Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic mammals of North America : biostratigraphy and geochronology

ContentsPreface, by M. O. WoodburneList of ContributorsDefinitionsIntroduction, by M. O. WoodburnePrinciples and Procedures, by M. O. WoodburneMammalian Biochronology of the Latest Cretaceous, by R. L. Cifelli,* J. J. Eberle, D. L. Lofgren, J. A. Lillegraven, and W. A. ClemenPaleocene Biochronology: The Puercan Through Clarkforkian Land Mammal Ages, by D. L. Lofgren,* J. A. Lillegraven, W. A. Clemens, P. D. Gingerich, and T. E. WilWasatchian Through Duchesnean Biochronology, by P. Robinson,* G. F. Gunnell, S. L. Walsh, W. C. Clyde, J. E. Storer, R. K. StuckThe Chadronian, Orellan, and Whitneyan North American Land Mammal Ages, by D. R. Prothero and R. J. EmryMammalian Biochronology of the Arikareean Through Hemphillian Interval (Late Oligocene Through Early Pliocene Epochs), by R. H. Tedford,* J. E. Storer, L. B. Albright III, C. C. Swisher III, A. T. BarnoThe Blancan, Irvingtonian, and Rancholabrean Mammal Ages, by E. L. Lundelius Jr. and C. R. Bell,* A. D. Barnosky, R. W. Graham, E. H. LindsayGlobal Events and the North American Mammalian Biochronology, by M. O. WoodburneIndexesSystematic IndexSubject Index
An exploratory study of the experiences of receiving funding support for elite sport in South Africa

Despite government’s formation of financial support grants such as the Operational Excellence Programme to provide much needed assistance, South African elite athletes have not been performing to expectation at recent international championships, such as the Olympic Games. International experiences demonstrate the importance of a well-structured and implemented funding support system to improve elite athlete performance at international levels. This has led to questions of how to improve this situation for elite South African athletes who receive funding support from the South Africa Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee and to revisit the implementation of the funding support for elite athletes. This study will take, experiences of South African elite athletes as well as sport managers into consideration and will also look at international lessons of experience of the funding support of elite sport to provide improved options for financial support and elite athlete development. Using qualitative research methods, this study explored the underlying factors regarding funding support of elite athletes in South Africa based on experiences and perceptions of elite athletes. Within the context of the study, elite athletes would refer to senior track and field athletes and senior swimmers who had been a part of Team South Africa and represented the nation at international competitions. Data was collected in three ways: a) A literature review in the form of an analysis of the high performance policies of: the National Olympic Committee of South Africa and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee that has governed elite sport in South Africa post 1994 and the policies that govern high performance funding support within Athletics South Africa and Swimming South Africa; b) interviews with eight preselected elite athletes to discuss career performances and funding support received and c) interviews with four coaches/managers of the preselected elite athletes to discuss their perspectives on the funding support their athletes received. Strict ethics considerations were also adhered to insofar as written consent was obtained from all participants beforehand, as the intended interviews would be either audio recorded or video recorded. Pseudonyms were also used for participants with the assurance that participation was voluntary. The eventual findings of the study brought to light that the implementation of the funding support provided by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee was good in theory but not necessarily so in practice. Overall, participants were grateful for the support received but felt that certain changes needed to be considered going forward for the improvement of future performances.
BUREAU INTERNATIONAL DES POIDS ET MESURES

In order to evaluate the agreement among determinations of the , quantized Hall resistance, ~, at the request of the CCE the BIPM organized and conducted an international comparison of one-ohm resistance standards among twelve laboratories. The weighted mean and standard deviation are ! a 25 812,8 [1 + (2,059 ± 0,021) x 10-6 ] ~9-BI on October 10, 1987. Values and uncertainties for ! a in ~ and for ~ ~9-BI are given.
Cooperative Localization for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

This paper describes an algorithm for distributed acoustic navigation for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Whereas typical AUV navigation systems utilize pre-calibrated arrays of static transponders, our work seeks to create a fully mobile network of AUVs that perform acoustic ranging and data exchange with one another to achieve cooperative positioning for extended duration missions over large areas. The algorithm enumerates possible solutions for the AUV trajectory based on dead-reckoning and range-only measurements provided by acoustic modems that are mounted on each vehicle, and chooses the trajectory via minimization of a cost function based on these constraints. The resulting algorithm is computationally efficient, meets the strict bandwidth requirements of available AUV modems, and has potential to scale well to networks of large numbers of vehicles. The method has undergone extensive experimentation, and results from three different scenarios are reported in this paper, each of which utilizes MIT SCOUT Autonomous Surface Craft (ASC) as convenient platforms for testing. In the first experiment, we utilize three ASCs, each equipped with a Woods Hole acoustic modem, as surrogates for AUVs. In this scenario, two ASCs serve as Communication/Navigation Aids (CNAs) for a third ASC that computes its position based exclusively on GPS positions of the CNAs and acoustic range measurements between platforms. In the second scenario, an undersea glider is used in conjunction with two ASCs serving as CNAs. Finally, in the third experiment, a Bluefin12 AUV serves as the target vehicle. All three experiments demonstrate the successful operation of the technique with real ocean data.
Prediction Markets: Practical Experiments in Small Markets and Behaviours Observed

