Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is consciousness inherently unstable? An iterated data rate theorem model of high metabolic demand in neural tissues

Evolutionary process has selected for inherently unstable physiological systems in higher animals that can react swiftly to patterns of threat or affordance, for example blood pressure and the immune response. However, these require ongoing strict regulation: unregulated blood pressure is fatal, and immune cells can attack ‘self’ tissues. Consciousness, perhaps the most sophisticated rapid large-scale neural process, demands high rates of metabolic free energy to both operate and regulate the basic physiological machinery. Both the ‘stream of consciousness’ and the ‘riverbanks’ that confine it to useful realms are constructed and reconstructed moment-by-moment in response to highly dynamic internal and environmental circumstances. Using an information bottleneck method that links control and information theories, it is relatively easy to show that rapid response based on instability and its stabilization will always require high rates of metabolic free energy. In sum, neural structures in higher animals are highly ‘coevolutionary’, responding both to environmental signals and to signals from other physiological systems, and stabilizing coevolutionary cognitive structures is as difficult as programming them. Consciousness appears fundamentally unstable, and the necessary synergism between conscious action and its regulation underlies the ten-fold higher rate of metabolic energy consumption in human neural tissues. Implications for the etiology of certain psychiatric disorders are obvious.
Scaled solar tracks and isochrones in a large region of the Z-Y plane. II. From 2.5 to 20 solar masses

We extend our theoretical computations for low-mass stars to intermediate-mass and massive stars, for which few databases exist in the literature. Evolutionary tracks and isochrones are computed for initial masses $2.50{-}20~M_{\odot}$ for a grid of 37 chemical compositions with metal content Z between 0.0001 and 0.070 and helium content Y between 0.23 and 0.40 to enable users to obtain isochrones for ages as young as about 10 7 years and to simulate stellar populations with different helium-to-metal enrichment laws. The Padova stellar evolution code is identical to that used in the first paper of this series. Synthetic TP-AGB models allow stellar tracks and isochrones to be extended until the end of the thermal pulses along the AGB. We provide software tools for the bidimensional interpolation (in Y and Z ) of the isochrones from very old ages down to about 10 7 years. This lower limit depends on chemical composition. The extension of the blue loops and the instability strip of Cepheid stars are compared and the Cepheid mass-discrepancy is discussed. The location of red supergiants in the H-R diagram is in good agreement with the evolutionary tracks for masses from 10 to $20~M_{\odot}$. Tracks and isochrones are available in tabular form for the adopted grid of chemical compositions in the extended plane $Z-Y$ in three photometric systems. An interactive web interface allows users to obtain isochrones of any chemical composition inside the provided $Z-Y$ range and also to simulate stellar populations with different $Y(Z)$ helium-to-metal enrichment laws.
A TEI Schema for the Representation of Computer-mediated Communication

The paper presents an XML schema for the representation of genres of computer-mediated communication (CMC) that is compliant with the encoding framework defined by the TEI. It was designed for the annotation of CMC documents in the project Deutsches Referenzkorpus zur internetbasierten Kommunikation (DeRiK), which aims at building a corpus on language use in the most popular CMC genres on the German-speaking Internet. The focus of the schema is on those CMC genres which are written and dialogic―such as forums, bulletin boards, chats, instant messaging, wiki and weblog discussions, microblogging on Twitter, and conversation on “social network” sites. The schema provides a representation format for the main structural features of CMC discourse as well as elements for the annotation of those units regarded as “typical” for language use on the Internet. The schema introduces an element , which describes stretches of text that are sent to the server by a user at a certain point in time. Postings are the main constituting elements of threads and logfiles, which, in our schema, are the two main types of CMC macrostructures. For the microlevel of CMC documents (that is, the structure of the content), the schema introduces elements for selected features of Internet jargon such as emoticons, interaction words and addressing terms. It allows for easy anonymization of CMC data for purposes in which the annotated data are made publicly available and includes metadata which are necessary for referencing random excerpts from the data as references in dictionary entries or as results of corpus queries. Documentation of the schema as well as encoding examples can be retrieved from the web at http://www.empirikom. net/bin/view/Themen/CmcTEI. The schema is meant to be a core model for representing CMC that can be modified and extended by others according to their own specific perspectives on CMC data. It could be a first step towards an integration of features for the representation of CMC genres into a future new version of the TEI Guidelines.
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES

Although Giardia duodenalis is one of the most common intestinal protozoan parasites world-wide, the pathogenesis of giardiasis is not understood. An attempt to correlate parasite excretory-secretory products with changes in the intestinal mucosa using an in vitro cell model was carried out to better understand this aspect of the pathogenesis. Maltase activity and protein concentration obtained from a confluent monolayer of Caco-2 cells after co-incubation with parasite filtrates were examined and compared. Appropriate controls were also assayed. Using this Caco-2 in vitro model, a significant reduction in both maltase activity and protein concentration (P<0.05) of Caco-2 cells was observed following co-incubation with the WB Giardia isolate filtrate. This effect was observed in three experiments carried out in triplicate. Reduction in maltase activity and protein concentration was as a result of co-incubating Caco-2 cells with WB parasite filtrate (absence of trophozoites) and was apparent within 48 hours of co-incubation of Caco-2 cells. Following Caco-2 monolayer co-incubation experiments with filtrates from four other Giardia parasite isolates (obtained originally from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients) a significant reduction (P<0.05) in protein concentration of Caco-2 cells was observed for one of the three (WH, symptomatic) isolates tested. No change in Caco-2 maltase was noted in this experiment. Growth curve analysis of various Giardia isolates was also carried out. Results showed that the isolates fell into two growth curve patterns (slow and fast growers). Differences in in vitro growth dynamics were found between the isolates. Growth curve patterns, however, did not predict either type of host source (symptomatic vs asymptomatic) or
Analysis of inequality in the consumption of foodstuffs and beverages – the example of the Czech Republic

The report focuses on the assessment of the rate of inequality in the consumption of foodstuffs and beverages by households in the Czech Republic. It analyzes the said inequality on the basis of data from the Family Account Statistics for the period of 2001–2009. The main methodical tools for the performed analysis are the quantification of the Gini coefficient of natural consumption and the consumption expenditures for foodstuffs and beverages of Czech households, the construction, quantification and verification of consumption functions. The obtained results evidence a greater balance in the consumption of foodstuffs and beverages than which is shown by the allocation of the overall expenditures or income of Czech households. At the same time, the said inequality in the consumption of foodstuffs and beverages is characterized by a slightly declining tendency in time. With regard to individual categories of foodstuffs and beverages, the greatest inequality can be defined in the case of dispensable commodities, which are consumed by quantitatively wealthier strata of the population, who are simultaneously willing to pay a higher price for them. Thus, for a number of commodities, we can note the greater quality of foodstuffs and beverages consumed by higher income groups. These commodities may primarily be characterized as having a greater price elasticity. On the other hand, there are foodstuffs in the case of which consumers react more flexibly to changes in income, but whose consumption is relatively stable. Therefore, inequality of consumption is not unequivocally associated with income elasticity, but rather with price elasticity.
Participation versus nonparticipation in a charity running event

Hosting sport events to raise money for charitable causes has become pervasive, yet we know little about why individuals choose to participate or not. This study examined the differences between participants and nonparticipants of a hallmark small-scale charity running event. Data were collected via an online survey containing measures of charity event participation frequency, enduring involvement, negotiation efficacy, family support, running participation patterns, and demographics. Nonparticipants were also asked about event-related participation constraints. The sample was comprised of N=322 event participants and N=112 nonparticipants (committed runners). A one-way ANOVA demostrated no statistically significant differences between the two independent samples with respect to the variables of interest. Nonparticipants indicated relatively low constraints to event participation. The most commonly reported constraints solicited in an open-ended question format were injuries and participation in an alternative event. Findings revealed that event participants and nonparticipants are very similar in terms of their running participation patterns. However, definite nonnegotiable constraints or preplanned involvement with other events inhibited participation in the studied event. Over time, this can results in either the expansion or contraction of their involvement in the running event. By illuminating nonnegotiable constraints, this study may help event organizers improve planning and management towards event sustainability.
First-principles study of defects and adatoms in silicon carbide honeycomb structures

We present a study of mechanical, electronic and magnetic properties of two-dimensional (2D), monolayer of silicon carbide (SiC) in honeycomb structure and its quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) armchair nanoribbons using first-principles plane-wave method. In order to reveal dimensionality effects, a brief study of three-dimensional (3D) bulk and 1D atomic chain of SiC are also included. Calculated bond-lengths, cohesive energies, charge transfers and band gaps display a clear dimensionality effect. The stability analysis based on the calculation of phonon frequencies indicates that 2D SiC monolayer is stable in planar geometry. We found that 2D SiC monolayer in honeycomb structure and its bare and hydrogen passivated nanoribbons are ionic, nonmagnetic, wide band gap semiconductors. The band gap is further increased upon self-energy corrections. The mechanical properties are investigated using the strain energy calculations. The effect of various vacancy defects, adatoms, and substitutional impurities on electronic and magnetic properties in 2D SiC monolayer and in its armchair nanoribbons is also investigated. Some of these vacancy defects and impurities, which are found to influence physical properties and attain magnetic moments, can be used to functionalize SiC honeycomb structures.
Inhomogeneous Metal Distribution in the Intra-Cluster Medium

