nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
A New Encoding Algorithm for a Multidimensional Version of the Montgomery Ladder

We propose a new encoding algorithm for the simultaneous differential multidimensional scalar point multiplication algorithm d-MUL. Previous encoding algorithms are known to have major drawbacks in their efficient and secure implementation. Some of these drawbacks have been avoided in a recent paper in 2018 at a cost of losing the general functionality of the point multiplication algorithm. In this paper, we address these issues. Our new encoding algorithm takes the binary representations of scalars as input, and constructs a compact binary sequence and a permutation, which explicitly determines a regular sequence of group operations to be performed in d-MUL. Our algorithm simply slides windows of size two over the scalars and it is very efficient. As a result, while preserving the full generality of d-MUL, we successfully eliminate the recursive integer matrix computations in the originally proposed encoding algorithms. We also expect that our new encoding algorithm will make it easier to implement d-MUL in constant time. Our results can be seen as the efficient and full generalization of the one dimensional Montgomery ladder to arbitrary dimension.

Field of study: Computer science, Mathematics
Hydrogen index and carbon isotopes of lacustrine organic matter as lake level indicators

Optical and geochemical techniques were applied to organic matter of Late Quaternary sediments from Lakes Victoria and Rukwa, East Africa. Variations in total organic carbon (TOC) and hydrogen content (expressed as Hydrogen Index, HI) can be related to known changes in lake level and used to identify periods of very low water or subaerial exposure in basinal sequences. TOC and HI both decline as an exposure surface is approached, mainly due to the selective removal of unstable components by bacterial respiration and inorganic oxidation. Inert organic material of very low HI is typically concentrated at the overlying transgression surface. The carbon isotopic composition of the particulate organic matter tends to be less negative in sediments associated with exposure surfaces. Although weathering may be partially responsible, isotopic variations are mainly due to changes in the relative importance of material from plants using C4 photosynthesis, such as grasses and sedges, growing around the shore and on the exposed lake muds, and of material from planktonic algae and terrestrial C3 plants.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
On the underlying assumptions of threshold Boolean networks as a model for genetic regulatory network behavior

Boolean networks (BoN) are relatively simple and interpretable models of gene regulatory networks. Specifying these models with fewer parameters while retaining their ability to describe complex regulatory relationships is an ongoing methodological challenge. Additionally, extending these models to incorporate variable gene decay rates, asynchronous gene response, and synergistic regulation while maintaining their Markovian nature increases the applicability of these models to genetic regulatory networks (GRN). We explore a previously-proposed class of BoNs characterized by linear threshold functions, which we refer to as threshold Boolean networks (TBN). Compared to traditional BoNs with unconstrained transition functions, these models require far fewer parameters and offer a more direct interpretation. However, the functional form of a TBN does result in a reduction in the regulatory relationships which can be modeled. We show that TBNs can be readily extended to permit self-degradation, with explicitly modeled degradation rates. We note that the introduction of variable degradation compromises the Markovian property fundamental to BoN models but show that a simple state augmentation procedure restores their Markovian nature. Next, we study the effect of assumptions regarding self-degradation on the set of possible steady states. Our findings are captured in two theorems relating self-degradation and regulatory feedback to the steady state behavior of a TBN. Finally, we explore assumptions of synchronous gene response and asynergistic regulation and show that TBNs can be easily extended to relax these assumptions. Applying our methods to the budding yeast cell-cycle network revealed that although the network is complex, its steady state is simplified by the presence of self-degradation and lack of purely positive regulatory cycles.

Field of study: Biology
U-Pb zircon geochronology of Paleoproterozoic plutons from the northern midcontinent, USA: Evidence for subduction flip and continued convergence after geon 18 Penokean orogenesis

We propose that the late Paleoproterozoic igneous and deformational history preserved in the northern midcontinent United States can be explained by a change in subduction-polarity from geon 18 south-dipping subduction during Penokean accretion to geon 17 north-dipping subduction as convergence continued after Penokean orogenesis. New U-Pb zircon ages indicate that late to post-Penokean magmatism occurred at ca. 1800, 1775, and 1750 Ma and generally migrated southeastward across the newly accreted Penokean terrane. We suggest that geon 17 Yavapai slab rollback caused continental arc magmatism to step southeastward between 1800 and 1750 Ma. As the slab steepened, reduced compressional stresses and magma-induced thermal weakening allowed for collapse of the overthickened portions of the Penokean crust. Postcollapse crustal stabilization (the 1750-1650 Ma Baraboo interval) was followed by geon 16 Mazatzal arc accretion further south. The 1900-1600 Ma tectonic history of the north-central United States, not surprisingly, records events related to the southward growth and tectonic development of the southern Laurentian margin. New and published 4 0 Ar/ 3 9 Ar mineral ages delineate the northern and western extent of geon 16 Mazatzal deformation. Interestingly, only little exhumed crust intruded by a small volume of shallow-level ca. 1750 Ma plutons (and associated rhyolites) was deformed significantly during geon 16. In contrast, more deeply exhumed crust and crust pervasively invaded by a large volume of post-Penokean magma (i.e., East-Central Minnesota Batholith) were largely unaffected by Mazatzal deformation and reheating. We suggest that posttectonic intrusions and crustal thinning were an important step in strengthening and stabilizing the crust in the southern Lake Superior region.

