Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Origins of C4 Grasslands: Integrating Evolutionary and Ecosystem Science

Grassland Emergence The evolution of the C4 photosynthetic pathway from the ancestral C3 pathway in grasses led to the establishment of grasslands in warm climates during the Late Miocene (8 to 3 million years ago). This was a major event in plant evolutionary history, and their high rates of foliage production sustained high levels of herbivore consumption. The past decade has seen significant advances in understanding C4 grassland ecosystem ecology, and now a wealth of data on the geological history of these ecosystems has accumulated and the phylogeny of grasses is much better known. Edwards et al. (p. 587) review this multidisciplinary research area and attempt to synthesize emerging knowledge about the evolution of grass species within the context of plant and ecosystem ecology. The evolution of grasses using C4 photosynthesis and their sudden rise to ecological dominance 3 to 8 million years ago is among the most dramatic examples of biome assembly in the geological record. A growing body of work suggests that the patterns and drivers of C4 grassland expansion were considerably more complex than originally assumed. Previous research has benefited substantially from dialog between geologists and ecologists, but current research must now integrate fully with phylogenetics. A synthesis of grass evolutionary biology with grassland ecosystem science will further our knowledge of the evolution of traits that promote dominance in grassland systems and will provide a new context in which to evaluate the relative importance of C4 photosynthesis in transforming ecosystems across large regions of Earth.
Marker-less motion capture of skinned models in a four camera set-up using optical flow and silhouettes

We explore a new approach to marker-less motion tracking of a priori known skinned meshes using both optical flow and silhouette information. We present a formulation which considers in a unified way both these two kinds of information and accounts for the non-rigid deformations of the object skin modeling them using the Skeletal Subspace Deformation (SSD). We then demonstrate the effectiveness of our technique showing its performance in a four camera set-up tracking a subject modeled by a skeleton with 46 degrees of freedom.
Symmetrical Embeddings of Regular Maps R5.13 and R5.6

This report is a documentation of my trial-and-error design process to find a symmetrical embedding of the regular map R5.13 on a genus-5 2-manifold. It documents the non-linear way in which my mind homed-in on a valid solution and then refined that solution to obtain a satisfactory geometrical model. This design-thinking log may serve as a case study for a design approach that switches back and forth between doodling with physical materials, computer-aided template and model construction, and verification of the results on tangible visualization models. Lessons learned on R5.13 were subsequently applied to solve the embedding of the regular map R5.6.
The Gulf Cooperation Council countries and countering ISIS: threats, policies and challenges

ABSTRACTThe Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are being affected by the rise of terrorism and radicalism which in turn has been driven by the creation of ISIS’ state in Iraq and Syria in mid-2014. The group’s presence in Iraq and Syria is inciting many Gulf civilians to travel to Syria to take part in the conflict against al-Assad or to act as local fundraisers for the organization. Furthermore, after a while, the Gulf fighters are either moving back to their home countries or to other conflict zones such as Libya and Yemen, and vice versa. This paper examines how GCC countries are countering the threats posed by ISIS to their national security by focusing on the counter-ISIS policies developed on the national level. The paper identifies three patterns of threats that include the recruitment of their citizens to join the conflict in Syria, the local replica of ISIS that has recently targeted Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and private donations channelled to the armed groups in Syria. Th.
Effects of Silicon vs. Hydroxytyrosol-Enriched Restructured Pork on Liver Oxidation Status of Aged Rats Fed High-Saturated/High-Cholesterol Diets

