abandonment for these participants were consistent with findings from the literature concerning dissatisfaction and abandonment of assistive technology. For these three individuals the lack of experience in wheelchair use and selection, the functional limitations encountered with the design of the wheelchair and the manner and timing of the prescription process combined to lead to dissatisfaction and ultimately abandonment. Suggestions for changes to wheelchair prescription practices were made.
A hint of Poincaré dodecahedral topology in the WMAP first year sky map

It has recently been suggested by Luminet et al. (2003) that the WMAP data are better matched by a geometry in which the topology is that of a Poincare dodecahedral model and the curvature is "slightly" spherical, rather than by an (effec- tively) infinite flat model. A general back-to-back matched circles analysis by Cornish et al. (2004) for angular radii in the range 25−90 ◦ , using a correlation statistic for signal detection, failed to support this. In this paper, a matched circles analysis specifi- cally designed to detect dodecahedral patterns of matched circles is performed over angular radii in the range 1−40 ◦ on the one- year WMAP data. Signal detection is attempted via a correlation statistic and an rms difference statistic. Extreme value distribu- tions of these statistics are calculated for one orientation of the 36 ◦ "screw motion" (Clifford translation) when matching circles, for the opposite screw motion, and for a zero (unphysical) rotation. The most correlated circles appear for circle radii of α = 11 ± 1 ◦ , for the left-handed screw motion, but not for the right-handed one, nor for the zero rotation. The favoured six dodecahedral face centres in galactic coordinates are (l II ,b II ) ≈ (252 ◦ , +65 ◦ ), (51 ◦ , +51 ◦ ), (144 ◦ , +38 ◦ ), (207 ◦ , +10 ◦ ), (271 ◦ , +3 ◦ ), (332 ◦ , +25 ◦ ) and their opposites. The six pairs of circles independently each favour a circle angular radius of 11 ± 1 ◦ . The temperature fluc- tuations along the matched circles are plotted and are clearly highly correlated. Whether or not these six circle pairs centred on dodecahedral faces match via a 36 ◦ rotation only due to unexpected statistical properties of the WMAP ILC map, or whether they match due to global geometry, it is clear that the WMAP ILC map has some unusual statistical properties which mimic a potentially interesting cosmological signal.
Analysis of DC–RF Dispersion in AlGaN/GaN HFETs Using RF Waveform Engineering

This paper describes how dc-radio-frequency (RF) dispersion manifests itself in AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors when the devices are driven into different RF load impedances. The localized nature of the dispersion in the I-V plane, which is confined to the ldquokneerdquo region, is observed in both RF waveform and pulsed I-V measurements. The effect is fully reproduced using 2-D physical modeling. The difference in dispersive behaviors has been attributed to the geometry of a trap-induced virtual-gate region and the resulting carrier velocity saturation being overcome by punchthrough effects under high electric fields.
Fluvial architecture and connectivity of the Williams Fork Formation: use of outcrop analogues for stratigraphic characterization and reservoir modelling

Abstract This study addresses the stratigraphic architecture and connectivity of fluvial sandstones of the Williams Fork Formation through outcrop analysis, and static and dynamic modelling of equivalent reservoirs in the Piceance Basin, Colorado. The Williams Fork Formation is a succession of fluvial channel sandstones, crevasse splays, floodplain mudstones and paludal coals that were deposited by meandering- and braided-river systems within coastal- and alluvial-plain settings. Three-dimensional (3D) static and dynamic reservoir models that are constrained to both outcrop-derived and subsurface data show how static connectivity is sensitive to sandstone-body type and width, and varies with net to gross ratio. Connectivity analyses of 3D outcrop-based architectural-element models show how relatively wide sandstone bodies enhance connectivity. At Mamm Creek Field, connectivity of sandstones that are pay within the middle Williams Fork Formation is 12–18% higher than for the lower Williams Fork Formation. For highly constrained 3D object-based models of architectural elements, connectivity is only 4% higher when crevasse splays are included as reservoir-quality sandstones. Dynamic simulation results also suggest that the best history match is possible by considering only point bars and channel bars (reservoir-quality sandstones) as pay. Additional research is necessary to determine the impact of crevasse splays on reservoir connectivity.
Polynomials with coefficients from a finite set

