Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Random Number Generators : Metrics and Tests for Uniformity and Randomness

Random number generators are a small part of any computer simulation project. Yet they are the heart and the engine that drives the project. Often times software houses fail to understand the complexity involved in building a random number generator that will satisfy the project requirements and will be able to produce realistic results. Building a random number generator with a desirable periodicity, that is uniform, that produces all the random permutations with equal probability, and at random, is not an easy task. In this paper we provide tests and metrics for testing random number generators for uniformity and randomness. These tests are in addition to the already existing tests for uniformity and randomness, which we modify by running each test a large number of times on sub-sequences of random numbers, each of length n. The test result obtained each time is used to determine the probability distribution function. This eliminates the random number generator misclassification error. We also provide new tests for uniformity and randomness, the new tests for uniformity test the skewness of each one of the subgroups as well as the kurtosis. The tests for randomness, which include the Fourier spectrum, the phase spectrum, the discrete cosine transform spectrum, and the orthogonal wavelet domain, test for patterns not detected in the row data space. Finally we provide visual and acoustic tests.
Assessing the potential of multispectral remote sensing for lithological mapping on the Antarctic Peninsula: case study from eastern Adelaide Island, Graham Land

Abstract The results of lithological mapping using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data for the Wright Peninsula region of Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula are compared with existing geological maps and recent field observations to assess the potential of multispectral remote sensing to undertake lithological mapping on the Antarctic Peninsula. The Wright Peninsula comprises calc-alkaline intrusive rocks ranging from granite to gabbro, volcanic rocks of acidic to intermediate composition, and arc-related sediments. The reflective and thermal bands of a single ASTER image were analysed with reference to reflectance spectra of rock samples from the study area. Assessment of the ASTER mapping outcomes was undertaken with a newly compiled geological map of Adelaide Island and observations made during recent fieldwork. The results demonstrate that ASTER can uniquely discriminate granitoid intrusive rocks and altered rhyolitic volcanic rocks that display distinctive spectral properties. The results are more ambiguous at discriminating more intermediate/mafic rocks such as diorite/gabbro, andesite/basalt and chlorite-bearing sediments due to the similarity in spectral properties. These results demonstrate that although ASTER data are limited in their ability to uniquely discriminate lithologies they can provide important lithological information in support of geological mapping on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Fast and Efficient Four‑class Motor Imagery Electroencephalography Signal Analysis Using Common Spatial Pattern–Ridge Regression Algorithm for the Purpose of Brain–Computer Interface

Brain–computer interfaces enable users to control devices with electroencephalographic (EEG) activity from the scalp or with single-neuron activity from within the brain. One of the most challenging issues in this regard is the balance between the accuracy of brain signals from patients and the speed of interpreting them into machine language. The main objective of this paper is to analyze different approaches to achieve the balance more quickly and in a better way. To reduce the ocular artifacts, the symmetric prewhitening independent component analysis (ICA) algorithm has been evaluated, which has the lowest runtime and lowest signal-to-interference (SIR) index, without destroying the original signal. After quick elimination of all undesirable signals, two successful feature extractors – the log-band power algorithm and common spatial patterns (CSPs) – are used to extract features. The emphasis is on identifying discriminative properties of the feature sets representing EEG trials recorded during the imagination of the tongue, feet, and left–right-hand movement. Finally, three well-known classifiers are evaluated, where the ridge regression classifier and CSPs as feature extractor have the highest accuracy classification rate about 83.06% with a standard deviation of 1.22%, counterposing the recent studies.
Transcurrent movements in the Burma–Andaman Sea region

The drag produced by the northward movement of the Indian plate has caused the Indoburman Ranges, an accretionary prism, to decouple from the Burma plate along the Kabaw fault, and the Burma plate itself has decoupled from the Eastern Highlands of Burma along the Sagaing fault. The Indoburman Ranges have probably been dragged north slightly ahead of the Burma plate, although at times the two plates may have locked together to move as one unit. It is suggested that the double arc formed by the Indoburman Ranges and the Andaman-Nicobar-Sumatra islands was formerly one large single arc. Northward translation of this larger single arcuate structure has caused the tail end of the arc, i.e., the Andaman-Nicobar-Sumatra section, to rotate into the Burma plate, causing a bending of the arc to form the present double arc and compression within the Burma plate to form the Pegu Yoma folding. Northward movement of the Burma plate has also resulted in offset by over 400 km of the Irrawaddy River from its former connection through the channel of what is now the Chindwin River.
Integrated borehole geophysical and 3‐D seismic study of a deep massive sulfide deposit, Sudbury Basin, Canada

