Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-oscillatory central schemes for traffic flow models with Arrhenius look-ahead dynamics

We first develop non-oscillatory central schemes for a traffic flow model with Arrhenius look-ahead dynamics, proposed in [ A. Sopasakis and M.A. Katsoulakis, SIAM J. Appl. Math., 66 (2006), pp. 921--944]. This model takes into account interactions of every vehicle with other vehicles ahead ("look-ahead'' rule) and can be written as a one-dimensional scalar conservation law with a global flux. The proposed schemes are extensions of the non-oscillatory central schemes, which belong to a class of Godunov-type projection-evolution methods. In this framework, a solution, computed at a certain time, is first approximated by a piecewise polynomial function, which is then evolved to the next time level according to the integral form of the conservation law. Most Godunov-type schemes are based on upwinding, which requires solving (generalized) Riemann problems. However, no (approximate) Riemann problem solver is available for conservation laws with global fluxes. Therefore, central schemes, which are Riemann-problem-solver-free, are especially attractive for the studied traffic flow model. Our numerical experiments demonstrate high resolution, stability, and robustness of the proposed methods, which are used to numerically investigate both dispersive and smoothing effects of the global flux. We also modify the model by Sopasakis and Katsoulakis by introducing a more realistic, linear interaction potential that takes into account the fact that a car's speed is affected more by nearby vehicles than distant (but still visible) ones. The central schemes are extended to the modified model. Our numerical studies clearly suggest that in the case of a good visibility, the new model yields solutions that seem to better correspond to reality.
Modifying Orthogonal Drawings for Label Placement

In this paper, we investigate how one can modify an orthogonal graph drawing to accommodate the placement of overlap-free labels with the minimum cost (i.e., minimum increase of the area and preservation of the quality of the drawing). We investigate computational complexity issues of variations of that problem, and we present polynomial time algorithms that find the minimum increase of space in one direction, needed to resolve overlaps, while preserving the orthogonal representation of the orthogonal drawing when objects have a predefined partial order.
Structure of laminin substrate modulates cellular signaling for neuritogenesis

Laminin, a major component of basement membranes, can self-assemble in vitro into a typical mesh-like structure, according to a mass-action-driven process. Previously, we showed that pH acidification dramatically increased the efficiency of laminin self-assembly, practically abolishing the necessity for a minimal protein concentration. Here we have characterized the morphologies of laminin matrices produced in either neutral or acidic conditions and compared their capacities to induce neuritogenesis of rat embryonic cortical neurons. Although laminin matrices formed in neutral buffer presented aggregates of heterogeneous morphology, the acidic matrix consisted of a homogeneous hexagonal sheet-like structure. The latter was comparable to the matrix assembled in vivo at the inner limiting membrane of the retina in newborn rats, shown here, and to matrices secreted by cultivated cells, shown elsewhere. The average neurite length of cortical neurons plated on acidic matrices was 244.9 μm, whereas on neutral matrices this value dropped to 104.1 μm. Increased neuritogenesis on the acidic matrix seemed to be associated with a higher degree of neuronal differentiation, since cell proliferation was immediately arrested upon plating, whereas on neutral matrices, the cell number increased six-fold within 24 hours. Investigation of the mechanisms mediating neurite outgrowth on each condition revealed that the extensive neuritogenesis observed on the acidic matrix involved activation of protein kinase A, whereas moderate neuritogenesis on neutral laminin was mediated by activation of protein kinase C and/or myosin light-chain kinase. Explants of cerebral cortex from P2 rats did not grow on the neutral laminin substrate but presented extensive cell migration and neurite outgrowth on the acidic laminin matrix. We propose that laminin can self-assemble independently of cell contact and that the assembling mode differentially modulates neuritogenesis and neuroplasticity.
A fast complex domain-matching pursuit algorithm and its application to deep-water gas reservoir detection

The main emphasis of exploration and development is shifting from simple structural reservoirs to complex reservoirs, which all have the characteristics of complex structure, thin reservoir thickness and large buried depth. Faced with these complex geological features, hydrocarbon detection technology is a direct indication of changes in hydrocarbon reservoirs and a good approach for delimiting the distribution of underground reservoirs. It is common to utilize the time–frequency (TF) features of seismic data in detecting hydrocarbon reservoirs. Therefore, we research the complex domain-matching pursuit (CDMP) method and propose some improvements. First is the introduction of a scale parameter, which corrects the defect that atomic waveforms only change with the frequency parameter. Its introduction not only decomposes seismic signal with high accuracy and high efficiency but also reduces iterations. We also integrate jumping search with ergodic search to improve computational efficiency while maintaining the reasonable accuracy. Then we combine the improved CDMP with the Wigner–Ville distribution to obtain a high-resolution TF spectrum. A one-dimensional modeling experiment has proved the validity of our method. Basing on the low-frequency domain reflection coefficient in fluid-saturated porous media, we finally get an approximation formula for the mobility attributes of reservoir fluid. This approximation formula is used as a hydrocarbon identification factor to predict deep-water gas-bearing sand of the M oil field in the South China Sea. The results are consistent with the actual well test results and our method can help inform the future exploration of deep-water gas reservoirs.
Subcellular S-factors for low-energy electrons: A comparison of Monte Carlo simulations and continuous-slowing-down calculations

