cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Polyp-DDPM: Diffusion-Based Semantic Polyp Synthesis for Enhanced Segmentation
Creators: name: Dorjsembe, Zolnamar
name: Pao, Hsing-Kuo
name: Xiao, Furen
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (cs.CV)
subject: Machine Learning (cs.LG)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: This study introduces Polyp-DDPM, a diffusion-based method for generating realistic images of polyps conditioned on masks, aimed at enhancing the segmentation of gastrointestinal (GI) tract polyps. Our approach addresses the challenges of data limitations, high annotation costs, and privacy concerns associated with medical images. By conditioning the diffusion model on segmentation masks-binary masks that represent abnormal areas-Polyp-DDPM outperforms state-of-the-art methods in terms of image quality (achieving a Frechet Inception Distance (FID) score of 78.47, compared to scores above 83.79) and segmentation performance (achieving an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.7156, versus less than 0.6694 for synthetic images from baseline models and 0.7067 for real data). Our method generates a high-quality, diverse synthetic dataset for training, thereby enhancing polyp segmentation models to be comparable with real images and offering greater data augmentation capabilities to improve segmentation models. The source code and pretrained weights for Polyp-DDPM are made publicly available at https://github.com/mobaidoctor/polyp-ddpm.
description: This preprint has been accepted for publication in the proceedings of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2024). The final published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1109/EMBC53108.2024.10782077. The copyright for this work has been transferred to IEEE
Reconciling aging and slip state evolutions from laboratory-derived canons of rate-and-state friction
Creators: name: Sato, Dye SK
name: Nakatani, Masao
name: Ando, Ryosuke
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Geophysics (physics.geo-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The aging law and the slip law are two representative evolution laws of the rate- and state-dependent friction (RSF) law, based on canonical behaviors in three types of laboratory experiments: slide-hold-slide (SHS), velocity-step (VS), and steady-state (SS) tests. The aging law explains the SHS canon but contradicts the VS canon, and vice versa for the slip law. The later proposed composite law, which switches these two laws according to the slip rate $V$, explains both canons but contradicts the SS canon. The present study constructs evolution laws satisfying all three canons throughout the range of variables where experiments have confirmed the canons. By recompiling the three canons, we have derived constraints on the evolution law and found that the evolution rates in the strengthening phases of the SHS and VS canons are so different that complete reconciliation throughout the entire range of variables is mathematically impossible. However, for the limited range of variables probed by experiments so far, we have found that the SHS and VS canons can be reconciled without violating the SS canon by switching the evolution function according to $Ω$, the ratio of the state $θ$ to its steady-state value $θ_{\rm SS}$ for the instantaneous slip rate. We could generally show that, as long as the state evolution rate $\dot θ$ depends only on the instantaneous values of $V$ and $θ$, simultaneous reproduction of the three canons, throughout the experimentally confirmed range, requires the aging-law-like evolution for $Ω$ sufficiently below a threshold $β$ and the slip-law-like evolution for $Ω$ sufficiently above $β$. The validity of the canons in existing experiments suggests $β\lesssim 0.01$.
description: 106 pages, 14 figures
Boysidia ringens van Benthem Jutting 1950
Creators: name: Gojšina, Vukašin
name: Hunyadi, András
name: Sutcharit, Chirasak
name: Tongkerd, Piyoros
name: Auffenberg, Kurt
name: Grego, Jozef
name: Vermeulen, Jaap J.
name: Reischütz, Alexander
name: Páll-Gergely, Barna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Stylommatophora
Hypselostomatidae
Boysidia
Boysidia ringens

description: Boysidia ringens van Benthem Jutting, 1950
Fig. 110
Boysidia ringens van Benthem Jutting, 1950: 11–12, fig. 3.
Type material examined.
Malaysia • 23 paratypes; from the type locality; M. W. F. Tweedie leg.; RMNH Moll.137127.
Additional material examined.
Malaysia • 7 shells; Kedah, Gunung Keriang (N of Alor Setar), Oct. 1998, Hemmen, leg. Wiesbaden ex. coll.; coll. PGB • 1 shell; Kedah, Gunung Keriang, 7.5 km NW of Alor Setar; ex. coll. Maassen; coll. PGB.
Type locality.
“ Mount Keriang, Kedah ”, Malaysia.
Cross-diagnosis.
This species is not similar to any other congener.
Distribution.
This species is known only from the type locality.
description: Published as part of Gojšina, Vukašin, Hunyadi, András, Sutcharit, Chirasak, Tongkerd, Piyoros, Auffenberg, Kurt, Grego, Jozef, Vermeulen, Jaap J., Reischütz, Alexander & Páll-Gergely, Barna, 2025, A new start? Revision of the genera Anauchen, Bensonella, Gyliotrachela and Hypselostoma (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Hypselostomatidae) of Southeast Asia with description of 46 new species, pp. 1-338 in ZooKeys 1235 on pages 1-338, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1235.145281
Adaptive Smooth Control via Nonsingular Fast Terminal Sliding Mode for Distributed Space Telescope Demonstration Mission by CubeSat Formation Flying
Creators: name: Jeon, Soobin
name: Cho, Hancheol
name: Park, Sang-Young
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Systems and Control (eess.SY)
subject: FOS: Electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering

