Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Establishing Functional Relationships between Abiotic Environment, Macrophyte Coverage, Resource Gradients and the Distribution of Mytilus trossulus in a Brackish Non-Tidal Environment

Benthic suspension feeding mussels are an important functional guild in coastal and estuarine ecosystems. To date we lack information on how various environmental gradients and biotic interactions separately and interactively shape the distribution patterns of mussels in non-tidal environments. Opposing to tidal environments, mussels inhabit solely subtidal zone in non-tidal waterbodies and, thereby, driving factors for mussel populations are expected to differ from the tidal areas. In the present study, we used the boosted regression tree modelling (BRT), an ensemble method for statistical techniques and machine learning, in order to explain the distribution and biomass of the suspension feeding mussel Mytilus trossulus in the non-tidal Baltic Sea. BRT models suggested that (1) distribution patterns of M. trossulus are largely driven by separate effects of direct environmental gradients and partly by interactive effects of resource gradients with direct environmental gradients. (2) Within its suitable habitat range, however, resource gradients had an important role in shaping the biomass distribution of M. trossulus. (3) Contrary to tidal areas, mussels were not competitively superior over macrophytes with patterns indicating either facilitative interactions between mussels and macrophytes or co-variance due to common stressor. To conclude, direct environmental gradients seem to define the distribution pattern of M. trossulus, and within the favourable distribution range, resource gradients in interaction with direct environmental gradients are expected to set the biomass level of mussels.
Global latitudinal variations in marine copepod diversity and environmental factors

Latitudinal gradients in diversity are among the most striking features in ecology. For terrestrial species, climate (i.e. temperature and precipitation) is believed to exert a strong influence on the geographical distributions of diversity through its effects on energy availability. Here, we provide the first global description of geographical variation in the diversity of marine copepods, a key trophic link between phytoplankton and fish, in relation to environmental variables. We found a polar–tropical difference in copepod diversity in the Northern Hemisphere where diversity peaked at subtropical latitudes. In the Southern Hemisphere, diversity showed a tropical plateau into the temperate regions. This asymmetry around the Equator may be explained by climatic conditions, in particular the influence of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, prevailing mainly in the northern tropical region. Ocean temperature was the most important explanatory factor among all environmental variables tested, accounting for 54 per cent of the variation in diversity. Given the strong positive correlation between diversity and temperature, local copepod diversity, especially in extra-tropical regions, is likely to increase with climate change as their large-scale distributions respond to climate warming.
Probability-Possibility Transformations : A Brief Revisit

In this article, an annotated survey of the approaches to the transformation from probability to possibility or conversely is provided and noticeable properties of the transformation are discussed. This article proposes an approach which is different from the one described by some authors in the literature of fuzzy set theory. The alternative proposal which advocates reconstructions is presented hereby. The principle suggested has a considerable potential for practical as well as for mathematical applications. 2010 AMS Classification: 03E72
Content selection from an ontology-based knowledge base for the generation of football summaries

We present an approach to content selection that works on an ontology-based knowledge base developed independently from the task at hand, i.e., Natural Language Generation. Prior to content selection, a stage akin to signal analysis and data assessment used in the generation from numerical data is performed for identifying and abstracting patterns and trends, and identifying relations between individuals. This new information is modeled as an extended ontology on top of the domain ontology which is populated via inference rules. Content selection leverages the ontology-based description of the domain and is performed throughout the text planning at increasing levels of granularity. It includes a main topic selection phase that takes into account a simple user model, a set of heuristics, and semantic relations that link individuals of the KB. The heuristics are based on weights determined empirically by supervised learning on a corpus of summaries aligned with data. The generated texts are short football match summaries that take into account the user perspective.
Time to treatment with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator and outcome from acute ischemic stroke.

