Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endorsing Darwin: global biogeography of the epipelagic goose barnacles Lepas spp. (Cirripedia, Lepadomorpha) proves cryptic speciation

It was Darwin that noted the large intraspecific diversity of the goose barnacle Lepas Linnaeus, 1758 and thought about distinct regional varieties. Today, biogeographic compartmentation is known from marine species, but data from globally occurring species remain scarce. We analysed inter- and intraspecific divergence within the epipelagic rafter Lepas from tropical and temperate oceans by means of two mitochondrial and one nuclear DNA marker. Besides phylogenetic relations, we resolved biogeography and controlling factors. Inhabiting the Southern Hemisphere, Lepas australis Darwin, 1851 shows separate populations from coastal Chile and from circum-Antarctic waters, most probably related to temperature differences in the current systems. The cosmopolitan Lepas anatifera Linnaeus, 1758 displays four regional subgroups (coastal Chile, Northeast Pacific/Oregon, the Southern Hemisphere Indopacific, and the Atlantic), and a global group, which might be an ancestral stem group. The differentiation reflects vicariance effects rooted in geological history: the closure of the Neogene Tethys in the Middle East and at the Panama Isthmus, the installation of the cool Benguela Current, differing Pleistocene currents and temperatures, and modern current systems. The extreme ecological generalists Lepas anserifera Linnaeus, 1767 and Lepas pectinata Spengler, 1793 are not differentiated, and might represent true global species. In conclusion, compartmentation of the oceans acts at the species level according to ecospace limits. For Lepas, the multitude of barriers favours allopatric speciation.
Selective refinement queries for volume visualization of unstructured tetrahedral meshes

We address the problem of the efficient visualization of large irregular volume data sets by exploiting a multiresolution model based on tetrahedral meshes. Multiresolution models, also called Level-Of-Detail (LOD) models, allow encoding the whole data set at a virtually continuous range of different resolutions. We have identified a set of queries for extracting meshes at variable resolution from a multiresolution model, based on field values, domain location, or opacity of the transfer function. Such queries allow trading off between resolution and speed in visualization. We define a new compact data structure for encoding a multiresolution tetrahedral mesh built through edge collapses to support selective refinement efficiently and show that such a structure has a storage cost from 3 to 5.5 times lower than standard data structures used for tetrahedral meshes. The data structures and variable resolution queries have been implemented together with state-of-the art visualization techniques in a system for the interactive visualization of three-dimensional scalar fields defined on tetrahedral meshes. Experimental results show that selective refinement queries can support interactive visualization of large data sets.
Scheduling task parallelism on multi-socket multicore systems

The recent addition of task parallelism to the OpenMP shared memory API allows programmers to express concurrency at a high level of abstraction and places the burden of scheduling parallel execution on the OpenMP run time system. This is a welcome development for scientific computing as supercomputer nodes grow "fatter" with multicore and manycore processors. But efficient scheduling of tasks on modern multi-socket multicore shared memory systems requires careful consideration of an increasingly complex memory hierarchy, including shared caches and NUMA characteristics. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical scheduling strategy that leverages different methods at different levels of the hierarchy. By allowing one thread to steal work on behalf of all of the threads within a single chip that share a cache, our scheduler limits the number of costly remote steals. For cores on the same chip, a shared LIFO queue allows exploitation of cache locality between sibling tasks as well between a parent task and its newly created child tasks. We extended the open-source Qthreads threading library to implement our scheduler, accepting OpenMP programs through the ROSE compiler. We also present a comprehensive performance study of diverse OpenMP task parallel benchmarks, comparing seven different task parallel run time scheduler implementations on current generation multi-socket multicore systems: our hierarchical work stealing scheduler, a fully-distributed work stealing scheduler, a centralized scheduler, and LIFO and FIFO versions of the original Qthreads fully-distributed scheduler. In addition, we compare our results against OpenMP implementations from Intel and GCC. Hierarchical scheduling in Qthreads is competitive on all benchmarks. On several benchmarks, hierarchical scheduling in Qthreads demonstrates speedup and absolute performance superior to both the Intel and GCC OpenMP run time systems.
Pillar Strength and Design Methodology for Stone Mines

