Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HIGH-DIMENSIONAL MANIFOLD GEOSTATISTICS

OF THE DISSERTATION High-Dimensional Manifold Geostatistics By CHINTAN ALAKH DALAL Dissertation Director: Dimitris N. Metaxas An understanding of the Earth’s climate system benefits all sectors of the economy and environment. Several challenges faced when modeling the Earth’s climate system include: estimating geographical features of global datasets, making inferences from multiple data-products, and providing diagnostic tools for complex Earth models. Existing geostatistical approaches address these challenges by modeling points on a highdimensional space. However, we know that many of the climate datasets additionally have inherent high-dimensional geometric structures. In this dissertation, I provide new insights into problems in climate data science by exploring high-dimensional geometric structures on a manifold. First, I will discuss an approach to improve future projections of a climate variable (e.g., sea-level changes) by learning the scale of correlation, an essential regional feature of climate datasets. Second, I will provide a new framework for data-fusion from multiple sources of information for a given climate variable. Third, I will describe diagnostic tools we created to compare and emulate various Earth system models from numerous international teams and for differing future climate scenarios (e.g. precipitation changes in 2090). With these contributions, I demonstrate that we can improve the inferences made from geostatistical models by including information about the high-dimensional structures of climate datasets. The proposed novel framework will benefit not only the climate community but also decision makers when identifying plans to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Distribution and diversity of Polyporaceae in Western India: An overview and addition to mycoflora of the Gujarat state

ks.rajpu15@yahoo.com Abstract Extensive fieldwork in different climatic regimes of Gujarat state during last four years resulted in the collection of more than 349 fungal species. Out of these, 37 species from 20 genera were found to be from the family Polyporaceae. Among these, five species are being reported for the first time here as new distribution records. The highest number of species is represented by the genus Trametes while, Cerrena unicolo, Neolentinus kauffmanii, Dichomitus squalens, Panus conchatus and Laetiporus sulphureus possessed single species each.
Piéron's Law Holds During Stroop Conflict: Insights Into the Architecture of Decision Making

Piéron's Law describes the relationship between stimulus intensity and reaction time. Previously (Stafford & Gurney, 2004), we have shown that Piéron's Law is a necessary consequence of rise-to-threshold decision making and thus will arise from optimal simple decision-making algorithms (e.g., Bogacz, Brown, Moehlis, Holmes, & Cohen, 2006). Here, we manipulate the color saturation of a Stroop stimulus. Our results show that Piéron's Law holds for color intensity and color-naming reaction time, extending the domain of this law, in line with our suggestion of the generality of the processes that can give rise to Piéron's Law. In addition, we find that Stroop condition does not interact with the effect of color saturation; Stroop interference and facilitation remain constant at all levels of color saturation. An analysis demonstrates that this result cannot be accounted for by single-stage decision-making algorithms which combine all the evidence pertaining to a decision into a common metric. This shows that human decision making is not information-optimal and suggests that the generalization of current models of simple perceptual decision making to more complex decisions is not straightforward.
Proposing a model for operating room scheduling based on fuzzy surgical duration

Planning and scheduling of the operating rooms play an undeniable role in providing appropriate services in hospitals. In this paper, a mixed-integer programming model for scheduling the operating rooms is presented in which elective patients are investigated. This model seeks to minimize the total weighted start times. Considering such as issue, three age groups are used for the weighting calculation. The setup times for this group of patients are sequence-dependent and the duration of surgical operation are analyzed through fuzzy logic. The proposed model is solved using a hybrid algorithm. The obtained results show that considering the duration of surgical operation as fuzzy numbers are in accordance with more reality. Furthermore, these fuzzy numbers lead to reaching the final solution in a shorter time.
Population genomic footprints of selection and associations with climate in natural populations of Arabidopsis halleri from the Alps

Natural genetic variation is essential for the adaptation of organisms to their local environment and to changing environmental conditions. Here, we examine genomewide patterns of nucleotide variation in natural populations of the outcrossing herb Arabidopsis halleri and associations with climatic variation among populations in the Alps. Using a pooled population sequencing (Pool‐Seq) approach, we discovered more than two million SNPs in five natural populations and identified highly differentiated genomic regions and SNPs using FST‐based analyses. We tested only the most strongly differentiated SNPs for associations with a nonredundant set of environmental factors using partial Mantel tests to identify topo‐climatic factors that may underlie the observed footprints of selection. Possible functions of genes showing signatures of selection were identified by Gene Ontology analysis. We found 175 genes to be highly associated with one or more of the five tested topo‐climatic factors. Of these, 23.4% had unknown functions. Genetic variation in four candidate genes was strongly associated with site water balance and solar radiation, and functional annotations were congruent with these environmental factors. Our results provide a genomewide perspective on the distribution of adaptive genetic variation in natural plant populations from a highly diverse and heterogeneous alpine environment.
Ieee Transactions on Wireless Communications Low-complexity Linear Frequency Domain Equalization for Continuous Phase Modulation

