Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lower bounds on the depth of monotone arithmetic computations

Consider an arithmetic expression of length n involving only the operations (+,*) and non-negative constants. The authors prove lower bounds on the depth of any binary computation tree over the same set of operations and constants that computes such an expression. In their main result they exhibit a family of arithmetic expressions that requires computation trees of depth at least 1.5 log/sub 2/n-O(1). The authors also consider the family of arithmetic expressions defined by alternating 5-3 trees. For this family they show a tight bound of 5/(log/sub 2/15)log/sub 2/n+O(1) on the depth of any computation tree. This is the best known tight bound for any family of arithmetic expressions. <<ETX>>
Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals a Bifurcated Terephthalate Degradation Pathway in Rhodococcus sp. Strain RHA1

ABSTRACT Phthalate isomers and their esters are important pollutants whose biodegradation is not well understood. Rhodococcus sp. strain RHA1 is notable for its ability to degrade a wide range of aromatic compounds. RHA1 was previously shown to degrade phthalate (PTH) and to have genes putatively encoding terephthalate (TPA) degradation. Transcriptomic analysis of 8,213 genes indicated that 150 were up-regulated during growth on PTH and that 521 were up-regulated during growth on TPA. Distinct ring cleavage dioxygenase systems were differentially expressed during growth on PTH and TPA. Genes encoding the protocatechuate (PCA) pathway were induced on both substrates, while genes encoding the catechol branch of the PCA pathway were additionally induced only on TPA. Accordingly, protocatechuate-3,4-dioxygenase activity was induced in cells grown on both substrates, while catechol-1,2-dioxygenase activity was induced only in cells grown on TPA. Knockout analysis indicated that pcaL, encoding 3-oxoadipate enol-lactone hydrolase and 4-carboxymuconolactone decarboxylase, was required for growth on both substrates but that pcaB, encoding β-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme, was required for growth on PTH only. These results indicate that PTH is degraded solely via the PCA pathway, whereas TPA is degraded via a bifurcated pathway that additionally includes the catechol branch of the PCA pathway.
Isoflurane When Compared to Enflurane and Halothane Decreases the Frequency of Cerebral Ischemia During Carotid Endarterectomy

Data from the records of patients who underwent 2223 carotid endarterectomies at the Mayo Clinic between January 1, 1972, and December 31, 1985, were abstracted to compare the effects of isoflurane, enflurane, and halothane on the critical cerebral blood flow (CBF) (i.e., the CBF below which the majority of patients develop EEG ischemic changes within 3 min of carotid occlusion), the incidence of EEG ischemic changes, and the neurologic outcome. In a total of 2196 of these procedures, the patient received one of the three volatile anesthetics and, in 2010 of these, both the EEG and the CBF were monitored. Chronologically, halothane was the primary agent from 1972–1974; enflurane progressively replaced halothane during 1975–1981; and isoflurane was used almost exclusively since 1982. This analysis confirmed a previous study that the critical CBF during isoflurane anesthesia (703 procedures) was approximately 10 ml ± 100 g−1 · min−1, as contrasted to that of approximately 20 ml ± 100 g−1 · min−1 during halothane anesthesia (467 procedures). This analysis also established that the critical CBF during enflurane anesthesia (840 procedures) was approximately 15 ml ± 100 g−1 · min−1. The incidence of EEG ischemic changes was significantly less (P < 0.001) during isoflurane anesthesia (18%) than during either enflurane (26%) or halothane (25%) anesthesia. This difference occurred despite the fact that the preoperative risk status was greater in the patients given isoflurane. There was no difference in neurologic outcome between the three anesthetics, and none was expected, since all patients with EEG changes were immediately shunted, if possible. The authors conclude that relative to halothane and enflurane, isoflurane does offer a degree of cerebral protection for transient incomplete regional cerebral ischemia during carotid endarterectomy.
Cross-species functional diversity within the PIN auxin efflux protein family