Background Pork is an essential component of the diet that has been linked with major degenerative diseases and development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Previous studies have. Previous studies have demonstrated the in vitro antioxidant activity of silicon (Si). Furthermore, when Si is added to restructured pork (RP) strongly counterbalances the negative effect of high-cholesterol-ingestion, acting as an active hypocholesterolemic and hypolipemic dietary ingredient in aged rats. Objective This study was designed to evaluate the effects of Si vs hydroxytyrosol (HxT) RP on liver antioxidant defense in aged rats fed cholesterol-enriched high saturated/high cholesterol diets as a NASH model. Methods Four diets were prepared: Control RP diet (C) with non-added cholesterol; Cholesterol-enriched high-saturated/high-cholesterol control RP diet (CHOL-C) with added cholesterol and cholic acid; Si- or HxT-RP cholesterol-enriched high-saturated/high-cholesterol diets (CHOL-Si and CHOL-HxT). Groups of six male Wistar rats (1-yr old) were fed these modified diets for eight weeks. Total cholesterol, hepatosomatic index, liver Nrf2 and antioxidant (CAT, SOD, GSH, GSSG, GR, GPx) markers were determined. Results Both CHOL-Si and CHOL-HxT diets enhanced the liver antioxidant status, reduced hepatosomatic index and increased SOD actvity. Hydrogen peroxide removal seemed to be involved, explaining that the value of redox index was even lower than C without changing the CAT activity. CHOL-Si results were quite better than CHOL-HxT in most measured parameters. Conclusions Our study suggests that Si incorporated into RP matrix was able to counterbalance, more efficiently than HxT, the deleterious effect of consuming a high-saturated/high-cholesterol diet, by improving the liver antioxidant defenses in the context of NASH.
Lecture 16 Submodular Functions and Network Coding Nov 22 , 2004 Lecturer :

Proof. First notice that when π orders xis in increasing order then xπi is the same as the zis defined for an optimal solution for the problem in the last lecture. Thus, in this case the inequality is tight. To complete the proof we consider a π that does not order the xis in ascending order. Thus, there exists a j such that xπj > xπj+1 . Define another permutation π ′ such that π j = πj+1, π ′ j+1 = πj and π ′ i = πi for i 6∈ {j, j + 1}. We will show that Ef (π,x) > Ef (π,x) which with the discussion in the last paragraph would complete the proof. We will work with the quantity Ef (π,x) − Ef (π,x). We have Ef (π,x) − Ef (π,x) = xπ′ j f( {
A Simplified Peak Cancellation Method for OFDM Signals

A main drawback of OFDM systems is the high peak-to-average Power Ratio (PAPR) which can result in significant distortion when transmitted through power amplifiers. The conventional peak cancellation method (cPCM) is widely used in PAPR reduction, but for OFDM signals, the cPCM is of high complexity. In this paper, a simplified peak cancellation method (sPCM) is proposed for OFDM signals, which obtains a low computational complexity and equivalent performance in PAPR reduction.
The Gestalt of Virtual Environments

Introduction The majority of research in the field of virtual reality to date has focused on increasing the fidelity of the environments created and trying to determine the quality of the participant experience. Efforts have been made to quantify such aspects, especially in regards to visuals and sound, and to a lesser extent to the user experience. [1-6] Recent thinking has tended towards the assumption that ever-greater fidelity would ensure a better user experience. However, such emphasis on photo-realism and audio-realism does not take into account the collective results of our multimodal sensory inputs with their intertwined effects. Our design philosophy for the creation of virtual environments attempts to replicate the human experience, and asks the question: Is there an underlying fidelity of feels-real through which the quality of the participant experience could be improved?
Promoting Group Cohesion through Art Therapy

Abstract This article presents the results of a brief art therapy group that was offered to adults with mild to severe intellectual deficiencies. The project was held in a community centre, in Montreal (Quebec, Canada) that offers therapeutic, educational and occupational service. The objective of the group was to promote cohesion among former and new participants. Murals were used during the whole process. The group of 13 participants met for 7 workshops. This art therapy project, as reflected in the artwork, had many positive results.
Polyamines as redox homeostasis regulators during salt stress in plants

