Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Smolyak Pseudospectral Approximations

Polynomial approximations of computationally intensive models are central to uncertainty quantification. This paper describes an adaptive method for non-intrusive pseudospectral approximation, based on Smolyak's algorithm with generalized sparse grids. We rigorously analyze and extend the non-adaptive method proposed in [6], and compare it to a common alternative approach for using sparse grids to construct polynomial approximations, direct quadrature. Analysis of direct quadrature shows that O(1) errors are an intrinsic property of some configurations of the method, as a consequence of internal aliasing. We provide precise conditions, based on the chosen polynomial basis and quadrature rules, under which this aliasing error occurs. We then establish theoretical results on the accuracy of Smolyak pseudospectral approximation, and show that the Smolyak approximation avoids internal aliasing and makes far more effective use of sparse function evaluations. These results are applicable to broad choices of quadrature rule and generalized sparse grids. Exploiting this flexibility, we introduce a greedy heuristic for adaptive refinement of the pseudospectral approximation. We numerically demonstrate convergence of the algorithm on the Genz test functions, and illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the adaptive approach on a realistic chemical kinetics problem.
A software evaluation model using component association views

Introduces a view-based architectural design evaluation model that allows one to quantitatively evaluate and categorize the design of a software system. The model is based on the notion of component association, which is a generalization of coupling and cohesion metrics. The component association is defined as a measure of the overall dependency among high-level system components, such as files, modules or subsystems, with regard to a collection of criteria. The associations are discovered by applying data mining techniques to a database of data-flow and control-flow dependencies extracted from the software system. The proposed association-view and modularity metrics allow the user to evaluate the design quality of a software system.
Regulation of the microecological environment of residential buildings in southern cities with a hot-calm climate condition

The article studies one of the ways of passive use of solar energy, providing a favorable microecological conditions in the housing of southern cities with extreme hot-calm climate conditions. The ecological condition of the internal air environment of the premises is considered in connection with the ecological situation of the environment near the residential building. The role of gravitational convection of the wall layer of air in aeration and ensuring the ecological purity of the air in the premises of the buildings of southern cities is established.
Homology modeling and active‐site residues probing of the thermophilic Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius esterase 2

The moderate thermophilic eubacterium Alicyclobacillus (formerly Bacillus) acidocaldarius expresses a thermostable carboxylesterase (esterase 2) belonging to the hormone‐sensitive lipase (HSL)‐like group of the esterase/lipase family. Based on secondary structures predictions and a secondary structure‐driven multiple sequence alignment with remote homologous protein of known three‐dimensional (3D) structure, we previously hypothesized for this enzyme the α/β‐hydrolase fold typical of several lipases and esterases and identified Ser155, Asp252, and His282 as the putative members of the catalytic triad. In this paper we report the construction of a 3D model for this enzyme based on the structure of mouse acetylcholinesterase complexed with fasciculin. The model reveals the topological organization of the fold corroborating our predictions. As regarding the active‐site residues, Ser155, Asp252, and His282 are located close to each other at hydrogen bond distances. Their catalytic role was here probed by biochemical and mutagenic studies. Moreover, on the basis of the secondary structure‐driven multiple sequence alignment and the 3D structural model, a residue supposed important for catalysis, Gly84, was mutated to Ser. The activity of the mutated enzyme was drastically reduced. We propose that Gly84 is part of a putative “oxyanion hole” involved in the stabilization of the transition state similar to the C group of the esterase/lipase family.
An “objects first, tests second” approach for software engineering education

Since unit testing is a skill required of professional software developers, lecturers have to develop this skill in their software engineering students. Therefore, we introduce the approach of “objects first, tests second”, which incorporates unit testing into introductory programming classes. We discuss requirements that teaching materials must meet to effectively support this approach, and present a concept for assessing the quality of student written tests. An analysis of students' results illustrates the effectiveness of this teaching approach.
Digital Dynamic 3D Monitoring of Lower Incisors Intrusion in Lingual Orthodontics