description: This paper presents a nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode-based adaptive smooth control methodology for a distributed space telescope demonstration mission. The distributed space telescope has a flexible focal length that corresponds to the relative position in the formation flying concept. The limited specification of a CubeSat generally restricts the performance of actuators, most critically the degrees of freedom of controlled motion. This investigation leads to the development of an adaptive smooth control methodology via nonsingular fast terminal sliding modes. The adaptive smooth control algorithm that was developed for a single-input single-output system is adopted and extended to the relative orbit and attitude control systems of the distributed space telescope. The software simulation is conducted under a real mission, which means the real CubeSat structures, hardware specifications, and operational constraints. The proposed algorithm possesses only seven parameters that can be easily adjusted considering their physical meanings. Furthermore, the pre-designated error bounds are analytically derived, which enhances the applicability of the algorithm to real missions. The simulation compares the efficiency of the adaptive smooth nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode controller with the linear quadratic regulator and proportional derivative algorithms. The results verify that the adaptive smooth nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control algorithm shows better control performance in the perspective of the alignment time and the fuel consumption for the distributed space telescope demonstration mission.
description: This manuscript is accepted to IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems
Unraveling the immune and environmental factors in encephalomyocarditis virus susceptibility
Creators: Akter, Aklima
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Myocarditis is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition that affects individuals of all ages with varying symptoms and severe outcomes. Viral infection is a major cause of myocarditis, which is known as viral myocarditis. The susceptibility to viral myocarditis is influenced by diverse factors such as virus and host genetics, individual immune responses, age, sex, and the gut microbiome. In this thesis, we endeavor to identify the relationship between host immune responses, intestinal virome, and susceptibility to viral myocarditis.

The balance between protective and deleterious immune responses is essential to viral myocarditis pathogenesis. Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial to initiate innate and adaptive immune responses. The two transcriptional co-activators of the Hippo signaling pathway, YAP and TAZ, on the other hand, have an influence on innate immune regulation during viral infection. Moreover, our recent work demonstrated the critical role of TAZ in DC metabolism and function under tension. To further increase our understanding of how YAP/TAZ in innate immune cells plays a role during viral myocarditis, we aimed to investigate whether YAP/TAZ in CD11c-expressing cells contributes to regulating the immune responses and subsequently affects viral myocarditis pathogenesis. Notably, the deletion of either YAP or TAZ in CD11c- expressing cells did not influence the infiltration of myeloid and T cells in the heart following the infection of a cardiotropic virus, D variant of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV-D). Conversely, double deletion of YAP and TAZ increased the infiltration of myeloid and T cell populations in the heart after EMCV-D infection. Surprisingly, these increased immune cell populations could not clear the virus, resulting in viral persistence and severe cardiac damage. Our findings highlight the important role of YAP and TAZ in CD11c-expressing cells during EMCV-D infection and their role in viral myocarditis pathogenesis.

To understand the susceptibility of viral myocarditis in pediatric mice, we further investigated the role of virome in the microbiome. Our findings revealed that the composition of intestinal virome, such as murine norovirus (MNV), significantly reduces susceptibility to EMCV-D infection. Surprisingly, we have found that prior exposure to MNV did not have any effect on immune cell infiltration in the myocardium or cardiac damage compared to the mice without intestinal MNV exposure. Interestingly, we observed that mice without MNV in the gut increased the hippocampal damage in the brain. This transition of disease pathology from the heart to the brain highlights the importance of the virome in the microbiome in determining the outcome of EMCV-D infections and subsequent viral myocarditis susceptibility.
Free-energy-based lattice Boltzmann method for emulsions with soluble surfactant
Creators: Kothari, Yash
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

A diffuse interface model to simulate a system of two immiscible liquids with surfactants is proposed. This model is based on a modified Ginzburg-Landau free energy functional to account for non-ionic soluble surfactants and couples the Navier-Stokes equations with two Cahn-Hilliard equations representing the transport of immiscible liquids and surfactant concentration. The governing equations are solved using a free-energy-based lattice Boltzmann framework.

The proposed model is validated for Langmuir and Frumkin adsorption isotherms when applied to simulate a planar interface and a spherical drop equilibration. The model ensures numerical stability and accurate results for low and high surfactant concentrations, and the diffuse interface thickness remains constant even for high surfactant loads.

