Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thermal Tolerance in Anuran Embryos with Different Reproductive Modes: Relationship to Altitude

Anurans are ectothermic animals very sensitive to temperature, mainly during the embryonic stage. In addition, environmental temperature decreases with altitude, and the amphibian fauna changes. Therefore, we studied the relationship between the embryonic thermal tolerances of twelve species of anurans and the temperatures of their microhabitat along an altitudinal gradient from 430 m to 2600 m. We hypothesized that there is a strong thermal adjustment of embryos to their microhabitat and, consequently, that temperature could be a limiting factor of altitudinal distribution of the anurans. We also compared the embryonic thermal tolerances according to six postulated reproductive modes of the study species. We found a significant relationship between the maximum and minimum thermal tolerances of the anuran embryos and the maximum and minimum temperatures of their microhabitat and altitudinal distribution. We also found a wide range of embryonic thermal tolerances for aquatic breeding species and a narrower range for terrestrial breeding species. Particularly, embryos of direct development species were the most sensitive to temperature. These results show the strong thermal adjustment of anuran embryos to their microhabitat and elevation and do not reject the hypothesis that temperature can be a limiting factor of their altitudinal distribution.
Assessing Senior Executives: The Impact of Context on their Roles

This study assesses the leadership roles of senior executives/managers. It first offers an empirical construct of five roles for senior executives: mobilize; ambassador, driver, auditor; and servant. These roles reflect the perceptions of subordinate managers of the leadership roles of their superior senior executives. Second, it tests three hypotheses on the impact of the hierarchical level of the senior executives, the type of organization they manage (public vs. private), and the interaction between level and organizational type on senior executive roles. The data for this study were obtained from 1,687 senior to upper middle managers in three large Canadian organizations. The results showed that hierarchical level of the superior and the interaction between level and organizational type both had an impact on the roles of senior executives. The article discusses avenues for further research in senior management leadership roles.
Automatic Representation of Geographical Data from a Semantic Point of View through a New Ontology and Classification Techniques

Providing Geographical Information Systems with mechanisms for processing geo‐data based on their semantics may help to solve problems like heterogeneity. This is because GIS could process geo‐data focusing on their meaning and not on their syntax and/or structure. An important aspect for achieving these objectives is the establishment of an automatic means of correspondence between geo‐data and their conceptualization in Higher Levels Ontologies (HLO). In this article, a new type of Ontology is proposed (Data‐Representation Ontology (DRO)). This Ontology describes the semantic embedded in geo‐data, which cannot be represented in current types of Ontologies. Across this Ontology, heterogeneous geographical data can be integrated in the semantic space contributing positively to the development of solutions for the problems of interoperability between heterogeneous systems. Likewise, we propose a new method for the automatic generation of the DRO and its interrelationships with HLO, based on pattern classification techniques. The experiments show that once the DRO is generated, the classifier can classify all data correctly. Thus, these data are semantically enriched. Moreover, this article shows how the topological relationships can enrich the semantics in the generated Ontology and increase the effectiveness of spatial analysis.
A tabulated review of capillary electrophoresis of carbohydrates

This review summarizes publications on capillary electrophoresis (CE) of carbohydrates, covering almost all hitherto published papers on this topic. It is designed to be a convenient tool for the literature search by providing a comprehensive table. Since CE analysis of carbohydrates is generally complicated due to the structural diversity of carbohydrate species, an attempt is made in this table to supply detailed information on the analyzed form (underivatized or derivatized, type of derivative) and analytical conditions (capillary size, state of the inner wall, composition of the electrophoretic solution, applied voltage, detection method, etc.), for each combination of carbohydrate species to be analyzed. In addition, a brief overview is presented to help in the literature search.
Correlation between Cognition and Function across the Spectrum of Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND Both cognitive and functional deterioration are characteristic of the clinical progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). OBJECTIVES To systematically assess correlations between widely used measures of cognition and function across the spectrum of AD. DESIGN Spearman rank correlations were calculated for cognitive and functional measures across datasets from various AD patient populations. SETTING Post-hoc analysis from existing databases. PARTICIPANTS Pooled data from placebo-treated patients with mild (MMSE score ≥20 and ≤26) and moderate (MMSE score ≥16 and ≤19) AD dementia from two Phase 3 solanezumab (EXPEDITION/2) and two semagecesatat (IDENTITY/2) studies and normal, late mild cognitive impairment (LMCI) and mild AD patients from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 2-Grand Opportunity (ADNI-2/GO). Intervention (if any): Placebo (EXPEDITION/2 and IDENTITY/2 subjects). MEASUREMENTS Cognitive and functional abilities were measured in all datasets. Data were collected at baseline and every three months for 18 months in EXPEDITION and IDENTITY studies; and at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months in the ADNI dataset. RESULTS The relationship of cognition and function became stronger over time as AD patients progressed from preclinical to moderate dementia disease stages, with the magnitude of correlations dependent on disease stage and the complexity of functional task. The correlations were minimal in the normal control population, but became stronger with disease progression. CONCLUSIONS This analysis found that measures of cognition and function become more strongly correlated with disease progression from preclinical to moderate dementia across multiple datasets. These findings improve the understanding of the relationship between cognitive and functional clinical measures during the course of AD progression and how cognition and function measures relate to each other in AD clinical trials.
Effects of Intensity and Age on Perception of Accent in Isochronous Sequences of a Snare Drum Timbre

