Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Amplitude Modulation of Cerebral Rhythms based Method in a Motor Task BCI Paradigm

Quantitative evaluation based on amplitude modulation analysis of electroencephalographic signals is proposed for a brain computer interface paradigm. The method allows characterization of the interaction effects of different frequency bands in the electroencephalographic rhythms during motor tasks. A new index was proposed and computed to be a measure of the amplitude modulation. Built on this index, features vector are established for training different classification algorithms. Signals recorded from 50 subjects revealed important differences in amplitude modulations between motor tasks. Most notably, Theta modulation of the Theta and Alpha rhythms proved to be reliable discriminant features between different mental tasks.
Was a cloud-cloud collision the trigger of the recent star formation in Serpens?

Context. The complexity of the interstellar medium (ISM) is such that it is unlikely that star formation is initiated in the same way in all molecular clouds. While some clouds seem to collapse on their own, others may be triggered by an external event such as a cloud/flow collision forming a gravitationally unstable enhanced density layer. Aims. This work tests cloud-cloud collisions as the triggering mechanism for star formation in the Serpens Main Cluster as has been suggested by previous work. Methods. A set of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of the collision between two cylindrical clouds are performed and compared to (sub)millimetre observations of the Serpens Main Cluster. Results. A configuration was found that reproduces many of the observed characteristics of Serpens, including some of the main features of the peculiar velocity field. The evolution of the velocity with position throughout the model is similar to the observed one and the column density and masses within the modelled cloud agree with those measured for the SE sub-cluster. Furthermore, our results also show that an asymmetric collision provides the ingredients to reproduce lower density filaments perpendicular to the main structure, similar to those observed. In this scenario, the formation of the NW sub-cluster of Serpens can be reproduced only if there is a pre-existing marginally gravitationally unstable region at the time the collision occurs. Conclusions. This work supports the interpretation that a collision between two clouds may have been the trigger of the most recent burst of star formation in Serpens. It not only explains the complicated velocity structure seen in the region, but also the temperature differences between the north (in “isolated” collapse) and the south (resulting from the shock between the clouds). In addition it provides an explanation for the sources in the south having a larger spread in age than those in the north.
Destination Branding: Insights and Practices from Destination Management Organizations

Although the concept of branding has been applied extensively to products and services, tourism destination branding is a relatively recent phenomenon. In particular, destination branding remains narrowly defined to many practitioners in destination management organizations (DMOs) and is not well represented in the tourism literature. Consequently, this study has three goals. First, it attempts to review the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of branding as conveyed by leading authors in the marketing field. Second, it seeks to refine and enhance the definition of destination branding (acceptable to and understood by tourism destination managers) to more fully represent the complexities of the tourism product. Third, and most importantly, it seeks to improve our understanding of current destination branding practices among DMOs. The findings indicate that although DMO executives generally understand the concept of destination branding, respondents are implementing only selective aspects of this concept, particularly logo design and development.
Trade and Economic Growth: Evidence on the Role of Complementarities for Cafta-Dr Countries

This paper examines the effects of trade on growth among Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement countries. To accomplish this task, the authors collected a panel data set of 136 countries over 1960-2010, and estimated cross-country growth regressions using an econometric methodology that accounts for unobserved effects and the likely endogeneity of the growth determinants. Following recent empirical efforts, they tested whether the impact of trade openness on growth may be more effective after surpassing a"minimum threshold"in specific areas closely related to economic development. The analysis finds not only that there is a robust causal link from trade to growth, but also that the growth benefits from trade are larger in countries with higher levels of education and innovation, deeper financial markets, a stronger institutional framework, more developed infrastructure networks, a high level of integration with world capital markets, and less stringent economic regulations. On average,rising trade has benefited growth in Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement countries. However, the lack of progress in structural reforms has not allowed these countries to maximize the potential benefits from trade.
A Rapid and Reproducible Genomic DNA Extraction Protocol for Sequence-Based Identification of Archaea, Bacteria, Cyanobacteria, Diatoms, Fungi, and Green Algae

Background : Sequence-based identification of various microorganisms including Archaea, Bacteria, Cyanobacteria, Diatoms, Fungi, and green algae necessitates an efficient and reproducible genome extraction procedure though which a pure template DNA is yielded and it can be used in polymerase chain reactions (PCR). Considering the fact that DNA extraction from these microorganisms is time consuming and laborious, we developed and standardized a safe, rapid and inexpensive miniprep protocol. Methods : According to our results, amplification of various genomic regions including SSU, LSU, ITS, β-tubulin, actin, RPB2, and EF-1 resulted in a reproducible and efficient DNA extraction from a wide range of microorganisms yielding adequate pure genomic material for reproducible PCR-amplifications. Results : This method relies on a temporary shock of increased concentrations of detergent which can be applied concomitant with multiple freeze-thaws to yield sufficient amount of DNA for PCR amplification of multiple or single fragments(s) of the genome. As an advantage, the recipe seems very flexible, thus, various optional steps can be included depending on the samples used. Conclusion : Having the needed flexibility in each step, this protocol is applicable on a very wide range of samples. Hence, various steps can be included depending on the desired quantity and quality.
Analysis of Laminated and Sandwich Composites by a Zig-zag Plate Element with Variable Kinematics and Fixed Degrees of Freedom