Purpose: To study the energy deposition by low-energy electrons in submicron tissue-equivalent targets by comparing two widely used methodologies, namely, the continuous-slowing-down-approximation (CSDA) convolution integral and the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. Methods: An MC track-structure code that simulates collision-by-collision the complete slowing down process is used to calculate the energy deposition in spherical volumes of unit density water medium. Comparisons are made with calculations based on the CSDA convolution integral using both empirical and MC-based range-energy analytic formulae. Results: We present self-irradiation absorbed fractions and S-factors for monoenergetic electrons of initial energies from 0.1–10 keV distributed uniformly in spheres of 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 nm radius. The MC and CSDA results were found, in some cases, to differ by a factor of 2 or more; differences generally increase with decreasing sphere size. Contrary to high energies, the uncertainties associated with the straight-ahead approximation implicit in the CSDA calculations are of the same order as those related to straggling and δ-ray effects. Conclusion: The use of the CSDA methodology may be unsuitable for the sub-micron scale where a more realistic description of electron transport becomes important.
Nonpoint source pollution during dry and wet weather flows in an urbanized watershed

Nonpolnt Source Pollution during Dry and Wet Weather Flows in an Urbanized Watershed by Uma Malik Dr. Thomas C. Piechota, Examination Committee Chair Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Nevada, Las Vegas This research evaluates the quality of urban runoff, from various nonpoint sources during dry weather flows (DWF) and wet weather flows (WWF) in the Las Vegas Valley. Standard constituents in urban runoff were measured to assess the quality of urban runoff, to identify the possible sources of DWF (groundwater flows, excessive irrigation and car washing) and to determine the quality of runoff from residential areas and parking lots during WWF. DWF samples were collected from stonn channels on a weekly and monthly basis. WWF samples were collected when the precipitation was at least 1mm. DWF water quality results indicated that monitoring stations were possibly influenced by flows from groundwater and over irrigation including construction activities and erosion. Car washing was a significant source of nutrients and total Fe. WWF indicate higher levels of Ortho-P, TP-P, COD, total Fe, and NH3-N in the residential area and the parking lot.
Comparing Canopy Hyperspectral Reflectance Properties of Palmer amaranth to Okra and Super-Okra Leaf Cotton

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) is a major weed problem of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production systems in the southern United States. Hyperspectral remote sensing has shown promise as a tool for crop weed discrimination, and there is a growing interest in using this technology for identifying weeds in cotton production systems. Information is lacking on differentiating Palmer amaranth from cotton with an okra leaf structure based on canopy hyperspectral reflectance properties. Two greenhouse studies were conducted to compare canopy hyperspectral reflectance profiles of Palmer amaranth to canopy hyperspectral reflectance profiles of okra and super-okra leaf cotton and to identify optimal regions of the electromagnetic spectrum for their discrimination. Ground-based hyperspectral measurements of the plant canopies were obtained with a spectroradiometer (400 - 2350 nm range). Analysis of variance (ANOVA, p ≤ 0.05), Dunnett’s test (p ≤ 0.05), and difference and sensitivity measurements were tabulated to determine the optimal wavebands for Palmer amaranth and cotton discrimination. Results were inconsistent for Palmer amaranth and okra leaf cotton separation. Optimal wavebands for distinguishing Palmer amaranth from super-okra leaf cotton were observed in the shortwave infrared region (2000 nm and 2180 nm) of the optical spectrum. Ground-based and airborne sensors can be tuned into the shortwave infrared bands identified in this study, facilitating application of remote sensing technology for Palmer amaranth discrimination from super-okra leaf cotton and implementation of the technology as a decision support tool in cotton weed management programs.
Flower morphology and floral sequence in Artemisia annua (Asteraceae)1.