The methodology is suggested to correlate the strength of the nonlinear surfactant coupling with the packing of surfactant molecules in the interfacial region. The proposed model allows for a reduction in surface tension of 45-50% compared to the clean system at low surfactant concentrations for the Langmuir isotherm, which follows the experimental results observed for liquid-liquid systems. The appropriate surfactant

mobility and solubility values are recommended for different values of the strength of nonlinear surfactant coupling.
In-silico Methods for Drug Discovery: Applications of Molecular Dynamics, Drug Docking, and Machine Learning
Creators: Jaundoo, Rajeev
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Drug discovery is a venture that is costly in both time and money. In-silico methods are a core part of biomedical research, from traditional tools such as drug docking and molecular dynamics to newer machine learning frameworks, all of which are more efficient in both time and cost compared to wholly experimental approaches. This thesis highlights 3 separate studies that reflect the past, present, and future of in-silico research, starting with the development of novel platelet activated ligands for the purpose of targeted drug delivery using traditional tools such as drug docking and simulated annealing. The second study demonstrated how machine learning was used for classification of drug activity (agonist, antagonist, or non-binder) towards a group of macromolecules all within the nuclear receptor family. Finally, the third study used machine learning in a regression task to predict bioelectric potentials and ion channel activity of a cellular network to serve as a replacement for another in-silico application, reducing the computational resources required for these predictions and providing the ability to scale to larger cell networks with ease. Development of newer, more advanced in-silico tools increases the accuracy of drug treatment predictions, leading to more effective therapeutics and lower rates of failure during pre-clinical as well as clinical phases. Not only that, but computational methods excel at drug repurposing, a process in which existing pharmaceuticals are used for indications not originally intended. Bioinformatic techniques and machine learning take advantage of the substantial amount of biological, pharmacological, etc. data available to identify adverse and beneficial interactions that would otherwise be missed. Overall, in-silico techniques are performed in tandem with in-vitro and in-vivo experiments, used to validate computational predictions, during various phases of drug discovery and repurposing, making them a core part of biomedical research at large.
Vibrational embedding theory
Creators: name: Hellmers, Janine
name: König, Carolin
Publisher: name: Melville, NY : AIP Publishing
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Quantum chemical calculations
subject: Quantum chemistry computer programs
subject: Configuration interaction
subject: Coupled-cluster methods
subject: Potential energy surfaces
subject: Self consistent field methods
subject: Linear response
subject: Multiscale methods
subject: Vibrational spectra
subject: Dewey Decimal Classification::500 | Naturwissenschaften::540 | Chemie
subject: Dewey Decimal Classification::500 | Naturwissenschaften::530 | Physik

description: We suggest a consistent framework for the embedding of reduced-space correlated vibrational wave functions in a potential of the remaining modes and generalize this concept to arbitrary many subspaces. We present an implementation of this framework for vibrational coupled-cluster theory and response treatments. For C=O stretches of small molecules, we show that the embedded treatment accelerates convergence for enlarging subsets. For the water dimer and trimer as well as a water wire in bacteriorhodopsin, we investigate different partitioning schemes for the embedding approach: In the local partitioning of the vibrations, the modes dominated by motions in the same spatial region are correlated, whereas in the energy-based partitioning, modes of similar fundamental frequencies are correlated. In most cases, we obtain better agreement with superset reference results for the local partitioning than for energy-based partitioning. This work represents an important step toward multi-level methodologies in vibrational-structure theory required for its application to sizable (bio-)molecular systems.
Dynamical low-noise microwave source for cold-atom experiments
Creators: name: Meyer-Hoppe, Bernd
name: Baron, Maximilian
name: Cassens, Christophe
name: Anders, Fabian
name: Idel, Alexander
name: Peise, Jan
name: Klempt, Carsten
Publisher: name: Melville, NY : AIP Publishing
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Oscillators
subject: Field programmable gate array
subject: Microwave frequencies
subject: Microwave sources
subject: Radiowave and microwave technology
subject: Signal processing
subject: Hyperfine structure
subject: Quantum optics
subject: Dewey Decimal Classification::500 | Naturwissenschaften::530 | Physik
subject: Dewey Decimal Classification::600 | Technik::620 | Ingenieurwissenschaften und Maschinenbau

