Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Confocal micro-PIV measurements of three-dimensional profiles of cell suspension flow in a square microchannel

A detailed measurement of the blood flow velocity profile in microchannels in vitro is fundamental to better understand the biomechanics of microcirculation. Therefore it is very important to determine the influence of suspended blood cells on the flow behaviour with high accuracy and spatial resolution. We measured the flow of blood cells suspended in a physiological fluid within a square microchannel using a confocal particle image velocimetry (PIV) system and compared it to pure water. This emerging technology combines a conventional PIV system with a spinning confocal microscope and has the ability to obtain high-resolution images and three-dimensional (3D) optical section velocity measurements. The good agreement obtained between the measured and estimated results suggests that macroscale flow theory can be used to predict the flow behaviour of a homogeneous fluid within a 100 µm square microchannel. Our results also demonstrated the potential of the confocal system for generating 3D profiles and consequently obtaining detailed information on microscale effects in microchannels using both homogeneous and non-homogeneous fluids, such as a suspension of blood cells. Furthermore, the results obtained from our confocal micro-PIV system show the ability of this system to measure velocities up to 0.52 mm s−1 in a blood cell suspension fluid.
Pathways of atomistic processes on TiN(001) and (111) surfaces during film growth: An ab initio study

Density functional methods were used to calculate binding and diffusion energies of adatoms, molecules, and small clusters on TiN(001) and TiN(111) surfaces in order to isolate the key atomistic processes which determine texture evolution during growth of polycrystalline TiN layers. The surface energy for nonpolar TiN(001), 81 meV/A2, was found to be lower than that of both N- and Ti-terminated TiN(111) polar surfaces, 85 and 346 meV/A2. While N2 molecules are only weakly physisorbed, Ti adatoms form strong bonds with both TiN(001), 3.30 eV, and TiN(111), 10.09 eV. Ti adatom diffusion is fast on (001), but slow on (111) surfaces, with calculated energy barriers of 0.35 and 1.74 eV, respectively. The overall results show that growth of 111-oriented grains is favored under conditions typical for reactive sputter deposition. However, the presence of excess atomic N (due, for example, to collisionally induced dissociation of energetic N2+ ions) leads to a reduced Ti diffusion length, an enhanced surface islan.
Oxytocin Neurones: Intrinsic Mechanisms Governing the Regularity of Spiking Activity

Oxytocin neurones of the rat supraoptic nucleus are osmoresponsive and, with all other things being equal, they fire at a mean rate that is proportional to the plasma sodium concentration. However, individual spike times are governed by highly stochastic events, namely the random occurrences of excitatory synaptic inputs, the probability of which is increased by increasing extracellular osmotic pressure. Accordingly, interspike intervals (ISIs) are very irregular. In the present study, we show, by statistical analyses of firing patterns in oxytocin neurones, that the mean firing rate as measured in bins of a few seconds is more regular than expected from the variability of ISIs. This is consistent with an intrinsic activity‐dependent negative‐feedback mechanism. To test this, we compared observed neuronal firing patterns with firing patterns generated by a leaky integrate‐and‐fire model neurone, modified to exhibit activity‐dependent mechanisms known to be present in oxytocin neurones. The presence of a prolonged afterhyperpolarisation (AHP) was critical for the ability to mimic the observed regularisation of mean firing rate, although we also had to add a depolarising afterpotential (DAP; sometimes called an afterdepolarisation) to the model to match the observed ISI distributions. We tested this model by comparing its behaviour with the behaviour of oxytocin neurones exposed to apamin, a blocker of the medium AHP. Good fits indicate that the medium AHP actively contributes to the firing patterns of oxytocin neurones during non‐bursting activity, and that oxytocin neurones generally express a DAP, even though this is usually masked by superposition of a larger AHP.
We simulate the effect of fractures by considering them to be thin circular cracks in a poroelastic

