Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short communications : exposure to wave action: some consequences for the sea urchin Stomopneustes variolaris on the Natal coast

Population size structure in the intertidal echinoid, Stomopneustes variolaris, has been observed to vary between habitats, in a manner which suggests the influence of factors in addition to variation in recruitment success. This paper reports on an investigation into the hypothesis that exposure to wave action might be a factor accounting for the variation in population size structure between habitats at Sheffield Beach.
Distributed parallel generation of indices for very large text databases

We propose a new algorithm for the parallel generation of suffix arrays for large text databases on high-bandwidth computer networks. Suffix arrays are structures used in full text indexing which support very powerful query languages. Our algorithm is based on a parallel indirect mergesort (it is not a simple mergesort procedure) and is compared with a well known sequential algorithm (which is very efficient running on a single machine). Although network-bounded, the parallel version is theoretically and experimentally a much better alternative when compared to the sequential version (which is I/O-bounded in disk).
EFFECT OF DIETARY SYNTHETIC COENZYME Q10 SUPPLEMENTATION OR NATURAL FROM SOYBEAN OIL ON PRODUCTIVE AND ECONOMICAL PERFORMANCE OF LOCAL LAYING HENS FED LOW ENERGY DIET

ABSTRAT: A total number of 180 Sinai laying hens at 25 weeks – old were used, weighed and divided into six treatments of three replicates each and housed in individual layer cages to investigate the effect of using two levels of energy (2760 or 2660 Kcal/Kg diet) and synthetic (s) or natural source (n) of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) at levels of (0, 7.5 mg/kg diet CoQ10(s) or 7.5 mg/kg diet CoQ10 (n) ) in 2x3 factorial design on the productive performance, profile fatty acids in egg yolk, nutrients digestibility and economical efficiency of local laying hens. Resulted obtained could be summarized in the following: 1Egg weight of hens fed diet contained low ME significantly increased (P≤0.05) as compared to control diet. While, no significant influence (P≥0.05) of dietary CoQ10 and interaction between CoQ10 and ME on egg weight. 2Egg production % and egg mass for hens with low ME was significantly (P≤0.05) higher than hens fed diet with the control diet. 3Hens fed 7.5 mg CoQ10(s) had significantly higher (P≤0.05) egg mass by about 5.76% than CoQ10 (o) (control diet). The best egg mass was recorded by the interaction between 2660 Kcal / Kg and 7.5 mg CoQ10(s). 4Feed intake was increased by about 7.49% for hens fed the low level of ME (2760Kcal/Kg) as compared the control diet. While, the diet with CoQ10(s) was the highest amount of feed intake comparing with CoQ10 (n). 5Feed conversion was improved by 6.20% for hens fed diets with 2660 Kcal /Kg compared to 2760 Kcal /Kg. But, no significant influence of dietary CoQ10 and interaction between CoQ10 and ME on feed conversion ratio. 6The dietary supplemented with CoQ10(s) and the interaction between dietary CoQ10(s) or (n) + the low level of ME resulted in a significant increase (P≤0.05) in shell thickness compared to the control diet. 7The diet contained low level of ME caused a significant decrease (P≤0.05) in heterophil (H) % and heterophil / lymphocyte (L) compared to the control diet. 8The percentage of C18:2ω6 and C18:2ω3 with7.5 mg/Kg CoQ10 (n) is significantly higher (P≤0.05) than those of the control diet. On the other hand the percentages of C20:4ω6 was significantly reduced (P≤0.05) in response to the diet contained with7.5 mg/Kg CoQ10(s) comparing with the control and CoQ10 (n).
Text Mining-Based Semantic Web Architecture (TM- SWA) for e-Learning Systems

This paper highlights semantic web techniques and proposes architecture for e-Learning-based systems for the academic portal. Text mining is used with the proposed model for better processing of unstructured data available in XML and RDF formats. An algorithm will be used to support building a web retrieval system to extract the hidden knowledge for the semantic web by ontologies for e-learning items to classify and find the relationships between the leaning items via the academic portal.
Methods for evaluating variability in human health dose–response characterization

