Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation of zoomass productivity of epigeic earthworm species Eudrilus eugeniae fed with temple flower waste and cow dung mixtures.

G. Poyyamoli. Solid waste generation is a major problem in developed and developing countries considering its obnoxious impact on the environment. India is severely affected by improper waste collection at source and mismanagement and various cultural and social practices practiced since the time immemorial. Especially in Indian temples various types of pooja offerings generate wastes such as flowers, fruits, clothes, leaves, coconuts and other food wastes. Among all wastes, flower waste predominates inside the temple. While improper disposal of solid waste dumping mostly pollutes the surrounding soil and water, unwanted waste generation and its harmful by products can be controlled using appropriate waste treatment technologies. Vermicomposting is one such biologically driven waste treatment method that was found effective and efficient for organic wastes. The present study deals with analysis of temple flower waste mixed with different ratios of cow dung composted by the earthworm Eudrilus eugenia to assess their growth rate and zoomass gain. The highest increase in the zoomass was found in the reactors with 100% cow dung, while 25% flower waste + 75 % cow dung appears to be the best option for the temples.
Accelerated Proximal Point Method and Forward Method for Monotone Inclusions

This paper proposes an accelerated proximal point method for maximally monotone operators. The proof is computer-assisted via the performance estimation problem approach. The proximal point method includes various well-known convex optimization methods, such as the proximal method of multipliers and the alternating direction method of multipliers, and thus the proposed acceleration has wide applications. Numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the accelerating behaviors. In addition, this paper shows that the proposed acceleration applies to the forward method for cocoercive operators.
Rest-frame FUV-to-FIR view of Lyman break galaxies at $z\sim3$: dust attenuation

This work explores from a statistical point of view the rest-frame far-ultraviolet (FUV) to far-infrared (FIR) emission of a population of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at $z\sim3$ that cannot be individually detected from current FIR observations. We perform a stacking analysis over a sample of $\sim$17000 LBGs at redshift $2.5 10.25$).
The BAO+BBN take on the Hubble tension

Many attempts to solve the Hubble tension with extended cosmological models combine an enhanced relic radiation density, acting at the level of background cosmology, with new physical ingredients affecting the evolution of cosmological perturbations. Several authors have pointed out the ability of combined Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) data to probe the background cosmological history independently of both CMB maps and supernovae data. Using state-of-the-art assumptions on BBN, we confirm that combined BAO, deuterium, and helium data are in tension with the SH0ES measurements under the ΛCDM assumption at the 3. 2σ level, while being in close agreement with the CMB value. We subsequently show that floating the radiation density parameter Neff only reduces the tension down to the 2. 6σ level. This conclusion, totally independent of any CMB data, shows that a high Neff accounting for extra relics (either free-streaming or self-interacting) does not provide an obvious solution to the crisis, not even at the level of background cosmology. To circumvent this strong bound, (i) the extra radiation has to be generated after BBN to avoid helium bounds, and (ii) additional ingredients have to be invoked at the level of perturbations to reconcile this extra radiation with CMB and LSS data.
Improved bounds for discretization of Langevin diffusions: Near-optimal rates without convexity

We present an improved analysis of the Euler-Maruyama discretization of the Langevin diffusion. Our analysis does not require global contractivity, and yields polynomial dependence on the time horizon. Compared to existing approaches, we make an additional smoothness assumption, and improve the existing rate from $O(\eta)$ to $O(\eta^2)$ in terms of the KL divergence. This result matches the correct order for numerical SDEs, without suffering from exponential time dependence. When applied to algorithms for sampling and learning, this result simultaneously improves all those methods based on Dalayan's approach.
X-ray emission in the enigmatic CVSO 30 system

CVSO 30 is a young, active, weak-line T Tauri star; it possibly hosts the only known planetary system with both a transiting hot-Jupiter and a cold-Jupiter candidate (CVSO 30 b and CVSO 30 c). We analyzed archival ROSAT, Chandra, and XMM-Newton data to study the coronal emission in the system. According to our modeling, CVSO 30 shows a quiescent X-ray luminosity of ≈8 × 1029 erg s−1. The X-ray absorbing column is consistent with interstellar absorption. XMM-Newton observed a flare, during which a transit of the candidate CVSO 30 b was expected, but no significant transit-induced variation in the X-ray flux is detectable. While the hot-Jupiter candidate CVSO 30 b has continuously been undergoing mass loss powered by the high-energy irradiation, we conclude that its evaporation lifetime is considerably longer than the estimated stellar age of 2.6 Myr.
Almost Shortest Paths and PRAM Distance Oracles in Weighted Graphs