Field of study: Geology
Influence of smell loss on taste function.

The influence of damage to one sensory system on the functioning of other sensory systems has been of scientific interest for over a century. Recently it has been suggested that damage to the olfactory system (CN I) decreases the ability to taste; that is, to perceive sweet, sour, bitter and salty sensations via CN VII, IX, and X. If true, this would be in contrast to most other sensory systems, where compromise typically leads to either cross-modal enhancement of function or to no effects at all. In the present study, data from both regional and whole-mouth taste tests of 581 patients presenting to a smell and taste center with varying degrees of olfactory function were evaluated to address whether olfactory loss is associated with taste loss. No significant influence of olfactory dysfunction on any measure of taste perception was found when the effects of sex, age, and etiology were controlled. These data suggest that smell loss, per se, has no meaningful influence on taste function, and that clinical associations between smell and taste dysfunction, when observed, likely reflect comorbid influences.

Field of study: Biology, Psychology
Model-based approach to the detection and classification of mines in sidescan sonar.

This paper presents a model-based approach to mine detection and classification by use of sidescan sonar. Advances in autonomous underwater vehicle technology have increased the interest in automatic target recognition systems in an effort to automate a process that is currently carried out by a human operator. Current automated systems generally require training and thus produce poor results when the test data set is different from the training set. This has led to research into unsupervised systems, which are able to cope with the large variability in conditions and terrains seen in sidescan imagery. The system presented in this paper first detects possible minelike objects using a Markov random field model, which operates well on noisy images, such as sidescan, and allows a priori information to be included through the use of priors. The highlight and shadow regions of the object are then extracted with a cooperating statistical snake, which assumes these regions are statistically separate from the background. Finally, a classification decision is made using Dempster-Shafer theory, where the extracted features are compared with synthetic realizations generated with a sidescan sonar simulator model. Results for the entire process are shown on real sidescan sonar data. Similarities between the sidescan sonar and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging processes ensure that the approach outlined here could be made applied to SAR image analysis.

Field of study: Physics
Prediction of Rice Milling Yield and Quality Attributes during Storage Using Regression Analyses

Regression analyses were performed to determine the storage conditions that exhibited the best outcomes for long-grain, hybrid milled rice yield and quality. This study evaluated mold population on rough rice, milled rice discoloration, and head rice yield (HRY) after storage of rough rice in airtight conditions at moisture contents (MCs) of 12.5%, 16%, 19%, and 21% wet basis and temperatures of 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 27°C, and 40°C at two-week intervals for 12 weeks. The experiment used a popular long-grain hybrid rice cultivar (XL745). Rice lots were procured from fields with and without conventional treatment of the field with fungicide for plant disease management. Field treatment and no field treatment were considered as a block, and a Mann-Whitney test was conducted to determine effect. The response surface method, an extension of second-order polynomial regression, was used to examine optimal treatment conditions. Mold population and milled rice discoloration from a combination of storage conditions were predicted using regression models. The first-order and second-order terms of temperature indicated a nonlinear relationship between temperature and ln(discoloration). The MC was positively associated with ln(discoloration), but the degree of impact may change with temperature because the interaction term was significant. From the model evaluation (R2 and lack-of-fit test), the discoloration level is expected to be 57% (49% to 66% confidence interval) under conditions of 20% MC, 40°C, and nine weeks of storage for samples procured from fungicide-treated rice fields. This discoloration change is substantial compared to the initial discoloration of 9%. At high temperature (40°C) and MC (21%), discoloration started immediately after two weeks of storage. Anaerobic storage conditions impeded mold growth, especially at high storage temperature (40°C). Low mold populations were observed in rice stored at low MC (16%). According to the regression model, the critical storage temperature that may lead to discoloration is between 27°C and 40°C. Pre-harvest fungicide treatment of rice in the field for disease control significantly improved the HRY but had no significant influence on mold population or discoloration. This study suggests a range of storage conditions to prevent losses in milling yield and quality of rice. In addition, the studied storage conditions mimicked the typical conditions for on-farm, in-bin drying and storage in the U.S. Mid-South, especially for the top layers of rice inside the bin, and therefore provide an important reference for growers and rice processors using in-bin structures to manage the quality of long-grain hybrid rice.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
The Course Description: A Semiprojective Technique for Assessing Students' Reactions to College Classes.

