Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are There Really Twice as Many Bovid Species as We Thought? Issues regarding the Criteria Used to Define New Species

A major reappraisal of the taxonomy of ungulates (hoofed mammals) was presented in 2011 (Groves and Grubb 2011; G&G henceforth). The reappraisal presents a drastic revision of the taxonomic diversity of the group. It nearly doubles the number of bovid species—a group comprising cattle, bison, buffalo, goats, sheep, and antelopes—currently recognized (IUCN 2012), raising the number of species from 143 to 279. In our opinion, this represents taxonomic inflation; ecotypes or subspecies have been raised to the level of full species based not on new data, but solely on a change in the species concept used (Isaac et al. 2004). As we argue below, the excessive splitting of species is unconvincing in many cases. Furthermore, we warn that such taxonomic inflation in the bovids may impede management and conservation efforts (Isaac et al. 2004; Mace 2004; Frankham et al. 2012). The revised bovid species list of G&G was incorporated into the recently published " Handbook of the Mammals of the World—Volume 2 " (Wilson and Mittermeier 2011; HMW henceforth) published in collaboration with the IUCN and Conservation International, 2 of the leading international authorities involved in the conservation of global biodiversity. Whereas G&G is a scientific revision intended for experts in the field, HMW is a multiauthored book series presenting the most up-to-date taxonomy of mammals for a broader readership. Collectively, these two volumes are likely to be highly influential and serve as a guideline for a wide-ranging audience including taxonomists, conservationists, ecologists, biodiversity managers, and policy makers. Any taxonomic revision that doubles the number of species within a family must anticipate critical evaluation, not least when it occurs in a prominent group such as the bovids. Here, we discuss the revision and its potential consequences, which we believe may be detrimental in many respects. The critiques we are raising are twofold. First, we call into question the scientific grounds for the species splitting in G&G. Second, we criticize HMW for singularly adopting the bovid species list of G&G without subjecting it to critical evaluation. We discuss some of the practical downstream consequences of these actions. The term " species " has many interpretations, and a multitude of species concepts and species delimitation criteria have been proposed (Hey 2006; Frankham et al. 2012). Although we acknowledge that no consensus exists, we argue that in order to define a species, some nontrivial level of biologically relevant differentiation must have taken place. …
Thai to Isarn dialect machine translation using rule-based and example-based

This paper presented a Thai to Isarn dialect machine translation, named ThaiIsarn - MT, using rule-based and example based. To develop the system, a Thai - Isarn dialect dictionary and linguistics rules database were constructed. The dictionary contained 8,050 Thai words. Moreover, an example bilingual corpus was constructed. Since Thai is non-segmented language, input sentence was segmented to sequence of word using longest matching algorithm. The Thai word was looked for the corresponding Isarn word from the dictionary. For word that may has several meanings, we used the rule based and example based to select the most suitable meaning. In order to evaluate the performance of the purposed system, 854 Thai sentences were translated by the system. The result shows that the translation accuracy is 82.44%.
The corticosterone synthesis inhibitor metyrapone prevents hypoxia/ischemia-induced loss of synaptic function in the rat hippocampus.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Ischemia is accompanied by abundant corticosterone secretion, which could potentially exacerbate brain damage via activation of glucocorticoid receptors. We addressed whether manipulating steroid levels during ischemia affects hippocampal synaptic function along with neuronal structure. Moreover, we established whether pretreatment with the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486 is as effective in preventing deleterious effects after ischemia as is the steroid synthesis inhibitor metyrapone. METHODS Rats underwent 20 minutes of unilateral hypoxia/ischemia (HI). Convulsions were monitored after HI, and 24 hours later, field potentials were recorded in vitro in the hippocampal CA1 area in response to stimulation of the Schaffer collateral/commissural fibers. Morphological alterations were determined in brain slices from the same animals. Data were correlated with steroid treatment before HI. RESULTS Metyrapone suppressed plasma corticosteroid levels during HI, whereas corticosterone treatment significantly elevated plasma steroid levels. These treatments affected the incidence of visible seizures after HI: corticosterone treatment resulted in the highest incidence, whereas metyrapone attenuated the occurrence of seizures. Moreover, the HI-induced impairment in synaptic transmission in the CA1 area in vitro was exacerbated by concomitant corticosteroid treatment and alleviated by pretreatment with metyrapone. In parallel, degenerative changes in the hippocampus after HI were most pronounced after corticosterone treatment, whereas metyrapone reduced these alterations. RU38486 was effective only in reducing the incidence of seizures shortly after ischemia. CONCLUSIONS We tentatively conclude that synaptic function along with cellular integrity is preserved after HI by preventing the ischemia-evoked rise in corticosteroid levels rather than blocking the glucocorticoid receptor.
International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Computational and Applied Sciences ( IJETCAS ) www . iasir . net