Let $G=(V,E)$ be a weighted undirected graph with $n$ vertices and $m$ edges, and fix a set of $s$ sources $S\subseteq V$. For any pair $u,v\in V$, let $W(u,v)$ denote the weight of the heaviest edge on the $u$ to $v$ shortest path. For any constant $0 0$, we preprocess a given weighted graph in poly-logarithmic time and near linear work, and store a data structure of size $O(n^{1+\delta})$. Given any query $u\in V$, we return a $(1+\epsilon,\beta(\cdot,\cdot))$-approximation to all distances $u\times V$ in $O_\delta(1)$ time, where $\beta(u,v)=O_\delta(W(u,v))$. Moreover, the dependence of both $\beta$ and the query time on $\delta$ can be made $\text{poly}(1/\delta)$, by increasing the multiplicative stretch (to some constant larger than 9). Our algorithms are based on new constructions of spanners, emulators and hopsets for weighted graphs. We devise a $(1+\epsilon,\beta(\cdot,\cdot))$-spanner for weighted graphs of size $O(n^{1+1/t}+\log t\cdot n)$ and $\beta(u,v)=W(u,v)\cdot \left(\frac{\log t}{\epsilon}\right)^{O(\log t)}$. We can have an improved $\beta=W(u,v)\cdot t^{O(1)}$ at the cost of increasing the multiplicative stretch to a constant larger than 3. In addition, we devise a $(c,t^{O(1)})$-hopset of size $O(n^{1+1/t}+\log t\cdot n)$ for any constant $c>3$.
Analog Forecasting of Extreme‐Causing Weather Patterns Using Deep Learning

Numerical weather prediction models require ever‐growing computing time and resources but, still, have sometimes difficulties with predicting weather extremes. We introduce a data‐driven framework that is based on analog forecasting (prediction using past similar patterns) and employs a novel deep learning pattern‐recognition technique (capsule neural networks, CapsNets) and an impact‐based autolabeling strategy. Using data from a large‐ensemble fully coupled Earth system model, CapsNets are trained on midtropospheric large‐scale circulation patterns (Z500) labeled 0–4 depending on the existence and geographical region of surface temperature extremes over North America several days ahead. The trained networks predict the occurrence/region of cold or heat waves, only using Z500, with accuracies (recalls) of 69–45% (77–48%) or 62–41% (73–47%) 1–5 days ahead. Using both surface temperature and Z500, accuracies (recalls) with CapsNets increase to ∼ 80% (88%). In both cases, CapsNets outperform simpler techniques such as convolutional neural networks and logistic regression, and their accuracy is least affected as the size of the training set is reduced. The results show the promises of multivariate data‐driven frameworks for accurate and fast extreme weather predictions, which can potentially augment numerical weather prediction efforts in providing early warnings.
Massively Scaling Seismic Processing on Sunway TaihuLight Supercomputer

Common Midpoint (CMP) and Common Reflection Surface (CRS) are widely used methods for improving the signal-to-noise ratio in the field of seismic processing. These methods are computationally intensive and require high-performance computing. This article optimizes these methods on the Sunway many-core architecture and implements large-scale seismic processing on the Sunway Taihulight supercomputer. We propose the following three optimization techniques: 1) we propose a software cache method to reduce the overhead of memory accesses, and share data among CPEs via the register communication; 2) we re-design the semblance calculation procedure to further reduce the overhead of memory accesses; 3) we propose a vectorization method to improve the performance when processing the small volume of data within short loops. The experimental results show that our implementations of CMP and CRS methods on Sunway achieve 3.50× and 3.01× speedup on average compared to the-state-of-the-art implementations on CPU. In addition, our implementation is capable to run on more than one million cores of Sunway TaihuLight with good scalability.
Universal relations for spin-orbit-coupled Fermi gases in two and three dimensions

We present a comprehensive derivation of a set of universal relations for spin-orbit-coupled Fermi gases in three or two dimension, which follow from the short-range behavior of the two-body physics. Besides the adiabatic energy relations, the large-momentum distribution, the grand canonical potential and pressure relation derived in our previous work for three-dimensional systems {[}Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 060408 (2018){]}, we further derive high-frequency tail of the radio-frequency spectroscopy and the short-range behavior of the pair correlation function. In addition, we also extend the derivation to two-dimensional systems with Rashba type of spin-orbit coupling. To simply demonstrate how the spin-orbit-coupling effect modifies the two-body short-range behavior, we solve the two-body problem in the sub-Hilbert space of zero center-of-mass momentum and zero total angular momentum, and perturbatively take the spin-orbit-coupling effect into account at short distance, since the strength of the spin-orbit coupling should be much smaller than the corresponding scale of the finite range of interatomic interactions. The universal asymptotic forms of the two-body wave function at short distance are then derived, which do not depend on the short-range details of interatomic potentials. We find that new scattering parameters need to be introduced because of spin-orbit coupling, besides the traditional $s$- and $p$-wave scattering length (volume) and effective ranges. This is a general and unique feature for spin-orbit-coupled systems. We show how these two-body parameters characterize the universal relations in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. This work probably shed light for understanding the profound properties of the many-body quantum systems in the presence of the spin-orbit coupling.
Localization Uncertainty in Time-Intensity Stereophonic Reproduction

