Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evapotranspiration and water source of a tropical rainforest in peninsular Malaysia

To evaluate water use and the supporting water source of a tropical rainforest, a 4‐year assessment of evapotranspiration (ET) was conducted in Pasoh Forest Reserve, a lowland dipterocarp forest in Peninsular Malaysia. The eddy covariance method and isotope signals of rain, plant, soil, and stream waters were used to determine forest water sources under different moisture conditions. Four sampling events were conducted to collect soil and plant twig samples in wet, moderate, dry, and very dry conditions for the identification of isotopic signals. Annual ET from 2012 to 2015 was quite stable with an average of 1,182 ± 26 mm, and a substantial daily ET was observed even during drought periods, although some decline was observed, corresponding with volumetric soil water content. During the wet period, water for ET was supplied from the surface soil layer between 0 and 0.5 m, whereas in the dry period, approximately 50% to 90% was supplied from the deeper soil layer below 0.5‐m depth, originating from water precipitated several months previously at this forest. Isotope signatures demonstrated that the water sources of the plants, soil, and stream were all different. Water in plants was often different from soil water, probably because plant water came from a different source than water that was strongly bound to the soil particles. Plants showed no preference for soil depth with their size, whereas the existence of storage water in the xylem was suggested. The evapotranspiration at this forest is balanced and maintained using most of the available water sources except for a proportion of rapid response run‐off.
A novel inflatable actuator for inflatable robotic arms

Inflatable manipulators open new trends in robotic applications. In this paper, a new inflatable actuator to articulate a long-range inflatable robotic arm, is presented. Completely made of high strength fabric, its low mass leads to large force-weight ratios and a stroke almost equal to twice its overall length. The operation principle, as well as the relations among the displacement, the pressure and force, are described in this paper. The analysis is under validation through a finite elements simulation and a test on a prototype.
A Research Agenda Acknowledging the Persistence of Passwords

Despite countless attempts and near-universal desire to replace them, passwords are more widely used and firmly entrenched than ever. The authors' exploration leads them to argue that no silver bullet will meet all requirements-not only will passwords be with us for some time, but in many instances, they're the solution that best fits the scenario of use. Among broad authentication research directions to follow, they first suggest better means to concretely identify actual requirements (surprisingly overlooked to date) and weight their relative importance in target scenarios. Second, for scenarios where passwords appear to be the best-fit solution, they suggest designing better means to support them. The authors also highlight the need for more systematic research and how the premature conclusion that passwords are dead has led to the neglect of important research questions.
Congenital Hand Anomalies: Etiology, Classification, and Treatment

AbstractCongenital hand anomalies have a wide range of presentations and functional consequences. Understanding and treatment of these deformities require an understanding of embryology of upper-extremity development. In this report, common anomalies of the hand and upper extremity have been reviewed according to the International Federation for Societies for Surgery of the Hand classification system. We examine the epidemiology, etiology, functional consequences, and current treatments available for each anomaly.
The Effects of Class Size on Student Achievement: New Evidence from Population Variation

I identify the effects of class size on student achievement using longitudinal variation in the population associated with each grade in 649 elementary schools. I use variation in class size driven by idiosyncratic variation in the population. I also use discrete jumps in class size that occur when a small change in enrollment triggers a maximum or minimum class size rule. The estimates indicate that class size does not have a statistically significant effect on student achievement. I rule out even modest effects (2 to 4 percent of a standard deviation in scores for a 10 percent reduction in class size).
Expression of lectinlike oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 in human atherosclerotic lesions.