This paper proposes a novel idea of combining the color spaces as a pair in getting the improved results in the human skin detection. Skin detection methods that can be used in various applications of image segmentation are evaluated. The performance of the three pixel based classification algorithms are analyzed. The color images of human faces are segmented into skin regions on the basis of piecewise linear decision boundary, Gaussian model to detect human skin regions, and finally, the concept of combinations of two color images are used to configure and analyze the effect of them on the segmentation of human skin regions. The extensive set of experiments is performed over the commonly used face color images using color spaces, namely YCbCr, YUV, YES, YIQ, and XYZ. The color spaces are combined together in using the Gaussian Color Model. The experimental results shows that the method of combining more than one color space with the Gaussian model produces better results than the ordinary skin cluster and Gaussian model with highest skin detection rates of 100%.
Designing tangible magnetic appcessories

Tangible interaction allows the control of digital information through physical artifacts - virtual data is tied to real-world objects. Sensing and display technologies that enable this kind of functionality are typically complex. This represents a barrier to entry for researchers and also restricts where these interaction techniques can be deployed. Addressing these limitations, recent work has explored how the touch screens on mobile devices can be used as sensing and display platforms for tangible interfaces. This paper extends this work by exploring how magnets can be employed to achieve similar ends. To achieve this, it describes the design and construction of eight magnetic appcessories. These are cheap, robust physical interfaces that leverage magnets (and the magnetic sensing built into mobile devices) to support reliable and expressive tangible interactions with digital content.
Mid-IR observations of Galactic H II regions: Constraining ionizing spectra of massive stars and the nature of the observed excitation sequences

Extensive photoionization model grids for single star H  regions using state-of-the-art stellar atmosphere models have been computed to test their predicted ionizing spectra against recent ISO mid-IR observations of Galactic H  regions. Particular care has been paid to examining in detail the dependences of the nebular properties on the numerous nebular param- eters which are generally unconstrained. Provided the ionization parameter U is fairly constant on average and the atomic data is correct these comparisons show the following: - Both recent non-LTE codes including line blanketing and stellar winds (WM-Basic and CMFGEN) show a reason- able agreement with the observations, although non-negligible differences between their predicted ionizing spectra are found. Recurrently none of the models can be preferred over the other. - The softening of the ionizing spectra with increasing metallicity predicted by the WM-Basic models is found to be too strong. - We confirm earlier indications that the CoStar atmospheres, including an approximate treatment of line blanketing, overpredict somewhat the ionizing flux at high energies. - Both LTE and non-LTE plane parallel hydrostatic atmosphere codes predict ionizing spectra that are too soft, especially over the energy range between 27.6, 35.0, and 41.1 eV and above. The inclusion of wind effects is crucial for accurate predictions of ionizing fluxes. These conclusions are found to be robust to effects such as changes of U, stellar metallicity changes, and the inclusion of dust. Uncertainties due to atomic data (especially for Ar) are discussed. We also discuss the difficulties in estimating absolute stellar temperatures from mid-IR line ratios. Finally we have examined which parameters are chiefly responsible for the observed mid-IR excitation sequences. The galactic gradient of metallicity changing the shape of the stellar emission is found to be one of the drivers for the excitation sequence of Galactic H  regions, the actual contribution of this effect being finally atmosphere model dependent. The observed excitation scatter can be explained by effects due to statistical sampling of the IMF leading to a Teff dispersion plus additional dispersion of U.
A comparison of memetic algorithms, tabu search, and ant colonies for the quadratic assignment problem

A memetic algorithm (MA), i.e. an evolutionary algorithm making use of local search, for the quadratic assignment problem is presented. A new recombination operator for realizing the approach is described, and the behavior of the MA is investigated on a set of problem instances containing between 25 and 100 facilities/locations. The results indicate that the proposed MA is able to produce high quality solutions quickly. A comparison of the MA with some of the currently best alternative approaches-reactive tabu search, robust tabu search and the fast ant colony system-demonstrates that the MA outperforms its competitors on all studied problem instances of practical interest.
Short Notes What We Can and Cannot Learn about Earthquake Sources from the Spectra of Seismic Waves

