Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relationship between plasma steroid hormone concentrations and the reproductive cycle in the Northern Pacific rattlesnake , Crotalus oreganus , Cas

We describe the reproductive cycle of Northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) by quantifying steroid hormone concentrations and observing reproductive behaviors in free ranging individuals. Addi tionally, we examined reproductive tissues from museum specimens. Plasma steroid hormone concentra tions were quantified for both male and female snakes throughout the active season (March October). We measured testosterone (T), 5a dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and corticosterone (B) concentrations in both sexes and 17b estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) in females only. We observed reproductive behav iors (e.g., consortship, courtship, and copulation) in the field and measured testis and follicle size in male and female snakes from museum collections to relate steroid hormone concentrations to the timing of reproductive events. Our study revealed that C. oreganus in central California exhibits a bimodal pattern of breeding, with most mating behavior occurring in the spring and some incidences of mating behavior observed in late summer/fall. Each breeding period corresponded with elevated androgen (T or DHT) lev els in males. Testes were regressed in the spring when the majority of reproductive behavior was observed in this population, and they reached peak volume in August and September during spermato genesis. Although we did not detect seasonal variation in female hormone concentrations, some females had high E2 in the spring and fall, coincident with mating and with increased follicle size (indicating vitellogenesis) in museum specimens. Females with high E2 concentrations also had high T and DHT con centrations. Corticosterone concentrations in males and females were not related either to time of year or to concentrations of any other hormones quantified. Progesterone concentrations in females also did not vary seasonally, but this likely reflected sampling bias as females tended to be underground, and thus unobtainable, in summer months when P would be expected to be elevated during gestation. In females, P was positively correlated with T and DHT, and E2 was positively correlated with T.
Towards the generic conceptual and numerical framework for the simulation of CO 2 sequestration in different types of georeservoirs

In this paper, conceptual and numerical modeling of coupled thermo-hydromechanical (THM) processes during CO2 injection and storage is presented. The commonly used averaging procedure combining the Theory of Mixtures and the Concept of Volume Fractions serves as background for the complex porous media approach presented here. Numerical models are based on a generalized formulation of the individual and overall balance equations for mass and momentum, as well as, in non-isothermal case, the energy balance equation. Within the framework of a standard Galerkin approach, the method of weighted residuals is applied to derive the weak forms of governing equations. After discretizing spatially these weak forms, a system of nonlinear algebraic equations can be obtained. For the required time discretization a generalized first order difference scheme is applied, linearization is performed using Picard or Newton-Raphson methods. The corresponding models are implemented within the scientific open source finite element code OpenGeoSys (OGS) developed by the authors, which is based on object oriented programming concepts. This assists the efficient treatment of different physical processes, whose mathematical models are of similar structure. Thus, the paper is mainly focused on a generic theoretical framework for the coupled processes under consideration. Within this context, CO2 sequestration in georeservoirs of different type can be simulated (e.g., saline aquifers, (nearly) depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs).
Gathering of Global Mind ∗

The Global Consciousness Project is an international collaboration of researchers studying interactions of consciousness with the environment. We maintain a network of detectors located around the world in over 50 host sites ranging from Alaska to New Zealand. These devices generate random data continuously and send it for archiving to a dedicated server in Princeton, New Jersey. The data are analyzed to determine whether the unpredictable sequence of random values contains periods of detectable structure that may be correlated with deeply engrossing or meaningful global events. This paper describes the scientific lineage of the project and provides a background for interpreting the data, which contain significant departures from expectation suggestive of something like our hypothesized global consciousness, or of equally remarkable “observer” effects. According to standard physical theory, there should be no structure at all in random data. Yet, we find that many of the identified cases exhibit striking patterns. Special times like the celebrations of New Years, and tragic events like the attacks on September 11, 2001, show substantial changes that are correlated with shared periods of deep engagement or widespread emotional reactions. Our analyses establish that the non-random behavior cannot be attributed to mundane sources such as electrical grid stresses or ordinary electromagnetic fields. The evidence suggests instead that the anomalous structure we see is somehow related to the unusually coherent focus of human attention generated by extraordinary events. ∗ A chapter for Brain, Mind & Consciousness, University Press, California, is based on this material. A version of this paper appears as “The Global Consciousness Project: Is there a Noosphere? ” in the International Journal of Parapsychology.
Review of Ultrasound Transducers for Medical Applications with CMUT Implementation

