Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of data aggregation on the performance of wireless sensor networks

With the increasing need for different energy saving mechanisms in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), data aggregation techniques for reducing the number of data transmissions by eliminating redundant information have been studied as a significant research problem. These studies have shown that data aggregation in WSNs may produce various trade-offs among some network related performance metrics such as energy, latency, accuracy, fault-tolerance and security. In this paper, we investigate the impact of data aggregation on these networking metrics by surveying the existing data aggregation protocols in WSNs. Our aim is twofold: First, providing a comprehensive summary and comparison of the existing data aggregation techniques with respect to different networking metrics. Second, pointing out both the possible future research issues and the need for collaboration between data management and networking research communities working on data aggregation in WSNs.
Some Fundamental Aspects about Lipschitz Continuity of Neural Networks

Lipschitz continuity is a simple yet crucial functional property of any predictive model for it lies at the core of the model’s robustness, generalisation, as well as adversarial vulnerability. Our aim is to thoroughly investigate and characterise the Lipschitz behaviour of the functions realised by neural networks. Thus, we carry out an empirical investigation in a range of different settings (namely, architectures, losses, optimisers, label noise, and more) by exhausting the limits of the simplest and the most general lower and upper bounds. Although motivated primarily by computational hardness results, this choice nevertheless turns out to be rather resourceful and sheds light on several fundamental and intriguing traits of the Lipschitz continuity of neural network functions, which we also supplement with suitable theoretical arguments. As a highlight of this investigation, we identify a striking double descent trend in both upper and lower bounds to the Lipschitz constant with increasing network width — which tightly aligns with the typical double descent trend in the test loss. Lastly, we touch upon the seeming (counter-intuitive) decline of the Lipschitz constant in the presence of label noise.
On end-to-end 6DOF object pose estimation and robustness to object scale

This report contains a set of experiments that seek to reproduce the claims of two recent works related to keypoint 3 estimation, one specific to 6DOF object pose estimation, and the other presenting a generic architectural improvement 4 for keypoint estimation but demonstrated in human pose estimation. More specifically, in the backpropagatable PnP [1], 5 the authors claim that incorporating geometric optimization in a deep-learning pipeline and predicting an object’s pose 6 in an end-to-end manner yields improved performance. On the other hand, HigherHRNet [2] introduces a novel heatmap 7 aggregation method that allows for scale-aware pose estimations, offering higher keypoint localization accuracy for 8 small scale objects. 9
AIS Electronic Library (AISeL)

Assessing user satisfaction, acceptance and performance impacts of information systems have long traditions in information systems research. With an increasing focus on broader adoption and implementation of electronic health records (EHR’s), research examining user evaluation and performance impacts will play an essential role in the successful design, implementation, and efficient use of these systems. In this study, we analyze user evaluations of an EHR system and assess the impact on individual performance of such systems using the Task-technology Fit (TTF) theory. TTF postulates that individual performance is more likely to be positively impacted if there is a “fit” between the requirements of the task and the features of the technology. Overall, user evaluations for the eight dimensions of TTF considered in this study are positive. Moreover, the model exhibits a good fit with the data and provides a satisfactory explanatory power for individual performance impact with data quality and ease of use/training being significant determinants of performance impact.
The genetic basis of dispersal in a vertebrate metapopulation.

Dispersal affects evolutionary processes by changing population size and genetic composition, influencing the viability and persistence of populations. Investigating which mechanisms underlie variation in dispersal phenotypes and whether populations harbour adaptive potential for dispersal is crucial to understanding the eco-evolutionary dynamics of this important trait. Here, we investigate the genetic architecture of dispersal among successfully recruited individuals in an insular metapopulation of house sparrows. We use an extensive long-term individual-based ecological data set and high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes for over 2500 individuals. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS), and found a relationship between dispersal probability and a SNP located near genes known to regulate circadian rhythm, glycogenesis and exercise performance, among other functions. However, this SNP only explained 3.8% of variance, suggesting that dispersal is a polygenic trait. We then used an animal model to estimate heritable genetic variation (σA 2 ), which composes 10% of the total variation in dispersal probability. Finally, we investigated differences in σA 2 across populations occupying ecologically relevant habitat types (farm vs. non-farm) using a genetic groups animal model. We found different adaptive potentials across habitats, with higher mean breeding value, σA 2 , and heritability for the habitat presenting lower dispersal rates, suggesting also different roles of environmental variation. Our results suggest a complex genetic architecture of dispersal and demonstrate that adaptive potential may be environment dependent in key eco-evolutionary traits. The eco-evolutionary implications of such environment dependence and consequent spatial variation are likely to become ever more important with the increased fragmentation and loss of suitable habitats for many natural populations.
BIOMASS ENERGETIC POTENTIAL FROM TIMBER HARVESTING AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF STORAGE

