Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online POMDP with Heuristic Search and Sampling Applied to Real Time Strategy Games

Planning and decision making in real-time environments with resource constraints is a complex task. Real time strategy (RTS) games provide a rich domain with all these characteristics, as well as providing a testbed environment. In this work, a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) approach is proposed to deal with the planning and decision making problem in RTS games. The online version of POMDP is modified to work with two decision making fronts, which map macro actions present at different levels of abstraction in the game, the POMDP use heuristics and sample states respectively to manage the number of states and observations, and the approach adapts decisions when the POMDP model changes due to events in the environment. The results show success in planning and decision making in the game, with responses compatible with real-time constraints.
Simulation of the cold climate event 8200 years ago by meltwater outburst from Lake Agassiz

meltwater pulse is assumed to have a volume of 1.6 10 14 m 3 and a period of discharge of 2 years on the basis of glaciological modeling of the decay of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS). We present a possible mechanism which can explain the centennial duration of the 8.2 ka cold event. The mechanism is related to the existence of an additional equilibrium climate state with reduced North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation and a southward shift of the NADW formation area. Hints at the additional climate state were obtained from the largely varying duration of the pulse-induced cold episode in response to overlaid random freshwater fluctuations in Monte Carlo simulations. The model equilibrium state was attained by releasing a weak multicentury freshwater flux through the St. Lawrence pathway completed by the meltwater pulse. The existence of such a climate mode appears essential for reproducing climate anomalies in close agreement with paleoclimatic reconstructions of the 8.2 ka event. The results furthermore suggest that the temporal evolution of the cold event was partly a matter of chance. INDEX TERMS: 3344 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Paleoclimatology; 4255 Oceanography: General: Numerical modeling; 4532 Oceanography: Physical: General circulation; 4215 Oceanography: General: Climate and interannual variability (3309); 9325 Information Related to Geographic Region: Atlantic Ocean;
Hsp90 Is Essential for Chl1-Mediated Chromosome Segregation and Sister Chromatid Cohesion

Recently, Hsp90 functional loss has been linked to aneuploidy; however, until now none of the components of sister chromatid cohesion (SCC) have been demonstrated as the putative clients of Hsp90. In this study, we have established that Chl1, the protein which is involved in maintaining sister chromatid cohesion as well as in preventing chromosome loss, is a direct client of Hsp90. Thus, with understanding of the molecular mechanism, how Hsp90 controls the cohesion machinery might reveal new insights which can be exploited further for attenuation of tumorigenesis. ABSTRACT Recent studies have demonstrated that aberrant sister chromatid cohesion causes genomic instability and hence is responsible for the development of a tumor. The Chl1 (chromosome loss 1) protein (homolog of human ChlRl/DDX11 helicase) plays an essential role in the proper segregation of chromosomes during mitosis. The helicase activity of Chl1 is critical for sister chromatid cohesion. Our study demonstrates that Hsp90 interacts with Chl1 and is necessary for its stability. We observe that the Hsp90 nonfunctional condition (temperature-sensitive iG170Dhsp82 strain at restrictive temperature) induces proteasomal degradation of Chl1. We have mapped the domains of Chl1 and identified that the presence of domains II, III, and IV is essential for efficient interaction with Hsp90. We have demonstrated that Hsp90 inhibitor 17-AAG (17-allylamino-geldenamycin) causes destabilization of Chl1 protein and enhances significant disruption of sister chromatid cohesion, which is comparable to that observed under the Δchl1 condition. Our study also revealed that 17-AAG treatment causes an increased frequency of chromosome loss to a similar extent as that of the Δchl1 cells. Hsp90 functional loss has been earlier linked to aneuploidy with very poor mechanistic insight. Our result identifies Chl1 as a novel client of Hsp90, which could be further explored to gain mechanistic insight into aneuploidy. IMPORTANCE Recently, Hsp90 functional loss has been linked to aneuploidy; however, until now none of the components of sister chromatid cohesion (SCC) have been demonstrated as the putative clients of Hsp90. In this study, we have established that Chl1, the protein which is involved in maintaining sister chromatid cohesion as well as in preventing chromosome loss, is a direct client of Hsp90. Thus, with understanding of the molecular mechanism, how Hsp90 controls the cohesion machinery might reveal new insights which can be exploited further for attenuation of tumorigenesis.
Probabilistic Analysis for Economic Models – Applying Game Theory to Horse Racing