In Arabidopsis, development during flowering is coordinated by transport of the hormone auxin mediated by polar-localized PIN-FORMED1 (AtPIN1). However Arabidopsis has lost a PIN clade sister to AtPIN1, Sister-of-PIN1 (SoPIN1), which is conserved in flowering plants. We previously proposed that the AtPIN1 organ initiation and vein patterning functions are split between the SoPIN1 and PIN1 clades in grasses. Here we show that in the grass Brachypodium sopin1 mutants have organ initiation defects similar to Arabidopsis atpin1, while loss of PIN1 function in Brachypodium has little effect on organ initiation but alters stem growth. Heterologous expression of Brachypodium SoPIN1 and PIN1b in Arabidopsis provides further evidence of functional specificity. SoPIN1 but not PIN1b can mediate flower formation in null atpin1 mutants, although both can complement a missense allele. The behavior of SoPIN1 and PIN1b in Arabidopsis illustrates how membrane and tissue-level accumulation, transport activity, and interaction contribute to PIN functional specificity.
A GRASP ELS for the vehicle routing problem with three-dimensional loading constraints

This paper addresses an extension of the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem where the client demand consists of three-dimensional weighted items (3L-CVRP). The objective is to design a set of trips for a homogenous fleet of vehicles based on a depot node which minimizes the total transportation cost. Items in each vehicle trip must satisfy the three-dimensional orthogonal packing constraints. A GRASP ELS algorithm is proposed to compute the best possible solution. We propose a new method to address the 3D packing which allows items to be rotated or not. It is based on a relaxation of the 3D problem in which items coordinates are first computed before getting compatible z-coordinates. Additional techniques are used to reduce as much as possible the time to check the 3D packing feasibility of trips. The effectiveness of our approach is evidenced through computational experiments on 3L-CVRP instances from the literature. New realistic instances are also proposed. These instances are based on the 96 French districts and encompass both small scale instances and large scale instances with up to 200 nodes
Equilibrium and socially optimal arrivals to a single server loss system

We study a single server model with no queue and exponential services times, in which service is only provided during a certain time interval. A number of customers wish to obtain this service and can choose their arrival time. A customer that finds a busy server leaves without being served. We model this scenario as a non-cooperative game in which the customers wish to maximize their probability of obtaining service. We characterize the Nash equilibrium and the price of anarchy, which is defined as the ratio between the optimal and equilibrium social utility. In particular, the equilibrium arrival distribution has an atom at zero, a period with no arrival and is continuous on some interval until the closing time. We further generalize our analysis to take into account uncertainty regarding the population size, i.e. a game with a random number of customers. In the special case where the population size follows a Poisson distribution, we show that the continuous part of the distribution is uniform, which is not the case in general. Finally, we show that the price of anarchy is not monotone with respect to the population size; but rather uni-modal with values close to one for small and large populations.
A posteriori error estimation and adaptive computation of viscoelastic fluid flow

In this article, we develop a posteriori error estimates for finite element (FE) approximations of viscoelastic fluid flows governed by differential constitutive laws of Giesekus and Oldroyd‐B type. We use the general framework developed by Verfürth for constructing residual based a posteriori error estimates for nonlinear equations. Numerical experiments using adaptive computations demonstrating the effectiveness of these error estimates are then presented for three examples. The first two examples are problems with known solutions and the third example is, a benchmark problem, the channel flow with a cylindrical obstacle problem. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2005
Validity of the MMPI-168 for Psychiatric Screening1

Validity of an abbreviated 168-item administration and the standard MMPI was compared with reference to discriminating psychiatric patients from normal college students. Better discrimination was obtained from clinical scale scoring than from factor scoring. The abbreviated MMPI-168 actually produced slightly better discrimination than did the longer parent instrument. Revised equations for converting MMPI-168 scores to conventional MMPI validity and clinical scale scores are presented.
Studies of microstructure characteristics and evolutions at the bond interface in bonding technology