An assessment of ultrasound transducers for medical applications is presented. The ultrasound transducer that exploit a high frequency sound waves to create an clear image of some part of the inside of the body such as the stomach, liver, heart, muscles, joints and blood vessels. The ultrasound image is instantaneously visible on a video display screen that looks like a computer or television monitor. The image is produced based on the amplitude (loudness), frequency (pitch) and time. Ultrasound is secure and painless, and creates a picture of the inside of the body using sound waves. Ultrasound imaging, also called as ultrasound scanning or sonography. It is a helpful way of evaluating the body's circulatory system. Ultrasonic transducers are transducers that adapt ultrasound waves to electrical signals or vice versa. Those that both transmit and receive may also be called as ultrasound transceivers; many ultrasound sensors besides being sensors are really transceivers because they can both sense and transmit. These devices work on a principle related to that of transducers used in radar and sonar systems. In this paper we analyze various ultrasonic transducers and finally compared their parameter and tabulated. In this paper CMUT is the CMUTs is around 3 nA to 11 nA. After the current amplifier, the injection ac current is about 1.1 μA to 5.43 μA. The implemented relaxation oscillator achieves the current-to-frequency conversion sensitivity of 10.77 kHz/μA at 400 kHz. Index Term --CMUT, Current amp, PMUT, Relaxation Oscillator, Ultrasonic transducer.
Player Characteristics and Video Game Preferences

The Games User Research literature has advanced considerably on understanding why people play games and what different types of games or mechanics they prefer. However, what has been less studied is how models of player preferences explain their game choices. In this study, we address this question by combining and analyzing two datasets (N = 188 and N = 332) containing data about the games that participants enjoy, their player trait scores, and their preferred game elements and playing styles. The results provide evidence that these scores can significantly explain participants' preferences for different games. Additionally, we provide information about the characteristics of players who enjoy each game.
University of Southern Denmark On the Role of Software Quality Management in Software Process Improvement

Software Process Improvement (SPI) programs have been implemented, inter alia, to improve quality and speed of software development. SPI addresses many aspects ranging from individual developer skills to entire organizations. It comprises, for instance, the optimization of specific activities in the software lifecycle as well as the creation of organizational awareness and project culture. In the course of conducting a systematic mapping study on the state-ofthe-art in SPI from a general perspective, we observed Software Quality Management (SQM) being of certain relevance in SPI programs. In this paper, we provide a detailed investigation of those papers from the overall systematic mapping study that were classified as addressing SPI in the context of SQM (including testing). From the main study’s result set, 92 papers were selected for an in-depth systematic review to study the contributions and to develop an initial picture of how these topics are addressed in SPI. Our findings show a fairly pragmatic contribution set in which different solutions are proposed, discussed, and evaluated. Among others, our findings indicate a certain reluctance towards standard quality or (test) maturity models and a strong focus on custom review, testing, and documentation techniques, whereas a set of five selected improvement measures is almost equally addressed.
MICROSCALE VEGETATION EFFECTS ON OUTDOOR THERMAL COMFORT IN A HOT-ARID ENVIRONMENT

The effect of irrigated vegetation on human thermal stress in a hot-arid region was tested in two semi-enclosed urban spaces with varying combinations of mature trees, shading mesh, lawn and paving. The Index of Thermal Stress was calculated hourly from measured data to evaluate thermal comfort in the spaces, and was expressed on a scale of thermal sensation. While thermal stress in a paved unshaded courtyard was severe during mid-day hours, both grass and shading, either by trees or by mesh, contributed significantly to thermal comfort. A combination of the two strategies resulted in comfortable conditions at all hours – though trees alone provided more efficient cooling in terms of water use, as measured by the rate of evapotranspiration. The main effect of both grass and shade was to reduce radiant loads, while differences in air temperature were small.
A New and Efficient Technique to Remove Back-to-Front Interference in Historical Document Images

The study of historical records is a topic that presents significant difficulties for specialists from different fields, for example, history, political science, brain research, software engineering, among others. Historical archives contain significant information about cultural and scientific value. Historical artifacts comprise of archives, letters, daily papers, pictures, maps, and so on. A large number of these are put away in libraries, historical centers or government files. In any case, because of the conservation, few individuals have admittance to this material. Also such documents are frequently degraded over time. The main aim of preserving historical archives is to reestablish the corrupted content containing data. Digital preservation is the foremost requirement of today to preserve the historical documents. Digital preservation is the most promising method for preserving the historical documents. But if the document is old age document then this method may not give the best results and may give results which might be difficult to read. Now this further enhances the problem if the document is written on both sides, there may be some impression of back image to the front image, which reduces the readability of the document. This phenomenon is known as “back-tofront interference” also called “bleeding” or “show-through”. The thresholding of such records with conventionally used algorithm produces unreadable documents. Generally numerous binarization strategies are implemented in the literature for various sorts of binarization issues. The few simple available binarization strategies cannot be applied to numerous binarization issues. Keeping in mind the end goal to enhance the quality of historical archives pictures, a joined methodology based on mathematical morphology, global and local binarization strategies is applied. This technique at initial step removes the background (noise) and adjusts the intensity values of pixels of the historical image, which enhances the performance of global thresholding. After that, the mathematical erosion operation is applied on this binarize image, then local binarization is applied to binarize the image. The proposed technique effectively denoises different sorts of corrupted records, enhancing textures with clear background. The present study proposed new and efficient technique to eliminate back-to-front type of interference in such type of historical artifacts.
A comparison of Android Native App Architecture MVC , MVP and MVVM

