Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial genetic structure of aquatic bryophytes in a connected lake system.

Using genetic markers, we investigated the genetic structure of three clonal aquatic moss species, Calliergon megalophyllum Mikut. , Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw. and F. hypnoides Hartm. on two scales: among populations in a connected lake system (large-scale spatial genetic structure) and among individuals within populations (fine-scale spatial genetic structure). Mean genetic diversities per population were 0.138, 0.247 and 0.271, respectively, and total diversities equalled 0.223, 0.385 and 0.421, respectively. Relative differentiation levels (FST values of 0.173, 0.280 and 0.142, respectively) were significant but showed that there is a moderate amount of gene flow taking place within the lake system connected with narrow streams. Bayesian STRUCTURE analysis provided some indication that the direction of water flow influences population genetic structuring in the studied aquatic mosses. We propose that dispersal leading to gene flow in C. megalophyllum, F. antipyretica and F. hypnoides takes place both along water via connecting streams and by animal vectors, such as waterfowl. Nevertheless, the slight genetic structuring pattern along the direction of water flow suggests that dispersal of shoots or their fragments along water is a means of dispersal in these mosses. The absence of sexual reproduction and spores may have caused the observed spatial genetic structure within populations, including aggregations of similar genotypes (clones or closely related genotypes) at short distances in populations otherwise showing an isolation by distance effect. Regardless of the results pointing to the dominance of vegetative propagation, it is impossible to completely rule out the potential role of rare long-distance spore dispersal from areas where the species are fertile.
Comparison of dual and full polarimetric entropy/alpha decompositions with TerraSAR-X, suitability for use in classification

This paper presents the case for the use of dual-polarimetric entropy/alpha parameters in classification of healthy vs. unhealthy vegetation (River Red Gum - Eucalyptus camaldulensis). TerraSAR-X fully polarimetric data from the Dual Receive Antenna (DRA) mode campaign performed early in 2010 is used for this purpose.
Mapping Time-Critical Safety-Critical Cyber Physical Systems to Hybrid FPGAs

Cyber Physical Systems (CPSs), such as those found in modern vehicles, include a number of important time and safety-critical functions. Traditionally, applications are mapped to several dedicated electronic control units (ECUs), and hence, as new functions are added, compute weight and cost increase considerably. %ECU consolidation, where multiple functions are combined on fewer ECUs is an important area, but traditional software ECUs fail to offer the required performance, parallelism, and isolation to support this. With increasing computational and communication demands, traditional software ECUs fail to offer the required performance to provide determinism and predictability, while multi-core approaches fail to provide sufficient isolation between tasks. Hybrid FPGAs, combining a processor and reconfigurable fabric on a single die, allow for parallel hardware implementation of complex sensor processing tightly coupled with the flexibility of software on a processor. We demonstrate the advantages of such architectures in consolidating distributed processing with predictability, determinism and isolation, enabling ECU consolidation and bandwidth reduction.
A Unified Approach to Implementation-Based Testing of Classes

We present a uniﬁcation algorithm that automates theprocess of identifying the testing techniques that are suit-able for testing a given class. The algorithm accepts a sum-mary of the class under test and a set of testing techniquesavailable to the developer engaged in performing the test.The summary of the class is based on our taxonomy thatmaps the features and characteristics of a class in an object-oriented system into our taxonomy of feature properties andnomenclature. Using the feature properties and nomencla-ture, together with a list of available testing techniques, theuniﬁcation algorithm describes a subset of the set of tech-niques that are appropriate for the class under test.Keywords Testing, Object-Oriented programming, class-based testing, white-box testing, black-box testing, softwareengineering.
Planar interpolation with extreme deformation, topology change and dynamics

