cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
The effect of decayed or downed wood on the structure and function of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities at a high elevation forest
Creators: name: Walker, Jennifer Karen Marie
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2012

description: Shifts in ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal community composition occur after clearcut logging, resulting in the loss of forest-associated fungi and potential ecosystem function. Coarse woody debris (CWD) includes downed wood generated during logging; decayed downed wood is a remnant of the original forest, and important habitat for ECM fungi. Over the medium term, while logs remain hard, it is not known if they influence ECM fungal habitat. I tested for effects of downed wood on ECM fungal communities by examining ECM roots and fungal hyphae of 10-yr-old saplings in CWD retention and removal plots in a subalpine ecosystem. I then tested whether downed and decayed wood provided ECM fungal habitat by planting nonmycorrhizal spruce seedlings in decayed wood, downed wood, and mineral soil microsites in the clearcuts and adjacent forest plots, and harvested them 1 and 2 years later. I tested for differences in the community structure of ECM root tips (Sanger sequencing) among all plots and microsites, and of ECM fungal hyphae (pyrosequencing) in forest microsites. I assayed the activities of eight extracellular enzymes in order to compare community function related to nutrient acquisition. The retention of CWD caused a shift in ECM root tip fungal species composition on saplings at the plot scale within 12 years of clearcutting. Decayed wood and hard downed wood also provided habitat for some ECM fungal species. Abiotic conditions in decayed wood and near downed wood on clearcuts were most similar to forest soils, but I did not detect a shift in ECM root tip or ECM hyphae community composition or function among microsites. Instead, ECM fungus community structure and enzyme activity differed most between clearcut and forest plots, and among forest plots. I could not determine if ecosystem function, in terms of soil macromolecule breakdown by ECM fungi, was maintained in clearcuts. Amphinema byssoides, Thelephora terrestris, and Tylospora asterophora were consistently the most abundant ECM taxa at Sicamous Creek. With pyrosequencing of fungal DNA, I was able to identify more ECM fungal taxa than in my previous experiments at this site. I concluded that CWD on clearcut blocks provides habitat for ECM fungi.
Physically-based animation of plant motions
Creators: name: Garcia, Alejandro
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Computer Science

description: The creation of realistic and lifelike plants has been a long-standing challenge in computer graphics. While signifcant progress has been made regarding the generation of plants using procedural methods, there is still a gap in understanding how to simulate their dynamics as effciently and realistically as possible. One of the major challenges in this area is the incorporation of complicated non-inertial effects into plant motion. Previous works tend to either focus on quasistatic simulations - which by defnition assume the absence of non-inertial effects - or ignore secondary motion in their dynamics calculations altogether. Either of these result in incomplete simulations that do not adequately capture the wide range of plant motion observed in nature. This is important because the human eye is keenly critical of inconsistencies in motion, meaning that incomplete models can easily appear off-putting and uncanny. To address these limitations, this thesis proposes a generalized and comprehensive physics model that aims to better capture the dynamics of procedurally-generated plants.
Additional file 2 of Predictive power of extubation failure diagnosed by cough strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Creators: name: Duan, Jun
name: Zhang, Xiaofang
name: Song, Jianping
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Mathematical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Computational Biology

description: Additional file 2: Figure 2. Pooled extubation failure in patients with weak and strong cough tested by the semiquantitative cough strength score (SCSS). CI = confidence interval.
Hints for a non-standard Higgs boson from the LHC
Creators: name: Raidal, Martti
name: Strumia, Alessandro
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We reconsider Higgs boson invisible decays into Dark Matter in the light of recent Higgs searches at the LHC. Present hints in the CMS and ATLAS data favor a non-standard Higgs boson with approximately 50% invisible branching ratio, and mass around 143 GeV. This situation can be realized within the simplest thermal scalar singlet Dark Matter model, predicting a Dark Matter mass around 50 GeV and direct detection cross section just below present bound. The present runs of the Xenon100 and LHC experiments can test this possibility.
description: 6 pages, 2 figures. Final version to appear on PRD
One-and-a-half Generation Filipinx Youth in Metro Vancouver: Narratives of Negotiating Ethno-Cultural Identities
Creators: name: Nguyen, Maria Socorro Mangila
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Filipinx youth
subject: narrative inquiry
subject: Sikolohiyang Pilipino
subject: acculturation
subject: racialization
subject: Social Work
subject: FOS: Sociology

