Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incorporating External Knowledge into Crowd Intelligence for More Specific Knowledge Acquisition

Crowdsourcing has been a helpful mechanism to leverage human intelligence to acquire useful knowledge for well defined tasks. However, when aggregating the crowd knowledge based on the currently developed voting algorithms, it often results in common knowledge that may not be expected. In this paper, we consider the problem of collecting as specific as possible knowledge via crowdsourcing. With the help of using external knowledge base such as WordNet, we incorporate the semantic relations between the alternative answers into a probabilistic model to determine which answer is more specific. We formulate the probabilistic model considering both worker's ability and task's difficulty, and solve it by expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. Experimental results show that our approach achieved 35.88% improvement over majority voting when more specific answers are expected.
Non-volatile Hierarchical Temporal Memory: Hardware for Spatial Pooling

Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM) is a biomimetic machine learning algorithm imbibing the structural and algorithmic properties of the neocortex. Two main functional components of HTM that enable spatio-temporal processing are the spatial pooler and temporal memory. In this research, we explore a scalable hardware realization of the spatial pooler closely coupled with the mathematical formulation of spatial pooler. This class of neuromorphic algorithms are advantageous in solving a subset of the future engineering problems by extracting nonintuitive patterns in complex data. The proposed architecture, Non-volatile HTM (NVHTM), leverages large-scale solid state flash memory to realize a optimal memory organization, area and power envelope. A behavioral model of NVHTM is evaluated against the MNIST dataset, yielding 91.98% classification accuracy. A full custom layout is developed to validate the design in a TSMC 180nm process. The area and power profile of the spatial pooler are 30.538mm2 and 64.394mW, respectively. This design is a proof-of-concept that storage processing is a viable platform for large scale HTM network models.
Hydrogenation on metal surfaces: why are nanoparticles more active than single crystals?

Under low-pressure conditions, hydrogenation of alkenes, such as 2-pentene and ethene, is shown to occur on supported palladium nanoparticles, whereas single-crystal palladium surfaces are inactive. This finding is rationalized on the basis of the accessibility of weakly bound subsurface hydrogen (see picture), which is enhanced on particles of nanometer dimensions.
Opus: University of Bath Online Publication Store a Morphological Gradient Approach to Color Edge Detection

This version is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Abstract—A new color edge detector based on vector differences is proposed. The basic technique gives as its output the maximum distance between the vectors within a mask. When applied to scalar-valued images, the method reduces to the classic morphological gradient. The technique is relatively computationally efficient and can also be readily applied to other vector-valued images. To improve the performance in the presence of noise, a novel pairwise outlier rejection scheme is employed. A quantitative evaluation using Pratt's figure of merit shows the new technique to outperform other recently proposed color edge detectors. In addition, application to real images demonstrates the approach to be highly effective despite its low complexity.
An Efficient and Secure Identity-Based Strong Designated Verifier Signature Scheme

A strong designated verifier signature scheme makes it possible for a signer to convince a designatedverifier that she has signed a message in such a way that the designated verifier cannot transfer the signature to a thirdparty, and no third party can even verify the validity of a designated verifier signature. In 2008, Zhang and Mao proposed a novel ID- based strong designated verifier signature scheme based on bilinear pairings by combining ID-basedcryptosystem with the designated verifier signature. However, Kang et al. pointed out that Zhang-Mao scheme did notsatisfy the strong designated verifier signature property and then proposed an efficient ID-based designated verifiersignature scheme that is strong and unforgeable. Nevertheless, this paper demonstrates that Kang et al.’s scheme is stillvulnerable to universal forgery attacks and then proposes an improved scheme that not only can overcome such forgeryattacks but also can provide more efficiency. http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.itc. 40.4. 982
Using growing cell structures for surface reconstruction

We study the use of neural network algorithms in surface reconstruction from an unorganized point cloud, and meshing of an implicit surface. We found that for such applications, the most suitable type of neural networks is a modified version of the growing cell structure we propose here. The algorithm works by sampling randomly a target space, usually a point cloud or an implicit surface, and adjusting accordingly the neural network. The adjustment includes the connectivity of the network. Doing several experiments we found that the algorithm gives satisfactory results in some challenging situations involving sharp features and concavities. Another attractive feature of the algorithm is that its speed is virtually independent of the size of the input data, making it particularly suitable for the reconstruction of a surface from a very large point set.
Constraining the dark matter annihilation cross-section with Cherenkov telescope observations of dwarf galaxies