We present a mesh-based, interpolatory method for interactively creating artist-directed inbetweens from arbitrary sets of 2D drawing shapes without rigging. To enable artistic freedom of expression we remove prior restrictions on the range of possible changes between shapes; we support interpolation with extreme deformation and unrestricted topology change. To do this, we extend discrete variational interpolation by introducing a consistent multimesh structure over drawings, a Comesh Optimization algorithm that optimizes our multimesh for both intra- and inter-mesh quality, and a new shape-space energy that efficiently supports arbitrary changes and can prevent artwork overlap when desired. Our multimesh encodes specified correspondences that guide interpolation paths between shapes. With these correspondences, an efficient local-global minimization of our energy interpolates n-way between drawing shapes to create inbetweens. Our Comesh Optimization enables artifact-free minimization by building consistent meshes across drawings that improve both the quality of per-mesh energy discretization and inter-mesh mapping distortions, while guaranteeing a single, compatible triangulation. We implement our method in a test-bed interpolation system that allows interactive creation and editing of animations from sparse key drawings with arbitrary topology and shape change.
An Efficient Implementation of the PC-Tree Algorithm of Shih & Hsu ’ s Planarity Test

In Shih & Hsu [9] a simpler planarity test was introduced utilizing a data structure called PC-trees (generalized from PQ-trees). In this paper we give an efficient implementation of that linear time algorithm and illustrate in detail how to obtain a Kuratowski subgraph when the given graph is not planar, and how to obtain the embedding alongside the testing algorithm. We have implemented the algorithm using LEDA and an object code is available at http://qa.iis. sinica.edu. tw/graphtheory/. The main part of the implementation is devoted to the treatment of the C-nodes that represent those 2-connected components.
Pervasive smart camera networks exploiting heterogeneous wireless channels

Smart cameras are embedded systems that perform on-board video content analysis and only report detected events instead of permanently streaming videos. Visual sensor networks aim at integrating smart cameras with wireless sensor networks. Camera sensors have higher requirements regarding computing power and communication bandwidth than those typically used in wireless sensor network applications. Consequently, power management is an even more critical issue. This work in progress presents an attempt to address this by combining high and low power radios as well as high and low performance computing systems in one single platform. This allows to control power consumption by selectively enabling only required components.
Visible light Assisted Photocatalytic Degradation of DIPA UsingFe-Zn/TiO2 Photocatalyst

Diisopropanolamine (DIPA) is washed out into water as a result of the process of carbon absorption, contributing to a high chemical oxygen demand (COD). Water with high COD content is not suitable to be treated by biological method and hence, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) are gaining more and more interests. The efficiency of photocatalytic degradation of DIPA with the presence of visible light is tested with Fe-Zn/TiO2. There are currently no studies found using this particular combination of dopant metals. There are two parts to this study; synthesis optimization and parametric optimization. Fe-Zn/TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared using both co-precipitation (CP) and wet impregnation (WI) methods and also using different titania to determine the ones which give the highest photocatalytic activity. Parameters tested for the optimization includes metal composition (0-0.5), photocatalyst calcination temperature (200˚C, 300˚C, 400˚C), photocatalyst loading (0.05mg/mL, 0.1mg/mL, 0.5mg/mL), initial DIPA concentration (100ppm, 300ppm, 500ppm) and irradiation duration (1h). Fe-Zn/TiO2 photocatalyst prepared by WI using anatase titania, with metal composition of 0.1Fe-0.4Zn and calcined at 300˚C was found to give the highest percentage of COD removal (66.5%). It was also concluded that the photocatalytic activity decreases with increasing initial DIPA concentration and increases with respect to time. The photocatalysts were characterized using TGA, SEM, FESEM, FTIR, XRD and BET.
Detection of Staphylococcus hyicus exfoliative toxin genes by dot blot hybridization and multiplex polymerase chain reaction