Earthquake sources are commonly viewed as shear dislocations. This imposes distinct limitations on what source parameters can be realistically deter- mined from radiated shear-wave spectra. First, the slip velocity on the fault is the real parameter that controls the strength of the high-frequency radiation; it can be directly determined from acceleration spectra by fitting their high-frequency level. Second, the relationship between corner frequency of the spectrum and the radius of the source is fundamentally unclear. As a result, the source dimensions cannot be accurately determined from the spectra; such an estimate would be as accurate as any other informed guess. Third, the stress drop only serves as a proxy for the source radius in the relationship between the radius and the corner frequency; it thus cannot be reliably determined from the spectra. The quantity usually obtained from the spectra and referred to as the stress drop is a poorly defined parameter that may bear little relevance to the actual stresses acting on faults. This parameter has little mean- ing unless converted to the maximum slip velocity, which is the only quantity that can be accurately determined from the spectra. The typical value of stress drop of 100 bars, established from the spectra of California events, may imply that the typical slip velocities have been on the order of 0.5 m/sec, although it is more accurate to determine slip velocities directly from the spectra.
An Empirical Investigation of Environmental Kuznets Curve in Nigeria

The possibility of the existence of environmental Kuznet curve EKC has been debated extensively in the literature. The reality of EKC is that, by pursuing growth in income, environmental objectives can be simultaneously accomplished without initiating extra intervention tools. Various studies have been conducted on the existence of EKC without any consensus. Therefore, in this paper, the author analyzes whether or not EKC exists and its shape. In this study, the author uses an explanatory variable to in the model, which is population density, showing the level of resilience of the environment to pollution. However, this research found that at the lower stage of income, environmental degradation declined with income growth, rises as income grew further, then declined. However, income did not contribute significantly toward the explanation of environmental degradation like population density. This research found no synergies between addressing poverty and environmental problems in Nigeria. Therefore, complementary environmental policies must be put in place when addressing poverty. Lastly, there are different shapes of the relationship between income growth and various measures of pollution and environmental degradation, and developing countries must recognize that no one size fits all in this relationship.
Modelling the Northward Expansion of Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) under Future Climate Scenarios

Climate change is affecting the distribution of pathogens and their arthropod vectors worldwide, particularly at northern latitudes. The distribution of Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) plays a key role in affecting the emergence and spread of significant vector borne diseases such as Bluetongue (BT) and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) at the border between USA and Canada. We used 50 presence points for C. sonorensis collected in Montana (USA) and south-central Alberta (Canada) between 2002 and 2012, together with monthly climatic and environmental predictors to develop a series of alternative maximum entropy distribution models. The best distribution model under current climatic conditions was selected through the Akaike Information Criterion, and included four predictors: Vapour Pressure Deficit of July, standard deviation of Elevation, Land Cover and mean Precipitation of May. This model was then projected into three climate change scenarios adopted by the IPCC in its 5th assessment report and defined as Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5. Climate change data for each predictor and each RCP were calculated for two time points pooling decadal data around each one of them: 2030 (2021–2040) and 2050 (2041–2060). Our projections showed that the areas predicted to be at moderate-high probability of C. sonorensis occurrence would increase from the baseline scenario to 2030 and from 2030 to 2050 for each RCP. The projection also indicated that the current northern limit of C. sonorensis distribution is expected to move northwards to above 53°N. This may indicate an increased risk of Culicoides-borne diseases occurrence over the next decades, particularly at the USA-Canada border, as a result of changes which favor C. sonorensis presence when associated to other factors (i.e. host and pathogen factors). Recent observations of EHD outbreaks in northern Montana and southern Alberta supported our projections and considerations. The results of this study can inform the development of cost effective surveillance programs, targeting areas within the predicted limits of C. sonorensis geographical occurrence under current and future climatic conditions.
Extending the two-partner shared variable protocol to n partners

APL as a language has always provided a high level of abstraction to its users. Only in the field of communication have APL channels --- called shared variables --- been restricted to at most two partners. As most distributed applications demand more than two interacting programs, APL users had to apply their own techniques, like client-server, to develop applications that share information among more than two partners. This paper presents a proposal to move the administration of shared memory from application to language level: An extension to the well known shared variable protocol to share memory among more than two partners. Two applications of this distributed shared memory system are presented: A combinatorial optimization problem that is distributed among the machines of a workstation network and an application for students that learn APL in a working group are based upon a prototype implementation of the proposed protocol.
Motion segmentation and tracking using a seeded region growing method