This research aimed to characterize the energetic potential of chips of biomass residues from timber harvesting, stored outdoors in the field and indoors in the industry throughout different storage times, in order to improve the potential of the materials for energy generation. The study was performed in operational areas of a forestry company located in the Northeast region of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, in a Pinus taeda stand. Chips stored in the different storage types were evaluated at the times of 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 days, according to the following physical and chemical parameters: moisture content, calorific value, and ash content. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and to the Tukey’s post hoc means comparison test at 95% of probability. The results showed that the lowest moisture content was obtained in chips stored indoors for 60 days, whereas for chips stored outdoors the lowest moisture content occurred at 30 days. The chips stored outdoors for 30 days showed a higher calorific value of 4,792 Kcal.Kg -1 , whereas chips stored indoors for 60 days had calorific value equivalent to the other storage times, 4,706 Kcal.Kg -1 . Regarding the ash content, the best storage time for chips stored outdoors was 30 days, presenting an average ash content of 0.9%. Meanwhile, in the indoors storage, the ash content of the chips remained at low levels throughout the evaluated period. The indoor chip storage has proven to be the best option for use of biomass residues from timber harvesting for energy purposes.
Lignocellulosic Membranes Grafted with N-Vinylcaprolactam Using Radiation Chemistry: Load and Release Capacity of Vancomycin

Radiation chemistry presents a unique avenue for developing innovative polymeric materials with desirable properties, eliminating the need for chemical initiators, which can be potentially detrimental, especially in sensitive sectors like medicine. In this investigation, we employed a radiation-induced graft polymerization process with N-vinylcaprolactam (NVCL) to modify lignocellulosic membranes derived from Agave salmiana, commonly known as maguey. The membranes underwent thorough characterization employing diverse techniques, including contact angle measurement, degree of swelling, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier-transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), nuclear magnetic resonance (CP-MAS 13C-NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and uniaxial tensile mechanical tests. The membranes’ ability to load and release an antimicrobial glycopeptide drug was assessed, revealing significant enhancements in both drug loading and sustained release. The grafting of PNVCL contributed to prolonged sustained release by decreasing the drug release rate at temperatures above the LCST. The release profiles were analyzed using the Higuchi, Peppas–Sahlin, and Korsmeyer–Peppas models, suggesting a Fickian transport mechanism as indicated by the Korsmeyer–Peppas model.
Primary Users in Cellular Networks: A Large-Scale Measurement Study

Most existing studies of spectrum usage have been performed by actively sensing the energy levels in specific RF bands including cellular bands. In this paper, we provide a unique, complementary analysis of cellular primary usage by analyzing a dataset collected inside a cellular network operator. One of the key aspects of our dataset is its scale - it consists of data collected over three weeks at hundreds of base stations. We dissect this data along different dimensions to characterize and model primary usage as well as understand its temporal and spatial variations. Our analysis reveals several results that are relevant if dynamic spectrum access (DSA) approaches are to be deployed for cellular frequency bands. For instance, we find that call durations show significant deviations from the often- used exponential distribution, which makes call-based modeling more complicated. We also show that a random walk process, which does not use call durations, can often be used for modeling the aggregate cell capacity. Furthermore, we highlight some applications of our results to improve secondary usage of licensed spectrum.
Comments on Cretaceous Eutheria, Lance Scaphites, and Inoceramus? ex Gr. tegulatus

This is an addendum to Jeletzky9s (1962) study of Danian dinosaur-bearing rocks and the Mesozoic-Cenozoic boundary. All adequately sampled North American Late Cretaceous mammalian local faunas are made up of multituberculates, placentals, and marsupials. An increase in the relative abundance of placentals occurred at least locally before the extinction of the dinosaurs. The records of Scaphites and other marine organisms in the upper part of the Lance Formation are probably the result of erratic introduction of contemporaneous animals during deposition.
Quantitative Analysis of the Instant and Persistent Inhibition Effects of Maternal Poliovirus Antibodies on the Immune Response in a Phase IV Trial of a Sabin Strain-Based Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine

Background: An inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine made from Sabin strains (sIPVs) has widely been used in China since 2015. However, the quantitative data on the instant and persistent inhibition effects of maternal poliovirus antibodies on the immune response to sIPV priming and booster vaccination have not been available yet. Objective: In this study, we aim to explore and quantify the instant and persistent inhibition effect of maternal poliovirus antibodies on the immune response elicited by sIPV primary and booster vaccination. Methods: The immunogenicity data consisting of the days 0 and 30 after the prime and booster vaccination of the sIPV in a phase IV trial were pooled for a quantitative analysis of the inhibition effect of maternal poliovirus antibody. The geometric mean ratio (GMR) was calculated using linear regression models, representing that every 2-fold higher maternal poliovirus antibody titer may result in a (1-GMR) lower postimmunization antibody titer. Results: The GMRs for poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 were 0.79 (0.77–0.82), 0.85 (0.81–0.89), and 0.87 (0.83–0.91) at 30 days after the priming series, 0.86 (0.83–0.89), 0.81 (0.76–0.85), and 0.86 (0.80–0.93) at one year after the priming series, and 0.96 (0.94–0.99), 0.89 (0.86–0.93), and 0.98 (0.93–1.03) at 30 days after the booster dose. The inhibition effect continued to exist until the booster dose 1 year later, and such a persistent inhibition effect was almost attenuated for poliovirus types 1 and 3, and partly reduced for type 2 at 30 days after the booster dose. Conclusion: A wider interval between the four sIPV doses might be a consideration for reducing the effect of maternal antibodies and subsequently eliciting and maintaining higher antibody levels to protect against poliovirus transmission and infection at the final stage of polio eradication in the global world. This study’s clinical trial registry number is NCT04224519.
Aspectos de la vegetacion natural de Colombia

Nació en Camprodón, España y murió en Washington, Estados Unidos. Licenciado en Farmacia, Universidad de Barcelona (1923); Doctor en Farmacia, Universidad de Madrid (1928). Con estudios de posgrado en el Botanical Institute en Berlin-Dahlem (1930 – 1934). Se casó con Martha Nowack y tuvo tres hijos: Teresa, Gil y Pedro. Profesor asistente de botánica, Universidad de Madrid (1924 y 1931). Entre 1933 y 1939 fue curador de flora tropical y director por dos años del Jardín Botánico de Madrid. Su primer viaje a Colombia lo realizó en 1932. Fue investigador del Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (1939-1942), presidió la Comisión Botánica del Valle y fundó el herbario VALLE en Palmira (19421947). Investigador del Museo de Historia Natural de Chicago (19471955). Investigador asociado, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., (1955-1996). Especialista en la familia Asteraceae (Compositae). Realizó numerosas expediciones en todo el territorio colombiano entre 1932 y 1978. Autor de más de 250 publicaciones científicas. Información suplementaria disponible en: http://www.accefyn. org.co/sp/academicos/Jose_Cuatrecasas_Arumi. htm Este artículo es fuente primaria y obligada de información para los estudiosos de la vegetación de cualquier región del país. Cuatrecasas reunió por primera vez toda la información disponible para describir los distintos tipos de vegetación que existen en Colombia y definió por primera vez los limites altitudinales aproximados de los distintos tipos de vegetación que describió. Sus viajes a lo largo y ancho del país le dieron un profundo conocimiento de su flora y su vegetación. La bibliografía es muy completa y en ella cita a todos los colombianos que habían hecho contribuciones sobre este asunto hasta entonces. El autor comienza diciendo que “Lo que caracteriza la vegetación natural del territorio colombiano tomada en su conjunto es la riqueza y extraordinaria exuberancia de su flora”. Aunque describe su propio artículo como un esfuerzo para “satisfacer siquiera parcialmente, la curiosidad de quienes desean información elemental sobre la vegetación natural de Colombia”, Cuatrecasas dedica buena parte del texto a discutir en profundidad aspectos tales como el carácter de la vegetación, el factor tropical (aclarando de paso algunas concepciones erradas sobre el significado de la palabra “tropical”), la fisiografía y el clima. Se adentra luego en el análisis detallado de las ocho formaciones vegetales que describe para el país y para cada una provee listas muy completas de géneros y especies representativos. Entre los aspectos destacados del artículo está el esquema simplificado de las formaciones según pisos altitudinales en una sección del territorio colombiano, desde la costa del Pacífico hasta los llanos de Arauca y Meta, con el perfil transversal de las tres cordilleras, un doble perfil en la cordillera oriental, el de la Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, superpuesto al del macizo de Bogotá, y los enclaves xerofíticos del rio Dagua y el río Chicamocha.
Dynamic and Redundant Data Placement

We present a randomized block-level storage virtualization for arbitrary heterogeneous storage systems that can distribute data in a fair and redundant way and can adapt this distribution in an efficient way as storage devices enter or leave the system. More precisely, our virtualization strategies can distribute a set of data blocks among a set of storage devices of arbitrary non-uniform capacities so that a storage device representing x% of the capacity in the system will get x% of the data (as long as this is in principle possible) and the different copies of each data block are stored so that no two copies of a data block are located in the same device. Achieving these two properties is not easy, and no virtualization strategy has been presented so far that has been formally shown to satisfy fairness and redundancy while being time- and space-efficient and allowing an efficient adaptation to a changing set of devices.
Synthesis and Characterization of Short α and β-Mixed Peptides with Excellent Anti-Lipase Activities