[1] We simulate the effect of fractures by considering them to be thin circular cracks in a poroelastic background. Using the solution of the scattering problem for a single-crack and multiple-scattering theory, we estimate the attenuation and dispersion of elastic waves in a porous medium containing a sparse distribution of cracks. When comparing with a similar model, in which multiple-scattering effects are neglected, we find that there is agreement at high frequencies and discrepancies at low frequencies. We conclude that the interaction between cracks should not be neglected at low frequencies, even in the limit of weak crack density. Since the models only agree with each other at high frequencies, when the time available for fluid diffusion is small, we conclude that the interaction between cracks, which is a result of fluid diffusion, is negligible at high frequencies. We also compare our results with a model for spherical inclusions and find that the attenuation for spherical inclusions has exactly the same dependence upon frequency but a difference in magnitude, which depends upon frequency. Since the attenuation curves are very close at low frequencies, we conclude that the effective medium properties are not sensitive to the shape of an inclusion at wavelengths that are large compared with the inclusion size. However, at frequencies such that the wavelength is comparable to or smaller than the inclusion size, the effective properties are sensitive to the greater compliance of the flat cracks, and more attenuation occurs at a given frequency as a result.
Effects of the vertical plasma drift velocity on the generation and evolution of equatorial spread F

We use radar observations from the Jicamarca Observatory from 1968 to 1992 to study the effects of the F region vertical plasma drift velocity on the generation and evolution of equatorial spread F. The dependence of these irregularities on season, solar cycle, and magnetic activity can be explained as resulting from the corresponding effects on the evening and nighttime vertical drifts. In the early night sector, the bottomside of the F layer is almost always unstable. The evolution of the unstable layer is controlled by the history of the vertical drift velocity. When the drift velocities are large enough, the necessary seeding mechanisms for the generation of strong spread F always appear to be present. The threshold drift velocity for the generation of strong early night irregularities increases linearly with solar flux. The geomagnetic control on the generation of spread F is season, solar cycle, and longitude dependent. These effects can be explained by the response of the equatorial vertical drift velocities to magnetospheric and ionospheric disturbance dynamo electric fields. The occurrence of early night spread F decreases significantly during equinox solar maximum magnetically disturbed conditions due to disturbance dynamo electric fields which decrease the upward drift velocities near sunset. The generation of late night spread F requires the reversal of the vertical velocity from downward to upward for periods longer than about half an hour. These irregularities occur most often at ∼0400 local time when the prompt penetration and disturbance dynamo vertical drifts have largest amplitudes. The occurrence of late night spread F is highest near solar minimum and decreases with increasing solar activity probably due to the large increase of the nighttime downward drifts with increasing solar flux.
Velocity at maximal oxygen uptake best predicts 3 km race time in collegiate distance runners

Purpose: There is a lack of scientific investigation into the predictors of 3 km race performance in collegiate distance runners. The purpose of this investigation was to determine what physiological variables best predict 3 km race time in a group of collegiate distance runners. Methods: Twenty-one endurance trained runners (11 men, 10 women) volunteered for this investigation. Running economy (RE) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) testing were conducted within 9 ± 6 days of the race in a single session. All participants ran in a 3 km race at an NCAA sanctioned track meet. Pearson’s product moment correlations were performed between 3 km race time and velocity at VO2max (vVO2max), relative VO2max, RE at 9.7, 11.3, 12.9, and 14.5 km•hr-1 and percent of VO2max. A stepwise multiple regression was performed with 3 km race time as the dependent variable and independent variables of vVO2max, VO2max, RE9.7, RE11.3, RE12.9, RE14.5. Results: The results revealed that vVO2max was the best predictor of 3 km race performance in a heterogeneous group of collegiate distance runners (R2=0.90). For the men, vVO2max remained the best predictor of 3 km race performance (R2=0.49). For the women, the best predictors of 3 km performance were vVO2max and VO2max (R2=0.97). Conclusions: Distance coaches should consider emphasizing vVO2max as a primary factor in training to improve 3 km race performance and conversely, the pace achieved in a 3-km race is a good predictor of vVO2max.
A Method of Power Supply Voltage Assignment and Scheduling of Operations to Reduce Energy Consumption of Error Detectable Computations