The presence of dark matter in the halo of our Galaxy could be revealed through indirect detection of its annihilation products. Dark matter annihilation is one possible interpretation of the recently measured excesses in positron and electron fluxes, provided that boost factors of the order of 10 3 or more are taken into account. Such boost factors are actually achievable through the velocity-dependent Sommerfeld enhancement of the annihilation cross-section. Here, we study the expected γ-ray flux from two local dwarf galaxies for which Cherenkov telescope measurements are available, namely Draco and Sagittarius. We use recent stellar kinematical measurements to model the dark matter haloes of the dwarfs and the results of numerical simulations to model the presence of an associated population of subhaloes. We incorporate the Sommerfeld enhancement of the annihilation cross-section. We compare our predictions with the observations of Draco and Sagittarius performed by MAGIC and HESS, respectively, and derive exclusion limits on the effective annihilation cross-section. We also study the sensitivities of Fermi and of the future Cherenkov telescope array to cross-section enhancements. We find that the boost factor due to the Sommerfeld enhancement is already constrained by the MAGIC and HESS data, with enhancements greater than ∼10 4 being excluded.
Can exclusive clustering on streaming data be achieved?

Clustering on streaming data aims at partitioning a list of data points into k groups of "similar" objects by scanning the data once. Most current one-scan clustering algorithms do not keep original data in the resulting clusters. The output of the algorithms is therefore not the clustered data points but the approximations of data properties according to the predefined similarity function, such that k centers and radiuses reflect the up-to-date data grouping. In this paper, we raise a critical question: can the partition-based clustering, or exclusive clustering, be achieved on streaming data by those currently available algorithms? After identifying the differences between traditional clustering and clustering on data streams, we discuss the basic requirements for the clusters that can be discovered from streaming data. We evaluate the recent work that is based on a subcluster maintenance approach. By using a few straightforward examples we illustrate that the subcluster maintenance approach may fail to resolve the exclusive clustering on data streams. Based on our observations, we also present the challenges on any heuristic method that claims solving the clustering problem on data streams in general.
Removal Dynamics of Immunoglobulin and Fibrinogen by Conventional Plasma Exchange, Selective Plasma Exchange, and a Combination of the Two

While plasma exchange (PE) can eliminate plasma proteins, including all immunoglobulin (Ig) and coagulation factors, selective plasma exchange (SePE) can retain fibrinogen (Fbg). Here, we investigated the removal dynamics of Ig and Fbg in 53 patients with immunological disorders by PE, SePE, and a combination of the two. When the mean processed plasma volume (PPV) was 0.9 plasma volume (PV), the mean percent reductions of Ig and Fbg by PE were both approximately 62%–65%. When the mean PPV was 1.1 PV, the mean percent reductions by SePE were 53.1% for IgG, 30.1% for IgA, 3.6% for IgM, and 19.0% for Fbg, respectively. In the three plasmapheresis sessions performed on alternate days, we classified treatments into three categories: PE group (PE–PE–PE, N = 2), SePE group (SePE–SePE–SePE, N = 14), and PE/SePE group (PE–SePE–SePE, N = 4). The mean percent reductions of IgG, IgA, IgM, and Fbg were 82.0%, 80.4%, 87.3%, and 80.9%, respectively, for the PE group; 76.4%, 57.7%, 43.3%, and 35.9%, respectively, for the PE/SePE group; and 75.4%, 50.6%, 3.2%, and 29.3%, respectively, for the SePE group. Plasmapheresis modalities can be combined according to clinical conditions, for instance, to achieve both the unspecific removal of pathogens by PE and retention of coagulation factors, such as Fbg, by SePE.
Importance of Aerobic Fitness in Cardiovascular Risks in Sedentary Overweight and Obese African-American Women

Background: Whether the level of aerobic fitness significantly impacts cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks in healthy, nondiabetic, overweight or obese African-American women remains uncertain. Objective: To examine the clinical and metabolic risk factors of CVD in nondiabetic, sedentary overweight or obese African-American women with varying degrees of aerobic fitness. Methods: Forty-eight African-American women, with mean age of 43 ± 4.2 years and body mass index of 32.3 ± 3.6 kg/m2, participated in the study. Fasting and 2-hr postprandial serum glucose, insulin, and C-peptide levels were obtained during oral glucose tolerance test. Insulin sensitivity was calculated by Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-IR). Aerobic fitness was categorized empirically as very low aerobic fitness (VLAF; n = 17, VO2max < 21 ml/kg/min), low aerobic fitness (LAF; n = 12, between 21 and 24.4 ml/kg/min), and moderate aerobic fitness (MAF; n = 19, >24.4 ml/kg/min). Results: Significant differences were found in serum glucose, insulin, and C-peptide levels, and HOMA-IR in the VLAF vs. LAF and MAF groups. Mean HOMA-IR was statistically greater in the VLAF and LAF when compared to MAF. Mean fasting serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were higher in the VLAF group compared to the MAF group, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower in the VLAF group. Despite differences in the obesity indices and insulin resistance in the three groups, the atherogenic lipids and lipoproteins were within normal limits, irrespective of degree of VO2max. Discussion: Modest aerobic fitness has significant impact on insulin sensitivity and atherogenic lipids and lipoprotein parameters and the overall risks for CVD in sedentary overweight or obese African-American women. Whether modest physical fitness translates into prevention of type 2 diabetes and CVD in African-American women remains to be determined.
Towards a mobile security & privacy simulator