description: The generation and manipulation of ultracold atomic ensembles in the quantum regime require the application of dynamically controllable microwave fields with ultra-low noise performance. Here, we present a low-phase-noise microwave source with two independently controllable output paths. Both paths generate frequencies in the range of 6.835 GHz ± 25 MHz for hyperfine transitions in 87Rb. The presented microwave source combines two commercially available frequency synthesizers: an ultra-low-noise oscillator at 7 GHz and a direct digital synthesizer for radio frequencies. We demonstrate a low integrated phase noise of 480 µrad in the range of 10 Hz to 100 kHz and fast updates of frequency, amplitude, and phase in sub-µs time scales. The highly dynamic control enables the generation of shaped pulse forms and the deployment of composite pulses to suppress the influence of various noise sources.
Hyperballistic transport in dense systems of charged particles under ac electric fields
Creators: name: Gamba, Daniele
name: Cui, Bingyu
name: Zaccone, Alessio
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
subject: Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The Langevin equation is ubiquitously employed to numerically simulate plasmas, colloids and electrolytes. However, the usual assumption of white noise becomes untenable when the system is subject to an external AC electric field. This is because the charged particles in the system, which provide the thermal bath for the particle transport, become themselves responsive to the AC field and the thermal noise is field-dependent and non-Markovian. We theoretically study the particle diffusivity in a Langevin transport model for a tagged charged particle immersed in a dense system of charged particles (plus also, possibly, other neutral particles) that act as the thermal bath, under an external AC electric field. This is done by properly accounting for the effects of the AC field on the thermal bath statistics. We analytically derive the time-dependent generalized diffusivity $D(t)$ for different initial conditions. The generalized diffusivity exhibits damped oscillatory-like behaviour with initial very large peaks, where the generalized diffusion coefficient is enhanced by orders of magnitude with respect to the infinite-time steady-state value. The latter coincides with the Stokes-Einstein diffusivity in the absence of external field. For initial conditions where the external field is already on at $t=0$ and the system is thermalized under DC conditions for $t \leq 0$, the short-time behaviour is hyperballistic, $MSD \sim t^4$ (where MSD is the mean-squared displacement), leading to giant enhancement of the particle transport. Finally, the theory elucidates the role of medium polarization on the local Lorentz field, and allows for estimates of the effective electric charge due to polarization by the surrounding charges.
Sympathetically cooled highly charged ions in a radio-frequency trap with superconducting magnetic shielding
Creators: name: Schmidt, Piet O.
name: Dijck, Elwin A.
name: Warnecke, Christian
name: Wehrheim, Malte
name: Henninger, Ruben B.
name: Eff, Julia
name: Georgiou, Kostas
name: Graf, Andrea
name: Kokh, Stepan
name: Kozhiparambil Sajith, Lakshmi P.
name: Mayo, Christopher
name: Schäfer, Vera M.
name: Volk, Claudia
name: Pfeifer, Thomas
name: Crespo López-Urrutia, José R.
Publisher: name: Melville, NY : AIP Publishing
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Superconductivity
subject: Metrology
subject: Quantum logic
subject: Hyperfine structure
subject: Lenses
subject: Radiofrequency cavities
subject: Ions and properties
subject: Ion-trap
subject: Microwave spectroscopy
subject: Quantum computing
subject: Dewey Decimal Classification::500 | Naturwissenschaften::530 | Physik
subject: Dewey Decimal Classification::600 | Technik::620 | Ingenieurwissenschaften und Maschinenbau

description: We sympathetically cool highly charged ions (HCI) in Coulomb crystals of Doppler-cooled Be+ ions confined in a cryogenic linear Paul trap that is integrated into a fully enclosing radio-frequency resonator manufactured from superconducting niobium. By preparing a single Be+ cooling ion and a single HCI, quantum logic spectroscopy toward frequency metrology and qubit operations with a great variety of species are enabled. While cooling down the assembly through its transition temperature into the superconducting state, an applied quantization magnetic field becomes persistent, and the trap becomes shielded from subsequent external electromagnetic fluctuations. Using a magnetically sensitive hyperfine transition of Be+ as a qubit, we measure the fractional decay rate of the stored magnetic field to be at the 10−10 s−1 level. Ramsey interferometry and spin-echo measurements yield coherence times of >400 ms, demonstrating excellent passive magnetic shielding at frequencies down to DC.
Exploring the Interplay between Donor Sex, CD71+ RBCs, Erythrophagocytosis and Hospital-onset Sepsis
Creators: Li, Wenhui
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Transfusion of red cell concentrates (RCCs) is common for treating anemia in Intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but it may result in adverse outcomes like sepsis, potentially due to donor sex-related immune responses. CD71+ RBCs, which are immature, may influence erythrophagocytosis, where the monocyte system removes damaged or aged RBCs—a process that could lead to complications if overwhelmed.

The hypothesis posits that the number of CD71+ RBCs in blood products was affected by donor sex and the donor factors can predict post-transfusion hemoglobin levels and the rate of hospital-onset sepsis. Flow cytometry quantified CD71+ RBCs, revealing that levels are generally higher in male donors, are affected by processing methods, and decrease with storage time. A positive correlation between CD71+ RBCs and hemoglobin levels was noted.

In vitro experiments demonstrated that higher proportion of CD71+ RBCs were associated an increase in the phagocytosis index (PI) of RBCs, elevated supernatant Hb, and loss of CD14+ monocytes. The increase in PI and decrease in CD14+ monocytes could be reversed after CD71+ RBCs were treated with a reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibitor. This suggests that CD71+ RBCs with high ROS level may exhibit an immunomodulatory role during in vitro erythrophagocytosis. Dose-dependent relationships were also observed between the PI of CD71+ RBCs and the proportion of CD71+ RBCs, as well as between supernatant Hb and the proportion of CD71+ RBCs.

