Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conservation Planning for Ecosystem Services

Despite increasing attention to the human dimension of conservation projects, a rigorous, systematic methodology for planning for ecosystem services has not been developed. This is in part because flows of ecosystem services remain poorly characterized at local-to-regional scales, and their protection has not generally been made a priority. We used a spatially explicit conservation planning framework to explore the trade-offs and opportunities for aligning conservation goals for biodiversity with six ecosystem services (carbon storage, flood control, forage production, outdoor recreation, crop pollination, and water provision) in the Central Coast ecoregion of California, United States. We found weak positive and some weak negative associations between the priority areas for biodiversity conservation and the flows of the six ecosystem services across the ecoregion. Excluding the two agriculture-focused services—crop pollination and forage production—eliminates all negative correlations. We compared the degree to which four contrasting conservation network designs protect biodiversity and the flow of the six services. We found that biodiversity conservation protects substantial collateral flows of services. Targeting ecosystem services directly can meet the multiple ecosystem services and biodiversity goals more efficiently but cannot substitute for targeted biodiversity protection (biodiversity losses of 44% relative to targeting biodiversity alone). Strategically targeting only biodiversity plus the four positively associated services offers much promise (relative biodiversity losses of 7%). Here we present an initial analytical framework for integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services in conservation planning and illustrate its application. We found that although there are important potential trade-offs between conservation for biodiversity and for ecosystem services, a systematic planning framework offers scope for identifying valuable synergies.
Iterative CDMA Multiuser Receiver With Soft Decision-Directed Channel Estimation

We develop an iterative code-division multiple-access (CDMA) receiver for multipath block-fading channels in the uplink. The mean-square error (MSE) of the channel estimates is reduced iteratively by using soft data estimates as additional pilots. The multiuser detector performs parallel interference cancellation (PIC) with subsequent linear filtering. We consider a single-user matched filter (SUMF) and develop a low-complexity linear minimum MSE (LMMSE) filter for intersymbol interference (ISI) channels that allows for 33% more users than the SUMF. We investigate two choices of training sequences for initial channel estimation. The first is a random pilot symbol sequence modulated by a short spreading sequence (RAND), and the second is a perfect root of unity sequence (PRUS) used as long sounding chip sequence. We observe that the RAND scheme approaches the single-user bound up to 2 dB and in case of PRUS up to 1 dB at a target bit error rate (BER) of 10-3. Further, several channel estimators are developed that use various combinations of soft decision symbols and statistical a priori knowledge about the channel. These are the approximated least-squares (ALS), approximated linear MMSE (ALMMSE), and linear MMSE (LMMSE) estimators. The iterative estimators show an improvement of 2.5 and 5 dB with PRUS and RAND pilots, respectively, over estimators that do not exploit soft feedback symbols at a BER of 10 -3. The ALS is sacrificing less than 0.6 dB to obtain a BER of 10-3 in a system at load 1.5 when compared with the ALMMSE and LMMSE schemes. The load is understood as the ratio of the number of users to the spreading factor. This paper shows that significant improvements in system capacity can be achieved in multipath scenarios with low-complexity choices of multiuser detectors and channel estimators
General-purpose operating systems, such as Linux,

Modern memory systems play a critical role in the performance of applications, but a detailed understanding of the application behavior in the memory system is not trivial to attain. It requires time consuming simulations and detailed modeling of the memory hierarchy, often using long address traces. It is increasingly possible to access hardware performance counters to count relevant events in the memory system, but the measurements are coarse-grained and better suited for performance summaries than providing instruction level feedback. The availability of a low cost, online, and accurate methodology for deriving finegrained memory behavior profiles can prove extremely useful for runtime analysis and optimization of programs. This paper presents a new methodology for Ubiquitous Memory Introspection (UMI). It is an online and lightweight methodology that uses fast mini-simulations to analyze short memory access traces recorded from frequently executed code regions. The simulations provide profiling results at varying granularities, down to that of a single instruction or address. UMI naturally complements runtime optimizations and enables new opportunities for online memory specific optimizations. We present a prototype runtime system implementing UMI. The prototype has an average runtime overhead of 14%. This overhead is only 1% more than a state of the art binary instrumentation tool. We used 32 benchmarks, including the full suite of SPEC CPU2000 benchmarks, for evaluation. We show that the mini-simulations accurately reflect the cache performance of two existing memory systems, an Intel Pentium 4 and an AMD Athlon MP (K7). We also demonstrate that UMI predicts delinquent load instructions with an 88% rate of accuracy for applications with a relatively high number of cache misses, and 61% overall. The online profiling results are used at runtime to implement a simple software prefetching strategy that achieves an overall speedup of 64% in the best case.
In Situ Characterization of the Lithosphere‐Asthenosphere System beneath NW Pacific Ocean Via Broadband Dispersion Survey With Two OBS Arrays

