Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Complete crossing of Fano resonances in an optical microcavity via nonlinear tuning

We report on the modeling, simulation, and experimental demonstration of complete mode crossings of Fano resonances within chip-integrated microresonators. The continuous reshaping of resonant line shapes is achieved via nonlinear thermo-optical tuning when the cavity-coupled optical pump is partially absorbed by the material. The locally generated heat then produces a thermal field, which influences the spatially overlapping optical modes, allowing us to alter the relative spectral separation of resonances. Furthermore, we exploit such tunability to continuously probe the coupling between different families of quasi-degenerate modes that exhibit asymmetric Fano interactions. As a particular case, we demonstrate a complete disappearance of one of the modal features in the transmission spectrum as predicted by Fano [Phys. Rev.124, 1866 (1961)PHRVAO0031-899X10.1103/PhysRev.124. 1866]. The phenomenon is modeled as a third-order nonlinearity with a spatial distribution that depends on the stored optical field and thermal diffusion within the resonator. The performed nonlinear numerical simulations are in excellent agreement with the experimental results, which confirm the validity of the developed theory.
SIMULATED OBESITY-RELATED RESTRICTIVE VENTILATORY LOAD IMPAIRS MODERATE EXERCISE SUSTAINABILITY IN NONOBESE MEN

This study aims in investigating the effects of simulating obesity-related restrictive ventilatory load (RVL) with external thoracic restriction (ETR) on sustaining moderate exercise and on associated cardio-respiratory responses, perceived breathlessness sensation and ventilatory muscle fatigue in nonobese men. Seven male adults with body fat 15% performed two identical exhaustive constant-load moderate cycle exercises with their resting total respiratory elastance either increased twofold by the ETR, with concomitant reduction in functional residual capacity in the RVL trial, or not manipulated in the control trial. In RVL condition, the ETR induced inspiratory muscle fatigue (as indicated by the reduction in post-exercise static maximum mouth pressure) and shortened the exercise time to exhaustion in all subjects (p 0.05). At exhaustion, hyperventilation composed of rapid and shallow breathing pattern and decreased end-tidal CO2 tension occurred, while arterial O2 saturation and whole-body O2 consumption were maintained in the control group. Subjective rating of perceived breathlessness sensation (RPB) was increased in the RVL condition (p 0.05). The increase in RPB was correlated to the reduction in exercise sustainability (r 0.83). Such findings implied that the perceived sensation of breathlessness in obesity mediated by obesity-related RVL during moderate exercise might contribute to their inferior exercise tolerance.
ON MAXIMAL FUNCTIONS AND POISSON-SZEGÖ INTEGRALS

We study a class of maximal functions of Hardy-Littlewood type defined on spaces of homogeneous type and we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the corresponding maximal operators to be of weak type (1,1). As a consequence we show that Poisson-Szego integrals of Lp functions possess certain boundary limits which are not implied by Koranyi's theorem. Introduction. The classical theorem of Fatou is concerned with the existence of nontangential boundary limits of the Poisson integral of a function / defined on Rn or on the unit circle. Such limits exist almost everywhere if / is in Lp(Rn), 1 0. ) If / is locally integrable on Rn, the maximal function Mn/ is defined by Ain/(io) = sup j^--ii/
New age constraints on Aptian evaporites and carbonates from the South Atlantic: Implications for Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a

High-resolution carbon isotope (δ 13 C) profiles from shallow- and deep-water carbonates in the South Atlantic (Campos and Santos Basins) are here correlated to stratigraphically well calibrated Tethyan sections, constraining the end of major evaporite deposition in the South Atlantic to the early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE) 1a interval. The unusually extensive evaporite deposition would have reduced the global dissolved sulfate inventory, possibly increasing global preservation of organic matter by decreasing sulfate reduction; this could explain the coincidence in timing between OAE 1a and the dramatic negative sulfur isotope excursion over this interval. Therefore, in addition to the coeval eruption of the Ontong Java Plateau, the opening of the South Atlantic may have played an important role in the genesis and character of OAE 1a.
Deriving brown carbon from multiwavelength absorption measurements: method and application to AERONET and Aethalometer observations