In 1945 Duffin and Schaeffer proved that a power series that is bounded in a sector and has coefficients from a finite subset of C is already a rational function. Their proof is relatively indirect. It is one purpose of this paper to give a shorter direct proof of this beautiful and surprising theorem. This will allow us to give an easy proof of a recent result of two of the authors stating that a sequence of polynomials with coefficients from a finite subset of C cannot tend to zero uniformly on an arc of the unit circle. Another main result of this paper gives explicit estimates for the number and location of zeros of polynomials with bounded coefficients. Let n be so large that v satisfies δn≤ 1. We show that any polynomial in has at least zeros in any disk with center on the unit circle and radius αn.
Increased Learning and Brain Long-Term Potentiation in Aged Mice Lacking DNA Polymerase μ

A definitive consequence of the aging process is the progressive deterioration of higher cognitive functions. Defects in DNA repair mechanisms mostly result in accelerated aging and reduced brain function. DNA polymerase µ is a novel accessory partner for the non-homologous end-joining DNA repair pathway for double-strand breaks, and its deficiency causes reduced DNA repair. Using associative learning and long-term potentiation experiments, we demonstrate that Polµ−/− mice, however, maintain the ability to learn at ages when wild-type mice do not. Expression and biochemical analyses suggest that brain aging is delayed in Polµ−/− mice, being associated with a reduced error-prone DNA oxidative repair activity and a more efficient mitochondrial function. This is the first example in which the genetic ablation of a DNA-repair function results in a substantially better maintenance of learning abilities, together with fewer signs of brain aging, in old mice.
Towards Practical Default-On Multi-Core Record/Replay

We present Castor, a record/replay system for multi-core applications that provides consistently low and predictable overheads. With Castor, developers can leave record and replay on by default, making it practical to record and reproduce production bugs, or employ fault tolerance to recover from hardware failures. Castor is inspired by several observations: First, an efficient mechanism for logging non-deterministic events is critical for recording demanding workloads with low overhead. Through careful use of hardware we were able to increase log throughput by 10x or more, e.g., we could record a server handling 10x more requests per second for the same record overhead. Second, most applications can be recorded without modifying source code by using the compiler to instrument language level sources of non-determinism, in conjunction with more familiar techniques like shared library interposition. Third, while Castor cannot deterministically replay all data races, this limitation is generally unimportant in practice, contrary to what prior work has assumed. Castor currently supports applications written in C, C++, and Go on FreeBSD. We have evaluated Castor on parallel and server workloads, including a commercial implementation of memcached in Go, which runs Castor in production.
Expression of Apoptosis-associated Speck-like Protein Containing a Caspase Recruitment Domain, a Pyrin N-terminal Homology Domain-containing Protein, in Normal Human Tissues

Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) is a pyrin N-terminal homology domain (PYD)- and caspase recruitment domain (CARD)-containing a proapoptotic molecule. This molecule has also been identified as a target of methylation-induced silencing (TMS)-1. We cloned the ASC cDNA by immunoscreening using an anti-ASC monoclonal antibody. In this study, we determined the binding site of the anti-ASC monoclonal antibody on ASC and analyzed the expression of ASC in normal human tissues. ASC expression was observed in anterior horn cells of the spinal cord, trophoblasts of the placental villi, tubule epithelium of the kidney, seminiferous tubules and Leydig cells of the testis, hepatocytes and interlobular bile ducts of the liver, squamous epithelial cells of the tonsil and skin, hair follicle, sebaceous and eccrine glands of the skin, and peripheral blood leukocytes. In the colon, ASC was detected in mature epithelial cells facing the luminal side rather than immature cells located deeper in the crypts. These observations indicate that high levels of ASC are abundantly expressed in epithelial cells and leukocytes, which are involved in host defense against external pathogens and in well-differentiated cells, the proliferation of which is regulated.
Optical flow using color information: preliminary results

