Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap–Neuter–Return

Abstract: Many jurisdictions have adopted programs to manage feral cats by trap–neuter–return (TNR), in which cats are trapped and sterilized, then returned to the environment to be fed and cared for by volunteer caretakers. Most conservation biologists probably do not realize the extent and growth of this practice and that the goal of some leading TNR advocates is that cats ultimately be recognized and treated as “protected wildlife. ” We compared the arguments put forth in support of TNR by many feral cat advocates with the scientific literature. Advocates promoting TNR often claim that feral cats harm wildlife only on islands and not on continents; fill a natural or realized niche; do not contribute to the decline of native species; and are insignificant vectors or reservoirs of disease. Advocates also frequently make claims about the effectiveness of TNR, including claims that colonies of feral cats are eventually eliminated by TNR and that managed colonies resist invasion by other cats. The scientific literature contradicts each of these claims. TNR of feral cats is primarily viewed and regulated as an animal welfare issue, but it should be seen as an environmental issue, and decisions to implement it should receive formal environmental assessment. Conservation scientists have a role to play by conducting additional research on the effects of feral cats on wildlife and by communicating sound scientific information about this problem to policy makers.
COMBINING A PRIORI KNOWLEDGE AND SENSOR INFORMATION FOR UPDATING THE GLOBAL POSITION OF AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE

The problem of updating the global position of an autonomous vehicle is considered. An iterative procedure is proposed to fit a map to a set of noisy measurements. The procedure is inspired by a non-parametric procedure for probability density function mode searching. We show how this could be used to solve the global position update problem in an efficient and robust way. The simple procedure combines the a priori knowledge from the known map of the environment, the extracted information from calibrated camera images and the information from the vehicle wheels rotation measurements. Because it is very simple the procedure is appropriate to be performed in real-time.
The Identification of Pathway Markers in Intracranial Aneurysm Using Genome-Wide Association Data from Two Different Populations

The identification of significant individual factors causing complex diseases is challenging in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) since each factor has only a modest effect on the disease development mechanism. In this study, we hypothesize that the biological pathways that are targeted by these individual factors show higher conservation within and across populations. To test this hypothesis, we searched for the disease related pathways on two intracranial aneurysm GWAS in European and Japanese case–control cohorts. Even though there were a few significantly conserved SNPs within and between populations, seven of the top ten affected pathways were found significant in both populations. The probability of random occurrence of such an event is 2.44E−36. We therefore claim that even though each individual has a unique combination of factors involved in the mechanism of disease development, most targeted pathways that need to be altered by these factors are, for the most part, the same. These pathways can serve as disease markers. Individuals, for example, can be scanned for factors affecting the genes in marker pathways. Hence, individual factors of disease development can be determined; and this knowledge can be exploited for drug development and personalized therapeutic applications. Here, we discuss the potential avenues of pathway markers in medicine and their translation to preventive and individualized health care.
Pyramid histogram of oriented gradient for machine-printed/handwritten and Arabic/Latin word discrimination

This paper considers the problem of script and nature identification at word level. We introduce Pyramid Histogram of Oriented Gradients (PHOG) features which have been employed successfully for discriminating between handwritten and machine-printed Arabic and Latin scripts. Most of the image features, used in previous identification system, are not effective to capture differences between these scripts especially due to their cursive nature. The proposed shape descriptor, PHOG features, counts occurrences of gradient orientation in localized portion of an image. It has been proved as an efficient tool for providing spatial distribution of pixels. A genetic algorithm is applied to improve the performance and generalization of the PHOG features. Experiments have been conducted using standard databases. An average identification rate of 98.3 percent was achieved using Bayes based classifier, which is clearly better than those reported in similar works.
An Ontology-Driven Knowledge Environment For Subcellular Neuroanatomy

