Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
54.2: A High Dynamic Range Display Using Low and High Resolution Modulators

We have developed an emissive high dynamic range (HDR) display that is capable of displaying a luminance range of 10,000cd/m2 to 0.1cd/m2 while maintaining all features found in conventional LCD displays such as resolution, refresh rate and image quality. We achieve that dynamic range by combining two display systems — a high resolution transmissive LCD and a low resolution, monochrome display composed of high brightness light emitting diodes (LED). This paper provides a description of the technology as well as findings from a supporting psychological study that establishes that correction for the low resolution display through compensation in the high resolution display yields an image which does not differ perceptibly from that of a purely high resolution HDR display.
Economic Competence in Early Secondary School: Evidence From a Large-Scale Assessment in Germany

We employ a psychometrically validated performance test to study economic competence among a large and representative sample of early secondary school students in Southwest Germany. The rich dataset allows us to study variation in economic competence across school types and observable student characteristics. Our results show that economic competence is significantly lower among female students, migrants, students with parents of low socioeconomic status and those who do not attend the highest track school type. Additionally, quantile regression analyses suggest that the gender gap increases along the distribution of economic competence and that effects of parents with high socio-economic status are more pronounced above the median of the competence distribution. Our analysis sets the stage for a long-term study of economic competence among secondary school students and the impact of a recent curriculum reform introducing mandatory economic education.
Biosensors Based on Plasmonics

Because of the sensitivity to refractive index changes, plasmonics nanostructures have been investigated broadly for the bio-molecules detection through the excitations of the propagating surface plasmon resonance (PSPR) or localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). PSPR sensors can detect sub-monolayer quantities of bio-molecules at the gold film surface and provide real-time data through continuous optical measurements. LSPR sensors could be more sensitive to local refractive index changes and the factors of nanoparticle material, shape and size are all interrelated and contribute to the refractive index sensitivities.
Long range parametric channel prediction for narrowband MIMO systems with joint parameter estimation

In this paper, we propose a novel long range prediction scheme for narrowband MIMO systems using realistic spatial channel model. The algorithm exploits both the temporal and spatial structure of the MIMO channel to jointly estimate the multipath parameters via a subspace based three dimensional ESPRIT approach. We propose simple transformations to convert the channel impulse response into a space-time manifold matrix exhibiting translational invariance in three dimensions. Simulation results show that the proposed prediction scheme outperforms existing algorithms and can achieve prediction range of several wavelengths.
Reduced Germination of Orobanche cumana Seeds in the Presence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi or Their Exudates

Broomrapes (Orobanche and Phelipanche spp) are parasitic plants responsible for important crop losses, and efficient procedures to control these pests are scarce. Biological control is one of the possible strategies to tackle these pests. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are widespread soil microorganisms that live symbiotically with the roots of most plant species, and they have already been tested on sorghum for their ability to reduce infestation by witchweeds, another kind of parasitic plants. In this work AM fungi were evaluated as potential biocontrol agents against Orobanche cumana, a broomrape species that specifically attacks sunflower. When inoculated simultaneously with O. cumana seeds, AM fungi could offer a moderate level of protection against the broomrape. Interestingly, this protection did not only rely on a reduced production of parasitic seed germination stimulants, as was proposed in previous studies. Rather, mycorrhizal root exudates had a negative impact on the germination of O. cumana induced by germination stimulants. A similar effect could be obtained with AM spore exudates, establishing the fungal origin of at least part of the active compounds. Together, our results demonstrate that AM fungi themselves can lead to a reduced rate of parasitic seed germination, in addition to possible effects mediated by the mycorrhizal plant. Combined with the other benefits of AM symbiosis, these effects make AM fungi an attractive option for biological control of O. cumana.
Constrained clustering of gene expression profiles

In this paper a querying environment for analysis of patient clinical data is presented. The data consists of two parts: patients’ pathological data and data about corresponding gene expression levels. The querying environment includes a generic algorithm for constructing decision trees, as well as algorithms for discretizing gene expression levels and for searching frequent patterns (itemsets). The algorithms are accessed by means of a query language. The language can be used to simulate various data mining algorithms, such as the one developed by Morishita et al. for Itemset Constrained Clustering.
Matched-filter based iterative soft decision interference cancellation employing the distribution of interference