Objective: The aim of the present study is to propose a 3-dimensional evaluation of lower intrusion obtained with lingual orthodontics considering not only the crowns but also dental roots. Methods: 9 adult patients underwent fixed lingual orthodontic treatment with i-TTя lingual brackets system for the correction of crowding in the lower arch associated with a deep overbite. Initial records, consisting of photos, CBCTs and intraoral scans were collected. Threshold segmentation of the CBCT was performed to generate a three-dimensional virtual model of each the teeth of the lower arch, superimposed with the crown of the same teeth obtained by intraoral scan models to generate a complete set of digital composite lower arch The same procedure was performed to monitor one key step of the i-TTЯ technique consisting in lower incisors intrusion (T2). T1-T2 three-dimensional superimposition and color displacement maps were generated to measure and evaluate the movements obtained at the lower arch. Results: The root displacement of the incisors during their intrusion in the early stage was totally “bone-safe” in the 88.9% (8 of 9) of the cases observed. No significant extrusion of the premolars used as anchorage unit was measured. Conclusion: This method has proved to be an accurate and reliable approach to dynamically visualize the 3-dimensional positions of the teeth, including their roots, with no additional radiation for in-progress treatment monitoring. The 3-dimensional evaluation showed that the employed lingual appliance allowed to obtain significant lower incisors intrusion with negligible undesired extrusion of premolars employed as anchorage teeth.
Collared pika (Ochotona collaris) vocalizations: evolutionary and ecological considerations

Animal vocalizations affect daily decision-making processes, yet selection pressures driving the evolution of communication are poorly understood. I explored two elements of communication in collared pikas (Ochotona collaris) in Yukon and Alaska. First, using playback experiments, I tested whether pikas 1) attended to and distinguished between alarm calls of sympatric alpine mammals, and 2) differentiated between calls of conspecifics. Pikas became alert after playback of marmot and ground squirrel alarm calls, but had more active responses to pika stimuli. In 30 habituation trials, pikas discriminated between conspecific calls, likely due to frequency differences between individuals. Listening to sympatric animals provides information about predator activity and the potential threat of individual conspecifics. Second, I examined geographic variation in pika calls. Classification trees allocated pika calls to their correct populations with 75-94% accuracy. American (O. princeps) and collared pika calls showed more similarity than expected given that they are distinct, allopatric species. I found no evidence that environmental adaptation caused call variation between species. Genetic divergence may drive intraand inter-specific differences in acoustic parameters. Acknowledgements There are a number of individuals and organizations who helped to make this research possible. First, thank you to my supervisor Dr. David Hik for letting me take an idea and run with it, and for providing me with the opportunity to fall in love with the place we call Pika Camp. Thanks also to my committee members Dr. Chris Sturdy and Dr. Susan Hannon for very helpful ideas over the development of the project. Special thanks to the entire Sturdy lab for their help and patience while I analyzed pika calls in their sound laboratory. To everyone who spent time at Pika Camp with me, thank you for your support and for making the whole experience both wonderful and memorable: Ryan Danby, Shawn Morrison, Matt Mitchell, Saewan Koh, Scott Wilson, Sabine Nouvet, Dorit Mersmann, James Hudson, Alex Taylor, Alana Clason, Hayley Lanier, Michaela Timciska, Isla Myers-Smith, Helen Wheeler, Vijay Patil, Francoise Cardou, Jolene Swain, Jody Pongracz, and Sylvie Mitford. Special thanks to Kieran O’Donovan and Mark Wong, for recording pika calls on the Icefields and Vulcan. Financial and logistic support was provided by the Arctic Institute of North America (AINA), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), DIAND Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP), Canadian Circumpolar Institute, Steve and Elaine Antoniuk Graduate Scholarship in Northern Research, and Alberta Ingenuity Studentship. Kluane First Nation gave permission to conduct this research on their traditional lands. Finally, thanks to Helen, Phil, and Amy Trefry, and Geoff Holroyd, for your guidance and support.
Some results on permutation group isomorphism and categoricity

Abstract We extend Morley's Theorem to show that if a theory is κ-p-categorical for some uncountable cardinal κ, it is uncountably categorical. We then discuss ω-p-categoricity and provide examples to show that similar extensions for the Baldwin-Lachlan and Lachlan Theorems are not possible.
The Sequence of Spacers between the Consensus Sequences Modulates the Strength of Prokaryotic Promoters

ABSTRACT We constructed a library of synthetic promoters forLactococcus lactis in which the known consensus sequences were kept constant while the sequences of the separating spacers were randomized. The library consists of 38 promoters which differ in strength from 0.3 up to more than 2,000 relative units, the latter among the strongest promoters known for this organism. The ranking of the promoter activities was somewhat different when assayed inEscherichia coli, but the promoters are efficient for modulating gene expression in this bacterium as well. DNA sequencing revealed that the weaker promoters (which had activities below 5 relative units) all had changes either in the consensus sequences or in the length of the spacer between the −35 and −10 sequences. The promoters in which those features were conserved had activities from 5 to 2,050 U, which shows that by randomizing the spacers, at least a 400-fold change in activity can be obtained. Interestingly, the entire range of promoter activities is covered in small steps of activity increase, which makes these promoters very suitable for quantitative physiological studies and for fine-tuning of gene expression in industrial bioreactors and cell factories.
Group key agreement efficient in communication