Underground stone mines in the United States make use of the room-and-pillar method of mining. A prerequisite for a safe working environment is that the pillars should adequately support the overburden and the pillar ribs and rooms should remain stable during mining. At present pillar dimensions are either based on experience at neighboring mines or on strength equations that were developed for metal or non-metal mines. This paper presents a pillar design methodology that was developed from a study of pillar performance in operating stone mines. Data were collected that describe the rock mass quality, pillar conditions, mining dimensions and intact rock strength. The results showed that current mining practices have resulted in generally stable pillar layouts with no recent cases of extensive pillar collapses. However, a small number of single failed or failing pillars were observed in otherwise stable layouts. Numerical analyses were used to supplement the observations and develop a pillar strength equation that describes the stable and small number of failed pillars observed. The developed strength equation can be used to design stable pillar layouts provided the factor of safety is greater than 1.8 and the width-to-height ratio of the pillars is greater than 0.8. The paper concludes with guidelines for applying the developed equation and selecting appropriate input parameters.
Computer-Aided Detection of Hyperacute Stroke Based on Relative Radiomic Patterns in Computed Tomography

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of disability and death. To achieve timely assessments, a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system was proposed to perform early recognition of hyperacute ischemic stroke based on non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT). In total, 26 patients with hyperacute ischemic stroke (with onset <6 h previous) and 56 normal controls composed the image database. For each NCCT slice, textural features were extracted from Ranklet-transformed images which had enhanced local contrast. Textural differences between the two sides of an image were calculated and combined in a machine learning classifier to detect stroke areas. The proposed CAD system using Ranklet features achieved significantly higher accuracy (81% vs. 71%), specificity (90% vs. 79%), and area under the curve (Az) (0.81 vs. 0.73) than conventional textural features. Diagnostic suggestions provided by the CAD system are fast and promising and could be useful in the pipeline of hyperacute ischemic stroke assessments.
Chronotype Modulates Language Processing-Related Cerebral Activity during Functional MRI (fMRI)

Objective Based on individual daily physiological cycles, humans can be classified as early (EC), late (LC) and intermediate (IC) chronotypes. Recent studies have verified that chronotype-specificity relates to performance on cognitive tasks: participants perform more efficiently when tested in the chronotype-specific optimal time of day than when tested in their non-optimal time. Surprisingly, imaging studies focussing on the underlying neural mechanisms of potential chronotype-specificities are sparse. Moreover, chronotype-specific alterations of language-related semantic processing have been neglected so far. Methods 16 male, healthy ECs, 16 ICs and 16 LCs participated in a fast event-related functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) paradigm probing semantic priming. Subjects read two subsequently presented words (prime, target) and were requested to determine whether the target word was an existing word or a non-word. Subjects were tested during their individual evening hours when homeostatic sleep pressure and circadian alertness levels are high to ensure equal entrainment. Results Chronotype-specificity is associated with task-performance and brain activation. First, ECs exhibited slower reaction times than LCs. Second, ECs showed attenuated BOLD responses in several language-related brain areas, e.g. in the left postcentral gyrus, left and right precentral gyrus and in the right superior frontal gyrus. Additionally, increased BOLD responses were revealed for LCs as compared to ICs in task-related areas, e.g. in the right inferior parietal lobule and in the right postcentral gyrus. Conclusions These findings reveal that even basic language processes are associated with chronotype-specific neuronal mechanisms. Consequently, results might change the way we schedule patient evaluations and/or healthy subjects in e.g. experimental research and adding “chronotype” as a statistical covariate.
STRUCTURAL , OPTICAL AND DECORATIVE PROPERTIES OF TaNx THIN FILMS PREPARED BY REACTIVE MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

Within the frame of this work the tantalum nitride TaNx thin films were deposited by d.c. reactive magnetron sputtering. These films have been characterized in terms of optical, decorative and structural properties taking into account the influence of reactive gas flow variation (N2) during the deposition procedures. Different colours were obtained, from metalliclike to silver-like tones and they are directly correlated with the deposition conditions, respectively, with the structure. The structure was assessed using X-ray diffraction. The results showed clear changes of phases in the films from typical fcc TaN structure to stoichiometric fcc (face-centered cubic) TaN and amorphous TaN.
Online Learning : A Student Perspective

The background of students in higher education is changing from the traditional middle class school-leaver to a complex mix of age, race, gender, ethnicity, socio-economics, and experience. With this complexity of student needs, abilities, experience and expectations comes challenges for academic staff and administration as well as for students which already had great impacts on student performance. Negotiating the steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with computer technology can involve real feelings of anxiety and stress. Coping with unfamiliar study and assessment schedules and the development of the research and writing skills necessary to successful scholarship often means juggling work and family commitments and dealing with accompanying feelings of guilt and frustration. Even those who are deemed free of ‘heavy’ responsibilities can find themselves seriously distracted from their goals as they learn how to cope with new social freedoms and identities. Under such pressures it is not surprising that students may find themselves struggling to cope with feelings of inadequacy and isolation. While online learning can mitigate some of the undesirable consequences of university life in the 21 century such as equity of access for distant or working students, it may also exacerbate other issues. For online learning to be a successful learning technology, its design, implementation and evaluation must involve taking into consideration those social and equity issues that affect the performance of a changing user base. Learners can then truly choose to learn and learn to choose.
The Birmingham-CfA cluster scaling project - III. Entropy and similarity in galaxy systems