Obesity is a source of significant pathologies and deadly diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. One of the most intriguing strategies in the hunt for new anti-obesity medications is the inhibition of pancreatic lipase (PL). This study presents a novel application of short α and β-mixed peptides as pancreatic lipase inhibitors. These peptides were synthesized in the solution phase and characterized using FTIR and 1H-NMR. L-proline is present in a high percentage of natural anti-lipase peptides and was used as a β-amino acid in this study to enhance anti-lipase activity and proteolytic stability. Moreover, L-α-proline was converted to β-amino acid derivatives using the Arndt–Eistert method with the advantage of stereo control at the α-carbon. The synthesized peptides with anti-lipase activity are N-Boc-β-Pro-Gly-OBz (93%), N-Boc-O-Bz-Tyr-β-Pro-β-Pro-Gly-OBz (92%), N-Boc-O-Bz-Tyr-β-Pro-COOH (91%), N-Boc-Phe-β-Pro-OCH3 (90%), and N-Boc-O-Bz-Tyr-β-Pro-OCH3 (89%). These peptides may function as lead molecules for further modification to more significant molecules, which can help control obesity.
Pan-Cancer Interrogation of MUTYH Variants Reveals Biallelic Inactivation and Defective Base Excision Repair Across a Spectrum of Solid Tumors

PURPOSE Biallelic germline pathogenic variants of the base excision repair (BER) pathway gene MUTYH predispose to colorectal cancer (CRC) and other cancers. The possible association of heterozygous variants with broader cancer susceptibility remains uncertain. This study investigated the prevalence and consequences of pathogenic MUTYH variants and MUTYH loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in a large pan-cancer analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data from 354,366 solid tumor biopsies that were sequenced as part of routine clinical care were analyzed using a validated algorithm to distinguish germline from somatic MUTYH variants. RESULTS Biallelic germline pathogenic MUTYH variants were identified in 119 tissue biopsies. Most were CRCs and showed increased tumor mutational burden (TMB) and a mutational signature consistent with defective BER (COSMIC Signature SBS18). Germline heterozygous pathogenic variants were identified in 5,991 biopsies and their prevalence was modestly elevated in some cancer types. About 12% of these cancers (738 samples: including adrenal gland cancers, pancreatic islet cell tumors, nonglioma CNS tumors, GI stromal tumors, and thyroid cancers) showed somatic LOH for MUTYH, higher rates of chromosome 1p loss (where MUTYH is located), elevated genomic LOH, and higher COSMIC SBS18 signature scores, consistent with BER deficiency. CONCLUSION This analysis of MUTYH alterations in a large set of solid cancers suggests that in addition to the established role of biallelic pathogenic MUTYH variants in cancer predisposition, a broader range of cancers may possibly arise in MUTYH heterozygotes via a mechanism involving somatic LOH at the MUTYH locus and defective BER. However, the effect is modest and requires confirmation in additional studies before being clinically actionable.
Fire behaviour prediction in savanna vegetation

Accurate predictions of fire behaviour will increase the efficiency of fire management in savanna ecosystems. A fuel modelling and fire behaviour prediction system (BEHAVE)based on Rothermel's (1972) fire spread model was tested in the Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Reserves in northern Natal. The system uses fuel models, which descriptionbe the fuel properties of the dominant vegetation, as inputs. Fuel data was collected in Acacia savanna areas and were used to construct a fuel model using BEHAVE. Accurate predictions of these parameters, using the system, will enable managers to set fires to achieve, for example, desired levels of topkill in savanna vegetation.
Awareness of Nutritive Value of Cultured Fish among Inhabitants of Selected Peri-Urban Local Government Areas in Katsina State, Nigeria

Cultured fish represents a good percentage of fresh fish consumed in Nigeria. Fish consumption is relatively high in the southern part of the country, unlike the northern part, where there is low consumption of cultured fish. This may be attributed to many factors including but not limited to availability, distribution and information on the nutritive value of cultured fish. This study investigated the awareness of nutritive value of cultured fish among inhabitants of selected peri-urban local government areas in Katsina State, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty (120) copies of structured questionnaires were administered out of which 108 representing 90% were retrieved and analysed using descriptive statistics and logistics regression. The majority of the respondents were males (88.9%), with the age range of 40 - 49 years. Among the sampled population, 46.3% had a tertiary education with civil service being the dominant occupation (25.9%), while over 50% earned a monthly income of less than ? 30,000. The majority (95.4%) of the respondents consumed cultured fish but the larger percentage (55.4%) consumed it occasionally, although 67.6% of the population was aware of the nutritive value of cultured fish. The regression analysis showed that sex had a coefficient of -1.117, odds value of 0.327 and Z-score of 4.142, which was significant at 5% level, while age and income were significant at 10% level. Despite the fact that the awareness of the nutritive value of cultured fish in the study area was on the high side, consumption was still low and mainly occasional. Sex, age and income were observed to be factors determining the awareness level of the nutritive value of cultured fish in peri- urban areas of Katsina State, Nigeria.