To enhance thermosonic bond development, an improved understanding is needed of the processes taking place at the bond interface. In this paper, lift-off and section characteristics at the interface of thermosonic bond were observed by using scanning electron microscope with EDS-test. It is obvious that the peeling underdeveloped bonds simulate a torus (or doughnut) with an unbonded central region and ridged peripheral region is bonded hardly. Bond strength is located between the severely ridged periphery and the non-adhering central area of the bond. For constant force and time, the ridged area of the bond pattern increases when more power is applied. For constant force and power, the ridged location of the bonded region moves closer to the bond center with time. Au-Al and Au-Ag microstructures were identified by EDS-tests, and 'Kirkendall' diffusibility in Au-Ag interface and inter-metallic compounds in Au-Al interface were confirmed. And these would be helpful for further research about thermosonic bonding.
Panexperientialism, Cognition, and the Nature of Experience

This paper explores the plausibility of panexperientialism by an examination of Gregg Rosenberg's development of the view in A Place for Consciousness. By focusing on experience rather than mentality, panexperientialism can avoid some of the traditional objections to panpsychism. However, panexperientialism's commitment to the claim that experience outruns cognition, and its corresponding commitment to the existence of states of pure experience, opens the view to a charge of incoherence. As I suggest, it is not possible for us to make any real sense of the notion of non-conscious experience.
Strong Spatial Mixing with Fewer Colors for Lattice Graphs

Recursively-constructed couplings have been used in the past for mixing on trees. We show how to extend this technique to nontree-like graphs such as lattices. Using this method, we obtain the following general result. Suppose that $G$ is a triangle-free graph and that for some $\degree \geq 3$, the maximum degree of $G$ is at most $\degree$. We show that the spin system consisting of $q$-colorings of $G$ has strong spatial mixing, provided $q > \alpha \degree-\gamma$, where $\alpha\approx 1.76322$ is the solution to $\alpha^\alpha=e$, and $\gamma = \frac{4\alpha^3-6\alpha^2-3\alpha+4}{2(\alpha^2-1)}\approx 0.47031$. Note that we have no additional lower bound on $q$ or $\degree$. This is important for us because our main objective is to have results which are applicable to the lattices studied in statistical physics, such as the integer lattice $\zset^d$ and the triangular lattice. For these graphs (in fact, for any graph in which the distance-$k$ neighborhood of a vertex grows subexponentially in $k$), strong spatial mixing implies that there is a unique infinite-volume Gibbs measure. That is, there is one macroscopic equilibrium rather than many. Our general result gives, for example, a ``hand proof'' of strong spatial mixing for $7$-colorings of triangle-free $4$-regular graphs. (Computer-assisted proofs of this result were provided by Salas and Sokal [\textit{J. Stat. Phys}., 86 (1997), pp.\ 551--579] (for the rectangular lattice) and by Bubley, Dyer, Greenhill, and Jerrum [\textit{SIAM J. Comput. }, 29 (1999), pp.\ 387--400]. ) It also gives a hand proof of strong spatial mixing for $5$-colorings of triangle-free $3$-regular graphs. (A computer-assisted proof for the special case of the hexagonal lattice was provided earlier by Salas and Sokal [\textit{J. Stat. Phys}., 86 (1997), pp.\ 551--579]. ) Toward the end of the paper we show how to improve our general technique by considering the geometry of the lattice. The idea is to construct the recursive coupling from a system of recurrences rather than from a single recurrence. We use the geometry of the lattice to derive the system of recurrences. This gives us an analysis with a horizon of more than one level of induction, which leads to improved results. We illustrate this idea by proving strong spatial mixing for $q=10$ on the lattice $\zset^3$. Finally, we apply the idea to the triangular lattice, adding computational assistance. This gives us a (machine-assisted) proof of strong spatial mixing for $10$-colorings of the triangular lattice. (Such a proof for $11$ colors was given by Salas and Sokal [\textit{J. Stat. Phys}., 86 (1997), pp.\ 551--579]. ) For completeness, we also show that our strong spatial mixing proof implies rapid mixing of Glauber dynamics for sampling proper colorings of neighborhood-amenable graphs. (It is known that strong spatial mixing often implies rapid mixing, but existing proofs seem to be written for $\zset^d$.) Thus our strong spatial mixing results give rapid
Action Selection for Robotic Manipulation of Deformable Planar Objects