description: The landscape of Filipinx migration stories to Canada is diverse, and the majority of stories have emerged from studies with Filipinx adults. This narrative inquiry (NI) explored the storied lives of one-and-a-half generation (1.5G) Filipinx youth in Metro Vancouver, their experiences and capacities to develop and negotiate their ethnic identities in three sites of interactions: a) nuclear and extended families, b) school and peers, and c) the wider communities. In this study I gained insights into the impact of migration and acculturation on Filipinx youth who straddle their country of origin and host country which is timely as the Philippines continues to be one of the top three sources of new immigrant families in metropolitan areas such as Metro Vancouver (Statistics Canada, 2022a). NI and Sikolohiyang Pilipino (SP) enabled me, the researcher, to facilitate a respectful process with the participants to tell their stories at their level of readiness. Filipinx youth expressed their experiences through creative ways in combination with first language, Tagalog or Taglish (a combination of Tagalog and English). This generative process benefitted the youths in co-constructing their own storied lives, exploring their awareness of who they are becoming and carving pathways that professionals such as teachers, settlement workers, and social workers could anchor their programs and services. Four narrative threads weave through the five narrative accounts: 1) pride in Filipino identity with the ability to speak a major language in the Philippines; and insights from interactions in three sites: 2) nuclear/extended families; 3) school with peers and staff, and aspirations to pursue post-secondary education; and 4) the wider communities. This study amplifies the voices of 1.5G Filipinx youth and invites various professionals to 'open doors' for newcomer youths.
D1.1 Advanced Wave-Structure Interaction Model – Theory and User Manual
Creators: name: Laporte Weywada, Pauline
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: MegaRoller
Wave-structure interaction model
WEC-Sim model
User manual

description: This document constitutes a theory and user manual of the MegaRoller wave energy converter (WEC) model developed under WP1 in a custom version of the numerical simulation package WEC-Sim. The present deliverable is the main output of Task 1.2, aiming to define and develop a nonlinear model of the MegaRoller WEC to assess the influence of the distributed loading contributions over the WEC prime mover, i.e. the flap, accounting for the coupled nature of interaction(s) between the flap and the power take-off (PTO) load sources. The outputs of Task 1.2 aim to support the design process to be conducted in WP2.

This document describes the fundamental theory associated with the WEC-Sim model and the essential aspects related to its practical use. In essence, the developed model aims to enable the estimation of hydrodynamic, structural and all relevant mechanical loads for devices that involve rigid bodies, PTO systems and moorings. Simulations are performed in the time-domain by solving the governing WEC equations of motion in all relevant degrees-of-freedom, in a fully-coupled format (i.e. simultaneously accounting for all relevant load sources). WEC models are constructed on a multi-body basis. This approach allows a WEC to be constructed by linking together a number of constituent bodies, representing different physical entities in the machine. Each body must incorporate one or more components, which are used to describe the key WEC characteristics. Multi-body modelling allows a wide range of WEC concepts to be modelled using a consistent, fully-coupled engineering code.

The description of the code functionalities is supported by a preliminary validation exercise, using the previous design iteration of the WaveRoller WEC as tested in the Queen’s University of Belfast between August 2017 and January 2018 (see e.g. http://aw-energy.com/news/awe-and-queens-university-belfast-finish-waveroller-tank-tests/). The pre-validation exercise showed good comparisons in terms of PTO torque and prime mover motion in pitch, both for regular and irregular waves.

However, it is recognised that development work on the WEC-Sim model of the MegaRoller WEC will continue throughout the course of the MegaRoller project. As a consequence, the theoretical formulation and practical aspects here described are subject to future updates. In particular, it is envisaged that the consideration of a number of further nonlinear effects relevant for large structure such as the MegaRoller WEC will be required, potentially leading to changes in the core formulation and the introduction of novel / updated features. Such nonlinear effects may include the consideration of fluid-structure interactions, or slap and slam loads. Some of these initial features are also introduced in this report, guiding the development of the MegaRoller WEC-Sim model to be conducted in Task 1.3.
Rotational grazing in beef cattle pasture-based systems as a soil health practice to support climate change mitigation and biodiversity: protocol for a systematic review
Creators: name: Sanguinetti, Lucia Ines
name: Tang, Minfeng
name: Ganshorn, Heather
name: Lhermie, Guillaume
Publisher: name: Veterinary Medicine
Year: 2023
Subjects: ecosystem services
cattle
livestock grazing
greenhouse gas emissions
biodiversity
carbon sequestration
legumes
forage and fodder crops
ruminants
carbon stock