Optical flow cannot be completely determined only from brightness information of images, without introducing some assumptions about the nature of movements in the scene. Color is an additional natural source of information that facilitates the solution of this problem. This work aims to illustrate the improvement in the optical flow estimation by using color information through experimental results.
Dynamic Map Building for an Autonomous Mobile Robot

This article presents an algorithm for autonomous map building and maintenance for a mobile robot. We believe that mobile robot navigation can be treated as a problem of tracking ge ometric features that occur naturally in the environment. We represent each feature in the map by a location estimate (the feature state vector) and two distinct measures of uncertainty: a covariance matrix to represent uncertainty in feature loca tion, and a credibility measure to represent our belief in the validity of the feature. During each position update cycle, pre dicted measurements are generated for each geometric feature in the map and compared with actual sensor observations. Suc cessful matches cause a feature's credibility to be increased. Unpredicted observations are used to initialize new geometric features, while unobserved predictions result in a geometric feature's credibility being decreased. We describe experimental results obtained with the algorithm that demonstrate successful map building using real sonar data.
Water Quality, Sediment Characteristics and Benthic Status of the Razim-Sinoie Lagoon System, Romania

Abstract Razim Lake is the biggest of Romania’s freshwater lakes and along with other basins as Golovita, Zmeica and Sinoie constitutes a system of great ecological significance, playing also an essential role in the supply of water for irrigation, fishery exploitation, farming, flood prevention, recreational navigation and water tourism. Due to their importance, the environmental conditions in the Razim - Sinoie coastal lakes have attracted an increased public attention in contemporary society. To assess the levels, dissemination and potential sources of contamination in the above-mentioned lagoon system, random sampling was used to collect water and sediment samples from every lake and several analytical techniques were performed to investigate their environmental characteristics. The results obtained from this study indicated that, in water, concentrations of various physico-chemical parameters are, mostly, in agreement with correlated environmental standards. Slight variations and/or occasional exceeding of the maximum admissible limits were generally limited to small areas showing levels that would not warrant special concern. In sediments, the mean concentrations of some specific trace metals were below the levels of potential effect. Benthic samples revealed 31 taxa belonging to 16 zoo-benthal subdivisions. The results of this study showed good ecological status despite local several natural and anthropogenic stressors as fishery exploitation, farming, recreational navigation and water tourism.
CYP1A2 Genotype Variations Do Not Modify the Benefits and Drawbacks of Caffeine during Exercise: A Pilot Study

Previous investigations have determined that some individuals have minimal or even ergolytic performance effects after caffeine ingestion. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the genetic variations of the CYP1A2 gene on the performance enhancement effects of ingesting a moderate dose of caffeine. In a double-blind randomized experimental design, 21 healthy active participants (29.3 ± 7.7 years) ingested 3 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass or a placebo in testing sessions separated by one week. Performance in the 30 s Wingate test, visual attention, and side effects were evaluated. DNA was obtained from whole blood samples and the CYP1A2 polymorphism was analyzed (rs762551). We obtained two groups: AA homozygotes (n = 5) and C-allele carriers (n = 16). Caffeine ingestion increased peak power (682 ± 140 vs. 667 ± 137 W; p = 0.008) and mean power during the Wingate test (527 ± 111 vs. 518 ± 111 W; p < 0.001) with no differences between AA homozygotes and C-allele carriers (p > 0.05). Reaction times were similar between caffeine and placebo conditions (276 ± 31 vs. 269 ± 71 milliseconds; p = 0.681) with no differences between AA homozygotes and C-allele carriers. However, 31.3% of the C-allele carriers reported increased nervousness after caffeine ingestion, while none of the AA homozygotes perceived this side effect. Genetic variations of the CYP1A2 polymorphism did not affect the ergogenic effects and drawbacks derived from the ingestion of a moderate dose of caffeine.
Human Neuroscience

