Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Sediment Accumulation Model of Cenozoic Depositional Ages From the Qaidam Basin, Tibetan Plateau

Two debated age models, with a basal age of ~50 Ma versus ~30 Ma, are proposed for the depositional age of Cenozoic strata within the Qaidam basin result in a diverse understanding of the initial pattern of deformation in the northern Tibetan Plateau. To evaluate these age models, we integrated isopach maps within the basin with published thermochronology data from surrounding ranges to balance the sediments preserved in the basin with materials eroded in the drainage area. When following the traditional ~50 Ma age model, the total volume of material eroded from the surrounding source area is 4.4 ± 0.3 × 105 km3. Using instead the ~30 Ma age model for the basal Lulehe Formation and related revisions to the basin chronology, the volume of eroded material is calculated at 3.5 ± 0.2 × 105 km3, which provides a better match to the calculated total volume of solid grains that are preserved in the basin (2.8 ± 0.1 × 105 km3). However, growth strata revealed in seismic profiles along the Southern Qaidam Thrust suggest reverse‐faulting began during the deposition of Oligocene‐Miocene strata. Following the ~50 Ma age model, the onset time of faulting along the Southern Qaidam Thrust is ~35.5 Ma, consistent with previous thermochronology results. If both age models are correct, then this requires a significant time‐transgressive nature to basin fill that allows for older ages of deposition in the southern part of the basin. This study highlights the need for further effort to determine the depositional age of the strata in the southern and western parts of the Qaidam basin.
Fokker-Planck Equation and Thermodynamic System Analysis

The non-linear Fokker-Planck equation or Kolmogorov forward equation is currently successfully applied for deep analysis of irreversibility and it gives an excellent approximation near the free energy minimum, just as Boltzmann’s definition of entropy follows from finding the maximum entropy state. A connection to Fokker-Planck dynamics and the free energy functional is presented and discussed—this approach has been particularly successful to deal with metastability. We focus our attention on investigating and discussing the fundamental role of dissipation analysis in metastable systems. The major novelty of our approach is that the obtained results enable us to reveal an appealing, and previously unexplored relationship between Fokker-Planck equation and the associated free energy functional. Namely, we point out that the dynamics may be regarded as a gradient flux, or a steepest descent, for the free energy.
Effects of the optimisation of the margin distribution on generalisation in deep architectures

Despite being so vital to success of Support Vector Machines, the principle of separating margin maximisation is not used in deep learning. We show that minimisation of margin variance and not maximisation of the margin is more suitable for improving generalisation in deep architectures. We propose the Halfway loss function that minimises the Normalised Margin Variance (NMV) at the output of a deep learning models and evaluate its performance against the Softmax Cross-Entropy loss on the MNIST, smallNORB and CIFAR-10 datasets.
Antioxidant Vitamins in the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation: What Is the Evidence?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Current available therapies remain inadequate in symptom control and secondary prevention and are often associated with significant side effects. The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of AF are poorly understood, although electrophysiological remodeling has been described as an important initiating step. Recently, increasing evidence implicates oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathogenesis of AF. We searched the literature for evidence to support the use of antioxidant vitamins C and E in the prevention of AF. These vitamins, through their reactive-oxygen-species- (ROS-) scavenging effect, have shown a role in AF prevention in both animal and small clinical studies. The available evidence, however, is currently insufficient to support recommendations for their use in the wider patient population. Larger-scale clinical studies are required to confirm these preliminary results. Research is also required to further the understanding of the processes involved in the pathogenesis of AF and the role of antioxidant therapies to prevent the arrhythmia.
An event-driven, alias-free ADC with signal-dependent resolution

A clockless 8b ADC in 130nm CMOS uses a time-varying comparison window to dynamically vary resolution, and input-dependent dynamic bias, to maintain SNDR while saving power. Alias-free operation with SNDR in the range of 47-54dB, which partly exceeds the theoretical limit of 8b conventional converters, is achieved over a 20kHz bandwidth with 3-9μW power from a 0.8V supply.
Wetlands at the Last Glacial Maximum: Distribution and methane emissions

The global distribution of potential wetlands and their methane (CH4) emissions at the present‐day and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) are estimated using a GCM simulation of LGM climate, a vegetation model, and simple algorithms for determining wetland area based on topography and soil moisture, and CH4 emissions based on ecosystem carbon turnover in wet soils. LGM wetland area was 15% larger than present, but CH4 emissions were 24% less. Extensive wetlands were simulated on the exposed continental shelves. The soil CH4 sink was simulated as 14 Tg now but <0.5 Tg at the LGM. CH4 emissions at LGM were limited by substrate availability, in turn due to low atmospheric CO2. The glacial‐interglacial change in atmospheric CH4 concentration cannot be completely attributed to changes in the wetland source.
Charting Democracy Across Parsers

Different parsers trained on the same corpus deliver different results, both in terms of overall performance and in terms of the individual analyses they provide. In particular, for any given sentence, one parser may provide a correct analysis, while another will produce an incorrect analysis; but when faced with a different sentence, the first parser may be in error while the second is correct. In this paper, we leverage this observation by exploring how the results of a number of different parsers may be combined to provide a better performance than any single parser. The method involves constructing a chart that contains edges contributed by a collection of parsers, with a simple voting mechanism to choose the most preferred constituents; this provides a significant improvement in performance over any individual parser. More sophisticated voting mechanisms are also discussed.
Resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound found in grapes and wine, is an agonist for the estrogen receptor.