description: Background: The rise in population and industrial practices are causing negative impacts on our environment, leading to climate change. This phenomenon triggers extreme weather events, increasing soil evaporation and lowering water availability for plants. It requires the attention of every economic sector, and agriculture has the potential to mitigate its effects. The Canadian government has recently launched the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy plan, which goal is to encourage the use of eco-friendly practices and the implementation of new technologies. One of the strategies promoted is rotational grazing, for supporting soil health. Rotational grazing is a practice that involves residency and rest periods of pastures for grazing cattle. This study aims to conduct a systematic review to identify the current rotational grazing systems used worldwide and their impact on GHG emissions, biodiversity, soil health, and productivity. Our findings will inform the value of rotational grazing in beef systems in Canada. Evaluating the cost/benefit relationship of implementing recommended rotational grazing systems with different levels of intensification. Focusing on semi-arid and continental climates, considering both tame and native grassland that pre-exist in Canada. Methods: This systematic review will include all types of rotational grazing studies under beef grazing operations. As well as: articles that estimate GHG emissions (IPCC methodology), native and tame pastures (Poaceae and Fabaceae) with any type of intensification, the climate of interest (continental, semi-arid), relevant plant species to Canada, biodiversity and Bos Taurus cattle population. If possible, articles will be included in a meta-analysis examining the impacts of the different rotational practices.
On the vacua of N = 8 gauged supergravity in 4 dimensions
Creators: name: Dall'Agata, G.
name: Inverso, G.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We discuss a simple procedure for finding vacua of gauged supergravity models, based on the variation of the embedding tensor rather than on a direct minimization of the scalar potential. We apply this procedure to N=8 gauged supergravity in 4 dimensions. We easily recover many of the previously known vacua, also completing their scalar mass spectrum, and we apply our procedure to find a dozen of new analytical vacuum solutions. The analysis shows an interesting structure on the moduli spaces of these vacua and provides new criteria to determine the expected value of the cosmological constant by a simple inspection of the group properties of the embedding tensor.
description: 33+1 pages, 4 figures. v2: Typos corrected. Added a subsection with an improved discussion of the spectra of the SO(6,2) and CSO(2,0,6) models
Static and small-signal modeling of radiofrequency hexagonal boron nitride switches
Creators: name: Pacheco-Sanchez, Anibal
name: Jordán-García, Omar
name: Ramŕez-García, Eloy
name: Jiménez, David
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Applied Physics (physics.app-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: A first modeling approximation of the general performance of radiofrequency (RF) switches based on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a two-dimensional (2D) dielectric material is presented. The I-V characteristics intrinsic and extrinsic impedance parameters, the return loss, insertion loss and isolation of RF 2D switches fabricated with hBN are described here by a equivalent circuit models. Straightforward analytical expressions are obtained. In contrast to conventional switches, the unique RF performance of the hBN switch, at ON-state, i.e., a direct improvement with frequency of the insertion loss, is accurately described by considering a capacitor in the intrinsic part of the model. The latter is suggested to be related to storaged charge during the resistive switching mechanism. The highest mean relative error obtained between modeling and measurements of the return loss is of 7.6% with the approach presented here which overcomes the 42.5% of difference obtained with a previous model with an incomplete intrinsic device description.
MOESM1 of Genome wide identification and functional characterization of strawberry pectin methylesterases related to fruit softening
Creators: name: Xue, Cheng
name: Guan, Si-Cong
name: Chen, Jian-Qing
name: Wen, Chen-Jin
name: Cai, Jian-Fa
name: Chen, Xu
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Medicine
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Developmental Biology
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Computational Biology

description: Additional file 1: Figure S1. Logo of conserved motifs in Fig. 2. Figure S2. Putative cis-elements in the 1.5â€‰kb promoter region of FvPMEs. Figure S3. QRT-PCR analysis of transcript levels of ripening-related genes in fruit of transient overexpression or silencing of FvPMEs.
Counting Exceptional Instantons
Creators: name: Keller, Christoph A.
name: Song, Jaewon
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: Algebraic Geometry (math.AG)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: We show how to obtain the instanton partition function of N=2 SYM with exceptional gauge group EFG using blow-up recursion relations derived by Nakajima and Yoshioka. We compute the two instanton contribution and match it with the recent proposal for the superconformal index of rank 2 SCFTs with E6, E7 global symmetry.
description: 16 pages, references added
Pipeline Vibration Characterization and Monitoring System Development
Creators: name: Chen, Haobin
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Pipeline
subject: vibration characterization
subject: monitoring system development
subject: Applied Mechanics