It is becoming increasingly common to ask students to evaluate their college courses. Regardless of the purpose for which such evaluation is conducted, there is little debate that students' perceptions of their learning experiences are of general value. There is some uncertainty, however, as to the kinds of data which are responsive to an instructor's need for helpful feedback. Typically, this uncertainty is even greater for instructors who utilize nontraditional methods and whose goals go beyond productoriented cognitive objectives. The authors faced such a predicament when they were considering how to elicit student evaluation of a multisection introductory course in educational psychology required of all students in the College of Education at Temple University. Approximately one-half of the sections of this course had been reorganized to include the utilization of student-directed inquiry procedures. These sections were designed to enable student-led groups to formulate problems of study concerning the teaching-learning process and to seek resolutions to these problems through a planned search of readings, films, tapes, lectures, instructional, and research materials. In contrast, the remaining sections employed relatively standard teaching methods, although active student participation in class was probably more pronounced than is usually the case.

Field of study: Education
Theory of Interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction in Antiferromagnetic/Heavy-Metal Bilayers

Interfaces between antiferromagnets and heavy metals can induce Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions. Knowledge of the DM parameters is essential for understanding and designing exotic spin structures, such as hedgehog skyrmions and chiral N\'eel walls, which are attractive for use in novel information storage technologies. We introduce a framework for computing the DM interaction in thin-film antiferromagnet/heavy-metal bilayers. In contrast to bilayers involving ferromagnets, in antiferromagnets with Rashba spin-orbit coupling, the DM interaction is not suppressed even at low temperatures. The material parameters control both the strength and sign of the interfacial DM interaction. Our results suggest a route toward controlling the DM interaction in antiferromagnetic materials by means of doping and electric fields.

Field of study: Physics
Palynology of the late Miocene Oreopithecus-bearing lignite from Baccinello, Italy

This paper presents the results of an analysis of pollen and spores in 7 lignite samples from the vertebrate-bearing V1 lignite at Baccinello, Italy. The aim of the study is to reconstruct the vegetation associated with the vertebrate fauna, and to integrate this evidence with data from geological, paleontological and paleobotanical research in order to provide an improved understanding of the paleoenvironmental context. The V1 lignite, consisting of a 3 m seam near the base of the local geological sequence, is late Miocene (Tortonian) in age. It is dated at 8.5–9.0 Ma (European Mammal Zone MN 12) based on faunal correlations and on radiometric age determinations of an overlying tuffaceous layer. The fossil fauna comprises a small number of species, many of which are unique to the coal deposits of Tuscany, including the controversial hominoid, Oreopithecus bambolii . The high level of endemism, low taxonomic diversity, preponderance of ruminants, tendency for gigantism among some of the micromammals, and absence of cursorial carnivores, all point to an insular environment. Evidence from structural geology confirms that a tectonically unstable island arc bordered the eastern side of the Tyrrhenian Sea during the late Miocene. By a combination of island sweepstake events and ephemeral land connections, intermittent migrations of mammals from continental Europe and Africa led to the development of a unique fauna on islands of the northern Tethys Sea. The reconstructed vegetation is of lowland mixed mesophytic forest. The community of broad-leaved deciduous angiospermous and evergreen gymnospermous trees contained a rich understory of small trees and shrubs and an herbaceous ground cover. The abundance of aquatic seed plants and algae, as well as the preponderance of ferns and arboreal taxa that commonly grow on moist substrates, suggest that the lowland areas were poorly drained. Upland or montane habitats appear to have been present, but were located at some distance from the depositional basin. The rarity of grasses and chenopods indicates that extensive tracts of open country were of limited occurrence. The closest modern analogue to the vegetation is the mixed mesophytic forest of the Yangtze River Valley of east central China. It seems reasonable to infer that comparable warm temperate to subtropical conditions with high precipitation, especially in the summer months, characterized the late Miocene climate at Baccinello.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Analysis of low bit rate image transform coding

Calculations based on high-resolution quantizations prove that the distortion rate D(R) of an image transform coding is proportional to 2/sup -2R/ when R is large enough. In wavelet and block cosine bases, we show that if R<1 bit/pixel, then D(R) varies like R/sup 1-2/spl gamma//, where /spl gamma/ remains of the order of 1 for most natural images. The improved performance of embedded codings in wavelet bases is analyzed. At low bit rates, we show that the compression performance of an orthonormal basis depends mostly on its ability to approximate images with a few nonzero vectors.