The Sudbury Basin in Canada was selected for conducting one the world’s first 3-D seismic survey for deep base-metal exploration. The 3-D seismic experiment confirms that in a geological setting such as the Sudbury North Range, massive sulphide bodies cause a characteristic seismic scattering response. This provides an excellent basis for the direct detection of deep massive sulphides in the crystalline crust by seismic methods.
Supporting the Visual Analysis of Dynamic Networks by Clustering associated Temporal Attributes

The visual analysis of dynamic networks is a challenging task. In this paper, we introduce a new approach supporting the discovery of substructures sharing a similar trend over time by combining computation, visualization and interaction. With existing techniques, their discovery would be a tedious endeavor because of the number of nodes, edges as well as time points to be compared. First, on the basis of the supergraph, we therefore group nodes and edges according to their associated attributes that are changing over time. Second, the supergraph is visualized to provide an overview of the groups of nodes and edges with similar behavior over time in terms of their associated attributes. Third, we provide specific interactions to explore and refine the temporal clustering, allowing the user to further steer the analysis of the dynamic network. We demonstrate our approach by the visual analysis of a large wireless mesh network.
Attenuated Rabies Virus Activates, while Pathogenic Rabies Virus Evades, the Host Innate Immune Responses in the Central Nervous System

ABSTRACT Rabies virus (RV) induces encephalomyelitis in humans and animals. However, the pathogenic mechanism of rabies is not fully understood. To investigate the host responses to RV infection, we examined and compared the pathology, particularly the inflammatory responses, and the gene expression profiles in the brains of mice infected with wild-type (wt) virus silver-haired bat RV (SHBRV) or laboratory-adapted virus B2C, using a mouse genomic array (Affymetrix). Extensive inflammatory responses were observed in animals infected with the attenuated RV, but little or no inflammatory responses were found in mice infected with wt RV. Furthermore, attenuated RV induced the expression of the genes involved in the innate immune and antiviral responses, especially those related to the alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) signaling pathways and inflammatory chemokines. For the IFN-α/β signaling pathways, many of the interferon regulatory genes, such as the signal transduction activation transducers and interferon regulatory factors, as well as the effector genes, for example, 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase and myxovirus proteins, are highly induced in mice infected with attenuated RV. However, many of these genes were not up-regulated in mice infected with wt SHBRV. The data obtained by microarray analysis were confirmed by real-time PCR. Together, these data suggest that attenuated RV activates, while pathogenic RV evades, the host innate immune and antiviral responses.
Proteomic Analysis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Biofilms Shows Shift to Anaerobic Respiration and Changes in Nutrient Transport and Outermembrane Proteins

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of gonorrhea, can form biofilms in vitro and in vivo. In biofilms, the organism is more resistant to antibiotic treatment and can serve as a reservoir for chronic infection. We have used stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) to compare protein expression in biofilm and planktonic organisms. Two parallel populations of N. gonorrhoeae strain 1291, which is an arginine auxotroph, were grown for 48 h in continuous-flow chambers over glass, one supplemented with 13C6-arginine for planktonic organisms and the other with unlabeled arginine for biofilm growth. The biofilm and planktonic cells were harvested and lysed separately, and fractionated into three sequential protein extracts. Corresponding heavy (H) planktonic and light (L) biofilm protein extracts were mixed and separated by 1D SDS-PAGE gels, and samples were extensively analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Overall, 757 proteins were identified, and 152 unique proteins met a 1.5-fold cutoff threshold for differential expression with p-values <0.05. Comparing biofilm to planktonic organisms, this set included 73 upregulated and 54 downregulated proteins. Nearly a third of the upregulated proteins were involved in energy metabolism, with cell envelope proteins making up the next largest group. Of the downregulated proteins, the largest groups were involved in protein synthesis and energy metabolism. These proteomics results were compared with our previously reported results from transcriptional profiling of gonococcal biofilms using microarrays. Nitrite reductase and cytochrome c peroxidase, key enzymes required for anaerobic growth, were detected as highly upregulated in both the proteomic and transcriptomic datasets. These and other protein expression changes observed in the present study were consistent with a shift to anaerobic respiration in gonococcal biofilms, although changes in membrane proteins not explicitly related to this shift may have other functions.
The hydrological and soil impacts of forestation in the tropics

In response to the continuing degradation and disappearance of the world’s tropical forests (Drigo, this volume) the establishment of plantation forest on degraded and previously forested sites as well as into (sub)tropical grasslands is becoming increasingly common (Evans, 1999). The hydrological effects of this practice and the potential of forestation to improve or restore the hydrological behaviour of degraded catchments constitute the prime focus of this chapter, expanding and updating an earlier review of the subject by Bruijnzeel (1997). Three aspects are highlighted in particular, namely: (i) the effects of tree plantations on annual and seasonal streamflow totals; (ii) the associated impacts on stormflow and sediment production; and (iii) concurrent changes in soil chemical characteristics (fertility). Because the hydrological changes associated with forest clearing and the establishment of a new vegetation cover during the first few years are discussed at length in the chapter by Grip, Fritsch and Bruijnzeel, much of what follows pertains to the post-canopy closure phase of plantations.
Towards an evolvable internet architecture