description: Pipeline systems are used for the transportation of energy over long distances. Pipeline systems play an important role both now and in the future, given that carbon-based energy products will slowly be replaced by carbon-neutral energy products. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) utilizing operational vibroacoustic signals has become increasingly popular due to both its non-intrusive nature and its ability to provide continuous monitoring. To date, challenges have prevented widespread application to varying environments and flow conditions. The overall objective of this research is to experimentally and numerically investigate the operational vibration signal from pipelines under various boundary conditions (both above and below ground) and flow conditions (both single and multiphase) for the development of novel monitoring systems. In this thesis, several works have been performed: flow-induced vibration of a buried steel pipe structure due to internal flow turbulence; leak detection of small leaks in low-pressure pipelines; external disturbance detection and classification and flow pattern identification.
iStream: A Flexible Container-Based Testbed for Multimedia Streaming
Creators: name: Akbari, Navid
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Computer Network
subject: Multimedia Streaming
subject: Computer Science

description: Multimedia streaming is growing at a phenomenal rate, especially with the emerging of augmented/virtual reality applications and the growing demand for YouTube-like services. This stimulates research in all aspects of streaming systems, including but not limited to real-time and resource-efficient transcoding, server efficiency, network optimization, and client adaptation. Research and development of any part of the system require repetitive and tedious tasks in setting up the rest of the system for validation and evaluation of new ideas. This not only complicates the research work, but also challenges the reproducibility and sharing of the research results. Existing proposed testbeds (also referred to as research platforms) all have a specific focus and do not address all components of multimedia streaming. In this thesis, we propose iStream, a comprehensive platform for evaluating multimedia streaming systems that integrates various components relevant to such systems. The components are plug-&-playable and customizable to compose various streaming systems and setups. iStream provides multimedia system researchers and developers with a flexible playground to explore their innovative ideas. Along with the design, we present the default modules and a diverse set of case studies demonstrating the wide-range use of iStream.
Sign-problem-free quantum Monte Carlo of the onset of antiferromagnetism in metals
Creators: name: Berg, Erez
name: Metlitski, Max A.
name: Sachdev, Subir
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The quantum theory of antiferromagnetism in metals is necessary for our understanding of numerous intermetallic compounds of widespread interest. In these systems, a quantum critical point emerges as external parameters (such as chemical doping) are varied. Because of the strong coupling nature of this critical point, and the "sign problem" plaguing numerical quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods, its theoretical understanding is still incomplete. Here, we show that the universal low-energy theory for the onset of antiferromagnetism in a metal can be realized in lattice models, which are free from the sign problem and hence can be simulated efficiently with QMC. Our simulations show Fermi surface reconstruction and unconventional spin-singlet superconductivity across the critical point.
description: 17 pages, 4 figures; (v2) revised presentation
The Problem of Hyperintensionality: A Truthmaker Approach
Creators: name: Huang, Yudi
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Hyperintensionality
subject: Truthmaker Semantics
subject: Granularity
subject: Philosophy
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion

description: Philosophers in the analytic tradition have long been studying important philosophical notions by understanding them as propositional operators, which act on propositional contents. The dominant approach to understanding propositional contents, possible worlds semantics, identifies the propositional content of a sentence with its intension, i.e., the set of possible worlds at which it is true. Despite of its elegance, this analysis is vulnerable to counterexamples. This calls for a finer-grained analysis of propositional contents, an analysis of hyperintensionality. The problem of hyperintensionality, which is the main focus of this thesis, is to specify how fine-grained such an analysis should be. However, examples in the literature suggest that there is no unified account of “hyperintension”, which also invites questions about whether hyperintensionality is worth pursuing. To answer these questions, I will defend a pluralism about hyperintensional contents, according to which the granularity of propositional contents varies in different contexts. This pluralism is based on Truthmaker Semantics, a hyperintensional framework that has been developed in the literature in recent years. I will argue that we can have a relatively unified account of hyperintensional content in Truthmaker Semantics, which is also flexible enough to accommodate contents with different granularities. I will discuss how considering different conceptions of truthmaker content in the framework gives us accounts of propositional contents with various granularities and how these accounts are applied to analyzing philosophical notions in the literature. I will also show how new accounts can be achieved by modifying the state space underlying truthmaker models. In particular, I will propose a variant of Truthmaker Semantics by adding a refinement structure to the state space and discuss how this account gives us a finer-grained account of propositional content and can be used in some contexts.
Machaerium nyctitans Benth.
Creators: name: Maia, Valéria Cid
name: Mascarenhas, Bernardo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fabales
Fabaceae
Machaerium
Machaerium nyctitans