This paper studies the effects of inter-channel time and level differences in stereophonic reproduction on perceived localization uncertainty. Towards this end, a computational model of localization uncertainty is proposed first. The model calculates inter-aural time and level difference cues, and compares them to those associated to free-field point-like sources. The comparison is carried out using a particular distance functional that replicates the increased uncertainty observed experimentally with inconsistent inter-aural time and level difference cues. The model is validated by subjective listening tests, achieving a Pearson correlation of 0.95. The model is then used to predict localization uncertainty for stereophonic setups and a listener in central and off-central positions. Results show that intensity methods achieve a slightly lower localization uncertainty for a listener positioned exactly in the center of the sweet spot. As soon as the listener moves away from that position, the situation reverses, with time-intensity methods achieving a lower localization uncertainty.
On maximal isolation sets in the uniform intersection matrix

Let $A_{k,t}$ be the matrix that represents the adjacency matrix of the intersection bipartite graph of all subsets of size $t$ of $\{1,2,. ,k\}$. We give constructions of large isolation sets in $A_{k,t}$, where, for a large enough $k$, our constructions are the best possible. We first prove that the largest identity submatrix in $A_{k,t}$ is of size $k-2t+2$. Then we provide constructions of isolations sets in $A_{k,t}$ for any $t\geq 2$, as follows: \begin{itemize} \item If $k = 2t+r$ and $0 \leq r \leq 2t-3$, there exists an isolation set of size $2r+3 = 2k-4t+3$. \item If $k \geq 4t-3$, there exists an isolation set of size $k$. \end{itemize} The construction is maximal for $k\geq 4t-3$, since the Boolean rank of $A_{k,t}$ is $k$ in this case. As we prove, the construction is maximal also for $k = 2t, 2t+1$. Finally, we consider the problem of the maximal triangular isolation submatrix of $A_{k,t}$ that has ones in every entry on the main diagonal and below it, and zeros elsewhere. We give an optimal construction of such a submatrix of size $({2t \choose t}-1) \times ({2t \choose t}-1)$, for any $t \geq 1$ and a large enough $k$. This construction is tight, as there is a matching upper bound, which can be derived from a theorem of Frankl about skew matrices.
Relating bulk to boundary entanglement

Quantum field theories have a rich structure in the presence of boundaries. We study the groundstates of conformal field theories (CFTs) and Lifshitz field theories in the presence of a boundary through the lens of the entanglement entropy. For a family of theories in general dimensions, we relate the universal terms in the entanglement entropy of the bulk theory with the corresponding terms for the theory with a boundary. This relation imposes a condition on certain boundary central charges. For example, in 2 + 1 dimensions, we show that the corner-induced logarithmic terms of free CFTs and certain Lifshitz theories are simply related to those that arise when the corner touches the boundary. We test our findings on the lattice, including a numerical implementation of Neumann boundary conditions. We also propose an ansatz, the boundary Extensive Mutual Information model, for a CFT with a boundary whose entanglement entropy is purely geometrical. This model shows the same bulk-boundary connection as Dirac fermions and certain supersymmetric CFTs that have a holographic dual. Finally, we discuss how our results can be generalized to all dimensions as well as to massive quantum field theories.
Forensics Analysis of Skype, Viber and WhatsApp Messenger on Android Platform

The vast usage of mVoIP applications on Android devices has made it easier to share information between smartphone users which heavily increased the amount of data and traffic transferred on these applications and also made them a goldmine for mobile forensic investigators. This paper presents forensic investigation of top three mVoIP applications of Google Play store namely Skype, Viber and WhatsApp Messenger left on Android devices. The experiments consist of installing the mVoIP applications on the device, conducting usual user activities, acquiring logical image in a forensically sound manner, and then perform a manual forensic analysis on each of the installed mVoIP applications. The contribution of this research include the recoverable artifacts of WhatsApp, Skype and Viber on android platform which can be used by forensics practitioners as evidences in real cases.
Potential of Azotobacter Salinestris as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria under Saline Stress Conditions

