Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-phase noise temperature-compensated cryogenic whispering gallery mode resonator operated at 63 K in a closed-cycle cooler

We report further progress on whispering gallery (WG) modes in a miniature temperature compensated composite dielectric sapphire and rutile resonator operating in a closed cycle cooler which can exhibit loaded Q/sub L/ values above 10/sup 7/ at /spl sim/10 GHz. The geometrical size of the dielectric pucks has been increased so that a compact loop-oscillator system is realized at a frequency close to the Cs atomic clock hyperfine frequency and an operating temperature of 63.5 K. Excellent long term temperature control (stability is better than 100 /spl mu/K) has been achieved. The high Q of the dielectric resonators can be used to produce low phase noise oscillators limited only by the performance of amplifiers and mixers. Effective mechanical vibration isolation is also demonstrated in a Giffard-McMahon cooler.
Palaeomagnetic Geochronology of Quaternary Sequences in the Levant

Palaeomagnetic dating methods are based on comparing magnetic information from materials or sequences, whose ages are at least partly unknown, with the geomagnetic chronology. The global Quaternary geomagnetic chronology is continuously updated, and currently includes 10 polarity reversals and at least 18 validated geomagnetic excursions that serve as chronological markers for sedimentary and volcanic sequences. In addition, short-term secular variations of the past several millennia can be used for theHolocene. Here, we review the principles underlying palaeomagnetic chronology with emphasis on Quaternary rocks, sediments, and archeological substances. We summarize a number of successful applications of palaeomagnetic dating in the Levant, and provide insight into future possibilities for Quaternary palaeomagnetism.
GRAM‐NEGATIVE BACILLARY PNEUMONIA IN THE COMPROMISED HOST

The clinical and radiological characteristics of 217 consecutive episodes of gram-negative bacillary pneumonia occurring in 189 adult cancer patients between November 1968 and December 1974 were analyzed. The majority of patients had acute leukemia (54%). Fever larger than or equal to 101 degrees F was the single most common symptom and sign of the presence of infection (90%). Next in frequency were crepitant rales (65%), cough (41%), dyspnea (19%) and chest pain (18%). Radiographic evidence of pneumonia was found in 83% of cases and it consisted mainly of alveolar infiltrates involving both lung fields and predominantly the bases. Up to one-third of the patients had normal chestx-ray examinations at the onset of infection, though they subsequently became abnormal in 42% of them. The majority of patients (81%) whose initial chest x-rays did not reveal the presence of pneumonia were neutropenic (less than 1000 circumlating neutrophils/mm3). Klebsiella sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were the most common infecting organisms. The overall cure rate was 61%; 70% for Klebsiella sp. infections and 64% for Pseudomonas sp. infections. Pulmonary abscesses occurred in 14% of the cases. Cures were related to the antibiotic sensitivity of the infecting organisms and to the number of circulating neutrophils during the period of infection. Best results were obtained with the administration of gentamicin, the newer aminoglycoside antibiotic sisomicin, tobramycin and amikacin, or the combination of gentamicin with carbenicillin or with cephalosporins. Early and vigorous therapy of gram-negative bacillary pneumonia with appropriate antibiotics has improved the prognosis of this infection at our institution.
You Get What You Pay For? Self-Construal Influences Price-Quality Judgments

How does cultural self-construal influence consumers' tendency to use price to judge quality? Seven experiments designed to address this question revealed that people with a more interdependent (vs. independent) cultural self-construal--operationalized by ethnicity, nationality, measured self-construal, or manipulated salient self-construal--have a greater tendency to use price information to judge quality. This difference arises because interdependents tend to be holistic (vs. analytic) thinkers who are more likely to perceive interrelations between the elements of a product. These effects were observed regardless of whether the price-quality relation was assessed with a standard self-report scale or via actual product judgments, and whether thinking style was measured or manipulated. However, cultural differences only emerged in situations that afforded interdependents (vs. independents) a relational processing advantage. These findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the effects and identify novel boundary conditions for the influence of self-construal and thinking style on consumer judgments.
Ecological factors regulating mercury contamination of fish from Caddo Lake, Texas, USA