description: Machaerium nyctitans (Vell.) Benth. (n = 3)
 Gall: on stem, globoid, brown, glabrous (Fig. 10I). Gall-inducer: not determined. Trails: Teresópolis: Mozart-Catão (27.X.2021), Barragem to Casa do Pesquisador entrance (07.XII.2021).
 Gall: on bud, globoid, reddish, with trichomes, one-chambered (Fig. 10J). Parasitoids: Hymenoptera.
 Trails: Teresópolis: Suspensa (25.XI.2021), Bosque Santa Helena (26.XI.2021), PoÇo do Castelo (06.XII.2021), Barragem to Casa do Pesquisador entrance (07.XII.2021), PoÇo do Beija-Flor (07.XII.2021).
 Gall: on bud, globoid, rough, brown, glabrous (Fig. 10K).
 Gall-inducer: notdetermined. Parasitoids: Hymenoptera.
 Trail: Teresópolis: Bosque Santa Helena (26.XI.2021).
Maia & Mascarenhas (2017) reported two gall morphotypes on stem and bud of this plant in the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia.
description: Published as part of Maia, Valéria Cid & Mascarenhas, Bernardo, 2023, Insect galls of Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos (Rio de Janeiro State, Southeastern Brazil), pp. 1-56 in Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 63 on page 23, DOI: 10.11606/1807-0205/2023.63.040, http://zenodo.org/record/10270483
The Sagittarius Streams in the Southern Galactic Hemisphere
Creators: name: Koposov, Sergey E.
name: Belokurov, V.
name: Evans, N. W.
name: Gilmore, G.
name: Gieles, M.
name: Irwin, M. J.
name: Lewis, G. F.
name: Niederste-Ostholt, M.
name: Penarrubia, J.
name: Smith, M. C.
name: Bizyaev, D.
name: Malanushenko, E.
name: Malanushenko, V.
name: Schneider, D. P.
name: Wyse, R. F. G.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The structure of the Sagittarius stream in the Southern Galactic hemisphere is analysed with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 8. Parallel to the Sagittarius tidal track, but ~ 10deg away, there is another fainter and more metal-poor stream. We provide evidence that the two streams follow similar distance gradients but have distinct morphological properties and stellar populations. The brighter stream is broader, contains more metal-rich stars and has a richer colour-magnitude diagram with multiple turn-offs and a prominent red clump as compared to the fainter stream. Based on the structural properties and the stellar population mix, the stream configuration is similar to the Northern "bifurcation". In the region of the South Galactic Cap, there is overlapping tidal debris from the Cetus Stream, which crosses the Sagittarius stream. Using both photometric and spectroscopic data, we show that the blue straggler population belongs mainly to Sagittarius and the blue horizontal branch stars belong mainly to the Cetus stream in this confused location in the halo.
description: accepted to ApJ with minor changes (3 tables added). All-sky color maps and the movie from the press-release are available as auxiliary files on arXiv:1111.7042 (and from http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~koposov/files/sgr2011_pr/)
Decoding Identity Through Text-based Human Micro-expressions: A Novel Approach in Social Behavioral Biometrics
Creators: name: Wahid, Zaman
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Social Behavioral Biometrics
subject: Online User Authentication
subject: Biometric Security
subject: Natural Language Processing
subject: Artificial Intelligence
subject: Computer Science

description: In recent years, Social Behavioral Biometrics (SBB) has gained prominence due to the dramatic changes in the way people socialize in this technologically-advanced era. The reliance on Online Social Networks (OSN) for formal and informal social interactions has become the norm. This thesis introduces a novel SBB trait, human micro-expression, for online person identification. An emotion detection model is initially developed to extract Parrott’s primary emotion scores from OSN users’ writing samples posted on Twitter. The corresponding emotion-progression features are extracted using an original technique that turns users’ microblogs into emotion signals. The Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) algorithm is utilized to facilitate the process of emotion-progression feature extraction across OSN users’ emotion signals trajectories. Then, a unimodal SBB system based on the proposed human micro-expression biometric is implemented, leveraging rank-level weighted Borda count to improve the performance of person identification. Furthermore, a multimodal SBB system is proposed that incorporates the proposed SBB trait into original SBB traits in state-of-the-art. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system, a proprietary benchmark dataset consisting of 250 Twitter users is employed. The experimental results demonstrate that the novel human micro-expression trait exhibits strong distinguishability among OSN users and can be used for person identification. Moreover, the study reveals that the proposed social behavioral biometric outperforms the majority of original SBB traits, indicating its potential value in future research and applications. The proposed multimodal SBB system exhibits superior performance compared to existing state-of-the-art multimodal SBB systems, further emphasizing the utility of incorporating the human micro-expression trait in multimodal SBB systems to improve person identification performance. This thesis contributes to the burgeoning field of social behavioral biometrics, with the potential for significant advancements in future research on person identification and online security.
Dural Macrophages in The Regulation of Meningeal Lymphatic Vessel Structure and Brain Lymph Drainage
Creators: name: Lohat, Vikrimjeet Singh
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Meninges
subject: Gut Inflammation
subject: Acute Inflammation
subject: Macrophages
subject: Central Nervous System (CNS)
subject: Lymphatic Dysfunction
subject: Meningeal Lymphatic Vessels (mLVs)
subject: Immune System
subject: Brain Lymph Drainage
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Neuroscience