Rising soil salinity has been a major worldwide problem. This study was conducted to obtain Azotobacter cultures which can grow and produce plant growth promoting (PGP) activities under saline conditions with promising potential, as a bioinoculant for plants. The highly efficient isolate (19A) was selected from a total of twenty two rhizo bacterial isolates obtained from different geographic regions of salt affected soil in Egypt under NaCl concentration up to 5%. In vitro, the selected isolate recorded the highest nitrogenase activity, IAA production and gibberellins production at 1% NaCl concentration compared to other isolates. This isolate has been identified according to 16S-rRNA partial sequence analysis as Azotobacter salinestris strain NBRC 102611 and we have deposited it in Gene Bank under Accession No. (KU97890). Azotobacter salinestris was positive for amplification of nifH gene. Furthermore, it produced osmoprotectant substances as1aminocyclopropane-1carboxylate (ACC) deaminase enzyme, Salicylic acid (SA), proline and exopolysaccharide (EPS). The results of sorghum inoculation with Azotobacter salinestris showed significant differences in all of vegetative growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, macro-elements content, total carbohydrate and proline content as compared with control.
CHAPTER 8 Nonlinear Mixed Effects Models : Practical Issues

This chapter provides practical advice in the development of nonlinear mixed effects models. Topics that are discussed include how to choose an estimation method, how to incorporate various covariates in the model (concomitant medications, weight, age, smoking, pregnancy, pharmacogenomics, food, formulation, race, renal function, and laboratory values), and when and how to collect samples for analysis. Missing data and censoring within the context of a repeated measures analysis is also discussed. The chapter concludes with material unique to NONMEM, the leading software for population pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic analysis. NONMEM topics that are covered include NONMEM errors and how to resolve them, mu modeling (also called mureferencing), and the consistency of NONMEM parameter estimates across various platform–compiler combinations.
TUNING OF THE 4-ROD RFQ FOR MSU

A new reaccelerator facility ReA3 is currently under construction for National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University (MSU). As part of that project a new 3.5 m long 4-rod Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) has been build. This RFQ accelerates ions with a Q/A ratio of 0.2 up to 0.5 from an input energy of 12 keV/u to the final energy of 600 keV/u. We have designed the 80.5 MHz-RFQ with a square cavity cross section. It was build and tuned in Frankfurt and has been delivered to MSU. The design and the tuning process of the ReA3-RFQ will be discribed in this paper.
Statistical parametric speech synthesis using conversational data and phenomena

Statistical parametric text-to-speech synthesis currently relies on predefined and highly controlled prompts read in a “neutral” voice. This thesis presents work on utilising recordings of free conversation for the purpose of filled pause synthesis and as an inspiration for improved general modelling of speech for text-to-speech synthesis purposes. A corpus of both standard prompts and free conversation is presented and the potential usefulness of conversational speech as the basis for text-to-speech voices is validated. Additionally, through psycholinguistic experimentation it is shown that filled pauses can have potential subconscious benefits to the listener but that current text-to-speech voices cannot replicate these effects. A method for pronunciation variant forced alignment is presented in order to obtain a more accurate automatic speech segmentation something which is particularly bad for spontaneously produced speech. This pronunciation variant alignment is utilised not only to create a more accurate underlying acoustic model, but also as the driving force behind creating more natural pronunciation prediction at synthesis time. While this improves both the standard and spontaneous voices the naturalness of spontaneous speech based voices still lags behind the quality of voices based on standard read prompts. Thus, the synthesis of filled pauses is investigated in relation to specific phonetic modelling of filled pauses and through techniques for the mixing of standard prompts with spontaneous utterances in order to retain the higher quality of standard speech based voices while still utilising the spontaneous speech for filled pause modelling. A method for predicting where to insert filled pauses in the speech stream is also developed and presented, relying on an analysis of human filled pause usage and a mix of language modelling methods. The method achieves an insertion accuracy in close agreement with human usage. The various approaches are evaluated and their improvements documented throughout the thesis, however, at the end the resulting filled pause quality is assessed through a repetition of the psycholinguistic experiments and an evaluation of the compilation of all developed methods.
Trends and Patterns in Massive Open Online Courses: Review and Content Analysis of Research on MOOCs (2008-2015)

To fully understand the phenomenon of massive open online courses (MOOCs), it is important to identify and map trends and patterns in research on MOOCs. This study does so by reviewing 362 empirical articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 2008 to 2015. For the purpose of this study, content analysis and discourse analysis were employed to analyze the articles. Accordingly, the trend line showing the number of articles per year indicates that the extent of research on MOOCs is likely to increase in the coming years. In terms of research areas, the findings reveal an imbalance and three research areas out of fifteen constitute more than half of all research on MOOCs. With regard to types of MOOCs, related literature is dominated by research on xMOOCs. The discourse in MOOC articles takes a mostly neutral standpoint, articles with a positive outlook outweigh those that are negative, and there is an increase in a more critical discourse. Theoretical or conceptual studies are preferred by researchers, although MOOC research generally does not benefit from being viewed through theoretical or conceptual lenses.