Retrospective analysis showed no significant link between donor sex and hospital-onset sepsis. However, blood from male donors resulted in higher hemoglobin increments, notably in female recipients. Factors like recipient age and the number of transfused RCC units were significant for sepsis, while the donor's hemoglobin level influenced the hemoglobin increment in the recipients.

This study underscores the need for further in vivo research to clarify the impact of donor sex on CD71+ RBCs and transfusion outcomes. It provides an immune perspective on donor sex-related mechanisms in transfusion responses. The findings suggest that both donor and recipient factors should be considered to optimize transfusion practices, as the data points to the potential of including CD71+ RBCs as a factor in managing transfusion-related immunomodulation in ICU settings.
Teachers' Knowledge, Recognition, and Referral of Common Mental Disorders
Creators: Singh, Deepak
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Mental disorders are one of the leading health problems affecting Canadian children and youth. Teachers are considered frontline workers in child mental health due to the amount of time children spend at school. Given the high prevalence of mental disorders, and the amount of time teachers spend with children, there is a need to assess the mental health literacy of teachers to better understand the extent to which they can support students’ mental health. Research regarding Canadian teachers’ mental health literacy for common childhood mental disorders is lacking. In the current study, I examined Canadian teachers’ mental health literacy in terms of their knowledge, recognition, and referral of four mental disorders commonly seen in schools (i.e., attention-deficit/hyperactivity [ADHD], oppositional defiant disorder [ODD], depression, and anxiety). One hundred in-service teachers were recruited through social media websites to participate in an online survey. The survey included selected-response and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVAs, mixed ANOVAs, post hoc tests, and thematic analyses were used to analyze the data. Overall, teachers’ knowledge of the four mental disorders was lacking, and they demonstrated difficulty recognizing relevant symptoms. However, teacher knowledge and recognition varied depending on the type of disorder and teacher demographics. Teachers’ willingness and likelihood to refer students for mental health services (i.e., assessment or intervention) varied by disorder. These results are discussed within the context of their implications for improving teacher training and their mental health literacy.    Keywords: mental disorders, mental health literacy, Canadian teachers, ADHD, ODD, depression, anxiety
Improving the reliability of reinforcement learning algorithms through biconjugate Bellman errors
Creators: Patterson, Andrew
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

In this thesis, we seek to improve the reliability of reinforcement learning algorithms for nonlinear function approximation. Semi-gradient temporal difference (TD) update rules form the basis of most state-of-the-art value function learning systems despite clear counterexamples proving their potential instability. Gradient TD updates have provable stability under broad conditions, yet significantly underperform semi-gradient approaches on several problems of interest. In this thesis, we present a simple modification to an existing gradient TD method, prove that this method—called TDRC—remains stable, and show empirically that TDRC performs comparatively with semi-gradient approaches. Taking advantage of the connection between Fenchel duality and orthogonal projections, we justify the use of nonlinear value function approximation using gradient TD updates and show that these methods continue to inherit improved reliability over semi-gradient approaches in the nonlinear function approximation setting. We then extend this method to value-based control with neural networks and empirically validate its performance compared to semi-gradient methods. Finally, we propose two novel statistically robust losses—the mean Huber Projected Bellman error and the mean absolute Projected Bellman Error—and derive a family of off-policy gradient TD algorithms to optimize these losses for both prediction and control.
ANALYZING THE USE OF EMOTIONAL APPEALS IN MEDIA COVERAGE OF SOCIAL ISSUES
Creators: name: Xaydaraliyeva, Dilnoza
name: Shermamatova, S
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: This article explores the use of emotional appeals in media coverage of social issues. Emotional appeals, primarily pathos, are employed by the media to evoke specific emotional responses from the audience, such as fear, sympathy, or anger, in order to influence public perception and behavior. The analysis includes the examination of both traditional and digital media, demonstrating how emotions are strategically manipulated to shape societal opinions on issues such as climate change, immigration, and racial inequality. Case studies and media examples are utilized to illustrate the effectiveness of emotional rhetoric.
Forest Fire Prediction & Alert System
Creators: name: Maheswari M, Mrs.Mohana G
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025