Economic models can appear in real-life scenarios in common but unexpected places. One commonly associates the study of economic theory with big money ventures such as the stocks and securities market. In fact, economic theory can also be applied to the field of gambling, where the manipulation of numbers and odds determine the big decisions to be made. Casino gambling games such as blackjack and roulette have been long well explored under game theory due to their inherent mathematical nature. Lottery and other games of chance too, are big havens for game theorists.
Anorectal Manometry in Defecatory Disorders: A Comparative Analysis of High-resolution Pressure Topography and Waveform Manometry

Background/Aims Whether high-resolution anorectal pressure topography (HRPT), having better fidelity and spatio-temporal resolution is comparable to waveform manometry (WM) in the diagnosis and characterization of defecatory disorders (DD) is not known. Methods Patients with chronic constipation (Rome III) were evaluated for DD with HRPT and WM during bearing-down “on-bed” without inflated rectal balloon and “on-commode (toilet)” with 60-mL inflated rectal balloon. Eleven healthy volunteers were also evaluated. Results Ninety-three of 117 screened participants (F/M = 77/16) were included. Balloon expulsion time was abnormal (> 60 seconds) in 56% (mean 214.4 seconds). A modest correlation between HRPT and WM was observed for sphincter length (R = 0.4) and likewise agreement between dyssynergic subtypes (κ = 0.4). During bearing down, 2 or more anal pressure-segments (distal and proximal) could be appreciated and their expansion measured with HRPT but not WM. In constipated vs healthy participants, the proximal segment was more expanded (2.0 cm vs 1.0 cm, P = 0.003) and of greater pressure (94.8 mmHg vs 54.0 mmHg, P = 0.010) during bearing down on-commode but not on-bed. Conclusions Because of its better resolution, HRPT may identify more structural and functional abnormalities including puborectal dysfunction (proximal expansion) than WM. Bearing down on-commode with an inflated rectal balloon may provide additional dimension in characterizing DD.
Efficient Local Search for Maximum Weight Cliques in Large Graphs

In this paper, we develop a local search algorithm to solve the Maximum Weight Clique (MWC) problem. Firstly we design a novel scoring function to measure the benefits of a local move. Then we develop a Cycle Estimation based ReStart (CERS) strategy to resolve the cycling issue in the local search process. Experimental results show that our solver achieves state-of-the-art performances on the large sparse graphs as well as large dense graphs. Also we present a theorem which shows the necessity of the restart strategies in current state-of-the-art local search algorithms.
Photosynthetic performance of Salvinia natans exposed to chromium and zinc rich wastewater

Investigations were carried out to evaluate alterations in photosynthetic performance of Salvinia natans (L.) exposed to chromium (Cr) and zinc (Zn) rich wastewater. Accumulation of high levels of Cr and Zn in plants affected photosynthetic electron transport. Photosystem- (PS) II-mediated electron transport was enhanced in plants exposed to Cr rich wastewater while a decline was observed in Zn-exposed plants. Photosystem-I-mediated electron transport increased in plants exposed to Cr and Zn rich wastewater. Efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) measured by fluorescence did not show any significant change in Cr-exposed plants but a decrease was observed in Zn-exposed plants as compared to the control. The enhancement in PS I-induced cyclic electron transport in Cr and Zn exposed plants led to a build up of the transthylakoidal proton gradient (DpH) which subsequently helped in maintaining the photophosphorylation potential to meet the additional requirement of ATP under stress. The carbon assimilation potential was adversely affected as evident from the decrease in Rubisco (EC 4.1.1.39) activity. The alterations in photosynthetic electron transport affected stromal redox status and induced variations in the level of stromal components such as pyridine nucleotides in plants exposed to Cr and Zn rich wastewater. The present investigations revealed that alteration in the photosynthetic efficiency of Salvinia exposed to Cr could primarily be the result of a decline in carbon assimilation efficiency relative to light-mediated photosynthetic electron transport, though in the case of Zn-exposed plants both these factors were affected equally.
Identification of seed coat phenolic compounds from differently colored pea varieties and characterization of their antioxidant activity

