Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Applications of Organic and Inorganic Amendments Induce Changes in the Mobility of Mercury and Macro- and Micronutrients of Soils

Both soil organic matter and sulfur (S) can reduce or even suppress mercury (Hg) mobility and bioavailability in soil. A batch incubation experiment was conducted with a Chernozem and a Luvisol artificially contaminated by 440 mg·kg−1 Hg showing wide differences in their physicochemical properties and available nutrients. The individual treatments were (i) digestate from the anaerobic fermentation of biowaste; (ii) fly ash from wood chip combustion; and (iii) ammonium sulfate, and every treatment was added with the same amount of S. The mobile Hg portion in Chernozem was highly reduced by adding digestate, even after 1 day of incubation, compared to control. Meanwhile, the outcome of these treatments was a decrease of mobile Hg forms as a function of incubation time whereas the contents of magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and phosphorus (P) were stimulated by the addition of digestate in both soils. The available calcium (Ca) contents were not affected by the digestate addition. The experiment proved digestate application as the efficient measure for fast reduction of mobile Hg at extremely contaminated soils. Moreover, the decrease of the mobile mercury portion was followed by improvement of the nutrient status of the soils.
iCAR: Intersection-based connectivity aware routing in vehicular ad hoc networks

In this paper, we propose an intersection-based connectivity-aware routing protocol (iCAR) for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) to enable infotainment and interactive applications, as well as multi-hop Internet access in urban environments. iCAR is a novel protocol that takes into consideration real-time vehicular traffic information and the experienced packet delivery delay per road, in order to improve the routing performance by dynamically selecting roads with a guaranteed connectivity and a reduced delivery delay. This is achieved by deploying a microscopic view of vehicles location to proactively estimate roads connectivity and the minimum link lifetime per road. Detailed analysis and simulation-based evaluations show that iCAR significantly improves the network performance in terms of packet delivery ratio and end-to-end delay with a negligible cost of communication overhead.
Public Opinion, the Press, and Public Policy

Public Opinion, the Press and Public Policy by J. David Kennamer The Public's Knowledge of Politics by Michael X. Delli Carpini and Scott Keeter Effective Public Opinion by James B. Lemert Interest Groups in the News by Lucig Danielian Who Sets the Media Agenda? The Ability of Policymakers to Determine News Decisions by Dan Berkowitz The News Media and Public Policy Agendas by David Pritchard Marching to the Police Beats: The Media-Source Relationship in Framing Criminal Justice Policy by Jack C. Doppelt Reporting on the Public Mind by Leonard Tipton The Spiral of Silence: Linking Individual and Society through Communication by Charles T. Salmon and Chi-Yung Moh Policymakers and the Third-Person Effect by Dominic L. Lasorsa Bibliography Index
Classification-based multimodality fusion approach for similarity ranking

The need for similarity rankings is common to a wide diversity of Pattern Recognition problems. When multiple modalities are available, effective combination methods that exploit the information contained in the different representations are required. In this paper, a method for effectively combining the information in the different modalities is presented. The method adopts the common framework used in metric learning and assumes that training samples are available, in the form of pairs of objects labeled as similar or dissimilar. For each pair, one or more distance measures are computed in each representation space, and these are used to train a soft classifier. Estimated class conditional probabilities are then used as scores for ranking purposes. The approach has been tested and compared to other existing combination methods in an image retrieval context, showing competitive results.
Blind source separation algorithm based on modified bacterial colony chemotaxis

Most blind source separation (BSS) algorithm use single-point optimization method which always have the disadvantage of slow convergence speed, bad separate precision and easily getting into the local optimization. In view of these disadvantages, recently, Chen proposed a multiple-point optimization algorithm for BSS named DPBCC, which overcome these disadvantages at a certain extent. But DPBCC uses the superior bacterial random perturbation strategy to solve the problem of local convergence, which cannot ensure that after random perturbation it will be an ergodic search of the domain. So the ability of global convergence still has to improve. This paper proposes a modified bacterial colony chemotaxis algorithm (CBCC) for BSS, combined the strategy of chaos search with the strategy of neighborhood random search, reaching to an ergodic search of the entire domain, solving the local convergence better, improving the convergence speed and separate precision further. Take the BSS algorithm based on kurtosis under the instantaneous linear model for example to do computer simulation. The results validate the superiority of CBCC by comparing with the existing ones.
Weighted Distortion Measure on Standard Deviation for VQ-Based Speaker Identification