Field of study: Engineering
A-optimal designs for heteroscedastic multifactor regression models

This paper searches for A-optimal designs for Kronecker product and additive regression models when the errors are heteroscedastic. Sufficient conditions are given so that A-optimal designs for the multifactor models can be built from A-optimal designs for their sub-models with a single factor. The results of an efficiency study carried out to check the adequacy of the products of optimal designs for uni-factor marginal models when these are used to estimate different multi-factor models are also reported.

Field of study: Mathematics
Understanding Edward Muybridge: historical review of behavioral alterations after a 19th-century head injury and their multifactorial influence on human life and culture.

Edward Muybridge was an Anglo-American photographer, well known for his pioneering contributions in photography and his invention of the "zoopraxiscope," a forerunner of motion pictures. However, this 19th-century genius, with two original patents in photographic technology, made outstanding contributions in art and neurology alike, the latter being seldom acknowledged. A head injury that he sustained changed his behavior and artistic expression. The shift of his interests from animal motion photography to human locomotion and gait remains a pivotal milestone in our understanding of patterns in biomechanics and clinical neurology, while his own behavioral patterns, owing to an injury to the orbitofrontal cortex, remain a mystery even for cognitive neurologists. The behavioral changes he exhibited and the legal conundrum that followed, including a murder of which he was acquitted, all depict the complexities of his personality and impact of frontal lobe injuries. This article highlights the life journey of Muybridge, drawing parallels with Phineas Gage, whose penetrating head injury has been studied widely. The wide sojourn of Muybridge also illustrates the strong connections that he maintained with Stanford and Pennsylvania universities, which were later considered pinnacles of higher education on the two coasts of the United States.

Field of study: Medicine
Multi-spot Temperature Monitor System for Refrigeraters

Temperature monitor system is composed of MCS-51 series single chip machines. It is made up of 8031 single chip machines as driving system, of ADC 0809 chip cards as a/D transformers, of 74LS 138 coder as system address code interpreting circuit. Workable programs matching with 51 series chip machines will be selected and connected with parallel interface 8155 for combining mouth expansion. The 3 place digital displayer LBD will be driven up. This system requires only the received data be transferred into temperature degree display and when beyond this temperature range occurred, red light will be blinking on the display.

Field of study: Education
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS: Pulse-periodic iodine photodissociation laser pumped with radiation from magnetoplasma compressors

A study was made of the characteristics of an iodine photodissociation laser pumped by radiation emitted from magnetoplasma compressors. A closed system for circulating the working gas C3F7I was employed in this laser. Pulse-periodic operation with an interval of 1 min between the pulses was achieved; the output energy was 110 J and the pulse duration was 30 μ sec.

Field of study: Engineering, Physics
Industrial development as a key factor explaining variances in soil and grass phyllosphere microbiomes in urban green spaces.

Microbiota in urban green spaces underpin ecosystem services that are essential to environmental health and human wellbeing. However, the factors shaping the microbial communities in urban green spaces, especially those associated with turf grass phyllosphere, remain poorly understood. The lack of this knowledge greatly limits our ability to assess ecological, social and recreational benefits of urban green spaces in the context of global urbanization. In this study, we used amplicon sequencing to characterize soil and grass phyllosphere bacterial communities in 40 urban green spaces and three minimally disturbed national parks in Victoria, Australia. The results indicated that urbanization might have shown different impacts on soil and grass phyllosphere microbial communities. The bacterial diversity in soil but not in grass phyllosphere was significantly higher in urban green spaces than in national parks. Principal coordinate analysis revealed significant differences in the overall patterns of bacterial community composition between urban green spaces and national parks for both soil and grass phyllosphere. Industrial development, as represented by the number of industries in the region, was identified as a key driver shaping the bacterial community profiles in urban green spaces. Variation partitioning analysis suggested that industrial factors together with their interaction with other factors explained 20% and 28% of the variances in soil and grass phyllosphere bacterial communities, respectively. The findings highlight the importance of industrial development in driving the spatial patterns of urban microbiomes, and have important implication for the management of microbiomes in urban green spaces.

Field of study: Environmental science
Creole Revolution, Independence, and Militarization

Joshua Simon’s book is a provocative study of the political thought of Alexander Hamilton, Simón Bolívar, and Lucas Alamán (the last-named was a lesser known historian and politician in nineteenth-century Mexico) and the ideology of what Simon calls “Creole revolution.” Drawing on approaches developed in the fields of comparative political theory and the history of political thought, Simon bases his work on historical contextualizations and close readings of texts that are for the most part well known, though rarely studied together. The hemispheric perspective allows Simon to bring into sharp relief an ideological convergence between the revolutions in the North and the South that can get lost in the complexities of social history, differences in philosophical affiliation, and the misleading teleologies afforded by hindsight.

Field of study: History