Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Customized Bus Network Design Based on Individual Reservation Demands

With the advantages of congestion alleviation, environmental friendliness, as well as a better travel experience, the customized bus (CB) system to reduce individual motorized travel is highly popular in increasing numbers of cities in China. The line planning problem is a key aspect of the CB system. This paper presents a detailed flow chart of a CB network planning methodology, including individual reservation travel demand data processing, CB line origin–destination (OD) area division considering quantity constraints of demand in areas and distance constraints based on agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC), an initial set of CB lines generating quantity constraints of the demand on each line and line length constraints, and line selection model building, striking a balance between operator interests, social benefits, and passengers’ interests. Finally, the impacts of the CB vehicle type, the fixed operation cost of online car-hailing (OCH), and the weights of each itemized cost are discussed. Serval operating schemes for the Beijing CB network were created. The results show that the combination of CB vehicles with 49 seats and 18 seats is the most cost-effective and that CBs with low capacity are more cost-effective than those with larger capacity. People receive the best service when decision-makers pay more attention to environmental pollution and congestion issues. The CB network’s service acceptance rate and the spatial coverage increase with the fixed operating cost per OCH vehicle per day c0C. The CB vehicle use decreases as c0C ccincreases. The results of this study can provide technical support for CB operators who design CB networks.
WUPPERTAL Search for Signatures of Extra-Terrestrial Neutrinos with a Multipole Analysis of the AMANDA-II Sky Map

In this analysis 3329 neutrino events detected by AMANDA-II during the years 2000-2003 are analysed for anisotropies or unexpected structures in t he r arrival direction. The structures could arise due to the presence of a signal from many weak and therefore un resolved cosmic neutrino sources, a few brighter sources or extended sources (e.g. a diffuse flux fro m the galactic plane). The sky-distribution of arrival directions (sky-map) is expanded in a series of sphe rical harmonics and the power in each multipole moment is calculated. Compared to previous AMANDA-II analy ses, it provides a new complementary approach, in particular in the search for very weak individu al astro-physical sources. No excess from extra-terrestrial sources is found. Statistical errors as well as systematic errors related to the uncertainty of the angular distribution of the atmospheric neutrinos ar e quantified using the Feldman-Cousins unified approach. Limits for contributions from extra-terrestria l sources to the sky-map are derived as function of the average source strength and the spectral index of the ene rgy spectrum for different sky-distributions: weak sources isotropically distributed in the northern sky , sources located in the galactic and supergalactic plane. The tested average flux per source varies bet weenφlow = 5 · 10 cms and φhigh = 5 · 10 −11 cms at the earth, assuming an E power spectrum in the sensitive energy range between1.6 TeV and1.6 PeV. The number of sources in the sky can be limited at 90% C.L. to be less than 3524 for the assumed φlow and less than 28 for φhigh.
PIVOT : Cost-Aware Scheduling of Data-Intensive Applications in a Cloud-Agnostic System

We have witnessed a surge in big data applications being hosted by assorted cloud vendors, and the astronomical amount of data they produce and consume on a daily basis. Traditional cluster computing frameworks can hardly cope with the unprecedented data volume and the geo-distributed, cross-cloud data distribution due to their limited scalability and adaptability across the heterogeneous clouds. Moreover, running data-intensive applications across clouds at will is extremely cost-inefficient and likely to incur outrageous expenses. Hence, we introduce our cloud-agnostic system PIVOT with the novel cost-aware scheduling algorithm, which enables dataintensive applications to run and scale across clouds instantly in a cost-efficient manner. We evaluate our system and scheduling algorithm extensively with simulation, and real-world big data applications on a deployment across 11 regions on AWS and GCP. The experimental results show that PIVOT achieves over 55% saving in expense for VM subscription and up to 92% for egress network traffic compared to the state-of-the-art baselines. Notably, the cost-aware scheduling also achieves up to a 10x speedup in data transfers for data-intensive applications.
Behavioral / Systems / Cognitive Olfactory Cortex Generates Synchronized Top-Down Inputs to the Olfactory Bulb during Slow-Wave Sleep

The olfactory cortex is functionally isolated from the external odor world during slow-wave sleep. However, the neuronal activity pattern in the olfactory cortex and its functional roles during slow-wave sleep are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate in freely behaving rats that the anterior piriform cortex, a major area of the olfactory cortex, repeatedly generates sharp waves that are accompanied by synchronized discharges of numerous cortical neurons. Olfactory cortex sharp waves occurred relatively independently of hippocampal sharp waves. Current source density analysis showed that sharp wave generation involved the participation of recurrent association fiber synapses to pyramidal cells in the olfactory cortex. During slow-wave sleep, the olfactory bulb showed sharp waves that were in synchrony with olfactory cortex sharp waves, indicating that olfactory cortex sharp waves drove synchronized top-down inputs to the olfactory bulb. Based on these results, we speculate that the olfactory cortex sharp waves may play a role in the reorganization of bulbar neuronal circuits during slow-wave sleep.
Sterols from Cucurbita maxima