Most studies examining the influence of ecological characteristics offish on Hg concentration in fish tissues have focused on a few variables and been conducted in northern ecosystems. We examined how total length (TL), age, food‐web position (estimated using δ13C and δ15N), and habitat were related to total Hg concentrations in 10 species of fish from Caddo Lake, a subtropical reservoir located on the border of Texas and Louisiana, USA. We observed biomagnification in the Caddo Lake fish assemblage, and the enrichment factors (the slope of the relationship between δ15N and total Hg concentration) in the two habitats were 0.19 and 0.24, similar to those found in other studies. Although trophic position was the best predictor of total Hg concentration between species, age and TL were the best predictors of total Hg concentration within species. Unlike studies conducted in deep lakes, δ13C values of fish tissue, a measure of the extent to which fish feed in food webs based on pelagic or littoral primary production, was not a good predictor of total Hg concentration in Caddo Lake fish. Total Hg concentrations in fish were elevated in forested‐wetland habitats relative to open‐water habitats. Data collected in the present study indicate that more Hg likely was available for incorporation into the base of the food web in the forested‐wetland habitat than in the open‐water habitat. Our results help to clarify the relationship between ecological characteristics of fish and Hg concentration in fish tissue and can be used by researchers as well as public and environmental health officials when designing Hg monitoring studies.
T-bet–dependent S1P5 expression in NK cells promotes egress from lymph nodes and bone marrow

During a screen for ethylnitrosourea-induced mutations in mice affecting blood natural killer (NK) cells, we identified a strain, designated Duane, in which NK cells were reduced in blood and spleen but increased in lymph nodes (LNs) and bone marrow (BM). The accumulation of NK cells in LNs reflected a decreased ability to exit into lymph. This strain carries a point mutation within Tbx21 (T-bet), which generates a defective protein. Duane NK cells have a 30-fold deficiency in sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 5 (S1P5) transcript levels, and S1P5-deficient mice exhibit an egress defect similar to Duane. Chromatin immunoprecipitation confirms binding of T-bet to the S1pr5 locus. S1P-deficient mice exhibit a more severe NK cell egress block, and the FTY720-sensitive S1P1 also plays a role in NK cell egress from LNs. S1P5 is not inhibited by CD69, a property that may facilitate trafficking of activated NK cells to effector sites. Finally, the accumulation of NK cells within BM of S1P-deficient mice was associated with reduced numbers in BM sinusoids, suggesting a role for S1P in BM egress. In summary, these findings identify S1P5 as a T-bet–induced gene that is required for NK cell egress from LNs and BM.
Cholesteryl Esters of Aggregated LDL Are Internalized by Selective Uptake in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Objective—Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein (LRP1) mediates the internalization of aggregated LDL (agLDL)–LDL trapped in the arterial intima bound to proteoglycans–into human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). LRP1-mediated agLDL uptake induces high-intracellular cholesteryl ester (CE) accumulation. The aim of this study was to characterize the mechanism of agLDL internalization in human VSMC. Methods and Results—The lipidic component of LDL was labeled with [3H] and the apolipoprotein component with [125I]. We found that >90% of intracellular CE derived from agLDL uptake was not associated with apoB100 degradation but was selectively taken up from agLDL. The inhibition of LRP1 expression by small interfering RNA treatment led to a decrease of 80±0.05% in agLDL-CE selective uptake. AgLDL induced intracellular CE accumulation without a concomitant CE synthesis. Cytosolic and cytoskeletal proteins were not required for CE transport. Electron and confocal microscopy experiments indicate that CE derived from agLDL accumulated in adipophilin-stained lipid droplets that were not removable by high-density lipoprotein. Conclusions—Taken together, these results demonstrate that LRP1 mediates the selective uptake of CE from agLDL and that CE derived from agLDL is not intracellularly processed but stored in lipid droplets in human VSMC.
Hydrodynamic Damping Identification from an Impulse Response of a Vibrating Blade

In the present study, the identification of hydrodynamic damping is investigated in the case of 2D blade placed in the test section of the EPFL High Speed Cavitation Tunnel. A non intrusive technique, based on a spark generated bubble, is used to generate a wide band mechanical excitation. An underwater electric discharge at the bottom of the test section creates a fast growing and collapsing bubble which generates strong shock waves in the test section. The response of the blade to this excitation impulse is monitored with the help of a digital Laser Doppler vibrometer. Assuming a Single Degree of Freedom (SDOF) system, the hydrodynamic damping is estimated in the time domain by fitting an exponentially damped function on the impulse response envelope. Tests are performed for flow velocities ranging from rest up to 15 m/s. A linear relationship is found between the hydrodynamic damping and the reduced flow velocity for the first bending mode, while surprisingly a constant damping factor is experienced for the first torsion mode.
Indexing of Satellite Images With Different Resolutions by Wavelet Features

