Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metal-dielectric superlenses for ultraviolet and visible light

Metal-dielectric superlenses for ultraviolet and visible light This thesis describes a variety of experiments towards the goal of improved superlensing. This new type of lenses are based on materials with a negative refractive index, which opens up the possibility of resolving details that are significantly smaller than the wavelength of light. The results show that a resolution of 80nm can be achieved at a wavelength of 365nm, which is well below the diffraction limit, and thus proves that the superlensing effect is occurring. The use of a superlens to translate an optical hotspot was tested. For this purpose, a silver superlens was used to image the enhanced field local field intensity from a nanoantenna array, and the results indicate a successful transfer, which opens up a number of possibilities within the fields of biological, chemical and medical diagnostics. The use of multilayer lenses to improve imaging was also tested, for which a very low roughness lens consisting of alternating silver and silicon dioxide layers was fabricated. Unfortunately no clear conclusion could be reached, due to problems with the underlying chrome test structure. Finally, experiments were performed on the use of metal-dielectric composites as a superlensing material, due to their tunable optical properties. The results show, that when using such composites, it is indeed possible to selectively alter the real part of the permittivity, as predicted by effective medium theory, but the loss is much higher than expected.
CLP-based multifrequency test generation for analog circuits

In our previous work we elaborated a multifrequency test generation method (TPG) for detecting parametric and catastrophic faults in linear analog circuits. The method was formulated as an optimization problem which was solved by Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP), a non-linear programming method available in MATLAB. Such standard optimization methods are based on and process local information and consequently cannot guarantee a global optimum. In this paper we propose a method based on Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) that solves the optimization problem in TPG as a series of Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSPs). Our TPG method is fully automatic and provides right and guaranteed bounds on the global optima of a nonlinear function. The TPG method was implemented in CLP(BNR) Prolog. First, we illustrate the effectiveness of our approach on a number of nonlinear functions known to be difficult, and then we apply it to a realistic electronic circuit in the context of TPG. The two methods produce the same results except for one case where SQP falls into a local minimum. This could lead to a wrong test selection. Moreover, while the TPG took over a week of work using SQP, it was solved in a matter of minutes using CLP.
Delineating Species with DNA Barcodes: A Case of Taxon Dependent Method Performance in Moths

The accelerating loss of biodiversity has created a need for more effective ways to discover species. Novel algorithmic approaches for analyzing sequence data combined with rapidly expanding DNA barcode libraries provide a potential solution. While several analytical methods are available for the delineation of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), few studies have compared their performance. This study compares the performance of one morphology-based and four DNA-based (BIN, parsimony networks, ABGD, GMYC) methods on two groups of gelechioid moths. It examines 92 species of Finnish Gelechiinae and 103 species of Australian Elachistinae which were delineated by traditional taxonomy. The results reveal a striking difference in performance between the two taxa with all four DNA-based methods. OTU counts in the Elachistinae showed a wider range and a relatively low (ca. 65%) OTU match with reference species while OTU counts were more congruent and performance was higher (ca. 90%) in the Gelechiinae. Performance rose when only monophyletic species were compared, but the taxon-dependence remained. None of the DNA-based methods produced a correct match with non-monophyletic species, but singletons were handled well. A simulated test of morphospecies-grouping performed very poorly in revealing taxon diversity in these small, dull-colored moths. Despite the strong performance of analyses based on DNA barcodes, species delineated using single-locus mtDNA data are best viewed as OTUs that require validation by subsequent integrative taxonomic work.
Long-Term Satellite Detection of Post-Fire Vegetation Trends in Boreal Forests of China

This paper describes the long-term effects on vegetation following the catastrophic fire in 1987 on the northern Great Xing'an Mountain by analyzing the AVHRR GIMMS 15-day composite normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset. Both temporal and spatial characteristics were analyzed for natural regeneration and tree planting scenarios from 1984 to 2006. Regressing post-fire NDVI values on the pre-fire values helped identify the NDVI for burnt pixels in vegetation stands. Stand differences in fire damage were classified into five levels: Very High (VH), High (H), Moderate (M), Low (L) and Slight (S). Furthermore, intra-annual and inter-annual post-fire vegetation recovery trajectories were analyzed by deriving a time series of NDVI and relative regrowth index (RRI) values for the entire burned area. Finally, spatial pattern and trend analyses were conducted using the pixel-based post-fire annual stands regrowth index (SRI) with a nonparametric Mann-Kendall (MK) statistics method. The results show that October was a better period compared to other months for distinguishing the post- and pre-fire vegetation conditions using the NDVI signals in boreal forests of China because colored leaves on grasses and shrubs fall down, while the leaves on healthy trees remain green in October. The
Planning and Acting under Uncertainty: A New Model for Spoken Dialogue System

