Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrodynamic trait coordination and cost–benefit trade‐offs throughout the isohydric–anisohydric continuum in trees

Whole‐plant hydraulic performance depends on the integrated function of trait complexes, such as embolism resistance, stomatal closure mechanisms, and root properties. The diversity of such traits produces a wide range of response strategies to both short‐term variation of environmental conditions and long‐term changes to climate and hydrological cycles. This study aims to assess the role of different emergent hydraulic trait combinations in trees' vulnerability to drought using a quantitative modelling framework. This modelling framework may be helpful in studying the influence of plant hydraulic traits independently. It will also be used to assess how different groups of traits interact to form viable hydraulic strategies in response to different environmental conditions.
Polyorchidism

Objective. To describe the embryologic, clinical, sonographic, and magnetic resonance imaging features of polyorchidism and to review the literature on similar cases. Methods. Over a 5‐year period, we encountered 3 patients who were found to have polyorchidism on scrotal sonography. All 3 patients had a painless scrotal mass. Two patients also had magnetic resonance imaging of the scrotum, and the results were correlated with the sonograms. We also performed a literature search for other reports of polyorchidism. Results. One patient had 2 right testicles and a single left testicle. The second patient had 3 left testicles and 1 right testicle. In the third patient, who had 2 left testicles and 1 right testicle, microlithiasis was found in all 3 testes. The supernumerary testes were within the scrotum in all cases. All testicles were identified by sonography. Magnetic resonance imaging in 2 cases provided confirmatory data regarding the presence of an extra testicle but did not add other relevant information. Conservative treatment was chosen in all cases. Conclusions. Polyorchidism is a rare congenital anomaly. There are characteristic sonographic features of polyorchidism, and the diagnosis is often made on the basis of sonography. Magnetic resonance imaging can be used for confirmation but may be more helpful in cases complicated by cryptorchism or neoplasia. Conservative treatment is advised in uncomplicated cases.
Stable real-time interaction between virtual humans and real scenes

We present an augmented reality system that relies on purely passive techniques to solve the real-time registration problem. It can run on a portable PC and does not require engineering of the environment, for example by adding markers. To achieve this result, we have integrated robust computer vision techniques into a powerful VR framework. The resulting AR system allows us to produce complex rendering and animation of virtual human characters, and to blend them into the real world. The system tracks the 3D camera position by means of a natural features tracker, which, given a rough CAD model, can deal with complex 3D objects. The tracking method can handle both large camera displacements and aspect changes. We will show that our system works in the cluttered environment of a real industrial facility and can, therefore, be used to enhance manufacturing and industrial processes.
An Efficient Method for Video Similarity Search with Video Signature

With the rapid development of web video application, video similarity search has become a hot research field in content-based video retrieval. Many efforts have been carried out to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of similarity search in large database. In order to solve two challenging problems: similarity measurement and search method, a novel efficient VSS approach is proposed in this paper. A compact video signature was computed based on Spatial-temporal features of video sequences. The video similarity was measured by an efficient computation of the distance of video signature in feature space. For the scalable computing requirement, a new search method via Signature Index Table was presented by index clustering. The experimental results from the query tests in large database show this method is highly efficient for similar video search.
Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen in Testes of Infertile Men with Varicocele

Objective: This study was conducted to assess germ cell kinetics and correlate them with sperm counts before and after varicocelectomy. Material and Methods: Forty-three testicular biopsy specimens were obtained from 47 patients with varicocele during varicocelectomy. Similar specimens were obtained from 8 fertile volunteers. All specimens were immunostained using anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (anti-PCNA) antibody. PCNA expression was evaluated by assessing its staining intensity (SI) and labeling index (LI). Results: The varicocele specimens revealed significantly lower SI and LI than the controls. There was a significant correlation between initial sperm concentration and LI but not SI. Coexistence of LI S 31 and preoperative sperm count >1 million/ml correlated with a significant rise in the postoperative sperm count. Conclusions: PCNA is a useful molecular marker for assessing germ cell kinetics in varicocele patients. The decline in DNA synthesis, as suggested by the lower PCNA SI and LI in varicocele specimens, could be a reason for the disordered spermatogenesis in these patients. PCNA LI may also be considered as a beneficial clinical marker and may help to predict the surgical outcome after varicocele repair.
The Dynamic Black-Litterman Approach to Asset Allocation