The phytochemical resveratrol, which is found in grapes and wine, has been reported to have a variety of anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet, and anti-carcinogenic effects. Based on its structural similarity to diethylstilbestrol, a synthetic estrogen, we examined whether resveratrol might be a phytoestrogen. At concentrations (approximately 3-10 microM) comparable to those required for its other biological effects, resveratrol inhibited the binding of labeled estradiol to the estrogen receptor and it activated transcription of estrogen-responsive reporter genes transfected into human breast cancer cells. This transcriptional activation was estrogen receptor-dependent, required an estrogen response element in the reporter gene, and was inhibited by specific estrogen antagonists. In some cell types (e.g., MCF-7 cells), resveratrol functioned as a superagonist (i.e., produced a greater maximal transcriptional response than estradiol) whereas in others it produced activation equal to or less than that of estradiol. Resveratrol also increased the expression of native estrogen-regulated genes, and it stimulated the proliferation of estrogen-dependent T47D breast cancer cells. We conclude that resveratrol is a phytoestrogen and that it exhibits variable degrees of estrogen receptor agonism in different test systems. The estrogenic actions of resveratrol broaden the spectrum of its biological actions and may be relevant to the reported cardiovascular benefits of drinking wine.
Expression of human hepatic lipase negatively impacts apolipoprotein A-I production in primary hepatocytes from Lipc-null mice

Abstract This study aimed to examine whether expression of human hepatic lipase (hHL) exerted an intracellular effect on hepatic production of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I. The levels of secreted and cell-associated apoA-I were contrasted between primary hepatocytes isolated from Lipc-null and C57BL/6 mice, and between Lipc-null hepatocytes transfected with either hHL-encoding or control adenovirus. An HSPG-binding deficient hHL protein (hHLmt) was used to determine the impact of cell surface binding on HL action. Accumulation of apoA-I in conditioned media of primary hepatocytes isolated from Lipc-null mice was increased as compared to that from C57BL/6 mice. Metabolic labeling experiments showed that secretion of 35S-apoA-I from Lipc-null cells was significantly higher than that from C57BL/6 cells. Expression of hHL in Lipc-null hepatocytes, through adenovirus-mediated gene transfer, resulted in decreased synthesis and secretion of 35S-apoA-I, but not 35S-apoE, as compared with cells transfected with control adenovirus. Expression of HSPG-binding deficient hHLmt in Lipc-null cells also exerted an inhibitory effect on apoA-I production, even though hHLmt displayed impaired exit from the endoplasmic reticulum as compared with hHL. Subcellular fractionation revealed that expression of hHL or hHLmt led to increased microsome-association of apoA-I relative to non-transfected control. Expression of hHL negatively impacts hepatic production of apoA-I.
Dynamic Antenna Alignment Control in Microwave Air-Bridging for Sky-Net Mobile Communication Using Unmanned Flying Platform

This paper presents a preliminary study on establishing a mobile point-to-point (P2P) microwave air-bridging (MAB) between Unmanned Low Altitude Flying Platform (ULAFP) and backhaul telecommunication network. The proposed Sky-Net system relays telecom signal for general mobile cellphone users via ULAFP when natural disaster sweeps off Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs). Unlike the conventional fix point microwave bridging application, the ULAFP is cruising on a predefined mission flight path to cover a wider range of service. The difficulty and challenge fall on how to maintain antenna alignment accurately in order to provide the signal strength for MAB. A dual-axis rotation mechanism with embedded controller is designed and implemented on airborne and ground units for stabilizing airborne antenna and tracking the moving ULAFP. The MAB link is established in flight tests using the proposed antenna stabilizing/tracking mechanism with correlated control method. The result supports backbone technique of the Sky-Net mobile communication and verifies the feasibility of airborne e-Cell BTS.
Quantitative Assessment of Aortic Elasticity With Aging Using Velocity-Vector Imaging and Its Histologic Correlation