A C° layerwise plate element with standard nodal d.o. f. and serendipity interpolation functions is applied to the analysis of laminates and sandwiches giving rise to strong layerwise effects. The element is obtained using an energy updating technique and symbolic calculus starting from a physically-based zig-zag model with variable kinematics and fixed d.o. f. able to a priori satisfy to displacement and stress continuity at the material interfaces. Non classical feature, a high-order piecewise zig-zag variation of the transverse displacement is assumed as it helps keeping equilibrium. Crushing of core is studied carrying apart a detailed 3D modelling of the honeycomb structure discretizing the cell walls with plate elements, with the aim of obtaining apparent elastic moduli at each load level. Using such apparent moduli, a 2D homogenized analysis is carried out simulating sandwiches as multi-layered structures Applications are presented to plates undergoing impulsive loading incorporating plies with spatially variable stiffness properties. It is shown that accurate predictions are always obtained in in the numerical applications with a very low computational effort. Compared to kinematically based zig-zag models, present physically based one is proven to more accurate, being always in a good agreement with exact 3D solutions.
Asynchronous Evolution of Convolutional Networks

Due to many successful practical applications, deep neural networks and convolutional networks have become the state-of-art machine learning methods recently. The choice of network architecture for the task at hand is typically made by trial and error. This work deals with an automatic data-dependent architecture design. We propose an algorithm for optimization of architecture of convolutional network based on asynchronous evolution. The algorithm is inspired by and designed directly for the Keras library which is one of the most common implementations of deep neural networks. The proposed algorithm is successfully tested on MNIST and Fashion-MNIST data sets.
Valuing Mortality Risk Reductions: Progress and Challenges

The value of mortality risk reduction is an important component of the benefits of environmental policies. In recent years, the number, scope, and quality of valuation studies have increased dramatically. Revealed preference studies of wage compensation for occupational risks, on which analysts have primarily relied, have benefited from improved data and statistical methods. Stated preference research has improved methodologically and expanded dramatically. Studies are now available for several health conditions associated with environmental causes, and researchers have explored many issues concerning the validity of the estimates. With the growing numbers of both types of studies, several meta-analyses have become available that provide insight into the results of both methods. Challenges remain, including better understanding of the persistently smaller estimates from stated preference than from wage differential studies and of how valuation depends on the individual’s age, health status, and characteristics of the illnesses most frequently associated with environmental causes.
A Blocks-Based Visual Environment to Teach Robot-Programming to K-12 Students

This paper considers the use of a blocks-based visual environment to demonstrate and teach robot-programming to K-12 students. A visual programming environment is built using the open-source, JavaScript-based, Blockly library developed by Google. For illustrative purposes, we employ a low-cost, single-board computer, such as Raspberry Pi, with embedded microcontrollers, such as Brick Pi for LEGO or Arduino UNO. Two mobile robot forms are created for experimentation, a wheeled mobile robot and a two legged mobile robot. To command and control each mobile robot, the developed visual tool employs blocks corresponding to basic programming constructs such as loops, conditional statements, variables, and procedures. To demonstrate the ease, education, and fun value of our approach, a maze-based educational game has been developed. Specifically, the game requires the user to program a robot through our visual tool to navigate the maze and score points that are distributed throughout the maze.
Diving ontogeny and lunar responses in a highly migratory mammal, the northern fur seal Callorhinus ursinus

Diving ontogeny studies enable the examination of both the evolution of diving strate- gies and the physiological constraints and environmental factors determining foraging behaviour. Northern fur seal (NFS) Callorhinus ursinus pups that undertake far-ranging migrations in their first year are an ideal species for examining such factors. The diving behaviour of 64 NFS pups from 4 North American breeding sites was studied using satellite-dive recorders deployed on pups prior to weaning. Summarised diving activity (6 h histograms of dive depth and duration) was recorded dur- ing the pups' first 8 mo at sea and transmitted via satellite. During the first month at sea, pups adopted the nocturnal diving patterns characteristic of adults, with average maximum nightly and crepuscular dive depths and durations exceeding daytime values by a factor of from 4 to 4.5. Diving capacity in terms of maximum depths (112 m) and durations (285 s) attained also increased linearly with age until ~8 to 10 mo of age. Overlaid on diving capability development was the significant influence of environmental cues, such as lunar phase, on migratory diving behaviour. During full moons, pups dived deeper and for longer periods than during other lunar phases, as pups likely mim- icked the behaviour of their vertically migrating prey. These findings indicate that prey accessibility, particularly for younger pups with reduced diving capacity, may prove more challenging during higher lunar illumination periods.
A Study of Fluorescent Nanoparticles: Quantum Dots and Silica Dots