The flowers of Cucurbita maxima Duch. afforded a 4:1 mixture of spinasterol (1a) and 24ethyl-5α-cholesta-7, 22, 25-trien-3β-ol (1b). Their structures were elucidated by extensive 1D and 2D NMR analyses. Antimicrobial activity tests on sample 1 indicated that it was slightly active against the fungi (Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans) and the bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Pseudonomas aeruginosa). It was inactive against Escherichia coli, Staphylococus aureus, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. RESEARCH NOTE
Functional identification of a Ligase in the Red Sea Atlantis II deepest Layer

First the person who influenced me the most in my graduate career has been my advisor Dr. Rania Siam, Associate Professor and Chair of the Biology Department in the School of Science and Engineering at the American University in Cairo. I am thankful to my thesis committee members. Thanks for Dr. Wael Mohammed, Visiting Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at the American university in Cairo, Dr. Ramy Aziz, Assistant Professor in the Microbiology and Immunology Department at the Faculty of Pharmacy Cairo University and Dr. Ahmed Abdellatif, Visiting Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at the AUC, Thanks to all of them for agreeing to serve in my committee. I would like to thank all the professors in the department who taught me through my master program and also I would like to thank the administrators in our school division for providing any assistance requested. I acknowledge the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) for funding the Red Sea Metagenomics project and for the graduate research fellowship that provided the necessary financial support for this research. I am grateful to Nahla Hussien her for helping me to learn that there is more than one way to approach a problem. I would also like to give a special thanks to my colleagues and friends in the American University in Cairo. I am especially grateful to Hadeel El-Bardisy and Aya Medhat who I had the great fortune of becoming close friends. I thank my lifetime friends outside the AUC for being truly amazing friends. Last, but by no means least, to thank the people who made me into the person who I am now, my Mom and Dad, I love you both and I wish you all the happiness. My sister and my best friend Maram, thank you for your support through my endless favors. Finally, My dearest husband Mohammed, you are my one and only, I could not have done all of this without you by my side and my precious daughter Lana, I have done this for you to be proud of your mother. Both of you and your father were my best cheerleaders :) I love you.
A Proof of the VARiable PROjection ( VARPRO ) Method in Hilber Space

The variable projection (VARPRO) method deals with those nonlinear least squares problems whose variables separate into two categories: linear variables and nonlinear variables. This report focuses on the original paper proposing the VARPRO method, corrects its typos and generalizes the proof to infinite dimensional spaces and complex numbers. One key proposition that the author used without proof in the paper is also proved here. We also implemented the VARPRO method based on Gauss-Newton algorithm and the corresponding experimental results are shown and discussed in this report.
A Short Survey

Different types of graphical representation for local preferences have been proposed in the literature. Graphs may be directed or not. Modeling may be quantitative or qualitative. Principles for extending local preferences to complete configurations may be based on different independence assumptions. Some extensions of such graphical representation settings to multiple agent preferences have been proposed, with different ways of handling agents: they may be viewed just as a set of individual agents, or described in terms of attribute values inducing a partition of the set of agents in terms of subcategories, or they may be reduced to some anonymous statistical counting. The fact that preferences pertain to multiple agents raises the question of either working with a collective graphical representation or aggregating individual preferences, the preferences of each agent being then represented as a graph. Moreover the multiple agent nature of the representation enriches the types of preference queries that can be addressed. The purpose of this short note is to start with a brief survey of the main graphical preference models found in the literature, such as CP-nets, π-pref nets, GAI networks, and to discuss their multiple agent extensions in an organized way, with a view to understand how the different representation options could be combined when possible.
Aalborg Universitet Advanced Accelerated Power Cycling Test for Reliability Investigation of Power Device

This paper presents an apparatus and methodology for an advanced accelerated power cycling test of insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules. In this test, the accelerated power cycling test can be performed under more realistic electrical operating conditions with online wear-out monitoring of tested power IGBT module. The various realistic electrical operating conditions close to real three-phase converter applications can be achieved by the simple control method. Further, by the proposed concept of applying the temperature stress, it is possible to apply various magnitudes of temperature swing in a short cycle period and to change the temperature cycle period easily. Thanks to a short temperature cycle period, test results can be obtained in a reasonable test time. A detailed explanation of apparatus such as configuration and control methods for the different functions of accelerated power cycling test setup is given. Then, an improved in situ junction temperature estimation method using on-state collector–emitter voltage VCE ON and load current is proposed. In addition, a procedure of advanced accelerated power cycling test and test results with 600 V, 30 A transfer molded IGBT modules are presented in order to verify the validity and effectiveness of the proposed apparatus and methodology. Finally, physicsof-failure analysis of tested IGBT modules is provided.
Calibrating LAI Parameter with Remote Sensing Data for SIMRIW-RS in Thailand