description: Ecosystems, human settlements, and biodiversity are all seriously threatened by forest fires, which iswhy proactive monitoring and early warning systems are essential. With the use of machine learning,vegetation analysis, and real-time weather data, this project offers a forest fire prediction system specificallydesigned for Tamil Nadu's forested areas. The system is made up of a Flask-based backend that uses forestcoordinates to retrieve real-time weather data (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) from theOpenWeatherMap API. In order to evaluate dryness levels, it also takes into account the distribution ofvegetation types, which are taken from pre-established forest datasets. Using environmental factors, aRandom Forest-based machine learning model forecasts the risk of fire. If the risk is high, automated emailalerts are sent to the appropriate authorities. The frontend, built with React and TailwindCSS, displays TamilNadu's forests as interactive cards, providing weather details, vegetation analysis, and fire risk predictions.Power BI integration ensures effective visualization of weather trends and vegetation distribution, aiding indecision-making. The system's RESTful API delivers real-time updates, ensuring seamless data flowbetween components. By integrating fire prediction with real-time monitoring, this project enhances forestmanagement strategies and disaster preparedness, minimizing ecological and economic damage fromwildfires.
Effective Trajectory Imputation using Simple Probabilistic Language Models
Creators: Mohammed, Hayat S
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Trajectory data analysis refers to the systematic exploration of spatial and temporal movement patterns in trajectory datasets. Missing trajectory points pose a challenge as they affect downstream tasks that rely on these datasets, such as public transportation management, wildlife monitoring, and urban planning. Diverse approaches, from statistical methods to deep learning models, have been proposed to address the issue of missing data points in trajectories. In this thesis, we explore two approaches based on relatively simple probabilistic language models in order to address this problem, also known as trajectory imputation. Using a grid-based representation, we assign tokens to each point in a trajectory, representing each trajectory as a sequence of tokens akin to a sentence in natural language. This allows the application of language models for predicting missing points (tokens). Our experiments using a real dataset of over 200,000 taxi trips show that we can fill gaps of up to 2km with 85% precision. Furthermore, compared to large language models, probabilistic language models for imputing trajectory points offer a much simpler technique and enhance the interpretability of the results.
Chalicodoma disjuncta Fabricius, new comb.
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Chalicodoma
Chalicodoma disjuncta

description: disjuncta (Fabricius), new comb.
Apis disjuncta Fabricius 1781: 481. Type locality: Am.Mer.Ins. [West Indies].
Anthophora disjuncta Fabricius 1804: 374.
Trachusa disjuncta Jurine 1807: 251.
Megachile disjuncta Lepeletier 1841: 331.
Megachile (Pseudomegachile) disjuncta Friese 1911: 207.
Chalicodoma (Callomegachile) disjuncta Pasteels 1965: 467 ­468. Michener 1965: 191.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 6, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
The Qualities of Reputable Therapists of Indigenous Clients
Creators: Beaucage, Nathan
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Indigenous Canadians are in a mental health crisis and do not receive adequate mental health service. This is evident as Indigenous clients access mental health services at twice the average rate while still showing a twice as high rate of suicide. Indigenous clients also only have a 50% likelihood of returned for a second session with a therapist. We know some therapists produce better outcomes than others and that some therapists produce better outcomes with clients of certain ethnicities. By looking at the qualities of therapists who have a reputation for being effective with Indigenous clients, we could learn more about what makes a therapist effective with Indigenous clients. Reputable therapists were located through a snowball sampling technique by asking Indigenous Elders and individuals in mental health professions who they would refer an Indigenous loved one to for help with a mental health issue. The first five individuals to reach five referrals were contacted and interviewed about themselves and their work with Indigenous clients. The interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using the qualitative research technique of reflexive thematic analysis. Three overarching themes, each with five sub-themes, were created. Who Are They? involves the personal traits of the five reputable therapists and contains the themes of Humble, Humourous, Strong, Open, and Rural. How Do They Practice? involves aspects relating to the work these therapists do with their Indigenous clients and contains the themes of Using Identity, Indigenously, Integratively, Ethically, and With Love. What Can We Do? involves the practical steps therapists can take to improve their work with Indigenous clients and contains the themes of Do the Work, Learn New Ways, Work Cross-Culturally, Walk Between Worlds, and Build Trust. It is hoped that these findings will help individuals who wish to work with Indigenous clients get better results and address the TRC calls to action to reduce the health gap for Indigenous clients.
Fabrication uncertainty guided design optimization of a photonic crystal cavity by using Gaussian processes
Creators: name: Plock, Matthias
name: Binkowski, Felix
name: Zschiedrich, Lin
name: Schneider, Philipp-Immanuel
name: Burger, Sven
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Signal Processing (eess.SP)
subject: Optics (physics.optics)
subject: FOS: Electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present a fabrication uncertainty aware and robust design optimization approach that can be used to obtain robust design estimates for nonlinear, nonconvex, and expensive model functions. It is founded on Gaussian processes and a Monte Carlo sampling procedure, and assumes knowledge about the uncertainties associated with a manufacturing process. The approach itself is iterative. First, a large parameter domain is sampled in a coarse fashion. This coarse sampling is used primarily to determine smaller candidate regions to investigate in a second, more refined sampling pass. This finer step is used to obtain an estimate of the expected performance of the found design parameter under the assumed manufacturing uncertainties. We apply the presented approach to the robust optimization of the Purcell enhancement of a photonic crystal nanobeam cavity. We obtain a predicted robust Purcell enhancement of $\overline{F}_{\mathrm{P}} \approx 3.3$. For comparison we also perform an optimization without robustness. We find that an unrobust optimum of $F_{\mathrm{P}} \approx 256.5$ dwindles to only $\overline{F}_{\mathrm{P}} \approx 0.7$ when fabrication uncertainties are taken into account. We thus demonstrate that the presented approach is able to find designs of significantly higher performance than those obtained with conventional optimization.
Deep Learning for 3D Human Action Modeling and Understanding
Creators: Guo, Chuan
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Studying 3D human actions is a fundamental task in computer graphics, computer vision, and robotics, with a broad range of applications such as VR/AR, AAA gaming, filmmaking, and artistic creation. Conventional approaches often necessitate labor-intensive manual intervention, consuming substantial time and resources. While deep learning has fundamentally transformed the analysis of many other visual modalities like images and videos, its potential in human action analysis remains largely unexplored. In this thesis, we address this gap by developing solutions and resources for modeling and understanding human motions using deep generative models.