Musical expression is often dependent upon accentuation, yet there is little research in the perception of dynamic accent in music and its relationship to intensity just noticeable differences (JNDs). This experiment estimated relationships among (a) accent limen (AL), (b) difference limen (DL), and (c) the ages of the nonmusician female subjects (N = 51). The AL was the intensity increment producing 80 % correct criteria in subjects' perceptions of single accented tones embedded xvithin seven-tone isochronous series. The unaccented tones were identical-timbre 87-dB(A) digitally produced snare drum sounds. The DL was the intensity difference in tone pairs that produced a 75% correct criterion. The relationship between AL and DL was not significant [F(1, 48) = 5.505, p = . 197]. The relationship between AL and age was significant [F(1, 48) = 5.732, p = . 021], suggesting that the amount of intensity change required for perception of intensity accentuation in musical set-I tings (especially by children) should be larger than the DL.
The Family and Social Networks of Recently Discharged Foster Youth

Many youth leave foster care with disrupted relationships with family and others in their social networks. Previous research has documented the severe adversity that former foster youth face in the transition to young adulthood. Some of these difficulties are at least partially related to a lack of social support that results from frayed relationships. The purpose of this research was to examine the role that social support plays in the transition to adulthood. It was hypothesized that foster youth with higher levels of social support would make more successful adaptations to early adulthood than youth without that support. Ninety-seven former foster youth were followed for 2 years. Youth reported low levels of “feeling close to parents,” but higher levels of “closeness” were expressed for other relatives. Findings were mixed. Organizational involvement and having many “close” friends were associated with better outcomes. On the other hand, family contact and family support was inversely associated with resiliency. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Higher-order knowledge in computer games

Our main aim is to raise awareness of higher-order knowledge, i.e. knowledge about knowledge, as an issue in simulating realistic non-player characters in computer games. We motivate the importance of higher-order knowledge with arguments, as well as a few examples.We survey existing games and literature to show that this issue is currently neglected. We also refer to our earlier work to illustrate one approach to simulating higher-order reasoning, which we call "explicit knowledge programming". Finally we describe a number of issues which arise when carrying out such an implementation, some of which go beyond the scope of the present motivation of computer gaming, and are of more general interest.
Generating and Learning from 3 D Models of Objects through Interactions

In this paper we implement an approach that will allow for the creation of 3D models. Being able to autonomously build or recognize a 3D model of an object would assist in human-robot interaction and developmental robotics. Currently the robot is only able to construct a view of an object from one angle, which limits the robots capabilities. Manipulation is necessary when trying to observe and classify an object. Therefore, in order to create the model, we have the robotic arm pick up the object, rotate it, and save multiple point clouds that will eventually be aligned to create the 3D model. We integrate filtering techniques such as downsampling, and point cloud alignment methods such as Sample Consensus Initial Alignment (SAC-IA) and Iterative Closest Point (ICP). Although the ultimate goal is to have a full model of an object, the focus of this paper is implementing and evaluating methods of alignment as they specifically relate to the segway base robots of the Building Wide Intelligence (BWI) lab at the University of Texas at Austin. In the future we would also like to store information about the object so that the robot will eventually be able to detect similar or previously viewed objects.
Outdoor Cultivation of Marine Diatoms for Year-Round Production of Biofuels