Abstract The Reference Dose (RfD) and Reference Concentration (RfC) are human health reference values (RfVs) representing exposure concentrations at or below which there is presumed to be little risk of adverse effects in the general human population. The 2009 National Research Council report Science and Decisions recommended redefining RfVs as “a risk-specific dose (for example, the dose associated with a 1 in 100,000 risk of a particular end point). ” Distributions representing variability in human response to environmental contaminant exposures are critical for deriving risk-specific doses. Existing distributions estimating the extent of human toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic variability are based largely on controlled human exposure studies of pharmaceuticals. New data and methods have been developed that are designed to improve estimation of the quantitative variability in human response to environmental chemical exposures. Categories of research with potential to provide new data useful for developing updated human variability distributions include controlled human experiments, human epidemiology, animal models of genetic variability, in vitro estimates of toxicodynamic variability, and in vitro-based models of toxicokinetic variability. In vitro approaches, with further development including studies of different cell types and endpoints, and approaches to incorporate non-genetic sources of variability, appear to provide the greatest opportunity for substantial near-term advances.
Parental Environmental Effects on Seed Quality and Germination Response to Temperature of Andropogon gerardii

Parental environments (PEs) affect seed quality and might alter the re-establishment of big bluestem grass due to impacts on seed germination. An in vitro study was conducted to quantify the temperature response of seed germination and its interaction with the PE in big bluestem. Seeds developed under eight PEs consisting of a combination of four day/night growth temperatures (GTs) (20/12, 25/17, 30/22, and 35/27 °C) and two CO2 levels (360 and 720 µL L−1) were germinated at eight temperatures (germination temperatures (GRTs)) ranging from 10 to 42.5 °C. Quadratic and modified bilinear regressions best described the cardinal temperatures for the estimated maximum seed germination (MSG) and seed germination rate (SGR), respectively. The average MSG and SGR showed differential responses to the PEs and significantly declined above a 35 °C GRT across the PEs. For the SGR, the minimum and optimum temperatures showed significant differences from other treatments but the opposite response to elevated CO2, while maximum temperatures significantly declined at high (35/27 °C) and low GTs (20/12 °C). Seed quality parameters, individual seed weight, and C and N contents showed a high correlation (R2 > 60) with the average percentage of seed germination and the SGR. Thus, high temperatures for both the PEs (>30/22 °C) and GRTs (>30 °C) could significantly reduce germination, affecting the re-establishment of big bluestem.
Chemical Composition of Heracleum platytaenium Boiss. (Apiaceae) essential oil from Turkey

Heracleum platytaenium Boiss. is a monocarpic and strongly aromatic plant that is endemic for Turkey. Many studies on activities, constituents and composition of the essential oil of different parts of this species and other Heracleum species have been conducted. However, as far as we are concerned, the essential oil composition of the roots has not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the essential oil composition of the roots of H. playtaenium and identified p-cymene (33.9%), terpinolene (14.3%), γ-terpinene (7.1%), elemicine (3.1%) and myristicine (2.9%) as the major constituents.
High mesophyll conductance in the high-yielding rice cultivar Takanari quantified with the combined gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements under free-air CO2 enrichment

ABSTRACT An effective strategy for increasing crop production is increasing the rate of photosynthesis. In this study, we conducted gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements for a high-yielding rice cultivar, Takanari, to identify the leaf physiological properties that contribute to high capacity for photosynthesis of the uppermost leaves before (panicle initiation stage) and after heading (grain-filling stage) in the Tsukuba free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility. The higher photosynthesis rate of Takanari compared with that of the commonly cultivated cultivar, Koshihikari, was mainly attributed to the greater stomatal conductance for CO2 (gsc) at the panicle initiation stage and to the greater mesophyll conductance (gm) at the grain-filling stage in both current and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations [CO2]. Takanari had a higher level of leaf nitrogen content (Nl) compared with Koshihikari at the grain-filling stage, which led to greater gm and maximum carboxylation rate (Vc,max), but Nl alone did not explain the variations of gm within the variety. A clear correlation was found between Vc,max and Nl. Calculating Vc,max taking gm into consideration removed the artifact of Vc,max25 in relation to Nl that was observed when gm was assumed to be infinite. Our results emphasize the need to separate the roles of Vc,max and gm to accurately understand the ecophysiological processes that control leaf photosynthesis in Takanari. Graphical Abstract
A connectionist network for simultaneous perception of multiple categories