Objective—Velocity-vector imaging (VVI) represents a valuable new method for noninvasive quantification of vascular properties associated with aging. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlations between VVI parameters and histological changes with aging. Approach and Results—Fourteen mongrel dogs were classified as either young (n=7; age, 1–2 years; female; weighing 22–29 kg) or senescent (n=7; age, 8–12 years; female; weighing 36–45 kg). The short-axis image of the descending thoracic aorta was obtained for VVI analysis with transesophageal echocardiography. The location of the image was identified using fluoroscopic guidance, and the aortic tissue was extracted. After dividing the aortic wall into 6 segments, both regional and segmental tissue collagen and elastin contents were quantified and correlated with the aortic elastic properties. In the regional analysis, the M-mode–derived aortic dimensions and elastic moduli except for intima-media thickness were not significantly different between the groups, whereas the VVI-derived aortic area and fractional area changes showed more dilated and stiffer aorta in senescent dogs. Also, fractional area change was significantly correlated with the tissue collagen content unlike the M-mode–derived elastic moduli. In the segmental analysis, the radial velocity, circumferential strain, and strain rates of VVI were more reduced in senescent dogs than young dogs, and the radial velocity and circumferential strain showed independent associations with the collagen content of the corresponding aortic wall. Conclusions—VVI was a feasible method for direct quantification of aortic elastic properties with a significant histological correlation.
Partition function of the Ising model via factor graph duality

The partition function of a factor graph and the partition function of the dual factor graph are related to each other by the normal factor graph duality theorem. We apply this result to the classical problem of computing the partition function of the Ising model. In the one-dimensional case, we thus obtain an alternative derivation of the (well-known) analytical solution. In the two-dimensional case, we find that Monte Carlo methods are much more efficient on the dual graph than on the original graph, especially at low temperature.
Caustic Forecasting: Unbiased Estimation of Caustic Lighting for Global Illumination

We present an unbiased method for generating caustic lighting using importance sampled Path Tracing with Caustic Forecasting. Our technique is part of a straightforward rendering scheme which extends the Illumination by Weak Singularities method to allow for fully unbiased global illumination with rapid convergence. A photon shooting preprocess, similar to that used in Photon Mapping, generates photons that interact with specular geometry. These photons are then clustered, effectively dividing the scene into regions which will contribute similar amounts of caustic lighting to the image. Finally, the photons are stored into spatial data structures associated with each cluster, and the clusters themselves are organized into a spatial data structure for fast searching. During rendering we use clusters to decide the caustic energy importance of a region, and use the local photons to aid in importance sampling, effectively reducing the number of samples required to capture caustic lighting.
Crop classification with WorldView-2 imagery using Support Vector Machine comparing texture analysis approaches and grey relational analysis in Jianan Plain, Taiwan

ABSTRACT Crop production estimation is of crucial concern in Taiwan, and the government has invested much effort including employing manpower and technologies. Artificial intelligence or data mining technology have been successfully applied on land-cover recognition of remote-sensing imagery. Most studies are employing a pixel-based classification approach to generate the thematic map of land covers. Few studies consider the spatial correlation of adjacent pixels of the same category. Mixed pixel issues usually degrade the prediction accuracy according to previous studies. It is thus the main goal of the present study to explore the spatial effect of adjacent pixels on land-cover mapping. The study region is a WorldView-2 satellite image in Jianan Plain, Taiwan, taken in 2014. Support Vector Machine is used as the underlying classifier. In addition to the eight spectral band intensities, normalized difference vegetation index and grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) textures are included as ancillary attributes. Furthermore, grey relational analysis (GRA) is employed to assist in classifying croplands. The findings of this study can be summarized as follows: (1) GLCM texture information improves classification accuracy marginally and renders slightly better thematic map, (2) GRA is used to acquire the most important factors concerning discriminating land covers, (3) grey relational grade threshold, a metric designed through GRA, can be used to locate uncertain region of a specified crop, which is possibly caused by mixed pixels.
Regular low-densityparity-check codes fr om combinatorial designs SarahJ

Analytically constructed LDPC codescomprise only a very small subsetof possiblecodesand asa result LDPC codesare still, for the most part, constructed randomly. This paper extendsthe classof LDPC codesthat can be systematically generatedby presentinga construction method for regular LDPC codesbasedon combinatorial designsknown as Kirkman triple systems.We construct -codeswhoseTanner graph is fr eeof -cyclesfor any valueof divisible by , and examinegirth and minimum distanceproperties of several classesof LDPC codesobtained fr om combinatorial designs.
Value Functions for RL-Based Behavior Transfer: A Comparative Study

Temporal difference (TD) learning methods (Sutton & Barto 1998) have become popular reinforcement learning techniques in recent years. TD methods, relying on function approximators to generalize learning to novel situations, have had some experimental successes and have been shown to exhibit some desirable properties in theory, but have often been found slow in practice. This paper presents methods for further generalizing across tasks, thereby speeding up learning, via a novel form of behavior transfer. We compare learning on a complex task with three function approximators, a CMAC, a neural network, and an RBF, and demonstrate that behavior transfer works well with all three. Using behavior transfer, agents are able to learn one task and then markedly reduce the time it takes to learn a more complex task. Our algorithms are fully implemented and tested in the RoboCup-soccer keepaway domain.
Female Mate Choice Can Drive the Evolution of High Frequency Echolocation in Bats: A Case Study with Rhinolophus mehelyi