IMPORTANCE Randomized clinical trials suggest the benefit of intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) in acute ischemic stroke is time dependent. However, modest sample sizes have limited characterization of the extent to which onset to treatment (OTT) time influences outcome; and the generalizability of findings to clinical practice is uncertain. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the degree to which OTT time is associated with outcome among patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with intraveneous tPA. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Data were analyzed from 58,353 patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with tPA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset in 1395 hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Program, April 2003 to March 2012. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Relationship between OTT time and in-hospital mortality, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, ambulatory status at discharge, and discharge destination. RESULTS Among the 58,353 tPA-treated patients, median age was 72 years, 50.3% were women, median OTT time was 144 minutes (interquartile range, 115-170), 9.3% (5404) had OTT time of 0 to 90 minutes, 77.2% (45,029) had OTT time of 91 to 180 minutes, and 13.6% (7920) had OTT time of 181 to 270 minutes. Median pretreatment National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale documented in 87.7% of patients was 11 (interquartile range, 6-17). Patient factors most strongly associated with shorter OTT included greater stroke severity (odds ratio [OR], 2.8; 95% CI, 2.5-3.1 per 5-point increase), arrival by ambulance (OR, 5.9; 95% CI, 4.5-7.3), and arrival during regular hours (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 3.8-5.4). Overall, there were 5142 (8.8%) in-hospital deaths, 2873 (4.9%) patients had intracranial hemorrhage, 19,491 (33.4%) patients achieved independent ambulation at hospital discharge, and 22,541 (38.6%) patients were discharged to home. Faster OTT, in 15-minute increments, was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.95-0.98; P < .001), reduced symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.95-0.98; P < .001), increased achievement of independent ambulation at discharge (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03-1.05; P < .001), and increased discharge to home (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02-1.04; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In a registry representing US clinical practice, earlier thrombolytic treatment was associated with reduced mortality and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and higher rates of independent ambulation at discharge and discharge to home following acute ischemic stroke. These findings support intensive efforts to accelerate hospital presentation and thrombolytic treatment in patients with stroke.
Layout planning for academic exhibits using Augmented Reality

We present a mobile application that helps a group of collocated collaborators to design, pre-visualize and modify the furniture layout plan for academic exhibits, using Augmented Reality (AR). The users can define the dimensions of a virtual exhibition room and populate it with different types of suitable furniture for an exhibit. They can concurrently move around the virtual furniture and evaluate several layouts, in order to choose one that fits their needs and the available space. The application was created using our AR-based collaborative authoring framework, currently under development.
An Evolutionary-Based Approach to Learning Multiple Decision Models from Underrepresented Data

The use of multiple decision models (DMs) enables to enhance the accuracy in decisions and at the same time allows users to evaluate the confidence in decision making. In this paper we explore the ability of multiple DMs to learn from a small amount of verified data. This becomes important when data samples are difficult to collect and verify. We propose an evolutionary-based approach to solving this problem. The proposed technique is examined on a few clinical problems presented by a small amount of data.
On mutual information, likelihood ratios, and estimation error for the additive Gaussian channel

This paper considers the model of an arbitrarily distributed signal x observed through an added independent white Gaussian noise w, y=x+w. New relations between the minimal mean-square error of the noncausal estimator and the likelihood ratio between y and w are derived. This is followed by an extended version of a recently derived relation between the mutual information I(x;y) and the minimal mean-square error. These results are applied to derive infinite-dimensional versions of the Fisher information and the de Bruijn identity. A comparison between the causal and noncausal estimation errors yields a restricted form of the logarithmic Sobolev inequality. The derivation of the results is based on the Malliavin calculus
Efficient Voice Communications over IEEE 802 . 11 WLANs Using Improved PCF Procedures

This paper presents a new dynamically adaptable polling scheme for efficient support of voice communications over different IEEE802.11 networks. The proposed polling scheme is simple to implement and does not require any modification on the existing access protocol. The analytical approach that models the proposed polling scheme, uses a discrete-time Markov chain and proves that the specific polling scheme, when silence detection is used at the wireless terminals, improves the capability of IEEE802.11wireless LANs for handling voice traffic efficiently.
Electrical Characterization of Metal Insulator Semiconductor Using ZnO Low Deposition Temperature as Semiconductor Layer

We report on the influence of the low deposition temperature of ZnO as semiconductor layer on the electrical characteristics of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures. The ZnO films were deposited by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering with variation of temperature from 40°C, 60°C, 80°C, 100°C and 120°C. PMMA were used as insulator layer in the MIS structures. It is found that the ZnO films grown at 120°C has better crystallinity compared to other temperature. I-V characteristics results shown that the different deposition temperature of ZnO films affect the performance of MIS.
Role of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Virulence Factors in Development of Urinary Tract Infection and Kidney Damage

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is a causative agent in the vast majority of urinary tract infections (UTIs), including cystitis and pyelonephritis, and infectious complications, which may result in acute renal failure in healthy individuals as well as in renal transplant patients. UPEC expresses a multitude of virulence factors to break the inertia of the mucosal barrier. In response to the breach by UPEC into the normally sterile urinary tract, host inflammatory responses are triggered leading to cytokine production, neutrophil influx, and the exfoliation of infected bladder epithelial cells. Several signaling pathways activated during UPEC infection, including the pathways known to activate the innate immune response, interact with calcium-dependent signaling pathways. Some UPEC isolates, however, might possess strategies to delay or suppress the activation of components of the innate host response in the urinary tract. Studies published in the recent past provide new information regarding how virulence factors of uropathogenic E. coli are involved in activation of the innate host response. Despite numerous host defense mechanisms, UPEC can persist within the urinary tract and may serve as a reservoir for recurrent infections and serious complications. Presentation of the molecular details of these events is essential for development of successful strategies for prevention of human UTIs and urological complications associated with UTIs.
Timing Optimization For Multi-source Nets: Characterization And Optimal Repeater Insertion