This paper deals with the manipulation of planar deformable objects for typical service robot applications. Specifically, we present a system that straightens pieces of cloth from any arbitrary initial wrinkle condition using a robotic man ipulator. The cloth is modeled with a Finite Element Method, and its state is estimated with a physical-based implicit integ ration scheme that computes particle velocities as a function of in ternal and external forces acting on the object. The state of the obj ect is tracked with a stochastic observer, in which measurement s come from a stereo vision system. Manipulation actions are chosen maximizing an a-optimal information measure. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a stochastic stat e estimator has been derived for an implicit integration model of a deformable planar object, bridging the gap between comput er simulation and vision-based tracking of the state of deformable planar objects for manipulation.
3D Model Retrieval Based on Depth Line Descriptor

In this paper, we propose a novel 2D/3D approach for 3D model matching and retrieving. Each model is represented by a set of depth lines which will be afterward transformed into sequences. The depth sequence information provides a more accurate description of 3D shape boundaries than using other 2D shape descriptors. Retrieval is performed when dynamic programming distance (DPD) is used to compare the depth line descriptors. The DPD leads to an accurate matching of sequences even in the presence of local shifting on the shape. Experimentally, we show absolute improvement in retrieval performance on the Princeton 3D Shape Benchmark database.
Multidimensional STSA Estimators for Speech Enhancement With Correlated Spectral Components

Speech enhancement algorithms are used to remove background noise in a speech signal. In Bayesian short-time spectral amplitude (STSA) estimation for single-channel speech enhancement, the spectral components are traditionally assumed uncorrelated. However, this assumption is inexact since some correlation is present in practice. In this paper, we investigate a multidimensional Bayesian STSA estimator that assumes correlated spectral components. Since the closed-form solution of this optimum estimator is not readily available, we alternatively derive closed-form expressions for an upper and a lower bound on the desired estimator. Using these bounds, we propose a new family of speech enhancement estimators that are characterized by a scalar parameter 0 ≤ γ ≤ 1, with γ = 0 corresponding to the lower bound and γ = 1 to the upper bound. An appropriate estimator for the correlation matrix of the clean speech is further derived. Evaluation results from both objective and subjective speech quality measures show that at moderate to high SNR values, where spectral correlation of speech is most noticeable, the proposed estimators can achieve significant improvements over the traditional STSA and Wiener filter estimators.
Design of prototype expert system for transliterating Arabic-to-Roman words

Transliteration of Arabic words into their equivalent Roman words is vital for the proper pronunciation of the origin words. Traditionally, it has been done manually through the use of language interpreter/linguists. Presenting written Arabic words and vowelising each letter can be a difficult task, especially for beginners to the Arabic language. Hence, the use of rule-based system as a practical realization of expert system has been attempted to reduce some vowelisation problems. Coding has been done using Visual Basic through 'if-else' code sequences. A data set comprising of coded Arabic letter representations has been used as input. Character code mappings between the 8-bit Arabic character codes and the more 'conventional' 7-bit ASCII have been performed. The problem of rendering Arabic letters has been solved via the use of WinXP Arabic as the platform for the VB program. Next, transliteration rules are compiled and used as reference guide to avoid ambiguous Arabic-Roman transliteration. Simulation results showed 93.75% accuracy on training binary input patterns of Arabic words to match their Roman equivalents. The results explain that knowledge can be extracted in the form of numerical data set representing salient features of the transliteration domain. The extracted knowledge can be further utilised to form the knowledge base of a future expert system section.
The Evaluation of Information Technology Projects: a Fuzzy Multicriteria Decision-making Approach