Firstly, we collect and annotate two large-scale multimodal human action datasets: (i) HumanAct12, which consists of 1,191 motion clips and 90,099 frames, annotated with 12 coarse-grained and 34 fine-grained action classes; and (ii) HumanML3D, which contains 44,970 textual descriptions and 14,616 motions, totaling 28.59 hours of data. Secondly, we investigate the use of neural networks designed to accommodate various input modalities for motion generation, including action categories (action2motion), textual descriptions (text2motion), and style cues (motion stylization). Distinct from previous deterministic approaches to motion synthesis, our methods properly adopt a series of Variational Autoencoder (VAE)-base frameworks, which fully recognize the inherently stochastic nature of human movements, thereby achieving diverse and natural 3D human motion generation from various conditions. Thirdly, we develop an automated character animation pipeline that transfers the motions to the character in a single image (motion2video). This is accomplished through reconstructing the 3D shape and texture of the character from input image, rigging, animating, and rendering the 3D sequence into 2D video.

Fourthly, we explore the reciprocal relationship between human motion and human language (i.e, text), offering a unified framework for both motion understanding and generation. To bridge the gap between human motion and text modalities, we introduce the concept of discrete motion tokens – a novel motion representation formed through deep vector quantization techniques. These motion tokens allow for the seamless translation of human motion into natural language, akin to neural machine translation processes. Furthermore, we present a inverse alignment technique, and demonstrate that understanding motions facilitates more accurate and robust motion generation.
Alphabet Reduction for Reconfiguration Problems
Creators: name: Ohsaka, Naoto
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Computational Complexity (cs.CC)
subject: Discrete Mathematics (cs.DM)
subject: Data Structures and Algorithms (cs.DS)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: We present a reconfiguration analogue of alphabet reduction à la Dinur (J. ACM, 2007) and its applications. Given a binary constraint graph $G$ and its two satisfying assignments $ψ^\mathsf{ini}$ and $ψ^\mathsf{tar}$, the Maxmin Binary CSP Reconfiguration problem requests to transform $ψ^\mathsf{ini}$ into $ψ^\mathsf{tar}$ by repeatedly changing the value of a single vertex so that the minimum fraction of satisfied edges is maximized. We demonstrate a polynomial-time reduction from Maxmin Binary CSP Reconfiguration with arbitrarily large alphabet size $W \in \mathbb{N}$ to itself with universal alphabet size $W_0 \in \mathbb{N}$ such that
 1. the perfect completeness is preserved, and
 2. if any reconfiguration for the former violates $\varepsilon$-fraction of edges, then $Ω(\varepsilon)$-fraction of edges must be unsatisfied during any reconfiguration for the latter.
 The crux of its construction is the reconfigurability of Hadamard codes, which enables to reconfigure between a pair of codewords, while avoiding getting too close to the other codewords. Combining this alphabet reduction with gap amplification due to Ohsaka (SODA 2024), we are able to amplify the $1$ vs. $1-\varepsilon$ gap for arbitrarily small $\varepsilon \in (0,1)$ up to the $1$ vs. $1-\varepsilon_0$ for some universal $\varepsilon_0 \in (0,1)$ without blowing up the alphabet size. In particular, a $1$ vs. $1-\varepsilon_0$ gap version of Maxmin Binary CSP Reconfiguration with alphabet size $W_0$ is PSPACE-hard only assuming the Reconfiguration Inapproximability Hypothesis posed by Ohsaka (STACS 2023), whose gap parameter can be arbitrarily small. This may not be achieved only by gap amplification of Ohsaka, which makes the alphabet size gigantic depending on the gap value of the hypothesis.
description: 25 pages
Chalicodoma rufipennis Fabricius, new comb
Creators: name: Raw, Anthony
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Chalicodoma
Chalicodoma rufipennis