BACKGROUND Oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) seems to play key roles in atherogenesis. Lectinlike Ox-LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) is a recently identified cell-surface receptor for Ox-LDL. The relationship of this novel receptor for Ox-LDL to atherogenesis, however, has not yet been clarified. In this study, we explored the expression of LOX-1 in the atherosclerotic lesions of human carotid arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS Using carotid endarterectomy specimens obtained from 21 patients and 2 samples of normal human aortas, we examined LOX-1 expression by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. In aortas without atherosclerosis, LOX-1 expression was undetectable by immunohistochemistry and negligible by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. In carotid arteries, luminal endothelial cells covering early atherosclerotic lesions were more frequently positive for LOX-1 expression than those in advanced atherosclerotic lesions. Endothelial cells in the intimal neovasculature of advanced lesions also expressed LOX-1. In addition, macrophages and smooth muscle cells in the intima of advanced atherosclerotic plaques were positive for LOX-1 expression. CONCLUSIONS LOX-1 may play important roles in Ox-LDL uptake and subsequent functional alteration in the luminal endothelium in early atherosclerotic lesions and in intimal neovascular endothelial cells in advanced plaques. Furthermore, LOX-1 may also be involved in Ox-LDL uptake and subsequent foam cell transformation in macrophages and smooth muscle cells in the atherosclerotic intima.
Simple and Rapid Colorimetric Biosensors Based on DNA Aptamer and Noncrosslinking Gold Nanoparticle Aggregation

Recently, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have emerged as novel colorimetric reporters for the detection of various substances including DNA, metal ions, and proteins. The advantages of using AuNPs include: 1) their simplicity, 2) the fact that no complicated and expensive analytical instruments are needed, and 3) the extremely high extinction coefficients ( 1000 times larger than those of organic dyes) and the strongly distance-, shape-, and size-dependent optical properties of AuNPs, which allow AuNP-based colorimetric detection to have comparable sensitivity and selectivity to conventional fluorescent detection. AuNP’s use as a colorimetric reporter relies on its unique surface plasmon resonance (SPR): the dispersed AuNP solution is red whereas the aggregated AuNP solution appears purple (or blue), a phenomenon that can be well explained by the Mie theory. Based on this principle, two general types of colorimetric assays (referred to as type I and type II in this report) have been developed. In type I assays, the color of the AuNP solution changes from red (dispersed particles) to purple (aggregates), in type II assays, the color changes from purple (aggregates) to red (dispersed particles). Mirkin and co-workers pioneered the type I assay in which AuNP was used for the detection of DNA. In their study, AuNPs that were modified with two different oligonucleotides aggregated upon the addition of the complementary DNA target, which acted as a crosslinker to result in a color change from red to purple. Liu and Lu reported a type II assay for the detection of lead ions in which the aggregated AuNPs, crosslinked by cleavable DNA enzymes, were dissociated into dispersed AuNPs in the presence of Pb . More recently, Liu and Lu have extended this concept for the detection of small organic compounds (such as ATP) by using AuNPs crosslinked by DNA aptamers. Aptamers are single-stranded (ss) DNA or RNA molecules created by in vitro selection for binding to a chosen target with high affinity and specificity. In the aptamer-based assay designed by Liu and Lu, oligonucleotide-modified AuNPs were first crosslinked by a DNA aptamer sequence to form aggregates. Upon the addition of a desirable target, the aptamer underwent a structural switch that caused the dissociation of the AuNP aggregates; this was accompanied by the purple-to-red color change. The marriage of AuNP and aptamers in these studies allows the AuNP-based assay to be generic, in principle, for any analyte for which an appropriate aptamer is available. We present here a simple and rapid colorimetric assay that exploits structure-switching DNA aptamers and the phenomenon of salt-induced, noncrosslinking AuNP aggregation. Conceptually, as shown in Figure 1A, a structure-switching DNA
THRESHOLD AND INTERACTION EFFECTS IN THE TRADE-POVERTY RELATIONSHIP