Optical techniques have here been employed for the study of two types of nanoscopic fluorescent probes, quantum dots and silica dots. Basic characterization of these fluorescent nanoparticles’ photophysics and their capabilities have been explored utilizing the following techniques: fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, FCS, time resolved single photon counting lifetime decay measurements, and steady state absorbance, emission, and excitation measurements. The unique properties of QDs, unmatched by any available organic fluorophore, have the potential to allow the development of FRET-based nanoscale biosensors. Unambiguous assignment of a quenching mechanism between partners as FRET may only occur through the measurement of the rate of transfer from the donor to the acceptor, this rate manifests itself as a negative amplitude component in the overall lifetime decay of the accepting partner. Two experimental regimes were executed in an attempt to identify the presence of FRET between fluorescent donor semi-conductor quantum dots surrounded by streptavidin with peak emission at 525nm (525-CdSe-ZnS QD-streptavidin) and biocytin dye acceptors chosen to have varying degrees of absorption overlap with the 525-CdSe-ZnS QD-streptavidin emission. Significant quenching of the donor, along with the acceptor, was seen when the donor was bound to the acceptor, signifying some form of energy transfer. The degree of donor quenching, illustrated by the decrease in average lifetime, corresponded with the loading ratio of the acceptor—the more acceptors present, the larger the quenching. An unambiguous assignment of the rate of transfer of excited state energy from the donor to the acceptor, signified by a negative amplitude component in the lifetime decay of the acceptor, was not accomplished. Organic fluorescent dyes encapsulated in silica to create nanoscopic core-shell particles for use in biological applications have presented an interesting alternative to semiconductor fluorescent probes. In this experiment, an expanded core-shell morphology was surrounded by increasingly thicker layers of the siliceous shell to determine if this could control the photophysical properties of the nanoparticles. Sixteen nanoparticles were synthesized, all of distinct sizes and their photophysical properties investigated. No correlation between the thickness of the silica shell and the brightness of the particle was found. However, as the size of the particle increased the siliceous shell acted as a protective coating from potential quenchers for the TRITC dye in the center allowing molecules to stay in the triplet state for longer periods of time.
Improvement of concurrency control within object-oriented database systems

The issue of concurrency control in object-oriented database systems is addressed. Two existing concurrency control methods, the optimistic approach and the granularity locking approach, are investigated. The determination of a fine transaction boundary is ignored in the optimistic approach, and the defined boundary is usually too large in the granularity locking approach. A solution, based on the role of attributes in an object-oriented database (OODB), is proposed to eliminate these shortcomings. The solution ensures that only the necessary units are concerned and that the transaction boundary is narrowed to the smallest extent. <<ETX>>
Self-assembled fibrillar networks comprised of a naturally-occurring cyclic peptide—LOB3

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a self-assembling orbitide that is capable of forming 1D nano-fibers and ultimately 3D molecular gel networks. LOB3 (a.k.a. cyclolinopeptide A), extracted from Linum usitatissimum L. (flaxseed), forms molecular gels in acetonitrile. LOB3 molecular gels, illustrate that cyclic peptides may be comprised of more complex amino acid sequences than have been currently reported. It appears that cyclization, to form orbitides, imparts conformational aspects to the molecule facilitating self-organization into crystalline nano-fibers. These nanoscale fibers, ∼300 nm in diameter and >100 μm in length, aggregate into bundles of fibers which may exceed micron dimensions. Within the nano-fibers, the orbitides adapt an antiparallel β-sheet-like conformation with high molecular periodicity, as illustrated by CD and XRD.
Divergence between paleomagnetic and hotspot-model–predicted polar wander for the Pacific plate with implications for hotspot fixity