The hot gas that fills the space between galaxies in clusters is rich in metals. In their large potential wells, galaxy clusters accumulate metals over the whole cluster history and hence they retain important information on cluster formation and evolution. We use a sample of 5 cool core clusters to study the distribution of metals in the ICM. We investigate whether the X-ray observations yield good estimates for the metal mass and whether the heavy elements abundances are consistent with a certain relative fraction of SN Ia to SNCC. We derive detailed metallicity maps of the clusters from XMM - Newton observations and we use them as a measure for the metal mass in the ICM. We determine radial profiles for several elements and using population synthesis and chemical enrichment models, we study the agreement between the measured abundances and the theoretical yields. We show that even in relaxed clusters the distribution of metals show a lot of inhomogeneities. Using metal maps usually gives a metal mass 10-30% higher than the metal mass computed using a single extraction region, hence it is expected that most previous metal mass determination have underestimated metal mass. The abundance ratio of {\alpha}-elements to Fe, even in the central parts of clusters, are consistent with an enrichment due to the combination of SN Ia and SNCC.
Developing a Sustainable Practical Model of Graduate Employability for Higher Education

The purpose of this paper is to evolve a sustainable practical model of employability skills that is sure to capture relevant learning aspects of a particular occupational discipline to be used as framework for Undergraduate students to develop their employability potentials. The study was conducted in three Universities and Polytechnics each with three multi-national companies. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Using purposeful sampling 18 academic staff and 3 professionals representing company employers were selected as the study participants. The study evolved a model that is work-based, explicit in its outcome, fully articulated and realistic in terms of employability skill experiences. The proposed model can be used to establish a common higher education programme or curricula that is work-based and skill experience oriented, that can encourage students in higher education to think about work place learning more explicitly and reflectively, that will in turn help them to develop a broad range of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values, each of which ultimately contribute in some manner to graduate employability. The paper is considered a contribution to the evolution and growth of knowledge on the linkage between higher education and workplace, through which the ‘skill gap’ occurring between the demand of employment and the level of educational preparation of graduates can be bridged.
A methodology for measuring the relative effectiveness of healthcare services

In this paper we propose a methodology for measuring the ‘relative effectiveness’ of healthcare services (i.e. the effect of hospital care on patients) under general conditions, in which: a) a healthcare outcome underlies qualitative and quantitative observable indicators; s) we are interested in studying the simultaneous dependency of multiple outcomes on covariates (where the outcomes can also be correlated to each other); ? ) the relative effectiveness is adjusted for hospital-specific covariates; d) we hypothesise a general distribution for random disturbances and the random parameters of relative effectiveness. For this topic, a generalisation of the SURE (seemingly unrelated regression equations) multilevel model is proposed. The solutions are obtained by means of Bayesian inference methods. Since there is currently no software available to estimate this model, an SAS procedure based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods has been developed by the authors, in line with Goldstein & Spiegelhalter (1996, J. R. Stat. Soc. Ser. A, 159, 385–443), Spiegelhalter et al. (1996, Bayesian Using Gibbs Sampling Manual. Cambridge: MRC Biostatistic Unit, Institute of Public Health) and Albert & Chib (1997, J. Am. Stat. Assoc., 92, 916–925). In addition, a new theoretical result regarding the joint posterior distribution for the parameters is provided. The model proposed has been implemented for an effectiveness study of a selection of Lombard hospitals.
Cascaded Trust Network-based Block-Incremental Recommendation Strategy

Accurate recommendation can effectively bridge sellers and buyers. Because the computation complexity and storage complexity of static data-oriented recommendation algorithms are very high, researchers have recently explored streaming recommendation systems. However, streaming recommendation wastes large quantities of computation resources in quick response and is not suitable for seasonable-dependent situations. Therefore, this paper presents a block incremental recommendation strategy. First, a cascaded trust network construction method is presented, which is realized by using a distrust relationship to purify and predict users' trust relationships. Then, the social regularization is improved by comprehensively considering the cascaded trust relationship, the behavior bias of users and items. Finally, a block-incremental recommendation algorithm called ITDBMF is proposed, which uses the Ebbinghaus forgetting function to decay incremental rating blocks and simultaneously considers incremental social relationships. Experimental results show that the incremental recommendation strategy given in this paper can not only outperform benchmark algorithms in prediction accuracy, but also save storage of remote data and matrix factorization time.
A Survey On Genetic Algorithm For Intrusion Detection System