A well-known receiver strategy for CDMA transmission is iterative soft decision interference cancellation. For calculation of soft estimates, the distribution of residual interference is commonly assumed to be Gaussian. In this paper, we analyze matched-filter based iterative soft decision interference cancellation (MF ISDIC) when utilizing the actual probability density function (pdf) of residual interference. Additionally, a hybrid scheme is proposed, which approximates the actual pdf by considering only the strongest residual interferences accurately while the Gaussian assumption is applied on the weak residual interferers. It turns out; that the bit error ratio decreases already noticeably when only a small number of residual interferes is regarded according to its actual pdf. In fact, for the considered CDMA transmission we are able to lower the bit error ratio by 80% for high signal-to-noise ratios when modelling all residual interferes but the strongest 3 to be Gaussian distributed.
Automobile Prices in Market Equilibrium

This paper develops techniques for empirically analyzing demand and supply in differentiated product markets and then applies these techniques to the U.S. automobile industry. The authors' framework enables one to obtain estimates of demand and cost parameters for a class of oligopolistic differentiated products markets. These estimates can be obtained using only widely available product-level and aggregate consumer-level data, and they are consistent with a structural model of equilibrium in an oligopolistic industry. Applying these techniques, the authors obtain parameters for essentially all autos sold over a twenty-year period. Copyright 1995 by The Econometric Society.
p53 is mutated in a subset of advanced-stage prostate cancers.

Inactivation of p53, a tumor suppressor gene, contributes to the genesis and/or progression of a substantial fraction of all human cancers, including > or = 50% of breast, lung, and colon carcinomas. Mutated p53 alleles typically contain missense single-base substitutions within exons 5-8 and encode abnormally stable p53 proteins that accumulate to high levels in tumor cell nuclei. To evaluate the frequency, type, and clinical significance of p53 mutation in human prostate cancer, archival tumor material from 150 prostate cancer patients was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) with anti-p53 antibodies. Abnormal nuclear p53 accumulation (IHC) was observed in 19 tumors (12.7%) and was strongly related to disease stage (23% of 69 stage III or IV tumors were IHC+ versus 4% of 74 stage 0-II tumors; P < 0.001, Fisher's exact test). The methods of polymerase chain reaction, single-strand conformational polymorphism, and direct sequencing were used to identify mutations, predominantly missense single-base substitutions in exons 5, 7, or 8 in 9 of 14 IHC+ cases but in none of 20 IHC- cases; 5 of these mutations were G:C-->A:T transitions at CpG dinucleotides. These data indicate that mutated p53 alleles are quite uncommon in early prostate cancers but are found in 20-25% of advanced cancers, suggesting a role for p53 mutation in the progression of at least a subset of prostate cancers.
Application of a Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix to Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Screening

ABSTRACT The authors' purpose was to evaluate the multiple-gate Preschool Behavior Screening System (PBSS) for identifying children's social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) difficulties. The sample included 122 triads of preschool children between 3 and 5 years old and their parents and teachers. The teacher and parent samples were predominantly women and European American with a substantial African American representation. The design involved numerous indicators of the reliability of scores and the validity of ensuing inferences. Scores from the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition were used as criterion measures for scores from the PBSS. The PBSS scores were found reliable across scales with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from.85 to.97. Agreement between teachers and parents was consistent with findings from previous research. Analyzed within a Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix, correlational evidence supported inferences about externalizing difficulties, prosocial behavior, and total problems, as well as internalizing difficulties to a lesser degree. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analyses supported the PBSS across a range of scales and cut scores. Findings support the use of the PBSS as one method for identifying preschool children who may be at risk for SEB difficulties and underscore the importance of using multiple informants in the assessment of SEB difficulties.
Guideline for service life design of structural concrete - A performance based approach with regard to chloride induced corrosion

Nowadays major structures require a service life of 100 years or even more. CUR committee VC81 has developed a guideline for service life design based on initiation of corrosion due to chloride penetration for exposure classes XD or XS. A semi-probabilistic simplification of the DuraCrete methodology is introduced with a probability of failure of <10% for corrosion initiation. Three options are provided to the designer: (1) a range of concrete cover depths adapted to the binder type and exposure class; (2) a semi-probabilistic approach using a safety margin for the concrete cover depth; (3) full probabilistic calculations based on specified input parameters. The guideline permits optimisation with respect to cover depth and concrete composition. The required concrete performance is the chloride diffusion resistance, measured as Rapid Chloride Migration. Its limit value depends on cover depth, required service life, exposure class and binder type (Portland, Blast furnace slag and Portland/fly ash cement). Model calculations were validated using data from marine and road structures.
How to facilitate hotel employees’ work engagement