The phenolic composition of seed coats in four differently colored pea varieties (Pisum sativum L.) was investigated using UHPLC-LTQ OrbiTrap MS. The obtained findings revealed that the seed coats of the examined pea genotypes possess a unique phenolic composition compared to previously studied European cultivars. In total, 41 phenolic compounds have been identified. The seed coats of the studied cultivars contained certain amounts of rosmarinic acid, rutin, galangin, morin, naringin, hesperetin and pinocembrin as well as ten flavonol glycosides that had not been reported previously. Additionally, the total phenolic content, antioxidant activity and metal chelating capacity of extracts was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu’s method, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay, ferric ion-reducing capacity and ferrous ion-chelating capacity assay, respectively. Dark colored genotypes MBK 168 and MBK 173 possessed the highest total phenolic contents as well the strongest antioxidant activities. On the other hand, bright colored genotypes MBK 88 and MBK 90 exhibited the strongest metal-chelating capacities. The examined pea seed coats may be considered as important potential contributors to human health due to the presence of bioactive phenolic constituents. In addition, our results could be used as a guideline for breeding new pea cultivars with high antioxidant activities applicable in the formulation of functional food products. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173005 i br. 172017]
Mobile Commerce Applications and Adoption for Kuwait

This paper focuses on Mobile Commerce and its effects on businesses and the traditional shopping behavior in the community. It specifically handles different online food ordering platforms, and the factors of people accepting and adopting Mobile Commerce in Kuwait. It hypothesizes that most significant factors which influence acceptance and adoption of mobile commerce in Kuwait are: social influence, ease of use and online payment method. The empirical data was collected through a survey from mobile device users. The survey was designed and a total of 132 responses were used for data analysis.
Montclair State University Digital Montclair State University Digital Commons Commons

—Recent advances in AI include a Law firm hiring a robot lawyer and companies developing autonomous vehicles with robot drivers. Findings from our study have gauged the current cognitive capacity of such systems, indicating areas for improvement. We focus on autonomous vehicles, i.e., those that conduct automated driving and need to make autonomous, i.e., independent decisions. We propose an approach enabled with commonsense knowledge (CSK) from worldwide repositories to simulate intuitive humanlike decision-making in autonomous vehicles. We consider the repository WebChild with a multitude of CSK concepts, properties and relations. We investigate this and related domain-specific knowledge bases (domain KBs) to harness them within our proposed approach. Accordingly we build a transportation domain KB incorporating CSK and the needs of autonomous vehicles. This would be useful in guiding automated driving and making the systems get closer to the thresholds of human cognition. This work thereby makes contributions to smart mobility in smart cities. The paper presents our vision with design, implementation, experiments, recommendations and a future roadmap. As a broader impact, it propels more joint work between AI, Law and related areas.
Differential diagnosis of knee pain following a surgically induced lumbosacral plexus stretch injury. A case report