UNLABELLED • PREMISE OF THE STUDY Artemisia annua produces phytochemicals possessing antimalarial, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and anthelmintic activities. The main active ingredient, artemisinin, is extremely effective against malaria. Breeding to develop cultivars producing high levels of artemisinin can help meet worldwide demand for artemisinin and its derivatives. However, fundamental reproductive processes, such as the sequence of flowering and fertility, are not well understood and impair breeding and seed propagation programs. • METHODS Capitulum structure and floral sequence were studied using light and scanning electron microscopy to describe inflorescence architecture, floret opening, and seed set. • KEY RESULTS Florets are minute and born in capitula containing pistillate ray florets and hermaphroditic disk florets. Ray florets have elongated stigmatic arms that extend prior to disk floret opening. Disk florets exhibit protandry. During the staminate phase, pollen is released within a staminate tube and actively presented with projections at the tip of stigmas as the pistil elongates. During the pistillate phase, stigmatic arms bifurcate and reflex. Stigmas are of the dry type and stain positively for polysaccharides, lipids, and an intact cuticle. Floret numbers vary with genotype, and capitula are predominantly composed of disk florets. Both ray and disk florets produce filled seed. • CONCLUSIONS Gynomonoecy, early opening of ray florets, and dichogamy of disk florets promote outcrossing in A. annua For breeding and seed development, flowering in genotypes can be synchronized under short days according to the floral developmental stages defined. Floret number and percentage seed fill vary with genotype and may be a beneficial selection criterion.
Proximal Iteratively Reweighted Algorithm with Multiple Splitting for Nonconvex Sparsity Optimization

This paper proposes the Proximal Iteratively REweighted (PIRE) algorithm for solving a general problem, which involves a large body of nonconvex sparse and structured sparse related problems. Comparing with previous iterative solvers for nonconvex sparse problem, PIRE is much more general and efficient. The computational cost of PIRE in each iteration is usually as low as the state-of-the-art convex solvers. We further propose the PIRE algorithm with Parallel Splitting (PIRE-PS) and PIRE algorithm with Alternative Updating (PIRE-AU) to handle the multi-variable problems. In theory, we prove that our proposed methods converge and any limit solution is a stationary point. Extensive experiments on both synthesis and real data sets demonstrate that our methods achieve comparative learning performance, but are much more efficient, by comparing with previous nonconvex solvers.
Negotiations within the family over the supply of parental care

Adults provisioning dependent young are in conflict with their partners, who would prefer a greater level of effort, and with their offspring, who would prefer a greater supply of food. To what extent, then should adults negotiate their provisioning behaviour with other family members? We used experimental manipulations of brood size, and targeted playback of begging calls to determine the extent to which adult great tits Parus major adjust their provisioning rates in response to the behaviour of their partner and their brood. We found that males and females behaved similarly, both responding more to each other's behaviour than to chick calling. We also found that the degree to which adults negotiated their provisioning rates with each other varied between years. A review of the literature suggests that the extent of negotiation over provisioning is likely to vary not only between species of diverse taxa, but also between and within (this study) populations of the same species. We suggest that provisioning behaviour lies on a ‘negotiation continuum’, which describes the extent to which parents respond to the actions of other family members. We argue that an individual's location on the ‘negotiation continuum’ is determined partly by the extent to which it can physically respond to the behaviour shown by other members of the family and partly by the quality of information on offer.
Hinokitiol up-regulates miR-494-3p to suppress BMI1 expression and inhibits self-renewal of breast cancer stem/progenitor cells

Hinokitiol (β-thujaplicin) is a tropolone-related compound that has anti-microbe, anti-inflammation, and anti-tumor effects. Cancer stem/progenitor cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells with tumor initiation, chemoresistant, and metastatic properties and have been considered the important therapeutic target in future cancer therapy. Previous studies reported that hinokitiol exhibits an anti-cancer activity against murine tumor cells through the induction of autophagy. The current research revealed that hinokitiol suppressed the self-renewal capabilities of human breast CSCs (BCSCs) and inhibited the expression of BMI1 at protein level without suppressing its mRNA. Treatment of hinokitiol in mammospheres induced the expression of miR-494-3p and inhibition of miR-494-3p expression in BCSCs. This treatment abolished the suppressive effects of hinokitiol in mammosphere formation and BMI1 expression. BMI1 is a target of miR-494-3p by luciferase-based 3′UTR reporter assay. Overexpression of miR-494-3p in BCSCs caused the down-regulation of BMI1 protein, inhibition of mammosphere forming capability, and suppression of their tumorigenicity. Moreover, miR-494-3p expression was significantly and inversely correlated with patient survival in two independent public database sets. Furthermore, treatment of hinokitiol in vivo suppressed the growth of xenograft human breast tumors as well as the expression of BMI1 and ALDH1A1 in xenograft tumors. In conclusion, these data suggest that hinokitiol targets BCSCs through the miR-494-3p-mediated down-modulation of BMI1 expression.
Anaphora Resolution of Japanese Zero Pronouns with Deictic Reference