A fishing lure containing one or more light sources includes a guideway along which an electrical contact moves back and forth in response to an oscillatory movement of the lure. A series of spaced-apart stationary electrical contacts are positioned along the guideway to be successively engaged by the movable contact to intermittently complete a circuit and energize the light sources. The light sources are internally mounted for protection by the body of the lure and the light is transmitted to exterior locations by optical conductors.
Cooperative Multicell Zero-Forcing Beamforming in Cellular Downlink Channels

In this work, a multicell cooperative zero-forcing beamforming (ZFBF) scheme combined with a simple user selection procedure is considered for the Wyner cellular downlink channel. The approach is to transmit to the user with the ldquobestrdquo local channel in each cell. The performance of this suboptimal scheme is investigated in terms of the conventional sum-rate scaling law and the sum-rate offset for an increasing number of users per cell. We term this characterization of the sum-rate for large number of users as high-load regime characterization, and point out the similarity of this approach to the standard affine approximation used in the high-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime. It is shown that, under an overall power constraint, the suboptimal cooperative multicell ZFBF scheme achieves the same sum-rate growth rate and slightly degraded offset law, when compared to an optimal scheme deploying joint multicell dirty-paper coding (DPC), asymptotically with the number of users per cell. Moreover, the overall power constraint is shown to ensure in probability, equal per-cell power constraints when the number of users per-cell increases.
Fingerprinting techniques for field-programmable gate arrayintellectual property protection

As current computer-aided design (CAD) tool and very large scale integration technology capabilities create a new market of reusable digital designs, the economic viability of this new core-based design paradigm is pending on the development of techniques for intellectual property protection. This work presents the first technique that leverages the unique characteristics of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to protect commercial investment in intellectual property through fingerprinting. A hidden encrypted mark is embedded into the physical layout of a digital circuit when it is placed and routed onto the FPGA. This mark uniquely identifies both the circuit origin and original circuit recipient, yet is difficult to detect and/or remove, even via recipient collusion. While this approach imposes additional constraints on the backend CAD tools for circuit place and route, experiments indicate that the performance and area impacts are minimal.
Cryptococcus neoformans Is a Facultative Intracellular Pathogen in Murine Pulmonary Infection

ABSTRACT To produce chronic infection, microbial pathogens must escape host immune defenses. Infection with the human pathogenic fungusCryptococcus neoformans is typically chronic. To understand the mechanism by which C. neoformans survives in tissue after the infection of immunocompetent hosts, we systematically studied the course of pulmonary infection in mice by electron microscopy. The macrophage was the primary phagocytic cell at all times of infection, but neutrophils also ingested yeast. Alveolar macrophages rapidly internalized yeast cells after intratracheal infection, and intracellular yeast cells were noted at all times of infection from 2 h through 28 days. However, the proportion of yeast cells in the intracellular and extracellular spaces varied with the time of infection. Early in infection, yeast cells were found predominantly in the intracellular compartment. A shift toward extracellular predominance occurred by 24 h that was accompanied by macrophage cytotoxicity and disruption. Later in infection, intracellular persistence in vivo was associated with replication, residence in a membrane-bound phagosome, polysaccharide accumulation inside cells, and cytotoxicity to macrophages, despite phagolysosomal fusion. Many phagocytic vacuoles with intracellular yeast had discontinuous membranes. Macrophage infection resulted in cells with a distinctive appearance characterized by large numbers of vacuoles filled with polysaccharide antigen. Similar results were observed in vitro using a macrophage-like cell line. Our results show that C. neoformans is a facultative intracellular pathogen in vivo. Furthermore, our observations suggest that C. neoformansoccupies a unique niche among the intracellular pathogens whereby survival in phagocytic cells is accompanied by intracellular polysaccharide production.
Alterations in rectal sensitivity and motility in childhood irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Children with chronic abdominal pain have a heterogeneous clinical presentation, but no organic cause can be identified in most of them. Some children present with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We hypothesized that visceral hypersensitivity and motor abnormalities may be underlying mechanisms in these children. METHODS Rectal sensation and rectal contractile response to a meal were studied in 8 children with IBS and 8 children with functional abdominal pain (FAP) and were compared with those of 9 healthy volunteers (HVs). RESULTS The threshold for pain, but not that for first sensation and urge to defecate, was significantly decreased in IBS patients (6 +/- 1 mm Hg) compared with FAP patients and HVs (17 +/- 1 and 22 +/- 2 mm Hg, respectively). In HVs and patients with FAP, ingestion of a meal induced a decrease in rectal volume with an early and late component. This motor pattern was absent in children with IBS. In IBS patients, no rapid volume waves were observed during fasting in contrast to FAP patients (2.7 +/- 0.3/10 min) and HVs (1.8 +/- 0.5/10 min). CONCLUSIONS Children fulfilling the Rome II criteria for IBS have a significantly lowered threshold for pain and a disturbed contractile response to a meal. Comparable to results reported in adults, sensory and motor abnormalities might play a pathophysiologic role in childhood IBS.
PRDM 14 promotes active DNA demethylation through the Ten-eleven translocation ( TET )-mediated base excision repair pathway in embryonic stem cells