Uncertainty plays a central role in spoken dialogue systems. Some stochastic models like the Markov decision process (MDP) are used to model the dialogue manager. But the partially observable system state and user intentions hinder the natural representation of the dialogue state. A MDP-based system degrades quickly when uncertainty about a user's intention increases. We propose a novel dialogue model based on the partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP). We use hidden system states and user intentions as the state set, parser results and low-level information as the observation set, and domain actions and dialogue repair actions as the action set. Here, low-level information is extracted from different input modalities, including speech, keyboard, mouse, etc., using Bayesian networks. Because of the limitation of the exact algorithms, we focus on heuristic approximation algorithms and their applicability in POMDP for dialogue management. We also propose two methods for grid point selection in grid-based algorithms
The use of laser light to enhance the uptake of foliar-applied substances into citrus (Citrus sinensis) leaves1

Premise of the study: Uptake of foliar-applied substances across the leaf cuticle is central to world food production as well as for physiological investigations into phloem structure and function. Yet, despite the presence of stomata, foliar application as a delivery system can be extremely inefficient due to the low permeability of leaf surfaces to polar compounds. Methods: Using laser light to generate microscopic perforations in the leaf cuticle, we tested the penetration of several substances into the leaf, their uptake into the phloem, and their subsequent movement through the phloem tissue. Substances varied in their size, charge, and Stokes radius. Results: The phloem-mobile compounds 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG), lysine, Biocillin, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), trehalose, carboxyfluorescein-SE, and poly(amidomine) (PAMAM) dendrimer G-4 nanoparticles (4.5 nm in size) showed a high degree of mobility and were able to penetrate and be transported in the phloem. Discussion: Our investigation demonstrated the effectiveness of laser light technology in enhancing the penetration of foliar-applied substances into citrus leaves. The technology is also applicable to the study of phloem mobility of substances by providing a less invasive, highly repeatable, and more quantifiable delivery method. The implied superficial lesions to the leaf can be mitigated by applying a waxy coating.
Prognostic relevance of autophagy markers LC3B and p62 in esophageal adenocarcinomas

Esophageal adenocarcinomas (EAC) are aggressive tumors with considerable rates of chemoresistance. Autophagy is a lysosome-dependent degradation process, characterized by the formation of vesicles called autophagosomes, and has been implicated in cancer. Protein light chain 3 B (LC3B) and p62 are associated with autophagosomal membranes and degraded. We aimed to assess the impact of basal autophagy on EAC. In EAC cell lines, an increase in LC3B and p62 was observed with increasing concentrations of the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, which indicates functional basal autophagy. LC3B and p62 immunohistochemistry was performed on primary resected EAC. High LC3B and p62 expression was associated with earlier tumor stages (p < 0.05). High nuclear and cytoplasmic p62 staining were associated with a better prognosis (p = 0.006; p = 0.028). Various combinations of p62 expression with or without LC3B expression identified different prognostic groups. Tumors with low total p62 (p = 0.007) or low LC3B/low p62 expression had the worst outcome (p = 0.007; p = 0.005). A combination score of dot-like/cytoplasmic p62 and nuclear p62 staining was an independent prognostic parameter (p = 0.033; HR = 0.6). This study highlights the potential significance of basal autophagy in EAC biology. Tumors with low LC3B and p62 expression show the most aggressive behavior and may be candidates for autophagy regulating therapeutics.
Participating in Life Again: A Mixed-Method Study on a Goal-Orientated Rehabilitation Program for Young Adult Cancer Survivors