We describe a user-guided system for the segmentation of an image sequence. A first segmentation which involves two images of the sequence is presented, as well as the tracking of its result during a number of frames. The segmentation algorithm is a Region Growing algorithm. The main segmentation feature is the motion of the objects presented in the image, which is combined with the information obtained by their intensity or colour - if neccessary. Two "post-processing" techniques are proposed to stabilize the object boundaries over time. A sense of layering is embedded in the whole process.
Steroid hormone analysis by tandem mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND New high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods are among the most successful approaches to improve specificity problems inherent in many immunoassays. CONTENT We emphasize problems with immunoassays for the measurement of steroids and review the emerging role of LC-MS/MS in the measurement of clinically relevant steroids. The latest generation of tandem mass spectrometers has superior limits of quantification, permitting omission of previously employed derivatization steps. The measurement of steroid profiles in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, adrenal insufficiency, chronic pelvic pain and prostatitis, oncology (breast cancer), and athletes has important new applications. CONCLUSIONS LC-MS/MS now affords the specificity, imprecision, and limits of quantification necessary for the reliable measurement of steroids in human fluids, enhancing diagnostic capabilities, particularly when steroid profiles are available.
Metabolism of erythritol in humans: Comparison with glucose and lactitol

The metabolism of erythritol was assessed in six normal volunteers by measuring the amount of 13CO2 excretion and H2 excretion in breath, and erythritol in urine after intake of 25 g 13C-labelled erythritol. The results were compared with the same variables obtained after intake of 25 g 13C-labelled glucose and13C-labelled lactitol. In addition, the H2 production by faecal flora supplemented with small amounts of erythritol, glucose and lactitol was measured in vitro, as an index of bacterial metabolism of non-absorbed substrate. In contrast to the results obtained after intake of glucose and lactitol, no increase in breath 13CO2 and H2 was observed after intake of erythritol, and erythritol was nearly completely recovered in urine. The in vitro experiments showed that no H2 was formed by faecal flora from erythritol as compared with glucose and lactitol. It is concluded that erythritol is a substrate that is readily absorbed, and undergoes no metabolism by the host. If part of it escapes absorption, it is not metabolized by faecal flora.
Time will tell

We present an automatic fault localization technique which leverages time spectra as abstractions for program executions. Time spectra have been traditionally used for performance debugging. By contrast, we use them for functional correctness debugging by identifying pieces of program code that take a "suspicious" amount of time to execute. The approach can be summarized as follows: time spectra are collected from passing and failing runs, observed behavior models are created using the time spectra collected from passing runs, and deviations from these models in failing runs are identified and scored as potential causes of failures. Our empirical evaluations conducted on three real-life projects suggest that the proposed approach can effectively reduce the space of potential root causes for failures, which can in turn improve the turn around time for fixes.
Unpinned (100) GaAs surfaces in air using photochemistry

We have unpinned the Fermi level at the surface of both n‐ and p‐type (100) GaAs in air. Light‐induced photochemistry between GaAs and water unpins the surface Fermi level by reducing the surface state density. Excitation photoluminescence spectroscopy shows a substantial decrease in both surface band bending and surface recombination velocity in treated samples, consistent with a greatly reduced surface state density (≂1011 cm−2). Capacitance‐voltage measurements on metal‐insulator‐semiconductor structures corroborate this reduction in surface state density and show that the band bending may be controlled externally, indicating an unpinned Fermi level at the insulator/GaAs interface. We discuss a possible unpinning mechanism.
Macroeconomic Determinants of Stock Market Development

Using pooled data from fifteen industrial and developing countries from 1980 to 1995, this paper examines the macroeconomic determinants of stock market development, particularly market capitalization. The paper finds that: (1) real income, saving rate, financial intermediary development, and stock market liquidity are important determinants of stock market capitalization; (2) macroeconomic volatility does not prove significant; and (3) stock market development and financial intermediary development are complements instead of substitutes.
A Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Software Rejuvenation Scheduling under Distributed Computation Circumstance

Recently, a complementary approach to handle transient software failures, called software rejuvenation, is becoming popular as a proactive fault management technique in operational software systems. In this paper, we consider a scheduling problem of software rejuvenation for a distributed computation. Based on the dynamic programming approach, we derive the optimal software rejuvenation schedule which minimizes the expected total time of computation. In numerical examples, we examine the sensitivity of model parameters characterizing failure phenomenon to the resulting optimal rejuvenation schedule