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Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have been popularly researched in natural language generation, so-called Language GANs. Existing works adopt reinforcement learning (RL) based methods such as policy gradients for training Language GANs. The previous research of Language GANs usually focuses on stabilizing policy gradients or applying robust architectures (such as the large-scale pre-trained GPT-2) to achieve better performance. However, the quality and diversity of sampling are not guaranteed simultaneously. In this article, we propose a novel meta-learning-based generative adversarial network, Meta Exploration GAN (MetaEx-GAN), for ensuring the quality and diversity of sampling (sampling efficiency). In the proposed MetaEx-GAN, we develop an explorer trained by Meta Exploration to sample from the generated data to achieve better sampling efficiency. MetaEx-GAN employs MetaEx first applied to Language GANs to achieve better performance. We also propose a critical training method for MetaEx-GAN on the NLG task. According to our experimental results, MetaEx-GAN achieves state-of-the-art performance compared with existing Language GANs methods. Our experiments also demonstrate the generality of MetaEx-GAN with different architectures (involving GPT-2) and how MetaEx-GAN operates to improve Language GANs.

Identification of common genome regions influencing biomass production in multiple Medicagopopulations can establish focal points for implementing future marker‐assisted breeding approaches to improve alfalfa (M. sativaL.) forage yield and facilitate identification of candidate genes. The goal of this study was to identify consensus regions associated with biomass production and candidate genes within the context of the M. truncatulaGaertn. genome, based on previous reports of 83 biomass‐affiliated markers and 30 quantitative trait loci (QTL) detected among one M. truncatulaand four M. sativabiparental and association mapping populations. The genome positions for 68 markers and all 30 biomass QTL were determined. Ten consensus regions associated with Medicagoforage yield in two or more populations were identified. The level of resolution for these regions, however, was not sufficient to clearly identify potential causal candidate genes. Consequently, a targeted set of 208 loci influencing Arabidopsisgrowth and development were surveyed for their positions in the Medicagogenome to identify those which colocalized with biomass markers and QTL intervals. Among 233 homologous genes identified, 51 were located within consensus biomass regions. Potential genes affecting Medicagoforage yield variation included those affiliated with phytohormone biosynthesis, transport, and signaling; light responsive developmental phase transitions; and microRNA‐mediated regulation of gene expression. These outcomes provide insight into genetic factors that researchers may wish to target for future validation experiments, and for designing marker‐assisted breeding strategies to improve alfalfa productivity.

Biomaterial components (PMMA/HA/Sericin) are composite biomaterial that have complemented each other, which HA is able to improve the mechanical properties, biocompatible and osteoconductivity. PMMA has the ability biocompatible with human tissue and easy manipulated, while sericin can improve cell viability. Analysis of the composite composition is important to do more in depth, but the design method in the analysis of research also has significant impact in generating research output and prediction output. Analysis of the design method to determine the method of designing the optimal research was needed. This research used 3 factors: Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) powder (with concentration of 40% to 60%), Hydroxyapatite (HA) powder (with concentration of 10% to 25%) and Sericin (with concentration of 0.16% to 0.32%). This research is done to identify the effect of individual components of the composite and analyze the design method to obtain the best of diametral tensile strength (DTS) with a small error. The result of two methods was found that the 2k factorial design method give higher DTS (PHS401032 = 25.49MPa) than that of Taguchi method (PHS601532 = 24.82MPa). The error of 2k Factorial design method between validation and model prediction is 0.27%, which smaller than Taguchi method (7.45%).

Raster comic would result in bad quality while zooming in/out. Different approaches were proposed to convert comic into vector format to resolve this problem. The authors have proposed methods to vectorize comic contents to provide not only small SVG file size and rendering time, but also better perceptual quality. However, they do not process texture in the comic images. In this paper, the authors improve their previously developed system to recognize texture elements in the comic and use these texture elements to provide better compression and faster rendering time. They propose texture segmentation techniques to partition comic into texture segments and non-texture segments. Then, the element of SVG is applied to represent texture segments. Their method uses CSG (Composite Sub-band Gradient) vector as texture descriptor and uses SVM (Support Vector Machine) to classify texture area in the comic. Then, the ACM (Active Contour Model) combining with CSG vectors is introduced to improve the segmentation accuracy on contour regions. Experiments are conducted using 150 comic images to test the proposed method. Results show that the space savings of our method is over 66% and it can utilize the reusability of SVG syntax to support comic with multiple textures. The average rendering time of the proposed method is over three times faster than the previous methods. It lets vectorized comics have higher performance to be illustrated on modern e-book devices.