As the VLSI technology evolves, VLSI circuits are becoming more vulnerable to noises such as the crosstalk, the power supply fluctuation, and single event upsets (SEU). To detect an error caused by the SEU in functional units, operations are executed twice and the results are compared to check if those are identical or not. Such doubly executing operations and the comparison may require large energy consumption. In this paper a method of the power supply voltage assignment and the scheduling of operations is proposed to reduce the energy consumption of the error detectable circuits.
Lateral heterogeneity scales in regional and global upper mantle shear velocity models

S U M M A R Y We analyse the lateral heterogeneity scales of recent upper mantle tomographic shear velocity (Vs) global and regional models. Our goal is to constrain the spherical harmonics power spectrum over the largest possible range of scales to get an estimate of the strength and statistical distribution of both long and small-scale structure. We use a spherical multitaper method to obtain high quality power spectral estimates from the regional models. After deconvolution of the employed taper functions, we combine global and regional spectral estimates from scales of 20 000 to around 200 km (degree 100). In contrast to previous studies that focus on linear power spectral densities, we interpret the logarithmic power per harmonic degree l as heterogeneity strength at a particular depth and horizontal scale. Throughout the mantle, we observe in recent global models, that their low degree spectrum is anisotropic with respect to Earth’s rotation axis. We then constrain the uppermost mantle spectrum from global and regional models. Their power spectra transfer smoothly into each other in overlapping spectral bands, and model correlation is in general best in the uppermost 250 km (i.e. the ‘heterosphere’). In Europe, we see good correlation from the largest scales down to features of about 500 km. Detailed analysis and interpretation of spectral shape in this depth range shows that the heterosphere has several characteristic length scales and varying spectral decay rates. We interpret these as expressions of different physical processes. At larger depths, the correlation between different models drops, and the power spectrum exhibits strong small scale structure whose location and strength is not as well resolved at present. The spectrum also has bands with elevated power that likely correspond to length scales that are enhanced due to the inversion process.
Bayesian Forecasting of US Growth using Basic Time Varying Parameter Models and Expectations Data

Time varying patterns in US growth are analyzed using various univariate model structures, starting from a naive model structure where all features change every period to a model where the slow variation in the conditional mean and changes in the conditional variance are specified together with their interaction, including survey data on expected growth in order to strengthen the information in the model. Use is made of a simulation based Bayesian inferential method to determine the forecasting performance of the various model specifications. The extension of a basic growth model with a constant mean to models including time variation in the mean and variance requires careful investigation of possible identification issues of the parameters and existence conditions of the posterior under a diffuse prior. The use of diffuse priors leads to a focus on the likelihood fu nction and it enables a researcher and policy adviser to evaluate the scientific information contained in model and data. Empirical results indicate that incorporating time variation in mean growth rates as well as in volatility are important in order to improve for the predictive performances of growth models. Furthermore, using data information on growth expectations is important for forecasting growth in specific periods, such as the the recession periods around 2000s and around 2008.
Subjective Well-Being, Risk Perceptions and Time Discounting

The risk and time preferences of individuals as well as their subjective expectations regarding the future are likely to play an important role in choice behaviour. Measurement of these individual characteristics in large-scale surveys has been a recent development and empirical evidence on their associations with behaviour remains limited. We summarize the results of measuring individuals’ attitudes towards inter-temporal choice, risk, and the future in a large-scale field survey in Kenya. We also examine the impact of a cash transfer programme on these preferences and expectations. We find very low rates of inconsistency in interpreting questions on time and risk preferences. Cash transfers alone do not appear to impact time discounting or risk aversion, but they do have an important impact on subjective well-being measures and on future perceptions of quality of life. These in turn may affect forward-looking decisions such as financial and human capital investment, although this is not explored in this paper and remains part of the future research agenda.
Hydrochemical Factors and Correlation Analysis in Groundwater Quality in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