We conducted broadband dispersion survey by deploying two arrays of broadband ocean bottom seismometers in the northwestern Pacific Ocean at seafloor ages of 130 and 140 Ma. By combining ambient noise and teleseismic surface wave analyses, dispersion curves of Rayleigh waves were obtained at a period range of 5–100 s and then used to invert for one‐dimensional isotropic and azimuthally anisotropic βV (VSV) profiles beneath each array. The obtained profiles show ~2% difference in isotropic βV in the low‐velocity zone (LVZ) at a depth range of 80–150 km in spite of the small difference in seafloor ages and the horizontal distance of ~1,000 km. Forward dispersion‐curve calculation for thermal models indicates that simple cooling models cannot explain the observed difference and an additional mechanism, such as sublithospheric small‐scale convection, is required. In addition, the fastest azimuths of azimuthal anisotropy in the LVZ significantly deviate from the current plate motion direction. We infer that these observations are consistent with the presence of small‐scale convection beneath the study area. As for azimuthal anisotropy in the Lid, the peak‐to‐peak intensity is 3–4% at the depth from Moho to ~40 km. The fastest direction is almost perpendicular to magnetic lineation in area A at 130 Ma and oblique to magnetic lineations in area B at 140 Ma, suggesting complex mantle flow beneath the infant Pacific Plate surrounded by three ridge axes. The intensity of azimuthal anisotropy in the LVZ is ~2%, indicating that radial anisotropy is stronger than azimuthal anisotropy therein.
A two-phase evolutionary algorithm for multiobjective mining of classification rules

Classification rule mining, addressed a lot in machine learning and statistics communities, is an important task to extract knowledge from data. Most existing approaches do not particularly deal with data instances matched by more than one rule, which results in restricted performance. We present a two-phase multiobjective evolutionary algorithm which first aims at searching decent rules and then takes the rule interaction into account to produce the final rule sets. The algorithm incorporates the concept of Pareto dominance to deal with trade-off relations in both phases. Through computational experiments, the proposed algorithm shows competitive to the state-of-the-art. We also study the effect of a niching mechanism.
Equilibria of Perceptrons for Simple Contingency Problems

The contingency between cues and outcomes is fundamentally important to theories of causal reasoning and to theories of associative learning. Researchers have computed the equilibria of Rescorla-Wagner models for a variety of contingency problems, and have used these equilibria to identify situations in which the Rescorla-Wagner model is consistent, or inconsistent, with normative models of contingency. Mathematical analyses that directly compare artificial neural networks to contingency theory have not been performed, because of the assumed equivalence between the Rescorla-Wagner learning rule and the delta rule training of artificial neural networks. However, recent results indicate that this equivalence is not as straightforward as typically assumed, suggesting a strong need for mathematical accounts of how networks deal with contingency problems. One such analysis is presented here, where it is proven that the structure of the equilibrium for a simple network trained on a basic contingency problem is quite different from the structure of the equilibrium for a Rescorla-Wagner model faced with the same problem. However, these structural differences lead to functionally equivalent behavior. The implications of this result for the relationships between associative learning, contingency theory, and connectionism are discussed.
METABOLISM OF VERAPAMIL IN CULTURES OF RAT ALVEOLAR EPITHELIAL CELLS AND PHARMACOKINETICS AFTER ADMINISTRATION BY INTRAVENOUS AND INHALATION ROUTES

Administration of therapeutic entities by inhalation opens new possibilities for drug entry into systemic circulation, but this requires passage through the alveolar epithelium. Little is known about the pulmonary metabolism of verapamil. Specifically, this cardiovascular drug suffers from extensive first pass metabolism. We therefore evaluated the metabolism of verapamil in cultured alveolar epithelium and compared findings with results after administration by inhalation and intravenous routes. Specifically, cell culture of alveolar epithelium was characterized by gene expression of surfactant proteins A, B, C, and D, by immunohistochemistry of surfactant protein C, by staining for laminar bodies, and by gene expression of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. During 6 days of culture expression, all cellular differentiation markers were obvious, albeit at different levels. With testosterone as substrate, we found alveolar epithelial cells to produce several stereo- and site-specific hydroxylation products. This provided evidence for metabolic competence of cultured alveolar epithelial cells. With verapamil as substrate, only limited production of metabolites was observed in cell culture assays, and similar results were recorded after administration by inhalation and intravenous routes. Likewise, elimination of verapamil from lung tissue and plasma was similar by both routes of administration. In conclusion, administration of verapamil by inhalation-abrogated extensive first pass metabolism frequently seen after oral application, and this may well be extended to the development of drugs with similar pharmacokinetic defects.
The Effect of Spectral Estimator on Common Spectral Measures for Sibilant Fricatives