Thermodynamics in the left atrium–pulmonary vein (PV) junction, phrenic nerve, and esophagus during PV isolation (PVI) using the second-generation cryoballoon are not known.

Analyser l’influence des conditions météorologiques dans la survenue de trois urgences urologiques telles que coliques néphrétiques (CN), rétention aiguë d’urines (RAU) et torsion du cordon spermatique (TCS).

Securely maintaining log records over extended periods of time is very important to the proper functioning of any organization. Integrity of the log files and that of the logging process need to be ensured at all times. In addition, as log files often contain sensitive information, confidentiality and privacy of log records are equally important. However, deploying a secure logging infrastructure involves substantial capital expenses that many organizations may find overwhelming. Delegating log management to the cloud appears to be a viable cost saving measure. In this paper, we identify the challenges for a secure cloud-based log management service and propose a framework for doing the same.

It is a challenging issue to apply WSN (Wireless Sensor Network) to achieve accurate location information. PM (Pattern Matching), known as one of the most famous localization methods, has the drawback of requiring high initialization effort to predict/train MF (Matching Function). In this paper, the authors propose SPM (Self-learning PM) to improve not only the localization accuracy but also the initialization effort of PM. SPM applies a divide-and-conquer self-learning scheme to reduce the number of training patterns in training. Additionally, it introduces a Bayesian filtering scheme to remove the noise signal caused by multipath effects so as to enhance localization accuracy accordingly. This paper applies different training methods (linear regression, Gaussian process, backpropagation network, radial basis function, and support vector regression) to evaluate the performances of SPM and PM in a complicated indoor environment. Experiments show that SPM is better than PM for all training methods applied. SPM can use up to 72% fewer training patterns than PM to achieve the same localization accuracy. If the same number of training patterns is utilized, SPM can achieve up to 58% higher localization accuracy than PM.

Traditional NM (Network Management) techniques can not be applied on WSN (Wireless Sensor Network) due to its features of low computing ability, tiny memory space, and limited energy. A new NMA (Network Management Architecture) for WSN is needed. In this paper, we design a loosely coupled NMA of WSN based on SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture), and have well defined NM interfaces. Finally, we develop a SOA platform for WSN operations according to the NMA. Based on SOA platform, users can compose and use various NM Web Services by internet depending on their requirements. Heavy tasks which need a great deal of computing resources and storage are executed on the SOA platform. Thus, energy consumption and node computation can be decreased. Moreover, external applications use Web Services to integrate SOA platform for WSN. It lowers the difficulty in integrating different sensor platforms and heterogeneous devices.

The enormous amount of editing applications in Wiki has led to management problems of efficiency, accuracy, and convenience for Wiki administrators. This study therefore developed an intelligent agent system based on web 3.0, namely, the evaluation agent system (EAS), to solve these problems. The EAS included three systems; since the RBES was central to the EAS, empirical data were collected to examine the effectiveness of the RBES. The findings revealed that, compared to the conventional approach, the participants spent less time to finish their tasks and completed their tasks more accurately in the RBES. Moreover, the participants were more satisfied with the RBES than with the conventional approach with regard to convenience.