This paper proposes a method to resolve the reference of deictic Japanese zero pronouns which can be implemented in a practical machine translation system. This method focuses on semantic and pragmatic constraints such as semantic constraints on cases, modal expressions, verbal semantic attributes and conjunctions to determine the deictic refernce of Japanese zero pronouns. This method is highly effective because the volume of knowledge that must be prepared before-hand is not very large and its precision of resolution is good. This method was implemented in the Japanese-to-English machine translation system, ALT-J/E. According to a window test for 175 zero pronouns with deictic referent in a sentence set for the evaluation of Japanese-to-English machine translation systems, all of zero pronouns could be resolved consistently and correctly.
The active badge location system

A novel system for the location of people in an office environment is described. Members of staff wear badges that transmit signals providing information about their location to a centralized location service, through a network of sensors. The paper also examines alternative location techniques, system design issues and applications, particularly relating to telephone call routing. Location systems raise concerns about the privacy of an individual and these issues are also addressed.
Search Lessons Learned from Crossword Puzzles

The construction of a program that generates crossword puzzles is discussed. As in a recent paper by Dechter and Meiri, we make an experimental comparison of various search techniques. The conclusions to which we come differ from theirs in some areas - although we agree that directional arc consistency is better than path-consistency or other forms of lookahead, and that backjumping is to be preferred to backtracking, we disagree in that we believe dynamic ordering of the constraints to be necessary in the solution of more difficult problems.
Non-uniformly spaced planarphased array antenna for Ku-band mobile direct broadcasting satellite reception systems

SATCOM on the move with electrical beam scanning capabilities has found great interest recently due to its low profile and low maintenance cost for both civilian and military applications. Uniformly distributed array elements have been widely used for phased array antennas. However, a growing number of research on non-uniform distributed array has been published. In contrast to uniformly distributed elements, non-uniformly distributed phased arrays provide the designer with a degree of freedom of additional element spacing through their wide-angle scanning property that mitigates mutual coupling between antenna elements and allows placement of microwave circuits beneath the antenna elements. This paper presents the design of a non-uniformly spaced dual-linearly polarized phased array antenna with a wide-angle scanning feature for Ku-band mobile direct broadcasting satellite reception systems. The proposed array is formed using 64 multilayer microstrip antenna elements. This array structure could be a promising candidate for future low-cost microwave and millimeter-wave applications in the mobile satellite communications systems not only for military use but also for civilian applications.
Improving the efficiency of CHO cell line generation using glutamine synthetase gene knockout cells

Although Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, with their unique characteristics, have become a major workhorse for the manufacture of therapeutic recombinant proteins, one of the major challenges in CHO cell line generation (CLG) is how to efficiently identify those rare, high‐producing clones among a large population of low‐ and non‐productive clones. It is not unusual that several hundred individual clones need to be screened for the identification of a commercial clonal cell line with acceptable productivity and growth profile making the cell line appropriate for commercial application. This inefficiency makes the process of CLG both time consuming and laborious. Currently, there are two main CHO expression systems, dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR)‐based methotrexate (MTX) selection and glutamine synthetase (GS)‐based methionine sulfoximine (MSX) selection, that have been in wide industrial use. Since selection of recombinant cell lines in the GS‐CHO system is based on the balance between the expression of the GS gene introduced by the expression plasmid and the addition of the GS inhibitor, L‐MSX, the expression of GS from the endogenous GS gene in parental CHOK1SV cells will likely interfere with the selection process. To study endogenous GS expression's potential impact on selection efficiency, GS‐knockout CHOK1SV cell lines were generated using the zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology designed to specifically target the endogenous CHO GS gene. The high efficiency (∼2%) of bi‐allelic modification on the CHO GS gene supports the unique advantages of the ZFN technology, especially in CHO cells. GS enzyme function disruption was confirmed by the observation of glutamine‐dependent growth of all GS‐knockout cell lines. Full evaluation of the GS‐knockout cell lines in a standard industrial cell culture process was performed. Bulk culture productivity improved two‐ to three‐fold through the use of GS‐knockout cells as parent cells. The selection stringency was significantly increased, as indicated by the large reduction of non‐producing and low‐producing cells after 25 µM L‐MSX selection, and resulted in a six‐fold efficiency improvement in identifying similar numbers of high‐productive cell lines for a given recombinant monoclonal antibody. The potential impact of GS‐knockout cells on recombinant protein quality is also discussed. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1007–1015. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.