A connectionist network is presented for simultaneous perception of multiple categories. These categories provide an adequate explanation of the input features originating from multiple classes. The network optimises an appropriately defined error function for making the inference. A supervised learning algorithm is presented for learning the association between the features and each individual category. <<ETX>>
Pest Status and Management of Corn Earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Field Corn in the United States

The corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), is a common lepidopteran pest of corn (Zea mays L.) in the United States. This article provides an overview of the life history, ecology, plant injury, and management of H. zea in corn. Leaf injury by H. zea feeding can occur in vegetative stage corn, though this type of injury is rare. The most common type of injury is caused by larval feeding in ears. Because kernel injury is typically limited to the tip of the ear, H. zea is generally not considered an economic pest. The use of transgenic corn hybrids expressing insecticidal Cry proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner can reduce injury from H. zea, though complete control is not achieved with most Bt traits. Resistance has been reported to several Bt toxins. Because H. zea is a major economic pest in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and because H. zea moths that developed on corn can migrate to cotton, selection pressure on H. zea in Bt corn has major implications for the pest status and injury to Bt cotton. Although the impact of H. zea on yield of field corn is generally negligible, the selection pressure exerted by Bt corn has led to management issues in cotton.
A prototype of super-synthesis radiometer for field imaging experiments

The authors made a prototype interferometric radiometer for field experiments of supers-synthesis imaging. The radiometer has 17 interferometers, which can receive the radiation from the ground in the band of 6.6 GHz. The multiple interferometers are aligned across the track for getting 2-dimensional images. It is also used as an ordinary multiple interferometers. The radiometer has a calibration circuit composed of a noise source, a signal divider and RF switches. The configuration and function of the radiometer system and the methods of field experiment and calibration are described.
Soft fusion of information accesses

In this paper the definition of a meta search engine model, named SOFIA (soft fusion of information accesses), is proposed that applies a flexible and soft fusion of the ranked lists of documents retrieved by distinct search engines available over the Internet. The decision function that specifies the fusion criterion is expressed by a linguistic quantifier modeled by an induced ordered average (IOWA) operator. Fuzzy quantifiers make soft fusion criteria possible. Further flexibility is obtained by computing the distinct fitness scores of the search engines based on a relevance feedback mechanism and using these scores to define the IOWA reorder vector. In this way the search engines with highest fitness influence more heavily the ranking of the documents in the fused list.
Function Generation With Finitely-Separated Precision Points Using Geometric Constraint Programming

This paper explains how Geometric Constraint Programming can be applied to solve function generation problems with finitely-separated positions using a number of different mechanisms. Geometric Constraint Programming uses the sketching mode of commercial parametric computer-aided design software to create kinematic diagrams whose elements are parametrically related so that when a parameter is changed, the design is modified automatically. Geometric constraints are imposed graphically through the user interface, and the numerical solvers integrated into the software solve the relevant systems of non-linear equations without the user explicitly formulating those equations. A key advantage of using Geometric Constraint Programming for function generation is that the same approach can be applied to any mechanism, so no unique algorithms are required. Furthermore, because the implementation is relatively straightforward regardless of the chosen mechanism, the designer can quickly and easily generate solutions for a large number of precision points and/or with complex mechanisms to provide a very accurate match to the desired function. Examples of function generation with a four-bar linkage, a six-bar linkage, and a seven-bar linkage illustrate the benefits of the proposed methodology.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Computing and philosophy: Selected papers from IACAP 2014