Animals employ an array of signals (i.e. visual, acoustic, olfactory) for communication. Natural selection favours signals, receptors, and signalling behaviour that optimise the received signal relative to background noise. When the signal is used for more than one function, antagonisms amongst the different signalling functions may constrain the optimisation of the signal for any one function. Sexual selection through mate choice can strongly modify the effects of natural selection on signalling systems ultimately causing maladaptive signals to evolve. Echolocating bats represent a fascinating group in which to study the evolution of signalling systems as unlike bird songs or frog calls, echolocation has a dual role in foraging and communication. The function of bat echolocation is to generate echoes that the calling bat uses for orientation and food detection with call characteristics being directly related to the exploitation of particular ecological niches. Therefore, it is commonly assumed that echolocation has been shaped by ecology via natural selection. Here we demonstrate for the first time using a novel combined behavioural, ecological and genetic approach that in a bat species, Rhinolophus mehelyi: (1) echolocation peak frequency is an honest signal of body size; (2) females preferentially select males with high frequency calls during the mating season; (3) high frequency males sire more off-spring, providing evidence that echolocation calls may play a role in female mate choice. Our data refute the sole role of ecology in the evolution of echolocation and highlight the antagonistic interplay between natural and sexual selection in shaping acoustic signals.
Applying the Chicago Classification criteria of esophageal motility to a pediatric cohort: effects of patient age and size

Applying the 2012 Chicago Classification (CC) of esophageal motility disorders to pediatric patients is problematic as it relies upon adult‐derived criteria. As shorter esophageal length and smaller esophago‐gastric junction (EGJ) diameter may influence CC metrics, we explored the potential for age‐ and size‐adjustment of diagnostic criteria.
Vulnerability by people: lesson learned from vulnerable group in kampong aur medan in facing floods

The flooding in Medan due to heavy rainfall area has become a daily problem to the community who lives in the riverbanks. It has been happening since many decades ago, but they are still there. Information on the vulnerability to natural hazards on a local level may help decision makers, stakeholders, and others to make better decisions regarding an effective disaster management. This study uses a qualitative approach to measure the level of vulnerability of communities in facing floods. The study identified how the communities perceive their exposure to the hazard, their sensitivity and their adaptive capacity. This study found the community already accept floods as a part of their life although the floods cause many losses. The experience in facing floods, strong social neighbourhood and strong local leadership are the capitals of the communities to survive. So vulnerability assessment at the community level should be constructed based on the perception and meaning of the community.
The Jordan Curve Theorem, Formally and Informally

1. INTRODUCTION. The Jordan curve theorem states that every simple closed pla-nar curve separates the plane into a bounded interior region and an unbounded exterior. One hundred years ago, Oswald Veblen declared that this theorem is " justly regarded as a most important step in the direction of a perfectly rigorous mathematics " [13, p. 83]. Its position as a benchmark of mathematical rigor has continued to our day. Many vastly underestimate the logical gulf that separates a typical published proof from a fully formal mathematical proof, in which every single logical inference has been generated and checked by computer. A striking example of this logical gulf can be found in Bourbaki's Elements of Sets. How many primitive symbols of logic does it require to represent the number " 1 " in fully expanded form? Bourbaki estimates that the fully expanded representation may require " several tens of thousands of symbols. " The story has it that when A. R. Mathias learned of Bourbaki's estimate, he thought " that must be false, surely only a couple of hundred " are required. This led him to make a careful calculation and to uncover the astounding fact that Bourbaki's own estimate is wrong by several orders of magnitude. Over four trillion symbols are needed to express the number " 1 " [7]. Such is the logical gulf. It is fortunate that not all systems suffer from the same inefficiencies. Who hasn't heard the one about the mathematician who wakes up at night from the smoke of a fire in his hotel? Seeing a fire extinguisher, he notes that a solution to the problem exists and falls peacefully back into a deep sleep. Researchers from Frege to Gödel, who solved the problem of rigor in mathematics, found theoretical solutions but did not extinguish the fire, because they omitted the practical implementation. Some, such as Bourbaki, have even gone so far as to claim that " formalized mathematics cannot in practice be written down in full " and call such a project " absolutely unreal-izable " [1, pp. 10, 11]. While it is true that formal proofs may be too long to print, computers—which do not have the same limitations as paper—have become the natural host of formal mathematics. In recent decades, insomniacs at the same hotel have reworked the foundations of mathematics, putting them in an efficient form designed for real use on …