This paper presents new results in the area of timingoptimization for multi-source nets. The Augmented RC-Diameter (ARD) is proposed as a natural and practical performance metric and a linear time algorithm for computingthe ARD of a multi-source net is presented. Building onthe ARD, an algorithm for optimal repeater insertion is presented: for a given multi-source topology the algorithm efficiently identifies an optimal assignment of repeaters to prescribed insertion points under the "min cost timing feasible"problem formulation. The algorithm has been implementedand preliminary experimental results are promising.
∆ k-Confluent and O k-Confluent Graphs

In this paper we extend the concept of ∆-confluence to ∆k-confluence by allowing more generalized junctions, called ∆k-junctions. We present an algorithm for recognizing graphs that are ∆k-confluent. We then generalize ∆k-confluence to Ok-confluence by allowing non-intersecting chords within a junction, resulting in Ok-junctions. We present an algorithm for recognizing graphs that are Ok-confluent. Finally, we show that the clique problem can be solved in polynomial time for ∆k-confluent graphs.
Deterministic extractors for bit-fixing sources and exposure-resilient cryptography

We give an efficient deterministic algorithm which extracts /spl Omega/(n/sup 2/spl gamma//) almost-random bits from sources where n/sup 1/2 + /spl gamma// of the n bits are uniformly random and the rest are fixed in advance. This improves on previous constructions which required that at least n/2 of the bits be random. Our construction also gives explicit adaptive exposure-resilient functions and in turn adaptive all-or-nothing transforms. For sources where instead of bits the values are chosen from [d], for d > 2, we give an algorithm which extracts a constant fraction of the randomness. We also give bounds on extracting randomness for sources where the fixed bits can depend on the random bits.
Quality-Based Evaluation of Multimedia Synchronization Protocols for Distributed Multimedia Information Systems

Distributed, networked multimedia information systems will be a critical component of technology-based information infrastructures in the future. We present an infrastructure for supporting multimedia applications. We discuss various characteristics of multimedia data and the effect of the network on the required quality of presentation for multimedia data. We present a suite of synchronization protocols to support the quality of presentation. The crux of these protocols is the scheduling of multimedia information for synchronized delivery, over broadband networks with limited resources, and is identified as an NP-hard problem. We introduce two parameters which can be used to measure the performance of end-to-end synchronization protocols in a network supporting distributed multimedia applications. We propose and implement several heuristic scheduling algorithms, and compare their performance. We deduce the appropriateness of these algorithms in different types of distributed multimedia environments.
Energy-Efficient Task Synchronization for Real-Time Systems

In the past decade, energy-efficient real-time task scheduling has been widely explored in the form of various optimization problems. This paper considers energy-efficient real-time task synchronization protocols and the overhead of frequency switching in real systems design. We propose the concept of frequency locking to better manage the cost in frequency switching. To minimize the energy consumption and meet the timing constraints, algorithms are presented to assign tasks base frequencies under existing synchronization protocols which are then extended with the frequency locking concept. Finally, a series of extensive simulations is performed and a real case study is presented to evaluate the proposed methodology and obtain comparison studies using different workloads and protocols.
Convergence from divergence

We show how to convert divergent series, which typically occur in many applications in physics, into rapidly convergent inverse factorial series. This can be interpreted physically as a novel resummation of perturbative series. Being convergent, these new series allow rigorous extrapolation from an asymptotic region with a large parameter, to the opposite region where the parameter is small. We illustrate the method with various physical examples, and discuss how these convergent series relate to standard methods such as Borel summation, and also how they incorporate the physical Stokes phenomenon. We comment on the relation of these results to Dyson’s physical argument for the divergence of perturbation theory. This approach also leads naturally to a wide class of relations between bosonic and fermionic partition functions, and Klein–Gordon and Dirac determinants.
MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME OF INTRACRANIAL ABSCESSES IN MEDICAL COLLEGE HOSPITAL BIKANER-A 12 YEAR STUDY

Cerebral abscess is a difficult infective condition to treat. The diagnosis and management of intracranial abscess has been facilitated by imaging techniques (CT and MRI) resulting in a significant reduction in mortality. Despite these advances in technology, intracranial abscess remains a common neurosurgical problem in India. Intracranial abscesses include parenchymal abscess, subdural empyema and epidural abscess.
Atomic-resolution structure of a disease-relevant Aβ(1–42) amyloid fibril