Understanding the genetic structure of alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) plant introductions, including the identification of divergent populations, may benefit their utilization in cultivar development programs. Two independent experiments (Exp. 1 and Exp. 2) were conducted to assess amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker diversity among 18 high‐yielding alfalfa core collection accessions that were previously evaluated by diallel analysis for forage yield combining abilities and heterosis in southern New Mexico. Each experiment involved nine different M. sativasubsp. sativapopulations and one control accession of M. sativasubsp. falcata(L.) Arcang. Both experiments indicated that the M. sativasubsp. sativapopulations were genetically distinct from the M. sativasubsp. falcataaccession. Genetic distances among the M. sativasubsp. sativaaccessions were predominantly governed by the geographic distances of their historic origins in Exp. 1. In Exp. 2 such relationships were less obvious, perhaps because multiple accessions possessed South American and/or central Asian lineage. Genetic distances in both experiments were also influenced by the intersubspecific or intrasubspecific hybrid nature of some accessions. Multiple correspondence analysis of the AFLP data for the 18 accessions, in conjunction with yield performance and heterosis response of their diallel hybrids, indicated that most hybrids that exhibited positive heterosis and high yield possessed a genetically divergent accession as a parent.

Understanding genetic parameters of populations that are being considered for inclusion into plant‐breeding programs provides critical knowledge to enhance economic traits of interest. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic parameters influencing forage yield for nine populations selected from the USDA National Plant Germplasm System alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) core collection that possessed high‐yield potential and differing fall dormancy response. Forage dry matter yields of 36 diallel hybrids, their 9 parents, and 6 commercial checks were harvested three times in each of 2 yr from seeded plots near Las Cruces, NM. Variation among hybrids for forage yield was primarily attributed to general combining ability effects, which were 5.6 times greater than specific combining ability effects. More than 70% of the hybrids performed similarly to the best commercial check. Fourteen hybrids exhibited significant mid‐parent heterosis (MPH), and seven hybrids exhibited significant high‐parent heterosis (HPH). The frequency of hybrids showing significant MPH was twofold greater for hybrids generated between parents with different fall dormancy response as compared with hybrids generated from parents with similar fall dormancy response. Eight of the nine top‐yielding hybrids were derived from populations that originated from Peru and Argentina. All hybrids with significant positive HPH involved a population from South America.

Characterization of genetic parameters in plant germplasm repository populations can facilitate their utilization in commercial breeding programs. This study investigated genetic combining abilities and heterosis for forage yield among diallel hybrids derived from nine previously selected high‐yielding accessions of the USDA‐ARS National Plant Germplasm System core collection of alfalfa (Medicago sativasubsp. sativaL.). These accessions originated from Turkey, South Africa, Greece, Afghanistan, Israel, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Morocco, and the USA. Forage yield response of the parents and their hybrids was determined near Las Cruces, New Mexico. General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects were significant. The magnitudes of the GCA effects were about 5% (<0.71 Mg ha−1) relative to the mean yield of the parents (15.4 Mg ha−1). The Turkey, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan accessions demonstrated significant positive GCA effects. Accessions from Greece and Morocco demonstrated negative GCA effects. Six hybrids outperformed the average of six commercial cultivars. Five of these six hybrids demonstrated positive SCA effects. Midparent heterosis ranged from –17 to 17%. The results indicate that crossing between alfalfa populations possessing high per se performance and different fall regrowth responses is likely to produce a higher proportion of high‐yielding hybrids in environments experiencing intermittent subfreezing winter conditions.

The increasing use of Internet in a variety of distributed multiparty interactions and transactions with strong real-time requirements has pushed the search for solutions to the problem of attribute-based digital interactions. A promising solution today is represented by automated trust negotiation systems. Trust negotiation systems allow subjects in different security domains to securely exchange protected resources and services. These trust negotiation systems, however, by their nature, may represent a threat to privacy in that credentials, exchanged during negotiations, often contain sensitive personal information that may need to be selectively released. In this paper, we address the problem of preserving privacy in trust negotiations. We introduce the notion of privacy preserving disclosure, that is, a set that does not include attributes or credentials, or combinations of these, that may compromise privacy. To obtain privacy preserving disclosure sets, we propose two techniques based on the notions of substitution and generalization. We argue that formulating the trust negotiation requirements in terms of disclosure policies is often restrictive. To solve this problem, we show how trust negotiation requirements can be expressed as property-based policies that list the properties needed to obtain a given resource. To better address this issue, we introduce the notion of reference ontology, and formalize the notion of trust requirement. Additionally, we develop an approach to derive disclosure policies from trust requirements and formally state some semantics relationships (i.e., equivalence, stronger than) that may hold between policies. These relationships can be used by a credential requestor to reason about which disclosure policies he/she should use in a trust negotiation.