The balance between accumulation of stress-induced polyamines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is arguably a critical factor in plant tolerance to salt stress. Polyamines are compounds, which accumulate in plants under salt stress and help maintain cellular ROS homeostasis. In this review we first outline the role of polyamines in mediating salt stress responses through their modulation of redox homeostasis. The two proposed roles of polyamines in regulating ROS – as antioxidative molecules and source of ROS synthesis – are discussed and exemplified with recent studies. Second, the proposed function of polyamines as modulators of ion transport is discussed in the context of plant salt stress. Finally, we highlight the apparent connection between polyamine accumulation and programmed cell death induction during stress. Thus polyamines have a complex functional role in regulating cellular signaling and metabolism during stress. By focusing future efforts on how polyamine accumulation and turnover is regulated, research in this area may provide novel targets for developing stress tolerance.
Utilization of LTE-a uplink resource for cognitive radio network via matching and quantizing

With the development of next generation mobile communications, the underlay coexistence problem of the OFDMA based Secondary System(SS) with LTE-A systems becomes more and more important, which yet has not been studied in a systematic way. In contrast to other Primary Systems(PS), the LTE-A system puts high demands on the low complexity of the coexistence strategies. This paper focuses on the resource allocation and interference mitigation issues in the aforementioned scenario, whose objective is to protect the spectrum utilization priority of PS as well as utilize secondary resource efficiently. The difficulty lies in the fact that even the subproblem, or power allocation with interference, is NP-Hard. Therefore, this paper will propose a two-phase resource allocation algorithm using maximum weighted Matching in the subcarrier allocation phase and interference Quantizing in the power allocation phase, referred to as the MQ algorithm. As presented in this paper, the MQ algorithm enjoys the advantage of polynomial complexity of O(KJ3 + LKJ), where K, J and L denote the number of SSs, subcarriers and quantizing steps, respectively. The simulation results will show that the proposed MQ algorithm is capable of achieving near optimal system and user throughputs, which are close to the exhaustive searching algorithm.
HOT GAS HALOS AROUND DISK GALAXIES: CONFRONTING COSMOLOGICAL SIMULATIONS WITH OBSERVATIONS

Models of disk galaxy formation commonly predict the existence of an extended reservoir of accreted hot gas surrounding massive spirals at low redshift. As a test of these models, we use X-ray and Hα data of the two massive, quiescent edge-on spirals NGC 5746 and NGC 5170 to investigate the amount and origin of any hot gas in their halos. Contrary to our earlier claim, the Chandra analysis of NGC 5746, employing more recent calibration data, does not reveal any significant evidence for diffuse X-ray emission outside the optical disk, with a 3σ upper limit to the halo X-ray luminosity of 4 × 1039 erg s−1. An identical study of the less massive NGC 5170 also fails to detect any extraplanar X-ray emission. By extracting hot halo properties of disk galaxies formed in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, we compare these results to expectations for cosmological accretion of hot gas by spirals. For Milky-Way-sized galaxies, these high-resolution simulations predict hot halo X-ray luminosities which are lower by a factor of ∼2 compared to our earlier results reported by Toft et al. We find the new simulation predictions to be consistent with our observational constraints for both NGC 5746 and NGC 5170, while also confirming that the hot gas detected so far around more actively star-forming spirals is in general probably associated with stellar activity in the disk. Observational results on quiescent disk galaxies at the high-mass end are nevertheless providing powerful constraints on theoretical predictions, and hence on the assumed input physics in numerical studies of disk galaxy formation and evolution.
Th World Congresses of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization Multi-criteria Multi-scenario Approaches in the Design of Vehicles

