Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Jurassic Mammals from Patagonia, Argentina: A Reappraisal of Australosphenidan Morphology and Interrelationships

Abstract A new mammal, Henosferus molus, n.gen. and n.sp. , from the Callovian–Oxfordian (latest Middle to earliest Late Jurassic) Cañadón Asfalto Formation from Chubut Province (Argentina) is described. This taxon corresponds to a new species clearly different from Asfaltomylos patagonicus from the same locality and stratigraphic level. This new species is based on three lower jaws with relatively well-preserved dentition. The lower jaw shows a primitive morphology having a Meckelian groove, a prominent medial flange associated with a lateral ridge of the dentary, and a deep dentary trough, which possibly indicates the presence, even though reduced, of postdentary bones still attached to the dentary. The lower dental formula is i4, c1, p5, m3. The premolars are simple, bearing a main cusp, while the molars appear to be tribosphenic, with an obtuse to right-angled trigonid and a basined talonid with three cusps. This association of plesiomorphic features in the jaw and derived features in the molars is documented in several taxa of the recently proposed Australosphenida. A phylogenetic analysis of mammaliaforms nests the new species with Asfaltomylos from the same locality and stratigraphic level; Henosferidae, new family, is recognized for Asfaltomylos and Henosferus, representing the basal radiation of Australosphenida. Henosferidae is the sister group to Ambondro from the Middle Jurassic of Madagascar, which, in agreement with previous phylogenies, is the sister taxon to the remaining australosphenidans. Additionally, our phylogenetic analysis does not support the inclusion of australosphenidans within eutherians. Henosferids likely retained some connection of the postdentary elements with the dentary; therefore, if the inclusion of Monotremata within Australosphenida is confirmed, final freeing of the postdentary elements and development of a tri-ossicular middle ear would be convergent events in Monotremata and Theria. Finally, the distinctiveness of the yet sparse South American record of Jurassic mammals when compared with the slightly better documented Cretaceous data is emphasized. The clear faunistic break between the Middle Jurassic and Early/Late Cretaceous underlies our rudimentary understanding of the evolution of Mesozoic mammals in Gondwana.
Employment Protection and Capital-Labor Ratios

Employment protection (EPL) has a well known negative impact on labor flows as well as an ambiguous but often negative effect on employment. In contrast, its impact on capital accumulation and capital-labor ratio is less well understood. The available empirical evidence suggests a non-monotonic relation between capital-labor ratios and EPL: positive at very low levels of EPL, and then negative. We explore the theoretical effects of EPL on physical capital in a model of a firm facing labor frictions. Under standard assumptions, theory always implies a motononic negative link between capital-labor ratios and EPL. For a positive link to arise, a very specific pattern of complementarity between capital and workers protected by EPL(senior workers, as opposed to unprotected new entrants, or junior workers) has to be assumed. Further, no standard production technology is able to reproduce the inverted U-shape pattern of the data. Instead, endogenous specific skills investment leads to an inverted U-shape pattern: EPL protects and therefore induces investments in specific skills. We develop such a model and calibrate the returns to seniority by using estimates from the empiricalliterature. Under complementarity between capital and specific human capital, physical capital and senior workers having accumulated specific human capital are de facto complement production factors and EPL may increase capital demand at the firm level. The paper concludes that labor market institutions may sometimes favor physical and human capital investments in second-best environments.
Formation of unilamellar dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles promoted by Ca2+ ions: A small-angle neutron scattering study

Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) was hydrated in 0.2-60 mM solution of CaCl2 in heavy water and thor- oughly homogenized by freezing-thawing process. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) shows formation of unilamellar vesicles in the range 1-60 mM of CaCl2. From the Kratky-Porod plot ln(I(Q)Q 2 )v s.Q 2 of SANS intensity I(Q) in the range of scattering vectors Q corresponding to the interval 0.001 A −2 Q 2 0.006 A −2 , the vesicle bilayer radius of gyration Rg and the bilayer thickness parameter dg were obtained. The structure of the bilayer displays different behavior for the gel phase and the liquid-crystalline phase: In the gel phase (at 20 ◦ C), the values of dg indicate nonlinear changes in the lipid bilayer thickness, with a maximum at ∼ 5m M CaCl 2. In the liquid-crystalline phase (at 60 ◦ C), the parameter of the lipid bilayer thick- ness dg = 43.2 ± 0.3 A is constant within the concentration range 1 cCa 40 mM. Vesicles prepared at 60 mM CaCl2 show within experimental error, the same values of dg as pure DPPC unilamellar vesicles prepared by extrusion using polycarbonate
Successful Aging: Illness and Social Connections