Vector Quantization is an important tool of speaker identification system. In this paper, we introduce a new speaker identification system based on improved VQ algorithm&#65292;which takes the code vectors in traditional algorithm and those standard deviation as a new codebook to represent the particular speaker model in training phase.Based on the standard deviation.we redefine a weigthed distortion which are able to reflect the sample distribution character of each code vector . Experimental results show that the identification rate and robustness of this method is better than the one of the reference method.
The influence of online communication , word of mouth and virtual community on online brand equity

Current study aims to investigate the possible factors that influence online brand equity, which was measured by brand awareness, perceived quality, brand association and brand loyalty. The three predictors included in the research framework are online communication tools (which include online advertising and e-mail marketing), word of mouth and virtual community. An online questionnaire survey was conducted and the results suggested that online communication tools can be used to establish brand awareness and brand image; while virtual community is a useful tool to create brand loyalty. Finally, word of mouth had significant effect on perceived quality.
OFDM system performance with M-QAM under employment of generalized receiver

In our previous study we demonstrated that the employment of generalized receiver (GR) has superiority in comparison with implementation of the optimal receiver in the Neyman-Pearson sense in OFDM-BPSK wireless communication system. In this paper, we continue a discussion about the implementation of GR in OFDM wireless communication systems. We study the performance of OFDM wireless communication systems using the multilevel quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) technique over the Rayleigh fading channel. We compare the performance of OFDM wireless communication systems with M-QAM technique employed the optimal receiver in the Neyman-Pearson sense and GR. Theoretical analysis and simulation demonstrate a superiority of GR implementation in OFDM wireless communication systems using M-QAM technique over the optimal receiver in the Neyman-Pearson sense.
Prefrontal tDCS Decreases Pain in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Background: In the last few years, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as an appealing therapeutic option to improve brain functions. Promising data support the role of prefrontal tDCS in augmenting cognitive performance and ameliorating several neuropsychiatric symptoms, namely pain, fatigue, mood disturbances, and attentional impairment. Such symptoms are commonly encountered in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: The main objective of the current work was to evaluate the tDCS effects over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on pain in MS patients.Our secondary outcomes were to study its influence on attention, fatigue, and mood. Materials and Methods: Sixteen MS patients with chronic neuropathic pain were enrolled in a randomized, sham-controlled, and cross-over study.Patients randomly received two anodal tDCS blocks (active or sham), each consisting of three consecutive daily tDCS sessions, and held apart by 3 weeks. Evaluations took place before and after each block. To evaluate pain, we used the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Attention was assessed using neurophysiological parameters and the Attention Network Test (ANT). Changes in mood and fatigue were measured using various scales. Results: Compared to sham, active tDCS yielded significant analgesic effects according to VAS and BPI global scales.There were no effects of any block on mood, fatigue, or attention. Conclusion: Based on our results, anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC appears to act in a selective manner and would ameliorate specific symptoms, particularly neuropathic pain. Analgesia might have occurred through the modulation of the emotional pain network. Attention, mood, and fatigue were not improved in this work. This could be partly attributed to the short protocol duration, the small sample size, and the heterogeneity of our MS cohort. Future large-scale studies can benefit from comparing the tDCS effects over different cortical sites, changing the stimulation montage, prolonging the duration of protocol, and coupling tDCS with neuroimaging techniques for a better understanding of its possible mechanism of action.
In situ protein phosphorylation in hippocampal tissue slices

We have studied the subcellular distribution of phosphoproteins in intact hippocampal slices and examined factors that regulate their phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in situ. The presence of Ca2+ in slice equilibration and prelabeling buffers and high-K+-induced depolarization markedly increased 32Pi incorporation into endogenous proteins. Ca2+-stimulatory effects were significantly reduced by Ca2+- channel blockers and the calmodulin antagonist W-13. Certain proteins were dephosphorylated in situ, and their dephosphorylation was dependent on both Ca2+ and depolarization. A number of proteins phosphorylated in situ was similar to those previously characterized in synaptic fractions phosphorylated in vitro. Many phosphoproteins were identified on the basis of molecular weight, isoelectric point, immunoreactivity, and phosphopeptide mapping; these included the 87 kDa substrate of protein kinase C, synapsin I, the 50 and 60 kDa subunits of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CKII), tubulin, B-50, the alpha-subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase and myelin basic proteins. CKII phosphorylation in situ appeared similar but not identical to its in vitro counterpart. Phosphopeptide mapping analysis of in situ labeled substrate proteins indicated that cAMP-, Ca2+/calmodulin-, and Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinases were all active in slice preparations under basal conditions. Increased 32Pi labeling of hippocampal proteins following tissue depolarization appeared to be associated with increased activity of endogenous protein kinases since depolarization did not result in 32Pi-labeling of any new phosphoproteins.
Challenges of finding aesthetically pleasing images