Abstract. The radiative impact of organic aerosols (OA) is a large source of uncertainty in estimating the global direct radiative effect (DRE) of aerosols. This radiative impact includes not only light scattering but also light absorption from a subclass of OA referred to as brown carbon (BrC). However, the absorption properties of BrC are poorly understood, leading to large uncertainties in modeling studies. To obtain observational constraints from measurements, a simple absorption Angstrom exponent (AAE) method is often used to separate the contribution of BrC absorption from that of black carbon (BC). However, this attribution method is based on assumptions regarding the spectral dependence of BC that are often violated in the ambient atmosphere. Here we develop a new AAE method which improves upon previous approaches by using the information from the wavelength-dependent measurements themselves and by allowing for an atmospherically relevant range of BC properties, rather than fixing these at a single assumed value. We note that constraints on BC optical properties and mixing state would help further improve this method. We apply this method to multiwavelength absorption aerosol optical depth (AAOD) measurements at AERONET sites worldwide and surface aerosol absorption measurements at multiple ambient sites. We estimate that BrC globally contributes up to 40 % of the seasonally averaged absorption at 440 nm. We find that the mass absorption coefficient of OA (OA-MAC) is positively correlated with the BC ∕ OA mass ratio. Based on the variability in BC properties and BC ∕ OA emission ratio, we estimate a range of 0.05–1.5 m2 g−1 for OA-MAC at 440 nm. Using the combination of AERONET and OMI UV absorption observations we estimate that the AAE388∕440 nm for BrC is generally ∼ 4 worldwide, with a smaller value in Europe (
Imported Inputs and Productivity

We estimate a model of importers in Hungarian microdata and conduct counterfactual analysis to investigate the effect of imported inputs on productivity. We find that importing all input varieties would increase a firm's revenue productivity by 22 percent, about one-half of which is due to imperfect substitution between foreign and domestic inputs. Foreign firms use imports more effectively and pay lower fixed import costs. We attribute one-quarter of Hungarian productivity growth during the 1993-2002 period to imported inputs. Simulations show that the productivity gain from a tariff cut is larger when the economy has many importers and many foreign firms. (JEL D24, F13, F14, L60)
Predicting Adverse Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease Using Machine Learning Methods: Data from the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease

Background: Understanding factors which predict progression of renal failure is of great interest to clinicians. Objectives: We examined machine learning methods to predict the composite outcome of death, dialysis or doubling of serum creatinine using the modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) data set. Methods: We specifically evaluated a generalized linear model, a support vector machine, a decision tree, a feed-forward neural network and a random forest evaluated within the context of 10 fold validation using the CARET package available within the open source architecture R program. Results: We found that using clinical parameters available at entry into the study, these computer learning methods trained on 70% of the MDRD population had prediction accuracies ranging from 66-77% on the remaining 30%. Although the support vector machine methodology appeared to have the highest accuracy, all models studied worked relatively well. Conclusions: These results illustrate the utility of employing machine learning methods within R to address the prediction of long term clinical outcomes using initial clinical measurements.
Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis of Retroviruses

Retroviruses consist of a varied family of enveloped RNA viruses with positive-sense RNAs that replicate in a host cell through the process of reverse transcription. Retrovirus‐ es belong to the Retroviridae family that typically carries their genetic material in the form of ribonucleic acid, while the genetic material of their hosts is in the form of deoxy‐ ribonucleic acid. Infections with a number of retroviruses can lead to serious conditions, such as AIDS, a range of malignancies, neurological diseases, and added clinical condi‐ tions. In addition, some can even become integrated as DNA in the germ line and passed as endogenous viruses from generation to generation. Surprisingly, retroviruses do not appear to straightforwardly activate host innate defenses. On the other hand, attention in these viruses extends beyond their disease causing capabilities. For example, studies on the retroviruses led to the discovery of oncogenes, understanding of mechanisms that regulate eukaryotic gene expression, and these are proving to be valuable research tools in molecular biology and have been used successfully in gene therapy. The central goals of retrovirology today are the treatment and the prevention of human and non-human diseases and to use this virus in research.
Gr upSM Skeletal Muscle Pathology in Mitochondrial Diseases ABBREVIATIONS