There is widespread agreement on the need for architectural change in the Internet, but very few believe that current ISPs will ever effect such changes. In this paper we ask what makes an architecture evolvable, by which we mean capable of gradual change led by the incumbent providers. This involves both technical and economic issues, since ISPs have to be able, and incented, to offer new architectures. Our study suggests that, with very minor modifications, the current Internet architecture could be evolvable.
Multiscale Modelling of Vascular Tumour Growth in 3D: The Roles of Domain Size and Boundary Conditions

We investigate a three-dimensional multiscale model of vascular tumour growth, which couples blood flow, angiogenesis, vascular remodelling, nutrient/growth factor transport, movement of, and interactions between, normal and tumour cells, and nutrient-dependent cell cycle dynamics within each cell. In particular, we determine how the domain size, aspect ratio and initial vascular network influence the tumour's growth dynamics and its long-time composition. We establish whether it is possible to extrapolate simulation results obtained for small domains to larger ones, by constructing a large simulation domain from a number of identical subdomains, each subsystem initially comprising two parallel parent vessels, with associated cells and diffusible substances. We find that the subsystem is not representative of the full domain and conclude that, for this initial vessel geometry, interactions between adjacent subsystems contribute to the overall growth dynamics. We then show that extrapolation of results from a small subdomain to a larger domain can only be made if the subdomain is sufficiently large and is initialised with a sufficiently complex vascular network. Motivated by these results, we perform simulations to investigate the tumour's response to therapy and show that the probability of tumour elimination in a larger domain can be extrapolated from simulation results on a smaller domain. Finally, we demonstrate how our model may be combined with experimental data, to predict the spatio-temporal evolution of a vascular tumour.
Appearance and Task Success in Novel Avatars

Novel avatar bodies are ones that are not controlled in a one-to-one relationship between the user’s body and the avatar body, for example, when the avatar’s arms are controlled by the user’s legs, or, when the avatar has a third arm. People have been shown to complete tasks more successfully when controlling novel avatar bodies than when controlling avatars that conform to the normal human configurations, when those novel avatars are better suited to the task (Won, Bailenson, Lee, & Lanier, 2015). However, the novel avatars in such studies tend to follow two conventions. First, the novel avatars still resemble biological forms, and second, the novel extensions of the avatar are connected to the avatar body. In the following study, participants operated bodies with three arms. We examined the interaction between biological appearance of the third arm and whether it was attached to the body. There was a significant effect of biological appearance on performance, such that participants inhabiting an avatar with a biological appearance did worse overall. There was also an interaction with biological appearance and an extension that appeared detached from the participant’s body such that participants in this condition performed most poorly overall. We propose a relationship between self-reported presence and task success, and discuss the implications of these findings for the design, implementation, and use of novel avatars.
Nano and Microparticulate Chitosan Based System for Formulation of Carvedilol Rapid Melt Tablet.

PURPOSE In the present study rapid melt tablets (RMT's) of carvedilol were prepared by using ionotropic-gelated chitosan nanoparticles using a spray-drying method. Carvedilol is beta-adrenergic antagonist and its oral bioavailability is about 25-35% because of first pass metabolism. METHODS The spray-dried microparticles were formulated into RMT's using a wet granulation process. The Formulation and optimization of carvedilol loaded RMTs using nano and microparticulate chitosan based system (NMCS) was done by using 32 factorial designs. RESULTS Drug entrapment efficiency of about 64.9 % (w/w) and loading capacity of 14.44% (w/w) were achieved for the microparticles, which were ranged from 1 μm to 4 μm in diameter. RESULTS of disintegration tests showed that the formulated RMTs could be completely dissolved within 40 seconds. Dissolution studies suggested that Carvedilol is released more slowly from tablets made using the microencapsulation process compared with tablets containing Carvedilol that is free or in the form of nanoparticles. CONCLUSION RESULTS shown that the development of new RMTs designed with crosslinked microparticle might be a rational way to overcome the unwanted taste of conventional RMTs and the side effects related to Carvedilol intrinsic characteristics. The development of Carvedilol NMCS using ludiflash as RMTs could be used as a promising approach for improving the solubility and oral bioavailability of water insoluble drug.
Incarcerated adolescents' experiences as perpetrators of sexual assault.