Rice is a major industrial crop in Thailand and has been cultivated country-wide. An ability to estimate rice production on a regional scale is therefore imperative for adaptation plan to climate change. For example, agricultural zoning can be adopted to optimize among locale characteristics, farmer practices, water resources, and expected yields. Recently, a crop simulation model called SIMRIW-RS has been validated for rice yield estimation, based on calibration of field parameter, namely accurate LAI values in early growing period. This paper presents a calibration of SIMRIW-RSand a methodology to incorporate remote sensing data products (NDVI and EVI2) into SIMRIW-RS by means of estimated LAI parameter. Based on data collected from rainfed paddy field in Nongchok District, Northeast-Bangkok during 2017-2018, our results show that the model calibrated with LAIestimated by NDVI can simulate LAI values for the entire crop with RMSE less than 1.0, and consequently achieve simulated yield with mean percentage error (MPE) around 2%. In addition, SIMRIW-RS also shows to be insensitive to pixel size when data from drone is upscaled to be ten times larger, which makes it compatible with mediumto high-resolution satellite images.This work concludes that SIMRIW-RS can be adapt to Thai rice, and NDVI product from remote sensing data in early stage can be used to provide field-tofield variations for SIMRIW-RS to work on a regional scale. Keywords—crop simulation model; EVI2; LAI; NDVI; remote sensing, rice yield estimation
SEED GERMINATION ECOLOGY AND SEEDLING EMERGENCE OF SIXTEEN TREE SPECIES AUTUMN SOWN

In nature, the regeneration and the seed germination ecology of tree species is varied due to divers’ environmental factors and evolution process. As a consequence, understanding the factors controlling the seed germination and seedling emergence in the time and the space. In most nurseries, tree seeds are usually sown in spring or rarely in autumn and, they are often pretreated to increase the seed germination where the germination timing is selective sieve that a plant experiences throughout its life history. However, in most nursery of Kurdistan region, the managers have not a good knowledge about the seeds sowing timing and seedling emergency of native tree species. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to investigate seed germination phenology with providing new data and determine optimal ways of seed sowing time that will permit a best seedling establishment of sixteen native and introduced tree species. The results showed, the seed sowing timing and seedling emergence of these tree species. In addition, these species exhibit significant divergence in term sowing timing and seedling establishment. Thereby, our results have a high value for managers of Kurdistan governmental and private nurseries as a suggestion which exact time is better for sowing seeds and which seeds need pre-treatment before sowing in order to obtain better regeneration.
Tournament Formats as Method for Determining Best-fitting HRTF Profiles

An approach is presented how to practically determine best-fitting HRTF profiles for individuals wearing conventional headphones and bone conduction headphones. The latter may be particularly useful for visually impaired people (e.g., for navigation applications), as the outer ear is not covered and the perception of environmental sounds is not affected. For a fast and user-friendly identification of best-fitting HRTFs, different tournament methods are compared. There are several studies that investigate (a) aspects of spatial sound perception with bone conduction headphones and (b) tournament systems as selection procedure for best-fitting HRTFs, but to our knowledge there is no study that analyzes the interdependence of (a) and (b). Compared with other tournament systems the swiss system tournament produces more accurate results than a knock-out tournament in less time than the round-robin tournament system. By matching the preferred HRTF profiles against each other early on, a direct comparison between these profiles can be achieved. In addition profiles disadvantaged by the randomized algorithm in earlier rounds are not excluded but still matched against similar profiles worth considering and still have a chance to compete in later rounds. Therefore the swiss system tournament offers a viable solution in determining fitting HRTF profiles.
“ Impact of Merger & Acquisition ” Ex-ante and Ex-post-Performance of Pakistani firms

The research in this study looks at the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and highlight insight about the performance impact of both financial and non-financial firms in Pakistan by using three financial ratios of Sixteen M&A in different industries have been observed from 2006-2013 reported on Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE). For quantitative techniques,SPSS 18 and data average method was used for analysis.Annual published reports of acquiring firms for the period of six years (3 years before M&A and 3 years after) combine have been used. While the acquired or merged small firms have been excluded due to the un -aviability of data concern . The study concludes that all the hypotheses of the financial performance of firms' have been rejected and identified declinig in post-M&A performance ratios. Result shows there is significant negative decline in ROA and ROE but some significant positive improvement is shown in NPM and size of firms after combination while increase in mean of both size and inflation rate has an significant negative effect on firms ROA and ROE ratios declined post M&A period.Over all result reveals the significant negative effect of M&A on the efficiency of firms in the post-M&A period.It can be said that better performance after M&A is not mandatory.
CERTIFIED FUNCTIONS FOR MESH GENERATION