The objective of this study was to examine the role of social determinants of health: gender, income, education, housing, and social connections in successful aging in older adults aging with illness. Participants were 50 adults aged 65–90 years, all aging in place in their own home, and reporting at least one illness. This pilot study used non-probability sampling and employed both online and in-person interviews. The majority (82%) were aging “successfully” or “somewhat successfully” as reported on the single item successful aging scale and demonstrated by their scores on the Successful Aging Inventory (SAI). Correlations were not significant between SAI and gender, income, education, or housing. A significant negative correlation was found between SAI and community activity. However, there were significant positive correlations between SAI and religious activity and relationships. The regression model was a linear combination of participants’ community and religious activity and relationships. The majority of older adults aging with illness consider themselves to be aging successfully, but their scores are influenced by relationships with others as well as religious and community activity. Frequent community activity had a suppressor effect on successful aging.
MANA: Designing and Validating a User-Centered Mobility Analysis System

In this paper, we demonstrate a new IMU-based wearable system (dubbed MANA or Mobility ANAlytics) for measuring gait in a clinical setting. The design process and choices that were made to ensure that the technology was invisible and accessible are described. We collect a rich and diverse dataset of walking data from sixty participants, including forty people with Parkinson's Disease (PD). The system is then validated in a clinical setting with this dataset. We present novel and innovative algorithms to measure common gait parameters. The system is able to estimate these gait parameters with high accuracy, with a mean absolute error of 4.0 cm for stride length and 2.6 cm for step length, outperforming all state-of-the-art methods that included data from people with PD.
A worldwide phylogeny of Adiantum (Pteridaceae) reveals remarkable convergent evolution in leaf blade architecture

Adiantum is among the most distinctive and easily recognized leptosporangiate fern genera. Despite encompassing an astonishing range of leaf complexity, all species of Adiantum share a unique character state not observed in other ferns: sporan-gia borne directly on the reflexed leaf margin or “false indusium” (pseudoindusium). The over 200 species of Adiantum span six continents and are nearly all terrestrial. Here, we present one of the most comprehensive phylogenies for any large (200+ spp.) monophyletic, subcosmopolitan genus of ferns to date. We build upon previous datasets, providing new data from four plastid markers ( rbcL , atpA , rpoA , chlN ) for 146 taxa. All sampled taxa can be unequivocally assigned to one of nine robustly supported clades . Although some of these unite to form larger, well-supported lineages, the backbone of our phylogeny has several short branches and generally weak support, making it difficult to accurately assess deep relationships. Our maximum likelihood-based ancestral character state reconstructions of leaf blade architecture reveal remarkable convergent evolution across multiple clades for nearly all leaf forms . A single unique synapomorphy—leaves once-pinnate, usually with prolonged rooting tips—defines the philippense clade. Although a rare occurrence in Adiantum , simple leaves occur in three distinct clades (davidii, philippense, peruvianum). Most taxa have leaves that are more than once-pinnate, and only a few of these (in the formosum and pedatum clades) exhibit the distinct pseudopedate form. Distributional ranges for each of the terminal taxa show that most species (75%) are restricted to only one of six major biogeographical regions. Forty-eight of our sampled species (nearly one-third) are endemic to South America.
Serre's reduction of linear systems of partial differential equations with holonomic adjoints

Given a linear functional system (e.g., ordinary/partial di erential system, di erential time-delay system, di erence system), Serre's reduction aims at nding an equivalent linear functional system which contains fewer equations and fewer unknowns. The purpose of this paper is to study Serre's reduction of underdetermined linear systems of partial di erential equations with either polynomial, formal power series or analytic coe cients and with holonomic adjoints in the sense of algebraic analysis. We prove that these linear partial di erential systems can be de ned by means of a single linear partial di erential equation. In the case of polynomial coe cients, we give an algorithm to compute the corresponding equation.
Financial Performance of the Ethiopian Banking Sector

This study investigates the financial performance of the Ethiopian Banking sector using the panel data set for the period 2004/05 – 2009/10. The financial performance of the Ethiopian Banks has been evaluated using the volume of deposit, bank assets, ROE, ROA, and loan-deposit ratio /LDR/. Therefore, a sample of seven commercial banks were selected using simple random sampling technique. The result of the study indicates the Ethiopian banking sector in general, as measured by volume of deposits, granting of loan and possession of assets has also shown a persistent increase throughout the study periods. Moreover, the profitability of the banks during the study periods in particular, and the sector in general presented a tremendous improvement.
Diet of Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Poeciliidae) and Jenynsia multidentata (Anablepidae) in a hypertrophic shallow lake of Uruguay