In recent years, collaborative and group-oriented applications and protocols have gained popularity. These applications typically involve communication over open networks; security thus is naturally an important requirement. Group key management is one of the basic building blocks in securing group communication. Most prior research in group key management focused on minimizing computation overhead, in particular minimizing expensive cryptographic operations. However, continued advances in computing power have not been matched by a decrease in network communication delay. Thus, communication latency, especially in high-delay long-haul networks, increasingly dominates the key setup latency, replacing computation delay as the main latency contributor. Hence, there is a need to minimize the size of messages and, especially, the number of rounds in cryptographic protocols. Since most previously proposed group key management techniques optimize computational (cryptographic) overhead, they are particularly impacted by high communication delay. In this work, we discuss and analyze a specific group key agreement technique which supports dynamic group membership and handles network failures, such as group partitions and merges. This technique is very communication-efficient and provably secure against hostile eavesdroppers as well as various other attacks specific to group settings. Furthermore, it is simple, fault-tolerant, and well-suited for high-delay networks.
Soft Detection and Decoding of Clipped and Filtered COFDM Signals

Clipping and filtering is an attractive method for the reduction of the PAPR of OFDM signals before transmission. However, the resulting distortion noise impacts the error rate performance. An iterative receive algorithm employing soft modulation and soft input-soft output (SISO) decoding is presented, and its coded frame error rate (FER) performance over both AWGN and frequency-selective fading channels is evaluated. The performance of an approach with reduced complexity is also shown.
Patient expectations regarding eye care: focus group results.

BACKGROUND Increasing emphasis on patient-centered care and other recent developments should make patient expectations increasingly important in ophthalmology. Motivated by the pivotal role of patient expectations in quality-of-care assessments and by the limited knowledge about patients' expectations regarding eye care, we initiated a pilot study using focus groups to determine a relevant set of concerns that patients express as expectations. METHODS A total of 6 focus groups were conducted with patients at Duke University Eye Center (Durham, NC). Focus groups ranged in size from 4 to 10 people. The average group size was 6. RESULTS Content analysis of transcripts from the 6 focus groups yielded 22 areas of expectations for eye care, which were classified into 5 categories: communication, interpersonal manner, physician's skill, logistics, and other. The 6 areas that appeared to be of greatest importance to focus group participants were the following: (1) honesty, (2) information about diagnosis and prognosis, (3) explanation in clear language, (4) ophthalmologist's experience and reputation, (5) empathy, and (6) listening and addressing concerns. CONCLUSIONS In general, ophthalmology patients in the focus groups emphasized expectations related to communication and interpersonal manner. In contrast to previous studies with primary care patients, however, ophthalmology patients expressed few expectations for technical interventions, such as medication prescriptions, physical examination, or diagnostic testing.
Video Sequence Deinterlacing Using Intensity Gradient Filter and Median Filter with Texture Detection

In this paper, we propose a new de-interlacing algorithm for video data using intensity gradient filter and median filter with texture detection in the image block. We first introduce the texture detection. According to texture detection, the current region is determined into smooth region or texture region. In case that the smooth region interpolated by median filter. In addition, in case of the texture region, we calculate missing pixel value using intensity gradient filter. Therefore, we analyze the local region feature using the texture detection and classify each missing pixel into two categories. And then, based on the classification result, a different deinterlacing algorithm is activated in order to obtain the best performance. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm performs well with a variety of moving sequences compared with traditional intra-field method in the literature.
Report of Large Motor Reliability Survey of Industrial and Commercial Installations, Part I

The Power Systems Reliability Subcommittee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society recently initiated a survey of the reliability of large motors in industrial and commercial installations in keeping with its commitment to support or update results of the survey published in 1973 and 1974. Moreover, the new survey has emphasized and expanded on one type of electrical equipment only. The previous survey results were heavily biased by one class of motors in the motor category and contained some results that appeared unreasonable and were considered questionable. The results of this new survey are presented here and intended to expand failure data to additional influencing categories and at the same time be oriented to the more common types in use today. A restriction to a lower limit in size also distinguishes the results to motors in relatively critical applications. A further explanation of the reasons for this survey and intended results is presented in a subcommittee report included for reference in the Appendix.
A new approach to the fusion of EEG and MEG signals using the LCMV beamformer