We examine profiles and scaling properties of the entropy of the intergalactic gas in a sample of 66 virialized systems, ranging in mass from single elliptical galaxies to rich clusters, for which we have resolved X-ray temperature profiles. Some of the properties we derive appear to be inconsistent with any of the models put forward to explain the breaking of self-similarity in the baryon content of clusters. In particular, the entropy profiles, scaled to the virial radius, are broadly similar in form across the sample, apart from a normalization factor that differs from simple self-similar scaling with temperature. Low-mass systems do not show the large isentropic cores predicted by preheating models, and the high entropy excesses reported at large radii in groups by Finoguenov et al. are confirmed, and found to extend even to moderately-rich clusters. We discuss the implications of these results for the evolutionary history of hot gas in clusters, and suggest that preheating may affect the entropy of intracluster gas primarily by reducing the density of material accreting into groups and clusters along cosmic filaments.
Keratinocyte Survival , Di ¡ erentiation , and Death : Many Roads Lead to Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase

The epidermis is a dynamic and continually renewing surface that provides and maintains a life-sustaining interface with the environment. The epidermal keratinocyte, the major cell type of the epidermis, undergoes a complex and carefully choreographed program of differentiation. This process requires a balance between keratinocyte proliferation, di¡erentiation, and apoptosis. This overview will concentrate on cascades that regulate the balance between keratinocyte cell proliferation and survival, and apoptosis and cell di¡erentiation, with a particular emphasis on the role of the mitogenactivated protein kinase cascades. A summary of the literature suggests that extracellular regulated kinases function to promote keratinocyte proliferation and survival, whereas p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase functions to promote di¡erentiation and apoptosis.
Parallel algorithms for higher-dimensional convex hulls

We give fast randomized and deterministic parallel methods for constructing convex hulls in R/sup d/, for any fixed d. Our methods are for the weakest shared-memory model, the EREW PRAM, and have optimal work bounds (with high probability for the randomized methods). In particular, we show that the convex hull of n points in R/sup d/ can be constructed in O(log n) time using O(n log n+n/sup [d/2]/) work, with high probability. We also show that it can be constructed deterministically in O(log/sup 2/ n) time using O(n log n) work for d=3 and in O(log n) time using O(n/sup [d/2]/ log/sup c([d/2]-[d/2]/) n) work for d/spl ges/4, where c>0 is a constant which is optimal for even d/spl ges/4. We also show how to make our 3-dimensional methods output-sensitive with only a small increase in running time. These methods can be applied to other problems as well. <<ETX>>
Streaming Time Series Summarization Using User-Defined Amnesic Functions

The past decade has seen a wealth of research on time series representations. The vast majority of research has concentrated on representations that are calculated in batch mode and represent each value with approximately equal fidelity. However, the increasing deployment of mobile devices and real time sensors has brought home the need for representations that can be incrementally updated, and can approximate the data with fidelity proportional to its age. The latter property allows us to answer queries about the recent past with greater precision, since in many domains recent information is more useful than older information. We call such representations amnesic. While there has been previous work on amnesic representations, the class of amnesic functions possible was dictated by the representation itself. In this work, we introduce a novel representation of time series that can represent arbitrary, user-specified amnesic functions. We propose online algorithms for our representation, and discuss their properties. Finally, we perform an extensive empirical evaluation on 40 datasets, and show that our approach can efficiently maintain a high quality amnesic approximation.
Working Paper No . 2017-12 The Local Effects of the Texas Shale Boom on Schools , Students , and Teachers

This study explores how the Texas shale boom affected schools, students, and teachers. Using variation in geology across school districts, the evidence shows that test scores and attendance in the average shale district declined despite the boom tripling the tax base and creating a revenue windfall. Greater spending went to capital projects and servicing debt, not to teachers. Although higher wages did not affect completion rates, a growing gap in wages between the private and education sectors accompanied greater teacher turnover and more inexperienced teachers, which help explain the decline in student achievement.
Left Hand Dominance Affects Supra-Second Time Processing