ABSTRACT Background and Purpose: Knee joint biomechanics requires an understanding of lower extremity (LE) segmental interactions. In some cases, knee pain may arise as a result of altered LE biomechanics; while in other cases, knee pain may stem from other causes, such as a peripheral nerve injury. Case Description: A 33-year-old woman presented via direct access for physical therapist (PT) examination with a chief complaint of left knee pain. The day after undergoing a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure the patient had an acute onset of gait dysfunction. Over the next few days, the patient developed left anterior knee pain (7/10 at worst) in addition to a significant change in physical functioning (Lower Extremity Functional Scale [LEFS] 38/80). Physical examination revealed left LE weakness, altered sensation, and an absent Achilles deep tendon reflex. Outcomes: The patient’s presentation was consistent with a lumbosacral plexus stretch injury, with S1 being most affected. A physiatrist was consulted and recommended initiating PT treatment with bi-weekly re-examination. The 6-week (14 visits) re-examination revealed abolished left knee pain and improved physical functioning (LEFS 66/80). Conclusion: Stretch injuries are a known complication of lithotomy positioning. Knowledge of this and the addition of a thorough examination allowed the PT to identify the possible cause of the patient’s abrupt onset of left LE dysfunction. Regardless of mode of patient access, screening for referral is crucial and may include referral or, as in this case, consultation with other professionals.
Thermal conductivity measurement of diamond and β-Ga2O3 thin films by a 3ω method

Ga<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>, is one of the promising candidates as wide bandgap material, having potential advantage over SiC and GaN. The low thermal conductivity of Ga<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> is a major drawback, however, there are not much reports for thermal conductivity measurement for Ga<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> thin films. In this study, the thermal conductivity of a single-crystal and polycrystalline diamond and a single-crystal β-Ga<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>[−201] free-standing substrate was evaluated by the 3ω method. 23.3, 1810, and 1380 W/m-K, were obtained as thermal conductivity of β-Ga<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> [−201], Ila-type single crystal diamond, and polycrystalline diamond, respectively.
A novel scheme to determine the architecture of a multilayer perceptron

We propose a method for optimizing the architecture of a multilayer perceptron (MLP) network. The proposed scheme is a variation of the MLP architecture, in which each neuron's output is modulated by an efficiency factor associated with that node. Nodes with low efficiency factor literally do not participate in the network. We compute the efficiency of a node using a multiplier function with a learnable parameter, which we call the multiplier of that node. Values of the multipliers are learned by a gradient descent along with the weights, aiming to minimize the mean square error. Training starts with all node efficiencies set very low so that there is literally no connection between any of the neurons in the net. As the learning progresses, gradually some of the nodes start acquiring high efficiencies. Training is terminated when performance of the network is satisfactory. At the end of the training nodes with low efficiency are eliminated and a near optimal architectural size for the MLP is obtained. Effectiveness of the proposed scheme is demonstrated on several data-sets.
A selfish genetic element confers non-Mendelian inheritance in rice

Sterility in rice via toxin and antidote Crossing wild and domestic rice often results in hybrid sterility. Such genetic barriers can prevent the movement of potentially beneficial genes from wild rice into domestic varieties. To understand the barriers preventing gene flow, Yu et al. mapped a quantitative trait locus (QTL) that determines sterility between wild-type and domestic rice. This QTL encodes two open reading frames (ORFs) that are both expressed during gametogenesis. The ORFs encode a toxin, which affects the development of pollen, and an antidote, which is required for pollen viability. Thus, selfish genetic elements can underlie evolutionary strategies that facilitate reproductive isolation. Science, this issue p. 1130 A toxin-antidote system with a role in postzygotic reproductive isolation of different wild and cultivated rice species is described. Selfish genetic elements are pervasive in eukaryote genomes, but their role remains controversial. We show that qHMS7, a major quantitative genetic locus for hybrid male sterility between wild rice (Oryza meridionalis) and Asian cultivated rice (O. sativa), contains two tightly linked genes [Open Reading Frame 2 (ORF2) and ORF3]. ORF2 encodes a toxic genetic element that aborts pollen in a sporophytic manner, whereas ORF3 encodes an antidote that protects pollen in a gametophytic manner. Pollens lacking ORF3 are selectively eliminated, leading to segregation distortion in the progeny. Analysis of the genetic sequence suggests that ORF3 arose first, followed by gradual functionalization of ORF2. Furthermore, this toxin-antidote system may have promoted the differentiation and/or maintained the genome stability of wild and cultivated rice.
A Lazy Algorithm to Efficiently Approximate Singleton Path Consistency for Qualitative Constraint Networks