We designed a novel DNA probe and novel PCR primer sets for detecting the genes coding for Staphylococcus hyicus (S. hyicus) exfoliative toxin (ET). In dot blot hybridization, the novel DNA probe hybridized with chromosomal DNA of ExhA‐, ExhB‐, ExhC‐, ExhD‐, and SHETA‐producing strains. This probe also hybridized with the plasmid DNA of a SHETB‐producing strain. In Southern blot hybridization, the probe hybridized with a 1.5 kb HindIII fragment of chromosomal DNA from a SHETA‐producing strain. The above fragment was cloned into E. coli and the nucleotide sequence of the SHETA gene determined, this gene proved to have almost the same homology (99.6%) as the ExhB gene. It was therefore thought that SHETA is a subtype of ExhB. In multiplex PCR using five primer sets, each gene gave a band distinguishable from the others. This multiplex PCR system has high specificity among the well‐known S. hyicus ET genes. Of the 69 known ET‐producing S. hyicus strains, 38, 19, 10, 2 and 1 strains have exhB, exhD exhA, shetb and exhC genes, respectively.
Phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) of southern Morocco: results of entomological surveys along the Marrakech–Ouarzazat and Marrakech–Azilal roads

Abstract Since the 1970s, Azilal and Ouarzazat have been the main foci for human cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Morocco. The sandflies along the main roads linking these two foci to Marrakech city, which is considered to be an area at risk of CL, were recently surveyed. Among the 872 sandflies collected, in June 2005, on the Marrakech–Ouarzazat road, Sergentomyia fallax was the most common species (36.1%), followed by Phlebotomus sergenti (21.1%), P. papatasi (14.2%), S. minuta (11.7%), P. longicuspis (5.5%), P. alexandri (5.4%), P. perniciosus (4.1%), P. ariasi (0.9%), S. africana (0.6%) and S. dreyfussi (0.3%). On the Marrakech–Azilal road, however, S. minuta was by far the most prevalent species (63.5% of the 1983 sandflies that were collected in August 2006), followed by S. fallax (12.9%), P. perniciosus (12.4%), P. sergenti (4.0%), P. longicuspis (3.0%), P. papatasi (2.8%), S. dreyfussi (1.1%) and P. alexandri (0.2%). The distribution of potential vectors along the two transects, according to altitude and bioclimate, was explored.
Process models and calculation of temperature field in resistance furnaces of silicon carbide production

Background: High temperatures make it very difficult to experimentally study heat and mass transfer in furnaces for silicon carbide production, which makes it improtant to conduct a calculation study of silicon carbide formation. The analysis of the existing approaches shows that there are no models taking into account all the processes accompanying SiC melting: heat and mass transfer in porous media with chemical reactions under heating, wet material drying and fi ltration. It is necessary to develop a model that would account for all of these processes and a program of numerical calculation of the furnace temperature field as a supplement to costly experimental melts. The purpose of this numerical analysis is to improve the energy efficiency and to increase the production output by choosing the optimal melting conditions for the set charge blend. Materials and methods: The mathematical model of heat and mass transfer processes in the resistance furnace was developed according to a phenomenological approach based on the basic postulates of thermodynamics and heat and mass transfer. Results: We have demonstrated a mathematical description of the process, representing a system of differential equations of substance transfer, including the heat equation for a porous body with internal sources of heat and chemically reactive components and the equation of heat transfer in the process of gas filtering through interconnected pores. The  «Вестник ИГЭУ» Вып. 42017 г. ФГБОУВО «Ивановский государственный энергетический университет имени В. И. Ленина» 22 model was tested by comparing the results of the calculation analysis of temperature changes in the volume of the reaction charge with industrial experiment data. Conclusions: The resulting mathematical model was used to develop a numerical calculation algorithm alowing us to determine temperature fields in the process of silicon carbide formation in a resistance furnace. The correspondence between the experimental and calculated values of the furnace operating parameters shows that the model can be used to select furnace charging options and melting modes in order to increase the yield of the final product and to save energy resources.
A particle swarm optimizer for multi-objective optimization

This paper proposes a hybrid particle swarm approach called Simple Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimizer (SMOPSO) which incorporates Pareto dominance, an elitist policy, and two techniques to maintain diversity: a mutation operator and a grid which is used as a geographical location over objective function space. In order to validate our approach we use three well-known test functions proposed in the specialized literature. Preliminary simulations results are presented and compared with those obtained with the Pareto Archived Evolution Strategy (PAES) and the Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm 2 (MOGA2). These results also show that the SMOPSO algorithm is a promising alternative to tackle multiobjective optimization problems.
Estimation of Volatility Functionals in the Simultaneous Presence of Microstructure Noise and Jumps