Biofuel production using microalgae is believed to have the advantage of continuous year-round production over crop plants, which have strong seasonality. However, actual year-round production of microalgal lipids using outdoor mass cultivation has rarely been demonstrated. In our previous study, it was demonstrated that the oleaginous diatom, Fistulifera solaris, was culturable in outdoor bioreactors from spring to autumn, whereas biomass and lipid production in winter failed because F. solaris did not grow below 15 °C. Therefore, another candidate strain that is culturable in winter is required. In this study, a cold-tolerant diatom, Mayamaea sp. JPCC CTDA0820, was selected as a promising candidate for biofuel production in winter. Laboratory-scale characterization revealed that this diatom was culturable at temperatures as low as 10 °C. Subsequently, F. solaris (April–October) and Mayamaea sp. JPCC CTDA0820 (November–March) were cultured in outdoor open-pond bioreactors, wherein year-round production of diatom lipids was successfully demonstrated. The maximal values of areal productivities of biomass and lipids reached to 9.79 and 1.80 g/(m2 day) for F. solaris, and 8.62 and 0.92 g/(m2 day) for Mayamaea sp. JPCC CTDA0820, respectively. With the combined use of these two diatom species, stable year-round production of microalgal lipids became possible.
Allele diversity for abiotic stress responsive candidate genes in chickpea reference set using gene based SNP markers

Chickpea is an important food legume crop for the semi-arid regions, however, its productivity is adversely affected by various biotic and abiotic stresses. Identification of candidate genes associated with abiotic stress response will help breeding efforts aiming to enhance its productivity. With this objective, 10 abiotic stress responsive candidate genes were selected on the basis of prior knowledge of this complex trait. These 10 genes were subjected to allele specific sequencing across a chickpea reference set comprising 300 genotypes including 211 genotypes of chickpea mini core collection. A total of 1.3 Mbp sequence data were generated. Multiple sequence alignment (MSA) revealed 79 SNPs and 41 indels in nine genes while the CAP2 gene was found to be conserved across all the genotypes. Among 10 candidate genes, the maximum number of SNPs (34) was observed in abscisic acid stress and ripening (ASR) gene including 22 transitions, 11 transversions and one tri-allelic SNP. Nucleotide diversity varied from 0.0004 to 0.0029 while polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.01 (AKIN gene) to 0.43 (CAP2 promoter). Haplotype analysis revealed that alleles were represented by more than two haplotype blocks, except alleles of the CAP2 and sucrose synthase (SuSy) gene, where only one haplotype was identified. These genes can be used for association analysis and if validated, may be useful for enhancing abiotic stress, including drought tolerance, through molecular breeding.
Diagonal Discriminant Analysis for Gene-Expression Based Tumor Classification

A reliable and accurate tumor classification is crucial for successful diagnosis and treatment of cancer diseases. With the recent advances in molecular genetics, it is possible to measure the expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously. Thus, it is feasible to have a complete understanding the molecular markers among tumors and make a more successful and accurate diagnosis. A common approach in statistics for classification is linear and quadratic discriminant analysis. However, the number of genes (p) is much more than the number of tissue samples (n) in gene expression datasets. This leads to data having singular covariance matrices and limits the use of these methods. Diagonal linear and diagonal quadratic discriminant analyses are more recent approaches that ignore the correlation among genes and allow highdimensional classification. Nearest shrunken centroids algorithm is an updated version of diagonal discriminant analysis, which also selects the genes that mostly contributed in class prediction. In this study we will discuss these algorithms and demonstrate their use both in microarray and RNA sequencing datasets.
The localization of function in the brain

The chief contents of this paper are the results of an experimental investigation tending to prove that there is a localization of function in special regions of the cerebral hemispheres. In a former paper published by the author in the ‘West Riding Lunatic Asylum Medical Reports,’ vol. iii. 1873, the results were given of experiments on rabbits, cats, and dogs, made specially for the purpose of testing the theory of Hughlings Jackson, that localized and unilateral epilepsies are caused by irritation or “discharging lesions” of the grey matter of the hemispheres in the region of the corpus striatum. Besides confirming Hughlings Jackson’s views, the author’s researches indicated an exact localization in the hemispheres of centres, or regions, for the carrying out of simple and complex muscular movements of a definite character, and described by him as of a purposive, or expressional, nature.
Aerobic fitness modulates the association between APOE genotypes and serum lipemia in adolescents