We present an analysis of existing methods to automatic classification of photos according to aesthetics. We review different components of the classification process: existing evaluation datasets, their properties, most commonly-used image features, qualitative and quantitative, and classification results where comparable. We argue there are methodology gaps in the existing approaches to evaluating the classification results. We introduce the results of our experiments with Random Forest classification applied to image aesthetics classification and compare them to AdaBoost and SVM approaches.
CSE 573 Final Project : Semantic Labeling

Automatic image segmentation and semantic labeling is one of the most important and challenging problems in computer vision. Labeling could be done at various quantization levels – pixel level, super-pixel level, or group of superpixel (segment) level. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, we explore the superpixel level semantic labeling of images using supervised machine learning techniques. The labeling was performed using several low-level features – location, color, and texture of super-pixels. Four different classifiers were trained and their performances were compared. These classifiers are – support vector machines, logistic regression, adaptive boosting, and conditional random fields. Evaluation of these classifiers was done using large dataset of images with 8 kinds of labels. With a small set of primitive features, a very encouraging performance (70% accuracy) was achieved.
Word accentuation prediction using a neural net classifier

Automaticpredictionof pitch accent assignmentis an important but challenging task in text-to-speech synthesis (TTS). Early work in accent prediction relied on simple word-class distinctions, but recentlymore sophisticatedinductive learningmodels using multiple features have been applied to the problem. For our neural network accent classifier, we developed a corpus that was labeled according to judgments of accent assignment appropriateness in synthesized speech rather than the usual ToBI annotation guidelines. Because the resulting training set was imbalanced, the baseline neural network we developed for this task had a very high accuracy rate (84%) but performed only slightly better than chance according to our ROC analysis. Balancing our training data using downsizing, oversampling, and cost-based post-processing yielded significant improvement in this informative measure. We anticipate that balance adjustments and the inclusion of more complex features will lead to further improvement.
Assessing the Efficacy of Learning Communities at Four North Texas Community Colleges.

This observational study involving intact groups and convenient sampling examined learning communities at four North Texas Community Colleges. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in cathectic learning climate, inimical ambiance, academic rigor, affiliation and structure among students in learning communities and freestanding classes. Learning communities are gaining nationwide popularity as instruments of reform in Higher Education. Recent studies have discussed the benefits of learning communities to student, faculty and institutions. As learning communities are gaining popularity, especially at the community college level, there is a need to determine if the learning communities are significantly different than freestanding classes. The College Classroom Environment Scales, developed by Winston, Vahala, Nichols, Gillis, Wintrow, and Rome (1989), was used as the survey instrument for this study. Using SPSS 10.1, a multivariate analysis of variance, (Hotelling's T2) was performed on five dependent variables: cathectic learning climate (CLC), inimical ambiance (IA), academic rigor (AR), affiliation (AF), and structure (ST), which yielded a significant difference. The independent variable was learning community compared to freestanding classes (group). Follow-up independent t tests were also conducted to evaluate the differences in the means between the two groups and to explore which dependent variables contributed to the multivariate difference, which resulted in significant differences in inimical ambiance, affiliation and structure. The researcher concludes that learning communities make a difference for some learners, but not necessarily all and that more research needs to be conducted to find the answers to the questions concerning the efficacy and sustainability of learning communities in higher education.
Parasitoid Increases Survival of Its Pupae by Inducing Hosts to Fight Predators

Many true parasites and parasitoids modify the behaviour of their host, and these changes are thought to be to the benefit of the parasites. However, field tests of this hypothesis are scarce, and it is often unclear whether the host or the parasite profits from the behavioural changes, or even if parasitism is a cause or consequence of the behaviour. We show that braconid parasitoids (Glyptapanteles sp.) induce their caterpillar host (Thyrinteina leucocerae) to behave as a bodyguard of the parasitoid pupae. After parasitoid larvae exit from the host to pupate, the host stops feeding, remains close to the pupae, knocks off predators with violent head-swings, and dies before reaching adulthood. Unparasitized caterpillars do not show these behaviours. In the field, the presence of bodyguard hosts resulted in a two-fold reduction in mortality of parasitoid pupae. Hence, the behaviour appears to be parasitoid-induced and confers benefits exclusively to the parasitoid.
Working Party proposal for a revised classification system of renal dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis

Objectives To propose an improvement on the current classification of renal dysfunction in cirrhosis. Clinicians caring for patients with cirrhosis recognize that the development of renal dysfunction is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. While most cases of renal dysfunction in cirrhosis are functional in nature, developed as a result of changes in haemodynamics, cardiac function, and renal auto-regulation, there is an increasing number of patients with cirrhosis and structural changes in their kidney as a cause of renal dysfunction. Therefore, there is a need for a newer classification to include both functional and structural renal diseases. Design A working party consisting of specialists from multiple disciplines conducted literature search and developed summary statements, incorporating the renal dysfunction classification used in nephrology. These were discussed and revised to produce this proposal. Setting Multi-disciplinary international meeting. Patients None. Interventions Literature search using keywords of cirrhosis, renal dysfunction, acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney injury (CKD), and hepatorenal syndrome. Results Acute kidney injury will include all causes of acute deterioration of renal function as indicated by an increase in serum creatinine of >50% from baseline, or a rise in serum creatinine of ≥26. 4µmol/L (≥0.3mg/dL) in <48hours. Chronic renal disease will be defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of <60ml/min calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease 6 (MDRD6) formula, recognising that the MDRD6 formula is not perfect for the cirrhotic patients and this may change as improved means of estimating GFR becomes available. Acute on chronic kidney disease will be defined as AKI superimposed on existing chronic renal disease using the above definitions for AKI and CKD. Conclusions Accepting this new classification will allow studies into the epidemiology, incidence, prevalence, natural history and the development of new treatments for these subtypes of renal dysfunction in cirrhosis.
Hybrid algorithm for solving a multimodal transport problems using a transfer graph model

This paper presents an approach to the shortest path problem in time-dependent multimodal networks. The approach derives, from the initial graph, a more simplified and non-time-dependent structure, called abstract graph, by using Ant Colony Optimization. Then, a time-dependent Dijkstra's algorithm is used to compute the shortest path on the new structure. This approach improves two previous solutions proposed by the authors.
Human Campylobacteriosis in Developing Countries1

Campylobacteriosis is a collective description for infectious diseases caused by members of the bacterial genus Campylobacter. The only form of campylobacteriosis of major public health importance is Campylobacter enteritis due to C. jejuni and C. coli. Research and control efforts on the disease have been conducted more often in developed countries than developing countries. However, because of the increasing incidence, expanding spectrum of infections, potential of HIV-related deaths due to Campylobacter, and the availability of the complete genome sequence of C. jejuni NCTC 11168, interest in campylobacteriosis research and control in developing countries is growing. We present the distinguishing epidemiologic and clinical features of Campylobacter enteritis in developing countries relative to developed countries. National surveillance programs and international collaborations are needed to address the substantial gaps in the knowledge about the epidemiology of campylobacteriosis in developing countries.
Kinematics of Visually-Guided Eye Movements

One of the hallmarks of an eye movement that follows Listing’s law is the half-angle rule that says that the angular velocity of the eye tilts by half the angle of eccentricity of the line of sight relative to primary eye position. Since all visually-guided eye movements in the regime of far viewing follow Listing’s law (with the head still and upright), the question about its origin is of considerable importance. Here, we provide theoretical and experimental evidence that Listing’s law results from a unique motor strategy that allows minimizing ocular torsion while smoothly tracking objects of interest along any path in visual space. The strategy consists in compounding conventional ocular rotations in meridian planes, that is in horizontal, vertical and oblique directions (which are all torsion-free) with small linear displacements of the eye in the frontal plane. Such compound rotation-displacements of the eye can explain the kinematic paradox that the fixation point may rotate in one plane while the eye rotates in other planes. Its unique signature is the half-angle law in the position domain, which means that the rotation plane of the eye tilts by half-the angle of gaze eccentricity. We show that this law does not readily generalize to the velocity domain of visually-guided eye movements because the angular eye velocity is the sum of two terms, one associated with rotations in meridian planes and one associated with displacements of the eye in the frontal plane. While the first term does not depend on eye position the second term does depend on eye position. We show that compounded rotation - displacements perfectly predict the average smooth kinematics of the eye during steady- state pursuit in both the position and velocity domain.