269 ABSTRACT Ten-eleven translocation (TET) proteins oxidize 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC). 5fC and 5caC can be excised and repaired by the base excision repair (BER) pathway, implicating 5mC oxidation in active DNA demethylation. Genome-wide DNA methylation is erased in the transition from metastable states to the ground state of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and in migrating primordial germ cells (PGCs), although some resistant regions become demethylated only in gonadal PGCs. Understanding the mechanisms underlying global hypomethylation in naive ESCs and developing PGCs will be useful for realizing cellular pluripotency and totipotency. In this study, we found that PRDM14, the PR domaincontaining transcriptional regulator, accelerates the TET-BER cycle, resulting in the promotion of active DNA demethylation in ESCs. Induction of Prdm14 expression transiently elevated 5hmC, followed by the reduction of 5mC at pluripotency-associated genes, germlinespecific genes and imprinted loci, but not across the entire genome, which resembles the second wave of DNA demethylation observed in gonadal PGCs. PRDM14 physically interacts with TET1 and TET2 and enhances the recruitment of TET1 and TET2 at target loci. Knockdown of TET1 and TET2 impaired transcriptional regulation and DNA demethylation by PRDM14. The repression of the BER pathway by administration of pharmacological inhibitors of APE1 and PARP1 and the knockdown of thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) also impaired DNA demethylation by PRDM14. Furthermore, DNA demethylation induced by PRDM14 takes place normally in the presence of aphidicolin, which is an inhibitor of G1/S progression. Together, our analysis provides mechanistic insight into DNA demethylation in naive pluripotent stem cells and developing PGCs.
Design of temperature compensated radio frequency free-free beam MEMS resonators using a commercial process

We present the design and simulation of temperature compensated Radio-Frequency (RF) Free-Free (FF) beam MEMS resonators that are developed using PolyMUMPS, which is a commercial multi-user process available from MEMSCAP. The proposed devices, which operate at 10MHz and 20MHz, are designed using CoventorWare finite element modeling software. We present a novel and effective temperature compensation strategy that is achieved using structural layer of gold (Au) that is patterned on the resonator devices. Au is a standard layer available in PolyMUMPS, thus allowing the compensated devices to be fabricated in the standard process. The performance of Au layer temperature compensated composite devices were evaluated and compared with uncompensated devices and with devices compensated with silicon dioxide (SiO2). For example, considering the 20MHz resonator, devices compensated with Au layer gave the best temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) of -1.66ppm/°C compared with SiO2 (-6.38ppm/oC) and uncompensated (-8.48ppm/°C) devices between the temperature range of -50°C to +125°C.
Reduction of interleukin 8 and platelet-derived growth factor levels by topical ketorolac, 0.45%, in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