The human likeness dimension of the " uncanny valley hypothesis " : behavioral and functional MRI findings The uncanny valley hypothesis (Mori, 1970) predicts differential experience of negative and positive affect as a function of human likeness. Affective experience of humanlike robots and computer-generated characters (avatars) dominates " uncanny " research, but findings are inconsistent. Importantly, it is unknown how objects are actually perceived along the hypothesis' dimension of human likeness (DOH), defined in terms of human physical similarity. To examine whether the DOH can also be defined in terms of effects of categorical perception (CP), stimuli from morph continua with controlled differences in physical human likeness between avatar and human faces as endpoints were presented. Two behavioral studies found a sharp category boundary along the DOH and enhanced visual discrimination (i.e., CP) of fine-grained differences between pairs of faces at the category boundary. Discrimination was better for face pairs presenting category change in the human-to-avatar than avatar-to-human direction along the DOH. To investigate brain representation of physical change and category change along the DOH, an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study used the same stimuli in a pair-repetition priming paradigm. Bilateral mid-fusiform areas and a different right mid-fusiform area were sensitive to physical change within the human and avatar categories, respectively, whereas entirely different regions were sensitive to the human-to-avatar (caudate head, putamen, thalamus, red nucleus) and avatar-to-human (hippocampus, amygdala, mid-insula) direction of category change. These findings show that Mori's DOH definition does not reflect subjective perception of human likeness and suggest that future " uncanny " studies consider CP and the DOH's category structure in guiding experience of non-human objects.
Environmental constraints defining the distribution, composition, and evolution of chlorophototrophs in thermal features of Yellowstone National Park

Chlorophotoautotrophy, the use of chlorophylls to convert light energy into chemical energy for carbon dioxide fixation, is the primary metabolic process linking the inorganic and organic carbon pools on Earth. To understand the potential effects of various environmental constraints on the evolution of chlorophototrophy better, we studied the distribution, diversity, and abundance of chlorophylls and genes involved in their synthesis along geothermal gradients in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis were constrained to temperatures of less than ∼70 °C and were only detected at this elevated temperature when the pH was in the circumneutral to alkaline range. The upper temperature limit for the detection of chlL/bchL 1 and bchY 2 decreased systematically with increasingly acidic pH, an observation likely attributable to sulfide, which upon oxidation, generates acidic spring water and reduces the availability of bicarbonate the preferred source of inorganic carbon for phototrophs. Spring pH was also the best predictor of the phylogenetic diversity of chlL/bchL communities. The phylogenetic similarity of chlL/bchL genes between sites was significantly correlated with that of chlorophylls. The predominance of chlorophyll a and bacteriochlorophyll a among extracted pigments was consistent with predominance of chlL/bchL genes affiliated with the Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexiales, respectively, and might be related to the fact that the majority of these organisms are photoautotrophs. Together, these results suggest that a combination of temperature, pH, and/or sulfide influences the distribution, diversity, and evolution of chlorophotrophs and the chlorophylls that they synthesize.
Convolutive Non-Negative Sparse Coding and New Features for Speech Overlap Handling in Speaker Diarization

The effective handling of overlapping speech is at the limits of the current state-of-the-art in speaker diarization. This paper presents our latest work in overlap detection. We report the combination of features derived through convolutive nonnegative sparse coding and new energy, spectral and voicingrelated features within a conventional HMM system. Overlap detection results are fully integrated into our top-down diarization system through the application of overlap exclusion and overlap labeling. Experiments on a subset of the AMI corpus show that the new system delivers significant reductions in missed speech and speaker error. Through overlap exclusion and labelling the overall diarization error rate is shown to improve by 6.4 % relative.