Background: Young adult cancer survivors (18–35 years old) are at risk of lifelong threats to physical and psychosocial health and decreased life participation. Research indicates lack of information about the late effects and health risks and limited follow-up and rehabilitation. Objective: The objectives of this study were to examine whether a goal-oriented rehabilitation program increased young adult cancer survivors’ participation and explore the participants’ descriptions and experience of the process. Methods: We used a convergent parallel design combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Sixteen young adult cancer survivors (aged 24–35 years), with different cancer diagnoses, were allocated to a 6-month rehabilitation program. Results: The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure showed significant (P < .001) change in both performance and satisfaction from the start (T1) to the end (T4) of the program. Qualitative results indicated that increased participation was depended on building capacity and finding the balance, gaining new insight, and follow-up. Important factors of the rehabilitation program seemed to be physical activity, psychoeducation, peer-to-peer support, and follow-up over time. Conclusions: Results indicate that a goal-oriented rehabilitation program may increase participation by young adult cancer survivors. The goal-oriented process is not straightforward and depends on experience of coping and control, finding a balance between the different areas of life and follow-up over time. Implications for Practice: Health professionals should play an important role in the rehabilitation of young adult cancer survivors by promoting empowerment and follow-up over time. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure seems to be a valuable instrument for setting goals and thus helps facilitate participation.
Lexis Diagram and Illness-Death Model: Simulating Populations in Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Chronic diseases impose a tremendous global health problem of the 21st century. Epidemiological and public health models help to gain insight into the distribution and burden of chronic diseases. Moreover, the models may help to plan appropriate interventions against risk factors. To provide accurate results, models often need to take into account three different time-scales: calendar time, age, and duration since the onset of the disease. Incidence and mortality often change with age and calendar time. In many diseases such as, for example, diabetes and dementia, the mortality of the diseased persons additionally depends on the duration of the disease. The aim of this work is to describe an algorithm and a flexible software framework for the simulation of populations moving in an illness-death model that describes the epidemiology of a chronic disease in the face of the different times-scales. We set up a discrete event simulation in continuous time involving competing risks using the freely available statistical software R. Relevant events are birth, the onset (or diagnosis) of the disease and death with or without the disease. The Lexis diagram keeps track of the different time-scales. Input data are birth rates, incidence and mortality rates, which can be given as numerical values on a grid. The algorithm manages the complex interplay between the rates and the different time-scales. As a result, for each subject in the simulated population, the algorithm provides the calendar time of birth, the age of onset of the disease (if the subject contracts the disease) and the age at death. By this means, the impact of interventions may be estimated and compared.
Scalable Kernel Performance for Internet Servers Under Realistic Loads

UNIX Internet servers with an event-driven architecture often perform poorly under real workloads, even if they perform well under laboratory benchmarking conditions. We investigated the poor performance of event-driven servers. We found that the delays typical in wide-area networks cause busy servers to manage a large number of simultaneous connections. We also observed that the select system call implementation in most UNIX kernels scales poorly with the number of connections being managed by a process. The UNIX algorithm for allocating file descriptors also scales poorly. These algorithmic problems lead directly to the poor performance of event-driven servers. We implemented scalable versions of the select system call and the descriptor allocation algorithm. This led to an improvement of up to 58% in Web proxy and Web server throughput, and dramatically improved the scalability of the system.
Upper-Room Ultraviolet Light and Negative Air Ionization to Prevent Tuberculosis Transmission

Background Institutional tuberculosis (TB) transmission is an important public health problem highlighted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the emergence of multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant TB. Effective TB infection control measures are urgently needed. We evaluated the efficacy of upper-room ultraviolet (UV) lights and negative air ionization for preventing airborne TB transmission using a guinea pig air-sampling model to measure the TB infectiousness of ward air. Methods and Findings For 535 consecutive days, exhaust air from an HIV-TB ward in Lima, Perú, was passed through three guinea pig air-sampling enclosures each housing approximately 150 guinea pigs, using a 2-d cycle. On UV-off days, ward air passed in parallel through a control animal enclosure and a similar enclosure containing negative ionizers. On UV-on days, UV lights and mixing fans were turned on in the ward, and a third animal enclosure alone received ward air. TB infection in guinea pigs was defined by monthly tuberculin skin tests. All guinea pigs underwent autopsy to test for TB disease, defined by characteristic autopsy changes or by the culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from organs. 35% (106/304) of guinea pigs in the control group developed TB infection, and this was reduced to 14% (43/303) by ionizers, and to 9.5% (29/307) by UV lights (both p < 0.0001 compared with the control group). TB disease was confirmed in 8.6% (26/304) of control group animals, and this was reduced to 4.3% (13/303) by ionizers, and to 3.6% (11/307) by UV lights (both p < 0.03 compared with the control group). Time-to-event analysis demonstrated that TB infection was prevented by ionizers (log-rank 27; p < 0.0001) and by UV lights (log-rank 46; p < 0.0001). Time-to-event analysis also demonstrated that TB disease was prevented by ionizers (log-rank 3.7; p = 0.055) and by UV lights (log-rank 5.4; p = 0.02). An alternative analysis using an airborne infection model demonstrated that ionizers prevented 60% of TB infection and 51% of TB disease, and that UV lights prevented 70% of TB infection and 54% of TB disease. In all analysis strategies, UV lights tended to be more protective than ionizers. Conclusions Upper-room UV lights and negative air ionization each prevented most airborne TB transmission detectable by guinea pig air sampling. Provided there is adequate mixing of room air, upper-room UV light is an effective, low-cost intervention for use in TB infection control in high-risk clinical settings.
Shaping QoE in the 5G ecosystem