The Internet has become a part of daily life and an essential tool today. Internet has been used as an important component of business models. Therefore, It is very important to maintain a high level security to ensure safe and trusted communication of information between various organizations. Intrusion Detection Systems have become a needful component in terms of computer and network security. Intrusion detection is one of the important security constraints for maintaining the integrity of information. Intrusion detection systems are the tools used for prevention and detection of threats to computer systems. Various approaches have been applied in past that are less effective to curb the menace of intrusion. In this paper, a survey on applications of genetic algorithms in intrusion detection systems is carried out.
Impact of Social Capital on the Psychological Well-Being of Adolescents

This study examines the impact of social capital and individual/family characteristics on the psychological well-being of 12- to 17-year-old adolescents in the United States. The data were provided by the National Survey of America’s Families (NSAF). In order to examine the abovementioned effects, social capital as well as individual/family characteristics are included using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. The findings are important since empirical validation of the theoretical relationship between social capital and individual/family characteristics, as well as the psychological well-being of adolescents, is not found in the literature. The concept of social capital in the literature is only elaborated as having three distinct dimensions (bonding, bridging, and linking), which suggests that further research using measurement models should focus on these dimensions in order to explore whether a more precise relationship can be discovered.
TNW 2008-03 Research Project Agreement No . 61-2307 Optimization-Based Methods for Road Image Registration

A number of transportation agencies are now relying on direct imaging for monitoring and cataloguing the state of their roadway systems. Images provide objective information to characterize the pavement as well as roadside hardware. The tasks of processing, interpreting, and assessing the condition of the pavement from image data sets poses formidable challenges however. Not only are the data sets extremely large but they are not taken under ideal conditions neither in geometric location and alignment, nor in photometric consistency due to a number of factors including the inaccuracy of dead reckoning as well as the dynamics of the collection vehicles. The resulting images provide, in essence, a set of independent overlapping snapshots of regions of the pavement that must be merged together to produce the continuous mosaic that is needed for automated analysis and interpretation. This requires the registration of these images. Registration the problem of aligning features in one image/view to corresponding features in another image/view of the same object. Registration brings independent images into the same reference frame. To be effective, this process must be automated requiring minimal or no user intervention. In this work, we describe a non-parametric optimization procedure that is capable of producing general nonlinear deformations to register multiple images so they can be merged, compared and analyzed. 17.
Modified maximum likelihood estimationof tobit models with fixed effects:theory and an application to earningsequations

This paper starts from the orthogonalization method proposed by Cox and Reid which is applied to the Tobit model panel for data with fixed eects. Neyman and Scott showed that, generally, the maximum likelihood estimator is incon- sistent (the incidental parameter problem). The methodology explained here recovers the use of the log-likelihood function to solve this problem taking ad- vantage of the time-series dimension of panel data. For the Tobit model we show when is it possible to recover the orthogonal parameters, and study the characteristics of the estimators obtained with simulation methods. Also, an illustration for earnings equations has been performed.
Effects of soil erosion and deposition on soil organic carbon dynamics at a sloping field in Black Soil region, Northeast China

Abstract Soil erosion transports light density and fine particle soil material from hills down to low-lying land areas, which can lead to carbon loss and subsequent sequestration. In the present paper, the profile distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil 13C natural abundance (δ13C) were analyzed across five geomorphic positions, distributed along a typical rolling farmland in the Black Soil region of Northeast China. The contents of particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC) at each geomorphic position were measured with physical fraction method. The results showed that soil erosion decreased 5.3–22.4% of SOC and increased 4.0–6.1% of δ13C of surface soils at the eroding sites. At the typical depositional sites, SOC content and δ13C value in the buried surface layer were 1.5 times and 1.1 times as much as those of the current plough layer, respectively. Soil erosion did not change the POC content, but MOC content decreased by 9.3–35.2%. At the eroding sites, the coefficient of determination between soil δ13C and MOC (R 2 = 0.52) was higher than that between soil δ13C and POC (R 2 = 0.37). Our study indicated that soil erosion decreased SOC content and increased δ13CSOC in surface layer mainly through transferring fine sized and 13C-depleted SOC fraction. Deep burial and re-aggregation of eroded materials at depositional sites were in favor of stabilization and sequestration of SOC.