1. Abstract This paper summarizes findings related to dealing with the complexity of the design of vehicles for optimal dynamic performance under various driving scenarios. It describes how the authors and their students have been able to improve various algorithms and approaches over several years and where they stand today. The work reviewed starts with a Monte-Carlo-based vehicle design methodology for obtaining desired vehicle handling characteristics using an eight-degree of freedom nonlinear car model to simulate the vehicle's dynamic behavior under various driving scenarios: J-turn, Sinusoidal and Double Lane Change maneuvers. Genetic algorithms and simulated annealing are then applied to the same or a similar problem, and their performance compared to the Monte Carlo approach. In parallel to these non deterministic approaches, a mathematical approach based on generating Pareto or other optimal sets of multiple sub-problems and a way to combine them to obtain solutions that are optimal to the combination of objectives and scenarios is presented. The paper concludes with a discussion of the various methods, and their domain of applicability especially when considering the design of vehicles for dynamic behavior. 2. Introduction: Optimization has affected the field of design significantly since the advent of the computer. Starting with work at NASA, universities and at large aerospace and automotive manufacturers, components and structures were optimized by coupling mathematical approaches with finite element analyses. Very quickly, engineers realized that the analyses had to be performed for a variety of loadings and for more and more complex systems, and structural optimization evolved, mainly attempting to reduce weight while satisfying stress constraints under various load cases. As the mathematical techniques improved, as the analysis tools evolved, more complicated problems were tackled, and today, one challenge of structural optimization is probably full crash design optimization of a complex structure. However, the development of analysis tools to study other performance parameters such as vibrations, fluid flow, heat transfer, noise, control, and dynamics, but also manufacturability, serviceability and ergonomics allowed engineers to start looking at multidisciplinary approaches to problems. The field of MDO or Multi Disciplinary Optimization was also significantly pushed by researchers at NASA and universities along with aerospace companies. This field is only about 15 to 20 years old, yet is penetrating most companies that design complex systems where systems integration becomes critical. In parallel to this development, multi-criteria optimization flourished, initially outside of the field of engineering, but very quickly became a …
A fast recognition scheme for off-line Bangla numerals

The requirement of Bangla character recognition has become one of the prime attentions among the current researchers due to the increase of automated systems and usage of hand held devices. This paper presents a novel approach to recognize handwritten bangla numerals and addresses a robust feature extraction scheme that spawns 23- dimensional features based on the numeral's structure and topology. The recognition scheme is organized with a proposed decision tree that has been justified using entropy calculation. Considering inconsistency in individuals' writing style and the presence of significant curves and loops, the proposed feature extraction method restricts to less dimensional features of each numeral from 14600 data samples. The recognition time of this scheme is much lower than the existing procedures, since the preprocessing tasks have been performed during down sampling operation. The quick response time 13.04 ms and the higher accuracy (96.82%) explore a new era for the proposed scheme of being implemented in Bangla numeral LeadPad toys.
Unemployment Insurance and Job Search

This paper examines the relationship between unemployment insurance (Ul) benefits and the duration of unemployment. We review extant empirical evidence on the question of whether the receipt of Ul benefits leads unemployed workers to prolong their spells of unemployment. Our objective is to examine representa­ tive studies of Ul and worker job search responses with an eye toward eliciting implications for public policy and future research. The current Ul system was established by the Social Security Act of 1935 in response to the hardships imposed on the workforce by the Great Depression. minimum standards the state ments and set their regarding
Prostate biomarkers with reference to body mass index and duration of prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE This study was performed to assess prostate biomarkers with reference to body mass index and duration of prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS A hospital based retrospective study was undertaken using data retrieved from the register maintained in the Department of Biochemistry of Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal between 1st January, 2009 and 28th February, 2012. Biomarkers studied were prostate specific antigen (PSA), acid phosphatase (ACP) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (γGT). Demographic data including age, duration of disease, body weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were also collected. Duration of disease was categorized into three groups: <1 year, 1-2 years and >2 years. Similarly, BMI (kg/m2) was categorized into three groups: <23 kg/m2, 23-25 kg/ m2 and >25 kg/m2. Descriptive statistics and testing of hypothesis were used for the analysis using EPI INFO and SPSS 16 software. RESULTS Out of 57 prostate cancers, serum level of PSA, ACP and PAP were increased above the cut-off point in 50 (87.5%), 30 (52.63%) and 40 (70.18%) respectively. Serum levels of PSA, ACP and PAP significantly declined with the duration of disease after diagnosis. We observed significant and inverse relation between PSA and BMI. Similar non-signficiant tendencies were apparent for ACP and PAP. CONCLUSIONS Decreasing levels of prostate biomarkers were found with the duration of prostate cancer and with increased BMI. Out of prostate biomarkers, PSA was found to be significantly decreased with the duration of disease and BMI.
Autologous HIV-1 Clade-B Nef Peptides Elicit Increased Frequency, Breadth and Function of CD8+ T-Cells Compared to Consensus Peptides