We propose a new concept of modulated bipower variation for diffusion models with microstructure noise. We show that this method provides simple estimates for such important quantities as integrated volatility or integrated quarticity. Under mild conditions the consistency of modulated bipower variation is proven. Under further assumptions we prove stable convergence of our estimates with the optimal rate n^(-1/4). Moreover, we construct estimates which are robust to finite activity jumps.
Fecal Calprotectin More Accurately Reflects Endoscopic Activity of Ulcerative Colitis than the Lichtiger Index, C-reactive Protein, Platelets, Hemoglobin, and Blood Leukocytes

Background:The correlation between noninvasive markers with endoscopic activity according to the modified Baron Index in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the correlation between endoscopic activity and fecal calprotectin (FC), C-reactive protein (CRP), hemoglobin, platelets, blood leukocytes, and the Lichtiger Index (clinical score). Methods:UC patients undergoing complete colonoscopy were prospectively enrolled and scored clinically and endoscopically. Samples from feces and blood were analyzed in UC patients and controls. Results:We enrolled 228 UC patients and 52 healthy controls. Endoscopic disease activity correlated best with FC (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient r = 0.821), followed by the Lichtiger Index (r = 0.682), CRP (r = 0.556), platelets (r = 0.488), blood leukocytes (r = 0.401), and hemoglobin (r = −0.388). FC was the only marker that could discriminate between different grades of endoscopic activity (grade 0, 16 [10–30] &mgr;g/g; grade 1, 35 [25–48] &mgr;g/g; grade 2, 102 [44–159] &mgr;g/g; grade 3, 235 [176–319] &mgr;g/g; grade 4, 611 [406–868] &mgr;g/g; P < 0.001 for discriminating the different grades). FC with a cutoff of 57 &mgr;g/g had a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 90% to detect endoscopically active disease (modified Baron Index ≥2). Conclusions:FC correlated better with endoscopic disease activity than clinical activity, CRP, platelets, hemoglobin, and blood leukocytes. The strong correlation with endoscopic disease activity suggests that FC represents a useful biomarker for noninvasive monitoring of disease activity in UC patients.
Dehydration Influences Mood and Cognition: A Plausible Hypothesis?

The hypothesis was considered that a low fluid intake disrupts cognition and mood. Most research has been carried out on young fit adults, who typically have exercised, often in heat. The results of these studies are inconsistent, preventing any conclusion. Even if the findings had been consistent, confounding variables such as fatigue and increased temperature make it unwise to extrapolate these findings. Thus in young adults there is little evidence that under normal living conditions dehydration disrupts cognition, although this may simply reflect a lack of relevant evidence. There remains the possibility that particular populations are at high risk of dehydration. It is known that renal function declines in many older individuals and thirst mechanisms become less effective. Although there are a few reports that more dehydrated older adults perform cognitive tasks less well, the body of information is limited and there have been little attempt to improve functioning by increasing hydration status. Although children are another potentially vulnerable group that have also been subject to little study, they are the group that has produced the only consistent findings in this area. Four intervention studies have found improved performance in children aged 7 to 9 years. In these studies children, eating and drinking as normal, have been tested on occasions when they have and not have consumed a drink. After a drink both memory and attention have been found to be improved.
Podocyte Injury Underlies the Glomerulopathy of Dahl Salt-Hypertensive Rats and Is Reversed by Aldosterone Blocker