COX: Cytochrome-C Oxidase; IBM: Inclusion Body Myositis; KSS: Kearns-Sayre Syndrome; MELAS: Mitochondrial Myopathy; Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis and Stroke-like Episodes Syndrome; LHON: Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy; MD: Mitochondrial Disease; mGT: modified Gomori Trichrome Staining; MERRF: Myoclonic Epilepsy and Ragged Red Fibers; MILS: Maternally Inherited Leigh’s Syndrome; MNGIE: Mitochondrial Neuro-Gastrointestinal Encephalopathy; mtDNA: mitochondrial DNA; NARP: Neuropathy, Ataxia, Retinitis Pigmentosa; nDNA: nuclear DNA; PEO: Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia; RC: Respiratory Chain; RRF: Ragged Red Fiber; SANDO: Sensory Ataxic Neuropathy, Dysarthria, Ophthalmoparesis; SSVs: Strong Succinate Dehydrogenase Reactive Blood Vessels
Sales Force and Competition in Financial Product Markets: The Case of Mexico's Social Security Privatization

This paper examines how sales force impacts competition and equilibrium prices in the context of a privatized pension market. We use detailed administrative data on fund manager choices and worker characteristics at the inception of Mexico's privatized social security system, where fund managers had to set prices (management fees) at the national level, but could select sales force levels by local geographic areas. We develop and estimate a model of fund manager choice where sales force can increase or decrease customer price sensitivity. We find exposure to sales force lowered price sensitivity, leading to inelastic demand and high equilibrium fees. We simulate oft proposed policy solutions: a supply‐side policy with a competitive government player and a demand‐side policy that increases price elasticity. We find that demand‐side policies are necessary to foster competition in social safety net markets with large segments of inelastic consumers.
The International Review of Retail , Distribution and Consumer Research

Retailer internationalization: overcoming barriers to expansion Karise Hutchinson a , Barry Quinn a , Nicholas Alexander b & Anne Marie Doherty c a Department of Business, Retail and Financial Services, Ulster Business School, Coleraine, Northern Ireland b School of Management and Business, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK c Department of Marketing, Supply and Strategy, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, UK Published online: 01 Oct 2009.
Mentation during sleep onset theta bursts in a trained participant: A role for NREM stage 1 sleep in memory processing?

NREM stage 1 sleep, known as a brief interval of transition from wake to sleep, is characterized by neurophysiological events and subjective sensory experiences that suggest the stage may be involved in memory processing. To examine this possibility, we conducted multiple awakenings with a trained participant during short bursts of theta activity defining the 5 th sub stage of NREM stage 1 sleep (NREM1Ф). Awakenings provided frequent reports of vivid dreaming containing coherent scenes—as opposed to isolated objects often associated with general sleep onset imagery. Analyses of the temporal and semantic aspects of the memories associated with this imagery suggest that multiple memories are selected for incorporation in NREM1Ф imagery on the basis of their semantic proximity and temporal remoteness. Analyses also demonstrate a remarkable pattern in about a third of dreams in which distinct, semantically related memories dating from as little as 10 minutes to as much as 15 years ago were bound in close temporal and spatial proximity within the novel contexts of the imagery. This offline manipulation of semantic information, observed here at a phenomenological level, bears a resemblance to processes thought to underlie integrative encoding , i.e., the encoding of an association between events that were not experienced together but which are subsequently combined because they contain at least one overlapping element. This preliminary study provides evidence consistent with the notion that hippocampal-mediated memory processing occurs during the theta bursts found at sleep onset.
Microscopic modeling of magnetic-field effects on charge transport in organic semiconductors