Objective To determine the function and phenotype of CD8+ T-cells targeting consensus and autologous sequences of entire HIV-1 Nef protein. Methods Multiparameter flow cytometry-based analysis was used to evaluate the responses of two treatment naïve HIV-infected individuals, during primary and the chronic phases of infection. Results A greater breadth and magnitude of CD8 IFN-γ responses to autologous compared to clade-B consensus peptides was observed in both subjects. Cross recognition between autologous and consensus peptides decreased in both subjects during progression from primary to chronic infection. The frequencies of TEMRA and TEM CD8+ T-cells targeting autologous peptides were higher than those targeting consensus peptides and were more polyfunctional (IFN-γ+ Gr-B+ CD107a+). Conclusions Our data indicate superior sensitivity and specificity of autologous peptides. The functional and maturational aspects of “real” versus “cross-recognized” responses were also found to differ, highlighting the importance of a sequence-specific approach towards understanding HIV immune response.
Two variable first-order logic over ordered domains

Abstract The satisfiability problem for the two-variable fragment of first-order logic is investigated over finite and infinite linearly ordered, respectively wellordered domains, as well as over finite and infinite domains in which one or several designated binary predicates are interpreted as arbitrary wellfounded relations. It is shown that FO2 over ordered, respectively wellordered. domains or in the presence of one well-founded relation, is decidable for satisfiability as well as for finite satisfiability. Actually the complexity of these decision problems is essentially the same as for plain unconstrained FO2. namely non-deterministic exponential time. In contrast FO2 becomes undecidable for satisfiability and for finite satisfiability, if a sufficiently large number of predicates are required to be interpreted as orderings. wellorderings. or as arbitrary wellfounded relations. This undecidability result also entails the undecidability of the natural common extension of FO2 and computation tree logic CTL.
The Eagle's EGGs: Fertile or sterile?

We present a deep, high spatial resolution (0.35 arcsec FWHM), near-infrared (1{2.5 m) imaging survey of the Eagle Nebula, M 16, made with the VLT, centred on the famous elephant trunks. We compare these data with the existing HST optical images to search for evidence of ongoing or recent star formation in the trunks, and in particular in the 73 small evaporating gaseous globules (EGGs) on their surface. We nd that two of the three HST trunks have relatively massive YSOs in their tips. Most of the EGGs appear to be empty, but some 15% of them do show evidence for associated young low-mass stars or brown dwarfs: in particular, there is a small cluster of such sources seen at the head of the largest trunk.
Lsislif: CRF and Logistic Regression for Opinion Target Extraction and Sentiment Polarity Analysis

This paper describes our contribution in Opinion Target Extraction OTE and Sentiment Polarity sub tasks of SemEval 2015 ABSA task. A CRF model with IOB notation has been adopted for OTE with several groups of features including syntactic, lexical, semantic, sentiment lexicon features. Our submission for OTE is ranked fifth over twenty submissions. A Logistic Regression model with a weighting schema of positive and negative labels have been used for sentiment polarity; several groups of features (lexical, syntactic, semantic, lexicon and Z score) are extracted. Our submission for Sentiment Polarity is ranked third over ten submissions on the restaurant data set, third over thirteen on the laptops data set, but the first over eleven on the hotel data set that is out-of-domain set.