Recent clinical studies implicate proteinuria as a key prognostic factor for renal and cardiovascular complications in hypertensives. The pathogenesis of proteinuria in hypertension is, however, poorly elucidated. Podocytes constitute the final filtration barrier in the glomerulus, and their dysfunction may play a pivotal role in proteinuria. In the present study, we examined the involvement of podocyte injury in Dahl salt-hypertensive rats, an animal model prone to hypertensive glomerulosclerosis, and explored the effects of inhibition of aldosterone. Four-week–old Dahl salt-resistant and salt-sensitive rats were fed a 0.3% or 8.0% NaCl diet. Some salt-loaded Dahl salt-sensitive rats were treated with a selective aldosterone blocker eplerenone (1.25 mg/g diet) or hydralazine (0.5 mmol/L). After 6 weeks, salt-loaded Dahl salt-sensitive rats developed severe hypertension, proteinuria, and glomerulosclerosis. Immunostaining for nephrin, a constituent of slit diaphragm, was attenuated, whereas expressions of damaged podocyte markers desmin and B7-1 were upregulated in the glomeruli of salt-loaded Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Electron microscopic analysis revealed podocyte foot process effacement. Podocytes were already impaired at as early as 2 weeks of salt loading in Dahl salt-sensitive rats, when proteinuria was modestly increased. Both eplerenone and hydralazine partially reduced systemic blood pressure as measured by indirect and direct methods in salt-loaded Dahl salt-sensitive rats, but only eplerenone dramatically improved podocyte damage and retarded the progression of proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. Our findings suggest that podocyte injury underlies the glomerulopathy of Dahl salt-hypertensive rats and that inhibition of aldosterone by eplerenone is protective against podocyte damage, proteinuria, and glomerulosclerosis in this hypertensive model.
Expression of Stanniocalcin-1 and Stanniocalcin-2 in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Correlations with Clinical and Pathological Parameters

Background Stanniocalcin-1 (STC1) and stanniocalcin-2 (STC2) are secreted glycoprotein hormones involved in various types of human malignancies. The roles of STC1 and STC2 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remain unknown. We investigated correlations between STC1 and STC2 expression and clinicopathological or prognostic factors in LSCC. Methods Pre-surgical peripheral blood samples were collected between 2012 and 2013 from 62 patients with LSCC. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis was performed to examine mRNA levels of STC1 and STC2. Immunohistochemistry was performed to retrospectively analyze 90 paraffin-embedded LSCC tissue samples, which were obtained from patients who received surgery between 2006 and 2009. These patients did not have histories of treatment or malignancies. Univariate analysis of patient survival was performed by the Kaplan–Meier method. Multivariate analyses were performed with the Cox proportional hazards model. Results The relative mRNA levels of STC1 and STC2 in peripheral blood were significantly greater in LSCC patients than those of healthy volunteers (both P<0.05). STC2 protein expression in tumor tissues was associated with invasion into the thyroid cartilage, T-Stage, lymphatic metastasis, clinical stage, and pathological differentiation (all P<0.05). In addition, STC2 protein expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with LSCC (P = 0.025). In contrast, STC1 expression only correlated with clinical stage (P = 0.026) and was not an independent or significant prognostic factor. Conclusions Circulating STC1 and STC2 mRNA are potentially useful blood markers for LSCC. Our results strongly suggest that the STC2 protein, but not STC1, may be a valuable biomarker for LSCC malignancies and a prognostic marker for poor outcome following surgery. Future studies should examine STC2 as a novel molecular target for the treatment of LSCC.
Adaptive quadratic interpolation for loss minimization of direct torque controlled induction motor driven electric vehicle

This paper proposes a search control based loss minimization approach for direct torque control (DTC) of induction motor (IM) drive suitable for electric vehicle application. The proposed scheme directly regulates the stator flux level using an optimal stator flux reference generated by adaptive quadratic interpolation (AQI) to meet the desired torque demand. The search controller is implemented in the outer loop of the control scheme to decide an optimum flux level for the drive's operation. Consequently, the core loss of IM reduces significantly, thereby improving the efficiency of the drive system. The proposed algorithm is simple in computation and does not involve any additional hardware circuitry for its practical realization. Furthermore, it provides faster convergence without compromising the dynamic response of the speed control loop. All the relevant studies, in this context, are carried out in MATLAB/Simulink. Finally, the scheme is validated experimentally in a dSPACE-1103 based IM drive laboratory prototype.