5G is rapidly moving from vision to reality and there is already some consensus regarding the technical requirements of 5G. Traditionally, performance monitoring based on existing standards has been focusing on technical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). However, it is actually more important to focus on Quality of Experience (QoE) directly. Service delivery in 5G should account for the sheer diversity of existing and emerging use cases as well as for the vast variety of demands per service type. These requirements would only be addressed by a shift from system-centric to user-centric architectures. Given this background, this paper aims to push towards integrating QoE requirements in the 5G ecosystem, and to highlight the importance of network designs that have the enduser at their epicenter. To this end, we identify and analyze the essential must-have attributes that can shape QoE-centric networks and discuss how they fit in the 5G big picture. Then we describe current and emerging technological enablers of QoE in 5G, as well as important challenges towards achieving this goal.
Three new country records from the genus Limnephilus Leach, 1815 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) from the Republic of Kosovo

Abstract New faunistic data on Trichoptera from Kosovo based on sampling carried out during the autumn of 2013 and first half of 2014 are presented. Limnephilus bipunctatus was found in a small stream in Kaqandoll village located in northern Kosovo and in Shtuticë village located in central Kosovo. Two male specimens of Limnephilus decipiens were found at Gurrat e Hasan Agës Springs and Bistrica e Lloqanit River, an alpine area in the Lloqan mountains, which belong to the Bjeshkët e Nemuna mountains. A single male specimen of Limnephilus stigma was found in Klinë, located in central Kosovo. All three species are rare in Kosovo. A preliminary checklist of eight species of Limnephilus from Kosovo is provided along with biogeographical and ecological notes. This paper is a further contribution to the faunistic list of Trichoptera of Kosovo, one of the least explored countries in Europe.
Inertia-Based Ear Biometrics: A Novel Approach

Abstract The human ear has been deemed to be a source of data for person identification in recent years. Ear biometrics has distinct advantages, such as visibility from a distance and ease with which images could be captured. This paper elaborates on a novel approach to ear biometrics. We propose moment of inertia-based biometric for the ears in any random orientation. The features concerned are the moment of inertia about the major and minor axes, corresponding radii of gyration, and the planar surface area of the ear. The databases of the said features were collected through ear images of 600 subjects. Principal component analysis of the features demonstrated that the radius of gyration with respect to the major axis, moment of inertia about the minor axis, and radius of gyration about the minor axis are significant attributes contributing to major variability. The person identification system developed showed recognition rates of 99% with just three attributes, when compared with the 96% recognition rate when all five attributes were considered. The evaluation of the system was done on several metrics. All metrics were found to be insignificant in their magnitude, which is suggestive of robustness and excellent authentication performance.
Changes in periodontal disease experience from 26 to 32 years of age in a birth cohort.

BACKGROUND Information is lacking on the natural history of periodontitis through the third and fourth decades of life. METHODS Periodontal examinations were conducted at 26 and 32 years of age in a longstanding prospective study of a birth cohort born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1972 and 1973. At each age, gingival recession (GR) and probing depth (PD) were recorded at three sites per tooth using a diagonal half-mouth design (measurements were made in all four quadrants at 32 years of age, but longitudinal comparisons were made using only the half-mouth data). RESULTS A total of 882 individuals were examined at both ages. The mean number of measured sites fell between 26 and 32 years of age. The overall prevalence of one or more sites with >or=4 mm combined attachment loss (CAL) rose from 18.6% to 21.8%, whereas there were greater increases in the proportion with two or more sites with >or=4 mm CAL (from 8.0% to 12.6%) and one or more sites with >or=5 mm CAL (from 3.6% to 8.0%). The extent and severity of CAL also increased. A total of 403 individuals (45.7%) had an increase in CAL >or=2 mm at one or more sites, whereas 110 (12.5%) had a CAL increase >or=3 mm at one or more sites. Seen in approximately 4% of sites, negative GR (i.e., gingival enlargement) had a substantial effect on PD-based estimates. An increase in PD >or=2 mm at one or more sites was experienced by 345 individuals (39.1%), whereas 88 people (10.0%) had an increase in PD >or=3 mm at one or more sites. The greatest mean attachment loss was experienced at disto-lingual sites on molars, and most manifested as PD increases. Notable increases in GR were seen with lower incisors and canines. CONCLUSIONS Periodontal loss of attachment continues among a sizable proportion of people from the third to the fourth decade of life; however, contrary to patterns in older adults, changes in the PD component are greater than the changes in the recession component. Incident attachment loss is most frequently observed at proximal sites on posterior teeth.