Designing effective breeding strategies to integrate selection for carbon isotope discrimination (Δ), as a means to improve alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) water‐use efficiency (WUE), will depend upon the association between Δ and forage yield. The current study was conducted to determine responses in Δ affiliated with significant yield responses that were previously observed among 36 diallel hybrids of nine alfalfa germplasms (commonly referred to as African, Chilean, Flemish, Indian, Ladak, M. falcata, M. varia, Peruvian, and Turkistan). The influence of additive and nonadditive gene action on Δ, and the behavior of Δ across harvests was also determined. Forage yield and Δ of the germplasms and their half‐diallel hybrids were evaluated near Las Cruces, NM, during May, June, and July in each of 2 yr in seeded plots that were flood irrigated every 14 d. Values for Δ of hybrids did not significantly exceed those of the most extreme parents in any harvest. Variation for Δ among crosses was attributed primarily to general combining ability (GCA) effects. The magnitude of parental per se and GCA effects, and their ability to predict hybrid Δ varied substantially between the first harvest and later harvests. Variety effects for Δ in Ladak, M. varia, and M. falcatabecame increasingly negative as the growing season progressed, while those for African, Chilean, Flemish, Indian, Peruvian, and Turkistan increased. Results suggest that fundamental differences in stomatal conductance exist between subspecies sativaand falcata

Real-timedisk scheduling (RTDS) is important for time-critical multimediaapplications. In conventional approaches of real-time disk scheduling,such as SCAN-EDF, the seek-optimizing SCAN scheme is appliedto reduce the disk service time of the real-time EDF schedule.Since only tasks with the same deadline are seek-optimized, theobtained improvement of SCAN-EDF is limited. In this paper, basedon the maximum-scannable-group (MSG) concept, a deadline-modification-scan (DMS or DM-SCAN) algorithm is proposed.Our algorithm uses MSG to automatically decide the suitable taskgroups for seek-optimizing. Based on the MSG concept, we repeatedlyapply DMS to further increase disk throughput to support moretasks. We have implemented the proposed algorithm on UnixWare2.01. The appropriate problem behaviors and parameter valuesto yield good solutions are investigated. Experiments show thatDMS is better than conventional approaches in both the obtaineddisk throughput and the supported tasks. Moreover, our proposedapproach can schedule task sets that are not schedulable by EDFand SCAN-EDF.

Low density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) Copolymer have been processed at 170°C for 7 minutes. Dynamic mechanical analysis shows a single composition dependent glass transition temperature of the 50:50 EVA/LDPE blend. Infrared spectra of pure EVA processed at the same condition shows splitting of >C=0 stretching band of EVA while spectra of the 50:50 EVA/LDPE blend shows a well resolved single band. Thermogravimetric analysis of the blend shows greater stability than those of the pure components. A schematic mechanism ascribing to the synergistic effect observed is proposed.

The weak-beam technique has been used to observe two- and four-fold dissociations in Fe-Al alloys, having compositions between 26 and 36 at.% Al, with B2-type and with DO3-type long-range order. From the orientation-separation curves, the antiphase boundary energies have been determined as a function of composition for both types of order.

Plant regeneration is necessary for most agricultural applications of tissue culture. Regeneration of alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) from tissue culture has focused primarily on tetraploid genotypes (2n= 4x= 32). The simplified genetics of the diploid (2n= 2x= 16), however, is desirable for many aspects of alfalfa biotechnology. This study reports on the development of a diploid alfalfa population, Regen‐2x, that contains a high frequency of regenerable genotypes. Genes controlling regeneration were originally identified in five tetraploid individuals and were transferred to the diploid level using haploidy and triploid bridge crosses. The frequencies of alleles controlling regeneration were then increased by two cycles of recurrent selection. The original seed‐derived plants, which had served as donors for tissue culture and were capable of regeneration, were recombined in each cycle. This breeding strategy prevented the accumulation of somaclonal variation in the population while increasing the frequency of individuals able to regenerate from tissue culture. Ten percent of the base diploid population (Cycle 0) regenerated. Recurrent selection significantly (P < 0.025) increased the frequency of regenerating individuals to 33% and then 66% in Cycle 1 and 2, respectively. These data support the results of other studies that indicate regeneration from tissue culture is controlled by relatively few genes.