Editorial. - Part I philosophy of computing. - Chapter 1 Cem Bozsahin. What's a computational constraint? - Chapter 2 Joe Dewhurst. Computing Mechanisms and Autopoietic Systems. - Chapter 3 Vincenzo Fano, Pierluigi Graziani, Roberto Macrelli and Gino Tarozzi. Are Gandy Machines really local? - Chapter 4 Doukas Kapantais. A refutation of the Church-Turing thesis according to some interpretation of what the thesis says. - Chapter 5 Paul Schweizer. In What Sense Does the Brain Compute? - Part II philosophy of computer science & discovery. - Chapter 6 Mark Addis, Peter Sozou, Peter C R Lane and Fernand Gobet. Computational Scientific Discovery and Cognitive Science Theories. - Chapter 7 Nicola Angius and Petros Stefaneas. Discovering Empirical Theories of Modular Software Systems. An Algebraic Approach. - Chapter 8 Selmer Bringsjord, John Licato, Daniel Arista, Naveen Sundar Govindarajulu and Paul Bello. Introducing the Doxastically Centered Approach to Formalizing Relevance Bonds in Conditionals. - Chapter 9 Orly Stettiner. From Silico to Vitro: Computational Models of Complex Biological Systems Reveal Real-world Emergent Phenomena. - Part III philosophy of cognition & intelligence. - Chapter 10 Douglas Campbell. Why We Shouldn't Reason Classically, and the Implications for Artificial Intelligence. - Chapter 11 Stefano Franchi. Cognition as Higher Order Regulation. - Chapter 12 Marcello Guarini. Eliminativisms, Languages of Thought, & the Philosophy of Computational Cognitive Modeling. - Chapter 13 Marcin Milkowski. A Mechanistic Account of Computational Explanation in Cognitive Science and Computational Neuroscience. - Chapter 14 Alex Tillas. Internal supervision & clustering: A new lesson from 'old' findings? - Part IV computing & society. - Chapter 15 Vasileios Galanos. Floridi/Flusser: Parallel Lives in Hyper/Posthistory. - Chapter 16 Paul Bello. Machine Ethics and Modal Psychology. - Chapter 17 Marty J. Wolf and Nir Fresco. My Liver Is Broken, Can You Print Me a New One? - Chapter 18 Marty J. Wolf, Frances Grodzinsky and Keith W. Miller. Robots, Ethics and Software - FOSS vs. Proprietary Licenses.
The ‘creatures’ of the human cortical somatosensory system

Penfield’s description of the “homunculus”, a “grotesque creature” with large lips and hands and small trunk and legs depicting the representation of body-parts within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), is one of the most prominent contributions to the neurosciences. Since then, numerous studies have identified additional body-parts representations outside of S1. Nevertheless, it has been implicitly assumed that S1’s homunculus is representative of the entire somatosensory cortex. Therefore, the distribution of body-parts representations in other brain regions, the property that gave Penfield’s homunculus its famous “grotesque” appearance, has been overlooked. We used whole-body somatosensory stimulation, functional MRI and a new cortical parcellation to quantify the organization of the cortical somatosensory representation. Our analysis showed first, an extensive somatosensory response over the cortex; and second, that the proportional representation of body-parts differs substantially between major neuroanatomical regions and from S1, with, for instance, much larger trunk representation at higher brain regions, potentially in relation to the regions’ functional specialization. These results extend Penfield’s initial findings to the higher level of somatosensory processing and suggest a major role for somatosensation in human cognition.
Temporal and Organ-specific Responses in NUE Traits to N Fertilization, Fungicide Intensity and Early Sowing in Winter Wheat Cultivars