Partial singleton (weak) path consistency, or partial ♦-consistency, for a qualitative constraint network, ensures that the process of instantiating any constraint of that network with any of its base relations b and enforcing partial (weak) path consistency, or partial ⋄-consistency, in the updated network, yields a partially ⋄-consistent subnetwork where the respective constraint is still defined by b. This local consistency is essential for helping to decide the satisfiability of challenging qualitative constraint networks and has been shown to play a crucial role in tackling more demanding problems associated with a given qualitative constraint network, such as the problem of minimal labeling. One of the main downsides to using partial ♦-consistency, is that it is computationally expensive to enforce in a given qualitative constraint network, as, despite being a local consistency in principle, it retains a global scope of the network at hand. In this paper, we propose a lazy algorithm that restricts the singleton checks associated with partial ♦-consistency to constraints that are likely to lead to the removal of a base relation upon their propagation. A key feature of this algorithm is that it collectively eliminates certain unfeasible base relations by exploiting singleton checks. Further, we show that the closure that is obtained by our algorithm is incomparable to the one that is entailed by partial ♦-consistency and non-unique in general. We demonstrate the efficiency of our algorithm via an experimental evaluation with random Interval Algebra networks from the phase transition region of two separate models and, moreover, show that it can exhibit very similar pruning capability for such networks to the one of an algorithm for enforcing partial ♦-consistency.
Hepatoprotective Potentiality of Various Fractions of Ethanolic Extracts of Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Leaves Against Chemical-Induced Hepatitis in Rats

Liver is a metabolically active organ responsible for many vital life functions. More than 900 drugs, toxins, and herbs have been reported to cause liver injury. In spite of tremendous advances in modern medicine, there are hardly any reliable drugs that protect the liver from damage and/or help in regeneration of hepatic cell. It is, therefore, necessary to search for effective and safe herbal drugs for the treatment of liver disease. In the present study, we investigated the hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extracts of various fractions (Ethyl acetate, Petroleum ether and Chloroform) of Lowsonia inermis leaves in carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced hepatitis rats. Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats by intraperitoneal injection of CCl 4 on alternate days for 7 days. After 7 days of pretreatment of test extracts, the biochemical markers such as Serum bilirubin, Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (SGPT), Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (SGOT) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), were examined. The extracts at the doses of 200 mg/kg p.o. significantly (P 4 -treated group alone. The findings of the study indicate that the leaf extract of L. inermis showed a potential hepatoprotective activity and the protective action might be manifested by reducing the oxidative stress as the leaf extracts possess flavonoid and phenolic compounds which have free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity. However, further study is necessary uncovering the exact molecular mechanism of hepatoprotective activity.
Adaptation in conflict: are conflict-triggered control adjustments protected in the presence of motivational distractors?

ABSTRACT Solving a conflict between two response options in an interference task has been found to increase control in a subsequent conflict situation. The present research examined whether such conflict adaptation persists in the presence of distractors that have motivational relevance and are therefore competing for attentional resources (i.e. they signal opportunities for monetary gains or losses contingent on overall task performance). In an adjusted flanker task, motivational (versus neutral versus no) distractors were presented together with the current trial while the previous trial never included any distractor. Accumulated evidence across three studies showed that motivational distractors reduced the conflict adaptation effect. This was found irrespective of the location at which the distractor occurred (Study 1), and independent of its valence (i.e. reward or loss, Study 2). Study 3 and a merged data analysis ruled out low-level alternative explanations. In line with a dual competition account (Pessoa, L. (2009). How do emotion and motivation direct executive control? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(4), 160–166. doi:10.1016/j.tics. 2009.01. 006), our results show that conflict adaptation is not fully protected in the presence of motivational distractors. We discuss whether this should be interpreted as a limitation, or as reflecting the flexibility of the control system in dealing with motivationally relevant information.