description: Meningeal lymphatic vessels (mLVs) are the primary route for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) outflow from the brain. Importantly, dysfunction of mLVs in mice has been shown to increase toxic protein accumulation, resulting in a decline in neurocognitive processing. However, the exact cell types needed to maintain mLVs under homeostatic conditions remain unknown. Because dural macrophages display a unique distribution pattern along mLVs, we hypothesized dural macrophages are required to maintain mLV morphology and function. As such, we show that dural macrophage depletion reduced mLV density and impaired brain lymph drainage 7 days after intra-cisterna magna treatment with clodronate liposomes (CLL). This method of dural macrophage depletion did not impact lymphangiogenic growth factors but significantly reduced matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Subsequent recovery of mLVs density occurred 14 days post-treatment, along with the recovery of LYVE-1+ peri-lymphatic dural macrophages at 21 days post-treatment. These results indicated that dural macrophages maintain mLVs via extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. Next, since dural macrophages are replenished by bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs), we characterized dural macrophage and BMDC dynamics during mLV postnatal development. We observed a delay in mLV development in BMDC reporter mice (LysMgfp/gfp), which have a green fluorescent protein (GFP) knock-in at the Lysozyme M locus. Crossing the LysMgfp/gfp strain with wild-type mice maintained one functional LysM allele (LysMgfp/+), which rescued postnatal mLV development. Our results suggest that a lack of LysM expression caused a delay in mLV development, possibly due to dysfunction in either BMDCs or dural macrophages. Finally, since inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are strongly associated with progressive neurocognitive degeneration and can potentially manipulate CNS macrophage populations remotely, we investigated acute DSS-induced colitis in mice and found mLV dysfunction associated with reduced dural MMP transcripts. Taken together, my results demonstrate the importance of dural macrophages and BMDCs in maintaining the structure and function of mLVs, likely through ECM remodeling along the mLVs.
Amplitude analysis of gamma n --> pi- p data above 1 GeV
Creators: name: Chen, W.
name: Gao, H.
name: Briscoe, W. J.
name: Dutta, D.
name: Kudryavtsev, A. E.
name: Mirazita, M.
name: Paris, M.
name: Rossi, P.
name: Stepanyan, S.
name: Strakovsky, I. I.
name: Tarasov, V. E.
name: Workman, R. L.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)
subject: Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex)
subject: Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We report a new extraction of nucleon resonance couplings using pi- photoproduction cross sections on the neutron. The world database for the process gamma n --> pi- p above 1 GeV has quadrupled with the addition of new differential cross sections from the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at Jefferson Lab in Hall B. Differential cross sections from CLAS have been improved with a new final-state interaction determination using a diagramatic technique taking into account the NN and piN final-state interaction amplitudes. Resonance couplings have been extracted and compared to previous determinations. With the addition of these new cross sections, significant changes are seen in the high-energy behavior of the SAID cross sections and amplitudes.
description: 11 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables
Auroral Zone Geomagnetic Activity and Space Weather Implications
Creators: name: Reiter, Kyle Wallace
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Space Physics
subject: Physics
subject: Geomagnetically Induced Currents
subject: FDTD
subject: Electricity and Magnetism
subject: Statistics
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: Geophysics
subject: FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences

description: Geomagnetic variability in the auroral zone ionosphere has long been a subject of research interest, both for the large dynamic electrical currents that couple it to the magnetosphere, and the space weather impacts of these currents. Our understanding and modeling capacity for translating geomagnetic field variations into power network impacts has greatly expanded over the last several decades. This thesis makes several contributions to our understanding of this system. I develop a novel technique for quantifying and modeling the temporal and spatial variations in geomagnetic fields during substorms at auroral latitudes using principal component analysis. The nature of the spatial variations in ionospheric current drivers of geomagnetic and geoelectric fields are important for predicting the magnitude and extent of geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) in technological systems. Vertical geomagnetic fluctuations are often neglected in geoelectric field modeling for calculating GIC hazards. I demonstrate the coincidence of large impulsive vertical geomagnetic field variations with harmonic distortion in the Hydro-Québec network, an indicator of the presence of GICs in a power transmission network. I develop a finite-difference time-domain electromagnetic modeling technique that can incorporate vertical geomagnetic field variations and apply it to eastern Canada. Using this model, I show the importance of lateral conductivity gradients in turning and intensifying horizontal geoelectric fields along these gradients. I also show that GICs appear to be driven by vertical geomagnetic field fluctuations during a case study, using GIC modeling of the Hydro-Québec power transmission network. This thesis emphasizes the importance of understanding and incorporating spatial variations in ionospheric currents in assessing space weather impacts on auroral zone technological infrastructure and shows the need to include vertical geomagnetic variations in auroral zone geoelectric field modeling.
Exploiting Channel Diversity in Secret Key Generation from Multipath Fading Randomness
Creators: name: Liu, Yanpei
name: Draper, Stark C.
name: Sayeed, Akbar M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Cryptography and Security (cs.CR)
subject: Information Theory (cs.IT)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: We design and analyze a method to extract secret keys from the randomness inherent to wireless channels. We study a channel model for multipath wireless channel and exploit the channel diversity in generating secret key bits. We compare the key extraction methods based both on entire channel state information (CSI) and on single channel parameter such as the received signal strength indicators (RSSI). Due to the reduction in the degree-of-freedom when going from CSI to RSSI, the rate of key extraction based on CSI is far higher than that based on RSSI. This suggests that exploiting channel diversity and making CSI information available to higher layers would greatly benefit the secret key generation. We propose a key generation system based on low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and describe the design and performance of two systems: one based on binary LDPC codes and the other (useful at higher signal-to-noise ratios) based on four-ary LDPC codes.
Schmidt-Kennicutt relations in SPH simulations of disc galaxies with effective thermal feedback from supernovae
Creators: name: Monaco, Pierluigi
name: Murante, Giuseppe
name: Borgani, Stefano
name: Dolag, Klaus
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We study several versions of the Schmidt-Kennicutt (SK) relation obtained for isolated spiral galaxies in TreeSPH simulations run with the GADGET3 code including the novel MUlti-Phase Particle Integrator (MUPPI) algorithm for star formation and stellar feedback. [...] The standard SK relation between surface densities of cold (neutral+molecular) gas and star formation rate of simulated galaxies shows a steepening at low gas surface densities, starting from a knee whose position depends on disc gas fraction: for more gas-rich discs the steepening takes place at higher surface densities. Because gas fraction and metallicity are typically related, this environmental dependence mimics the predictions of models where the formation of H2 is modulated by metallicity. The cold gas surface density at which HI and molecular gas surface densities equate can range from ~10 up to 34 Msun/pc^2. As expected, the SK relation obtained using molecular gas shows much smaller variations among simulations. We find that disc pressure is not well represented by the classical external pressure of a disc in vertical hydrostatic equilibrium. Instead is well fit by the expression P_fit = Sigma_cold sigma_cold kappa / 6, where the three quantities on the right-hand side are cold gas surface density, vertical velocity dispersion and epicyclic frequency. When the "dynamical" SK relation, i.e. the relation that uses gas surface density divided by orbital time, is considered, we find that all of our simulations stay on the same relation. We interpret this as a manifestation of the equilibrium between energy injection and dissipation in stationary galaxy discs, when energetic feedback is effective and pressure is represented by the expression given above. These findings further support the idea that a realistic model of the structure of galaxy discs should take into account energy injection by SNe. [Abridged]
description: 13 pages, 8 figures, in press on MNRAS. Revised to match published version, reference added
Towards comprehensive understanding of PLEIOTROPIC REGULATORY LOCUS 1 associated resistance signalling
Creators: name: Weihmann, Tabea
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2013

description: Plants employ a multi-layered protection system to recognize pathogen presence and act upon intrusion. The conserved MOS4-associated complex (MAC) participates in the triggered signal transduction relay and contributes to the build-up of sound resistance. PLEIOTROPIC REGULATORY LOCUS 1 (PRL1), a MAC component with predicted structural function, is needed for a healthy immune response. Loss of this WD40 protein results in substantially higher pathogen colonization in Arabidopsis mutants. To dissect signalling steps downstream of the MAC, a mutant allele of PRL1 was chosen as the basis for a genetic suppressor screen. From this screen, both dominant and recessive mutants with defects in candidate genes were isolated, and two suppressors were cloned using map-based cloning techniques. Characterization of the first dominant mutant revealed a gain-of-function mutation in PRL2, the homolog of PRL1. Although similar in sequence, the expression of PRL2 is greatly reduced in wild-type plants and functional analysis had not been attempted. Using the dominant prl2-1d allele and complementary mutants, full functional equivalence between the related proteins was established by means of defence –testing assays and evaluation of morphological criteria. This investigation revealed unequal genetic redundancy between the homologs; PRL2 has retained residual but relevant expression levels compared to the higher expressed PRL1. PRL2 also displays modified expression patterns, potentially indicative of developing tissue specificity. The haplo-insufficient SUPPRESSOR OF prl1, 2 (SOP2) gene is an intriguing discovery in PRL1 signal relay. Devoid of known sequence motifs, SOP2 encodes a novel nuclear protein with homologs limited to the plant kingdom. Several lines of evidence support a dosagedependent mechanism, mediated by SOP2, which is prone to interference by a spoiler protein. Both the obtained dominant-negative sop2-1D allele and a recessive sop2 mutation fully suppress prl1-related phenotypes, however neither one causes impaired resistance in single mutant analysis. Although specifics of SOP2 functionality in the context of plant resistance signalling remain to be fully resolved, clues from epistasis analysis point towards a PRL1 centered relationship and do not support SOP2 as a target of the MAC
Additional file 3 of Predictive power of extubation failure diagnosed by cough strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Creators: name: Duan, Jun
name: Zhang, Xiaofang
name: Song, Jianping
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Mathematical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Computational Biology