The proliferation and capabilities of mobile, networked devices is increasing rapidly and with this trend new threats to security and privacy are emerging at an alarming rate. The new threats are difficult to study and prepare for, since field studies are costly, limited in scope and have significant security and privacy issues of their own. In this paper, we present a Mobile Security & Privacy Simulator, which enables the simulation of mobile entities and their environment to study security and privacy related issues. Entities act and interact with one another, influenced by personal and world context. Simulation can be used to evaluate privacy threats and countermeasures by numerical analysis and by visualization to better grasp the implications of new devices, services and the threats against them. We also present a brief study on the effects of mono-culture in mobile operating systems when faced with the epidemic spread of mobile malware, which shows how future mobile networks can reach total infection within a short time.
Ionomycin Treatment Renders NK Cells Hyporesponsive

Natural killer cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes important in immune responses to cancer and multiple pathogens. However, chronic activation of NK cells can induce a hyporesponsive state. The molecular basis of the mechanisms underlying the generation and maintenance of this hyporesponsive condition are unknown, thus an easy and reproducible mechanism able to induce hyporesponsiveness on human NK cells would be very useful to gain understanding of this process. Human NK cells treated with ionomycin lose their ability to degranulate and secrete IFN-γ in response to a variety of stimuli, but IL-2 stimulation can compensate these defects. Apart from reductions in the expression of CD11a/CD18, no great changes were observed in the activating and inhibitory receptors expressed by these NK cells, however their transcriptional signature is different to that described for other hyporesponsive lymphocytes.
Experimental Study on Compressive Performance of R.C. Columns with Recycled Aggregate

This paper presents the test results of 12 R.C. columns with recycled aggregates under axially loading and eccentrically loading, the dimensions of the column are width b=150mm, depth h=200mm and height l=1400mm, the recycled aggregate replacement rate of the concrete are 0%, 50% and 70% respectively, the concrete strength is of C40 grade. The compressive performance such as the strain of concrete and longitudinal reinforcement, the failure modes and the compressive bearing capacity of the R.C. columns with recycled aggregates are analyzed, and compared with the R.C. columns made of ordinary concrete. The results show that the compressive performance such as the loading process, the failure modes and the bearing capacity of the R.C. columns with recycled aggregates are almost the same as that of the columns with natural aggregate, the compressive bearing capacity of R.C. columns with recycled aggregates may be calculated by the stipulations of Chinese current design Code (GB50010). This may be as a reference for the application of the concrete with recycled aggregates in engineering.
Fetal cell grafts provide long-term protection against scrapie induced neuronal loss

We have transplanted fetal neurons to prolong hippocampal pyramidal cell survival in a mouse scrapie model in which 50% of CA1 pyramidal cells have died by day 180 of the 250-day incubation period. Cells prepared from embryonic PrP deficient mice were intracerebrally injected into infected mice on day 150 and groups killed on day 171 and with terminal disease. Neuron counts and CA1 depth measurements were made on semi-serial sections using an image analysis system. Both grafted groups retained more CA1 neurons than controls injected with medium alone, and showed greater depth of CA1 than controls. This new approach may have potential as a late-stage therapy for TSEs for which there are currently no available treatments.
Rapid and gradual modes of aerosol trace metal dissolution in seawater