Formal methods allow for building correct-by-construction software with provable guarantees. The formal development presented here resulted in certiﬁed executable functions for mesh generation. The term certiﬁed means that their correctness is established via an artifact, or certiﬁcate, which is a statement of these functions in a formal language along with the proofs of their correctness. The term is meaningful only when qualiﬁed by a speciﬁc set of properties that are proven. This manuscript elaborates on the precise statements of the properties being proven and their role in an implementation of a version of the Isosurface Stuﬃng algorithm by Labelle and Shewchuk. This work makes use of the Calculus of Inductive Constructions for deﬁning executable functions, stating their properties, and proving these properties via a direct examination of these functions (the property of liveness). The certiﬁcate is made available for inspection and execution using the Coq proof assistant.
Resveratrol Accumulation in Grapevine Infected with Grapevine Vein Necrosis Disease

Trans-resveratrol (4,3',5'-trishydroxystilbene) was identified in grapevine leaves with vein necrosis disease symptoms. The compound accumulates from 10 to 60 lag.g -~ (fresh mass) in infected leaves. It is supposed that the resistance of Vitis species to fungal infections is due to active defence mechanisms, which are triggered by the pathogen. Several antifungal substances which accumulate in grapevines as stress metabolites in response to infections by potential pathogens or to various forms of injury, have been associated with the resistance of vines to mildew and other diseases. Such responses include the production of a range of biosynthetically related diand oligomers of a simple stilbene, trans-resveratrol (4,3',5'-trishydroxy stilbene), collectively termed viniferins and of trans-pterostilbene (3,5-bismethoxy-4'-hydroxystilbene). In compatible interactions of Plasmopara viticola with susceptible cultivars of Vitis vinifera, the relative concentration of all these secondary metabolites is low in comparison to resistant species V. riparia, where e-viniferin, a-viniferin and resveratrol are accumulated more rapidly and in greater amounts (Langcake and Pryce, 1976, Langcake and Pryce 1977a,b, Langcake et al. 1979, Langcake 1981). Pool et al. (1981) confirmed the findings of Langcake and his coworkers. They identified a higher resveratrol concentration induced by UV light in Vitis cinerea a more resistant cultivar to Botrytis cinerea, than in Chelois x Ives a less resistant cultivar. Stein and Hoos (1984) found also a negative correlation between the stilbene production and the susceptibility to B. cinerea. Thus the elicitation of phytoalexins or other fungitoxic substances may represent an effective method for screening disease resistance in the grape breeding programme. The aim of our study was to isolate phytoalexins from the grapevine affected with grapevine vein necrosis disease, which is supposed to be a virus or by mycoplasma-like organisms induced disease (Bovey and Martelli 1986). Received June 28, 1990; accepted October 17, 1990
G-Causality Brain Connectivity Differences of Finger Movements between Motor Execution and Motor Imagery

Motor imagery is one of the classical paradigms which have been used in brain-computer interface and motor function recovery. Finger movement-based motor execution is a complex biomechanical architecture and a crucial task for establishing most complicated and natural activities in daily life. Some patients may suffer from alternating hemiplegia after brain stroke and lose their ability of motor execution. Fortunately, the ability of motor imagery might be preserved independently and worked as a backdoor for motor function recovery. The efficacy of motor imagery for achieving significant recovery for the motor cortex after brain stroke is still an open question. In this study, we designed a new paradigm to investigate the neural mechanism of thirty finger movements in two scenarios: motor execution and motor imagery. Eleven healthy participants performed or imagined thirty hand gestures twice based on left and right finger movements. The electroencephalogram (EEG) signal for each subject during sixty trials left and right finger motor execution and imagery were recorded during our proposed experimental paradigm. The Granger causality (G-causality) analysis method was employed to analyze the brain connectivity and its strength between contralateral premotor, motor, and sensorimotor areas. Highest numbers for G-causality trials of 37 ± 7.3, 35.5 ± 8.8, 36.3 ± 10.3, and 39.2 ± 9.0 and lowest Granger causality coefficients of 9.1 ± 3.2, 10.9 ± 3.7, 13.2 ± 0.6, and 13.4 ± 0.6 were achieved from the premotor to motor area during execution/imagination tasks of right and left finger movements, respectively. These results provided a new insight into motor execution and motor imagery based on hand gestures, which might be useful to build a new biomarker of finger motor recovery for partially or even completely plegic patients. Furthermore, a significant difference of the G-causality trial number was observed during left finger execution/imagery and right finger imagery, but it was not observed during the right finger execution phase. Significant difference of the G-causality coefficient was observed during left finger execution and imagery, but it was not observed during right finger execution and imagery phases. These results suggested that different MI-based brain motor function recovery strategies should be taken for right-hand and left-hand patients after brain stroke.