"La condicion fisica aerobica modula la asociacion entre los genotipos APOE y lipemia serico en adolescentes. " El objetivo fue analizar la asociacion entre los alelos APOE y la lipemia serica en adolescentes con baja y adecuada condicion aerobica. La muestra fue composta de 105 ninos (49% de las zonas rurales) y 151 ninas (46% de las zonas rurales) de origen europeo, con edades entre 11-17 anos, clasificados de acuerdo con 1) el genotipo APOE: grupo e2 (e2 / 3 + e2 / 2), e3 (e3 / 3), y e4 (e3 / e4 + 4/4); 2) la condicion aerobica: adecuada o baja; 3) suero lipemico: colesterol (CT), lipoproteinas de baja densidad (LDL) y los trigliceridos elevados y lipoproteinas de alta densidad (HDL) bajo. Los resultados muestran que la capacidad aerobica modula la asociacion de los alelos APOE con la lipemia de los adolescentes, lo que sugiere que niveles adecuados de capacidad aerobica tienen mayor efecto en la reduccion de CT y LDL elevados en el alelo e2, y el mayor efecto para aumentar el HDL y la reduccion de los trigliceridos en aquellos con e3 y e4.
Failures in self-regulation: Energy depletion or selective disengagement?

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A brief overview of the size and composition of the myrtle rust genome and its taxonomic status

Using de novo assembly of 46 million paired end sequence reads of length 250 bp for a myrtle rust isolate, we have estimated its genome size to be between 103 and 145 Mb and the number of proteins as >19,000. Annotation of the contigs found a very large percentage of proteins are associated with molecular functions of DNA binding or binding in biological processes for DNA integration and RNA-dependent DNA replication. A large proportion of these activities are attributed to the transposable elements (TEs). These elements are estimated to comprise 27% of the genome with 22% retrotransposons and 5% DNA transposons. The exon and intron boundaries of 46 genes occurring on contigs >20,000 bp have been determined. The number of introns range from 2 to 20 with a mean of 7. Phylogenetic analyses using partial COXI, 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA genes have placed myrtle rust in the Pucciniaceae lineage on a separate taxonomic branch from the families of Pucciniaceae, Phragmidiaceae, Sphaerophragmiaceae, Phragmidiaceae, Uropyxidaceae, Chaconiaceae and Phakopsoraceae. Further work is thus required to determine the family placement of myrtle rust in the Pucciniaceae of Pucciniales.
“Little Red School House, What Now?” Two Centuries of American Public School Architecture

This article examines two centuries of public school architecture in the United States with attention to the relationship between architectural form and reformist educational philosophy. Building types reviewed include the one-room schoolhouse, the metropolitan school at 1900, the early twentieth-century suburban school, and the late twentieth-century urban school. The siting, building plan, and exterior articulation of both ideal plans and built structures are reviewed as evidence of the expectation and realities of the public school as a democratic institution.
Effects of intracellular organelles on the apparent diffusion coefficient of water molecules in cultured human embryonic kidney cells

The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water in tissues is dependent on the size and spacing of structures in the cellular environment and has been used to characterize pathological changes in stroke and cancer. However, the factors that affect ADC values remain incompletely understood. Measurements of ADC are usually made using relatively long diffusion times; so they reflect the integrated effects of cellular structures over a broad range of spatial scales. We used temporal diffusion spectroscopy to study diffusion in packed cultured human embryonic kidney cells over a range of effective diffusion times following microtubule and actin/cytoskeleton depolymerization and disassembly of the Golgi complex. While Golgi disruption did not change ADC, depolymerization of the microtubule and the actin filament networks caused small decreases in ADC at short diffusion times only. Temporal diffusion spectroscopy provided a novel way to assess intracellular influences on the diffusion properties of tissue water. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Time-Varying Perfect Reconstruction Filter Banks for Finite Length Signals

A new approach to the non-expansive two band decomposition of finite length signals is introduced. The technique is based on the time-varying perfect reconstruction filter banks concept. In this approach the main analysis filter bank is instantaneously switched, at the signal boundaries, to a shorter filter bank: the D1 or Haar filter bank. The technique can be applied to all types of two band perfect reconstruction filter banks. A low complexity design method for the required reconstruction transition filters is presented. In opposition to other types of time-varying filter banks, the proposed analysis filter bank has good low pass and high pass characteristics.
A Unified Hardware/Software Co-Design Framework for Neuromorphic Computing Devices and Applications

With the death of Moore's law, the computing community is in a period of exploration, focusing on novel computing devices, paradigms, and techniques for programming. The TENN-Lab group has developed a hardware/software co- design framework for this exploration, on which we perform research with three thrusts: (1) Devices for computing, such as memristors and biomimetic membranes. (2) Applications that employ spiking neural networks for processing. (3) Machine learning techniques to program. The design framework is unified, because it allows all three thrusts to work in concert, so that, for example, new results on device design can apply instantly to the current results of applications and learning. In this paper, we detail the interweaving components of the design framework. We then describe case studies on each of the research thrusts above, highlighting how the unified framework is enabling to each case study.