description: rufipennis (Fabricius), new comb.
Apis rufipennis Fabricius 1793: 335. Female. Type locality: [St.Croix, West Indies].
Anthophora rufipennis Fabricius 1804: 373.
Trachusa rufipennis Jurine 1807: 251.
Megachile rufipennis Latreille 1809.
Megachile atriceps Cresson 1865: 176. Female. Type locality: Cuba. Synonymy of Moure 1960: 109.
Megachile nigriceps Friese 1903: Africa. Synonymy of Pasteels 1965.
Megachile atriceps phenacosoma Cockerell 1937a: 146. Type locality: Mlanje, Nyasaland. Synonymy of Pasteels 1965: 476.
Megachile atriceps rukuruensis Cockerell 1937a: 146. Type locality: Valley of N. Rukuru, Karonga District, Nyasaland. Synonymy of Pasteels 1965: 476.
Megachile (Archimegachile) atriceps Mitchell 1943: 671.
Chalicodoma (Callomegachile) rufipennis Pasteels 1965: 476 ­478.
description: Published as part of Raw, Anthony, 2002, New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 71 (1) on page 6, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.71.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/155887
title: Priming in a Simulated Assessment Center Environment: Can Behavioral Observation Training Overcome the Effects of Prior Information?
Creators: name: Vanetti, Eric J.
Publisher: name: Old Dominion University
Year: 1987

description: Two studies were performed to investigate how behavioral observation training helps assessors handle the information processing demands of the assessment center. In Study 1, the effects of potentially biasing prior information (priming) on the behavioral observations and rating judgments of 90 untrained subjects were determined. Priming was operationalized as one of three sets of information (positive, negative or neutral) that subjects received prior to observing, and rating a designated target individual. Results showed that both the observations and ratings of untrained subjects were influenced by priming. Study 2 investigated the effects of prior information on the observations and ratings of 115 trained and untrained subjects. The trained subjects made significantly more accurate observations and ratings than the untrained subjects. Also, priming was found to influence subjects' judgmental evaluations (ratings), but not their behavioral observations. These findings suggest that priming biases may be relevant to the assessment center context, especially with regard to the evaluative rating aspect of that process. Support was also found for the notion that the observation and rating tasks required of assessors may involve two distinct cognitive processes.
Hydrogen-Diesel Dual Fuel Combustion Characterization for an Internal Combustion Engine
Creators: McNally, Jakub T
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

Hydrogen as a fuel has the potential to reduce tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions of vehicles to near-zero, while also allowing for the generation of a hydrogen-based economy and lowering humanity's dependence upon oil. Hydrogen-diesel dual fuel combustion, where hydrogen and diesel are combusted together within a diesel engine, allows for application of hydrogen combustion technology with current technologies. Offsetting diesel consumption with hydrogen can significantly reduce CO2 emissions, and allow for cleaner emissions engines with current-day technology. However, the dual-fuel combustion process is more complex than standard compression ignition or spark ignition combustion. To understand diesel-hydrogen dual fuel combustion, testing of various operating points with varied operating parameters must be conducted. This thesis outlines the modification and hydrogen dual-fuel testing of a Cummins QSB 4.5 L engine. The engine was modified to have port hydrogen injection into Cylinder 1 with a custom controller software implementation. Cylinder pressure and engine-out emissions were measured while running both hydrogen-diesel and pure diesel. The engine was run with a load ranging between 4.5 bar IMEP and 12.5 bar IMEP, equivalent to approximately 70 percent of the engine's maximum load. Hydrogen was injected into the engine with a fuel energy fraction of up to 92 percent. For most tests, a dual-diesel injection strategy was used, with the pilot timing advance being changed to facilitate earlier hydrogen combustion timings. Intake manifold pressure was varied to approximate turbocharged operation. It was found that increasing hydrogen replacement caused greater engine-out NOx compared to pure diesel for almost all load cases, and hydrogen caused a greater fraction of NO2 in the exhaust stream. Engine-out CO2 was able to be reduced by up to 89 percent, and engine-out particulate was reduced up to 97 percent. At operating points with a sufficient hydrogen mixture fraction, the engine efficiency was equivalent or greater than that while running pure diesel. Low hydrogen replacement amounts resulted in no premixed flame propagation, limiting engine efficiency and increased unburnt hydrogen emissions at lower loads. High hydrogen replacement was observed to cause more rapid combustion along with higher cylinder pressures compared to pure diesel combustion, limiting the maximum hydrogen replacement.
title: Poplar :
title: Guidelines for the Conduct of Tests for Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability.
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: (:Unas)
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 1981

description: The purpose of these guidelines (“Test Guidelines”) is to elaborate the principles contained in the General Introduction (document TG/1/3), and its associated TGP documents, into detailed practical guidance for the harmonized examination of distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) and, in particular, to identify appropriate characteristics for the examination of DUS and production of harmonized variety descriptions.