description: Additional file 3: Figure 3. Deeks’ funnel plot of publication bias among studies that assessed cough peak flow. ESS = effective sample size. Numbers 1 to 23 represent the study arms (Beuret 2009, Duan 2014a, Duan 2014b, Gao 2009a, Salam 2004a, Smailes 2013, Smina 2003, Su 2010a, Gobert 2017, Liu 2014, Duan 2015b, Bai 2017a, Bai 2017b, Xiao 2018, Duan 2017, Kutchak 2015, Almeida 2020a, Almeida 2020b, Almeida 2020c, Vivier 2019b, Norisue 2020, Lu 2010, and Liang 2019).
Exploring Region-Specific Changes in Brain Glutamate and Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Across the Migraine Cycle in Children and Adolescents
Creators: name: Cho, Lydia Youngju
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Migraine
subject: Pediatrics
subject: Excitation
subject: Inhibition
subject: Thalamocortical Dysrhythmia
subject: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS)
subject: Edited-MRS
subject: Macromolecule-Suppressed GABA-Edited MRS
subject: Glutamate
subject: Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)
subject: Neuroscience
subject: Radiology

description: Migraine is a neurological disorder with multiple phases (i.e., migraine cycle). There is evidence that migraine is associated with excitation-inhibition imbalances and dysregulation of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the primary excitatory and inhibitory neurochemicals, respectively. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive imaging method to quantify brain levels of glutamate and GABA. It has been proposed progressing through the migraine cycle is also related to changes in excitation and inhibition. Few studies have measured glutamate and GABA in adults with migraine, and migraine studies in the pediatric population specifically focusing on glutamate and GABA are very scarce. In this study, children and adolescents with migraine were recruited to have four MRS scans over two weeks to quantify levels of glutamate and GABA in the sensorimotor cortex, thalamus, and occipital cortex. Two approaches were used to determine glutamate and GABA changes across the migraine cycle: (1) binning by migraine cycle phases and (2) time as a continuous metric leading up to or following headache. Analysis of migraine cycle phases showed occipital cortex glutamate was higher in the headache phase and thalamic glutamate was higher in the postdrome phase, both compared to the interictal phase. When using a continuous time metric, glutamate significantly decreased following the onset of the headache phase in the occipital cortex and thalamus, and sensorimotor GABA significantly increased leading up to the headache. I propose that these changes reflect increased excitation in the occipital cortex and thalamus and increased inhibition in the sensorimotor cortex during the migraine attack which may be evidence of thalamocortical dysrhythmia underlying migraine pathophysiology. This study provides insight into the underlying biology of migraine in children and adolescents, and if replicated, may help inform development of future treatments and interventions.
Sing in us, Muse: Leadership, Myth, and the Quest for Theatricality in Zimmerman's Argonautika
Creators: name: Edmundson, Randi
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Drama
subject: Theatre
subject: Directing
subject: Mary Zimmerman
subject: Fine Arts

description: This Artist’s Statement reflects on the process of staging Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautika: The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, produced and presented by the University of Calgary Drama Division in the School of Creative and Performing Arts in the 2022-23 season. The production ran from February 10th-18th. The first chapter covers the play selection process, briefly introduces the play, and lays the groundwork for initial directorial impulses. The second chapter reflects upon early design conversations and incorporating collaborators. The third chapter deepens my reflections on the play, reviewing my research on the heroes and mythology at the centre of the tale, while the fourth chapter discusses selected challenges in applying my directorial vision to the staging of the play. The fifth and final chapter reflects upon the audience's response and suggests potential for further exploration.