Recently, speech researchers have begun to base spectral analyses of sibilant fricatives on modern spectral estimators that promise reduced error in the estimation of the spectrum of the acoustic waveform. In this paper we look at the effect that the choice of spectral estimator has on the estimation of spectral properties of English voiceless sibilant fricatives.
AFRL-RH-WP-TR-2007-0112 Augmented Reality for Maintenance and Repair ( ARMAR )

NOTICE Using Government drawings, specifications, or other data included in this document for any purpose other than Government procurement does not in any way obligate the U.S. Government. The fact that the Government formulated or supplied the drawings, specifications, or other data does not license the holder or any other person or corporation; or convey any rights or permission to manufacture, use, or sell any patented invention that may relate to them. This report was cleared for public release by the 88 th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office and is available to the general public, including foreign nationals. Copies may be obtained from the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) This report is published in the interest of scientific and technical information exchange, and its publication does not constitute the Government's approval or disapproval of its ideas or findings. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. The purpose of this research, Augmented Reality for Maintenance and Repair (ARMAR), was to research the design and development of experimental augmented reality systems for maintenance job aiding. The goal was to explore and evaluate the feasibility of developing prototype adaptive augmented reality systems that can be used to investigate how real time computer graphics, overlaid on and registered with the actual equipment being maintained, can significantly increase the productivity of maintenance personnel, both during training and in the field.
Measured Visual Motion Sensitivity at Fixed Contrast in the Periphery and Far Periphery

Abstract : The US Army Materiel Analysis Activity (AMSAA) Infantry Warrior Simulation (IWARS) is a constructive wargame for studying individual and small-group Soldier performance. Soldier performance depends on visual detection of enemy personnel and materiel. Vision modeling in IWARS is neither physiologically accurate nor behaviorally realistic. Movement in peripheral vision significantly influences target detection, but the IWARS visual model does not include target movement in visual detection. Monaco et al. report that most of the research in peripheral motion was conducted with limited fields of view and thus does not apply to target acquisition by dismounted Soldiers. To measure motion detection thresholds, we used targets consisting of bivariate Gaussian contrast distribution, with a Michelson contrast of 0.2 recommended by AMSAA, shaped like upright humans at ranges between 50 and 200 m and eccentricities between 40 and 80. Measured movement thresholds were between 0.72 and 18s-1, corresponding to speeds between 0.71 and 37 ms-1. Responses indicate that some targets could not be seen at all. These measured peripheral visual motion detection thresholds can be applied in developing a motion detection criterion supporting improved Soldier vision modeling and simulation.
Performance of OpenDPI in Identifying Sampled Network Traffic

The identification of the nature of the traffic flowing through a TCP/IP network is a relevant target for traffic engineering and security related tasks. Despite the privacy concerns it arises, Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) is one of the most successful current techniques. Nevertheless, the performance of DPI is strongly limited by computational issues related to the huge amount of data it needs to handle, both in terms of number of packets and the length of the packets. One way to reduce the computational overhead with identification techniques is to sample the traffic being monitored. This paper addresses the sensitivity of OpenDPI, one of the most powerful freely available DPI systems, with sampled network traffic. Two sampling techniques are applied and compared: the per-packet payload sampling, and the per-flow packet sampling. Based on the obtained results, some conclusions are drawn to show how far DPI methods could be optimised through traffic sampling.
From behavioural analyses to models of collective motion in fish schools

Fish schooling is a phenomenon of long-lasting interest in ethology and ecology, widely spread across taxa and ecological contexts, and has attracted much interest from statistical physics and theoretical biology as a case of self-organized behaviour. One topic of intense interest is the search of specific behavioural mechanisms at stake at the individual level and from which the school properties emerges. This is fundamental for understanding how selective pressure acting at the individual level promotes adaptive properties of schools and in trying to disambiguate functional properties from non-adaptive epiphenomena. Decades of studies on collective motion by means of individual-based modelling have allowed a qualitative understanding of the self-organization processes leading to collective properties at school level, and provided an insight into the behavioural mechanisms that result in coordinated motion. Here, we emphasize a set of paradigmatic modelling assumptions whose validity remains unclear, both from a behavioural point of view and in terms of quantitative agreement between model outcome and empirical data. We advocate for a specific and biologically oriented re-examination of these assumptions through experimental-based behavioural analysis and modelling.
Is the R3 Si Moiety in Metal-Silyl Complexes a Z ligand? An Answer from the Interaction Energy.