Disclaimer This document contains a student thesis (bachelor's or master's), as authored by a student at Eindhoven University of Technology. Student theses are made available in the TU/e repository upon obtaining the required degree. The grade received is not published on the document as presented in the repository. The required complexity or quality of research of student theses may vary by program, and the required minimum study period may vary in duration.
POLYHERBAL FORMULATION AND ITS ROLE IN ALLEVIATING SIGNS OF DIARRHOEA IN BROILER BIRDS

A total of 120 broiler birds were taken for the purpose of study and allotted into four different groups having 30 birds in each. Group T0 was kept as negative control. Group T1 was kept as positive control and challenged with E.coli on 8 day and maintained on non medicated feed. Group T2 was treated with Salcochek at the rate of 500 g/tonne of feed (Prophylactic dose) with concomitant challenge with E.coli on 8 day. Group T3 was treated with Salcochek at the rate of 1000g/tonne of feed (Therapeutic dose) with concomitant challenge with E.coli on 8 day. Parameters viz. performance traits, clinical symptoms, mortality, TVC of E.coli in faecal samples, haemagglutination inhibition titre, gross and histopathological changes were evaluated. Results revealed that there was significant improvement in the mean weekly body weight and mean weight gain in the Salcochek (M/S Ayurvet) treated groups T2 and T3 as compared to the positive control group T0. Mortality % was significantly less in the Salcochek treated groups as compared to control group. Total viable E.coli count in faeces was also significantly reduced in the Salcochek treated groups as compared to control group. The Hemagglutination inhibition titre was significantly higher in the Salcochek treated groups as compared to control group. Thus, it can be inferred that Salcochek is highly effective in alleviating symptoms of diarrhea and promote growth in birds.
Association of breast cancer risk in BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 mutation carriers with genetic variants showing differential allelic expression

Purpose Cis-acting regulatory SNPs resulting in differential allelic expression (DAE) may, in part, explain the underlying phenotypic variation associated with many complex diseases. To investigate whether common variants associated with DAE were involved in breast cancer susceptibility among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, a list of 175 genes was developed based of their involvement in cancer-related pathways. Methods Using data from a genome-wide map of SNPs associated with allelic expression, we assessed the association of*320SNPs located in the vicinity of these geneswith breast and ovarian cancer risks in 15,252 BRCA1 and 8211 BRCA2 mutation carriers ascertained from 54 studies participating in the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2. Results We identified a region on 11q22.3 that is significantly associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers (most significant SNP rs228595 p = 7 9 10). This association was absent in BRCA2 carriers (p = 0.57). The 11q22.3 region notably encompasses genes such as ACAT1, NPAT, and ATM. Expression quantitative trait loci associations were observed in both normal breast and tumors across this region, namely for ACAT1, ATM, and other genes. In silico analysis revealed some overlap between top risk-associated SNPs and relevant biological features in mammary cell data, which suggests potential functional significance. Conclusion We identified 11q22.3 as a new modifier locus in BRCA1 carriers. Replication in larger studies using estrogen receptor (ER)-negative or triple-negative (i.e., ER-, progesterone receptor-, and HER2-negative) cases could therefore be helpful to confirm the association of this locus with breast cancer risk.
Active Memristor Neurons for Neuromorphic Computing