Atmospheric deposition is a major source of trace metals in marine surface waters and supplies vital micronutrients to phytoplankton, yet measured aerosol trace metal solubility values are operationally defined, and there are relatively few multi-element studies on aerosol-metal solubility in seawater. Here we measure the solubility of aluminum (Al), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) from natural aerosol samples in seawater over a 7 days period to (1) evaluate the role of extraction time in trace metal dissolution behavior and (2) explore how the individual dissolution patterns could influence biota. Dissolution behavior occurs over a continuum ranging from rapid dissolution, in which the majority of soluble metal dissolved immediately upon seawater exposure (Cd and Co in our samples), to gradual dissolution, where metals dissolved slowly over time (Zn, Mn, Cu, and Al in our samples). Additionally, dissolution affected by interactions with particles was observed in which a decline in soluble metal concentration over time occurred (Fe and Pb in our samples). Natural variability in aerosol chemistry between samples can cause metals to display different dissolution kinetics in different samples, and this was particularly evident for Ni, for which samples showed a broad range of dissolution rates. The elemental molar ratio of metals in the bulk aerosols was 23,189Fe: 22,651Al: 445Mn: 348Zn: 71Cu: 48Ni: 23Pb: 9Co: 1Cd, whereas the seawater soluble molar ratio after 7 days of leaching was 11Fe: 620Al: 205Mn: 240Zn: 20Cu: 14Ni: 9Pb: 2Co: 1Cd. The different kinetics and ratios of aerosol metal dissolution have implications for phytoplankton nutrition, and highlight the need for unified extraction protocols that simulate aerosol metal dissolution in the surface ocean.
Microbial quality of water in dental unit waterlines

BACKGROUND: Dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) are ideal environment for development of microbial biofilms. Microbial contamination of water in DUWLs is thought to be the result of biofilm formation as it could serves as a haven for pathogens. The aim of this study was to assess microbial quality of water in dental unit waterlines of dental units located at the dental school of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. METHODS: Water samples were collected from air/water syringe and high-speed handpiece. Generally, 100-200 ml water samples were collected aseptically in sterile containers with sodium thiosulfate at the beginning of the day after a 2 minute purge. Samples were transferred to the laboratory in insulated box with cooling packs and examined for total viable heterotrophic bacteria and fungi. RESULTS: The heterotrophic plate count levels were significantly exceeded the American Dental Association recommendations for DUWL water quality (< 200 CFU/ml), in both air/water syringe (84%, CFU/ml: 500-20000) and high-speed handpiece (96%, CFU/ml: 710-36800) samples. However, there was no significant difference between the level of contamination in the air/water syringe and high-speed handpiece. Fungi were found in 28% and 36% of air/water syringe and high-speed handpiece samples, respectively; and filamentous fungi were the most frequently isolated fungi. CONCLUSIONS: DUWLs should be subjected to routine microbial monitoring and to a decontamination protocol in order to minimize the risk of exposure to potential pathogens from dental units.
Modeling the Optical Response to a Near-Field Probe Tip from a Generalized Multilayer Thin Film

The contrast mechanism in Kerr imaging is the apparent angle through which the plane of polarization is rotated upon reflection from a magnetic surface. This can be calculated for a well characterized surface given the polarization state of the incident light. As in traditional optical microscopy, the spatial resolution is limited by diffraction to roughly half the wavelength of the illumination light. The diffraction limit can be circumvented through the use of near-field scanning optical microscopy, in which the illumination source is an evanescent field at the tip of a tapered optical fiber. A novel probe design for near-field optical imaging in reflection mode will be proposed, and experimental work on the development of a near-field Kerr microscope performed up to this point will be presented. The complication in merging these two techniques arises from the complex polarization profile of the evanescent field. This profile can be characterized for a given probe geometry with the use of electromagnetic field modeling software, allowing for subsequent modeling of the polarization profile of the optical response. An algorithm for predicting the optical response to a near-field probe tip from a generalized multilayer thin-film is presented.
Does old age or Parkinson's disease cause bradyphrenia?

BACKGROUND Age-related declines in intellectual functioning have been linked to slower processing of information. However, any slowness with advancing age could simply reflect slower movement rather than impaired cognition. To assess any age-related decline in cognitive speed, we used an accuracy-based task that does not require a speeded motor response and that measures the time required to acquire information (inspection time). To identify possible biological mechanisms of cognitive slowing, this task was also applied to patients with Parkinson's disease, a basal ganglia disorder that reportedly causes bradyphrenia (slower thought processes). METHODS In one experiment, 16 young (mean age 22.4 years) and 16 older adults (mean age 71.6 years) matched for intelligence and education completed an inspection time task. The task required judgments as to order of onset of two lights, where the interval between onsets ranged from 20-250 msec. A second experiment compared 16 patients diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and 16 age-matched controls upon the same task. RESULTS Older adults demonstrated significant cognitive slowing compared to younger adults. Medicated nondemented Parkinsonian patients were not impaired on this task compared to age-matched controls. CONCLUSIONS Clinical and empirical impressions of bradyphrenia in Parkinson's disease may instead reflect advancing age or slower movement, because the effects of age may be greater in some cases than the effects of basal ganglia disease once motor dysfunction has been allowed for.