—In this paper, we develop a new low-complexity linear frequency domain equalization (FDE) approach for continuous phase modulated (CPM) signals. As a CPM signal is highly correlated, calculating a linear minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel equalizer requires the inversion of a non-diagonal matrix, even in the frequency domain. In order to regain the FDE advantage of reduced computational complexity, we show that this matrix can be approximated by a block-diagonal matrix without performance loss. Moreover, our MMSE equalizer can be simplified to a low-complexity zero-forcing equalizer. The proposed techniques can be applied to any CPM scheme. To support this theory we present a new polyphase matrix model, valid for any block-based CPM system. Simulation results in a 60 GHz environment show that our reduced-complexity MMSE equalizer significantly outperforms the state of the art linear MMSE receiver for large modulation indices, while it performs only slightly worse for small ones.
Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine versus artesunate-amodiaquine: superior efficacy and posttreatment prophylaxis against multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria.

BACKGROUND Antimalarial drug resistance is now well established in both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. In southern Papua, Indonesia, where both strains of plasmodia coexist, we have been conducting a series of studies to optimize treatment strategies. METHODS We conducted a randomized trial that compared the efficacy and safety of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHP) with artesunate-amodiaquine (AAQ). The primary end point was the overall cumulative parasitological failure rate at day 42. RESULTS Of the 334 patients in the evaluable patient population, 185 were infected with P. falciparum, 80 were infected with P. vivax, and 69 were infected with both species. The overall parasitological failure rate at day 42 was 45% (95% confidence interval [CI], 36%-53%) for AAQ and 13% (95% CI, 7.2%-19%) for DHP (hazard ratio [HR], 4.3; 95% CI, 2.5-7.2; P<.001). Rates of both recrudescence of P. falciparum infection and recurrence of P. vivax infection were significantly higher after receipt of AAQ than after receipt of DHP (HR, 3.4 [95% CI, 1.2-9.4] and 4.3 [95% CI, 2.2-8.2], respectively; P<.001). By the end of the study, AAQ recipients were 2.95-fold (95% CI, 1.2- to 4.9-fold) more likely to be anemic and 14.5-fold (95% CI, 3.4- to 61-fold) more likely to have carried P. vivax gametocytes. CONCLUSIONS DHP was more effective and better tolerated than AAQ against multidrug-resistant P. falciparum and P. vivax infections. The prolonged therapeutic effect of piperaquine delayed the time to P. falciparum reinfection, decreased the rate of recurrence of P. vivax infection, and reduced the risk of P. vivax gametocyte carriage and anemia.
Population estimation for the Urban Atlas Polygons

The aim of this technical note is to describe the methodology and source data used to estimate the residential population in each builtup polygon of the Urban Atlas land use/cover dataset, and to document a validation exercise of the dataset. The final outcome of the procedure is a new attribute in the Urban Atlas polygons with the potential to broaden the range of uses of the Urban Atlas dataset, contributing to new analyses and assessments in different thematic fields, such as urban quality of life (accessibility to recreational areas; exposure to sources of noise); urban morphology (population density gradients), among others.
Effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet, Exercise, and Caloric Restriction on Neurocognition in Overweight Adults With High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure increases the risks of stroke, dementia, and neurocognitive dysfunction. Although aerobic exercise and dietary modifications have been shown to reduce blood pressure, no randomized trials have examined the effects of aerobic exercise combined with dietary modification on neurocognitive functioning in individuals with high blood pressure (ie, prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension). As part of a larger investigation, 124 participants with elevated blood pressure (systolic blood pressure 130 to 159 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure 85 to 99 mm Hg) who were sedentary and overweight or obese (body mass index: 25 to 40 kg/m2) were randomized to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet alone, DASH combined with a behavioral weight management program including exercise and caloric restriction, or a usual diet control group. Participants completed a battery of neurocognitive tests of executive function-memory-learning and psychomotor speed at baseline and again after the 4-month intervention. Participants on the DASH diet combined with a behavioral weight management program exhibited greater improvements in executive function-memory-learning (Cohen's D=0.562; P=0.008) and psychomotor speed (Cohen's D=0.480; P=0.023), and DASH diet alone participants exhibited better psychomotor speed (Cohen's D=0.440; P=0.036) compared with the usual diet control. Neurocognitive improvements appeared to be mediated by increased aerobic fitness and weight loss. Also, participants with greater intima-medial thickness and higher systolic blood pressure showed greater improvements in executive function-memory-learning in the group on the DASH diet combined with a behavioral weight management program. In conclusion, combining aerobic exercise with the DASH diet and caloric restriction improves neurocognitive function among sedentary and overweight/obese individuals with prehypertension and hypertension.
Evaluation of the ESPRIT approach in polarimetric interferometric SAR