In this paper, we demonstrate a new approach for the fusion of multichannel signals. We show how this method can be used to combine signals from magnetometer and gradiometer sensors used in magnetoencephalography (MEG). This approach works by assuming that the lead-fields have multiplicative errors which in turn leads to an under-determined problem. To solve this problem, we impose two constraints that result in closed-from solutions: i) one set of sensors is error-free, ii) the norm of the multiplicative error is bounded. These prior assumptions to estimate the error are used in the linearly constraint minimum variance (LCMV) spatial filter to improve the optimisation. Although we focus on the fusion of MEG sensors, this approach can be employed for multimodal fusion of other multichannel signals such as MEG and EEG signals.
THE GROWTH AND SEED YIELD OF MAIZE VARIETY AS AFFECTED BY TWO LEGUMES INTERCROP

Intercropping as a simultaneous growing of two or more crops in the same field is a cropping system that has long been used for a long time especially in the tropics to increase productivity and sustainability through maximum utilization of land, labor and growth resources, hence the study was conducted to evaluate growth and yield effect of maize variety intercropped with two legumes on the field at the Teaching and Research Farm of Federal University Wukari,Taraba State, Nigeria. The experimental treatments consisted of two legumes as groundnut and bambara nut intercropped with two varieties of maize ( white and yellow). These were laid out on the field using randomized complete block design with three replications . Data were collected on the growth and yield parameters and analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% level of probability. Results showed that white maize intercropped with groundnut produced significant taller plants and same trend was observed with the number of leaves. Further results revealed that groundnut and white maize intercrop gave the highest Stem girth at 4weeks after planting while the highest 100 seed weight of 25.17g was recorded from white maize and groundnut intercrop. The yield of maize was better when intercropped with legumes. Therefore the combination of white maize and groundnut is recommended as promising option in the maize and legumes intercrop production in the study area.
The AMP-activated protein kinase--fuel gauge of the mammalian cell?

A single entity, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), phosphorylates and regulates in vivo hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (key regulatory enzymes of sterol synthesis and fatty acid synthesis, respectively), and probably many additional targets. The kinase is activated by high AMP and low ATP via a complex mechanism, which involves allosteric regulation, promotion of phosphorylation by an upstream protein kinase (AMPK kinase), and inhibition of dephosphorylation. This protein-kinase cascade represents a sensitive system, which is activated by cellular stresses that deplete ATP, and thus acts like a cellular fuel gauge. Our central hypothesis is that, when it detects a 'low-fuel' situation, it protects the cell by switching off ATP-consuming pathways (e.g. fatty acid synthesis and sterol synthesis) and switching on alternative pathways for ATP generation (e.g. fatty acid oxidation). Native AMP-activated protein kinase is a heterotrimer consisting of a catalytic alpha subunit, and beta and gamma subunits, which are also essential for activity. All three subunits have homologues in budding yeast, which are components of the SNF1 protein-kinase complex. SNF1 is activated by glucose starvation (which in yeast leads to ATP depletion) and genetic studies have shown that it is involved in derepression of glucose-repressed genes. This raises the intriguing possibility that AMPK may regulate gene expression in mammals. AMPK/SNF1 homologues are found in higher plants, and this protein-kinase cascade appears to be an ancient system which evolved to protect cells against the effects of nutritional or environmental stress.
Analysis and Synthesis of Formant Spaces of British, Australian, and American Accents

In this paper, the probability distribution functions (pdf's) of the formant spaces of three major accents of the English language, namely, British Received Pronunciation (RP), General American, and Broad Australian, are modeled and compared. The statistical differences across the formant spaces of these accents are employed for accent conversion. An improved formant tracking method, based on linear prediction (LP) feature analysis and a two-dimensional hidden Markov model (2-D-HMM) of format trajectories, is used for estimation of the formant trajectories of vowels and diphthongs of each accent. Comparative analysis of the formant spaces of the three accents indicates that these accents are partly conveyed by the differences of the formants of vowels. The estimates of the probability distributions of the formants for each accent are used in a speech synthesis system for accent conversion. Accent synthesis, through modification of the acoustic parameters of speech, provides a means of assessing the perceptual contribution of each formant parameter on conveying an accent. The results of perceptual evaluations of accent conversion illustrate that formants play an important role in conveying accents
Structured Queries Over Web Text

The Web contains a vast amount of text that can only be queried using simple keywords-in, documentsout search queries. But Web text often contains structured elements, such as hotel location and price pairs embedded in a set of hotel reviews. Queries that process these structural text elements would be much more powerful than our current document-centric queries. Of course, text does not contain metadata or a schema, making it unclear what a structured text query means precisely. In this paper we describe three possible models for structured queries over text, each of which implies different query semantics and user interaction.