IMPORTANCE Inhibition of inflammatory cytokines may have therapeutic effects in diabetic retinopathy (DR). OBJECTIVE To compare aqueous and vitreous levels of 17 inflammatory cytokines in patients treated preoperatively with topical ketorolac tromethamine, 0.45%, or placebo before pars plana vitrectomy for complications related to proliferative DR (PDR). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, patient-masked interventional study performed in a university academic hospital included 20 eyes from 20 patients undergoing pars plana vitrectomy for complications of PDR. INTERVENTIONS Eyes were randomized to ketorolac tromethamine, 0.45% (Acuvail), or placebo 4 times daily for 3 days before pars plana vitrectomy. Undiluted aqueous and vitreous samples were taken at the time of surgery and immediately frozen at -80°C. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Aqueous and vitreous levels of prostaglandin E2 and 16 other inflammatory cytokines implicated in the pathogenesis of DR. RESULTS Prostaglandin E2, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) AA, eotaxin, vascular endothelial growth factor, interferon γ-inducible protein of 10 kDa, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, growth-related oncogene, interleukin 6, interleukin 8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor were detectable in the aqueous and vitreous of at least half of the eyes, and these cytokines were analyzed further. Aqueous levels were lower in the ketorolac group for all cytokines detected, but only the difference in IL-8 was statistically significant (52% reduction; P = .04). Levels of IL-8 (41% reduction; P = .002) and PDGF-AA (21% reduction; P = .009) were significantly lower in the vitreous of patients treated with ketorolac. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Topical ketorolac tromethamine, 0.45%, significantly lowered aqueous IL-8 levels and vitreous IL-8 and PDGF-AA levels in this series of eyes, suggesting that it may cause meaningful inhibition of inflammatory cytokines implicated in the pathogenesis of DR. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01609881.
A low-power chopper bandpass amplifier for biopotential sensors

A low-power low-noise chopper operational amplifier for biosensor applications is proposed. It employs a simple ripple suppression method using a band-pass amplifier. The input referred noise is only 43nV/rtHz. Fabricated in a 130nm standard CMOS process, it occupies a chip area of 0.28mm2 and consumes 33ßA from a 1.2V supply.
Optimizing investment strategies based on companies earnings using genetic algorithms

This work proposes an investment strategy using Genetic Algorithms applied to the stock market. In order to build a portfolio of promising stocks we look at fundamental analysis by using indicators such as earnings volatility and growth, Price-to-Earnings ratio and Price/Earnings to Growth ratio. Additionally technical indicators such as moving average crossovers and Relative Strength Index are used to adapt the portfolio to the market's trends. The proposed solution was applied to the S&P500 Index during the period from 2006 to 2011. In order to evolve a robust strategy these are evaluated according to the average return on investment, Drawdown and Sharpe ratio. The results obtained are promising with the solution outperforming the market with a considerable lower level of risk.
Bayesian Inferences on Umbrella Orderings

Summary In regression applications with categorical predictors, interest often focuses on comparing the null hypothesis of homogeneity to an ordered alternative. This article proposes a Bayesian approach for addressing this problem in the setting of normal linear and probit regression models. The regression coefficients are assigned a conditionally conjugate prior density consisting of mixtures of point masses at 0 and truncated normal densities, with a (possibly unknown) changepoint parameter included to accommodate umbrella ordering. Two strategies of prior elicitation are considered: (1) a Bayesian Bonferroni approach in which the probability of the global null hypothesis is specified and local hypotheses are considered independent; and (2) an approach which treats these probabilities as random. A single Gibbs sampling chain can be used to obtain posterior probabilities for the different hypotheses and to estimate regression coefficients and predictive quantities either by model averaging or under the preferred hypothesis. The methods are applied to data from a carcinogenesis study.
Catch-Up: A Game in Which the Lead Alternates

Catch-Up is a two-player game in which the players’ scores remain close throughout the game, making the eventual winner – if there is one – hard to predict. Because neither player can build up an insurmountable lead, its play creates tension and drama, even between players of different skill. We show how the game is played, demonstrate that its simple rules lead to complex game dynamics, analyse some of its most important properties, and discuss possible extensions.
A WYSIWYG approach for configuring model layout using model transformations