This study involves the determination of the hydrochemistry of groundwater and its suitability for drinking, domestic and other purposes in the area. Results show that Hardness range between 2.53mg/l - 5.06mg/l with a mean value of 3.69mg/l, indicating that the water from the area is soft. Electrical conductivity (EC) level ranges from 6. 23µS/cm - 13. 74µS/cm with a mean of 9. 80µS/cm. pH range from 6.50 - 6.86 with a mean value of 6.66, indicating slightly acidic water. TDS range from 5.77mg/l - 18.30mg/l with a mean value of 11.4. 1mg/l. Temp ranges from 26°C - 27°C with a mean value of 26.6°C. Calcium (Ca2+) ranges from 2.26mg/l - 4.08mg/l with a mean of 2.97mg/l. Iron (Fe2+) range from 0.01mg/l - 0.98mg/l with a mean of 0.32mg/l. Magnesium (Mg2+) ranges from 0.52mg/l - 1.23mg/l with a mean of 0.89mg/l. Sodium (Na+) range from 0.37mg/l - 2.38mg/l with a mean of 1.18mg/l. Potassium K+ range from 0.20mg/l - 1.62mg/l with a mean of 0.91mg/l. Chloride (Cl-) range from 6.25mg/l -12.67mg/l with a mean of 9.06mg/l. Bicarbonate (HCO3-) on the other hand range from 10.18mg/l - 20.48mg/l with a mean of 13.98mg/l while Sulphate (SO42-) range from 0.44mg/l -2.56mg/l with a mean of 1.46mg/l) respectively. Results from the area show that the water is not highly mineralized. The values of the parameters are within permissible limits when compared with WHO 2006 and NSDWQ 2007 with exception of Iron which shows high concentration. Also the low chloride concentration indicates no salt water encroachment. The dominant cation and anion in the groundwater from the study area are Ca2+ and HCO3- respectively. The ions owe their origin to rainfall and dissolution of minerals from the Benin Formation where the wells tap from. It is recommended that seasonal variation of groundwater chemistry studies be carried out regularly to detect any future degradation in the area and the results would be used for decision and policy making.
Coverage Termination due to Reallocation of Research Resources : Cheap talk or Euphemism for Bleak Business Prospects ?

Prior research suggests that due to the incentives they face, analysts are reluctant to voice their negative views on the stocks they cover. The SEC concerned that analysts’ tendency not to disclose their decision to terminate coverage on a firm effectively allows them to similarly conceal their negative news, in its 2003 amendment to the SRO rulings, introduced a provision requiring analysts to announce the termination of coverage through the issuance of a final research report which should either disclose the analyst’s final rating or explain the reason for the termination. Using a unique hand collected dataset of termination announcements we examine the effectiveness of this rule by focusing our attention to a sample of termination announcements that provide a vague and seemingly information-free justification. By taking into consideration the ex post industry research activity of the investment bank we classify termination announcements under the generic term of “resource reallocation” as endogenous if subsequent to the announcement the coverage of the investment bank’s industry portfolio is either increased or reflects a small and insignificant reduction. Using this algorithm to classify terminations we show that the long-run return and financial performance of endogenously terminated firms significantly underperforms that of the exogenous sample. Interestingly, the market’s reaction to the termination announcement is no more negative for the endogenous than the exogenous sample. We conclude that analysts exploit the amendment’s provision to terminate coverage on stocks without having to disclose their true and unfavorable expectations rendering, in essence, the regulation that was enacted to combat this tendency, practically ineffective.
Stochastic Modeling and Estimation of Market Volatilities with Applications in Financial Forecasting