Although the levels of global poverty have generally declined over the past 30 years, still one sixth of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty; most of whom are in Africa, where conditions are growing inexorably worse. This happens at the time that most developing countries have increasingly integrated into the global trading system. There is a passionate debate on whether more openness to trade reduces or worsens poverty. The argument that has emerged recently is that, the relationship between trade and poverty is heterogeneous in nature, involving a number of thresholds. That is, the effects of trade on poverty are contingent on other prior factors (first nonlinearity). But even this contingent relationship is non-linear in nature, as trade affects poverty differently given different levels (thresholds) of prior factors(second nonlinearity). Making use of an up-to-date panel data set for developing countries and econometric techniques that address measurement errors in variables, omitted variables, endogeneity biases, and persistence in the series, this paper explores the empirical link between trade and poverty, by identifying and exploring two channels in the trade-poverty relationship – as a first step. In the second step, we employ Hansen (2000) endogenous threshold regression technique that locates breaks and locations in the data to establish the thresholds in the trade-growth-inequality-poverty nexus. What emerges, also found in other studies, is somewhat revealing. That is, the effects of trade on poverty in developing countries are conditional on both growth rates and levels of inequality, amongst other factors. The effects appear to be greater or less beyond certain levels of growth and inequality respectively. Furthermore, Africa does not appear to be an exception to the general results for developing countries. Outline
Differentially-private network trace analysis

We consider the potential for network trace analysis while providing the guarantees of "differential privacy. " While differential privacy provably obscures the presence or absence of individual records in a dataset, it has two major limitations: analyses must (presently) be expressed in a higher level declarative language; and the analysis results are randomized before returning to the analyst. We report on our experiences conducting a diverse set of analyses in a differentially private manner. We are able to express all of our target analyses, though for some of them an approximate expression is required to keep the error-level low. By running these analyses on real datasets, we find that the error introduced for the sake of privacy is often (but not always) low even at high levels of privacy. We factor our learning into a toolkit that will be likely useful for other analyses. Overall, we conclude that differential privacy shows promise for a broad class of network analyses.
Model-Based Regression Test Selection for Validating Runtime Adaptation of Software Systems

An increasing number of modern software systems need to be adapted at runtime without stopping their execution. Runtime adaptations can introduce faults in existing functionality, and thus, regression testing must be conducted after an adaptation is performed but before the adaptation is deployed to the running system. Regression testing must be completed subject to time and resource constraints. Thus, test selection techniques are needed to reduce the cost of regression testing. The FiGA framework provides a complete loop from code to models and back that allows fine-grained model-based adaptation and validation of running Java systems without stopping their execution. In this paper we present a model-based test selection approach for regression testing during the validation activity to be used with the FiGA framework. The evaluation results show that our approach was able to reduce the number of selected test cases, and that the model-level fault detection ability of the selected test cases was never lower than that of the original test cases.
Effect of rebleeding on the course and incidence of vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Objective: Rebleeding of an aneurysm is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Whereas numerous studies have demonstrated the risk factors associated with rebleeding, few data on complications of rebleeding, including its effect on the development of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), are available. Methods: A nested case-control study was performed on patients with rebleeding and control subjects matched for modified Fisher scale, Hunt-Hess grade, age, and sex previously entered into a prospective database. Rebleeding was defined as new hemorrhage apparent on repeat CT with or without new symptoms. Incidence and time course of DCI and hospital complications were compared. A secondary analysis of DCI and hospital complications was also performed on subjects surviving to postbleed day 7. Results: We identified 120 patients with rebleeding and 359 control subjects from 1996 to 2011. The rebleeding rate was 8.6%. In both the primary and secondary analyses, there was no difference in the incidence of DCI or its time course (29% vs 27%, p = 0.6; 7 ± 5 vs 7 ± 6 days, p = 0.9 for primary analysis; 39% vs 31%, p = 0.1, 7 ± 5 vs 7 ± 6 days, p = 0.6 for the secondary analysis). In a multivariate logistic regression model, rebleeding was associated with the complications of hyponatremia, respiratory failure, and hydrocephalus. Patients with rebleeding had higher rates of mortality, brain death, and poor outcomes. Conclusions: Rebleeding after SAH is associated with multiple medical and neurologic complications, resulting in higher morbidity and mortality, but is not associated with change of incidence or timing of DCI.
A hybrid mechatronic tilting robot: modeling, trajectories, and control