OBJECTIVES To identify self-reported characteristics of past sexual assaults perpetrated by incarcerated juveniles and to determine potential precursors of this behavior. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS Participants completed an anonymous written questionnaire regarding their experiences of sexual abuse and/or assault as both a victim and a perpetrator. The questionnaire was incorporated into an existing annual survey of gang-related behaviors. RESULTS A total of 805 adolescents (707 boys, 91 girls, and 7 gender-not-designated) participated. Of these teens, 79 males (11% of the males), 9 females (10% of the females), and 5 (71%) gender-not-designated said they had forced sex on someone (165 did not answer the question). Twenty-eight males (30% of the male perpetrators) and 4 females (44% of the female perpetrators) were both victims and perpetrators. Drugs and/or alcohol were frequently used by both the assailant (58% of the males and 55% of the females) and the victim (56% for the males and 66% for the females). The attributes of adolescent boys at highest risk of becoming perpetrators were all related to violence, including exposure to parents who were violent in the home (adjusted odds ratio, 2.68), being a victim of physical or sexual assault (adjusted odds ratio, 2.83), having parents who encouraged gang membership (adjusted odds ratio, 3.58), and knowing a perpetrator of sexual violence (adjusted odds ratio, 3.83). CONCLUSIONS Adolescent boys and girls were both victims and perpetrators of sexual assault. Programs that identify and target violence in young children's lives, particularly intrafamilial violence, may reduce the risk of teenagers becoming perpetrators of sexual violence. Anticipatory guidance during teen years, regarding risk and avoidance of sexual exploitation, may be helpful in reducing the chances of sexual assaults.
Environmental tradeoffs in bioenergy production and agricultural practices

English, Alicia L. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2013. Environmental Tradeoffs in Bioenergy Production and Agricultural Practices. Major Professor: Wallace E. Tyner. The focus of this dissertation is the environmental tradeoffs of stover removal within the Corn Belt. The environmental tradeoffs considered are mainly concerned with managing soil erosion and soil quality. The analysis layers soil characteristics, management strategies and per acre costs using an integrated RUSLE2/WEPS model and an economic optimization model to illuminate a lower bound supply response. Different assumptions were tested in regards to sustainability, prices, and market integration for five states and 18,760 soil types throughout the Corn Belt. Sustainability was defined to limit soil erosion from wind and water to 5 tons/acre/year and the soil organic matter metric (SCI) to be positive. The results of the modeling exercise show how different costs for erosion, biomass and conservation management will affect outcomes at the farm level under different scenarios. This analysis considers how prices for stover and incentives for management practices through different price regimes could change the outcomes for different biorefinery locations. The integration of farms into a single market place additionally considered the tradeoffs of the heterogeneous farmers and transportation costs in how this market would operate efficiently and regionally.
Model‐based design of a plant‐wide control strategy for a continuous pharmaceutical plant

The design of an effective plant-wide control strategy is a key challenge for the development of future continuous pharmaceutical processes. This article presents a case study for the design of a plant-wide control structure for a system inspired by an end-to-end continuous pharmaceutical pilot plant. A hierarchical decomposition strategy is used to classify control objectives. A plant-wide dynamic model of the process is used to generate parametric sensitivities, which provide a basis for the synthesis of control loops. Simulations for selected disturbances illustrate that the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of the final product can be kept close to specification in the presence of significant and persistent disturbances. Furthermore, it is illustrated how selected CQAs of the final product can be brought simultaneously to a new setpoint while maintaining the remaining CQAs at a constant value during this transition. The latter result shows flexibility to control CQAs independently of each other. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 3671–3685, 2013
Association of diabetes and tuberculosis: impact on treatment and post-treatment outcomes

Objective To determine the clinical consequences of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods We conducted a prospective study of patients with TB in Southern Mexico. From 1995 to 2010, patients with acid-fast bacilli or Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum samples underwent epidemiological, clinical and microbiological evaluation. Annual follow-ups were performed to ascertain treatment outcome, recurrence, relapse and reinfection. Results The prevalence of DM among 1262 patients with pulmonary TB was 29.63% (n=374). Patients with DM and pulmonary TB had more severe clinical manifestations (cavities of any size on the chest x-ray, adjusted OR (aOR) 1.80, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.41), delayed sputum conversion (aOR 1.51, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.10), a higher probability of treatment failure (aOR 2.93, 95% CI 1.18 to 7.23), recurrence (adjusted HR (aHR) 1.76, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.79) and relapse (aHR 1.83, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.23). Most of the second episodes among patients with DM were caused by bacteria with the same genotype but, in 5/26 instances (19.23%), reinfection with a different strain occurred. Conclusions Given the growing epidemic of DM worldwide, it is necessary to add DM prevention and control strategies to TB control programmes and vice versa and to evaluate their effectiveness. The concurrence of both diseases potentially carries a risk of global spreading, with serious implications for TB control and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.