Purpose This study aims to explore the mediating effects of role overload and job security on the relationship between leader–member exchange and work engagement and simultaneously examines the impact of role overload on employees’ job security. Design/methodology/approach By means of telephone and email, the study inquired eight international tourist hotels’ willingness, and questionnaires were distributed to employees of these hotels in 2014. The hotel employees were asked to participate, and they have the right to agree or not. After discarding unusable responses, 310 individual surveys ratings were collected from a total of 500 self-administrated questionnaires were distributed (a 62.0 per cent response rate). Findings The result indicates that role overload and job security have mediating effects on the relationship between leader–member exchange and work engagement. Also, role overload can positively influence job security. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the mediating roles of role overload and job security between LMX and work engagement, as well as the influence of role overload on job security. This study attempts to make contributions to human resource management literatures of hospitality and tourism.
Caring from the Graduate Student Perspective

This paper focuses on the nature of caring from the perspective of graduate nursing students enrolled in a graduate core nursing theory course. It describes student perspectives of caring derived from a two part learning exercise designed to introduce students to inductive thinking processes employed in nursing theory development. The graduate students identified the essence of caring as a special form of ‘being with’ a patient encompassing giving of self, involved presence, intuitive knowing, and support for the integrity of the patient. Nursing actions associated with caring include making time, active listening, touch, and advocacy with competence as an underlying dimension of caring actions. Attitudes deemed essential to the development of caring incorporate creativity, recognizing limitations, and respect for the uniqueness and humanity of a suffering individual. That caring has benefits for the caregiver as well as the patient finds voice in student descriptions of the effects of caring as a source of professional validation, and a transformational turning-point their perceptions of themselves as caregivers.
Self-dual Maxwell field in 3D gravity with torsion

We study the system of a self-dual Maxwell field coupled to 3D gravity with torsion, with the Maxwell field modified by a topological mass term. General structure of the field equations reveals a new, dynamical role of the classical central charges, and gives a simple correspondence between self-dual solutions with torsion and their Riemannian counterparts. We construct two exact self-dual solutions, corresponding to the sectors with a massless and massive Maxwell field, and calculate their conserved charges.
Robotic pick-place of nanowires for electromechanical characterization

Pick-place of single nanowires inside scanning electron microscopes (SEM) is useful for prototyping functional devices and characterizing nanowires' properties. Nanowire pick-place has been typically performed via teleoperation, which is time-consuming and highly skill-dependent. This paper presents a robotic system capable of automated pickplace of single nanowires. Through SEM visual detection and vision-based motion control, the system transferred individual silicon nanowires from their growth substrate to a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device that characterized the nanowires' electromechanical properties. The performance of the nanorobotic pick-up and placement procedures was quantified by experiments. The system demonstrated automated nanowire pick-up and placement with high reliability.
Stimulation of the noradrenergic system enhances and blockade reduces memory for emotional material in man

Background. It is clearly established that emotional events tend to be remembered particularly vividly. The neurobiological substrates of this phenomenon are poorly understood. Recently, the noradrenergic system has been implicated in that beta blockade has been shown to reduce significantly the delayed recall of emotional material with matched neutral material being unaffected. Methods. In the present study, 36 healthy young adults were randomly allocated to receive either yohimbine, which stimulates central noradrenergic activity, metoprolol which blocks noradrenergic activity, or matched placebo. The three groups were well matched. All capsules were taken orally, prior to viewing a narrated 11 slide show described a boy being involved in an accident. Results. Yohimbine significantly elevated, and metoprolol reduced mean heart rate during the slide show relative to placebo, thus confirming the efficacy of the pharmacological manipulation. One week later, in a ‘surprise’ test, memory for the slide show was tested. As predicted, yohimbine-treated subjects recalled significantly more and metoprolol subjects fewer slides relative to placebo. This result was confirmed via analysis of multiple-choice recognition memory scores. Conclusions. We conclude that stimulation of the noradrenergic system results in the enhancement and blockade in a reduction of recall and recognition of emotional material in man.
Bagging to Improve the Accuracy of A Clustering Procedure

MOTIVATION The microarray technology is increasingly being applied in biological and medical research to address a wide range of problems such as the classification of tumors. An important statistical question associated with tumor classification is the identification of new tumor classes using gene expression profiles. Essential aspects of this clustering problem include identifying accurate partitions of the tumor samples into clusters and assessing the confidence of cluster assignments for individual samples. RESULTS Two new resampling methods, inspired from bagging in prediction, are proposed to improve and assess the accuracy of a given clustering procedure. In these ensemble methods, a partitioning clustering procedure is applied to bootstrap learning sets and the resulting multiple partitions are combined by voting or the creation of a new dissimilarity matrix. As in prediction, the motivation behind bagging is to reduce variability in the partitioning results via averaging. The performances of the new and existing methods were compared using simulated data and gene expression data from two recently published cancer microarray studies. The bagged clustering procedures were in general at least as accurate and often substantially more accurate than a single application of the partitioning clustering procedure. A valuable by-product of bagged clustering are the cluster votes which can be used to assess the confidence of cluster assignments for individual observations. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION For supplementary information on datasets, analyses, and software, consult http://www.stat.berkeley.edu/~sandrine and http://www.bioconductor. org.
Mapping Composition Combining Schema and Data Level Heterogeneity in Peer Data Sharing Systems