This paper presents a first evaluation of the ESPRIT approach in polarimetric interferometric SAR. This evaluation is carried out by using 3D images obtained by SAR tomographic like an alternative to the acquisition of ground-truth data, which is an extremely complex task in the case of volume areas. All parameters over a volumetric area are directly visible in a tomographic image and can, therefore, be employed to validate the ESPRIT approach by comparing parameters generated by ESPRIT and the SAR tomography approach. This allows to identify the principal deficiencies of the ESPRIT method, which occur over high vegetation areas, where there is a misinterpretation of the ESPRIT results. Whereas, the ESPRIT approach is useful for building characterisation, identifying a good applicability area. Airborne L-band repeat-pass interferometric data of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) experimental airborne SAR are used to perform this evaluation.
Novel Printed Filtenna With Dual Notches and Good Out-of-Band Characteristics for UWB-MIMO Applications

A novel filtenna with good out-of-band characteristics is presented for UWB-MIMO applications. Aimed to work within the frequency range of 3.1-10.6 GHz, a band-pass filter (BPF), consisting of shunt short-circuited stubs and three inter digital edge coupled microstrip lines, are incorporated in the feedline of the printed antenna to achieve an efficient frequency cutoff and improve the selectivity. A complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) is incorporated into the patch to achieve the dual notched band charactersitics. The measured impedance bandwidth ($S_{11} <;-10$ dB) is from 3.1-10.65 GHz, except the dual notched bands of 3.35-3.55 GHz and 5.65-5.95 GHz. The measured Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC) is less than 0.002.
Large-Vocabulary Speaker-Independent Continuous Speech Recognition with Semi-Continuous Hidden Markov Models

A semi-continuous hidden Markov model based on the multiple vector quantization codebooks is used here for large-vocabulary speaker-independent continuous speech recognition In the techniques employed here, the semi-continuous output probability density function for each codebook is represented by a combination of the corresponding discrete output probabilities of the hidden Markov model and the continuous Gaussian density functions of each individual codebook. Parameters of vector quantization codebook and hidden Markov model are mutually optimized to achieve an optimal model codebook combination under a unified probabilistic framework Another advantages of this approach is the enhanced robustness of the semi-continuous output probability by the combination of multiple codewords and multiple codebooks For a 1000-word speaker-independent continuous speech recognition using a word-pair grammar the recognition error rate of the semi-continuous hidden Markov model was reduced by more than 29% and 41% in comparison to the discrete and continuous mixture hidden Markov model respectively
Round-Robin Resource Sharing Algorithm for Device-to-Device Communications Underlying SFN System

In this paper, the resource sharing problem of device-to-device (D2D) communications underlying evolved multimedia broadcast multicast service (EMBMS) system is investigated, and a novel round- robin resource sharing algorithm (RRSA) is proposed. To avoid the interference between D2D user equipments (DUEs) and cellular user equipments (CUEs) without consuming more frequency resources, in this study, we assume that DUEs do not share frequency with CUEs in the same single frequency network (SFN), but reuse frequency with CUEs in other SFNs. The contribution is threefold: 1) D2D communication is introduced to the SFN in EMBMS system for the first time, 2) the system performance is significantly improved without additional frequency resource costing, and 3) the QoS requirement of high level user is ensured. Simulation results show that the proposed resource sharing algorithm can significantly reduce the outage probability of D2D receivers and enhance the throughput of system.
The ecological and socio-economic impacts of the lionfish invasion in the Southern Caribbean

The Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a venomous, voracious predator with a high dispersal capactity. In the space of 30 years, it has infiltrated an array of habitats, inhabited a depth range of > 300 m and exceeded the size and density reported in the native range, demonstrating the difficulty of effective lionfish management. If left unmanaged, lionfish pose a significant, but still uncertain, threat to Caribbean ecosystems thereby warranting the need for effective and efficient, tailored management schemes. Since their confirmation in Bonaire and Curacao in October 2009, an extensive monitoring program was established by the author in collaboration with CIEE Research Station Bonaire whereby >11,000 lionfish were documented and their population dynamics, reproductive and feeding ecology analysed in relation to local management strategies. The types of education and management strategies applied were evaluated based on their benefits and limitations to make recommendations for areas early in the invasion timeline. Finally efficiency of removal activities in Bonaire and Curacao were assessed and suggestions made on when and how often to remove lionfish. Socio-economic questionnaires were conducted to determine the profile and motivations of lionfish hunters, and a cost-benefit-analysis performed to assess economic effects of the invasion. Knowledge gained from this research is beneficial for tailoring future management through recommendations of which lionfish to remove, how often and which tools, methods and groups are most effective. This work revealed that dusk was the most effective time for lionfish removal and that by focusing removal efforts in the 15 – 25m depth range, this allowed for the depletion of a higher proportion of individuals in the 101 - 200mm size class. This research also revealed how valuable a prepared and rapid response to management was and how important a dedicated volunteer removal effort is to controlling the lionfish populations in the future.
COMPUTER MODELING OF DISLOCATION MOTION IN FINE-SCALE MULTILAYERED COMPOSITES