Space agencies are rapidly building up massive image databases. A particularity of these databases is that they are made of images with different, but known, resolutions. In this paper, we introduce a new scheme allowing us to compare and index images with different resolutions. This scheme relies on a simplified acquisition model of satellite images and uses continuous wavelet decompositions. We establish a correspondence between scales which permits us to compare wavelet decompositions of images having different resolutions. We validate the approach through several matching and classification experiments, and we show that taking the acquisition process into account yields better results than just using scaling properties of wavelet features.
Theory and application of image neighborhood parallel processing

We propose the theory of image neighborhood processing which includes algorithm, storage and processing for parallel image data. Its core idea lies in the identity and parallelism of data structures used by software algorithm, memory and processing unit. This theory solves the problem of frame data flow which is the bottleneck of high speed image processing. In this paper, we discuss the storage structure using incomplete rotate matrix and its corresponding processing unit. Based on the theory of image neighborhood processing, we have developed NIPC-3 neighborhood image parallel computer, providing parallel access to very large neighborhood image. The largest size of neighborhood core is 25 × 24 and the peak speed of neighborhood computing reaches 135 billion multiplication-accumulation operations per second. Experimental results show that NIPC-3 enables much faster implementation for low level processing and can be utilized by more complex algorithms.
Pebbles in Archaeological Contexts: A Case Study from a West Texas Cave

ABSTRACT The recovery of hundreds of unmodified polished pebbles from excavations at Spirit Eye Cave in West Texas provides an opportunity to analyze an underreported class of lithic artifact. When unmodified pebbles are recovered from large shelter sites in the Texas region, they are sometimes associated with a portable form of pebble art. Because of the small size and recovery of avian faunal elements from the cave, this analysis pursued the possibility of the pebbles representing gastroliths associated with the procurement of avian species. Diagnostic attributes of gastroliths from experimental studies in paleontology provide the criteria for assessment. The results indicate that local formation processes, rather than the procurement of avian species by prehistoric inhabitants, better explain the data set. The study also found more polished chert pebbles than any other lithic material and this is argued to represent human agency; a discussion of the implications for these results provides a range of interpretive possibilities.
Sedimentary budget of the Southwest Sub‐basin, South China Sea: Controlling factors and geological implications

Calculation of the sediment budget in the South China Sea abyssal basin lacks constraints from drilling data and reinterpretation of seismic data. On the basis of six multichannel seismic profiles across the Southwest Sub‐basin (SWSB) and the drilling data from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349, we divided the Cenozoic sediments into four sedimentary units. The sedimentary budget of the abyssal basin at different geological times was calculated. The previous works in the Mekong continental shelf and slope areas were integrated to calculate the sediment budget of the whole SWSB. Our researches show that the sediment budget in the SWSB increased during the Palaeogene and reached its first peak because of intensified erosion, which might have resulted from the continued uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and accelerated southeastward extrusion of the Indo‐China Peninsula. Since the Late Miocene, the sediment budget was mainly influenced by the East Asia monsoon, that is, the intensified winter monsoon decreased the sediment budget of the entire area during the Late Miocene, whereas the strengthened summer monsoon increased the sediment budget during the Pliocene and reached a peak during the Pleistocene. The sediment budgets of the Mekong continental shelf, the Mekong continental slope, and the abyssal basin have distinct characteristics, relating to the infilling sequence of the terrestrial sediments in different regions. The sediment provenance of the SWSB was mainly from the Indo‐China Peninsula, the Nansha area, and the Palawan before the Late Miocene. After that time, sediments were mainly transported from the modern Mekong River.
Tossing and turning--insomnia in relation to occupational stress, rumination, fatigue, and well-being.

OBJECTIVES This study of a large and heterogeneous sample of 5210 daytime employees was designed to shed more light on the work effort-recovery mechanism by examining the cross-sectional relations between subjective sleep quality and (i) psychosocial work characteristics, (ii) work-related rumination, (iii) fatigue after work, and (iv) affective well-being at work and work pleasure. METHODS We used the Dutch Questionnaire on the Experience and Evaluation of Work and created three sleep quality groups (low, low-to-intermediate, and high quality). Group differences were studied through analysis of variance (ANOVA). To examine the relations among the study variables in more detail, we also conducted four sets of stepwise regression analyses. In all the analyses, we corrected for age, level of education, and gender. RESULTS A series of (M)ANOVA provided strong evidence for a relation between sleep quality and adverse work characteristics and work-related rumination. Furthermore, poor sleepers reported higher levels of fatigue after work, and poor sleep quality was related to both lower affective well-being during work and work pleasure. Regression analyses revealed that sleep quality was the strongest statistical predictor of after-work fatigue and affective well-being at work, and high levels of work rumination constituted the strongest statistical predictor of sleep complaints. CONCLUSIONS As this study showed strong relations between sleep quality, occupational stress, fatigue, perseverative cognitions, and work motivation, it supports effort-recovery theory. Interventions should aim to prevent a disbalance between effort and recovery.
Complexities in Isolation and Purification of Multiple Viruses from Mixed Viral Infections: Viral Interference, Persistence and Exclusion