If mantle plumes (hotspots) are fixed in the mantle and the mantle reference frame does not move relative to the spin axis (i.e., true polar wander), a model of plate motion relative to the hotspots should predict the positions of past paleomagnetic poles. Discrepancies between modeled and observed poles thus may indicate problems with these assumptions, for example, that the hotspots or spin axis have shifted. In this study, I compare paleomagnetic and hotspot-model–predicted apparent polar wander paths (APWP) for the Pacific plate. Overall, the two types of APWP have similar shapes, indicating general agreement. Both suggest ~40° total northward drift of the Pacific plate since ca. 123 Ma. Offset between paleomagnetic and hotspot-predicted poles is small for the past ca. 49 Ma, consistent with fixed hotspots during that time, but the offsets are large (6–15°) for earlier times. These differences appear significant for the Late Cretaceous and early Cenozoic. During the period 94–49 Ma, the hotspot model implies the paleomagnetic pole should have drifted ~20° north without great changes in rate. Measured paleomagnetic poles, however, indicate rapid polar motion between 94 and 80 Ma and a stillstand from 80 to 49 Ma. Comparison with global synthetic APWP suggests that the 94to 80-Ma polar motion may be related to true polar wander. The stillstand indicates negligible northward motion of the Pacific plate during the formation of the Emperor seamounts. This observation is drastically different from most accepted Pacific plate motion models and requires rethinking of western Pacific tectonics. If the Emperor seamounts show relative motion of the plate relative to the Hawaiian hotspot, the implied southward hotspot motion is ~19°. Lack of a diagnostic coeval phase of polar wandering in global APWP and consideration of the significance of the Hawaiian-Emperor bend imply that true polar wander is probably not the cause. Likewise, mantle-flow models do not readily explain the large southward drift of the hotspot or its inferred large westward velocity component. Thus, current models for the formation of the Emperor seamounts appear inadequate, and new ideas and further study are needed. Comparison of the Pacific APWP with a global APWP, both rotated into the Antarctic reference frame, shows an offset of ~10°, 335 *E-mail: wsager@ocean.tamu. edu. Sager, W.W. , 2007, Divergence between paleomagnetic and hotspot-model–predicted polar wander for the Pacific plate with implications for hotspot fixity, in Foulger, G.R. , and Jurdy, D.M. , eds., Plates, plumes, and planetary processes: Geological Society of America Special Paper 430, p. 335–357, doi: 10.1130/2007.2430(17). For permission to copy, contact editing@geosociety.org. ©2007 The Geological Society of America. All rights reserved. on May 29, 2012 specialpapers.gsapubs. org Downloaded from
Anxiety and Anxiolytic Drugs - ReadingSample

Learning and memory processes are thought to underlie a variety of human psychiatric disorders, including generalised anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Basic research performed in laboratory animals may help to elucidate the aetiology of the respective diseases. This chapter gives a short introduction into theoretical and practical aspects of animal experiments aimed at investigating acquisition, consolidation and extinction of aversive memories. It describes the behavioural paradigms most commonly used as well as neuroanatomical, cellular and molecular correlates of aversive memories. Finally, it discusses clinical implications of the results obtained in animal experiments in respect to the development of novel pharmacotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of human patients.
Trading and Arbitrage in Cryptocurrency Markets

Cryptocurrency markets exhibit periods of large, recurrent arbitrage opportunities across exchanges. These price deviations are much larger across than within countries, and smaller between cryptocurrencies, highlighting the importance of capital controls for the movement of arbitrage capital. Price deviations across countries co-move and open up in times of large bitcoin appreciation. Countries with higher bitcoin premia over the US bitcoin price see widening arbitrage deviations when bitcoin appreciates. Finally, we decompose signed volume on each exchange into a common and an id- iosyncratic component. The common component explains 80% of bitcoin returns. The idiosyncratic components help explain arbitrage spreads between exchanges.
Mechanisms of habitat segregation between corallimorpharians: photosynthetic parameters and Symbiodinium types

Corallimorpharians are evolutionarily important relatives to reef-building corals, yet lit- tle is known about their ecophysiology. We demonstrate that physiological mechanisms determine, in part, the light-dependent distributional patterns of 2 corallimorpharians, Rhodactis rhodostoma and Discosoma unguja, on coral reefs in the northern Red Sea. Field measurements of the physiological parameters related to photosynthetic activity revealed that zooxanthellae abundance, chlorophyll a concentration, maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm), and excitation pressure of Photosytem II (Qm) varied equally for both species among 3 depths. In contrast, laboratory measurements in 3 experimental light treatments — low light (LL), medium light (ML) and high light (HL) — revealed that D. unguja was more sensitive to HL than R. rhodostoma. Genetic characterization of their endosymbiotic algae using a PCR for the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA showed that both R. rhodostoma and D. unguja contain Symbiodinium ITS2-type C1 symbionts in shallow areas, but that the algal assemblage were either Type C1 or Type D1a in both species in deeper areas. In reciprocal depth, light, and temperature manipulation experiments, bleached R. rhodostoma never shuffled Symbiodinium ITS2 types, however, some R. rhodostoma in the control treatment did. In contrast, some individuals of D. unguja shuffled Symbiodinium ITS2 types both in field-reciprocal experiments and laboratory-control treatments. Both species contained UV radiation absorbing com- pounds over a wide-depth range. We concluded that the photoacclimation mechanisms of R. rhodos- toma and D. unguja were influenced by both host- and symbiont-mediated factors. We hypothesize that a low abundance of D. unguja in shallow water was due to decreased tolerance to the high irra- diance found in host factors.