This paper aims to provide a framework for modeling and estimating the implied volatilities of stock prices using stochastic processes. The CIR (Cox-Ingersoll-Ross) model is proposed to capture the mean reversion characteristic as shown in the movement of the daily implied volatilities of the S$\&$P 500 Index and Nikkei 225 Index. The maximum likelihood procedure is applied to estimate the parameters appearing in the model, where both analytical and approximation techniques are sought to handle the difficulties arising from the corresponding optimization problem. The procedure is validated with varying sampling methods by setting different time horizons and observation intervals. Results from numerical experiments show that the stochastic volatility model proposed in this paper functions well in both the US and Japan markets. As one of the applications, our approach is tested to be effective in detecting jumps in likelihood ratios, hence useful for forecasting stock market shocks and crisis.
Non-Polio Enteroviruses, the Neglected and Emerging Human Pathogens: Are we Waiting for the Sizzling Enterovirus Volcano to Erupt?

Enteroviruses consist of a lar ge group of pathogenic viruses, poliovirus being the notorious member . For the last several decades, all the attention and resources were directed towards control and eradication of poliomyelitis in India. There is very little research on non-polio enteroviruses (NPEVs), the cousins of poliovirus, which are associated with a wide range of diseases, especially in infants and young children. We have established an active research group on NPEVs during the last six years and showed that about 35% of non-polio acute flaccid paralysis (NP-AFP) children were positive for NPEV infections, and detected 66 serotypes in NP-AFP children, EV71 being more frequently detected followed by Echovirus 13 and CVB5. Long-term comparative epidemiological studies on NPEVs and rotavirus in acute diarrhoea revealed for the first time, that, NPEV association is as significant as that of rotavirus. A surprising observation was the contrasting seasonal prevalence between enterovus- and rotavirus-associated diarrhoea, the former predominating in non-winter months and the latter occurring primarily in the winter season. NPEVs were associated with epidemics-like outbreaks during which they were detected in up to 50% children with acute diarrhoea. In recent years, enterovirus has been identified to be associated with acute encephalitis cases in Uttar Pradesh. HFMD outbreaks have been reported in recent years, including a major outbreak in Bangalore in 2013. Since, no studies exist in India on the biology of EVs, including HFMD, we have recently initiated work on this emer ging disease. Our studies uncover an ur gent need for detailed studies on these “so far” neglected and emerging viruses for effective child health management in the country.
Developing and Measuring Sub-Dimensions of Cognitive and Emotional Trust in Supervisor

This paper built a hierarchical framework of cognitive & emotional trust which is composed of two higherorder constructs and six sub-dimensions. Cognitive trust consists of 1) expectations based on competence, 2) benevolence, and 3) integrity. Emotional trust consists of 1) emotional linkage, 2) identification, and 3) depending willingness. This framework was represented by a second-order factor model and verified by 301 Chinese and 952 Japanese employee samples. In addition, a set of measures were developed to operationalize this framework. The psychometric properties of original measures were validated by both Chinese and Japanese samples.
Integrative cognitive training for healthy elderly Chinese in community: Acontrolled study.

The short and long term effectiveness of integrative cognitive training for the healthy elderly in Chinese community was evaluated. Methods: Residents aged ≥70 years were enrolled from a subdistrict in Shanghai and 151 healthy residents who met the inclusion criteria were recruited into the present study whom were divided into cognitive intervention group (n=90) and control group (n=61). All individuals were assessed with the Neuropsychological Test Battery for Elderly (NTBE), stroop color-word test and a questionnaire “Shanghai Health Survey for the Elderly (VER2006)” at baseline, and immediately, half a year, one year after intervention. The interventions (include reasoning, memory, etc) were conducted for 24 sessions over 12 weeks. 1) Baseline: There were no significant differences in the neuropsychological scores between intervention group and control group except for the scores in two subscales. 2) Follow up: Functions in many subscales of NTBE and Stroop color-word test were significantly improved and those in the intervention group were higher than in control group immediately and one year after intervention. The integrative cognitive training can improve and /or delay the degeneration of cognitive function of the elderly in the community, and the effectiveness of cognitive training may last for at least one year, especially in the reasoning ability.