Diet of Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Jenyns, 1842) and Jenynsia multidentata (Jenyns, 1842) were analysed in Lake Rodo, an urban hypertrophic lake from Montevideo, Uruguay. Both species displayed omnivory. The most consumed items for C. decemmaculatus were zooplankton, periphyton, phytoplankton and detritus; the diet of J. multidentata included zooplankton, insects, crustaceans and juvenile fish. Our results suggest that both species could be acting as facultative planktivores. The fish community of this lake is characterised by the dominance of C. decemmaculatus and J. multidentata. Under this condition, predation on large-bodied zooplankton could indirectly be contributing to maintain a high phytoplankton abundance and a low water transparency.
Direct Observations of Hydrologic Exchange Occurring With Less‐Mobile Porosity and the Development of Anoxic Microzones in Sandy Lakebed Sediments

Quantifying coupled mobile/less‐mobile porosity dynamics is critical to the prediction of biogeochemical storage, release, and transformation processes in the zone where groundwater and surface water exchange. The recent development of fine‐scale geoelectrical monitoring paired with pore‐water sampling in groundwater systems enables direct characterization of hydrologic exchange between more‐ and less‐mobile porosity during tracer tests. We adapt this technique to sandy interface sediments at a groundwater flow‐through kettle lake. Tracer experiments were conducted within controlled‐head permeameters over a range of specified downward flow conditions over several days. Although the bed was predominantly composed of highly permeable sands and gravels, cobble inclusions created less‐mobile flow zones at the centimeter scale. Less‐mobile porosity fractions, residence times, and rates of exchange were inferred from paired bulk and fluid electrical conductivity data, without the need for inverse model calibration. The conservative solute experiments were paired with 15NO3− and other reactive amendments, revealing anaerobic processes occurring at shallow sediment depths where pore‐water sampling indicated bulk‐oxic conditions. The average less‐mobile porosity residence times as evaluated with the geoelectrical method were on 1‐hr timescales, which appear to be biogeochemically important in the context of creating anoxic microzones within less‐mobile porosity of sandy interface sediments.
NF-j B activation is required for cisplatin-induced apoptosis in head and neck squamous carcinoma cells

This study demonstrates a requirement for NF-jB activation in cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (cisplatin)-induced apoptosis in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines. This conclusion was supported by the following observations: cisplatin induced IjBa degradation and NF-jB-dependent transcriptional activation prior to cell death; pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a chemical inhibitor of NF-jB activation, prevented apoptosis; lactacystin, an inhibitor of IjBa degradation, also prevented apoptosis; and finally, the expression of a super-repressor mutant IjBa blocked apoptosis. The expression of tumor necrosis factor a (TNFa) was promoted by cisplatin treatment and was suppressed by PDTC treatment. In addition, a neutralizing antibody against TNFa protected cells from cisplatin-induced apoptosis. These findings suggest that NF-jB activation is required for cisplatin-induced apoptosis and TNFa may play an important role in NF-jB-mediated apoptosis in cisplatin-treated HNSCC cell lines. 2005 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Neural Approaches Towards Text Summarization

The rapid growth of online and offline data over the recent decades has generated an epochal change in the way we retrieve, analyze and consume data. Access to vast amount of information often leads to confusion in identification and assimilation of the core idea. Understanding large text documents and assimilating crucial information out of it is often a laborious and time-consuming tasks. Automated Summarization systems for the text addresses the above mentioned challenges by creating a concise version of huge text while retaining the core meaning of the original text. These systems thrives to provide users filtered, high-quality concise content to work at unprecedented scale and speed. Summarization methods are generally classified into two main categories: extractive and abstractive. Extractive methods aim to select salient phrases, sentences or paragraphs from the text while abstractive techniques focus on generating summaries from scratch without the constraints of reusing phrases from the original text. While most successful summarization systems use extractive methods, abstractive methods can be used in generating a more meaningful summary. Often a hybrid approach, combining extractive and abstractive methods are used at industry level specific applications. Automated text summarization system has been a widely studied research problem in the domain of natural language processing. A vast majority of literature focused on summarization methods are dedicated to conventional approaches relying on manually compiled features. Thanks to recent advances in the computational power, and availability of huge amount of data which embarked the success of neural networks in several fields like computer vision, speech recognition, natural language processing, etc. In recent years, there have been few efforts in using deep neural architectures for text summarization task. These models are proven to considerably enhance the efficiency of the summarization systems. However, they still faces the challenges of creating an more informative, coherent, fluent and concise summary. Moreover, different types of summarization methods needs different architectural approaches for creating summaries. In this thesis, we focus on building a series of data-driven deep neural network based extractive as well as abstractive summarization systems for creating better extractive as well as abstractive summaries respectively by improving the representation of the text/document and sentences.
Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária

O Diretor-Presidente da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, no uso das atribuições que lhe conferem o Decreto de nomeação de 27 de abril de 2011 da Presidente da República, publicado no Diário Oficial da União de 28 de abril de 2011, e tendo e em vista o disposto art. 12 da Portaria no 354, de 11 de agosto de 2006, e de acordo com a Portaria no 136, de 09 de fevereiro de 2011, convoca a Diretoria Colegiada para Reunião Presencial Aberta ao Público:
Renegotiation of Trade Agreements and Firm Exporting Decisions: Evidence from the Impact of Brexit on UK Exports

The renegotiation of a trade agreement introduces uncertainty into the economic environment. In June 2016 the British electorate unexpectedly voted to leave the European Union, introducing a new era in which the UK and EU began to renegotiate the terms of the UK-EU trading relationship. We exploit this natural experiment to estimate the impact of uncertainty associated with trade agreement renegotiation on the export participation decision of firms in the UK. Starting from the Handley and Limao (2017) model of exporting under trade policy uncertainty, we derive testable predictions of firm entry into (exit from) a foreign market under an uncertain `renegotiation regime'. Empirically, we develop measures of the trade policy uncertainty facing firms exporting from the UK to the EU after June 2016. Using the universe of UK export transactions at the firm and product level, and cross-sectional variation in `threat point' tariffs, we estimate that in 2016 over 5300 exporters did not enter into exporting new products to the EU, whilst over 5400 exporters exited from exporting products to the EU. Entry (exit) in 2016 would have been 5.0% higher (6.1% lower) if firms exporting from the UK to the EU had not faced increased trade policy uncertainty after June 2016.
Deep Learning Based Chatbot Models

A conversational agent (chatbot) is a piece of software that is able to communicate with humans using natural language. Modeling conversation is an important task in natural language processing and artificial intelligence. While chatbots can be used for various tasks, in general they have to understand users' utterances and provide responses that are relevant to the problem at hand. In my work, I conduct an in-depth survey of recent literature, examining over 70 publications related to chatbots published in the last 3 years. Then, I proceed to make the argument that the very nature of the general conversation domain demands approaches that are different from current state-of-of-the-art architectures. Based on several examples from the literature I show why current chatbot models fail to take into account enough priors when generating responses and how this affects the quality of the conversation. In the case of chatbots, these priors can be outside sources of information that the conversation is conditioned on like the persona or mood of the conversers. In addition to presenting the reasons behind this problem, I propose several ideas on how it could be remedied. The next section focuses on adapting the very recent Transformer model to the chatbot domain, which is currently state-of-the-art in neural machine translation. I first present experiments with the vanilla model, using conversations extracted from the Cornell Movie-Dialog Corpus. Secondly, I augment the model with some of my ideas regarding the issues of encoder-decoder architectures. More specifically, I feed additional features into the model like mood or persona together with the raw conversation data. Finally, I conduct a detailed analysis of how the vanilla model performs on conversational data by comparing it to previous chatbot models and how the additional features affect the quality of the generated responses.
A Tale for Two Tails: Explaining Extreme Events in Financialized Agricultural Markets

The substantial booms and busts in agricultural prices marked by extreme events across commodities lead to heated debates about the effects of speculative trading on commodity price fluctuations. This study proposes a new approach to understanding extreme events and boom–bust processes in agricultural markets. Using weekly futures data for twelve indexed agricultural commodities during 2006 to 2016, we find that extreme price changes, located in the 10% tails of the distribution, cluster across agricultural markets. We then implement a multinomial logit model to investigate which factors are associated with the propagation of extreme events. Specifically, we disentangle three transmission conduits. (1) The macroeconomic conduit captures the possibility that the synchronized extreme price events are generated by business-cycle driven demand shifts mainly in emerging economies. (2) The financial conduit refers to potential links between extreme returns and the increasing flow of money from financial participants into agricultural futures markets. (3) Finally, the energy conduit accounts for possible spillover effects due to oil price shocks. Our results indicate an important role of managed money positions and oil prices while the real demand channel remains mostly insignificant.