The computation of metal-silyl interaction energies indicates the existence of situations in which the silyl group behaves as a Z-type ligand according to the Green method of covalent-bond classification. There is a scale of relative intrinsic silylicity Π, defined as the ratio of the intrinsic silyl-to-triflate interaction energy of a silyltriflate as a reference compound relative to the silyl-to-metal interaction of given complex, that can reveal in a straightforward manner the propensity of SiR3 groups to behave chemically as metal-bound "silylium" ions, namely, [SiR3 ]+ . Emblematic cases, either taken from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) or constructed for the purpose of this study, were also investigated from the viewpoints of extended transition-state natural orbitals for chemical valence (ETS-NOCV) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analyses. It is shown in the case of POBMUP-which is the iridium 1,3-bis[(di-tert-butylphosphino)oxy]benzene (POCOP) complex isolated by Brookhart et al.-how slight variations of molecular charge and structure can drastically affect the relative intrinsic silylicity of the SiEt3 group that is weakly bonded to the hydrido-iridium motif.
Integrating Miscommunication Analysis in Natural Language Interface Design for a Service Robot

Natural language user interfaces for robots with cognitive capabilities should be designed to reduce the occurrence of miscommunication in order to be perceived as providing a smooth and intuitive interaction to its users. This paper describes how miscommunication analysis is integrated in the design process. Observations from 12 user sessions revealed that users misunderstand the robot's functionality; and that feedback sometimes is ill-timed with respect to the situation. We provide a set of design implications to prevent errors from occurring, to influence or adapt to users' behavior
Automating Software FMEA via Formal Analysis of Dependence Relations

The paper presents the ongoing work of studying FMEA method for embedded safely critical software via formal analysis of various dependence relations among software elements, which can fairly improve the automation and precision of both system level and detailed level FMEA. These dependence relations are depicted by the formal models abstracted from software design and implementation, and the FMEA processes for both structural and object-oriented software are proposed respectively. The initial result of case study shows the effectiveness of the approach.
Evidence for selective executive function deficits in ecstasy/polydrug users

Previous research has suggested that the separate aspects of executive functioning are differentially affected by ecstasy use. Although the inhibition process appears to be unaffected by ecstasy use, it is unclear whether this is true of heavy users under conditions of high demand. Tasks loading on the updating process have been shown to be adversely affected by ecstasy use. However, it remains unclear whether the deficits observed reflect the executive aspects of the tasks or whether they are domain general in nature affecting both verbal and visuo-spatial updating. Fourteen heavy ecstasy users (mean total lifetime use 1000 tablets), 39 light ecstasy users (mean total lifetime use 150 tablets) and 28 non-users were tested on tasks loading on the inhibition executive process (random letter generation) and the updating component process (letter updating, visuo-spatial updating and computation span). Heavy users were not impaired in random letter generation even under conditions designed to be more demanding. Ecstasy-related deficits were observed on all updating measures and were statistically significant for two of the three measures. Following controls for various aspects of cannabis use, statistically significant ecstasy-related deficits were obtained on all three updating measures. It was concluded that the inhibition process is unaffected by ecstasy use even among heavy users. By way of contrast, the updating process appears to be impaired in ecstasy users with the deficit apparently domain general in nature.
3D FE Model Reconstruction and Numerical Simulation of Airflow in Human Upper Airway for the Healthy Person and Patient with OSAHS

Based on the data which came from the spiral Computerized Tomography (CT) images of the healthy person and patient with Obstructive Sleep Apnea- Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS), the three-dimensional models of upper airway cavity were reconstructed by the method of surface rendering. The reconstruction three-dimensional models precisely preserve original configuration of upper airways, and the airflow of the whole cavity is simulated numerically and analyzed by the finite element method. The results of the pressure and velocity distributions in the airflow field are quantitatively determined. Pressure gradients of airway are lower in the healthy person, the airflow distribution is quite uniform with free breath, and however, the patient with OSAHS remarkably escalates both the pressure and velocity of the upper airway. The present study is useful the quantitative mutual relationship between configuration and function in the upper airway, pathogenesis and diagnosing the diseases related to the anatomical structure and the function of upper airway.