Previous studies exploring specific brain functions of left- and right-handed subjects have shown variances in spatial and motor abilities that might be explained according to consistent structural and functional differences. Given the role of both spatial and motor information in the processing of temporal intervals, we designed a study aimed at investigating timing abilities in left-handed subjects. To this purpose both left- and right-handed subjects were asked to perform a time reproduction of sub-second vs. supra-second time intervals with their left and right hand. Our results show that during processing of the supra-second intervals left-handed participants sub-estimated the duration of the intervals, independently of the hand used to perform the task, while no differences were reported for the sub-second intervals. These results are discussed on the basis of recent findings on supra-second motor timing, as well as emerging evidence that suggests a linear representation of time with a left-to-right displacement.
Social Imitation of Alcohol Consumption and Ingratiation Motives in Young Adults

Across 2 studies we tested the hypothesis that social ingratiation motives may be an important factor explaining social imitation of alcohol consumption. In Study 1, participants drank alcohol with a heavy versus light drinking confederate under conditions that were designed to heighten or reduce (participants believed they would not be judged) motivation for ingratiation. In Study 2 we manipulated the degree to which participants believed they had already successfully ingratiated themselves with a heavy or no (alcohol) drinking confederate. In Study 1, participants’ alcohol consumption was most strongly influenced by the confederate’s drinking behavior when they believed that they would later be judged by the confederate. In Study 2, participants’ alcohol consumption was influenced by the confederate’s drinking behavior and this effect was particularly pronounced if participants were unsure if the confederate had accepted them. The desire for social ingratiation may in part explain why people imitate the drinking behavior of those around them.
Shorter Small-Sided Game Sets May Increase the Intensity of Internal and External Load Measures: A Study in Amateur Soccer Players

The purpose of this study was to compare internal and external load measures during two regimens (6 x 3’ and 3 x 6’) of a 5 vs. 5 format of play. Moreover, within-regimen changes (between sets) were also tested. Ten amateur soccer players (age: 19.8 ± 1.6 years; experience: 8.3 ± 2.1 years; height: 177.4 ± 3.8 cm; weight: 71.7 ± 4.2 kg) participated in the experiment. Internal load was measured using the CR-10 scale as the rated of perceived exertion (RPE) scale and a heart rate (HR) monitor. The measurements of total (TD), running (RD) and sprinting (SD) distances were also collected using a 10-Hz validated and reliable GPS. Comparisons between regimens revealed that the 3 x 6’ regimen was significantly more intense in terms of RPE than the 6 x 3’ regimen (p = 0.028; d = 0.351), although no significant differences were found in HR. Significantly greater averages of TD (p = 0.000; d = 0.871) and RD (p = 0.004; d = 0.491) were found in the 6 x 3’ regimen. In both regimens, the RPE was significantly lower during the first set than in the remaining sets. On the other hand, the TD was significantly shorter in the last sets than in the earlier. In summary, the present study suggests that shorter sets may be beneficial for maintaining higher internal and external load intensities during 5 vs. 5 formats, and that a drop-in performance may occur throughout the sets in both regimens.
Decomposing inequality in catastrophic health expenditure for self-reported hypertension household in Urban Shaanxi, China from 2008 to 2013: two waves’ cross-sectional study

Objective Despite the latest wave of China’s healthcare reform initiated in 2009 has achieved unprecedented progress in rural areas, little is known for specific vulnerable groups’ catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) in urban China. This study aims to estimate the trend of incidence, intensity and inequality of CHE in hypertension households (households with one or more than one hypertension patient) in urban Shaanxi, China from 2008 to 2013. Methods Based on the fourth and the fifth National Health Service Surveys of Shaanxi, we identified 460 and 1289 households with hypertension in 2008 and 2013, respectively for our analysis. We classified hypertension households into two groups: simplex households (with hypertension only) and mixed households (with hypertension plus other non-communicable diseases). CHE would be identified if out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure was equal to or higher than 40% of a household’s capacity to pay. Concentration index and its decomposition based on Probit regressions were employed to measure the income-related inequality of CHE. Results We find that CHE occurred in 11.2% of the simplex households and 22.1% of the mixed households in 2008, and the 21.5% of the simplex households and the 46.9% of mixed households incurred CHE in 2013. Furthermore, there were strong pro-poor inequalities in CHE in the simplex households (−0.279 and −0.283) and mixed households (−0.362 and −0.262) both in 2008 and 2013. The majority of observed inequalities in CHE could be associated with household economic status, household head’s health status and having elderly members. Conclusion We find a sharp increase of CHE occurrence and the sustained strong pro-poor inequalities for simplex and mixed households in urban Shaanxi Province of China from 2008 to 2013. Our study suggests that more concerns are needed for the vulnerable groups such as hypertension households in urban areas of China.