Significance Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease still with no known cure. The disease is characterized by the development of extracellular plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. The senile plaques consist mainly of the peptide amyloid-β (Aβ) in aggregated form, called amyloid fibrils. It is believed that the Aβ amyloid fibrils play an important role in disease progression and cell-to-cell transmissibility, and small Aβ oligomers are often assumed to be the most neurotoxic species. Here, we determined the 3D structure of a disease-relevant Aβ(1–42) fibril polymorph combining data from solid-state NMR spectroscopy and mass-per-length measurements from EM. The 3D structure is composed of two molecules per fibril layer, forming a double-horseshoe–like cross–β-sheet entity with maximally buried hydrophobic side chains. Amyloid-β (Aβ) is present in humans as a 39- to 42-amino acid residue metabolic product of the amyloid precursor protein. Although the two predominant forms, Aβ(1–40) and Aβ(1–42), differ in only two residues, they display different biophysical, biological, and clinical behavior. Aβ(1–42) is the more neurotoxic species, aggregates much faster, and dominates in senile plaque of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Although small Aβ oligomers are believed to be the neurotoxic species, Aβ amyloid fibrils are, because of their presence in plaques, a pathological hallmark of AD and appear to play an important role in disease progression through cell-to-cell transmissibility. Here, we solved the 3D structure of a disease-relevant Aβ(1–42) fibril polymorph, combining data from solid-state NMR spectroscopy and mass-per-length measurements from EM. The 3D structure is composed of two molecules per fibril layer, with residues 15–42 forming a double-horseshoe–like cross–β-sheet entity with maximally buried hydrophobic side chains. Residues 1–14 are partially ordered and in a β-strand conformation, but do not display unambiguous distance restraints to the remainder of the core structure.
Approximating Maximum Weighted Independent Set Using Vertex Support

—The Maximum Weighted Independent Set (MWIS) problem is a classic graph optimization NP-hard problem. Given an undirected graph G = (V, E) and weighting function deﬁned on the vertex set, the MWIS problem is to ﬁnd a vertex set S V whose total weight is maximum subject to no two vertices in S are adjacent. This paper presents a novel approach to approximate the MWIS of a graph using minimum weighted vertex cover of the graph. Computational experiments are designed and conducted to study the performance of our proposed algorithm. Extensive simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can yield better solutions than other existing algorithms found in the literature for solving the MWIS.
An efficient cost-sharing mechanism for the prize-collecting Steiner forest problem

In an instance of the <i>prize-collecting Steiner forest</i> problem (PCSF) we are given an undirected graph <i>G</i> = (<i>V, E</i>), non-negative edge-costs <i>c</i>(<i>e</i>) for all <i>e</i> ε <i>E</i>, terminal pairs <i>R</i> = {(<i>s<inf>i</inf></i>, <i>t<inf>i</inf></i>)}1≤<i>i</i>≤<i>k</i>, and penalties π<inf>1</inf>,. ,π<i><inf>k</inf></i>. A feasible solution (<i>F, Q</i>) consists of a forest <i>F</i> and a subset <i>Q</i> of terminal pairs such that for all (<i>s<inf>i</inf></i>, <i>t<inf>i</inf></i>) ε <i>R</i> either <i>s<inf>i</inf></i>, <i>t<inf>i</inf></i> are connected by <i>F</i> or (<i>s<inf>i</inf></i>, <i>t<inf>i</inf></i>) ε <i>Q</i>. The objective is to compute a feasible solution of minimum cost <i>c</i>(<i>F</i>) + π (<i>Q</i>). A game-theoretic version of the above problem has <i>k</i> players, one for each terminal-pair in <i>R</i>. Player <i>i's</i> ultimate goal is to connect <i>s<inf>i</inf></i> and <i>t<inf>i</inf></i>, and the player derives a privately held <i>utility u<inf>i</inf></i> ≥ 0 from being connected. A service provider can connect the terminals <i>s<inf>i</inf></i> and <i>t<inf>i</inf></i> of player <i>i</i> in two ways: (1) by buying the edges of an <i>s<inf>i</inf></i>, <i>t<inf>i</inf></i>-path in <i>G</i>, or (2) by buying an alternate connection between <i>s<inf>i</inf></i> and <i>t<inf>i</inf></i> (maybe from some other provider) at a cost of π<i><inf>i</inf></i>. In this paper, we present a simple 3-budget-balanced and group-strategyproof mechanism for the above problem. We also show that our mechanism computes client sets whose social cost is at most <i>O</i>(log<sup>2</sup> <i>k</i>) times the minimum social cost of any player set. This matches a lower-bound that was recently given by Roughgarden and Sundararajan (STOC '06).