Successful purification of multiple viruses from mixed infections remains a challenge. In this study, we investigated peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) mixed infection in goats. Rather than in a single cell type, cytopathic effect (CPE) of the virus was observed in cocultured Vero/BHK-21 cells at 6th blind passage (BP). PPRV, but not FMDV could be purified from the virus mixture by plaque assay. Viral RNA (mixture) transfection in BHK-21 cells produced FMDV but not PPRV virions, a strategy which we have successfully employed for the first time to eliminate the negative-stranded RNA virus from the virus mixture. FMDV phenotypes, such as replication competent but noncytolytic, cytolytic but defective in plaque formation and, cytolytic but defective in both plaque formation and standard FMDV genome were observed respectively, at passage level BP8, BP15 and BP19 and hence complicated virus isolation in the cell culture system. Mixed infection was not found to induce any significant antigenic and genetic diversity in both PPRV and FMDV. Further, we for the first time demonstrated the viral interference between PPRV and FMDV. Prior transfection of PPRV RNA, but not Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and rotavirus RNA resulted in reduced FMDV replication in BHK-21 cells suggesting that the PPRV RNA-induced interference was specifically directed against FMDV. On long-term coinfection of some acute pathogenic viruses (all possible combinations of PPRV, FMDV, NDV and buffalopox virus) in Vero cells, in most cases, one of the coinfecting viruses was excluded at passage level 5 suggesting that the long-term coinfection may modify viral persistence. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented evidence describing a natural mixed infection of FMDV and PPRV. The study not only provides simple and reliable methodologies for isolation and purification of two epidemiologically and economically important groups of viruses, but could also help in establishing better guidelines for trading animals that could transmit further infections and epidemics in disease free nations.
Effects of immune challenge on the oviposition strategy of a noctuid moth

Infections can have detrimental effects on the fitness of an animal. Reproducing females may therefore be sensitive to cues of infection and be able to adaptively change their oviposition strategy in the face of infection. As one possibility, females could make a terminal investment and shift reproductive effort from future to current reproduction as life expectancy decreases. We hypothesized that females of the noctuid moth Heliothis virescens make a terminal investment and adapt their oviposition timing as well as their oviposition site selectivity in response to an immune challenge. We indeed found that females that were challenged with the bacterial entomopathogen Serratia entomophila laid more eggs than control females one night after the challenge. Additionally, bacteria‐challenged females were less discriminating between oviposition sites than control females. Whereas control females preferred undamaged over damaged plants, immune‐challenged females did not differentiate between the two. These results indicate that terminal investment is part of the life history of H. virescens females. Moreover, our results suggest that the strategy of terminal investment in H. virescens oviposition represents a fitness trade‐off for females: in the face of infection, an increase in oviposition rate enhances female fitness, whereas low oviposition site selectivity reduces female fitness.
Perfectionism, perceived weight status, and self-esteem interact to predict bulimic symptoms: a model of bulimic symptom development.

An interactive model of perfectionism, perceived weight status, and self-esteem was tested on 342 female undergraduates to predict bulimic symptoms. Using a longitudinal design, the authors tested the model on data collected at 2 points: the spring of participants' senior year of high school and during participants' first year of college. The authors hypothesized and found that self-esteem moderates the interaction between perfectionism and perceived weight status in predicting bulimic symptoms. Women who are high in perfectionism and who consider themselves overweight exhibit bulimic symptoms only if they have low self-esteem (i.e., if they doubt they can attain their high body standards). High self-esteem women with the same diathesis-stress conditions are less likely to exhibit bulimic symptoms. These findings clarify the role of perfectionism in bulimic symptomatology.
The Cycle of Violence and Disconnection Among Rural Middle School Students

Abstract A hypothesized relationship between early violent behavior and subsequent connectedness in middle school was examined. Using self-report survey data and a hybrid structural model, the impact of violent behavior on connectedness to teachers and to school among 136 predominantly Caucasian, rural middle school students was examined. After accounting for parenting practices, which explained most of the variance in violence and connectedness, the data revealed a direct effect of violent behavior on connectedness. The data suggest that middle school students who have engaged in violent behavior are likely to experience disconnection from their teachers, and that this disconnection may provide a target for educators' efforts to prevent violence in schools.