This paper discusses a series of prediction markets created and operated in the summer of 2006 to measure calibration and behaviour of small-scale prediction markets. The research finds that small markets are very well calibrated and determines a potential minimum threshold of participation to ensure well-calibrated results. The results also established the markets as very efficient at predicting small probabilities. Behavioural aspects of markets are also examined. Trader behavioural types are assessed and categorised; while a small group of traders were extremely active, over half of all traders rarely traded. Market manipulation is examined and found to be occasionally effective, though only in very small markets. Finally, incentives to trade are discussed; these markets were effective with no incentives for trading at all.
Oracle: The Research Journal of Oracle: The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity/ the Association of Fraternity/ Sorority Advisors Sorority Advisors Social Integration of Sorority Women Living in Residence Halls Social Integration of Sorority Women Living in Residence Halls

College students find a sense of belonging at institutions in multiple ways. For college women, the relationships they form through their campus involvements are important. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the social integration experiences of sorority women living in residence halls. The researchers found sorority women had positive community experiences and enriched relationship opportunities through their involvement in sororities and residence halls. The women felt more connected to people through the relationships they formed because of sorority membership, whereas they felt more connected to campus as a whole because they lived in the halls.
FRAMEWORK FOR A CONFLICT TYPOLOGY INCLUDING CONTRIBUTING FACTORS FOR USE IN ADS SAFETY EVALUATION

The aim of a successful conflict typology (also sometimes called crash or maneuver typology) is to group conflicts, some of which may result in a collision, into groups that have common characteristics influencing avoidability and potential severity. A conflict typology can be used in safety impact methodologies that analyze and predict the potential performance of a safety countermeasure or system within a set of defined crash modes. More generally, conflict typologies are used across many traffic safety analyses, including those related to evaluating the safety of an Automated Driving System (ADS). The objective of this paper was to describe a conflict typology including contributing factors that can be used in both Automated Driving System (ADS) and human driven vehicle safety evaluations. The proposed typology is comprised of 5 layers: (1) conflict partners - the types of the actors or objects involved in a conflict, (2) conflict group - the high-level description of a conflict, (3) conflict perspective - assigned to each actor based on their relative maneuvering, (4) the actor role - either the initiator of some surprising action that leads to a conflict or the responder, and (5) contributing factors - factors that in combination contributed to the conflict initiating or non-nominal response that caused the conflict. The main contribution of the proposed conflict typology and contributing factors are applicable conflicts from both retrospective crash data and near-crashes from a naturalistic driving study (NDS), and in the future ADS conflicts. The results also highlight potential difficulties reconciling differences in contributing factors observed in high-severity crash data having limited contributing factor information and those contributing factors observed in lower severity NDS data.
WHY UNDERGRADUATES AREN'T "GOING GREEK": ATTRACTION, AFFILIATION, AND RETENTION IN FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES

Declining interest in fraternity/sorority membership on many campuses has led advisors, campus-based professionals, and inter/national organization staff to consider reasons why some students choose not to join. This study sought to identify the factors that influence attraction, affiliation, and retention in fraternities and sororities. Results from this multi-institution, quantitative study (n = 1,432) indicated time, financial obligations, and lack of perceived personal benefit deter many students from pursuing membership. Discussion focused on recommendations for addressing myths, stereotypes, and other uncertainties, using clear and explicit information about the obligations of membership, and encouraging members to engage potential members in positive interactions throughout the year. Student affairs practitioners who oversee student programming are often charged with providing co-curricular experiences that support students’ classroom experiences and developmental needs (Zuckerman & Kretovics, 2003). As the number of these opportunities grows, whether staff- or student-driven, students become more particular about how they spend their time. Several years ago, studies sought to determine why undergraduates chose not to join certain clubs and organizations. Primary responses included job responsibilities or lack of awareness (McCannon & Bennett, 1996), type of campus or campus culture (Heida, 1986; Pascarella et al, 1996), inconsistencies with the institution’s mission and presence of other, stronger subcommunities (Kuh & Lyons, 1990). Some, but certainly not all, fraternal organizations have struggled to stand out from these other involvement options, although the popularity of values-based recruiting, business-like models of recruiting and marketing, and the boom of multicultural and niche-market organizations has breathed new life into many organizations. “Relevance” is a buzz word harkening Kimbrough’s (1995) proposal for modernizing fraternal organizations by focusing on legitimacy, both to the contemporary college student, as well as to the academic mission of higher education. The challenge to identify potential members and explain to them the tangible and intangible benefits of fraternity/sorority membership is daunting for many. The answer to the question “Why aren’t students ‘going Greek’? ” is a complex one that has not, within the past twenty years, been researched or published. Attracting students to the fraternity/sorority experience, particularly those who may not initially intend to join, involves knowing the target audience, including the stereotypes and misperceptions non-members may hold, and what internal and external influences keep them from pursuing membership. This study sought to identify the factors that influence attraction, affiliation, and retention in fraternities and sororities.
Advancing Drug Development with aiHumanoid Simulations: A Virtual Phase 1 Comparative Study of Standard Chemotherapy versus Standard Chemotherapy plus COTI-2 for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Traditional Phase 1 trials often provide important drug development insights, which can be limited by ethical issues, costs, and lengthy timelines. Advancements in AI based simulations offer a potential avenue for mitigating these challenges. The present study used the aiHumanoid platform, specifically the upgraded DeepNEU database v8.1, to design and conduct a virtual Phase 1 trial, to assess the comparative efficacy and toxicity of standard chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus Taxol vs a combination of standard chemotherapy plus COTI-2 for treating Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (PAC). Methods: Applying the updated DeepNEU database of 7267 genotypic and phenotypic concepts linked through 67491 relationships, the study used aiHumanoid simulations to predict outcomes from 30 virtual patients. Data from the standard chemotherapy arm and the standard treatment plus COTI2 arm were analyzed at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of maximal dose. Estimates of efficacy and potential toxicities were based on a combination of the paired 2 tailed T test and Cohens d values as a true estimate of treatment effects. Results: The novel combined treatment regimen, especially at 100% dosage, showed medium to large treatment effects on the entire Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma disease profile. Notably, a significant decrease was observed in all disease profile components, bolstered by p-values less than 8.68E-5 and Cohens d values [≥] 0.335. While evidence hinted at an increased bone marrow toxicity in the novel treatment arm, no individual organoid toxicity exceeded one standard deviation above predicted values. Importantly, COTI-2 treatment demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in p53 levels, significant at p < 0.006. Conclusion: This aiHumanoids virtual Phase 1 trial emphasizes the potential of computational simulations in the drug development process. Our findings indicate a promising treatment pathway combining COTI-2 with standard chemotherapy for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Ongoing development and validation of the aiHumanoid based virtual Phase 1 clinical trial methodology is warranted.
Designing a mess: Contributing to vitality and functional diversity in post-soviet city

Complex socio-economic transformations have left a significant impact on the physical realm of many post-soviet cities resulting in declining living qualities, abundance of massive industrial sites and urban sprawl. Recent attempts to improve the situation are targeted mainly towards regenerating areas close to the city center. However, in many cases regeneration does not guarantee the vitality of these areas and success of the projects. In reality new plans tend to neglect social and economic complexity of renewed areas by replacing these structures with developments profitable for real estate companies. The extension of the international business district together with redevelopment of Calvary market area in Vilnius is one of the examples of such trend. What is more, plans of redeveloping areas in the city center are fragmented and are not contributing to create the overall vision for the center, or focus on social integration and creation of vital and diverse city life, instead the plans might trigger creation of gated communities and large scale retail centers that have negative impact on vitality of this area. This project aims to find ways to develop areas in the city center of Vilnius by integrating the informal market as a generator of vitality for new interventions. There are several projects concerning development of complex structures in the context of post-soviet cities carried out under Metropolitan Spatial Structure research theme in, TU Delft. However, one could recognize a certain gap in lack of insights on the aspects of vitality in these cities. This particular thesis aims to contribute to the mentioned subject while researching the conditions of vital city life in post-soviet context as well as the spatial structure of Vilnius and its center. The conclusion derived from this research will be used to formulate design guidelines for specific area of the city – CBD expansion and Calvary market zone. Intended outcome of the project is the vision for the city center and design proposal for a specific area, in result this project could be used as an example of developing complex structure in post-soviet city.
Seeding Contradiction: a fast method for generating full-coverage test suites

The regression test suite, a key resource for managing program evolution, needs to achieve 100% coverage, or very close, to be useful. Devising a test suite manually is unacceptably tedious, but existing automated methods are often inefficient. The method described in this article, ``Seeding Contradiction'', inserts incorrect instructions into every basic block of the program, enabling an SMT-based Hoare-style prover to generate a counterexample for every branch of the program and, from the collection of all such counterexamples, a test suite. The method is static, works fast, and achieves excellent coverage.
Modifying cooperative decay via disorder in atom arrays