Abstract Tilting around the foot edges is rarely considered in the modeling of walking robots. This paper uses a hybrid modeling framework to account for different possible ground contact situations of a robot foot. Heuristic trajectory planning is discussed for a robot with five joints and two feet and a method to compensate deficiencies of the planned trajectories by controlling the ZMP is introduced.
Wheel-throwing in digital space using number-theoretic approach

This paper introduces a novel technique to create digital potteries using certain number-theoretic techniques of digital geometry. Given a digital generatrix, the proposed wheel-throwing procedure works with a few primitive integer computations only, wherein lies its strength and novelty. The digital surface created out of the digital wheel-throwing is digitally connected and irreducible when the digital generatrix is an irreducible digital curve segment, which ensures its successful rendition with a realistic finish, whatsoever may be the zoom factor. The proposed technique is also bestowed with the desired quality of producing a monotone or a non-monotone digital surface of revolution depending on whether or not the digital generatrix is monotone with respect to the axis of revolution. Thick-walled potteries, therefore, can be created successfully and efficiently to have the final product ultimately resembling a real-life pottery. Experimental results with some typical generatrices demonstrate its efficiency, elegance and versatility.
Laser assisted zona hatching does not improve live birth rate in patients undergoing their first ICSI cycles

Background: Routine use of assisted hatching (AH) following ICSI is a controversial issue in the literature. There are rare studies regarding the effect of laser assisted hatching (LAH) on live birth rate. Objective: Our main goal was to evaluate the effect of LAH on delivery rate as well as congenital anomaly in patients undergoing their first ICSI cycle. Materials and Methods: A total of 182 patients subjected to ICSI were randomly aliquot into two groups of experiment and control. In experiment group, the embryos were subjected to LAH to open a hole in ZP (about 10-12 µm) while in control group, the transferred embryos were intact with no AH. The patients were followed for clinical pregnancy and delivery rate as well as congenital anomaly. All the patients were infertile due to male factor infertility and LAH and embryo transfer were done on day 2. Results: Laboratory and clinical characteristics of two groups of experiment and control were the same. There were insignificant differences between two groups of experiment and control for clinical pregnancy rate (20% vs. 23.9%, respectively, p=0.3) and live birth rate (11.11% vs. 8.6%, respectively, p=0.6). Also no significant differences were observed between two groups of experiment and control for multiple pregnancy as well as congenital anomaly. Conclusion: Routine use of LAH in first ICSI cycle for male factor patients may have no beneficial effects on clinical pregnancy and live birth rate.
An Overview on Mixture and Hidden Markov Models of Gene Expression in Time Series

There has been a number of approaches to model gene expression in time series. These can be divided into two classes, depending on whether they assume the different experiments to be independent or not. This paper overviews models of gene expression in time series, with emphasis on mixture and hidden Markov models, having in mind that taking into account the inherent nature of the data and using the dependencies along the time-axis should improve the quality of the models. We present the expression models used for time series expression data, study the learning approaches used to infer the models and analyze how they were used to solve real biological problems. This analysis include a study about the task(s) for which the model was designed, the biological problem under study, the specificities of time series expression data taken into consideration during model design, the type of time series used to test the model and the data transformations applied.
Reconstructing I/O

We present a next-generation architecture that addresses problems of dependability, maintainability, and manageability of I/O devices and their software drivers on the PC platform. Our architecture resolves both hardware and software issues, exploiting emerging hardware features to improve device safety. Our high-performance implementation, based on the Xen virtual machine monitor, provides an immediate transition opportunity for today’s systems.
A 212 Mb/s Chip for 4 × 4 16-QAM V-BLAST decoder