The stochastic Liouville equation is applied to the field of organic magnetoresistance to perform detailed microscopic calculations on the different proposed models. By adapting this equation, the influence of a magnetic field on the current in bipolaron, electron-hole pair, and triplet models is calculated. The simplicity and wide applicability of the stochastic Liouville equation makes it a powerful tool for interpreting experimental results on magnetoresistance measurements in organic semiconductors. New insights are gained on the influence of hopping rates and disorder on the magnetoresistance.
A Comparison of the Use of Cohesive Devices in EFL Learners' Performance on Independent vs. Integrated Writing Tasks

This study was an attempt to compare and contrast the frequency of the use of cohesive devices in independent and integrated essays written by 95 upper-intermediate Iranian EFL learners to find out about any possible changes in the type and frequency of using cohesive devices due to the nature of the writing task . The participants were native speakers of Farsi between 18 to 30 years old, studying English as a foreign language in an English language center in Yazd, Iran. The sample included 58 female and 37 male students. They were asked to compose an integrated argumentative essay after reading a text and listening to a lecture on the same topic as it is designed in TOEFL iBT ® writing test. The participants first completed an independent task which had a prompt to write about and then completed an integrated writing task with a two-week interval between the writing sessions. The tasks were taken from the TOEFL iBT ® writing task. Results indicated that there was a significant difference in the use of almost all types of cohesive devices between the two conditions with the independent task producing essays with lower cohesive device counts. The results revealed that in terms of textual cohesion, the participants preferred using anaphoric references to cataphoric references while substitution and ellipsis in both independent and integrated sample writings were rarely used. The students were also found to be better at using references and lexical cohesion in their integrated writings than in their independent essays. Finally, it can be concluded that the integrated writing task has positive effects on the students’ use of cohesive devices. The results of this study provide evidence on the effect of test method on writing performance and may advocate the use of integrated writing tasks to provide a better picture of students' writing abilities.
Molecular analysis of growth cessation and dormancy in hybrid aspen

Perennial plants such as trees living in temperate zones experience extreme changes in temperature during summers and winters. In order to survive, shoot apical and cambial meristem undergo a transition from active growth to dormant state, well in advance of winter onset. The transition between an active growth and dormancy involves physiological and developmental processes such as bud formation, acquisition of cold hardiness that are underpinned by massive changes transcriptional and metabolic programs. The studies of this thesis provide an insight into the molecular regulation underlying the photoperiodic control of growth cessation, adaptive response and acquisition of dormancy in model tree hybrid aspen. Our data show that components of flowering pathway i.e. LAP1 and FDL1 have evolved new functions to mediate in SD-control of growth cessation and adaptive response. Furthermore, we found that FIE, a component of evolutionary conserved PRC2 complex, in concert with Abscisic Acid (ABA) are key regulators of dormancy in Populus. We demonstrate that an interplay between these two components and yet another chromatin remodelling factor PICKLE is necessary for the development of dormancy. In summary, this thesis sheds new light on molecular regulation of activity-dormancy cycle in hybrid aspen. Our better understanding of how trees regulate growth cessation, adaptive response and dormancy may be useful to devise strategies to engineer trees with altered activity-dormancy traits in order to improve their productivity under the impending climate change.
OnabotulinumtoxinA Nerve Blocks in the Treatment of Occipital Neuralgia