We generalise the Black-Litterman (BL) portfolio management framework to incorporate time-variation in the conditional distribution of returns in the asset allocation process. We evaluate the performance of the dynamic BL model using both standard performance ratios as well as other measures that are designed to capture tail risk in the presence of non-normally distributed asset returns. We find that dynamic BL model outperforms a range of different benchmarks. Moreover, we show that the choice of volatility model has a considerable impact on the performance of the dynamic BL model.
Ten Suggestions to Strengthen the Science of Ecology

Abstract There are few well-documented, general ecological principles that can be applied to pressing environmental issues. When they discuss them at all, ecologists often disagree about the relative importance of different aspects of the science's original and still important issues. It may be that the sum of ecological science is not open to universal statements because of the wide range of organizational, spatial, and temporal phenomena, as well as the sheer number of possible interactions. We believe, however, that the search for general principles has been inadequate to establish the extent to which generalities are possible. We suggest that ecologists may need to reconsider how we view our science. This article lists 10 suggestions for ecology, recognizing the many impediments to finding generalizations in this field, imposed in part by the complexity of the subject and in part by limits to funding for the study of ecology.
A level line selection approach for object boundary estimation

An energy model based approach for estimating object boundaries is presented. We study a particular energy whose minimizer can be determined. The method estimates the unknown number of objects and draws object boundaries by selecting the "best" level lines computed from level sets of the original image. Unlike previous standard methods, the proposed method does not require iteration for minimizing the energy. In addition, our segmentation algorithm combines anisotropic diffusion based regularization with level line selection to extract smooth object boundaries. Experimental results on 2D biomedical and meteorological images are reported.
Lifting Trajectories for Effective Clustering

The increasing availability of huge amounts of data pertaining to time and position of moving objects generated by different sources using a wide variety of technologies (e.g., RFID tags, GPS, GSM networks) leads to large spatial data collections. Mining such amounts of data is challenging, since the possibility to extract useful information from this peculiar kind of data is crucial in many application scenarios such as vehicle traffic management, hand-off in cellular networks, supply chain management. Moreover, spatial data poses interesting challenges both for their proper definition and acquisition, thus making the mining process harder than for classical point data. In this paper, we address the problem of trajectory clustering, that revealed really challenging as we deal with data (trajectories) for which the order of elements is relevant. We propose a complete framework starting from data preparation task that allows us to make the mining step quite effective. Since the validation of data mining approaches has to be experimental we performed several tests on real world datasets that confirmed the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Authoring Interactive Narratives with Declarative Optimization-Based Drama Management

Drama managers reconfigure a game in reaction to a player's actions. In declarative optimization-based drama management (DODM), a game's story is abstracted as a sequence of plot points; possible drama manager interventions are abstracted as a set of DM actions. The author defines an func- tion evaluating story quality, and some optimization method (currently reinforcement learning) chooses DM actions so as to maximize expected story quality according to that evaluation function. While previous work has developed this ap- proach at a technical level and discussed its potential applications, no work to date has used DODM to write real games. We report on our experiences designing a game in the Neverwinter Nights engine, entitled The Guilty, in which we use DODM to create a dynamic plot that in a previous design iteration we had found difficult to create with other techniques.
TOPAL: recombination detection in DNA and protein sequences

UNLABELLED TOPAL scans a multiple sequence alignment for evidence of recombinant sequences, prior to phylogenetic analysis. AVAILABILITY The TOPAL package may be accessed at http://www.bioss.sari.ac.uk/grainne, and by anonymous ftp at ftp.bioss. sari.ac.uk in the directory pub/phylogeny/topal. CONTACT grainne@bioss.sari.ac.uk
THE DETECTION OF GAMETIC DISEQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN ALLOZYME LOCI IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA

The capacity of the usual tests (chi‐square and related tests) to detect gametic disequilibrium between allozyme loci in natural populations of Drosophila has been investigated. We analyzed a large collection of previously reported gametic samples from natural populations involving a variety of loosely linked allozyme loci located along the O chromosome of Drosophila subobscura and the second chromosome of D. melanogaster. It is found that the statistical power of the individual tests to detect the sample disequilibria between allozyme loci is remarkably low, being the average (over pairs of loci) of power estimates close to 0.20 in both species. Moreover, the average minimum disequilibrium (D‘min) that would be required to reject (90% probability) the hypothesis of gametic equilibrium is higher than 0.50 given the observed degree of polymorphism and sample sizes used. This means that statistically significant associations between allozyme loci would rarely be detected by single‐sample tests even when much disequilibrium is present in natural populations of Drosophila. However, an alternative approach based on the analysis of disquilibrium for large sets of gametic samples, combining probabilities from single independent tests and assessing significance by a bootstrap procedure, reveals that most of the locus pairs within segment I and II of the O chromosome of D. subobscura and left arm of the second chromosome of D. melanogaster present significant nonrandom associations. Within these chromosomal sections, the observed average absolute value of disquilibrium (D‘) between loci is around 0.25 (under the more conservative estimation). Also, a positive relationship between the magnitude of disequilibrium and linkage was detected. These findings suggest that weak or moderate values of disequilibrium between loosely linked allozyme loci are more frequent in natural populations of Drosophila than is currently believed.
The role of the predicted present in artificial and natural cognitive systems

In previous work, we have argued that a sophisticated cognitive system with a complex body must possess configurable models of itself (or at least its body) and the world, along with the necessary infrastructure to use the modelled interactions between these two components to select relatively advantageous actions. These models may be used to generate representations of the future (imagination) and the past (episodic memory). In this paper we will explore some problems surrounding the representation of the present arising from the use of such models in the artificial cognitive system under development within the ECCEROBOT project. There are two aspects to consider: the representation of the state of the robot's body within the self model, and the representation of the state of the external world within the world model. In both natural and robotic systems, the processing of the sensory data carrying state information takes a considerable time, and so any estimates of the present states of both the agent and the world would have to be obtained by using predictive models. However, it appears that there is no need for any such representations to be generated in the course of selecting a course of action using self and world models, since representations are only of the future or the past. This may call into question the utility and timing of the apparent perception of the present in humans.
Power flow controllers in DC systems

Constructing multi-terminal high voltage dc (HVDC) systems can effectively make it possible for the large-scale new energy to be integrated into the grid and make up the defects of the existing ac power system. When constructing the multi-terminal dc system, one cannot avoid the problem that how to control the dc power flow effectively. When nodes are increased and structure of dc grids becomes more complex, power flow of dc grids cannot be controlled effectively and distributed optimized. Inserting power flow controllers into dc grids can effectively control power flow. This paper firstly summarizes the existing dc power flow control technologies and points out the advantages, disadvantages and application occasions of the whole dc power flow controllers and proposes a new dc power flow controller. Different kinds of dc power flow controllers are chosen and simulated in a five-terminal HVDC system with PLECS.
Spectral Learning for Mixture of Markov Models

In this paper, we develop two spectral methods for mixture of Markov models. First, we show that to derive spectral learning algorithm for a mixture of Markov models, we need to use moments up to order five. To reduce the sample complexity, we propose an alternative scheme, which is based on learning a mixture of Dirichlet distributions. We experimentally show that the latter approach outperforms the regular spectral learning algorithm for mixture of Markov models, and expectation maximization algorithms for mixture of Markov and Dirichlet models.
Does Speciation between Arabidopsis halleri and Arabidopsis lyrata Coincide with Major Changes in a Molecular Target of Adaptation?