Degradation of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA; 28% VA content), low density polyethylene (LDPE) and their blends has been studied through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG). Pure EVA and its blends show a two stage decomposition, where the first stage is ascribed to the acetic acid elimination, i.e., the weight loss is proportional to the amount of acetate group present in the system. The second stage of decomposition is due to main chain scission when blends exhibit better thermal stability compared to pure polymers. The activation energy (Ea) of second stage decomposition is calculated according to Freeman and Carroll's method. The maximum Eais observed for pure EVA. The experimental Eavalues of the blends are much greater than the theoretically calculated values based on the law of additivity. Among different blends maximum thermal stability is observed for the 50:50 EVA/LDPE system. Infrared spectrophotometry has been used to investigate about the possible reason behind the higher thermal stability of the blends compared to pure components. The effect of crosslinking and two different at mospheres, namely nitrogen and air, on thermal degradation have also been studied.

It has been proposed that inbreeding and selection in cultivated alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) may increase the frequency of alleles with favorable effects. Inbred lines of cultivated alfalfa at the diploid level (CADL, 2n= 2x= 16) were developed by selfing (S), sib‐mating (SM), and composite S1sib‐mating (S1SM). Dry matter yield of field grown spaced‐plants from the F1, S1, S2, SM1, SM4, and S1SM3generations was harvested twice in a single year to determine inbreeding effects and if favorable alleles were accumulated while inbreeding. Plant vigor and fertility declined significantly (P< 0.01) in most advanced generations. Inbreeding depression under selfing was equal to or less than the percent change in the coefficient of inbreeding, F. One family survived five generations of self‐pollination (F= 0.97). Inbreeding depression under sib‐mating often exceeded the percent change in Fby as much as twofold. The average rate of inbreeding depression, expressed as the percent change in yield for each percent change in F, was less under selfing (−0.80) than under sib‐mating (−1.91) although exceptions to the general trend did occur. Phenotypic improvement was never noted under exclusive selfing. Two sib‐mated generations tended to outperform earlier, less‐inbred generations, indicating that favorable alleles were accumulated while inbreeding.

Amyloid beta-protein (Aβ), in its soluble form, is known to bind several circulatory proteins such as apolipoprotein (apo) E, apo J and transthyretin. However, the binding of Aβ to intracellular proteins has not been studied. We have developed an overlay assay to study Aβ binding to intracellular brain proteins. The supernatants from both rat and human brains were found to contain several proteins that bind to Aβ 1–40 and Aβ 1–42. No major difference was observed in the Aβ binding-proteins from brain supernatants of patients with Alzheimer's disease and normal age-matched controls. Binding studies using shorter amyloid beta-peptides and competitive overlay assays showed that the binding site of Aβ to brain proteins resides between 12–28 amino acid sequence of Aβ. The presence of several intracellular Aβ-binding (AβB) proteins suggests that these proteins may either protect Aβ from its fibrillization or alternatively promote Aβ polymerization. Identification of these proteins and their binding affinities for Aβ are needed to assess their potential role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

The stacking-fault energies of a number of copper alloys with electron-atom ratios less than or equal to 1·10 have been measured from observations of single dissociated dislocations imaged using the weak-beam method of electron microscopy. The results are compared with previous determinations made using the extrapolation of data from strong-beam node images and from the analysis of the onset of dynamic recovery during constant strain-rate testing.