The mapping semantics that combines the schema-level and the data-level mappings is called bi-level map- pings. Bi-level mappings enhance data sharing overcoming the limitations of the non-combined approaches. This paper presents an algorithm for composing two bi-level mappings by using tableaux. Composition of mappings between peers has several computational advantages in a peer data management system, such as yielding more efficient query transla- tion, pruning redundant paths, and better query execution plans. We also present a distributed algorithm for computing direct mapping between two end peers of a series of peers connected by a chain of mappings.
Moving with the Flow: Wave Particles in Flowing Liquids

This paper presents a real-time water simulation framework with respect to wave propagation in flowing liquids. The presented method is based on the coupling of liquid flow simulation and simulation of surface waves. Physically, our system combines the solution of the Navier-Stokes Equations with the solution of the 2D Wave Equation. Numerically, we combine the concept of wave particles with a FDM-based flow simulation. Thus, wave propagation in fast flowing liquids (e.g., a creek) can be simulated – in real-time. Therefore, it is very suitable for today’s video games and VR-environments. Finally, we discuss the coupling of the liquid simulation with a rigid-body simulation and a fountain simulation.
Walking and Family Lives

iv Acknowledgements . vi Figures . xiii Boxes . xiv Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Do families even walk anymore? 1 Research aims, approach and questions . 4 Research context: walking in Wollongong . 6 Thesis structure . 12 Chapter 2: Progress towards walking and family lives: a theoretical and policy-related discussion 17 Introduction . 17 Part 1: Ways of walking . 18 Strolling, rambling and sauntering . 18 Politics and tactics of urban walking . 23 The ‘mobilities turn’ and ‘new’ walking studies . 28 Part 2: Children’s geographies . 36
T Cell Activation Inhibitors Reduce CD8+ T Cell and Pro-Inflammatory Macrophage Accumulation in Adipose Tissue of Obese Mice

Adipose tissue inflammation and specifically, pro-inflammatory macrophages are believed to contribute to insulin resistance (IR) in obesity in humans and animal models. Recent studies have invoked T cells in the recruitment of pro-inflammatory macrophages and the development of IR. To test the role of the T cell response in adipose tissue of mice fed an obesogenic diet, we used two agents (CTLA-4 Ig and anti-CD40L antibody) that block co-stimulation, which is essential for full T cell activation. C57BL/6 mice were fed an obesogenic diet for 16 weeks, and concomitantly either treated with CTLA-4 Ig, anti-CD40L antibody or an IgG control (300 µg/week). The treatments altered the immune cell composition of adipose tissue in obese mice. Treated mice demonstrated a marked reduction in pro-inflammatory adipose tissue macrophages and activated CD8+ T cells. Mice treated with anti-CD40L exhibited reduced weight gain, which was accompanied by a trend toward improved IR. CTLA-4 Ig treatment, however, was not associated with improved IR. These data suggest that the presence of pro-inflammatory T cells and macrophages can be altered with co-stimulatory inhibitors, but may not be a significant contributor to the whole body IR phenotype.
Essays on urban sprawl and local public finance.

Esta Tesis esta dividida en tres capitulos esencialmente empiricos que analizan algunos aspectos relevantes sobre la dispersion urbana y las finanzas publicas municipales. Los Capitulos I y II analizan el impacto d e este modelo de crecimiento urbano sobre los presupuestos locales, mediante un enfoque tanto estatico como dinamico. El Capitulo III analiza el declive de las ciudades y el papel que la regulacion urbanistica tiene como remedio de politica publica.
Understanding Requirements of Place in Local Search

We present an online survey (N=306) focused on understanding what factors of location are important when choosing a target place of interest in a local search scenario. Using descriptions of location requirements from a restaurant search as our use case, we provide a characterization of the factors of location that influence decision-making in local search tasks. We highlight the complexity of end-users' location constraints, especially for shared local search scenarios, i.e. scenarios involving others. Even in a relatively mundane scenario, we demonstrate significant gaps in the handling of place requirements in existing location-based services as compared to identified user requirements. Our results point to a number of implications for improving location-based search.