Atomic arrays can exhibit collective light emission when the transition wavelength exceeds their lattice spacing. Subradiant states take advantage of this phenomenon to drastically reduce their overall decay rate, allowing for long-lived states in dissipative open systems. We build on previous work to investigate whether or not disorder can further decrease the decay rate of a singly-excited atomic array. More specifically, we consider spatial disorder of varying strengths in a 1D half waveguide and in 1D, 2D, and 3D atomic arrays in free space and analyze the effect on the most subradiant modes. While we confirm that the dilute half waveguide exhibits an analog of Anderson localization, the dense half waveguide and free space systems can be understood through the creation of close-packed, few-body subradiant states similar to those found in the Dicke limit. In general, we find that disorder provides little advantage in generating darker subradiant states in free space on average and will often accelerate decay. However, one could potentially change interatomic spacing within the array to engineer specific subradiant states.
Multifunction full space graphene assisted metasurface

In recent years, there has been notable advancement in programmable metasurfaces, primarily attributed to their cost-effectiveness and capacity to manipulate electromagnetic (EM) waves. Nevertheless, a significant limitation of numerous available metasurfaces is their capability to influence wavefronts only in reflection mode or transmission mode, thus catering to only half of the spatial coverage. To the best of our knowledge and for the first time, a novel graphene-assisted reprogrammable metasurface that offers the unprecedented capability to independently and concurrently manipulate EM waves within both half-spaces has been introduced in the THz frequency band.
Magnetized Accretion Disks with Outflows for Changing-look AGNs

Changing-look active galactic nuclei (CL-AGNs) challenge the standard accretion theory, owing to their rapid variability. Recent numerical simulations have shown that, for the sub-Eddington accretion case, the disk is magnetic pressure–dominated, thermally stable, and geometrically thicker than the standard disk. In addition, outflows were found in the simulations. Observationally, high blueshifted velocities absorption lines indicate that outflows exist in AGNs. In this work, based on the simulation results, we investigate the magnetic pressure–dominated disk, and find that the accretion timescale is significantly shorter than that of the standard thin disk. However, such a timescale is still longer than that of the CL-AGNs. Moreover, if the role of outflows is taken into account, then the accretion timescale can be shortened even further. By the detailed comparison of the theoretical accretion timescale with the observations, we propose that the magnetic pressure–dominated disk incorporating outflows can be responsible for the rapid variability of CL-AGNs.
Multi-contact Stochastic Predictive Control for Legged Robots with Contact Locations Uncertainty

Trajectory optimization under uncertainties is a challenging problem for robots in contact with the environment. Such uncertainties are inevitable due to estimation errors, control imperfections, and model mismatches between planning models used for control and the real robot dynamics. This induces control policies that could violate the contact location constraints by making contact at unintended locations, and as a consequence leading to unsafe motion plans. This work addresses the problem of robust kino-dynamic whole-body trajectory optimization using stochastic nonlinear model predictive control (SNMPC) by considering additive uncertainties on the model dynamics subject to contact location chance-constraints as a function of robot's full kinematics. We demonstrate the benefit of using SNMPC over classic nonlinear MPC (NMPC) for whole-body trajectory optimization in terms of contact location constraint satisfaction (safety). We run extensive Monte-Carlo simulations for a quadruped robot performing agile trotting and bounding motions over small stepping stones, where contact location satisfaction becomes critical. Our results show that SNMPC is able to perform all motions safely with 100% success rate, while NMPC failed 48.3% of all motions.
Finite element 3D model of a double quantum ring: effects of electric and laser fields on the interband transition

In this work, the changes in the energy of electrons and holes, oscillator strength and interband transition time when external fields are applied to a GaAs/AlGaAs semiconductor double ring grown by the droplet epitaxy technique are theoretically analyzed. We consider a static electric field and an intense laser field nonresonant with the quantum structure, with variable intensities and orientations with respect to the symmetry axis of the quantum ring (QR). In the formalism of the effective mass approximation for electrons and holes, the energies and wavefunctions were numerically computed using the finite element method implemented with an accurate three-dimensional model of the real QR. Laser dressing of the confining potential was performed using the exact integration formula at each point. Our results show major differences between the effects of the two types of applied fields, caused mainly by the static electric-field-induced strong polarizability of the confined electron-hole pair. In addition, the effects of both fields exhibit strong anisotropy in the electronic properties as a result of the particular flattened geometry of the QR. Proper combinations of field strengths and orientations are helpful in designing accurate tools for the sensitive manipulation of interband radiative properties.