Rapid expansion of dairy herds in the southwestern USA has increased the need for high‐quality alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) forage in the region. Enhancing mineral balance in alfalfa forage could benefit both plant and animal production. The objective of this study was to survey four ancestral alfalfa germplasms (representing the range in fall dormancy) for variability in shoot mineral concentration and for phenotypic associations among mineral concentrations. African, Chilean, Flemish, and Ladak germplasms, and the check cultivar Moapa 69, were evaluated in a 2‐yr irrigated field study near Las Cruces, NM. Plots consisted of 12.2‐m‐long raised beds spaced 1.2 m apart. Plant spacing within plots was 0.26 m. Ten plants per plot were randomly sampled in the early‐bud stage in 1993 and the late‐bud stage in 1994 and evaluated for P, Ca, S, Mg, K, Na, B, Cu, Fe, and Mn concentration using an inductively‐coupled plasma spectrometer. Years were a significant source of variation for all minerals except Mn, while the population × year interaction was significant for P, Ca, Mg, S, and Mn. The more dormant germplasms, Flemish and Ladak, generally had the highest P and K concentration and the lowest Ca concentration in both years. Flemish germplasm also possessed relatively high concentrations of S, Na, Fe, and Mn. A greater proportion of significant phenotypic correlations between minerals were observed in this study than in previous reports. These results suggest that Flemish‐based parental populations should provide useful genetic materials for enhancing mineral concentration in alfalfa forage.

Inexpensive estimates of broad‐sense heritability (BSH) may valuable in plant breeding. This research evaluated two methods for estimating BSH with data from stands of equidistantly spaced genotypes. Both methods depend on the assumption that genetic and environmental contributions to plot variance (plot = group of contiguous plants) change at different rates as plot size changes if genetic variation is distributed randomly. For the method proposed by V.J. Shrikhande, variances among plot means are computed and leastsquares regression used to estimate environmental and genetic variances and the change in a plot variance with changes in plot size. The other method involves the same approach, but uses a two‐parameter model suggested by G.H. Freeman but not previously used to estimate BSH. Both methods produce biased BSH estimates since genotypic and genotypic × environmental components of variation are inseparable. Our objectives were to: (i) develop software to calculate variances for the methods, and (it) compare BSH estimates generated using these methods with each other and with those from analysis of variance (ANOVA) of data from families grown in the same environment. Data were from a perennial herb, Sphaeralcea emoryi Torr. grown in Tucson, AZ. Shrikhande's method produced parameter estimates with large variances and BSH estimates that averaged 3.6 times larger than those from Freeman's method. Only BSH estimates from Freeman's method agreed well with those from ANOVA for most traits. Freeman's method may be useful for rapidly and inexpensively generating BSH estimates in a variety of situations, especially when traditional genetic analysis are difficult.

Soil water is the main factor influencing forage production in the semiarid Northern Great Plains. Developing germplasm that uses limited water more efficiently would benefit forage production for hay and livestock grazing. Development of selection criteria suited to screeniing large breeding populations for water‐use efficiency (WUE) are needed to enhance this effort. This study evaluated carbon isotope discrimination (Δ), tissue ash concentration, and canopy temperature of populations of diploid crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatumL.), tetrapioid crested wheatgrass [A. desertorum(Fisch. ex. Link) Schult.], and western wheatgrass [Pascopyrum smithii(Rybd.) Love] to determine the utility of using ash concentration and canopy temperaturea s alternative criteria to Δ for selecting plants with high WUE. Tissue ash concentration, canopy temperature, and Δ were measured on half‐sib families from genetically broad‐based populations of each species across two field growing seasons. Sufficient genetic variation was present for Δ and ash concentration among families within each species to suggest possible use of these traits as criteria for selecting plants with higher WUE. Differences in canopy temperature among families were present only in 1994. Correlations between ash and Δ were greatest for tetraploid crested wheatgrass and least for western wheatgrass. Correlation of canopy temperature with Δ was significant for tetraploid crested wheatgrass both years and for diploid crested wheatgrass in 1993, but neither year for western wheatgrass. Ash concentration and Δ were moderately heritable in all three grass populations, indicating that both traits are under genetic control and could likely be altered through breeding. Using ash and canopy temperature as criteria for selecting plants with greater WUE would provide a relatively low‐cost, simple approach to develop cultivars with improved WUE.

The weak-beam technique of electron microscopy (Cockayne, Ray and Whelan 1969) has been used to study constrictions found on extended dislocation lines in a copper-silicon alloy. The nature of these constrictions has been determined using in situ heating of the alloy.