Occipital neuralgia is characterized by severe pain, accompanied by tenderness and trigger points, in the distribution of the greater, lesser, and/or third occipital nerves. Occipital neuralgia is typically idiopathic, but also is characterized as a common form of posttraumatic headache. Typical treatments include nerve blocks with local anesthetic, nerve stimulation, pulsed radiofrequency, and cryoablation. OnabotulinumtoxinA (ONA) has recently been utilized in nerve blocks to treat occipital neuralgia, with the potential for a longer duration of pain relief than local anesthetic. Our study retrospectively examined 63 patients treated for occipital neuralgia, including 19 with ONA. 80 - 155 units of ONA were administered bilaterally in the surrounding musculature. A total of 61 patients, including 17 of those subsequently treated with ONA, were treated with local anesthetic, using a 1:1 mixture of 0.25% bupivacaine and 1% lidocaine, plus triamcinolone. Patients reported VAS pain scores before and after their procedures, and again during 4-week follow-up visits. Information on opioid use, overall pain relief, and duration of full relief was also recorded upon follow-up. Patients treated with ONA exhibited significant decreases in average VAS pain scores from 4.1 ± 2.6 pre-procedure to 2.1 ± 2.4 post-procedure (p = 2 × 10 -5), and 3.0 ± 2.5 4 weeks later (p = 0.0234). Mean overall relief was 75.8% ± 25.0%. Treatment with local anesthetic suggested equally efficacious reduction of VAS scores; however, treatment with ONA showed a significantly higher percentage of overall pain relief leading to follow-up. Opioid use did not exhibit significant change, regardless of treatment type. Our results support the hypothesis that use of Onabotulinum-toxinA in occipital nerve blocks leads to significant decreases in pain, while possibly exhibiting a longer duration of action than that of local anesthetic.
HIV-1, HIV-2 and other Sexually Transmitted Infections in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa

HIV-1 is dominating the global HIV pandemic, while HIV-2 is mainly confined to West Africa. The highest HIV-2 prevalence figures have been reported from Guinea-Bissau. While HIV-1 infection almost invariably leads to progressive immune dysfunction and AIDS, HIV-2 infection is characterised by a smaller proportion of individuals with disease progression to AIDS. In order to monitor the long-term epidemiological trends of HIV-1 and HIV-2, we performed sentinel studies among pregnant women and followed a cohort of police officers. During the period 1987 to 2004, HIV-2 prevalence declined from 8.3% to 1.5% in pregnant women and during 1990 to 2007, HIV-2 prevalence declined from 13.4% to 6.2% among police officers. We examined specifically if the civil war 1998 – 1999 had any impact on the HIV epidemic in Guinea-Bissau and found that HIV-1 prevalence among pregnant women increased sharply to 5.2% after the conflict but then stabilised around 5%. Among the police officers the HIV-1 prevalence pattern was the same. Also HIV-1 incidence peaked during and shortly after the conflict, but later stabilised at lower levels. Thus we noticed a short-term effect exerted by the war but we did not see any evidence of long-term effects that could be explained by the conflict. We examined the natural course of HIV-2 infection in seroincident individuals after 20 years of follow-up in the police cohort. As expected, median survival time and disease progression time to AIDS was longer and the CD4+ T cell decline rate was lower compared with HIV-1 infection. There was no significant difference compared with HIV-2 seroprevalent individuals, indicating that earlier studies of HIV-2 seroprevalent individuals were quite representative for HIV-2 infection in general. According to our data, a majority of HIV-2-infected individuals, if followed over longer time, will probably progress to immunodeficiency and clinical disease. Early loss of CD4+ T cells correlated to outcome, just as in HIV-1 infection. We also investigated the difference in disease course in seroincident HIV-1 infection and the influence of contemporaneous HIV-2 infection. The median time of progression to AIDS was 53% longer in dual HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection than in HIV-1 single infection and the difference was more pronounced in the individuals with a recorded HIV-2 infection preceding seroconversion to HIV-1. The epidemiological results correlated to higher CD4+ T cell counts and lower genetic HIV-1 diversity among the dually infected individuals compared with the HIV-1 single-infected. Finally, we investigated the prevalence of other STIs in women with urogenital problems and found high prevalence of several STIs. The most prevalent were Trichomonas vaginalis (20.4%) and Chlamydia trachomatis (12.6%). Infections with Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 and Mycoplasma genitalium were associated with HIV positivity.