Model transformation is a core technology in Domain-Specific Modeling (DSM). While a number of model transformation languages and tools have been developed to support model transformation activities, the layout of visual models in the transformation process is not often considered. In many cases, after a transformation is performed the layout of the resulting model must be manually rearranged, which can be time consuming. The automatic layout arrangement features provided by some modeling tools usually do not take a user's preferences or the semantics of the model into consideration, and therefore could potentially alter the desired layout in an undesired manner. This paper describes a new approach to enable users to specify the model layout in a model transformation. We applied the Model Transformation By Demonstration (MTBD) approach and extended it to let users specify the layout information using the concept of "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSIWYG), so that the complex layout specification can be simplified.
Evaluation of an NLG System using Post-Edit Data: Lessons Learnt

Post-editing is commonly performed on computer-generated texts, whether from Machine Translation (MT) or NLG systems, to make the texts acceptable to end users. MT systems are often evaluated using post-edit data. In this paper we describe our experience of using post-edit data to evaluate S UM T IME -M OUSAM , an NLG system that produces marine weather forecasts.
Kebijakan Kelembagaan Usaha Unggas Tradisional sebagai SUmber Ekonomi Rumah Tangga Perdesaan: Kasus Peternakan Burung Puyuh Yogyakarta

Usaha pemberdayaan ekonomi masyarakat perdesaan melalui usaha peternakan skala rumah tangga yang dilakukan oleh komunitas peternak puyuh di DI Yogyakarta, merupakan salah satu contoh bagi aktivitas masyarakat yang dapat menggerakkan perekonomian perdesaan. Pengetahuan masyarakat dan pemerintah terhadap kegiatan usaha ternak ini masih terbatas, sehingga dianggap masih belum merupakan potensi usaha bagi percepatan pertumbuhan ekonomi maupun sumber pendapatan daerah. Padahal usaha ini telah memberikan peluang usaha rumah tangga yang potensial disamping sebagai salah satu sumber perekonomian masyarakat. Pola usaha ternak dilakukan baik secara mandiri maupun kemitraan dengan segala kelebihan dan kekurangan dari masing-masing pola tersebut. Partisipasi kelembagaan dari seluruh aspek, telah menjadikan usaha ternak puyuh berkembang menjadi sebuah alternatif kegiatan yang memberikan penghasilan sesuai dengan skala usaha yang dilakukan. Dukungan pihak terkait juga sangat berperan dalam perkembangan usaha skala rumah tangga ini menjadi basis perekonomian masyarakat di perdesaan baik sebelum maupun sesudah terjadinya serangan wabah Avian Influensa (AI). Adanya serangan virus Avian Influensa (AI) tersebut kemudian menjadi salah satu penyebab utama yang mengakibatkan kerugian materi yang cukup besar dalam usaha ternak puyuh serta ternak unggas. Para peternak rakyat akhirnya banyak yang mengalami kegagalan usaha bahkan berhenti menjadi peternak puyuh. Peran serta semua pihak dalam usaha mendorong kembali usaha peternakan puyuh pasca serangan AI harus menjadi agenda utama agar kegiatan usaha peternakan rakyat kembali berproduksi sebagaimana kondisi sebelum terjadinya serangan virus Avian Influenza. Aspek dan bahasan tentang kelembagaaan yang terkait dengan usaha ternak puyuh diharapkan dapat menjadi dasar bagi penumbuhan kembali usaha peternakan rakyat sebagai basis perekonomian di perdesaan.
YmalDB: a result-driven recommendation system for databases

To assist users in database exploration, we present the YmalDB system, a database system enhanced with a recommendation functionality. Along with the results of each user query, YmalDB computes and presents to the users additional results, called Ymal (i.e., "You May Also Like") results, that are highly related with the results of their original query. Such results are computed using the most interesting sets of attribute values, called faSets, that appear either in the results of the original query or in the results of an appropriately expanded one. The interestingness of a faSet is based on its frequency both in the query result and in the database.