Fungicide intensity and sowing time influence the N use efficiency (NUE) of winter wheat but the underlying mechanisms, interactions of plant traits, and the temporal effects are not sufficiently understood. Therefore, organ-specific responses in NUE traits to fungicide intensity and earlier sowing were compared at two nitrogen (N) levels for six winter wheat cultivars in 2017. Plants were sampled at anthesis and at maturity and separated into chaff, grain, culms, and three leaf layers to assess their temporal contribution to aboveground dry matter (DM) and N uptake (Nup). Compared to the control treatment, across cultivars, the treatment without fungicide mostly exerted stronger and inverse effects than early sowing, on grain yield (GY, −12% without fungicide, +8% n.s. for early sowing), grain Nup (GNup, −9% n.s., +5% n.s.) as well as on grain N concentration (+4%, −2% n.s.). Grain yield in the treatment without fungicide was associated with similar total DM, as observed in the control treatment but with lower values in harvest index, thousand kernel weight, N use efficiency for GY (NUE) and N utilization efficiency. Lower GNup was associated with similar vegetative N uptake but lower values in N translocation efficiency and N harvest index. In contrast, early sowing tended to increase total DM at anthesis and maturity as well as post-anthesis assimilation, at similar harvest index and increased the number of grains per spike and total N use efficiency. Total N uptake increased after the winter season but was similar at anthesis. Although the relative N response in many traits was lower without fungicide, few fungicide x interactions were significant, and the sowing date did not interact either with N fertilization for any of the N and DM traits. The results demonstrate the positive effects of fungicides and earlier sowing on various traits related to yield formation and the efficient use of nitrogen and are discussed based on various concepts.
A New Wavelet Based Spatio-temporal Method for Magnification of Subtle Motions in Video

Video magnification is a computational procedure to reveal subtle variations during video frames that are invisible to the naked eye. A new spatio-temporal method which makes use of connectivity based mapping of the wavelet sub-bands is introduced here for exaggerating of small motions during video frames. In this method, firstly the wavelet transformed frames are mapped to connectivity space and then decomposed into different spatial frequency bands by applying Laplacian Pyramid to determine the pixels having more chance to be a part of a movement. Finally each candidate is partially magnified based on its time history. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on real videos which contain several subtle motions. Parameters for performance evaluation are presented and obtained results are compared with one of state-of-the-art video magnification methods. Increased true positive rate in parallel with simultaneous decrease in false positive rate confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method in amplifying subtle motions.
A Comparison of Five Techniques for Investigating General and Multi-Modal Usability Issues

Five different modelling techniques are used to describe the interface of a multi-modal robotic arm. The techniques are examined in order to determine both what they can and cannot reason about, and what they can explicitly represent in terms of the multimodal usability aspects of the interface. Analysis of the techniques show that a wide selection of usability issues were uncovered, that craft skill is a strong component of usability assessment, and that techniques not normally associated with usability evaluation can provide relevant insights. However, all the techniques had difficulties in dealing with the multi-modal aspects of the arm, emphasising the lack of appropriate techniques in this field.
A High Resolution Map of Meiotic Recombination in Cryptococcus Demonstrates Decreased Recombination in Unisexual Reproduction

Multiple species within the basidiomycete genus, Cryptococcus, cause cryptococcal disease. These species are estimated to affect nearly a quarter of a million people leading to approximately 180,000 mortalities, annually. Sexual repro-duction, which can occur between haploid yeasts of the same or opposite mating type, is a potentially important contributor to pathogenesis as recombination can generate novel genotypes and transgressive phenotypes. However, our quantitative understanding of recombination in this clinically important yeast is limited. Here we describe genome-wide estimates of recombination rates in Cryptococcus deneoformans and compare recombination between progeny from α-α unisexual and a-α bisexual crosses. We find that offspring from bisexual crosses have modestly higher average rates of recombination than those derived from unisexual crosses. Recombination hot and cold spots across the C. deneoformans genome are also identified and are associated with increased GC content. Finally, we observed regions genome-wide with allele frequencies deviating from the expected parental ratio. These findings and observations advance our quantitative understanding of the genetic events that occur during sexual reproduction in C. deneoformans, and the impact that different forms of sexual reproduction are likely to have on genetic diversity in this important fungal pathogen.