This paper presents the design of a 212 Mb/s chip for Vertical Bell Labs Layered Space-Time (V-BLAST) detection for a 4 x 4 16-QAM MIMO wireless communication system based on the QR factorization technique. We employ Coordinate Rotation Digital Computer (CORDIC) rotator processors for pre decoder block. We implement back substitution Symbol Interference Cancellation (SIC) block without the use of division and multiplication hardware, reducing the hardware cost, without compromising the numerical stability. The proposed VLSI architecture on a 0.18 mum Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) platform achieves a throughput of 212 Mb/s with an equivalent gate count of 70 k with a core of 1 mm2 at 140 MHz clock frequency.
Bond-Order Potential for Simulations of Extended Defects in Tungsten

We present a bond-order potential BOP for the bcc transition metal tungsten. The bond-order potentials are a real-space semiempirical scheme for the description of interatomic interactions based on the tight-binding approximation. In the hierarchy of atomic-scale-modeling methods the BOPs thus provide a direct bridge between electronic-structure and atomistic techniques. Two variants of the BOP were constructed and extensively tested against accurate first-principles methods in order to assess the potentials’ reliability and applicability. A comparison of the BOP with a central-force potential is used to demonstrate that a correct description of directional mixed covalent and metallic bonds is crucial for a successful and fully transferable model. The potentials are applied in studies of low-index surfaces, symmetrical tilt grain boundaries, and dislocations.
Semi-Supervised Clustering of Corner-Oriented Attributed Graphs

This paper describes a new algorithm for image semi-supervised clustering. In particular, the proposed approach introduces corner-oriented attributed graphs(COAG) constructed based on modified Harris corner extraction method to represent structure objects . 2D-Laplacianface is used to reduce the dimension of feature matrix obtained from COAG. Feature vector is built just from the output of dimensionality reduction. This vector denotes the input to the classifier. Semi-supervised k-mean clustering method (S2KMCM) is carried out as semi-clustering method. Experimental results show that COAG can preserve the structure information of image and S2KFCM can be applied to both clustering and classification tasks by labeled and unlabeled data together.
FOXP1 and BCL2 Show Similar Immunoenzymatic Pattern in Bone Marrow Trephines of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients

Indolent B lymphoproliferative disorder, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) represents one of the most common hematologic diseases in the Western world. Although there are many disease development markers known so far, for example, B-cell lymphoma/leukemia (BCL) 2, new ones are needed for better understanding course of the disease. FOXP1 is known to be strongly expressed after B-cell activation. Its essential role in B-cell development suggested that it could also have a role in a various tumor B-cells. We have analyzed 74 bone marrow samples from B-CLL patients for presence of FOXP1 and its gene aberrations in tumor cells. Our results showed presence of FOXP1 protein mostly in the same tumor cells as BCL2 protein, and their specific immunostaining pattern. Diffuse immunostaining pattern of both proteins is present in patients with higher clinical stages of B-CLL and with some other markers that indicate worse outcome of the disease. Thus, FOXP1 and/or BCL2 immunostaining of bone marrow trephine sections could serve as an immunohistochemical marker in B-CLL.
On Harmonic State Estimation of Power System With Uncertain Network Parameters

This paper addresses the problem of harmonic state estimation (HSE) of a power system whose network parameters are known to be within certain tolerance bounds. The harmonic voltage and current phasors at harmonics of interest are measured by using adequate numbers of phasor measurement units. The HSE is formulated based on the weighted least squares (WLS) criterion as a parametric interval linear system of equations. The solutions are obtained as interval numbers representing the outer bound of state variables. A method for adjusting the weight used in WLS which takes uncertain network parameters into consideration is also proposed. The proposed HSE algorithm is applied to the three-phase power systems and the results from numerical experiments show that the bounds of state variables obtained by the proposed method agree with those estimated by performing Monte Carlo simulations but with much shorter computation time.