To rival mammals’ intelligence, future artificial intelligence (AI) needs to be both strong – capable of self-learning with raw inputs, and broad – capable of handling multiple contexts rather than narrowly restricted problems. It is unlikely that AI implemented on conventional computing platforms will eventually achieve both goals. This is because even if the brain’s connectivity is fully understood and reproduced, the neuron and synapse computing primitives, if built with non-biomimetic CMOS circuits, are not capable to emulate the rich dynamics of biological counterparts without sacrificing the energy consumption and size. Memristors may provide an alternative approach to realize strong and broad AI. The nonvolatile, stochastic and adaptive switching dynamics make the passive memristor a close electronic analogue to biological synapses. Owing to their superb scalability, memristor crossbars can potentially reach the synapse density of the brain. A complementary device, active memristor, can be used to construct electronic equivalent of the biological neurons. Active memristors show volatile resistive switching and are locally active within a hysteretic negative differential resistance (NDR) regime in current-voltage characteristics. The NDR regime endows active memristors a.c. signal gain, a must have for neural signal processing. Previous demonstrations of neuron circuits based on active memristors only showed basic spiking behaviors exhibited by leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) models, and thus offer limited computational complexity. Using scalable VO2 active memristors, we show that memristor neurons actually possess most of the known biological neuronal dynamics and all three classes of neuron excitability. Furthermore, our simulations show that the size and power scaling of memristor neurons project toward biologically competitive neuron density and energy efficiency. Our work indicates that scalable and biomimetic active memristor neurons, in combination with passive memristor synapses, will provide a self-sufficient path toward biologically competitive neuromorphic hardware that could disrupt the paradigm of data analysis and sensemaking. Keywords—memristor; neuromorphic computing; neuron; synapse; biomimetic; vanadium dioxide; artificial intelligence
Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometrics to classify low and high level DON-contaminated wheat and barley

a Office of the Texas State Chemist, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX 77841, USA b Texas A&M University, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College Station, TX 77843, USA c The University of Western Australia, School of Animal Biology, The UWA Institute of Agriculture, Crawley, Perth 6009, Australia d Department of Computer Science, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Chungbuk National University, CheongJu, Republic of Korea
LIE ALGEBRAS AND COHOMOLOGY OF CONGRUENCE SUBGROUPS FOR SL

Abstract. Let R be a commutative ring that is free of rank k as an abelian group, p a prime, and SLn(R) the special linear group. We show that the Lie algebra associated to the filtration of SLn(R) by p-congruence subgroups is isomorphic to the tensor product sln(R⌦Z Z/p)⌦Fp tFp[t], the Lie algebra of polynomials with zero constant term and coe cients n⇥ n traceless matrices with entries polynomials in k variables over Fp. We use the Lie algebra structure along with the Lyndon-Hochschild-Serre spectral sequence to compute the d2 homology di↵erential for certain central extensions involving quotients of p-congruence subgroups. We also use the underlying group structure to obtain several homological results. For example, we compute the first homology group of the level p-congruence subgroup for n 3. We show that the cohomology groups of the level pr-congruence subgroup are not finitely generated for n = 2 and R = Z[t]. Finally, we show that for n = 2 and R = Z[i] (the Gaussian integers) the second cohomology group of the level pr-congruence subgroup has dimension at least two as an Fp-vector space.
Deep Neural Networks for Safety-Critical Applications : Vision and Open Problems

Autonomously-driving cars may become part of our everyday lives in a few years. One of the key factors that will likely enable the development of autonomous systems is artificial intelligence and, in particular, deep neural networks (DNNs). According to the results of a popular challenge for assessing the performance of DNNs [1], the error rate in image classification reduced from 28% in 2010 to 2.3% in 2017 [2], surpassing the human capability, assessed between 5% and 10% (see Figure 1). Neural networks are computing system inspired by the structure of mammalian brains, composed of many neurons (represented by nodes) exchanging signals through synaptic channels (represented by weighted edges). Synaptic weights are tuned during a supervised learning procedure, in which the network is trained by examples to match a set of expected outputs when specific inputs are presented. The adoption of neural networks in safety-critical scenarios presents many issues. For instance, the difficulty of understanding the meaning of weights configurations and the difficulty of predicting the network output to similar input patterns represents a crucial problem for certification: who would certificate something whose behavior is not completely understandable at design time and cannot be predictably replicated? A possible solution may consist in adopting algorithms based on hard computing (i.e., with a well-defined behavior) aimed at acting as supervisors for DNNs. The supervisor would detect misbehaviors from the neural network, redirecting the actuation to some defined safe actions. A further improvement (but still in terms of average-case behavior) can be achieved using redundant neural networks in conjunction for performing the same task, and merging the result by means of a voting mechanism. The complexity of a neural network also makes it prone to attacks and malfunctionings, representing a security threat: what if an attacker exploits the weakness of a DNN to take control over the related, safety-critical, steering system? Morever, DNNs are typically executed on top of general purpose operating systems, whereas actuations take place in a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS). For these reasons, guaranteeing isolation between DNNs and safety-critical tasks represents an important issue. A popular and effective technique to achieve isolation using a single heterogeneous multi-processor platform is to use a hypervisor to separate a computationally intensive processing (i.e., DNNs) and safety-critical activities (e.g., AUTOSAR compliant) in different domains. In this way, the two domains can safely co-exist, also adopting different operating systems. This solution is shown in Figure 2.