This paper presents a fuzzy set-based approach to the evaluation of information technology (IT) projects. We assume a multi-criteria decision-making framework, where sets of general and domain-specific criteria are used to judge the relative performance of alternative technologies. The methodology was originally developed for DIAS.net, an EU project aiming at the development of the Information Society in insular and isolated regions of Europe. In this paper, we present many aspects of our evaluation framework, including the synthesis of evaluation teams, the assessment of the importance of criteria, the evaluation of the performance of the alternatives and the final ranking and selection of projects. The methodology presented has the innovative feature of embodying techniques of fuzzy sets theory into the classical multi-criteria decision analysis. This combination enables us to handle efficiently the subjectiveness that often characterizes expert judgements on a decision problem. Fuzzy linguistic terms, such as "poor," "fair," "very important," etc. are proposed for assessing the relative merit of alternatives and criteria. The paper concludes by exploring the potentiality of the above methodology in providing a flexible and robust IT evaluation framework.
American Zoo: A Sociological Safari

Introduction - The World in a Zoo 1 Chapter 1 Where the Wild Things Aren't: Exhibiting Nature in American Zoos 16 Chapter 2 Animal Farm: Making Meaning at the Zoo 43 Chapter 3 Birds of a Feather: Zookeepers and the Call of the Wild 79 Chapter 4 Life Lessons: The Zoo as a Classroom 104 Chapter 5 Bring on the Dancing Horses: American Zoos in the Entertainment Age 141 Chapter 6 Simply Nature: Zoos and the Branding of Conservation 179 Chapter 7 Wrestling with Armadillos: Animal Welfare and the Captivity Question 213 Chapter 8 The Urban Jungle: The Future of the American Zoo 258 Acknowledgments 269 Notes 273 Index 315
Increasing localization accuracies by hybrid maps and scan matching

The technique of simultaneous localization and mapping has received much attention recently in mobile robotics. When map is being built, robot memorizes environmental information on the plane of grid or topology. Several approaches about this research have been presented so far, but most of them use mapping technique as either grid-based map or topology-based map. This paper proposes some algorithms integrating grid and topology map and its performance is faster and more stable. The proposed scheme uses an occupancy grid map in representing the environment and then formulate topological information in path finding by A* algorithm. The localization process and the dynamic obstacle avoidance can be accomplished by topological information on grid map. On simulator mapping process is shown and the shortest path is decided on grid based map. Then topological information such as direction, distance is calculated on simulator program then transmitted to robot hardware devices. Three ultrasonic sensors and electronic compass are implemented on our mobile robot and two DC geared motor wheels are individually controlled by PD control method. Simulations and experimental results show the performance and efficiency of the proposed scheme.
Effect of Age and Diabetes on the Response of Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells to Fibrin Matrices

Mesenchymal stem cells are showing increasing promise in applications such as tissue engineering and cell therapy. MSC are low in number in bone marrow, and therefore in vitro expansion is often necessary. In vivo, stem cells often reside within a niche acting to protect the cells. These niches are composed of niche cells, stem cells, and extracellular matrix. When blood vessels are damaged, a fibrin clot forms as part of the wound healing response. The clot constitutes a form of stem cell niche as it appears to maintain the stem cell phenotype while supporting MSC proliferation and differentiation during healing. This is particularly appropriate as fibrin is increasingly being suggested as a scaffold meaning that fibrin-based tissue engineering may to some extent recapitulate wound healing. Here, we describe how fibrin modulates the clonogenic capacity of MSC derived from young/old human donors and normal/diabetic rats. Fibrin was prepared using different concentrations to modulate the stiffness of the substrate. MSC were expanded on these scaffolds and analysed. MSC showed an increased self-renewal on soft surfaces. Old and diabetic cells lost the ability to react to these signals and can no longer adapt to the changed environment.
Representations of the Renner Monoid

We describe irreducible representations and character formulas of the Renner monoids for reductive monoids, which generalizes the Munn-Solomon representation theory of rook monoids to any Renner monoids. The type map and polytope associated with reductive monoids play a crucial role in our work. It turns out that the irreducible representations of certain parabolic subgroups of the Weyl groups determine the complete set of irreducible representations of the Renner monoids. An analogue of the Munn-Solomon formula for calculating the character of the Renner monoids, in terms of the characters of the parabolic subgroups, is shown.