A classic method of strengthening materials to plastic deformation is to refine the microstructure, so that barriers to dislocation motion occur more frequently. An extreme example of this approach is to decrease the individual layer thickness in multilayered composites to several nanometers. We simulate dislocation motion in such materials with a cellular automaton method, in which slip planes are discretized into equilateral triangular patches that slip according to an energetic driving force. In our model, there are regimes within which lattice mismatch, the residual stress state and misfit dislocation structure are primary sources of confinement. The results show that decreasing the layer thickness can increase composite strength, so that dislocations are confined to smaller volumes of material. The simulations help one to visualize the confinement process and define the role of lattice parameter mismatch and interfacial dislocation content in controlling the critical layer thickness and associated plastic strength of the composite.
Interleukin-7 Regulates Adipose Tissue Mass and Insulin Sensitivity in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice through Lymphocyte-Dependent and Independent Mechanisms

Although interleukin (IL)-7 is mostly known as a key regulator of lymphocyte homeostasis, we recently demonstrated that it also contributes to body weight regulation through a hypothalamic control. Previous studies have shown that IL-7 is produced by the human obese white adipose tissue (WAT) yet its potential role on WAT development and function in obesity remains unknown. Here, we first show that transgenic mice overexpressing IL-7 have reduced adipose tissue mass associated with glucose and insulin resistance. Moreover, in the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity model, a single administration of IL-7 to C57BL/6 mice is sufficient to prevent HFD-induced WAT mass increase and glucose intolerance. This metabolic protective effect is accompanied by a significant decreased inflammation in WAT. In lymphocyte-deficient HFD-fed SCID mice, IL-7 injection still protects from WAT mass gain. However, IL-7-triggered resistance against WAT inflammation and glucose intolerance is lost in SCID mice. These results suggest that IL-7 regulates adipose tissue mass through a lymphocyte-independent mechanism while its protective role on glucose homeostasis would be relayed by immune cells that participate to WAT inflammation. Our observations establish a key role for IL-7 in the complex mechanisms by which immune mediators modulate metabolic functions.
Efficient Execution of Multiple Query Workloads in Data Analysis Applications

Applications that analyze, mine, and visualize large datasets are considered an important class of applications in many areas of science, engineering, and business. Queries commonly executed in data analysis applications often involve user-defined processing of data and application-specific data structures. If data analysis is employed in a collaborative environment, the data server should execute multiple such queries simultaneously to minimize the response time to clients. In this paper we present the design of a runtime system for executing multiple query workloads on a shared-memory machine. We describe experimental results using an application for browsing digitized microscopy images.
Synthetic Strategies in the Preparation of Polymer/Inorganic Hybrid Nanoparticles

This article reviews the recent advances and challenges in the preparation of polymer/inorganic hybrid nanoparticles. We mainly focus on synthetic strategies, basing our classification on whether the inorganic and the polymer components have been formed in situ or ex situ, of the hybrid material. Accordingly, four types of strategies are identified and described, referring to recent examples: (i) ex situ formation of the components and subsequent attachment or integration, either by covalent or noncovalent bonding; (ii) in situ polymerization in the presence of ex situ formed inorganic nanoparticles; (iii) in situ precipitation of the inorganic components on or in polymer structures; and (iv) strategies in which both polymer and inorganic component are simultaneously formed in situ.
Sonar-based Pose Tracking of Indoor Mobile Robots

In order to perform useful tasks the mobile robot's current pose must be accurately known. Problem of finding and tracking the mobile robot's pose is called localization, and can be global or local. In this paper we address the problem of mobile robot's local localization or pose tracking with prerequisites of known starting pose, robot kinematics and world model. Pose tracking is mostly based on odometry, which has the problem of accumulating errors in an unbounded fashion. To overcome this problem sensor fusion is commonly used. This paper describes a simple odometry calibration method and compares two fusion methods of calibrated odometry data and sonars' range data based on Kalman Filter theory. One fusion method is based on standard Extended Kalman Filter and another one, proposed in this paper, on the Unscented Kalman Filter. Occupancy grid map is used as the world model, which is beneficial because only sonars' range measurement uncertainty has to be considered. If a feature based map is used as the world model then an additional uncertainty regardingthe feature/range reading assignment must be also considered. Experimental results obtained with the Pioneer 2DX mobile robot (manufacturer ActivMedia Robotics) show that better accuracy of pose estimation and smoother robot motion can be obtained with Unscented Kalman Filter.