Ever since Darwin proposed natural selection as the driving force for the origin of species, the role of adaptive processes in speciation has remained controversial. In particular, a largely unsolved issue is whether key divergent ecological adaptations are associated with speciation events or evolve secondarily within sister species after the split. The plant Arabidopsis halleri is one of the few species able to colonize soils highly enriched in zinc and cadmium. Recent advances in the molecular genetics of adaptation show that the physiology of this derived ecological trait involves copy number expansions of the AhHMA4 gene, for which orthologs are found in single copy in the closely related A. lyrata and the outgroup A. thaliana. To gain insight into the speciation process, we ask whether adaptive molecular changes at this candidate gene were contemporary with important stages of the speciation process. We first inferred the scenario and timescale of speciation by comparing patterns of variation across the genomic backgrounds of A. halleri and A. lyrata. Then, we estimated the timing of the first duplication of AhHMA4 in A. halleri. Our analysis suggests that the historical split between the two species closely coincides with major changes in this molecular target of adaptation in the A. halleri lineage. These results clearly indicate that these changes evolved in A. halleri well before industrial activities fostered the spread of Zn- and Cd-polluted areas, and suggest that adaptive processes related to heavy-metal homeostasis played a major role in the speciation process.
Induction in Nonmonotonic Causal Theories for a Domestic Service Robot

It is always possible to encounter an expected scenario which has not been covered by a certain theory for an action domain. This paper proposes an approach to treating this problem. We reduce this learning task into the problem of modifying a causal theory such that the interpretations corresponding to new scenarios become a model of the updated theory, while all the original models keep unchanged. We illustrate our approach through a case study based on a domestic service robot, KeJia.
Hyperparameter optimization with approximate gradient

Most models in machine learning contain at least one hyperparameter to control for model complexity. Choosing an appropriate set of hyperparameters is both crucial in terms of model accuracy and computationally challenging. In this work we propose an algorithm for the optimization of continuous hyperparameters using inexact gradient information. An advantage of this method is that hyperparameters can be updated before model parameters have fully converged. We also give sufficient conditions for the global convergence of this method, based on regularity conditions of the involved functions and summability of errors. Finally, we validate the empirical performance of this method on the estimation of regularization constants of L2-regularized logistic regression and kernel Ridge regression. Empirical benchmarks indicate that our approach is highly competitive with respect to state of the art methods.
Sleep in microgravity

The aim of this paper is to compare data from longitudinal study of psycho physiological and psychological characteristics of cosmonauts' sleep during pre-start periods, space flights and both immediately after space flights as well as within time delay. Physiological parameters of sleep were registered with mini poly physiograph "SON-K"; originally designed and developed at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and installed on board of MIR space station. Questionnaires were used to receive data about subjective evaluation of sleep parameters. The results revealed that in the state of highly motivated, general mobilization of the organism (space flights), the subjective evaluations of sleep are very close to the objective evaluations via combination physiological registrations, i.e. electroencephalography, electro cardiology, electromyography registrations as well as breeding frequency and eye, body and limb movements. Data revealed that after flight cosmonauts' evaluation of their sleep significantly differed from objective assessments. A co-relation between sleep EEG data and subjectively reported sleep characteristics exists and is an important indicator of the functional state of the organism and/or of the level of stress reaction. No doubt at sleep consciousness is abolished although mental activity continues at a given levels. There are lots of evidences in the literature about mental activity, logic and responsiveness that persist at the time of sleep and definitely may have a protective role.
A Functional Polymorphism in a Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) Interacts with 9/11 to Predict Gun-Carrying Behavior

On September 11, 2001, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in US history took place on American soil and people around the world were impacted in myriad ways. Building on prior literature which suggests individuals are more likely to purchase a gun for self-protection if they are fearful of being victimized, the authors hypothesized that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 would lead to an increase in gun carrying among US residents. At the same time, a line of research has shown that a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene (i.e., 5-HTTLPR) interacts with environmental stressors to predict a range of psychopathologies and behaviors. Thus, it was hypothesized that 9/11 and 5-HTTLPR would interact to predict gun carrying. The results supported both hypotheses by revealing a positive association between 9/11 and gun carrying (b = .426, odds ratio = 1.531, standard error for b = .194, z = 2.196, p = .028) in the full sample of respondents (n = 15,052) and a statistically significant interaction between 9/11 and 5-HTTLPR in the prediction of gun carrying (b = −1.519, odds ratio = .219, standard error for b = .703, z = −2.161, p = .031) in the genetic subsample of respondents (n = 2,350). This is one of the first studies to find an association between 9/11 and gun carrying and, more importantly, is the first study to report a gene-environment interaction (GxE) between a measured gene and a terrorist attack.